A cold gleam flashed in the black-robed man's eyes at those words. "What coincidence? I was waiting here for you! Ever since we parted that day, I've been waiting here. You've finally shown yourself again, and this time, you won't escape my grasp."
By some unknown means, the black-robed man made his skiff appear out of thin air in Zhang Chen's path, blocking his way between him and the Yellow Springs.
Zhang Chen looked the black-robed man up and down in surprise. "You're that Innate Mosquito!"
"That's right. It's me!" said the man on the boat.
"What happened to that Black-Robed Figure?" Zhang Chen asked.
"That useless fool tried to resist me, so naturally, I refined him." The Innate Mosquito gave a cold smile. "Now it's your turn!"
Zhang Chen grew thoughtful. His gaze swept across the gray, hazy sky, and he sensed faint differences from the outside world. Here in the Netherworld, the essence and source within his body were more stable than ever, with no sensation of flowing outward. The concentration of essence and qi in this world's heaven and earth was countless times higher than outside.
"The Netherworld really is like the Thirty-Three Heavens in the Spiritual World. Its essence and qi haven't completely dried up yet, but they're already dwindling. The ceiling is still the twelfth order; it's just that twelfth-order cultivators can stay here comfortably, without any pressure." Zhang Chen had already gauged this world's upper limit when the Innate Mosquito beside him spoke.
"Boy, return my mouthparts, and I'll spare your life."
"Spare my life? It's still too early to say who'll be sparing whom." Zhang Chen's lips curled into a disdainful smile. The Innate Mosquito's mouthparts were important to him and had helped him immensely countless times. Why would he return them just