Netherworld

Such a dense Yin Qi was something that ghost cultivators desperately wanted. However, this abnormal change instead instilled a sense of unease and fear of the unknown in the hearts of the ghost cultivators.

Yu Ji pursed her lips, her beautiful hair whipping wildly in the strong wind. The group of ghost generals behind her looked on with suspicion and uncertainty, wondering what was about to happen...

On Shuntian Island, Bi Changchun, who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed in the main house, suddenly opened them and vanished from the room. When he reappeared, he was already standing on the Thousand Mile Lake, facing the direction of Yin Feng Valley, holding up a bright moon with one hand...

To be precise, it was a mirror gleaming with a pure white light. Suddenly, the white light was completely absorbed into the mirror, and the scene in front of the Nine Nether Cave appeared in the ancient, smooth mirror surface with vine-patterned edges, even showing the astonished and uncertain Yu Ji and the others.

The mirror floated in front of him. Bi Changchun frowned, his concerned gaze revealing a look of confusion. He clearly didn't know what was going on either...

Within the Nine Nether Cave, beyond the Netherworld Sea of Fire, the majestic Netherworld Gate emitted a deep, chilling sound. The gap at the gate widened, and the Netherworld Sea of Fire that had burned for countless years began to tremble violently. The chaotic air currents caused the various skull statues on the massive Nether Iron Mountain walls to emit various cries. Men and women, young and old, large and small skulls seemed to come alive in an instant, lamenting their unfortunate past lives to who knows who.

Various cries echoed throughout the underground space, a scene of utter desolation and chaos.

If Yue Qianchou were here now, he would be utterly shocked that the Netherworld Gate, which had been closed for countless years, were slowly opening...

The majestic, heavy, and dark Netherworld Gate stopped moving when it opened to about a meter wide. Behind the gate, black light swirled continuously, and suddenly two points of white light flashed within it. With two "whoosh" sounds, the two points of white light transformed into two figures that stopped in Netherworld Gate.

Two identical men in white robes appeared, their faces deathly pale, almost unnaturally so, as if they were twin brothers. They coldly surveyed their surroundings, and after a long while, one of them slowly said, "Everything is normal."

The other person nodded and said, "Brother, why did the Underworld Emperor think of having us inspect the Seventy-Two Realms of the Underworld?"

The former shook his head and said, "It was Madam Black Pool's idea."

The latter paused for a moment upon hearing this, then sighed, "Brother, have you noticed that because the Underworld Emperor doesn't seem to be involved much in the affairs of the Underworld anymore, Madam Black Pool is getting involved more and more. This is probably not a good thing."

"Shut up if you don't want to cause trouble," the former warned. "This isn't your business to worry about. Don't say things like that again."

"I understand," the latter said, shaking his head helplessly. The former glanced around again and said calmly, "Let's go back." As soon as they turned around, they were suddenly startled, their gazes fixed intently on the Netherworld Gate.

The Netherworld Gate, which originally had two Door Knocker Rings, now only had one left. In the mouth of one of the Sky Swallowing Beast heads, not only was one Door Knocker Ring missing, but two fangs were also missing, their whereabouts unknown.

After staring at it for a while, the latter said blankly, "Looking at the saw marks on it, it looks like someone sawed it off."

After staring in disbelief for a moment, the former muttered, "Who has the audacity to damage something on the Netherworld Gate?"

The latter scratched his head and said, "Logically speaking, that's impossible! This isn't a place anyone can come to. People from the underworld can't open the Netherworld Gate without a token. And mortals from the outside world can't possibly cross this Netherworld Sea of Fire to get here. Could it be the work of ghost cultivators from the human world?"

The former shook his head and said, "It shouldn't be a ghost cultivator. Once a ghost cultivator enters this place, their life force will be completely consumed by the Netherworld Sea of Fire, making it impossible for them to return to the mortal realm. Otherwise, their soul will be scattered and they will never be reborn. The only way out for a ghost cultivator who comes to this place is to open the Netherworld Gate and return to the Netherworld. Once they turn back, it's a dead end."

"It's neither this nor that, what exactly happened? It couldn't have fallen down by itself, could it? If it had fallen, there should be something on the ground! There are clearly saw marks on it. Could it be..." The latter suddenly stopped speaking.

The former turned his head and asked, "Could it be what?"

The latter looked around and whispered, "Brother, don't you think this is a bit strange? Why did Madam Black Pool choose this time to inspect the seventy-two underworld passages, and why is this Netherworld Gate damaged? Could it be that someone inside was ordered to do it..."

Upon hearing this, the former frowned deeply, pondered for a long time, and then said in a deep voice, "Don't make wild guesses. We just need to report the truth. The rest is not our concern. Let's go back!"

The two transformed into beams of white light and shot into the Netherworld Gate, instantly disappearing into the swirling, cloud-like black light. Not long after, the Netherworld Gate emitted another deep, unsettling sound and slowly closed. The instant the gates closed, the chaotic underground space that had arisen gradually returned to normal.

