The Underworld

How is this possible!

The distorted face of Old Ghost was filled with profound shock, and as though unwilling to believe the scene before his eyes, he roared hysterically.

And no wonder, they styled themselves as the sole Ruthless Bloodline in this world, yet someone had come knocking on their door carrying the imperial weapon of Great Emperor Ruthless—was this not slapping themselves in the face?

Ever since they had obtained the inheritance, they did not know how long they had searched for, all to find this imperial weapon so they could rightfully become the Heir of the Ruthless.

As a result, it was finally seen in this era, yet it was held in the hands of an enemy locked in a life-and-death struggle on the battlefield.

How could this make them accept it?

Seeing this imperial weapon is like seeing the Great Emperor in person. Heir of the Ruthless, why haven't you knelt down to pay homage to your great master?

Zhang Huan corrected his expression and declared.

For now, the other party only knew of the Demonic Art and had not the slightest information regarding this imperial weapon, which greatly reassured Zhang Huan.

He had merely been bluffing the other party, but he never expected that Old Ghost would freeze in a daze, asking with terror and trepidation.

You, you have a connection with her? I don't know if you came to purge the portal or—

At that moment, Old Ghost was trembling, his whole body as if plunged into an icy abyss, and the coldness settled deep within his pupils, seemingly awakened by a fear carved into his very genes.

Even his deep-seated hatred was cast aside, as if he had forgotten who killed his son, or why he himself had turned into this neither-human-nor-ghost appearance.

Guess. Back then, the Great Emperor passed the inheritance to the people of your village simply so you would have the power to protect yourselves. I never expected that you would go astray and sink deeper and deeper.

Since I truly cannot bear to watch it, I have come on behalf of the Great Emperor to bring you to justice!

Zhang Huan spoke ambiguously, wanting to probe the other party's background.

Were the other party's ancestors truly the villagers from the Ruthless Village of years past who had attained greatness, or were they outsiders who stumbled upon the Dao Field of the Ruthless Emperor and obtained the inheritance?

If it was the latter, it would be easy to handle—just a few cats and dogs; but if it was the former, he would have to be careful lest beating the old ones brought out even older ones.

Upon hearing these words, the black Qi in the sockets of Old Ghost's eyes shook violently, shrinking down to the size of wheat awns, and the aura all over his body fluctuated, even causing his ghost-like body formed of lingering resentment to dissipate somewhat.

How do you know?

Those people from back then all died long ago, and the only ones passed down to later generations are the few of us. Who did you learn this from?!

Old Ghost roared, as if terrified to the extreme, his raised hand shaking nonstop. Facing Zhang Huan, he no longer possessed his previous demeanor, resembling instead a junior who had done something wrong.

However, not long after, he actually began to talk to himself. As if to convince himself, Old Ghost constantly gave himself hints, and finally laughed wildly, fooling even himself.

Even if the other party truly was someone connected to the Ruthless Emperor, given the current situation, there was only one path left to walk to the bitter end—no matter who he was, he had to die today!

Heh, heh hah hah. So that's how it is. You're just a lucky bastard who found half of the Demonic Jar, and you heard about it from somewhere through hearsay.

Old Ghost suppressed the anxiety and unease in his heart, and looking at the lidless Demonic Jar, his conviction in his own thoughts grew even stronger.

It doesn't matter. As long as I kill you, not only can I avenge myself, but I can also obtain the imperial weapon I've dreamed of. Hahahaha.

He was the sole remaining legitimate successor of Great Emperor Ruthless, and any others who popped up were fakes. They were blaspheming the deities and deserved to die!

Old Ghost recovered his fierce appearance, identical to when he had been hunting down Zhang Huan earlier, only even more hysterical.

I thought I could deal a mental blow, but the effect was minimal indeed.

Zhang Huan was slightly disappointed. He had wanted to catch the other party off guard while they were scared out of their wits and blast Old Ghost to death with the Supreme Dao Light Wave, but he never expected the other party to be completely immune to reason and become even more deranged in just a few strokes.

At least he had bought time. Zhang Huan calculated that in a few more minutes, this Old Ghost would no longer be able to hold on, and by then, it would be beyond saving, allowing Zhang Huan to win without even fighting.

