On the altar.

At each of the four directions stood the Four Symbols and the Twenty-Eight Constellations, all sculpted from Netherworld Stone, lifelike and encompassing the cosmos above. Green banners swayed, scattering ashes and fragments into the air, appearing as stars, while colorful-robed witches waved their banners and chanted, singing the ancient songs of Ying City.

"O soul, return! Away from your constant toil, what lies in the four directions?

Forsake your place of joy, and leave what is ominous there."

"O soul, return! The East is not suitable for rest.

Giants of a thousand fathoms high, only the soul seeks solace there."

The lingering, prolonged melody seemed capable of pulling one back into antiquity. The Ancient Chu people sang such tunes to call forth lost souls from the underworld. And now these underworld witches sang to guide the departed souls back to the mortal realm.

Today, Yin Weiyin wore a brown long robe embroidered with deep green bamboo leaves, following the footsteps of the Emperor of Great Yu, encountering various individuals along the way.

Most of them were nameless at a glance, but every one of them carried an air of unmatched reverence, a reverence even surpassing that for the Emperor of Great Yu.

Green banners danced with the wind; the Emperor of Great Yu casually caught one and pointed toward a massive void on the altar in the distance, saying:

"That is what mortals often refer to as the River of Reincarnation, also known as the Huangquan River."

Yin Weiyin raised her gaze to the void. It plunged straight into the earth below as though carved by divine force. Beneath, the dark river surged turbulently, but unlike ordinary subterranean rivers that were clear as glass, this one glowed with a dense hue of profound yellow.

Profound yellow—the color of heaven and earth. Ancient texts state that in the primordial beginning, profound yellow was pervasive across the world. Perhaps because of this, the Huangquan River could traverse the Three Realms and Six Paths, bearing the heavy responsibility of driving the cycle of reincarnation.

"I thought it would be a large river," Yin Weiyin observed for a long while before speaking.

"The main river indeed is a large river, but this is merely a tributary of the Huangquan River,"

The Emperor paused, then added with a light smile:

"If it were the main river, it certainly couldn't flow upstream."

"Flow upstream?"

"From here, it'll ascend straight to the skies before descending to merge with the Capital City, allowing the exchange between the two cities."

He spoke evenly, giving instructions to Yin Weiyin, who was positioned as the eye of the array,

"You've practiced the art of paper figures for years, so you should understand that paper figures are essentially substitutes for their masters.

Yet there's no true permanence in this world. Just like the relationship between me and King Jing, it seems I was his substitute, yet in the end, I sat on the dragon throne."

Yin Weiyin suddenly understood—the Emperor sought to substitute the Ghost City of Yingdu for the land-based Capital City, and vice versa!

"Just like equally weighted scales balanced on the fulcrum, switching the weights from left to right and vice versa."

The Emperor's tone carried little fluctuation.

"However… the Capital City and the Ghost City might not weigh the same."

Yin Weiyin thought for a moment before speaking aloud.

The Emperor smiled lightly and replied: "Do not worry, I've already prepared a method to create a convincing illusion."

During their discussion, a figure appeared on the distant altar. Though plain in demeanor, their presence carried an indescribable ethereality as they slowly made their way forward.

When Yin Weiyin finally recognized the newcomer, she exclaimed in shock:

"Master?"

After several months apart, Yu Zhen Jun reappeared. Her complexion was pallid, lacking much blood—seemingly recovered from a severe injury. She first performed a formal salute to the Emperor of Great Yu and then gently nodded at Yin Weiyin.

The female crown hadn't expected to encounter her master here; she briskly approached, a look of concern crossing her face.

Though countless thoughts swirled within her—resentment toward Yu Zhen Jun, even Yin Weiyin couldn't deny their bond as master and disciple.

What's more, her relationship with Chen Yi… didn't seem as unbearable as before.

Yu Zhen Jun gazed steadily at Yin Weiyin for a long moment before asking in confusion:

"You've condensed a Nascent Soul before?"

Yin Weiyin froze for a moment. She had indeed briefly condensed a Nascent Soul when sealing the chaos—a fierce beast employed a reversal of heaven and earth technique, elevating her temporarily to the Nascent Soul Realm.

Like obtaining enlightenment and ascending in broad daylight.

However, after chaos was sealed, her cultivation reverted back.

For the past few days, Yin Weiyin hadn't paid much heed to this. After all, it was fleeting—a mere moment in the Nascent Soul Realm. She remained in the Core Formation Realm, but now that Yu Zhen Jun mentioned it, curiosity gnawed at her.

Yu Zhen Jun observed her reaction and calmly said:

"The flesh is impure; the soul is pure. Nascent Souls are born from the soul, condensing the deepest desires within it."

"Deepest desires?" Yin Weiyin knew the basics of Nascent Souls, but this interpretation was new to her.

"Everyone holds desires—be it immortality, lust, wealth, union, or countless others intertwined."

Her words echoed, prompting Yin Weiyin to ponder deeply on what her own deepest desire might be.

She didn't ponder long, for the Emperor of Great Yu soon interjected:

"Yu Zhen Jun, is everything ready?"

Yu Zhen Jun replied indifferently: "The Chaos-Soul Summoning Array entrusted to me by Your Majesty is eighty percent complete and awaits your review at any time."

The Emperor waved his hand casually: "No need. I trust in your capabilities, Yu Zhen Jun."

To reverse the Huangquan River, chaos needed to become the "river channel," bearing the waters of reincarnation and pushing them back toward the human world.

Yu Zhen Jun once again looked at Yin Weiyin and softly said:

"Once a Nascent Soul is condensed, it cannot be reversed, even if it doesn't signify true mastery of the Nascent Soul Realm."

"And your Nascent Soul is far away from you…"

"Far away?"

Yin Weiyin thought her Nascent Soul had perished within the stomach of chaos, but to her surprise, Yu Zhen Jun hinted that it hadn't vanished but existed somewhere far away.

Yu Zhen Jun's gaze seemed to subtly glance toward the Emperor of Great Yu in the near distance.

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