Chapter 1297: Reincarnation

Before the main gate of the palace, amidst the vast mist, besides the numerous ghost soldiers visible everywhere, there stood two extremely tall and burly ghost generals, holding weapons, standing majestically.

One of them, though with a human body, had a huge and ferocious bull head, wore thick black iron armor, and held a mace inscribed with skull ghost patterns, half crimson and half deep blue, as if born of water and fire.

The other also had a human body but a long, ugly horse face, wore a blood-red heavy armor, held a string of red crystal chains in one hand, and a pale, eerie flaying ghost claw in the other, which seemed stained with some black bloodstains.

These two stood motionless guarding the gate, like two sculptures, making the already gloomy hall appear even more ghostly, resembling the legendary Yama's Hall in the underworld.

However, above the door lintel of the hall, there was no plaque hanging, and the two huge doors were tightly closed.

At this moment, deep beneath the palace, there was a huge underground space, lit everywhere with bonfires, illuminating every corner brightly.

In the center of the underground space, there was a hexagonal stone platform a thousand zhang in circumference, rising only three feet above the ground, smooth as a mirror, seemingly naturally formed, with a hexagonal sunken pool in its center filled with dark red liquid.

Directly above the pool, a dark red glow shone, with light threads like silk winding layer upon layer, and in the center hung a huge hexagonal wheel floating in midair.

The wheel was covered with various runes, emitting strange fluctuations and an eerie aura that resonated with heaven and earth, making anyone standing before it feel infinitely small.

At the edge of the pool, facing the hexagonal wheel, stood a tall man in a black robe, wearing a bamboo hat with black gauze hanging down, completely concealing his face.

However, even stranger was that this man in the bamboo hat, though his aura was restrained and seemed ordinary, stood there like a mountain, his presence even surpassing that of the hexagonal wheel.

The man in the bamboo hat slightly bowed his head, the low-hanging black gauze touching his chest, as if lost in thought.

At this moment, footsteps sounded from afar. A beautiful woman with fair skin in a black dress, holding the hand of a stunning woman in a blue palace gown, stepped onto the stone platform and walked gracefully over.

This woman in the black dress was none other than Jiao San.

Her appearance was already extremely beautiful, but the woman in the palace gown was even more stunning by three parts, and she was none other than the woman called "Rushuang" by the Reincarnation Palace.

If Han Li were here, he would naturally not agree with this statement, because this "Rushuang" was identical in appearance and demeanor to Nangong Wan, and in fact, she was indeed Nangong Wan.

Jiao San held her hand, feeling her skin smooth but slightly cool, forming a sharp contrast with her own somewhat hot palm.

Compared to the heat in her palm, Jiao San's thoughts were even more chaotic. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her expression was somewhat grave, as she couldn't help stealing glances at Rushuang from time to time.

Ever since she learned that Rushuang was her mother, Jiao San could no longer look at her with the same eyes as before. However, the latter's soul was incomplete, and she was completely unaware of Jiao San's scrutiny, merely following her calmly toward the center of the stone platform with a serene expression.

"Hall Master."

Arriving at the hexagonal pool, Jiao San released Rushuang's hand and bowed to the man in the bamboo hat.

Rushuang also bowed in the same manner.

"Go in." The Reincarnation Hall Master turned back, his gaze falling on the two of them, and said.

Hearing this, Jiao San took Rushuang's hand and walked to the edge of the pool.

Rushuang hesitated slightly and looked at Jiao San.

Jiao San smiled gently at her, signaling her to step into the pool.

Rushuang then lifted the hem of her skirt and walked step by step along the steps at the edge of the pool toward the center.

The water in the pool was not very deep; when she reached the center, it only came up to her chest.

However, as soon as she stood still and tried to turn around to look at Jiao San, her eyes suddenly grew drowsy, and her body fell backward, directly falling into a deep sleep.

Seeing her fall asleep and float on the water's surface, Jiao San showed no surprise, as if she had known this would happen, though there was still some doubt in her eyes.

"Hall Master, why did you ask me to bring... my mother here? And why does she have no memory of me at all, not knowing that we are mother and daughter?" Jiao San frowned and couldn't help asking.

"Your mother doesn't remember you because she has already gone through one cycle of reincarnation. Naturally, she has lost all memory and doesn't recall you," said the Reincarnation Hall Master.

"Already gone through one cycle of reincarnation? What does that mean?" Jiao San asked.

"What I mean is... her previous life was your true mother, named 'Gan Rushuang.' In this life, her surname is Nangong, and her given name is Wan. For her to remember you, you must help her recover the memories of her previous life," the Reincarnation Hall Master said slowly after a moment of deliberation.

