The Truth From Ten Thousand Years Ago

"The Underworld is currently facing a shortage of talent. It was a wise choice for you to come and pledge allegiance, my brother. I guarantee you'll fare no worse than those Quasi-Emperors outside."

In the desolate land, a Saint King-level Underworld General was enthusiastically registering Zhang Huan's identity.

More than ten years had passed since Zhang Huan threatened the Old Daoist Green Ox into handing over the ruins' coordinates.

During this time, Zhang Huan first used the Supreme Emperor Weapon to quickly reach the starfield near the Underworld and gathered information. He discovered that things were indeed as the small pagoda had said.

Only then did he slowly fly to the Underworld, state his intentions, and was immediately welcomed.

The registration area was located on a cliff a million miles away. This was where one would handle tasks, collect contributions, and other related matters.

To become a member of the Underworld, completing the procedures here was the primary requirement.

"It seems the Underworld is indeed short of people."

In Zhang Huan's eyes, this boundless desolate land was sparsely populated. Even Yin soldiers were rarely seen. He could only occasionally spot the escaping light of a few Underworld Generals flying by. It was eerily quiet.

The Underworld General looked envious but made no attempt to hide his feelings. He probably thought Zhang Huan would soon be a member of the Underworld, so he chatted with him openly.

He spoke of the generous rewards the Underworld had offered to recruit people.

For a Great Saint like Zhang Huan, the benefits were excellent. Upon joining the Underworld, he would receive privileges that were even richer than the arrangements for some Quasi-Emperors in the past.

Things like Primordial Life Essence, Quasi-Emperor insights, and Dao Fragments.

Coupled with a dazzling array of cultivation resources, it was enough to make any Great Saint flock to it. If the Underworld didn't have such a poor reputation, it would have been swarmed by powerful individuals long ago.

After hearing the specific benefits, Zhang Huan couldn't help but gasp.

No wonder this Underworld General was so confident. The Quasi-Emperor insights alone were enough of an attraction. Coupled with the other rare treasures, Zhang Huan had no doubt that other Great Saints had already joined the Underworld.

They were truly generous. But were these things really that easy to obtain? Zhang Huan thought of the decaying small pagoda.

Along the way, out of caution, Zhang Huan had mentioned the rumors about the Underworld circulating in the outside world.

The Underworld General didn't care at all. In his opinion, it was just that outsiders couldn't comprehend the greatness of the Underworld, and the rumors were just slander against them.

Zhang Huan nodded and then asked about the reason for the Underworld's shortage of people.

The information he obtained while scouting the surrounding starfields was incomplete. He always felt as if an invisible hand had severed all clues, preventing him from seeing the truth.

He figured he would only get answers once he was inside the Underworld.

Upon hearing Zhang Huan's question, the Underworld General instantly fell silent. His unusual reaction puzzled Zhang Huan.

As if he had touched a taboo, the Underworld General's attitude changed, becoming cold. The enthusiasm in his eyes diminished significantly.

Was he afraid of something?

Zhang Huan remained calm, observing his words and actions, guessing he had been placed under a gag order, which explained his reaction.

After that, the Underworld General no longer chatted as he had at the beginning, deliberately keeping his distance.

Seeing this, Zhang Huan wisely stopped engaging and the two continued their journey in silence.

Although he didn't show it on his face, Zhang Huan couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt.

What had he touched upon to cause such deliberate distancing?

Even a Saint King was so timid. Was this Underworld truly as promising as he claimed?

After bringing Zhang Huan to his destination, Zhang Huan frowned as he watched the Underworld General flee like he was escaping. He couldn't help but be more vigilant.

He had a premonition that this Underworld was even more bizarre than the rumors suggested, and that there were hidden truths.

After completing the procedures, Zhang Huan officially became an Underworld General and was assigned his own residence. Fifty years later, he would officially be assigned missions.

"The Underworld is quite straightforward. They don't hold back when distributing benefits."

