The Underworld

"How is this possible!"

The old ghost's contorted face was filled with shock, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He roared hysterically.

It was no wonder. They considered themselves the only Ruthless Bloodline in the world, yet someone had come knocking with an Emperor Weapon of Great Emperor Ruthless. Wasn't this a slap in the face?

Ever since they received the inheritance, they had searched for an unknown amount of time, trying to find this Emperor Weapon to legitimately become the Heir of the Ruthless.

They had finally seen it in this life, only to have it in the hands of their mortal enemy on the battlefield.

How could they accept this?

"To see this Emperor Weapon is to see the Great Emperor himself. Heir of the Ruthless, why don't you kneel and greet your great master."

Zhang Huan said with a serious expression.

From the current situation, it seemed the other party only knew about the Demonic Cultivation Method and had no information about this Emperor Weapon. This greatly reassured Zhang Huan.

He had intended to bluff, but he hadn't expected the old ghost to freeze in shock and ask fearfully.

"You, you have a connection with that person? Are you here to clean house, or..."

The old ghost trembled all over, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. His eyes finally regained some clarity, as if a primal fear etched into his genes had been awakened.

He had even forgotten his deep-seated hatred, as if he had forgotten who had killed his son and why he had become this monstrous figure.

"Guess. The Great Emperor gave the inheritance to your village back then so you would have the strength to protect yourselves. I didn't expect you to go astray and fall deeper and deeper."

"I couldn't stand by and watch any longer, so I came on behalf of the Great Emperor to bring you to justice!"

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

Were their ancestors truly villagers from the Ruthless village back then, who had ascended to heaven, or were they outsiders who had found the Ruthless's dojo and obtained the inheritance?

If it was the latter, it would be easy. Just a few stray cats and dogs. If it was the former, he would have to be careful, lest a more powerful elder emerge after dealing with the current one.

Upon hearing these words, the dark energy in the old ghost's eyes surged violently, shrinking into needle-like points. His aura fluctuated, and even his ghost body, formed from resentment, dissipated slightly.

"How did you know?"

"Those people from back then are all dead. Only a few of us were passed down the lineage. Who did you hear this from?!"

The old ghost roared, as if he had reached the peak of his fear. The hand he raised trembled uncontrollably. Facing Zhang Huan, he no longer had his previous arrogance, acting like a junior who had made a mistake.

However, not long after, he began talking to himself, as if trying to convince himself. The old ghost repeatedly hinted, and finally burst into laughter, even deceiving himself.

Even if the other party was someone related to the Ruthless, given the current situation, there was only one path forward: to go all the way. No matter who he was, he had to die today!

"Heh, hahahaha. So that's how it is. You're just a lucky guy who found half a demonic jar, and heard some rumors somewhere."

The old ghost suppressed the unease in his heart and looked at the demonic jar without its lid, becoming even more convinced of his own thoughts.

"It doesn't matter. As long as I kill you, I can not only get revenge but also obtain the Emperor Weapon I've always dreamed of. Hahahaha."

He was the only true heir left by Great Emperor Ruthless. Anyone else who appeared was fake, blasphemous, and deserved to die!

The old ghost regained his fierce demeanor, just like when he was chasing Zhang Huan, and became even more hysterical.

"I thought I could strike a psychological blow, but the effect was minimal."

Zhang Huan was slightly disappointed. He had hoped to catch the old ghost off guard when he was terrified and kill him with a Supreme Emperor Weapon's light wave. He hadn't expected the other party to be so stubborn and become even more frenzied in just a few exchanges.

At least he had bought some time. Zhang Huan calculated that in a few more minutes, the old ghost would be unable to hold on. By then, he would be beyond saving, and Zhang Huan could win without even fighting.

The old ghost took off the small tower, holding it in his hand, and unleashed the Emperor Formation onto the battlefield. For millions of miles around, the area was irreversibly regularized, influenced by the Emperor's aura, and began to transform.