Old Ghost took off the small pagoda, held it in his hand, and scattered the imperial array across the battlefield. Within a radius of several million miles, the landscape irreversibly and gradually became regularized, influenced by the imperial Dao aura to undergo a transformation.

This array is a corner of array markings dropped during the Void Blood War between a forbidden zone supreme and Void ten thousand years ago. It merged into heaven and earth, turning into spiritual plants, which I accidentally obtained.

Though it cannot compare to imperial weapons, at least it can wield ten or twenty percent of their power. Activated with all my might, it can contend against your half of an imperial weapon for a moment. By then, without the Demonic Jar to protect you, how will you survive the killing intent of my quasi-emperor artifact?

Old Ghost laughed wildly, thinking himself foolproof and having made thorough preparations to annihilate Zhang Huan.

An imperial array possesses a spirit, and its various mights are hard for ordinary people to imagine. When harmless, it can even take the form of the most common grass and vegetation, drawing not the slightest bit of attention. Yet once its killing intent arises, it can cause a whole star region to dim and erase all living beings within it.

A complete imperial array manipulated by a great emperor for slaughter can even cause a supreme to cough up blood, truly terrifying in the extreme.

Seeing that Old Ghost had said as much, Zhang Huan could not simply sit and wait for death.

The surrounding battlefield gradually transformed into a secluded realm, enveloped by the imperial array. Zhang Huan activated the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar with all his might, charging fiercely toward the unclosed gap in the distance.

He was not stupid enough to stubbornly take a beating inside the imperial array, trading Old Ghost's lingering life for his own Great Sage life, which had only lived a little over a thousand years. No matter how he thought about it, it was a bad deal.

Fighting desperately to the death would only let Old Ghost reap the benefits. Worst case scenario, he would run away for a while and collect Old Ghost's corpse after the old man died; anyway, the fellow didn't have long to live, and after taking a detour, he'd be mostly chilled.

You—despicable villain! Shameless!

Old Ghost looked as though he had swallowed a fly, his face turning the color of pork liver. Filled with sheer exasperation, he cursed at the top of his lungs like mad.

Seeing Zhang Huan use the Supreme Emperor Weapon to flee with all his might, moving faster than a Great Sage by an unknown margin, Old Ghost realized that even with all his strength, he could not catch up by the slightest fraction.

A ruthless look flashed in Old Ghost's eyes, a trace of heartache crossing them, as another token flew out from his Wheel Sea, surging with demonic Qi—it was likewise a quasi-emperor artifact!

This was a treasure left behind by an old ancestor who had passed away in the past, and the number of times it had been used was exceedingly few. He never expected that he would be forced to destroy it today.

He sacrificed the quasi-emperor artifact, used the imperial array to summon its deity to devour its energy, and a moment later, even the quasi-emperor artifact could not withstand the flowing away of its life force, shattering apart.

Propelled by the devoured energy, Old Ghost's speed surged once more, flying across star region after star region as he gave chase to Zhang Huan.

Even an imperial array had a time when its energy would exhaust and it would collapse. To deal with Zhang Huan, Old Ghost chose to cut off an arm to preserve the array's might, paying the price of a quasi-emperor artifact.

Time flowed on, and the anxiety in Old Ghost's heart grew even more urgent. Even after sacrificing a quasi-emperor artifact, a gap still existed between him and Zhang Huan. Old Ghost felt vexed—had he known, he would have been more insidious, but alas, he could not regret the past.

Helplessly looking toward the other quasi-emperor artifact, Old Ghost tried to reach out toward the small pagoda, but his hand stopped uncontrollably, leaving him with no choice but to drive the imperial array in desperate pursuit at all costs.

Old thing, running so fast. Let's see how long you can hold out.

Seeing Old Ghost behind him with another surge in speed, Zhang Huan sneered inwardly, likewise casting several saint weapons behind him and detonating them with secret techniques. With explosion after explosion, his acceleration continuously climbed.

Both men had gone red in the eyes, competing over the depth of their family fortunes, but it was abundantly clear that Zhang Huan's background was superior, while Old Ghost had run out of things to detonate long ago.

His life force was gradually ebbing away, and the remaining time was dwindling to nothing. Numbly skimming across the star sea, Old Ghost finally despaired at the very last moment.

No! I haven't taken my revenge yet, and I haven't obtained the Supreme Emperor Weapon either. How can I just die like this? I am not reconciled!