Nine Nether Cave, the raging winds suddenly subsided, and the ink-like surging Yin Qi slowly receded, soon returning to normal as if nothing had happened.

On the opposite cliff face, Yu Ji and her group of ghost generals looked at each other, none of them knowing what had happened inside the Netherworld Cave. The group of ghost cultivators waited for a long time, but saw no further unusual reactions. Yu Ji frowned and waved her hand, saying, "Let's discuss this further back home!" Immediately, the ghost cultivators vanished from the scene.

On Shuntian Island, by the Thousand Mile Lake, after watching the scene in the mirror return to normal, Bi Changchun waved his hand and put away the magic mirror. He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the horizon, lost in thought...

The vast and dark underworld is a world of its own, the ultimate place of birth, aging, sickness, and death, where one is reborn in the underworld.

Twenty large, blood-red characters are engraved on a massive black stone tablet, clearly visible from afar. The tablet and the ancient characters exude a sense of antiquity and age, simple yet powerful, inspiring an immediate urge to bow in reverence.

Beneath a stone base resembling a mountain, a large gate slowly opened, two beams of white light flashed out, and then the gate slowly closed again. The two people who appeared before the gate were the same two white-robed figures who had previously appeared outside the Netherworld Gate.

Two burly warriors in iron armor stood guard at the gate, their bodies exceptionally robust, broad-shouldered and strong. Their eyes, wide and round like copper bells, glared at the newcomer, exuding an imposing aura. The two white-robed figures each turned to face a general, producing a palm-sized cyan token, and said, "Liu Ben, Liu Pao, return to the Underworld to report."

They produced their tokens to prove they weren't ghost cultivators from the outside world; the guards here only recognized tokens, not people. Without a token, they would all be sent to the Endless Black Abyss to do hard labor.

One of the guards shouted in a booming voice, "Since you have a token, you are not allowed to linger. Leave immediately!" His loud voice echoed all around.

The two men in white robes didn't say much. They bowed in unison, then transformed into two streaks of white light and disappeared into the distance...

The two flew rapidly through the darkness, surrounded by an endless, dim gloom. Only on the ground could they see the rolling, red lava, mingled with billowing black smoke. On the paths separating the lava from the ground, they could see shirtless people working, pulling heavy iron chains.

Here, the sun, moon, and stars are never seen; the sky is forever shrouded in darkness. It is vast and boundless; no one knows how high the sky is or how wide the earth is—only endless darkness exists. For this is the underworld, a realm of its own!

In the vast depths unknown to ordinary people, there exist countless powerful overlords who have carved out their own territories. Although they possess profound cultivation and formidable Law Power, they all submit to one person: the king of the entire underworld... the Underworld Emperor!

As for the Underworld Emperor's real name, very few people know it; those who do are almost all gone now. Everyone only knows him as the Underworld Emperor. This is because the Underworld Emperor has existed for an extremely long time. Various powerful figures have risen and fallen, but the Underworld Emperor has remained eternally in the Underworld, and no one can challenge his authority.

Although the Underworld Emperor rarely displays his power, and few know what he actually looks like, none who attempt to challenge his authority escape unscathed. The Underworld Emperor is a figure most people in the Underworld will never see in their entire lives, and even if they do, no one knows that he is the awe-inspiring ruler of the Underworld.

The twin brothers Liu Ben and Liu Pao were very lucky. They knew what the Underworld Emperor looked like because they had seen him, and because they worked in the Nether Emperor Palace, which was revered by the entire Underworld. Although their cultivation levels were not high, and they were just minor errand runners, they had indeed seen the Underworld Emperor.

Towering Nether Emperor Mountain! It has stood for countless ages, perhaps since time immemorial. It is the most sacred place in the entire underworld, for atop its majestic Nether Emperor Palace resides the most venerable and sacred Emperor Minghuang!

On Nether Emperor Mountain, streaks of light danced everywhere. These were fireflies the size of fists, their faces menacing, yet the orbs of light trailing behind their tails were exceptionally bright. It was these flying insects that illuminated the entire Nether Emperor Mountain with dazzling brilliance.

Nether Emperor Mountain has six peaks. The Nether Emperor Palace is located on the highest peak in the center. The other five peaks are arranged in a five-pointed star shape, guarding the most sacred Nether Emperor Palace. Of course, each of the other five peaks also has a magnificent palace, and the masters living in them are all figures whose status in the underworld is second only to the Minghuang.

However, there is a hierarchy among these five masters. The master residing on the first hill to the left of the main Nether Emperor Palace is the most powerful person besides the Underworld Emperor, and also the highest-ranking among the five masters. For many years, the Underworld Emperor has rarely interfered openly, leaving most matters to this person.

Liu Ben and Liu Pao landed on the mountaintop, or more precisely, outside the palace gates. Although they served in the Nether Emperor Palace, they dared not trespass on this palace... Madam Black Pool's Black Pool Palace!

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