Netherworld Fragment

As the Plant Spirit Race experts wondered who Meng Chen's Guardian might be, a figure stepped out of the void.

First came his right foot, then his body, then his left foot. Everything was so natural. The newcomer treated space as though it were nothing, as if he were strolling along the Great Dao of heaven and earth, free and unrestrained, able to go wherever he pleased.

"Senior Brother, thank you for your trouble!"

Azure Dragon Lord Cangwu said with a smile, "Why be so polite, Junior Brother? Master sent me here precisely to help you with your troubles."

Though he did not display any magical power, he gave the Plant Spirit Race experts a sense of reassurance. With such an expert present, they could travel anywhere in the world without encountering any danger.

After Meng Chen explained the entire matter, Azure Dragon Lord Cangwu's expression turned grave as well.

"Junior Brother, among the famous Magic Treasures of heaven and earth, only Luo Hou's God-Slaying Spear matches your description. If it truly is the God-Slaying Spear, then you must be careful. Luo Hou possesses a divine ability called Dao Heart Demon Seed. Anyone who cultivates his divine abilities or refines his Magic Treasures will form a Dao Heart Demon Seed within their true spirit. Luo Hou can then use that demon seed to perform True Spirit Seizure and descend upon the Primordial Wilderness."

"True Spirit Seizure?"

It was the first time the Plant Spirit Race experts had heard of such a concept, and they were all deeply confused.

Seeing this, Meng Chen explained, "It is a demonic art that overwrites one's self-awareness. The primordial spirit carries consciousness, but consciousness itself can be altered. Some demonic arts and divine abilities of the demonic path can imperceptibly influence a person's awareness."

"True Spirit Seizure is one of the most profound divine abilities of the demonic path. Once cultivated, it allows one to use one's own consciousness to overwrite another's, making that person believe he is oneself. Such a method is countless times more sophisticated than seizing a physical body. If the disguise is convincing enough, it can even deceive heaven and earth."

"There is a Great Freedom Sky Devil in the demonic path. He often disguises himself as a heart demon, infiltrates cultivators' consciousness, and performs True Spirit Seizure upon them."

"At first, the possessed person will merely think that he resembles the Great Freedom Sky Devil somewhat. Once the seizure is complete, he will believe that he is the Great Freedom Sky Devil."

The Plant Spirit Race experts could not help but shudder at this.

If one fell victim to the demonic path's True Spirit Seizure technique, one would not only lose oneself, but become a puppet in the hands of the demonic path, bringing endless calamity.

"However, you need not worry. Although the Great Freedom Sky Devil can disguise himself as a heart demon, his true body is not in the Primordial Wilderness, but in the Sky Devil Realm. As long as your Dao hearts remain firm and you are not bewitched by the illusions of heart demons, he cannot seize you. If you are still worried, once this matter is over, I will teach you some divine incantations for protecting the mind. They will ensure that no evil can invade you."

Hongjun Daozu and Luo Hou had long been old rivals. Nearly all the divine abilities Ancestor Hongjun created were aimed at Luo Hou. The demonic arts created by Luo Hou, including the Dao Heart Demon Seed method and the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, had all been thoroughly countered by Ancestor Hongjun.

"Thank you, Immortal Lord!"

With mental preparations made, the group set out on their treasure hunt.

After the Plant Spirit Race experts pointed out the direction, Azure Dragon Lord Cangwu directly tore open space and brought everyone to the location of the cave.

When they arrived outside the cave, they discovered that it was not truly a mountain cave, but a tree hollow within a withered tree. The dead tree was simply too enormous, even taller and larger than Pointing Heaven Peak, which was why the Plant Spirit Race had mistaken its hollow for a cave.

The Lava Sea was not inside the tree hollow either, but in another plane.

Within this dead tree was a passage leading to another plane, connecting two different dimensions.

The moment Meng Chen stepped into that plane, a gust of chilling wind struck his face. The void was filled with the wails of vicious ghosts, while countless twisted faces flew about. Green-faced and fanged, red-faced and white-eyed, ecstatic and agonized... there were reaction memes everywhere.

Yes, in Meng Chen's eyes, those faces were reaction memes.

He was not some powerless mortal. Why would he fear such ghostly creatures? With a single breath, he could reduce all the ghosts above this Lava Sea to ashes.