Although his initial steps were not smooth, he at least had resources as compensation.

Zhang Huan nodded to himself, checked everything, and confirmed there were no problems. He then flew alone to a vast mountain peak, which was to be his future residence.

It was like a small grotto-heaven. Spiritual energy continuously flowed into the void, making it very abundant. The environment was pleasant, with no sign of deathly energy.

Spiritual springs flowed down the mountain streams, forming waterfalls. The essence was rich, and spiritual herbs grew in clusters, including rare plants. The spiritual energy here had been accumulating for at least tens of thousands of years, making it an excellent place for cultivation.

Observing it, Zhang Huan felt it was more like a place for living beings to cultivate, incompatible with deathly energy. It had been specially created within the Underworld for beings like Zhang Huan to cultivate.

When receiving his residence, Zhang Huan remembered that the map had marked many similar patterns.

If every Great Saint who came to pledge allegiance received benefits like Zhang Huan, it was indeed worthy of the Underworld's reputation for being wealthy and generous.

In the following days, Zhang Huan digested the resources he had obtained, and his cultivation advanced another step.

He still remembered the Underworld General's strange behavior and was very concerned. He planned to use the authority granted by the Underworld to investigate ancient history and secrets.

However, before he could set out, a Great Saint from next door came to visit. According to him, he lived a hundred miles away in a similar grotto-heaven and had come to visit after observing for a few days.

During their conversation, this Great Saint introduced himself as Saint Kun. He was also recruited and joined the Underworld to escape enemies, originating from an unknown starfield.

In Zhang Huan's perception, the traces of cultivation techniques emanating from Saint Kun's body were exactly the same as the aura of the Demonic Cultivation Method he remembered!

"No wonder he joined the Underworld. He's afraid the owner of the Demonic Cultivation Method will find him and devour him."

Zhang Huan didn't know whether to consider himself lucky or unlucky that the first Great Saint he met in the Underworld was so unusual.

These people who cultivated Demonic Cultivation Methods were destined to become nourishment, fish raised by those behind the scenes, to be hunted and devoured sooner or later.

Seeking refuge in the Underworld was a wise move.

At least the owner of the cultivation method would be hesitant to act against the Underworld, and he could live here peacefully in his later years.

He just hoped that in avoiding one wolf, he hadn't walked into a tiger's den, which would lead to a more tragic end.

Zhang Huan had already switched to cultivating the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art, so he didn't reveal his true intentions.

As he had expected, the other party had come with a request. After some pleasantries, they brought up how the newly arrived Great Saints were outnumbered and proposed mutual assistance.

They suggested that they could help each other in times of crisis, ensuring they wouldn't be easily ousted from the powerful Underworld. He revealed that three other Great Saints had already agreed to the proposal.

This Saint Kun was determined to establish himself in the Underworld, aiming to form factions and build his influence.

Zhang Huan's sole purpose for being here was to devour various origins to aid his cultivation of the Indestructible Heavenly Art. Joining them would be thankless and counterproductive to his original intent.

Using his recent arrival in the Underworld as an excuse, Zhang Huan requested time to consider. Saint Kun didn't press the issue and readily agreed, believing that Zhang Huan, being alone and outnumbered, would need alliances to thrive in the Underworld.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Huan brought up the reason for the Underworld's recruitment, without mentioning his demonic cultivation. He intended to investigate discreetly.

The other party didn't know much about this matter either. Although they had arrived decades before Zhang Huan, they still hadn't uncovered many secrets.

Saint Kun recalled carefully and admitted to only knowing parts of the story. After Zhang Huan shared rumors he had collected over the years, they pieced together a plausible explanation.

It seemed that around ten thousand years ago, there was a significant depletion of resources, necessitating replenishment.

During that era, Supreme Beings frequently emerged, their battles so fierce they could shatter the Great Dao, making it incredibly difficult for the Underworld to conduct its business.

Meanwhile, the Void fought valiantly to prevent them from harming all living beings.

