Underworld Invasion

Xu Ying snorted. He was utterly helpless against these two crazed demons. The two of them had even tried to incite him to rebel against humanity with them, overthrow human rule, and establish an overland Demon Kingdom!

"You become the king, and the two of us brothers will gladly serve you!" they shouted.

Demonic Energy filled the cave, making the place smoky and foul, so Xu Ying had no choice but to rise and step outside. It was pitch-black out there. The heavy rain had stopped, but a drizzle still drifted through the air, and he had no idea when the sky would clear.

Xu Ying stood there, lost in thought.

Human Nu Masters used Dragon Seeking Positioning to search for the Six Secrets of the Human Body, open the secret treasuries, and then draw on their power to cultivate Hidden Scenery.

Qi Refiners, on the other hand, gathered and refined qi, striking at the Human Body Mystic Pass.

Clearly, these were two entirely different cultivation systems, with not the slightest connection between them!

If gathering and refining qi is a human cultivation method, then why does it share nothing with the Nu Arts of Nu Masters? He was deeply puzzled.

The two demons' hushed conversation drifted out of the cave again. "Before humans, our Demon Race must have had a pioneering civilization that built a glorious empire and even divided the Underworld from the Mortal Realm! Later, those human bastards defeated us through schemes, and our civilization was lost."

"Those human bastards are utterly despicable!"

"But Great Demon King Xu will lead us to restore the glory of the Demon Race!"

"Long live Demon King Xu!"

Xu Ying rolled his eyes. These two demons had even wilder imaginations than he did.

He moved his left shoulder. It still hurt, but the sword wound there had healed considerably.

The flying sword of the giant god had pierced through his left hand and chest, and also through his left shoulder blade. Originally, his entire left arm had been immobile, but ever since he had achieved Five Qi Towards Origin and refined the five qi into origin qi, his ability to recover seemed to have grown far stronger than before.

If this had happened in the past, the wound in his left shoulder would have forced him to recuperate for half a year.

"No matter what, the recovery power of the Zhou Family's Ni Wan Secret Treasury is still even more astonishing! No, it's heaven-defying!"

Xu Ying recalled Zhou Yihang's terrifying body and could not help feeling envious. Once the Ni Wan Secret Treasury was opened, its recovery power was practically mythical—undying and indestructible!

Even if he could not cultivate a body like Zhou Yihang's, being like Ding Quan would still be extraordinary!

Xu Ying sighed quietly. Unfortunately, he still did not know how to use Dragon Seeking Positioning to locate his own Ni Wan Secret Treasury. And even if he found it, without a great Nu Master to help open the secret treasury, it would be useless.

More importantly...

"Am I actually human or a demon?"

Xu Ying gazed toward the gradually brightening horizon and muttered, "I must be human. I must! My family lives in Xu Family Village. I have a father and a mother, and both my parents are human. My father's name is Xu Shaoping, and my mother's name is Miao Yuemei. She's from Miaotian Village. I even remember the roads to Xu Family Village and Miaotian Village..."

Behind him, the Snake Demon Yuan Qi suddenly stopped horsing around and stared at his back in confusion.

The bear demon Xiong Qianli asked, "Brother Qi, what's wrong?"

The Snake Demon Yuan Qi said in a low voice, "Something's strange. I clearly heard A Ying say before that his father's name was Xu An and his mother's name was Tian Ruijun, and that they lived in Tian Family Village. How did his father suddenly become Xu Shaoping and his mother Miao Yuemei? And the place where he lives changed too..."

Xiong Qianli laughed. "He must have knocked his head when he fainted just now! Since his brain isn't working properly, doesn't that mean the two of us can become a pair of treacherous ministers who seize power?"

The two demons exchanged a glance, then cheerfully began celebrating again without a care in the world.

At last, the rain stopped. The sky cleared and gradually brightened. Xu Ying suddenly grew alert and looked into the distance. Earlier, the rain and darkness had obscured his vision, and he had failed to notice that the River of Oblivion lay not far ahead.

This great river of the Underworld surged violently from the direction of Mount Xiao and flowed between Mount Xiao and Mount Wu Wang!

The appearance of the River of Oblivion showed that it was still nighttime.

But after changing course, had the River of Oblivion not returned to its old channel?

Xu Ying stared into the distance in confusion.

The River of Oblivion was invading, and Ghost Fire drifted everywhere through the mountains and forests. Farther away stood a graveyard, which had also been affected. Its graves blazed with lights, and skeletons were crawling out of some of the tombs, decorating the place with lanterns and streamers and laying out lavish feasts. It was a scene of great festivity.

