61: Chapter 61 New Vehicle: Soul Transference

In the center of the Fortress, on the open ground originally used for assembly, the atmosphere was solemn. Lin Chen stood with his hands behind his back, while Su Qingyu stood slightly behind him. Dressed in sleek martial attire, she carried a short sword engraved with Evil-Breaking Runes slung across her back—a weapon Lin Chen had just exchanged for her. Her eyes held both nervousness and determination.

Zhang Hao led a squad of fifty elite Yin Soldiers, lining up silently behind them. Their soul fires flickered eerily, and a murderous aura permeated the air.

Without any unnecessary words, Lin Chen communicated with the nether domain asset system using his mind.

[Do you confirm the consumption of 1,000,000 nether talismans to unlock and summon the special vehicle "soul ferry boat"?]

"Confirm."

As Lin Chen's thought fell, the number of nether talismans in his account instantly dropped by one million. Almost simultaneously, the eternally hanging blood moon in the sky above the Fortress seemed to dim for a moment, and an indescribable, bone-chilling aura from the depths of the Nine Serenity descended without warning!

"Hum—"

A low hum, seemingly from ancient times, rang out. It didn't act on the eardrums but echoed directly in the depths of everyone's souls! The space on the open ground began to distort and ripple, like a lake surface after a stone is thrown in.

Then, under everyone's shocked gazes, the outline of a boat transitioned from illusory to solid, slowly "floating" up from the distorted space.

It was unlike any vessel known to the mortal world!

Its entire body was a dull, ghostly black, as if carved entirely from some kind of gloomy wood from the Netherworld. The hull was covered in naturally formed wood grains that looked like twisted ghostly faces. The ship wasn't particularly huge, about thirty meters long, but its design was extremely bizarre—the bow curved high upward, carved into a silent, roaring skeletal dragon head with hideous horns; the stern dipped low, shaped like a scorpion's stinger, exuding an ominous aura. A tattered black sail, appearing as if it had weathered ten thousand years of storms, hung still without any wind. On it, a complex, slightly writhing rune was painted in a dark red pigment that looked like dried blood.

The entire boat was shrouded in a thin, lingering gray mist, exuding a cold, deathly, and desolate aura meant to ferry lost souls.

This was the soul ferry boat!

It floated quietly half a meter above the ground, possessing no sense of weight, yet it brought immense psychological pressure.

Su Qingyu subconsciously held her breath. She could feel the short sword in her hand vibrating slightly, as if in fear, or perhaps in resonance. The soul fires of Zhang Hao and the Yin Soldiers behind him also flickered noticeably—an instinctive reaction when facing a higher-level creation of the Netherworld.

Only Lin Chen remained calm, his gaze even carrying a hint of scrutiny, as if he were inspecting a new car he had just purchased.

Just then, the mouth of the skeletal dragon head on the soul ferry boat suddenly opened and closed silently. A dry, raspy voice, sounding like two rusty iron plates rubbing together, abruptly rang out in everyone's minds:

"The soul ferry boat is in position."

"Where to?"

The voice had no emotional fluctuations, as cold as the styx river water.

Lin Chen looked up at the skeletal dragon head and spoke indifferently: "Netherworld Ferry Crossing."

The dry voice responded almost without pause:

"Netherworld Ferry Crossing, one way. Billing based on distance and Netherworld resistance."

"That will be one hundred thousand nether talismans."

One hundred thousand!

Zhang Hao's eyelids twitched as he listened from behind, nearly biting his tongue. Good grief, this boat costs a hundred thousand just to move? This is highway robbery!

Su Qingyu also frowned slightly; this fee was indeed exorbitant.

Lin Chen didn't even twitch an eyebrow, as if he had heard ten nether talismans instead. He even had time to comment: "The price is fair enough."

Before his words even faded, with a thought, one hundred thousand nether talismans were deducted from the system interface.

Almost the instant the nether talismans were received, the tattered black sail of the soul ferry boat hoisted itself up with a "swish" despite the lack of wind! The dark red rune on the sail suddenly lit up, emitting a ghostly glow.

At the same time, the hull vibrated gently. The gray mist surrounding it began to churn and spread, enveloping the boat along with Lin Chen, Su Qingyu, and the fifty Yin Soldiers in front of it.

"Board the boat."

Lin Chen spoke succinctly and took the first step onto the ghostly black deck. The deck felt icy to the touch but was exceptionally stable.

Su Qingyu took a deep breath, suppressed the trepidation in her heart, and followed closely behind.

Zhang Hao hurriedly directed the Yin Soldiers to board in order. When the Yin Soldiers stepped onto the soul ferry boat, the hull didn't even wobble, as if they were already a part of the ship.

By the time everyone (and every ghost) had finished boarding, the gray mist had become so thick that it completely obscured the view of the outside world. One could only see the outline of the Fortress rapidly blurring and receding into the fog.

"Sit tight."

The Ferryman's dry voice rang out again, devoid of any warning tone, sounding more like a programmed notification.

The next moment, the soul ferry boat jolted violently!

Instead of surging forward, the entire hull, including the surrounding gray mist, began to "sink" in an incomprehensible way! It was as if it were merging into space itself, diving toward some deeper, darker dimension!

The surrounding scenery instantly became grotesque and bizarre. Distorted colors and meaningless lines flashed by as if they were traveling through a tunnel composed of chaos and nothingness. An intense feeling of weightlessness and spatial disorientation hit them!

Su Qingyu let out a muffled groan, her face turning pale as she subconsciously grabbed the icy railing. Zhang Hao nearly toppled over, luckily caught by a nearby Yin Soldier.

Only Lin Chen stood with his feet rooted to the deck, his figure as steady as a rock. He observed the distorted surroundings with great interest, as if admiring some peculiar scenery.

The transit process wasn't long. After about a dozen breaths, the violent vibration and weightlessness suddenly vanished.

The soul ferry boat burst out of that chaotic "tunnel," and the surrounding scenery stabilized.

A stronger, colder wind, carrying heavy moisture and a faint scent of humus, blew against their faces.

The gray mist slowly dispersed, revealing the scene before them—

They seemed to be at the edge of an incredibly wide, vast "river" whose opposite bank was nowhere to be seen. The water was neither clear nor murky; it was a viscous, dark color, as if melted lead and ink were flowing slowly. It flowed without ripples yet emitted a chill that made even the soul feel sluggish and cold. This was one of the tributaries of the Styx River!

On both sides of the river were desolate, pitch-black, and craggy lands. No vegetation was visible, only some twisted shadows resembling suffering human forms wandering in the distance, letting out faint wails. The sky was an eternal dim yellow, with no sun, moon, or stars—only an oppressive silence.

Not far ahead of them, a dilapidated pier built from giant, pale white bones and black reefs extended into the Styx River. On the pier, a banner seemingly made of human skin hung crookedly, with several twisted characters written in blood:

Netherworld Ferry Crossing.

They had arrived.

The true edge of the Underworld, a forbidden zone for the living.

The soul ferry boat slowly approached the bone pier. The skeletal dragon head opened and closed its mouth again, emitting its dry voice:

"Netherworld Ferry Crossing reached."

"Friendly tip: the 'locals' here have quite a temper."

"Wishing you a pleasant 'journey'."