Naihe Bridge, Meng Po.

Hou Niao immediately understood where he had arrived, could it be that Xiang Zhiwen was about to reincarnate? Quite a coincidence indeed.

Trapped among the group of familiar souls, he pushed forward desperately. Although he had the ability to scatter these souls, he chose not to, fearing to harm them. Would injuries right before reincarnation result in them becoming mindless fools afterwards?

The closer they got to Naihe Bridge, the more crowded it became. Yet, there would always be a moment when someone could squeeze through. A paper crane darted forward and vanished among the familiar souls, one of whom turned out to be his senior brother, Xiang Zhiwen.

To Hou Niao's surprise, it was a group of familiar souls engaged in battle. Rather than a group, it could be said they formed an army — tens of thousands of living souls charging forward relentlessly, attempting to break through the barrier at the front of Naihe Bridge.

Simultaneously, in a region before Naihe Bridge, dozens of mortal realm cultivators formed arrays to battle against the familiar souls.

These people were part of the near hundred Daoist Sect cultivators who entered with him, but they weren't all of them. For instance, Tan Xiao and the Xiangfei Bamboo were not among them, whereas those present included cultivators close to Hui Yuan Daoist, all under the Taiqing Yuqing lineage.

He instantly understood that even within the Daoist Sect, there were divisions of closeness, like the Chu Sect, which was rather unique and thus not welcomed within the Southeast Daoist Sect. Consequently, he knew nothing about the inner matters of the Yin Prison Cave Heaven.

He did not act rashly, since in the Underworld both living and familiar souls were essentially undying; they were already dead... The ones truly at risk were the Daoist Sect cultivators; if they died, they would be truly dead, so there's no urgency.

Hiding within the surging crowd of souls, he carefully observed the battle conditions on both sides, trying to discern why this situation was unfolding here. Before long, he saw the logic behind it.

These tens of thousands of familiar souls, without exception, were beings with extraordinarily powerful soul bodies. It could be imagined that many of them were cultivators during their lifetime; there were also those relentless and wicked mortals who remained unrepentant even in death. What they were charging for was not simply a chance to reincarnate but the opportunity to do so without drinking Mengpo Soup!

Jinxiu Continent had a vast population of nearly ten billion, even though cultivators were only a small faction, their absolute numbers were considerable. Many cultivators died every year, far exceeding tens of thousands, yet only these were storming the bridge, clearly indicating many chose to conform to rules and arrange their reincarnation in accordance with the Heavenly Dao.

However, some were stubborn, insistent, and persistent despite obstacles; they refused to comply with Underworld's arrangements, valuing the preservation of memories from this life above all, preferring to risk their reincarnation for a slim chance.

He finally understood why Jie Wuyou evaluated Xiang Zhiwen as he did. A soul not fully matured was ill-suited for immediate reincarnation. A person like this, heavily burdened within the Underworld, could become a force of chaos and destruction upon reincarnation.

People differ; some succumb to environmental pressure, accepting their fate meekly; but a rare few are defiant to the end, unwilling to abandon their beliefs despite adversity.

Xiang Zhiwen was such a person. Observing him wielding his hands like swords, fighting fiercely, Hou Niao's heart was involuntarily moved with sorrow. The crux was, how many years had this battle persisted for someone like him? Normally, he should have reincarnated a century ago; now, he had been fighting for at least a hundred years yet showed no signs of compromise.

Tens of thousands, compared to the overall population of billions, were one in ten thousand, yet they were the ones truly supporting the backbone of humanity. Among them were mortals, cultivators, scholars, farmers, small workshop owners, soldiers, officials, men, and women. Their singular commonality was their indomitable spirit, unaffected by the trials through the Eighteen Layers of Hell, their dreams of future happiness, unwavering in their resolve!

If the ancient hell was too harsh, with mountains of knives and seas of blood, and merciless modes producing such a rebellious spirit understandable; but retaining their persistence after a century of comfort is truly admirable.

While Xiang Zhiwen's fight to preserve his spirit was understandable, why were those Daoists obstructing them? Their entry here was accidental, not a continuous duty guarding Naihe Bridge; what was the significance?

After observing for a long time, he finally noticed the subtlety.

It turned out there was an invisible barrier at Naihe Bridge, ensuring familiar souls orderly pass through, one by one accepting Mengpo Soup, rather than rushing en masse.

In other words, regardless of whether the Daoists were present, the familiar souls couldn't breach it and had to proceed according to the rules; or to put it another way, the real goal of the familiar souls was this invisible barrier, with the Daoists merely acting as additional meaningless obstacles.

They were using this as spiritual training.

For where there is Yang Qi, there naturally is Yin Qi; they are opposing yet complementary. Practicing Yin techniques doesn't necessarily make one sinister, just as practicing Pure Yang Technique doesn't inherently make one righteous; they're simply directions of skills.

In the cultivation world, there are many famous Pure Yang cultivation techniques, notable only because the Innate Great Dao includes the Pure Yang Great Dao.

In the Daoist Sect, there are numerous cultivation techniques focusing on Yin Qi, and one needs equally profound Yin techniques to balance and enhance Pure Yang Great Dao practices, similarly to how the Five Elements require completeness.

Among these Daoists, few truly practice Yin techniques; most delve into Pure Yang Great Dao, causing Yin Yang imbalance, seeking the Underworld for balance.

To the Underworld, Ghost Messengers certainly wouldn't allow them to use common living souls for practice since it breaches the rules; but with these stubborn ones, Yama Hall tends to turn a blind eye.

To Underworld officials, it was seen as dog fighting, not worth their concern.

Tens of thousands of familiar souls fighting for their persistence, and dozens of Daoists battling for their cultivation, that was the essence of this long-standing battle.

All had their persistence.

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