"Senior, I heard you possess a method to cross rivers!" Lu Fan cupped his fists and asked directly, without any reservation.
"Are you perhaps trying to cross the River of Darkness?" Daoist Wude looked at Lu Fan, his eyes filled with meaning.
"That's right, I need to cross the River of Darkness!" Lu Fan nodded. "Do you have a way to do so, Senior?"
"You should be aware that the River of Darkness is no ordinary river. Even a Great Luo Golden Immortal might not be able to cross it!" Daoist Wude stated frankly. "However, as they say, there's nothing that cannot be done in this world. As long as you can afford the price, I can let you cross the River of Darkness!"
"What do you need, Senior? I can consider it!" Lu Fan smiled. As the King of the Northwest in the Heavenly Court Dynasty, he possessed many treasures, so this was not much of a concern for him.
"Anything precious will do!" Daoist Wude said solemnly. "It's just a matter of whether you are willing!"
"My treasures are all here. If you see anything you like, feel free to pick one!" Lu Fan shrugged, directly taking out a pile of treasures.
Glancing at the treasures in Lu Fan's hand, Daoist Wude smirked and said, "These treasures are indeed extraordinary. In that case, let all of them be mine!"
"All of them?" Lu Fan was slightly stunned, his expression changing a bit. He hadn't expected the old Daoist to be so greedy.
"If you're unwilling, I, an old Daoist, won't force you!" Daoist Wude smiled slightly. "But you should think carefully. Without me, your desire to cross the River of Darkness is likely wishful thinking!"
Lu Fan frowned slightly. Daoist Wude's words made him somewhat displeased, but he figured the old Daoist must possess some sort of technique to be so arrogant.
"Alright, all these things are yours, as long as you can get me across the River of Darkness!" Lu Fan nodded. "But I'll say this upfront, if you can't do it, I won't be polite!"
"Don't worry about that. I, Daoist Wude, never do things I'm not sure of!" Daoist Wude smiled, his eyes filled with seriousness.
Having received the treasures, Daoist Wude was quite satisfied and looked at Lu Fan. "The other side of the River of Darkness is the Hell Dynasty. Why do you want to go there first, young man?"
"Naturally, I have matters to attend to!" Lu Fan shrugged. "Why do you ask so much?"
"I'm just casually asking. I'm not interested in other people's affairs." Daoist Wude shrugged. "Things have reached this point, and it's not something we can control."
Lu Fan didn't say much in response to these words, as he understood some things naturally and wouldn't elaborate.
Not long after, the few of them arrived at the River of Darkness. Within the River of Darkness, the dark waters surged continuously, appearing exceptionally terrifying and making one hesitant to step in.
"How is it? Is there a way?" Lu Fan looked at Daoist Wude.
"This is the border between the Heavenly Court and the Hell Dynasty, blocked by the River of Darkness. However, there are other ways to cross this river!" Daoist Wude smiled and led Lu Fan to the deepest part of the River of Darkness. He then said, "As long as you keep walking forward from the deepest point, you can safely reach the Hell Dynasty, and you won't be engulfed by the River of Darkness."
"The deepest part of the River of Darkness?" Lu Fan's brow furrowed. "Are you trying to trick me, old man? Under normal circumstances, the deepest part of the River of Darkness should be more powerful. If I really go in like this, will I even survive?"
"What are you saying? Do you think I would trick you!" Daoist Wude repeatedly said. "This place is the closest to the Hell Dynasty, and the deepest part of the River of Darkness doesn't have strong suction, so nothing will happen. This is something I've researched. If you don't believe me, then I've said nothing."
"You took so many of my treasures, it wouldn't be right if you didn't do some work!" Lu Fan smiled, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Daoist Wude.
Daoist Wude was startled, especially by Lu Fan's words, and felt a touch of something in his heart. "What do you mean, boy? I don't understand."
"Since you think there's no problem here, then personally lead the way. Otherwise, I won't let this go!" Lu Fan stated directly. "After all, you took so many of my treasures, this is something you should do!"
Daoist Wude was momentarily stunned, his face instantly turning ashen. With Lu Fan's words, he felt a sense of helplessness.
Under Lu Fan's coercion, Daoist Wude had no choice but to lead the way. Although displeased, he couldn't say much more.
After some time, Daoist Wude led Lu Fan to the very bottom of the River of Darkness. It looked rather calm, as if in his eyes, the deepest part posed no issue. Lu Fan also clearly sensed it and was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that at the deepest part of the River of Darkness, there was no pulling force at all, meaning one could enter the Hell Dynasty from here.
"See, I didn't lie to you, did I!" Daoist Wude rolled his eyes. "As the saying goes, 'take someone's money and resolve their troubles.' Since I took your money, I naturally wouldn't lie to you, yet you don't trust me. It's truly disheartening!"
"There's no helping it, I'm just being cautious!" Lu Fan said with a wry smile. "Now that I can successfully reach the Hell Dynasty, I won't doubt you anymore. However, you still need to come with me!"
"Come with me?" Daoist Wude was stunned. "Are you crazy? You want me to accompany you to the Hell Dynasty? Can one even return alive from a place like that?"
"What? You seem quite afraid of the Hell Dynasty?" Lu Fan shrugged slightly, a smile appearing on his lips.
"Naturally. The Hell Dynasty is no ordinary place; it's not a place ordinary people can go!" Daoist Wude shook his head. "Don't make things difficult for me. I would rather die than go!"
With these words, Lu Fan's lips curved slightly upwards. "You've taken my things, and not doing as I say seems improper, doesn't it!"
"How about this, you take all these things back, and I won't demand them back!" Daoist Wude quickly said.
"The things have already been taken, so there's no reason to return them!" Lu Fan waved his hand. "You still need to come with me!"
After saying that, Lu Fan took Daoist Wude and stepped forward without any hesitation.