Chapter 289: Devouring the River Styx, the Path of Yellow Springs

“The Undying King… was suppressed?”

The deathly silence was finally broken by a hoarse whisper. The Inquisition knight who spoke sounded like his throat had been scraped raw.

“How is this possible? The Undying King is symbiotic with the River Styx—he is one of the source concepts of the Path of the Dead.

In this world, aside from the seven supreme True Gods, even other hidden evil gods who control the roots of their respective paths could at most defeat or drive him off—but not suppress him!”

Another red-robed archbishop shook his head forcefully, trying to reject the reality before them.

“But it’s right there.” Someone pointed at the still-lingering aura within the Void Scrying Mirror, voice trembling. “That final divine hand… terrifying as it was, didn’t carry the aura of any known True God.”

“Then where exactly did that rift—the one the Undying King tore open—lead to?

Was it a divine kingdom of some unknown existence?”

“First, the so-called Ten Yama Kings descended with a decree, summoning the Yellow Springs. Then, an even more terrifying divine hand emerged and dragged both the River Styx and the Undying King away.

Could that hand have been the true power of the Yama King?”

Speculations flooded the room like crashing waves, and each one made even these battle-hardened veterans of the Church break into cold sweat.

“This force known as the Underworld… its depth far exceeds anything we’ve ever imagined.”

The Inquisitor General, who had maintained a rare calm, let out a long sigh. A flicker of fear and relief crossed his face.

“If not for the Undying King’s recklessness, drawing the full attention of that Yama King projection… the ones being suppressed right now might’ve been us.”

He looked around at his subordinates, his tone turning solemn:

“Everything that occurred here today—every detail—is hereby classified as top-level forbidden information. No leaks, not even to internal church members outside the core.”

After a pause, a complicated glint flashed in his eyes as he continued:

“As for that labor union spreading through the Victoria Kingdom… and the shadow of the Underworld behind it… we can afford to ease our grip a little.

In fact, in certain subtle ways, we may even assist them slightly.”

His words caused a stir.

Seeing their confusion, the Inquisitor General explained:

“This Underworld has already displayed a power level far beyond our original estimations.

Its future growth won’t be confined to just the Victoria Kingdom.

Rather than enter a full-blown conflict prematurely, we’ll observe. Let it expand for now.

If one day something truly uncontrollable happens… it won’t be Steam Church’s problem alone. The seven great churches will have to share that burden.”

His meaning was crystal clear.

Spread the risk.

The others gradually nodded in understanding. It was, by far, the most rational choice.

As for how the Church of Steam would adjust its strategy—that was no longer Lu Yan’s concern.

His full attention had shifted.

It now rested on the two spoils of war recently dragged into the Underworld and suppressed beneath Fengdu City: the Undying King and the River Styx.

With their arrival, a flood of information surged into the realm.

The Path of the Dead, the River Styx, Sequence Two Earthbound Angels, Hidden Evil Gods…

Above the heavens of the Underworld Realm, the probability clouds and stars burst into radiant brilliance.

They spun rapidly, absorbing and analyzing this deluge of knowledge.

Countless concepts once vague or unknown began forming a complete picture in Lu Yan’s consciousness, giving him deeper insight into the fog-shrouded Mystery version of the world.

The Path of the Dead was an extremely ancient, extraordinary route deeply bound to this world’s rules of life and death.

However, its peak lacked a corresponding True God, rendering the Path inherently incomplete. Its power was capped at Sequence Two.

And that Sequence Two title was: Undying King.

The one Lu Yan had just suppressed had once been a mighty transcendent, walking that path.

With unparalleled talent and will, he carved his way to Sequence Three—Ferryman—one step from becoming a god.

To ascend from Sequence Three to Sequence Two, every path requires a connection to its root symbol and a completed promotion ritual.

For the Path of the Dead, that root symbol was the River Styx—a concept woven into myths and reality alike.

The future Undying King, after failing to reach the Styx through conventional means, enacted a bold and insane plan.

He created the Council of the Dead, and for centuries, they spread tales and faith surrounding the River Styx throughout the mortal world—fortifying its conceptual anchor in reality.

Eventually, he succeeded.

He dragged the River Styx from pure myth into the blurred boundary between reality and illusion.

Then, he gambled everything—binding his soul to the river and forcibly stealing a fragment of its “This World’s Only One” status.

That allowed him to break through the bottleneck and ascend to Sequence Two, becoming the Undying King—a Hidden Evil God.

But Hidden Evil Gods were not a singular entity. Rather, they were a class of beings—those who had reached Sequence Two or beyond, claimed a path’s root concept, and held a sliver of “This World’s Only One” authority.

