Cultivating in Online Games

Chapter 41 - The Waters of the Styx

Black Cat cautiously approached Duguzhuo’s feet, relying on its small size and fur color blending with the environment, hiding behind Duguzhuo’s legs to secretly observe the two ghost players.

The horror of meeting face to face was quite straightforward. Apart from being slightly transparent, the person in white clothes looked okay, without any setting like a long tongue or a peeled face.

Yimeng Xiaoyao introduced them, waving a branch and saying, “Well, this is Duguzhuo, and that cat is pitch black. Huh? Where’s the cat? Duguzhuo, when did you put on the headgear again?”

“That’s called a conical hat!” The person in white clothes gritted their teeth and said, “With such a handsome outfit, hiding the appearance that’s faintly visible under the hat, could you stop talking as if I were a bank robber?”

She floated in front of Duguzhuo and said gently, “Hello, nice to see you again, it’s really fate.”

She extended her hand friendly to Duguzhuo, but he didn’t take it, coldly saying, “Cut the crap, let’s do the mission.”

Not being able to shake hands with Duguzhuo, the person in white clothes awkwardly withdrew her hand.

“Isn’t there still a cat? Oh, here it is.” The person named Ti Toulaijian’s head was held beside his thigh, and his gaze fell below, seeing the two eyes of Black Cat.

“Ah, Mimi, so cute.” The person in white clothes squatted down and reached out to the small black cat.

Black Cat stepped back, staring warily at the person in white clothes.

The person in white clothes had a sweet appearance, with two dimples when she smiled. She said friendly, “Your fur is so shiny, looks very smooth. You’re the most beautiful player I’ve ever seen, even more handsome than Duguzhuo.”

Black Cat, who would boast about his own appearance even in front of his own reflection in the lake, couldn’t help but walk out proudly and stand in front of the person in white clothes.

The person in white clothes reached out her pale hand, wanting to stroke Black Cat’s head, and Black Cat obediently stretched its head forward…

At this moment, Duguzhuo, who had been watching coldly, kicked a stone under his foot. The stone hit the person in white clothes’ right hand, and that arm neatly fell off, landing on Black Cat’s head.

“Meow!” Black Cat was scared stiff, its tail standing upright, and it rushed towards Duguzhuo regardless, wanting to jump onto his shoulder, but halfway through, it was grabbed by Duguzhuo by the back of its neck and couldn’t reach him.

“You scared me.” Black Cat trembled all over, not being very brave.

“Oops, it fell off again.” The person in white clothes picked up her own hand, her sweet smile turning eerie, “I can’t help it, when I was assigned to the ghost tribe, I looked like this.”

She took out a needle and thread from somewhere, skillfully sewing her hand back on. While sewing, she pulled down her clothes, revealing her shoulder, which was covered in fine stitching lines.

Black Cat: “…”

The person in white clothes remained unfazed, it was unclear if her reaching out was to scare Duguzhuo and Black Cat or if it was unintentional.

“Oh dear, almost showed too much skin, I’m blushing.” The person in white clothes adjusted her clothes, borrowed some “oil” from the corner of Ti Toulaijian’s eye, and applied it to both sides of her cheeks. It’s strange, this “oil” was black under Ti Toulaijian’s eyes, but when applied to the cheeks by the person in white clothes, it turned red, like blush.

Black Cat: “…”

Is there such a blushing technique? All these ghost tribes are such drama queens!

He thought he was the most handsome cat in the game by playing a qualified monk, but he didn’t expect to feel like he had “lost” upon seeing Baiyipiao fluttering.

Black Cat curled up its paws in sadness.

The willow tree demon took root for a while and finally restored 80% of its health. He said to Baiyipiao flutteringly, “You really can act. It’s rare that the big shot is leading us through the hard mode today. Hurry up and ask her what’s going on with the plot. She won’t entertain us if we’re not from the ghost tribe.”

Baiyipiao flutteringly finally put away her fake smile and said to Duguzhuo, “I called customer service later to ask why your self-created footwork was announced by the system after I died. After they explained it to me, I found out that I became a ‘footwork master’s whetstone.’ Today, you’d better let me see the power of your footwork, otherwise, I feel like my death was in vain.”

