Zhang Tian was stunned, his whole body freezing as he saw the four figures faintly appearing on the bridge.
He truly hadn't expected this illusion to be so realistic, able to conjure even his parents from his past life.
Was this the yearning from the depths of his memory?
At this moment, Zhang Tian could barely distinguish between illusion and reality.
His head grew heavier, and his body felt weak. As Zhang Tian peered closer, he noticed that the four figures had no faces.
Yet, they felt incredibly familiar to him.
They moved forward like puppets, their steps wooden and aimless.
Once they crossed the Bridge of Forgetfulness, they would no longer remember him.
These four were the people Zhang Tian loved most in both his past and present lives, yet they stood together on the Bridge of Forgetfulness.
In his previous life, as a titan of industry, Zhang Tian had neglected his parents, never even seeing them one last time.
In this life, Zhang Tian had clearly changed. No matter how much his mother nagged or his father disciplined him,
He would greet them with a smile. To Zhang Tian, their scolding, their lectures, were all love—love he had yearned for in his past life.
It was precisely because of this that his family had become increasingly harmonious.
And filled with more love.
"Please don't go, don't go..."
Zhang Tian mumbled, but alas, the shadows on the bridge paid no heed.
They stepped onto the wooden bridge without a hint of hesitation.
Zhang Tian's heart trembled, a sense of powerlessness washing over him.
He could only watch helplessly, unable to stop them.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Tian's coffin arrived at the Bridge of Forgetfulness once more. This time, only two figures crossed the bridge.
Zhang Tian saw them clearly now: his parents from this life.
They crossed the Bridge of Forgetfulness again, without a trace of lingering sentiment, not even glancing at the surging river.
At this moment, the audience watching were...
[Why four people?]
[Maybe they are other souls, or perhaps his parents have already reincarnated twice.]
[I feel like it must be Zhang Tian's grandparents. Many people had a childhood accompanied by their grandparents.]
[Watching your dearest ones forget you, leave you, and become someone else's family. Damn, this is so painful.]
[I'm actually starting to admire him; he can endure this!]
[This is too terrifying. I'd rather walk the Bridge of Forgetfulness myself.]
[Imagine being banished to this River of Oblivion for a thousand years, watching the people you love walk over the Bridge of Forgetfulness again and again, finding solace with others, falling in love with others, while you are tormented by the River of Oblivion. What a feeling...]
[The person above, incredibly relatable. I'm starting to panic.]
The audience's palms began to sweat.
Even though it wasn't them in there, witnessing these scenes, they all started to think about their own potential afterlife.
Meanwhile, within Fatty's illusion...
"No! Fei Fei, don't go!"
"I can't leave you! How can I live without you, Fei Fei!"
Fatty cried out hysterically as he watched Wang Fei float across the River of Oblivion.
However, Wang Fei on the bridge showed no sign of hesitation and walked directly across the Bridge of Forgetfulness.
What followed next was even more outrageous.
In Fatty's mind, Wang Fei formed a new family in the next life.
She married an unknown diamond bachelor.
Wang Fei did not live a happy life. She was tormented daily and even developed depression. She even had a child with that man!
Yes, she even had a child!
Fatty froze completely.
"No~"
Fatty knelt in his coffin, the snow of despair seeming to fall upon his head.
Fatty's tears were about to flood the coffin.
What was even more soul-crushing came next.
As the river flowed, another crossing of the Bridge of Forgetfulness occurred. To Fatty's shock, he saw Wang Fei again. This time, she had become a slave, living a life of destitution, without enough to eat or clothes to wear.
"No!"
Fatty felt utterly devastated.
This was more unbearable than going to war. It would have been better to grant him a swift end.
At this moment, in Xie Yuchen's illusion...
Xie Yuchen saw his master and father, each of them walking across the Bridge of Forgetfulness.
A subtle ripple of emotion stirred within Xie Yuchen.
Outside the illusion...
Only Wang Fei, Daoist Yimei, and Zhang Qilin had not fallen into the illusion.
If Zhang Qilin could be drawn into this illusion, he might have been happy.
Perhaps then he might have recovered some of his memories.
Unfortunately, this otherworldly flower lacked that ability.
At this moment, one person and two spirits were intently watching the river below.
It wasn't that they didn't want to wake Zhang Tian and the others directly, but that they couldn't.
There simply wasn't enough time.