Among them, strength varied greatly. The strongest approached True God status.

The weakest, like the just-defeated Undying King, had barely reached the threshold—holding a meager fraction of authority.

Still, with even a sliver of that authority and a grip on their path’s source, such beings could crush most Sequence Two peers with ease.

Hence, his earlier arrogance in assaulting the Underworld.

Unfortunately for him… he faced Lu Yan, and the Celestial Divine Court—a system utterly beyond this world’s framework.

As Lu Yan digested the flood of knowledge, joy grew in his deep eyes.

The Undying King was undoubtedly a true Earthbound Angel. Outside the Underworld Realm, Lu Yan couldn’t have suppressed him.

So, for now, the former Evil God would remain imprisoned beneath Fengdu City.

But the River Styx—the second prize—held immeasurable value.

Not only was it the source of the Path of the Dead, but also the very foundation of death mythology in this world.

Legends said that all things, at the end of their lives, would sink into the Styx. Only with the Ferryman’s help could they cross and reach the other shore.

This concept, deeply rooted in the world’s subconscious and rule system, gave the River Styx quasi-lawful powers.

Chief among them: the ability to manifest projections anywhere in the world, as it had above the Grand Tomb.

“If I could merge it completely into the Underworld…”

Lu Yan’s eyes fell upon the phantom river. A bold idea took shape.

Let the Yellow Springs devour and assimilate the River Styx, inheriting its concepts of death’s end and the boundary of life.

The benefits would be unimaginable.

First, the Yellow Springs would receive an unprecedented upgrade—enriching and elevating its existing rule of termination.

The death information accumulated over countless eons in the Styx would become the Yellow Springs’ greatest nourishment.

Second, and more importantly: once Yellow Springs inherited the River Styx’s authority, it would no longer be confined to the Underworld Realm.

Even in the real world, it could manifest its power—without relying on specific environments or mediums.

Integrating the Styx would also perfect the divine structure of the Celestial Court—bringing Underworld Authority one step closer to completion.

At that thought, Lu Yan no longer hesitated.

With a single command, the vast Yellow Springs surged with endless waves.

Its murky waters roared, saturated with death and oblivion, like a primeval beast opening its jaws to devour the phantom river.

The Styx trembled violently.

At that same moment, every transcendent walking the Path of the Dead across the world felt an intense, soul-deep unease.

As if their source, the root of their faith and power, was being assaulted and unraveled.

The foundational rules of their path were shifting—and they were powerless to stop it.

Within the Underworld, the Styx raged.

The spirits, fragmented souls, and conceptual shadows of death accumulated over eons surged into waves, trying to overturn the world that dared defile them.

The gray waters of the Styx clashed against the muddy Yellow Springs in a silent, catastrophic battle of laws.

But this was the Underworld—ruled by the order of the Celestial Divine Court!

No matter how the Styx struggled, no matter how many ghosts screamed, under that sun-like divine order, all resistance was futile.

The Yellow Springs flooded every channel of the Styx, erasing its will and lingering marks.

Gradually, the once-raging river quieted.

Under the relentless assimilation and absolute suppression, the phantom river that had flowed for countless eras finally fell still.

Then—true fusion began.

The murky Yellow Springs and the ashen Styx twined like colossal dragons, their colors blending into an indescribable shade—profound and eternal.

The Yellow Springs, enriched by the River Styx’s legacy, grew heavy and boundless—capable of corroding even time.

But such transformation had consequences.

The Path of the Dead, once rooted in the Styx, lost its foundation entirely.

All its users across the world—regardless of Sequence—felt their extraordinary traits destabilize and begin to dissipate.

Their connection to the path was being forcibly severed.

Panic. Despair.

The true end had come for the Path of the Dead.

And just as its collapse neared, threatening to make countless transcendent combust from within, Lu Yan made his move.

His timing was flawless.

All high-sequence users of the Path—Sequence Four Ferrymen and above—had perished in the earlier battle.

There was no one left to resist.

He activated his Dao Transformation Divine Power to its fullest.

An invisible force transcended space and time, touching the hidden laws of the Mystery version world.

The Path of the Dead’s original imprint upon the world’s rule layer began to blur.

Then—was erased.

But not destroyed.

In its place, Lu Yan engraved a brand-new extraordinary path.

One that perfectly inherited all traits and mechanics from Sequence Nine to Sequence Five of the original.

It fit so well, it seemed as if it had always belonged.

This new path bore a new name.

The Path of Yellow Springs.

(End of Chapter)