Hearing the name 'Nangong Wan' for the first time, Jiao San found it somewhat familiar but didn't pay much attention. She just paused and asked, "Gan Rushuang... My name is Gan Jiuzhen. Do I take my mother's surname?"

Countless questions surged through her mind in an instant: How did her mother die in her previous life? Where was her father? Could a mother who had already undergone one cycle of reincarnation still be considered her mother?

In the end, however, she only managed to ask one question: "Why can't I remember my mother either?"

"Your mother passed away in her previous life on the very day you were born. You only saw her once at birth; how could you have any memory of her?" said the Lord of the Cycle Realm.

"Did my mother die because of me?" Jiao San asked, her body icy cold.

"No," the Lord of the Cycle Realm said decisively.

"But Mother..."

"Jiu Zhen, you have too many questions. Wait until she regains her memories before speaking further," the Lord of the Cycle Realm interrupted coldly.

Hearing this, Jiao San fell silent and stood to the side, gazing at the figure in the pool.

The Lord of the Cycle Realm clasped his hands before him, chanted an incantation, and began forming hand seals.

His robes billowed without wind, and waves of dark red law fluctuations emanated from him. Pointing a finger at the hexagonal wheel high above, a solid red beam of light struck the wheel.

Then, a whistling sound arose, and the hexagonal wheel began to spin, faster and faster.

The red halo surrounding it was also set into a swirling motion by the rotation, and a straight beam of red light poured down from above, enveloping Nan Gong Wan's body.

Inside the red light, Nan Gong Wan's brow furrowed slightly, and her eyeballs rolled back and forth beneath her eyelids, as if caught in a fierce dream.

But soon, her movements ceased, and she began to sink slowly until she disappeared into the pool.

...

In the Yellow Spring Great Marsh, the blood-colored cloud wall blotted out the sky, and the original canyon terrain was gone. Han Li and the others traveled in their bamboo boat as if through a mountain tunnel, with blood clouds interwoven even above their heads.

"Once we leave this area, we'll be close to the lake's center," Gui Wu said.

Han Li nodded without replying.

The journey here had been relatively smooth. Twice they had nearly been caught by the opposing whirlwinds, but each time they escaped danger, proving that the hidden waterway Gui Wu mentioned was reliable.

About half an hour later, the bamboo boat emerged from beneath a towering opposing whirlwind. The water ahead suddenly opened up, and within nearly a thousand li, there were neither blood clouds nor whirlwinds.

"Strange, how could there be a windless belt here?" the Ghost Witch said, somewhat surprised.

"Isn't a lack of wind a good thing?" Ti Hun asked, puzzled.

"Not necessarily. The appearance of a windless belt here means that the path we expected has changed. If it's windless here, the waterways that were previously passable may not be windless. If the original route is blocked, we'll be trapped in this great marsh." Han Li shook his head and said.

Just then, his expression shifted slightly, and he turned his gaze toward the other side, toward the wall of blood clouds.

The originally relatively still cloud wall suddenly stirred, surging toward the windless belt area.

Immediately after, a massive shadow appeared behind the cloud wall.

"This is..." the Ghost Witch muttered, his expression changing.

Ti Hun's divine sense stirred, but a strange look flashed in her eyes.

As the blood clouds churned, a colossal black beast, thousands of feet in size, shaped like a crocodile-turtle, skimmed low over the lake surface, flying out.

Han Li frowned as he looked, seeing that it had four huge fan-like fins beneath its body. As they flapped up and down, a layer of black whirlwind rolled out, forming a special air current between its massive body and the lake surface, lifting it to float in the air.

"What kind of strange beast is this, unaffected by the opposing cyclones?" Ti Hun asked.

"Impossible. The Youfu Nether Turtle has been extinct for hundreds of thousands of years. How could it still appear?" the Ghost Witch said, full of shock and disbelief.

"There are people on it," Han Li said, his gaze sharpening.

Hearing this, the Ghost Witch and Ti Hun quickly looked over, seeing indistinct figures on the giant turtle's back—seven or eight human silhouettes standing there.

Among them, the leader was exceptionally tall, draped in a gray robe, but inside was a white skeleton as lustrous as jade, surrounded by a faint, elusive white aura, exuding a powerful presence.

Behind the white skeleton, half a step back, stood a headless man three zhang tall, his body blood-red. He used his nipples as eyes and held a blood-colored giant axe in one hand—it was Xue Li.

Behind Xue Li stood several others in a row, including Yin Luo, the ghost soldier leader who had previously commanded the ghosts in pursuing Han Li and the others.

As Han Li saw them, they also noticed Han Li.

A fierce glint flashed in Xue Li's eyes. He leaped into the air, swung his giant axe in an arc, and chopped down toward Han Li's head.