Demonized Netherworld

Di Kun paced back and forth, pondering how he could gain even more benefits. After all, Luohu had been able to transform into the Devil Realm, nurture the Demon Race, and remain immortal and indestructible. That surely meant it benefited the Primordial Wilderness! The Abyss, meanwhile, was the fallen land of Western mythology and even bore the name Endless Abyss. Its potential had to be limitless. One righteous and one evil, one yin and one yang—though opposed, they also depended on each other. There was plenty to be explored here! Even if he could not become the lord of a realm like Luohu, Zhou Jun had opened the Abyss, so he would certainly get the larger share. At that thought, Di Kun's heart began to itch.

He looked at Zhou Jun as if he wanted to speak but hesitated. Zhou Jun grew uncomfortable under his gaze and instinctively shifted aside, his eyes filled with unease, vigilance, and a trace of disbelief. The moment Di Kun saw that expression, he knew Zhou Jun had misunderstood. His face darkened. "Put away those messy thoughts in your head! Can't you act normal?"

Zhou Jun scratched his head awkwardly. "You can't blame me! The way you were looking at me made it easy to misunderstand, okay? Let it go this time, but be careful next time!"

Veins nearly burst on Di Kun's forehead. Fire blazed in his eyes, his hands clenched into fists, and he was on the verge of exploding. Seeing that things were going badly, Zhou Jun hurriedly flashed to Di Kun's side. He patted Di Kun's back with one hand and pressed the other to his own chest. "Don't get angry, don't get angry. I was only joking. A broad-minded, rational person like you definitely wouldn't bother arguing with someone as brainless as me, right?"

Di Kun was truly speechless. This guy really has no shame! He can even say something like that! He slapped Zhou Jun's hand away, glared at him irritably, and said, "I just wanted to ask whether you have any other ideas. If you do, say them all so we can discuss them together. Besides, I always feel that your demonizing the Primordial Wilderness like this will leave us in a very passive position!"

"After all, you know that our current advantage is like having foreknowledge in the Primordial World. If you keep recklessly demonizing and altering it like this, the timeline will inevitably become unrecognizable. At certain points, it may even vanish entirely. If that happens, we will no longer have any advantage at all!"

Zhou Jun replied solemnly, "While that may indeed change the direction of many events and cause us to lose our ability to foresee the future, don't you think that is also a good thing for us? We rely too heavily on the known timeline and are even afraid of changing it. Everything we have done so far has remained within the framework of that timeline. There have been changes, but none that touched the foundation. Don't you think we have become too afraid of change? You could even say we have grown complacent!

"This was also something I realized when I erected the Stone Tablet. Besides, everything we now know has already made the timeline we were familiar with completely unrecognizable! Do you still think there is no problem with following the original timeline? From the moment we saw through part of this game, we had no other choice. Either we become chess pieces, or we seek change and become the players!"

Di Kun's expression shifted wildly like a chameleon as he listened. He understood this principle and knew the stakes involved. That was why, most of the time, he had done everything possible not to alter the timeline. It was the most advantageous approach for them. Yet acting this way would instead cloud his Dao heart with dust. Seeking the Dao was inherently a process of surviving through death. Without unwavering conviction and invincible confidence, one could never reach the end. This was not blind confidence, but confidence in one's own Great Dao and strength.

Di Kun let out a long breath and relaxed as though a heavy burden had been lifted. Looking at Zhou Jun, he said slowly, "Fine. You have convinced me. Perhaps I am too rational and tend to idealize too many things, unable to adapt. Now you may speak of your other ideas. But remember, do not act recklessly! You must follow the laws governing the Primordial Wilderness. You absolutely must not bring that unfathomable Cthulhu into it. That is not something we can control." Warning flashed in Di Kun's eyes as he spoke with earnest gravity.

Hearing this, Zhou Jun's lips curled into a sly smile. "Hehe, I know my limits, so don't worry! My current idea is that if the Abyss works out, I will go to the Western Continent and open the Undead Realm near the Blood Sea. After all, it is close to the Blood Sea, and the Six Paths of Reincarnation have yet to appear. Those lingering souls will ultimately be unable to escape the fate of being eroded by the baleful aura and Resentful Energy within the Blood Sea. In that case, I might as well open the Undead Realm there."

"Then I will enter the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains! I will bury deep underground the corpses of living beings that fell during this Kalpa of Calamity and create a Burial Ground! Perhaps it might nurture the Bone Clan? And don't you think the Skeleton Clan from Western mythology is as mysterious as a phantom, filled with a magical charm? Skeletons can even evolve. That is an ability other living beings could only envy. Perhaps it will eventually give rise to a Bone Clan most compatible with the Primordial Wilderness?"

Di Kun's expression turned rather strange after hearing this. "Are you obsessed with the underground or something? Why are you always thinking about opening such strange things beneath the earth? Besides, doesn't White Bone Spirit attain sentience by absorbing the essence of moonlight? If you bury them deep underground, are you sure it will work? And what can the Undead even accomplish? Once the Underworld appears in the future, they probably will have nothing to do with it. All you think about are things full of destruction and death."

A sly smile appeared on Zhou Jun's lips. "Don't you think the Underworld of legend is pitifully small? There are only a handful of places. Look at the Primordial Wilderness we are in now—it is so vast and boundless. Do you really think the Underworld should be so small? Just as many novels describe, the Underworld should be no different from the Heavenly Court. And where is the Heavenly Court? It is in the Primordial Starry Sky! Such a vast world is not contained within the Thirty-three Heavens. So do you think the Underworld will encompass the entire Netherworld? If there are no living beings elsewhere, wouldn't it seem exceptionally empty?"

"The Undead are something I specifically prepared for the Underworld and Western Buddhism. Don't Junti and the other one love converting others? I would like to see whether they like the Undead. After all, the Undead are quite similar to vengeful ghosts. The only difference is that vengeful ghosts possess consciousness and thoughts, while the Undead do not. To be honest, I originally intended to create bizarre entities. But those things are far too profound—they are manifestations of rules, and there are all kinds of rules. I truly have no confidence in doing that, so I want to see whether I can use the Resentment of Chaos Gods and Demons in the Blood Sea to evolve the Undead into bizarre entities."

"As for the Burial Ground, it will be a resting place I have carefully prepared for all living beings of the Primordial Wilderness! It will not only be the birthplace of the Bone Clan, but also a cradle for miracles. I am eagerly awaiting whether, like in Western legends, it might evolve Dullahans and Bone Dragons. Or perhaps give birth to the Corpse Clan? Could it be those terrifying Jiangshi? You should know that Jiangshi in later generations were all transformed from humans. I would like to see whether other races can do the same."

"Besides, the Netherworld is so vast. Having only the Underworld as a single force would be far too monotonous. It should be as colorful as the Primordial Land. After all, only competition can promote progress and development! The East will be where the Witch Clan resides, while the South, after the Six Paths of Reincarnation descend, will become the destination for those unwilling to reincarnate or those guilty of heinous crimes. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Di Kun looked troubled. "Aren't you afraid the Witch Clan will wipe you out completely?" Zhou Jun narrowed his eyes and revealed a crafty smile. "Do you know why I came to Mount Zhou this time to search for Pangu Hall? When the time comes, they will have no time to spare for us. And don't forget, beneath us lies the Endless Abyss! Don't they love fighting? This will be the perfect opponent!"