"This formation is a fragment of a formation pattern that fell from a Forbidden Zone Supreme Being during the Void Blood War ten thousand years ago. It merged with heaven and earth, becoming a spiritual plant that I chanced upon."

"Although it's not as good as a Supreme Emperor Weapon, it can at least exert one or two-tenths of its power. When fully activated, it can resist your half-Emperor Weapon for a moment. At that time, without the protection of the Demonic Jar, how will you survive my Quasi-Emperor Weapon's killing intent?"

The old ghost laughed wildly, believing he had everything under control and had made thorough plans to kill Zhang Huan.

The Emperor Formation was sentient, its various powers unimaginable to ordinary people. When harmless, it could even take the form of a common grass plant, attracting no attention at all. However, when its killing intent was unleashed, it could dim an entire starfield and erase all living beings within it.

A complete Emperor Formation, controlled by a Great Emperor, could even make Supreme Beings bleed. It was truly terrifying.

Seeing that the old ghost had said so much, Zhang Huan could not just sit and wait for death.

The surrounding battlefield gradually transformed into a confined world, enveloped by the Emperor Formation. Zhang Huan fully activated the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar and charged towards the distant, unclosed opening.

He wasn't stupid. He wouldn't foolishly endure the Emperor Formation and trade the life of a Great Saint, who had only lived for a little over a thousand years, for the old ghost's remaining lifespan. It was clearly not worth it.

Fighting desperately would only benefit the old ghost. At worst, he could run away for a while, and then collect the old ghost's corpse after he died. Anyway, the old ghost wouldn't live much longer, and would probably die soon after a detour.

"You, you despicable scoundrel. Shameless!"

The old ghost's face turned ashen, as if he had eaten a fly. He felt furious and cursed with all his might.

Seeing Zhang Huan using a Supreme Emperor Weapon to flee with all his might, his speed was many times faster than a Great Saint. Even with his full effort, the old ghost couldn't catch up at all.

The old ghost's heart hardened, a flicker of regret in his eyes. Another token flew out from his Sea of Qi, emitting demonic energy. It was also a Quasi-Emperor Weapon!

This was a treasure left behind by an old ancestor who had died of old age. It had been used very few times, and he hadn't expected to be forced to destroy it today.

After sacrificing the Quasi-Emperor Weapon and using the Emperor Formation to summon a deity, it absorbed energy. After a moment, the Quasi-Emperor Weapon could no longer withstand the loss of life and shattered.

Propelled by the absorbed energy, the old ghost's speed surged again. He sped through starfield after starfield, chasing after Zhang Huan.

Even an Emperor Formation had its limits and would eventually collapse. To deal with Zhang Huan, the old ghost chose to cripple himself, preserving the Emperor Formation's power at the cost of a Quasi-Emperor Weapon.

Time flowed, and the old ghost grew increasingly desperate. Even after sacrificing a Quasi-Emperor Weapon, he still couldn't close the gap with Zhang Huan. The old ghost was filled with regret, wishing he had been more cunning from the start, but it was too late.

He reluctantly looked at another Quasi-Emperor Weapon, attempting to reach for the small pagoda. However, his hand stopped uncontrollably. He could only activate the Emperor Array, pursuing Zhang Huan relentlessly.

"Old man, you're fast, but how long can you keep this up?"

Seeing the old ghost's speed surge behind him, Zhang Huan sneered inwardly. He also launched several Saint Weapons behind him, detonating them with a secret technique. Explosions echoed continuously, his acceleration constantly increasing.

Both of them were desperate, competing to see who had more resources. However, it was clear that Zhang Huan had the upper hand. The old ghost ran out of things to detonate early on.

His life force gradually ebbed away, and the remaining time was dwindling. The old ghost numbly traversed the sea of stars, finally despairing at the last moment.

"No! I haven't gotten my revenge yet, and I haven't obtained the Supreme Emperor Weapon. How can I die like this? I refuse to accept this!"