She walked to the side of the woman in red and said very skillfully, “Sister in the River Styx, you seem to be troubled. What’s going on?”

The woman in red raised her head, saw Baiyipiao fluttering and Ti Toulaijian were ghost tribes, and pointed her hand to the River Styx, “The bottom of the River Styx has been contaminated.”

She reached into the river and took out a bright red candle from the water. The woman in red lit the candle, holding it in front of her chest with both hands, and used a spooky tone to tell everyone what had happened here like telling ghost stories.

There is no water in the River Styx; it is composed of countless resentful souls. Before the resentful souls from the mortal world enter the ghost city, they must first jump into the River Styx to cleanse their resentment before they can reincarnate.

After entering the River Styx, the resentment is absorbed by the pure black lake water of the River Styx, but the soul itself is carried away by the vortex at the bottom of the lake, entering the other side of the River Styx, where Duguzhuo and others are.

One side of the River Styx is pure black, and the other side is pure silver.

When the resentful souls arrive at the other side of the River Styx, they will be transformed into pure white impurities and become twinkling stars before falling back into the silver river, creating the beautiful scene of the constantly appearing and disappearing souls in the River Styx.

If two souls inadvertently come into contact on the black side of the River Styx, they may become mortal enemies in the next life. If they have a brief encounter on the silver side of the River Styx, they may become beloved relatives or lovers in the next life.

Since the beginning of the world, billions of years have passed, and the River Styx has been flowing without change.

The woman in red looked at the gray traces on the River Styx with sadness and said, “Do you see those gray resentments? The River Styx is continuously infiltrating, and one day, it will lose its ability to purify the resentful souls. By then, the River Styx will overflow and pollute the ghost city, and there will be no more souls without resentment or hatred in the world. If these resentful souls are reincarnated, the babies born will be born full of hatred, and over time, the human world will perish.”

Just as Baiyipiao flutteringly was about to ask according to the plot, “Then how should we purify the other side of the River Styx?” Another voice rang out: “The River Styx should flow into the Nine Desires Abyss.”

The woman in red had just said so much, but she didn’t mention where the resentment absorbed by the River Styx eventually flowed to. However, Duguzhuo knew it was the Nine Desires Abyss. 

The River Styx is not a circular river, but it originates from the boundary between the mortal world and the ghost city, and ends at the deepest part of the ghost city, the Nine Desires Abyss. Over the years, all this resentment has been absorbed by the Nine Desires Abyss, making it the darkest and most evil place in the world.

The woman in red originally only had Baiyipiao flutteringly and Ti Toulaijian in her eyes, completely ignoring the others. At this moment, upon hearing Duguzhuo’s words, she suddenly floated in front of Duguzhuo, and the candle in her hand flickered dimly.

“It is indeed the Nine Desires Abyss,” the woman in red said.

“If the other side of the River Styx is contaminated, could it be a problem with the Nine Desires Abyss?” Duguzhuo asked.

Willow Tree Demon: “Huh, is this the start of the hard mode? What is the Nine Desires Abyss?”

Baiyipiao fluttering: “This plot doesn’t seem right. I remember that next she should tell us where the problem originated and let us take her there. Along the way, we encounter some resentful souls that haven’t been completely purified, then fight a few powerful underworld beasts, and we will find the person who keeps inputting resentment into the silver side of the River Styx. We defeat him, and then we clear the stage.”

Ti Toulaijian: “The difficulty of this instance is that the resentful souls, as minor monsters, can possess players other than those from the ghost tribe, or contaminate players from the ghost tribe with resentment. We must be careful not to be controlled.”

Willow Tree Demon: “And the candle held by the woman in red is used to appease the River Styx. It must not be extinguished. If it is extinguished, the minor monsters and bosses will go berserk instantly, directly shattering the players. I thought extinguishing the candle was the hard mode, but now… isn’t it?”

The three players discussed the strategy for the “Souls Return to the River Styx” instance, each offering their insights, while Black Cat listened attentively.

The woman in red said, “How could there be a problem with the Nine Desires Abyss? For billions of years, the water of the River Styx has been flowing into the Nine Desires Abyss without any incidents.”