Old Ghost cursed in bitter resentment. Knowing he was beyond saving, he stopped pursuing and let his body drift aimlessly.

Before long, a living creature was sensed flying toward him. With his consciousness blurred, Old Ghost fiercely lashed out with the imperial array, attempting to refine the lifeform he had detected.

Yet the imperial array struck empty air, manifesting infinite killing intent, but inside there was only a turtle the size of a palm. Its released power was entirely meaningless, and as time ticked on, it dissipated.

Old codger, I knew you had a vicious mind from the start. I was guarding against you.

Upon hearing that familiar divine sense, Old Ghost fell into complete despair. As if he could no longer hold on, his head slumped over, and he lost every trace of life force, perishing entirely.

Rending open space, Zhang Huan approached closely. A wisp of a soul drifted from the corpse, and Zhang Huan was quick-eyed and fast-handed, wanting to seize it, but he grabbed empty air. Above Old Ghost's body, an illusory door emerged, sucking the soul inside along with the rotting three-chi small pagoda, which also stirred.

Zhang Huan hurriedly used the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar to suppress it and prevent its escape. After struggling for a bit, the small pagoda lost its spirituality and grew dead silent once more, accompanied by the closing and disappearance of that door.

With a hasty glance looking into the door, the first thing he saw was boundless black ill soil, with destruction greeting the eye everywhere. Above the blood river, waves surged to the heavens, and corpses were countless, piled up into mountains—a veritable underworld of the netherworld.

Is the other side of that door the Underworld? How could people of the Ruthless Bloodline have a connection with that place?

Zhang Huan was puzzled in his heart. The towering deathly aura unique to that nether soil was something any living person would naturally abhor and remain extremely sensitive to; he could not possibly mistake it.

He caused the imperial weapon to backflow, and pitch-black divine light swallowed the rotting small pagoda, sealing it within the Demonic Jar.

Perhaps this small pagoda can provide some answers.

Zhang Huan was certain that this object had acted up while connecting with the Underworld, meaning it was at least related to it; perhaps he could find answers from its deity.

He searched Old Ghost's body, only to find it completely empty, presumably because everything had been destroyed.

Yet Zhang Huan still felt it was fishy. Based on what he knew, the resources they collected every year were not a small amount; how could he be so poor, and where had the rest gone?

How much could an old ghost who had one foot in the grave as a Saint possibly use? Was the Ruthless Bloodline truly left with no one else? Zhang Huan remembered Old Ghost mentioning a few others, but he had never laid eyes on any other person from beginning to end.

There were still remnants existing in the world.

Driving it with the imperial weapon, Zhang Huan executed the art of divination, using Old Ghost's body as a conduit to agitate the heavenly secrets.

The threads of karma were intertwined in thousands of strands, all pointing toward Big Discs. Zhang Huan put away Old Ghost's corpse and instantly followed the thickest among them.

They were all linked together, heading toward the Eastern Wasteland. Some snapped midway, disrupted by something, while others barely managed to maintain themselves, falling into several major powers.

You hide deep enough, actually mingling into different factions.

Zhang Huan sneered, detecting the person connected by the karmic thread within a great power.

Blood Demon Sect?

Zhang Huan looked at the plaque on the main hall and unassumingly tracked down the Ruthless remnant.

The strongest person in this place was merely at the Holy Lord realm. Treating it as his own back garden, Zhang Huan went straight for a young man and easily broke his mental defenses to probe his memories.

The Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art, insights into the Indestructible Heavenly Art, the Great Dao Treasure Bottle, the Myriad Transformations Sacred Art, Slay My Dao Art, Only I Am Supreme Sacred Technique, Divine Crossing Art...

The sheer variety was dazzling.

They were all cultivation methods and divine abilities of the Ruthless Bloodline. Branding him with a mark, Zhang Huan sought out a second person and probed their memories in the exact same manner.

From their memories, he learned that Old Ghost had indeed brought them to settle in the village Zhang Huan had previously found more than fifty years ago.

He had used spells to obscure the mortals' vision, which was why the villagers often felt that only Old Ghost existed.

If that was the case, missing out on the Innate Dao Embryo of a thousand years ago made sense.

Given their mindset of viewing living beings as livestock, had they encountered a Dao Embryo, they would likely have devoured it clean long ago, leaving no chance for Jade Lake to take them in.