The old ghost cursed with unwillingness. Knowing he was powerless to change his fate, he stopped chasing and let himself drift.

Not long after, he sensed a living being flying towards him. In his dazed state, the old ghost ferociously unleashed the Emperor Array, attempting to refine the detected creature.

But the Emperor Array missed. It manifested infinite killing intent, yet inside, there was only a palm-sized turtle. Its attack was meaningless and dissipated as time passed.

"Old geezer, I knew you were wicked. I was prepared for you."

Upon hearing that familiar divine sense, the old ghost was completely despairing. He seemed unable to hold on any longer, turned his head, and collapsed, devoid of any life force, utterly dead.

Tearing through space, Zhang Huan closed in. A wisp of soul floated from the corpse. Zhang Huan, with quick reflexes, tried to grab it but missed. A phantom doorway appeared above the old ghost's body, sucking the soul into it. Even the decaying three-foot-tall pagoda showed signs of movement.

Zhang Huan quickly suppressed it with the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar to prevent its escape. After a brief struggle, the small pagoda lost its sentience and became lifeless again. The doorway also closed and vanished.

With a hurried glance, he looked into the doorway. The first thing he saw was an endless expanse of black, desolate land. All he saw was destruction, with blood rivers surging and countless corpses piled high, forming a scene of the Underworld.

"Is the other side of the door the Underworld? And how would someone from the Ruthless Bloodline be connected to it?"

Zhang Huan was puzzled. The unique, deathly aura of that netherworld was something any living being would detest and be highly sensitive to. He couldn't be mistaken.

He made the Emperor Weapon pour out, its dark divine light engulfing the decaying small pagoda, sealing it within the demonic jar.

"Perhaps this small pagoda can provide some answers."

Zhang Huan was certain. The object had shown unusual activity when connecting to the Underworld, indicating at least some relation. He might be able to find answers within its divine nature.

He searched the old ghost's body, but it was empty. It seemed everything had been destroyed.

However, Zhang Huan still found it peculiar. Based on his knowledge, their annual collection of resources was not insignificant. How could he be so poor? Where had the rest gone?

How much could a Saint like the old ghost, with one foot in the grave, possibly use? Was there no one else left in the Ruthless Bloodline? Zhang Huan recalled the old ghost mentioning a few others, but he had never seen them.

There were also the remaining remnants in the world.

Using the Emperor Weapon, Zhang Huan performed a divination technique, using the old ghost's body as a conduit to stir the heavenly secrets.

Threads of karma, countless and intertwined, all pointed towards the Big Dipper. Zhang Huan collected the old ghost's corpse and instantly followed the thickest threads.

They were all connected, leading towards the Eastern Wasteland. Some broke midway, interfered with by something, while others barely maintained their connection, falling into several different factions.

"They've hidden themselves deeply, mixed into different factions."

Zhang Huan sneered. He detected a person connected by a thread of karma within a major faction.

"Blood Demon Sect?"

Zhang Huan glanced at the plaque above the main hall and calmly located the remnants of the Ruthless Bloodline.

The strongest person here was only at the Saint Lord realm. Zhang Huan moved as if through empty space, directly approaching a young man. He easily broke through his mental defenses and probed his memories.

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

It was an overwhelming amount.

All of them were cultivation methods and divine abilities of the Ruthless Bloodline. He marked them and then found the second person, probing their memories with the same method.

From their memories, he learned that the old ghost had indeed brought them to the village Zhang Huan had found fifty years ago.

Using magic to conceal them from mortal sight, the villagers often felt as if only the old ghost existed.

In that case, it made sense that the Innate Dao Embryo from a thousand years ago was missed.

With their mindset of treating living beings as livestock, if they had encountered a Dao Embryo, they would have devoured it long ago, leaving nothing for the Jade Pond to accept.

