Elder Jiuli was also moved upon hearing this. He stroked his white beard, narrowed his eyes, and his wrinkled eyelids crinkled together.
"The Bridge of Helplessness is a mortal saying, isn't it? It is indeed so. They should have entered reincarnation after death but were not brought back to the Underworld by the ferryman. Over a long period, their souls lost their minds, and in their confused state, they were drawn to seek the bridge, searching for their way home."
Fang Rui listened with rapt attention, sighing softly.
Why would there be a Bridge of Helplessness in the mortal world and the cultivation world?
She suddenly felt a sense of pity for these souls. She had always thought that unable to return to their rightful place, they lingered in the mortal world, blindly searching night after night, never resting in peace.
A disciple, seeing the somber atmosphere, broke the silence and asked, "They seem to have a goal, lining up like this. Is there a bridge ahead?"
Losing their minds meant these souls had no judgment, only instinct to find and cross the bridge, believing they had already crossed the Bridge of Helplessness.
"Before reaching the teleportation array of the Du Sheng Temple, there is indeed a suspension bridge. Each time, they only follow it to that point, cross the bridge, and then disappear. Alright, enough idle chatter, keep up." Elder Jiuli finally interrupted the conversation impatiently.
From then on, they all focused on their journey.
As midnight approached, the spiritual pressure of the souls grew stronger, their radiance brighter. A long "river of light" flowed, and they could even touch humans with their spiritual bodies, causing some obstruction.
The temple's green vines clinging to the dome gradually lowered, the walls on both sides narrowed, forming a triangle as they reached a sloping long staircase. Following these souls up the steps, they emerged from a tall, rectangular stone gate.
Beyond the stone gate was a semicircular stone platform, in front of which lay a precipice. A human-height stone tablet stood at the edge of the cliff.
The inscriptions on the tablet were weathered and blurred, lacking some strokes. Connected to the cliff face was a suspension bridge made of iron chains, about several hundred meters long. The bridge deck was not paved, but consisted of several thick iron chains twisted into a perilous pathway.
Whoosh—
The mountain wind howled fiercely, whistling like a mournful cry, making the iron chain bridge sway and creak.
This situation might be a difficult challenge for ordinary people, but for cultivators who could fly and traverse the earth, it was not to be feared.
However, Elder Jiuli's words shattered their wishful thinking: "This bridge was forged by the Master of Du Sheng Temple to temper the mind and achieve equanimity. It is called 'Questioning the Heart.' The iron chains have the effect of absorbing spiritual energy and neutralizing spells. One cannot use artifacts or fly across."
"Then we have to squeeze onto the bridge with these ghosts?" Fang Rui's expression soured.
The elite disciples also hesitated. "Perhaps we should let them go first? After all, it's almost dawn, and these souls will disappear by then."
These souls moved slowly and sluggishly, their spiritual bodies overlapping, shuffling and crowding together. This long line of faint green light was endless, and they truly did not want to join their sandwiched procession.
Elder Jiuli said irritably, "Do you think I *want* to squeeze with them? Once night falls upon Du Sheng Temple, one cannot leave the teleportation cave until dawn. Even if you waited here for ten years, this world would not see daylight, and they would never finish crossing."
The brightly lit teleportation cave they had entered was the passage from the outside into the "inner core" of the temple. Passing through it and exiting another teleportation cave would lead to the true outside of the temple, where the large teleportation array for the twenty-eight heavens was located.
He had urged them to hurry earlier, but they had all taken it lightly. Now they were getting scared.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
"Such minor setbacks cause you to lose heart? Cultivators, by nature, defy the heavens. Why fear such trifles?"
Elder Jiuli knew that due to their exceptional talent, most of them had had smooth sailing, supported by their sects, all the way. Compared to the wild cultivators outside, they were like flowers in a greenhouse.
He calmed his mind and stepped onto the suspension bridge. The thin, unstable bridge swayed. He was like a lone boat at sea, drifting with the waves, but each step was steady, his wide grey robes billowing.
The elite disciples behind him stared for a long time, swallowed, then gritted their teeth and followed suit.
They found gaps and squeezed into the great procession of ghosts crossing the bridge. Upon entering, they were almost crushed and distorted by the drifting specters.
One step, and the cold wind from below the cliff surged into their crotches, sending a chilling sensation, a feeling of life and death intertwined.
Wuuu... If they fell, they would truly fall.
Even worse, being trapped and swept forward amidst these cold, soft, ethereal bodies, they could only advance, with no retreat.
Ziying still wanted to stay with the ghost infant because she noticed the specters seemed to keep their distance from him. However, this time the ghost infant refused, stating he wanted to stay at the back.
Ziying, seeing his firm resolve, could only pair up with her senior sister, Fang Rui.
Danya took out a black bead the size of a longan from his storage pouch. With a flick of his finger, it floated above his head, casting a dim gray light that enveloped him. The passing specters recoiled as if hitting a barrier, being pushed away.
He possessed many useful treasures and was not as disheveled as the ordinary disciples.
Ignoring others, he looked at Gu Junshi with affectionate eyes. "A'yi, since this place restricts cultivators, it must be even more dangerous for mortals. Why don't I take you?"
Liu Jiangfusheng, however, clasped her hand.
"Senior Brother, are you truly determined to be my undying enemy?" His voice was chillingly low, as if laced with ice shards.
Gu Junshi shook her head. "No need."
Just then, Ziying, pulling Fang Rui, scrambled out of the chaotic ghost procession, her face pale. She pitifully pleaded with Danya, "Senior Brother, please take us with you."
Fang Rui's face was also pale, and she gently implored, "Senior Brother."
The feeling of being squeezed among those specters was too terrifying.
Seeing that Gu Junshi remained disdainful, he lowered his long eyelashes, his face covered in frost and ice, with a faint, joyless curve of his lips.
He turned and led the two eager junior sisters across the bridge.
The ghost infant remained motionless, standing in the wind like a cold, hard tombstone.
This time, Liu Jiangfusheng did not let Gu Junshi lead the way. Instead, he squatted down in front of her.
"A'yi, come up."
He intended to carry her across the iron chains?
"Alright."
Liu Jiangfusheng picked her up and, without opening his eyes, blocked the specters from his perception, using only his divine sense to scout the way. He squeezed into the "river of light" and stepped onto the bridge chains.
He transformed his consciousness into the wind and his body into iron chain locks. The wind lifted him, the chains swung him, his rhythm synchronized, and each step was carefully measured before taking the next.
Gu Junshi leaned against his firm, warm shoulder, her dark eyes fixed on his long, curling eyelashes.
He had learned mental manipulation so quickly.
Gu Junshi's gaze shifted with a casual change in expression.
*Drip* – like a water droplet falling into a lake, ripples spread. All the specters were startled and, with a sudden *whoosh*, squeezed away. Even though there was no space between them and they were flattened and deformed by the crowding, they dared not approach the two of them.
The ghost infant was behind her and had sensed the change in Gu Junshi's aura.
Her move was as effortless as breathing, severing the space where the specters could interact with them.
His pupils constricted violently.
He heard a calm yet cold voice from ahead: "Find an opportunity to join forces with Danya and push Liu Jiangfusheng off the cliff."