Duguzhuo asked, “Do you know where the resentment absorbed by the Nine Desires Abyss goes?”

Duguzhuo remembered the previous main storyline where Jiaoyan, the gatekeeper of the Nine Desires Abyss, controlled the Faceless Team to plot against him and his mother. The Faceless Team consisted of demons and ghosts from the ghost city, wielding high-level artifacts like “Eclipse.”

At that time, if it weren’t for Duguzhuo being involved in the main storyline, ordinary human players would never have been able to defeat the Faceless Team.

Speaking of which, the Sun Worship Sect instance in the Eternal Day Zone has nothing to do with the main storyline, but surprisingly, the Nine Desires Abyss appeared in the Eternal Night Zone.

Although the ghost city is beyond the reach of the cultivation world, if the ghost city encounters difficulties, people from the cultivation world will definitely lend a hand. However, in his previous life, he had never heard of the River Styx being contaminated.

Even though this is just a game, Duguzhuo couldn’t help but wonder if the contamination of the River Styx water was related to the fact that the Nine Desires Abyss hadn’t harmed his mother?

Duguzhuo imagined his life as two separate lines, one being the life he had already lived after being harmed by the Nine Desires Abyss, and the other being the life he was currently experiencing, which had changed slightly.

While Duguzhuo was pondering, he heard the chilling answer from the woman in red: “The resentment of the Nine Desires Abyss will ultimately be absorbed and shattered by the Black Sword. The Black Sword is a pure black sword, isn’t it the same color as the water of the River Styx?”

While the teammates were earnestly listening to the story, they had no idea what turmoil was raging in Duguzhuo’s heart at this moment, and how unpleasant his expression was under his hat. Yet they continued to discuss the plot in a relaxed manner.

The Willow Tree Demon exclaimed excitedly, “The Black Sword! No way, are we encountering the main storyline now?”

Baiyipiao fluttering, even more excitedly, borrowed some “oil” from Ti Toulaijian, giving herself a “flushed” appearance, and looked at Duguzhuo, saying, “It turns out that following you really can lead to encountering the main storyline. What kind of constitution do you have, after all!”

Ti Toulaijian placed his head on his neck and said seriously, “I think it’s time to consider making peace with Duguzhuo. Lord Zuo, do you need a leg pendant? You can use my hair to tie my head to your waist. It would be quite prestigious to wear such an accessory out!”

Black Cat, having experienced triggering plotlines inexplicably before, was the only experienced player present. He looked arrogantly at everyone and said, “You guys, wake up. There is only one main storyline from levels 0 to 20. The next main storyline will definitely be for levels 20 to 40. How could it be triggered in the newbie village? At most, this is a subplot.”

“A subplot is fine too, Cat. Fortunately, I just found you unpleasant and teased you earlier.” The Willow Tree Demon hugged Black Cat and casually stroked its fur.

“Let go of me!” Black Cat struggled.

While the players were lively on their end, Duguzhuo felt increasingly cold. He tentatively asked the woman in red, “How can the Black Sword absorb the resentment of the Nine Desires Abyss?”

The woman in red replied, “The master of the Black Sword is determined by fate. When born, there will be a connection with the Nine Desires Abyss. Before the master of the Black Sword enters the path, the Nine Desires Abyss will send someone to snatch one of their souls, inject Yin Qi into their body, and leave a mark of lifelong suffering. After the master of the Black Sword holds the sword, the missing soul, excessive Yin Qi, and the mark of suffering will make them crave resentment full of painful emotions. The resentment is injected into the Black Sword and then purified by the master of the Pure Sword. Since the appearance of the Black and Pure Swords in the world, this has always been the case, repeating endlessly without change.”

Duguzhuo tightened his grip on the steel sword in his hand, his voice dry, “Will all masters of the Black Sword be like this?”

“All of them, without exception,” the woman in red suddenly realized, “Did this operation fail?”

Before Duguzhuo could speak, Black Cat, who had completed the main storyline before, couldn’t help but jump up, claws outstretched toward the woman in red, “Bah! You’re pushing all the world’s resentment onto Little Bao like this, do you have no shame?”

Thinking of Little Bao and the Washerwoman’s inseparable appearance, Black Cat was completely immersed in the plot, seething with anger.