The Ultimate Divine Class-Chapter 580 - 431: Gate of the Divine Country, Journey on the Netherworld River (2)

........

Ancestor Star.

An adjacent desert to Jia Sha.

Amidst the gray-yellow desert, a colossal black inverted pyramid stood silently.

Under the pyramid, numerous black-robed figures held torches, walking in circles around it.

As they walked, they chanted ancient and unknown songs, or perhaps prayers.

It was as if they were conducting some ancient and solemn ritual.

One figure, also dressed in black robes, but with patterns of gold thread woven on the robe's edges, stood atop the inverted pyramid, quietly overlooking the ceremony below.

When the ceremony reached a certain stage.

The figure in the black-and-gold robe suddenly raised his head, eyes fixed on the sky above.

The white firmament was reflected in his strange eyes of blue and red.

Soon, his eyes ignited with a light of fervent devotion.

The figure in the black-and-gold robe swiftly raised his arms, concealed hands within wide sleeves lifted overhead.

One hand held a white scepter resembling bone.

The other hand cradled a pitch-black crystal ball.

The figure in the black-and-gold robe knelt down, while those circling below halted their steps, silencing their chants.

They all lifted their heads, quietly gazing up at the figure atop the pyramid.

The white bone scepter began to emit a ghostly light, while within the black crystal ball, flames ignited one after another.

Underneath the black-and-gold hood, a face filled with excitement and fervor cried out joyfully.

"The Gate of the Divine Country... has opened!"

"The slumbering gods are returning; I can already hear their footsteps approaching..."

"My masters will take over this world; next... is our era!"

"Hussa!"

The figure in the black-and-gold robe uttered an ancient cry of unknown meaning.

Beneath the inverted pyramid, countless black-robed figures in a circle knelt down, echoing the cry together.

"Hussa!"

The sound traveled far, gradually dissipating into the desolate silent desert....

...

Sum Country.

Burnt Rock City.

Under the red-bottom, white-lettered "Xinghua Food Store" sign, Zheng Qiuling sat on a plastic stool, blankly staring at the sky.

Lu Jing, wobbling down the stairs holding a bag of chips, saw the motionless Zheng Qiuling and curiously approached, calling out, "Mom?"

"Hmm.. Ah?!"

Zheng Qiuling snapped back from her trance, turning to look at Lu Jing.

The latter glanced in the direction Zheng Qiuling had been staring, seeing only a gray, lifeless sky, couldn't help but ask, "Mom, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

Zheng Qiuling shook her head, standing up from the stool, looking at her small shop, unsure what to do next.

Lu Jing popped a chip into her mouth, gazing at Zheng Qiuling in front of her, muttering, "It seems you have something on your mind..."

"I don't have anything on my mind..."

Zheng Qiuling denied, then paused, glanced upwards, murmuring softly, "I just suddenly... worry about Yuan... feeling inexplicably empty inside..."

"Oh..."

Lu Jing waved her hand, "I thought it was something important.

What's there to worry about Lu Yuan, that guy....

Besides, didn't you just video call him this morning?"

"Precisely because we just had a video call this morning."

Zheng Qiuling sighed, "Video every day, but it can only be video... It's been so long since he last came home... What training could possibly take this long.."

"How should I know..."

Lu Jing turned her face aside, feeling a bit guilty.

At that moment, several crows gently landed at the shop entrance, unmoving, quietly watching Zheng Qiuling.

Zheng Qiuling saw the crows and quickly went inside to fetch bird feed.

But as she came out with food, she found the begging crows had vanished.

For a moment, Zheng Qiuling felt an indescribable sense of loss.

It was as if something immensely important... was swiftly slipping away from her.

It will take a long, long time before they meet again.

Unfortunately, she couldn't explain that feeling to anyone.

.....

"Splash—"

It was as if something gently glided across the calm water surface, waking Lu Yuan from his sleep.