They felt as if they were being hunted by a ferocious beast, with no chance to rescue anyone.
Beneath the water, dark shadows darted about.
The shadows were directly beneath the three coffins, as if they would attack at any moment.
With Zhang Tian and the others lost in illusions, their combat power was diminished.
"Ancestor, your disciple is unfilial. I didn't even let you sleep well. For the sake of your grand-disciple, you will forgive me, won't you?"
Daoist Yimei held a shattered spirit tablet and spoke softly.
"Crack."
The spirit tablet broke again.
Daoist Yimei was bewildered and quickly pieced it back together.
"Ancestor, don't be mischievous. I know you can't possess someone twice in one day, but you can at least give your humble disciple some encouragement!"
"Roar..."
Just as Daoist Yimei finished reassembling the spirit tablet, a ferocious roar erupted from beneath the water.
The next moment, a colossal snake god appeared.
The snake had faint, indistinct scales.
Its massive head drew everyone's attention. The head resembled a dragon's, but without horns, which was extremely peculiar.
A Flood Dragon!
The three were shocked.
A Flood Dragon was a form of serpent yet to evolve into a dragon.
It possessed immense size and the terrifying ability to swallow heaven and earth.
The Flood Dragon leaped from the water, its colossal body stirring endless waves in the River of Oblivion.
Zhang Qilin, Wang Fei, and Daoist Yimei scrambled to steady the rocking coffins.
"Is this... a Flood Dragon? How is that possible? How can there be a Flood Dragon in the River of Oblivion? Dragons and the Underworld are not compatible."
Daoist Yimei's face was filled with disbelief.
Meanwhile, Zhang Qilin's eyebrows slightly rose.
Around the Flood Dragon's neck, he spotted a circle of massive chains.
These were almost identical to the chains they had seen in the tomb of the Prince of Pengyue Gou.
"This is... the tomb guardian beast from Pengyue Gou."
Zhang Qilin said calmly.
Daoist Yimei suddenly understood.
"I knew it. How could there be a Flood Dragon in the Yin Cao Di Fu."
Daoist Yimei murmured, then Wang Fei's voice cut in.
"Let's not discuss that for now. This Flood Dragon is powerful; it's already a great demon. We need to repel it first."
Wang Fei said, and the other two nodded, their expressions serious.
A Flood Dragon, though not yet a true dragon, possessed strength that no single person could contend with.
Dragons, in mythology, were born of heaven and earth, formed from chaos. Their bloodline was considered superior to that of a Qilin.
Even though it was a Flood Dragon and there was a vast difference between it and a dragon, its power could not be underestimated.
"Second disciple, I see your bloodline is very strong; it should be Qilin blood, right? Qilin blood is more than enough to deal with this Flood Dragon."
"Later, the beautiful lady and I will work together to hold this creature back. You will then use your Qilin blood to slay it."
Daoist Yimei said. Zhang Qilin nodded. Though the Flood Dragon was powerful, the three of them were not to be trifled with.
Zhang Qilin truly felt the benefits of teamwork at this moment.
Indeed, a team was far stronger than an individual.
"This Flood Dragon likely evolved by absorbing the Qi from the underground dragon脉. Second disciple, remember to retrieve the demon core."
"Then, your cultivation will break through again."
Daoist Yimei said. Zhang Qilin's eyes lit up, his sword-like eyebrows betraying a hint of seriousness.
The Flood Dragon, however, did not wait for their discussion to conclude. It re-submerged into the river, and in the next moment, its enormous head lunged towards Zhang Tian's coffin.
The Flood Dragon was about fifteen meters long, and its mouth, when opened, could reach three to four meters.
This width was more than enough to swallow the entire coffin.
Seeing this, Daoist Yimei, without a second thought for waking Zhang Tian, brandished his Heavenly Master's sword, which glowed, and cast a fire talisman downwards.
With a wave of his hand, he accelerated the coffin, narrowly dodging the Flood Dragon's attack.
Just as Daoist Yimei breathed a sigh of relief, he froze.
He saw a glimmer of light emanating from the Flood Dragon's mouth.
Within the green light, a faint stench could be detected.
"Holy crap, this guy has demonic power!"
Daoist Yimei was utterly dismayed. A Flood Dragon with magical power was worlds apart from an ordinary one.
For a moment, everyone around seemed to have fallen into an ice cellar, without a sound.