Some skeletons wore silks and satins, their clothes hanging open as they danced atop the graves to liven things up.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound rolled over. The earth trembled, and the cave where Xu Ying and the others were also began to shake.

The Snake Demon Yuan Qi and Xiong Qianli hurried out of the cave. Xu Ying muttered, "Could the River of Oblivion be returning to its old channel?"

The man and two demons followed the sound, their expressions changing drastically. The banks of the River of Oblivion had originally been formless and intangible, but now their physical shape was faintly emerging!

The banks of the River of Oblivion grew clearer and more real, invading the Mortal Realm from another inconceivable world!

Mountains and rivers appeared out of thin air along the banks of the River of Oblivion, crushing the original peaks of Lingling Plain. The earth trembled endlessly, issuing tremendous rumbles!

The sight was truly horrifying. Mountain after mountain surged up along both banks of the River of Oblivion, forcing the original mountains backward. Even Mount Xiao beneath their feet shook violently!

Mount Xiao had originally been close to Mount Wu Wang, where Qin Yan Cave was located, only a few miles away. Now, however, it had probably been pushed back more than thirty miles!

And within those extra thirty miles, several Underworld mountains and riverbanks had appeared!

"An Underworld Invasion, and nobody's going to do anything about it?" Yuan Qi cried in grief and outrage. "With so many capable people and so many Nu Masters among the humans, can't they come and take care of this? Is there no law left?"

His voice was full of helplessness as he shouted, "My Qin Yan Cave has been pushed away! When will I ever be able to go home?"

Qin Yan Cave on Mount Wu Wang had originally been only four or five miles away, but now reaching it required traveling more than thirty extra miles, as well as crossing the River of Oblivion and those Underworld mountains!

Xu Ying could not help feeling apprehensive as well. The mountains of the Mortal Realm held demons and Mountain Gods, but who knew what lurked in the mountains of the Underworld?

If he forced his way through, then even after becoming a Demon King, he would likely face calamity rather than fortune!

At that moment, another light appeared below the mountain. It was the eye of a god, shining with a ghostly glow in the darkness, its radiance reaching more than ten yards.

Xu Ying's heart sank. The rain had only just stopped and dawn had yet to arrive, yet these gods had already begun searching the mountain!

"Yuan Qi, we need to go!" Xu Ying called.

The eastern sky gradually began to pale, and the sun was about to rise. Water vapor still hung in the air. The Underworld continued invading the Mortal Realm, and the places where they collided issued deafening booms as space grew unstable.

However, as the rising sun appeared, the River of Oblivion gradually faded. Everything seemed to return to normal, except that the mountains and rivers on both banks of the River of Oblivion remained instead of retreating into the Underworld.

The River of Oblivion was still slowly receding. The mountains remained dim, and a god spread the five fingers of both hands, using them to illuminate the surroundings.

Eyes the size of ordinary human fists grew in the god's palms. Divine light shot from them, illuminating everything around.

Wind also sounded through the air. They were the gods of Yong'an Town, with human bodies and bird wings, flying on beating wings. Their gazes were as sharp as torches, casting down two pillars of light.

Suddenly, a figure flashed silently into view and arrived before the god with eyes in its hands.

It was a youth holding a Great Bell taller than a person in one hand, carrying it with effortless ease.

The god with eyes in its hands had no eyes on its head; its eyes were only in its palms. Yet it was still alert, sensing that something was wrong, and immediately turned both hands toward this side.

But it was already too late!

The youth struck with his other hand. His fist came crashing out, its knuckles pressing down with a muffled rumble of thunder, and slammed into the god's chest.

The punch was incomparably heavy. At the instant it blasted the god backward, its force pierced through the god's body, punching straight through it. Everything within the reach of that force was reduced to dust!

The thunder erupting from the fist even struck into the god's body. The god's soul immediately scattered, and before its body could hit the ground, its soul and vital essence had already disintegrated!

The one who had killed the god with eyes in its hands in a single punch was Xu Ying. His strength was far greater than it had been yesterday when he fought the giant god, though his left arm was still somewhat uncomfortable.

To keep the Great Bell from dragging on the ground and making a sound, he had no choice but to carry it in his left hand.

Fortunately, he had cultivated the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist and possessed boundless strength, so lifting the bell was no trouble.

Xu Ying did not slow his steps. He leaped, kicked heavily off a tree trunk, changed direction in midair, and charged toward the god of Yong'an Town flying overhead.

The god of Yong'an Town was the town's god and also had a pair of wings, giving it the advantage of the air. If Xu Ying could not bring it down at the first opportunity, then even if he escaped the encirclement, he would still have no hope of evading its pursuit!