Lu Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

What greeted his eyes was a piece of moonlight, tranquil as water.

He propped himself up and suddenly discovered that he was now on a small wooden boat.

He sat at the stern, while at the bow was a breathtakingly beautiful curve, the familiar silhouette of a woman in a black dress sitting quietly. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

All around was a pitch-black calm water surface, red Other Shore Flowers blooming on both banks, and a gigantic full moon like a silver disc.

"Oh, turns out I'm in a dream, I'm not awake yet..."

Only then did Lu Yuan realize.

Familiar scene, familiar silhouette, familiar Crow Dreamscape.

Lu Yuan stretched lazily before slowly standing up on the boat.

He didn't rush to greet the woman in the black dress sitting at the bow with her back to him but began curiously examining the small boat beneath him.

This was a "new prop" that had never appeared in the previous Crow Dreamscape.

A small boat of unknown material, merely over three meters long and half a meter wide, small and narrow.

Lu Yuan initially thought it was a wooden boat, but after closer inspection, he realized it seemed not to be made of wood.

Pitch-black all over, tapping with a finger produced a slightly crisp "thud-thud" sound, like tapping on bone.

The black boat drifted on the dark river.

Unmanned, yet it moved forward steadily along with the river flow.

Lu Yuan leaned over the boat's edge and looked down.

He saw the black boat's hull creating beautiful ripples on the calm water surface, the black Netherworld River water gently flowing, quite soothing.

Watching for a while, he felt his whole heart become much calmer.

After examining the small boat, Lu Yuan finally headed towards the woman in the black dress in the front.

The small boat moved steadily, but he swayed back and forth.

His Grandmaster-level martial arts were like they had lost all their usefulness here, becoming no different from an ordinary person.

After struggling to reach the woman in the black dress, Lu Yuan tilted his head to look at her.

The woman in the black dress, suspected to be the Crow God Rama Shuduo, supported herself on the boat's edge with both hands, her feet hanging outside the boat, gently stirring the water.

The wet hem of her long black dress clung to her calf, contrasting with her snow-white delicate feet.

Lu Yuan wanted to see her face.

But even though the woman's upper body remained still, no matter how hard he tried or from which angle, he could only see her exquisite profile.

After trying for a while, Lu Yuan eventually gave up and sat down beside her.

Next to her, mimicking her, he also dipped his feet into the Netherworld River water, swaying them while gazing forward.

The moon was behind Lu Yuan and the woman.

The direction the small boat drifted towards was pure darkness.

Lu Yuan didn't know what the woman was looking at. Imitating her, he stared into the dark ahead for a long time, got a bit bored, and devoted himself to playing with the water using his feet.

Lu Yuan played with the water all the while chattering to the woman, not caring whether she listened.

He told the woman that the dream of the Netherworld River engulfing the Starry Sky, which she demonstrated last time, was too profound, and he couldn't comprehend it. He asked if there was a simpler technique she could teach him.

He also mentioned his experiences in the Starry Sky this time, asking the woman if she knew about something called the Devouring Spirit Clan, who could eat anything, grow stronger by doing so, incredibly powerful.

He asked the woman if she had found any information about the Lady of Nightmares, a problem unresolved that kept him awake at night.

Lu Yuan kept talking, only a one-sided expression.

He really hadn't talked about these things with anyone for so long.

Many things were piled up in his heart, and only in dreams could he vent them freely.

The woman remained silent, but the movement of playing with the water with her feet stopped at some point, as if she was listening seriously.

"Oh, right..."

Lu Yuan kept talking, suddenly raised his head as if he remembered something, and unexpectedly asked, "Where are we going?"

He asked casually, not expecting the woman to respond.

Unexpectedly, the woman in the black dress raised her hand, pointed forward.

Lu Yuan followed the direction she pointed to look.

He suddenly realized.

The originally pitch-black front, at some unknown time...

had a trace of dim, mysterious light.