These people had once heard Old Ghost say that he had been searching for a great weapon of mass slaughter for nearly six thousand years. Zhang Huan had already witnessed it—it was that corner of the imperial array. It seemed they had not come to this village by coincidence.

For a place as remote as Black Wind Stockade to have such fortuitous destiny was truly profound and wondrous beyond words.

Upon learning that his descendant had been killed, Old Ghost immediately transferred these seeds to this place and decisively killed the old servant who had been loyal for many years.

The Ruthless Bloodline now depended entirely on him and his son at the Saint King realm to prop it up, which was why Old Ghost acted with extreme decisiveness.

His intent to kill Zhang Huan was also partly fueled by the desire to silence him. Once he learned that his tracks were exposed, by dying alongside Zhang Huan, no one would be able to trace it back to them, thus safeguarding the younger generation.

It was just that Zhang Huan hadn't fallen for Old Ghost's tricks, surviving instead and tracking down this group of people all the way.

Among the dozen-odd individuals, some shared no bloodline with Old Ghost, yet had still learned the cultivation methods.

Old Ghost wanted nothing more than to eliminate me. Every single person in the Ruthless Bloodline owes me a life.

Zhang Huan's gaze was ice-cold, for he truly held no favorable impression of this bloodline.

He always believed that to deal with bad people, one had to be even worse than them. Old Ghost wanted to kill him, so he would slaughter the entire bloodline clean.

During the divination, several karmic threads eventually snapped, their destination in the Eastern Wasteland unknown.

Presumably, the other party possessed something of high value that shielded heavenly secrets protecting them. The Eastern Wasteland was boundless; where was he supposed to look?

If he alerted the enemy, it might become difficult to root them all out in the future. Those holding heavy treasures were definitely the most crucial seeds, or else Old Ghost would not have valued them so much.

I'll put a mark on the ones I've found first, and once I've figured out all of them in the future, I'll completely eradicate this bloodline in one fell swoop to avoid leaving roots and inviting future disasters.

A chunk of these people's memories was missing, likely excised by Old Ghost, leaving not a single clue behind.

That being the case, he would wait for them to seek him out themselves. As long as they didn't die early, these people would sooner or later recognize each other. Zhang Huan only needed to sit fishing on the bank and sweep them all up in a single net in the future.

The Indestructible Heavenly Art and various secret techniques are finally in hand, and I've also acquired a quasi-emperor artifact. Though I can't use it, its origin seems quite significant.

Opening a cave dwelling nearby, Zhang Huan took out the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar, and pitch-black tentacles lifted the rotting small pagoda.

This pagoda still looked dilapidated and rotten, its surface extremely incomplete, while a withered yellow light shone feebly from within.

It was as if it had been buried for ten million years in an ill soil like the Underworld, and the deathly aura scattered across it was something even Zhang Huan was unwilling to touch.

Do you possess a deity? Come out and answer.

Present.

The small pagoda flashed twice, and a faint voice came from the body of the pagoda.

Seeing that there was a response, Zhang Huan asked again.

You should originate from the Underworld, right? Why were you passed down into the hands of my previous master?

Not master. Rather, the Underworld selected him and signed a contract. Assisting was only a part of it; after death, his soul would return to the ill soil to serve the Underworld for all eternity.

A contract? Tell me about it.

Zhang Huan was quite interested in what it said. According to it, Old Ghost had been snared by this artifact, and once he signed, he became a nether soldier of the ill soil.

A contract, conforming to the cycle of heavenly principles: there is loss and gain. Having obtained the assistance of the Underworld, one must sell their body to repay the debt.

In other words, while acquiring power that did not belong to oneself, one also had to pay a corresponding price.

This small pagoda was probably dug up by the people of the Underworld to go fishing because they lacked manpower.

Being a magical girl wasn't even this dark—one had to be a nether soldier for all eternity. Who would agree unless driven to desperation?

At times like this, wasn't the utility of a quasi-emperor artifact revealed? It was readily available power, and there would always be times when one couldn't hold back.

It was a blatant trap, yet people would still dive right into it for various reasons, such as Old Ghost.

Are there many corpses in the Underworld? Like those divine bodies and king bodies?

