For ten years I practiced Gu poison in Southeast Asia; all living beings revered me as a deity.

With a whoosh, the pitch-black river suddenly surged forth, as if ink had been stained white paper, and before anyone knew it, it had melted away the surrounding scenery, as if bringing another world into existence.

An unimaginably dense aura of ghostly filth surged forth, and this filth transformed into a misty vapor that drifted and evaporated, eventually revealing a vast, pitch-black river. Its appearance altered the original world; this was the "boundary."

This realm is a dark space where the original streets and roadside buildings have vanished without a trace.

"The 'Realm' has descended?"

Luo Feng's pupils contracted slightly.

Then, he suddenly looked up and saw a dark scene. The whole world seemed to be shrouded in darkness, with a deep grayness, as if time and space themselves were shrouded in endless darkness.

"The King has arrived! Iron ships clear the way..."

Amidst the shrill voice, Luo Feng looked ahead once more, towards the end of the darkness. A mighty river, its flow seemingly endless, surged forth with tremendous force.

A huge black shadow appeared—in that instant, his eyes widened in disbelief. A brightly lit, tall ship was sailing across the black river.

The ship creaked and groaned as it was tossed about in the black river.

"This...this is the Mifune Cult?"

Luo Feng froze, cold sweat pouring down his back, and his pupils suddenly shrank to slits.

Black waves surged toward him, and before they even got close, the strange, foul aura enveloped his body.

In that instant, it felt as if I were frozen in ice. An irresistible chill spread upwards from my legs, instantly affecting my entire body, as if my blood vessels were filled with ice.

Luo Feng's body seemed frozen, making it difficult for him to move.

He could only move his eyes with difficulty, looking down, and then he realized that there was a black river flowing beneath his feet.

His feet were submerged in the river, but the black water was not real; it was an illusion.

"...It's a 'realm'!?"

The moment Luo Feng realized this, the ground beneath his feet softened, as if it had liquefied, and his legs sank deeper and deeper.

"I understand now. This river isn't real; it's a 'domain' formed by a powerful evil spirit... However, since I've been drawn into this domain, I'm afraid that if I come into contact with the river, I'll be swallowed up and sunk to the bottom of this illusory water, my fate uncertain!"

This is a life-or-death crisis!

"The sky is vast, the earth is yellow. A glimmer of light hangs in all directions, the gentle breeze and bright moon invite me to come..."

Luo Feng silently chanted a spell in his heart.

Mr. Kawaguchi was invited over at that very moment.

After the Yin Master possessed him, Luo Feng felt that the unusually cold and foul energy was repelled by Mr. Hekou's power.

At the same time, his feet also broke free from the illusory river water.

Indeed, since Mr. Kawaguchi was a drowned ghost, it would be difficult for "water" to drown him again. Luo Feng invited Mr. Kawaguchi, thus breaking the threat of the river.

"This black river is merely the power on the outer edge of the 'realm'," Luo Feng calmly analyzed. "The true center of this 'realm' is ultimately that 'thing'..."

When he spoke of that "thing," his gaze fell upon the multi-story ship.

The black river is merely an illusion created by the "boundary" infiltrating reality; what is truly terrifying is this black ship.

The ship was heading in this direction, and the black flag on board, like a funeral banner, was stretched straight by the strong wind, revealing a huge "Iron" character.

Luo Feng also noticed that the ship's gunwales and decks were filled with people.

However, these people were all pale-skinned, soaked to the bone, and water was still dripping from their clothes.

The densely packed figures were all passengers on the ship.

These people all looked in Luo Feng's direction, but their eyes were completely black, with no whites at all.

Their faces were strange; everyone seemed to be smiling, but the smiles were stiff and uniform, as if they had been carved from the same mold.

Luo Feng's heart sank when he saw this scene.

Suddenly, a strange and high-pitched operatic voice rang out.

"Eeeeeeeeeyayayayaya—"

The same voice rang out again.

"Boundless might shakes heaven and earth, the Great King arrives with iron ships clearing the way, slaying all evil spirits in the mortal realm, with all demons and monsters following him. If any men or women suffer misfortune, burn incense and pray before the altar!"

Halfway through the lyrics, it seemed as if someone in the void was shouting angrily.

"Hey, you audacious drowned soul, a subject of the waves, nameless in the gates of hell, rejected by the underworld... You dare to be so insolent before the Iron Ship King, what is your punishment?"

As that cold and eerie voice rang out, even though the black iron ship was still dozens of feet away, Luo Feng felt a sense of impending doom.

hum...

A strange aura emanated from the black iron ship and the densely packed figures.

The figures on the ships exuded a faint aura from their facial features, which condensed into tadpole-like runes in the void.

An indescribable aura permeated the space.

A gigantic, towering black shadow, seemingly emerging from the void, suddenly rose above the iron ship.

boom!

The tall, dark figure was enveloped in steam, towering like a mountain, but its form was blurred, and its true features were indistinct.

It was only vaguely discernible that the dark figure wore a prince's crown and a dragon robe, held a sword in one hand, and made a hand seal with the other.

Luo Feng stared in shock at the tall, dark figure. He could sense that this figure, "wearing a prince's crown and a dragon robe," was clearly formed by countless overlapping phantoms condensed from ghostly and foul energy.

"...The 'Iron Ship King'?"

He knew something was wrong, so he immediately started running on the illusory river.

Luo Feng knew that this was not an existence he could contend with. Both "Master Daoliang" and "Mr. Hekou" were Yin Masters, and their power was beyond question.

However, this is completely different from the story of the "Iron Ship King"!

The "Iron Ship King" is a higher-level entity with greater power. Its nature is even more terrifying, clearly composed of an extremely large number of ghostly beings.

"Run! We have to get out of here quickly!"

Luo Feng looked behind him. After the pitch-black river swallowed the real world, it formed a realm where an ancient temple stood on the edge of the Black River world.

Two lanterns hang under the eaves of the Red Head Datuk Temple, their dim light flickering on and off.

"Will the Datuk temple be affected?"

Luo Feng gritted his teeth, knowing this was his only chance of survival. He took two desperate steps and ran wildly toward the Datuk Temple.

Right behind him stood the towering "Iron Ship King," whose features were blurred like painted face masks, his left hand forming a mudra and pointing forward.

Countless remnants of ghostly energy lurking in the void twisted into dozens of chains, stabbing towards his back like swords, like venomous snakes that have smelled blood.