These people had once heard the old ghost say that it took nearly six thousand years to find a great killing weapon. Zhang Huan had already witnessed it – the horn-like Emperor Array. It seemed they hadn't coincidentally arrived at this village.

It was truly mysterious and unfathomable that such a fortunate encounter occurred in a remote place like Black Wind Stockade.

Upon learning of his offspring's death, the old ghost immediately transferred these seeds to this location and decisively killed the old servant who had been loyal for many years.

The Ruthless Bloodline was now solely supported by him and his son, who was at the Saint King realm. This was why the old ghost acted so decisively.

His killing intent towards Zhang Huan was partly to silence him. Upon realizing their whereabouts had been exposed, he intended to die alongside Zhang Huan so that no one could trace them, thus protecting the younger generation.

However, Zhang Huan didn't fall for the old ghost's scheme and survived, following the trail to these people.

Among the dozen or so individuals, some were not related to the old ghost by blood, yet they still learned the cultivation methods.

"The old ghost wanted me dead, and everyone in the Ruthless Bloodline owes me a life."

Zhang Huan's eyes were cold. He had no good feelings towards this lineage.

He always believed that to deal with bad people, one had to be even worse. If the old ghost wanted to kill him, then he would exterminate their entire lineage.

During the divination, several threads of karma broke off, their destinations in the Eastern Wasteland unknown.

It's likely the other party has something valuable that can shield their heavenly secrets, and with the Eastern Wasteland being so vast, where would I even find them?

If I alert them, I might never be able to track them all down again. Those carrying great treasures are definitely the most important few, otherwise, the old ghost wouldn't have taken them so seriously.

"First, I'll mark these few people I've found. Once I've figured out all of them, I'll eradicate this entire lineage in one go, to avoid leaving any roots to cause future trouble."

These people's memories were all missing a piece, likely cut out by the old ghost, leaving no clues behind.

Since that's the case, I'll just let them find each other. As long as they don't die prematurely, they'll eventually reunite. Zhang Huan just needs to sit back and wait, then take them all down in the future.

"The Indestructible Heavenly Art and various secret techniques, finally obtained. I also acquired a Quasi-Emperor artifact. Although I can't use it, its origin seems significant."

He opened up a cave dwelling nearby and took out the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar. Dark tentacles lifted the withered yellow small tower.

The tower still looked dilapidated and incomplete, with a faint withered yellow light emanating from within.

It was as if it had been buried in an accursed land like the Underworld for tens of thousands of years. The deathly aura it exuded was something even Zhang Huan was unwilling to touch.

"Do you have a deity? Come out and answer."

"Yes."

The small tower flickered twice, and a faint voice came from its body.

Seeing a reaction, Zhang Huan asked again.

"You must be from the Underworld, why did you end up with the previous owner?"

"Not an owner. The Underworld chose him and signed a contract. Assisting was only part of it. After death, his soul returns to the accursed land, and he will be dispatched by the Underworld for eternity."

"A contract? Tell me about it."

Zhang Huan was very interested. From what it said, the old ghost was entangled by this artifact. Once signed, he became a soldier of the accursed land.

"The contract follows the cycle of heaven and earth, with gains and losses. To receive the Underworld's help, one must sell their soul to repay the debt."

In other words, while gaining power that doesn't belong to oneself, one must also pay a corresponding price.

This small tower might have been created by the Underworld people to lure people in because they were short-handed.

Even magical girls aren't this dark. To be a ghostly soldier for eternity, who would agree unless they were desperate?

At this moment, the function of a Quasi-Emperor artifact comes into play, providing ready-made power. Someone will always be unable to resist.

It's an obvious trap, yet people will fall into it for various reasons, like the old ghost.

"Are there many corpses in the Underworld, like those Divine Bodies and King Bodies?"

"Many, countless. Many haven't even been brought over yet. The Underworld is short-handed this era, and there's too much work to be done."

Zhang Huan's eyes lit up.

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

"..."