"This is not the Primordial Wilderness, but a plane parallel to the space occupied by the Primordial Wilderness. Legend says that there are two supreme Innate Spiritual Roots in heaven and earth. One is called the Jian Tree, the stairway into the Heavenly Realm. The other is called the Ruo Tree, which leads to the world of the dead. The dead tree we see is actually the Ruo Tree, except it has already died."

Azure Dragon Lord Cangwu spoke as he sensed the laws of heaven and earth in this plane.

The Heavenly Realm, the Primordial Wilderness, and the Netherworld did not exist in the same space. They occupied different spatial dimensions. That was why the All-Encompassing Stars had always existed, yet the Celestial Star Gods had never discovered the Heavenly Realm.

Later, when the Heavenly Realm emerged, the spacetime dimension occupied by the Heavenly Realm merged with that of the All-Encompassing Stars. Only then did the immortals of the Primordial Wilderness have the fortune to witness the Heavenly Realm's existence.

"This is not the Netherworld, only a fragment that broke away from it. If it were the true Netherworld, we would be rejected by its laws the instant we entered. After all, we are people of the world of the living. Entering the Netherworld violates the laws of heaven and earth."

Meng Chen added.

"Correct!"

Azure Dragon Lord Cangwu gave Meng Chen an approving glance. "Only Great Luo Golden Immortals can enter the true Netherworld in the flesh. Below Great Luo, one can only leave the body with the primordial spirit and wander within it. Of course, if someone can obtain an Earthly Dao Artifact, refine it, and become the ruler of the Netherworld, then he can alter the Netherworld's rules."

Meng Chen naturally knew who Azure Dragon Lord Cangwu meant by the ruler of the Netherworld, but he was not tempted. Though the Netherworld was good, their Eastern Celestial Pole was no worse. Compared to the gloomy Netherworld, Meng Chen still preferred the blue skies, white clouds, green mountains, and clear waters of the Eastern Celestial Pole.

Soon, the group arrived before the bloodstained spear.

The spear was embedded upside down in a Stone Platform. Though its Divine Light was restrained, the killing intent emanating from its shaft still made their souls tremble. With just one glance, Meng Chen seemed to see blood drifting across the world and white bones piled into mountains.

The Plant Spirit Race experts fared even worse. The killing intent suppressed them until their entire bodies trembled, making it difficult even to move a finger. They stared at the spear in terror like lambs awaiting slaughter, utterly devoid of any will to resist.

Azure Dragon Lord Cangwu stepped forward, grasped the spear with one hand, and pulled it free in a single motion.

At that instant, an abrupt change occurred. Once pulled out, the spear came alive. Its spear aura surged and flashed, intent on annihilating all living beings and killing the one who had profaned it on the spot.

Azure Dragon Lord Cangwu stirred, and the space around him instantly solidified. Time and space within it were forcibly sealed. A cyan barrier formed, enveloping both him and the spear.

"Roar!"

Though the spear could not break free from Azure Dragon Lord Cangwu's grasp, it erupted with countless spear shadows. Those shadows densely filled the air, launching an assassination assault at every part of Azure Dragon Lord Cangwu's body.

Azure Dragon Lord Cangwu snorted. "As expected of a supreme treasure of the demonic path, the God-Slaying Spear. Even your master has fallen, yet a mere Magic Treasure like you still thinks it can turn the heavens upside down?"

Countless phantoms of Azure Dragons flew from his body. Without mercy, they pounced on the God-Slaying Spear's shadows. With a single collision, they forced every spear shadow back into the God-Slaying Spear's true body.

A series of sounds like the birth of the universe erupted from Azure Dragon Lord Cangwu's body. He was getting serious!

The next moment, countless explosions burst across the God-Slaying Spear's shaft. Every burst of flame was more brilliant and dazzling than a star. This showed just how fierce the clash between Azure Dragon Lord Cangwu and the God-Slaying Spear had become.

But a Magic Treasure was ultimately only a Magic Treasure. Having lost its master, it could not wield much of its power. In the end, Azure Dragon Lord Cangwu still suppressed the God-Slaying Spear.

The sight made Meng Chen's heart pound. Without strength, even if one found a Magic Treasure, one could not take it!