Many, countless. There are still many that haven't been ferried over. The Underworld lacks people in this era, and there's endless work to do...

Zhang Huan's eyes lit up.

Can living people join the Underworld? What are the benefits?

*...*

Uh, this...

The small pagoda seemed utterly shocked; up until now, no one had ever posed such a question.

It is possible, though. There are also powerful beings in the Underworld whose corpses gained sentience and were reborn, no different from living people. If you truly wish to join, they will most likely agree. The benefits are very good.

Then can you contact the Underworld? I wish to join sincerely.

Too far apart, I am powerless to do so. Unless you die once, your soul will be guided to the Underworld. If you wish to retain your fleshly body, I will give you the coordinates, and you can travel there yourself.

A streak of spiritual light shot out from the small pagoda, and Zhang Huan did not resist, instantly learning the location of the Underworld in the universe.

If he relied solely on his own cultivation to cross the starry sky, it would take at least fifty years.

And that was under fast conditions; if it were slower, spending a few dozen more years was entirely possible.

A bit far.

At the end of reincarnation, everything will come to a close. The Underworld is the destination of all spirits...

While Zhang Huan was still deep in thought, the small pagoda abruptly uttered a sentence, the words within it mysterious and eerie.

The end of reincarnation, the destination of all spirits, huh.

Zhang Huan shook his head, divine light surged in his palm, and the tentacles composed of pitch-black light pulled the rotting small pagoda back into the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar.

This small pagoda was unreliable; it was safer to keep it suppressed normally.

Green Ox Temple in Central State.

Feigning the act of raising his hand to strike, Zhang Huan frightened Daoist Green Ox into dropping to his knees and begging for mercy.

According to the memories of the mysterious middle-aged Saint King, this Daoist Green Ox had encountered a fortuitous encounter, accidentally acquiring several pieces of immortal gold the size of a fingernail within a ruin.

Having offered them to the mysterious figure beaten to death by Zhang Huan, Old Daoist Green Ox felt his contribution was monumental, which was why he had dared to demand the Indestructible Heavenly Art from him.

Yet he did not know that that mysterious figure had long since harbored the intent to kill him, preparing to butcher him for provisions to devour, with no intention of giving it to him whatsoever. The various promises made were merely delaying tactics, completely unrealistic.

Demonic Lord, it's not that this humble one refuses to tell you, it's that little Niu truly does not know!

Hah, still lying. Refusing to shed a tear until you see the coffin—today I'll send you to reincarnation!

Daoist Green Ox felt his gallbladder about to burst from fright. Where did this god of slaughter come from, speaking of killing at every turn? A Saint like him was nothing more than an ant before the other party, being casually manipulated as if his life and death hung entirely on the other's whim.

"I'll talk, I'll talk, Lord Demon, please spare me and show mercy to little old ox."

Seeing a fist the size of a palm already before his eyes, Old Daoist Green Ox lost all spine and wailed with a mess of snot and tears.

"Lord, that ruins opens only once every hundred years, and the location is right on a small mound south of the Qinling Mountains in Central State. I'll give you the location right now."

Old Daoist Green Ox reluctantly pulled out a scroll, acting as if it were costing him his life.

Inside was engraved the detailed information of a radius of ten thousand li around the Qinling Mountains, down to the finest detail, all marked within, including the location of that ruin.

A small mound?

Why did this sound so much like his own style? Zhang Huan remembered that the things he left for his true body were right in a small mound beside the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land.

He muttered inwardly, but outwardly he showed no change in expression.

"From now on, hand over resources every century. If you dare not work properly, I'll skin you alive!"

Finished speaking, Zhang Huan applied a slight punishment using the Indestructible Heavenly Art, and further said that if he worked well, it was not impossible to impart the Indestructible Heavenly Art, on the spot passing down an opening section that greatly pleased Old Daoist Green Ox.

This way, there was no need to worry about him playing any crooked tricks.

Zhang Huan also visited several other families controlled by the Ruthless Bloodline, exchanged warm greetings with them, and smoothly took over all the forces they had operated for many years.

"Just sending anyone casually will do for collecting resources. The pressing matter of the moment is still to raise my strength. The Underworld is a place I must visit."

If he wanted to form a demonic fetus and break the shackles within his aging body, this Underworld was indeed a good place to go.

Zhang Huan muttered.