"Uh, this..."

The small tower seemed shocked. No one had ever asked such a question before.

"It's possible. There are also powerful beings in the Underworld who were originally corpses but have been reborn through spiritual awakening, indistinguishable from living people. If you are sincere, they will likely agree. The benefits are very good."

"Can you contact the Underworld? I sincerely wish to join."

"It's too far away, I'm powerless. Unless you die, your soul will be drawn to the Underworld. If you want to keep your body, I'll give you the coordinates, and you can go yourself."

A divine light shot out from the small tower. Zhang Huan didn't resist and immediately knew the location of the Underworld in the universe.

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

And that's the fast track; it could easily take another few decades if he were slower.

"It's a bit far."

"At the end of reincarnation, all will cease. The Underworld is the destination for all spirits..."

As Zhang Huan was still contemplating, the small tower suddenly uttered a sentence, its words mysterious and eerie.

"The end of reincarnation, the destination for all spirits."

Zhang Huan shook his head. Divine light surged in his hand, and tentacles made of dark light pulled the decaying small tower back into the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar.

This small tower was unreliable; it was safer to suppress it normally.

Green Ox Temple in the Central Continent.

Zhang Huan pretended to raise his hand, about to strike, scaring the Green Ox Daoist into kneeling and begging for mercy.

According to the memories of the mysterious middle-aged Saint King Zhang Huan had killed, this Green Ox Daoist had stumbled upon a great fortune, obtaining several fingernail-sized pieces of Immortal Gold in some ruins.

He had offered them to the mysterious person Zhang Huan had killed. The Green Ox Daoist believed he had made a great contribution, which was why he dared to ask for the Indestructible Heavenly Art.

But he didn't know that the mysterious person had already harbored murderous intent towards him and was planning to slaughter him to use as sustenance, with no intention of giving him anything. All the promises were merely delaying tactics, unrealistic.

"Lord Demon, it's not that I'm not telling you, it's just that I, this little ox, truly don't know."

"Heh, still lying? You won't shed tears until you see the coffin. Today, I shall send you to reincarnation!"

The Green Ox Daoist's courage was about to be shattered. Where did this god of slaughter come from? He spoke of killing at the slightest provocation. He, a Saint, was like an ant before this person, easily manipulated, as if his life and death were merely a matter of the other's whim.

"I'll talk, I'll talk! Please, Lord Demon, show mercy and spare this old ox."

Seeing the palm-sized fist already upon him, the Old Daoist Green Ox lost all his backbone, wailing with snot and tears.

"Sir, that ruin only opens once every hundred years, and it's located on a small dirt mound south of the Qinling Mountains in Central State. I'll give you the location right now."

Reluctantly, the Old Daoist Green Ox produced a scroll, as if it were his life being taken.

It contained details of the Qinling Mountains for a radius of ten thousand miles, with everything meticulously marked, including the location of that ruin.

A small dirt mound?

This sounded so much like his own style. Zhang Huan remembered that the things he left for his main body were in a small dirt mound next to the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land.

He muttered to himself, but his expression remained unchanged.

"From now on, you'll hand over resources every hundred years. If you slack off, I'll skin you alive!"

With that, Zhang Huan administered a minor punishment using the Indestructible Heavenly Art. He then mentioned that if he did a good job, the Indestructible Heavenly Art wouldn't be impossible to obtain, and on the spot, he passed down the opening section, greatly delighting the Old Daoist Green Ox.

This way, he wouldn't have to worry about the old ox harboring any wicked intentions.

Zhang Huan then visited the other few establishments controlled by the Ruthless Bloodline, greeted them warmly, and smoothly took over all the forces they had operated for many years.

"Anyone can be sent to collect resources. The priority now is to increase my strength. I must make a trip to the Underworld."

If he wanted to form a Demonic Embryo and break free from the constraints of his old body, the Underworld would be a good place for that.

Zhang Huan murmured to himself.