In such an environment, all beings, united by a common purpose, resisted the Supreme Beings of the Forbidden Zones.

The Underworld's Yin soldiers and generals were no longer taken seriously in the outside world. If they weren't afraid of Supreme Beings from the Forbidden Zones, why would they fear some spectral beings?

Although treasures like the Heaven-Piercing Nether Treasure guarded the Underworld, deterring any direct assault, the Yin soldiers and generals outside suffered greatly. Whenever they showed themselves, they were eliminated, sometimes killed by powerful beings who disliked them, and other times eradicated in coordinated attacks.

While the Underworld had its own powerhouses, they couldn't possibly travel across the universe to deal with such insignificant pawns.

As powerful beings, they naturally wouldn't stoop to doing such menial tasks themselves.

With the complex situation outside, the Underworld had to retreat for a time. Several Quasi-Emperor level high-ranking officials convened and decided on a cautious approach. From then on, even the Yin soldiers began to hide, fearing discovery and brutal retribution.

Furthermore, due to constant battles between Supreme Beings in the universe, many powerful individuals died without being brought to the Underworld. A batch of ancient corpses from a long time ago had not yet gained sentience.

Coupled with the passage of time, those powerful beings from ten thousand years ago began to decay. Unless they were mere corpses or puppets, any being with consciousness would be plagued by their limited lifespan.

These multiple factors led to a scarcity of core strength within the Underworld.

This was also the reason why artifacts like the decaying small tower appeared, accepting anyone at or above the Saint level.

After a thorough analysis, Zhang Huan found some merit in the explanation. After a brief conversation with Saint Kun, the latter made an excuse to leave, perhaps having achieved his goal and not wishing to linger and attract attention.

The deliberate avoidance of suspicion suggested that the situation for these newly arrived Great Saints wasn't as favorable as portrayed.

Zhang Huan pondered for a moment.

He had no interest in the schemes of these individuals. If anyone approached him again with similar proposals, he would continue to decline.

However, this topic, which even the Underworld Generals avoided, held many unexplored mysteries. He had only managed to piece together a small fragment of the truth.

What hidden fear lay behind the truth?

It couldn't possibly be about maintaining the Underworld's reputation. Considering the words and actions of that Underworld General, he suspected it might be intricately linked to the Great Saints like himself who had arrived in this era.

The Underworld was a place of profound mystery, born from death and seizing all creation. Its methods were beyond the comprehension of a mere Great Saint.

As he traveled, Zhang Huan traversed countless desolate lands and saw numerous monumental steles, inscribed with records passed down through every era of the Underworld, along with countless biographies.

Some of these ancient steles dated back to antiquity, recording secrets rarely known.

"Who dares intrude upon the vicinity of the Monument Stele!"

A Quasi-Emperor's might shook the surroundings. Awakened from beneath a stele, he gazed impassively.

This was a War Slave, refined into a puppet, eternally bound to serve the Underworld, mechanically fulfilling its duties.

Seeing this, Zhang Huan quickly replied.

"I am a newly joined Great Saint of the Underworld, with identification. I have long admired the Underworld and now wish to learn about its glorious achievements, hence my presence here."

"Newly joined. You are not qualified to view the ancient steles. Leave this place."

Zhang Huan's heart sank. He swiftly flew back without any hesitation.

Weren't they promised privileges comparable to Quasi-Emperors? He couldn't even learn about his own faction's history. Zhang Huan didn't believe that natives of the Underworld faced the same restriction.

Moreover, from the War Slave's words, it was aware of the existence of newly joined beings, meaning Zhang Huan wasn't the first to encounter this.

This deliberate restriction only fueled suspicion, making the truth seem even more elusive.

"Once I've collected enough origins, I'll find an opportunity to escape."

Zhang Huan muttered to himself. If not for the Underworld's abundance of deceased individuals, from whom he could easily obtain various origins, he wouldn't have stayed a moment longer.