However, when Xu Ying killed the god with eyes in its hands, the god of Yong'an Town had already sensed the disturbance. It immediately swept its gaze over, divine light falling upon Xu Ying!

Xu Ying was in midair, still several yards away. He had already exhausted his strength and could not threaten the god, allowing it to relax. With a laugh, it said, "Brat, and you're even carrying a giant loudspeaker..."

At that moment, a long, slender figure flashed through the air. It was a giant snake springing up from below and landing beneath Xu Ying's feet.

Xu Ying stepped once on the giant snake's back, then soared into the air again as his fist came crashing forward.

The god of Yong'an Town had received two hundred years of Incense Qi. Though its abilities were inferior to those of the giant god, they were still extraordinary. It transformed Incense Qi into flying swords while beating its wings and retreating!

It had wings and was swift and nimble, while Xu Ying had nowhere to borrow strength in midair. So long as it dodged this strike, it could kill Xu Ying at its leisure!

Yet when Xu Ying punched, the manifestation of the Elephant King Divine Body suddenly appeared behind him, divine radiance spilling in every direction as it punched together with him. The surrounding air was instantly drawn into a vacuum, leaving the god of Yong'an Town nowhere to borrow strength even as it beat its wings. It could not fly away!

"Boom!"

A thunderous explosion rang through the sky. Xu Ying's punch directly shattered the flying sword formed from Incense Qi. The Magic Power forged from two hundred years of Incense Qi by the god of Yong'an Town was pierced through by a single punch and rendered utterly useless!

Its head exploded into countless splinters of wood that shot in all directions. Its headless body still beat its wings with all its might, but after a few flaps, it fell obliquely from the sky.

Xu Ying stepped on the headless body of the god of Yong'an Town and slid down. From far away, he heard a god shout, "Xu Ying is over there!"

Xu Ying leaped into the forest, rolled several times across the ground to shed the force of his fall, then sprang up and charged straight down the mountain.

Not far from him, the Snake Demon Yuan Qi slithered swiftly, acting as his support.

Whenever the man and snake encountered a god blocking their path, they charged straight forward and killed the opponent in the shortest time possible!

Even Yuan Qi had cultivated the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist to the peak of the fifth stage. He was best at using the White Elephant Swinging Its Trunk technique. When he used his tail to perform it, the tip of his tail could even surpass the speed of sound, often securing victory in a single strike!

Of course, if he failed to win with one blow, Yuan Qi would be in danger. After all, he was a Snake Demon without limbs and could not execute every move of the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist like Xu Ying.

Fortunately, Xu Ying supported him, and if his strike failed, Xu Ying's attacks followed one after another, helping him eliminate the opponent.

The sun rose, and the River of Oblivion completely faded. Black Bear stood at the cave entrance and gazed into the distance, seeing the figures of the gods rise and fall through the forest as they pursued something in the same direction.

In that direction, the essence of the sun was unusually dense. When sunlight reached that place, it became exceptionally intense. From afar, the particles of light in the air formed two vortices, one large and one small!

That was where Xu Ying and Yuan Qi were moving swiftly while fighting their enemies, breathing in and out as they refined away the impurities in their bodies and strengthened their qi and blood, allowing their physical wounds to recover more quickly!

Xiong Qianli murmured, "Demon King Xu, Brother Qi, may you have a safe journey!"

Xu Ying and Yuan Qi ran for more than ten miles, venturing deep into the left bank of the River of Oblivion and entering the Underworld mountains.

Those ten miles had been ten miles of fighting. At last, they managed to shake off their pursuers!

Xu Ying and Yuan Qi had gained several more wounds, but they did not continue practicing the Guiding Arts. After arriving here, even the sunlight had become cold and eerie, making it difficult to feel any warmth.

If they circulated the Guiding Arts now, they felt that what they absorbed was icy qi, and even their blood seemed ready to freeze. This chaotic power would not improve their cultivation; instead, it would cause tremendous harm to their bodies!

The Underworld mountains were gloomy and terrifying. The mountains were pitch-black, and black, viscous liquid flowed down some of the cliffs. No one knew what it was.

Xu Ying held the Great Bell aloft in his right hand and walked forward. Beneath a cliff, he saw white bones piled together and laid out as a road. Following the bone road, he saw a household at its end.

The household had walls built from white bones, fashioned into bricks and tiles. Human skin hung as banners, while skulls served as carved decorations.

The baleful wind stirred the human-skin banners. Written upon them were the words: tavern.