Small Underworld

Chen Xuan's skin crawled with goosebumps. This scene was too horrifying.

Even earlier, when he had made the decision in his heart to face the Qi Refiner of Green Deer Mountain head-on, he hadn't been this tense. After all, what these eyes of his could see was something even more terrifying than an immortal.

For instance, above the canopy of the sky, that Great Sun Dragon Eye being dragged by countless ancient existences with Bronze Chains.

Although the situation before him now couldn't compare to the "Immortal Binding Sun Diagram," it was still enough to be appalling—piles of ghastly white flames, flying paper money, and even rows of lonely tombstones, burial mounds, and a desolate, ancient, crumbling temple beginning to appear...

A pair of pure golden, bone-chilling eyes wandered and prowled within the black mist.

"These eyes... Is this the underworld?"

Chen Xuan's hand instinctively tightened around the double-edged cold blade in his grip. He turned his head away as if nothing was wrong, unwilling to take risks unless necessary.

He had already obtained a Qi Refining breathing technique; this was the safer path...

Besides, he still had to find Wang Chan.

The realm before his eyes was simply too unbelievable. Those golden eyes were especially soul-shaking. He absolutely could not be spotted—a Great Terror would occur!

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, the being with those pure golden eyes closed in on Chen Xuan. The black mist surged, outlining a monster's silhouette like a fierce tiger.

"Shua!"

Chen Xuan's heart jolted. His body tensed in an instant, his eyes locked tightly onto the golden-eyed monster's outline in the black mist.

But at that moment, something unexpected happened.

"Whoosh!"

Chen Xuan felt his eyes inexplicably burn, as if they were about to ignite. An unbearable, searing pain flooded his entire mind.

[Heartfast]!

In a daze.

Chen Xuan felt his left eye suddenly fly away from his body, drifting toward the golden-eyed monster in the darkness.

"What's happening?"

Chen Xuan was nearly driven senseless by this turn of events. Was one of his eyes about to be "eaten" by that monster? Or was this also one of his inexplicable abilities?

What exactly was the use of [Heartfast]?!

Chen Xuan felt his vision spin wildly, his perspective shifting rapidly, as if he had descended into the body of that pure golden-eyed monster.

"These two Qi Refiners are finally dead..."

Suddenly, Chen Xuan heard "himself" muttering excitedly in his mind. Then, swiftly moving light and graceful limbs, the golden-eyed monster's bodily outline burst through the black mist!

A towering figure like a mountain lay before him.

This was...

The black clothes of a martial hall disciple, an upright posture, a body full of Blood Qi, motionless, a sharply defined pale face, and the cold gleam of a blade flashing between his fingers...

"Troublesome little thing, you're blocking Lady's path!"

'Chen Xuan' stared up at the colossal giant's figure, raised his head to glance at it twice, then extended a plum-blossom-shaped paw, licked it twice with a soft tongue, and very politely walked around the giant's feet.

A black cat?

Lady?

Chen Xuan was stunned. He realized that what he had possessed was no terrifying monster, but an ancient black cat, knee-high to a human, with a jade pendant hanging from its neck?

Its sleek fur wasn't pure black either—black with a faint hint of red, worthy of being called "Xuan"!

She held her head high, striding with proud and elegant steps toward the two other dead giants.

The plump, sallow man, the middle-aged man...

"[Small Underworld] roll call. If I want you Qi Refiners dead by the third watch, you won't live past the fifth..."

She was like a messenger of the underworld, slightly bowing her head, sniffing lightly over the two corpses, absorbing something... Chen Xuan guessed it was souls, or perhaps something else even more mysterious.

"Burp!"

She let out a satisfied belch, then turned and walked deeper into the black mist. Her breathing was strange, maintaining a peculiar rhythm—it seemed to be a very remarkable breathing technique.

From the moment he had possessed her, Chen Xuan had noticed this special breathing cadence.

He committed it to memory.

"Pat!"

She leaped lightly, nimbly jumping onto the Window Lattice, then glanced back, fixing her gaze on the standing giant figure inside the room:

"Heh, daring to practice the breathing technique spat out by [Yellow Millet Dream]... I'll come collect your life when the time comes..."

She let out a scoffing laugh, jumped out the window, and left. A pitch-black crescent moon hung in the sky. In the distant wilderness, more golden eyes prowled within the black mist...

Inside the side room.

A mess of scattered pots and bowls, the stench of blood drifting through the air, overturned cookware on the floor, and the still-steaming soup and wine that had yet to cool.

"That scene just now... I saw the legendary [Small Underworld] descend... Is this the power of [Heartfast]?"

Chen Xuan's vision returned to himself. He replayed the experience in his mind, his emotions surging, unable to calm down.

[Heartfast].

It not only allowed him to glimpse the arrival of eerie phenomena like the [Small Underworld], but also to attach himself to the things within them and reap benefits.

This ability was truly extraordinary.

"Let's call it the [Mystic Cat Breathing Method]..."

Chen Xuan quickly recalled the strange breathing technique he had learned from the Mystic Cat, deepening his memory and firmly imprinting it.

A moment later, he had fully memorized this Qi-refining breathing method.

"She left too quickly. If she had stayed a little longer, I might have discovered more valuable things..."

Chen Xuan felt a slight regret. He walked to the window and looked out at the empty street, now coated in a layer of white. In the distant wilderness, the black cat tinged with faint red was already nowhere to be seen.

Mystic Cat Goddess...

It was as if everything that had happened here was just an illusion.

"This matter is settled. I need to make a choice..."

Chen Xuan muttered to himself, then jumped down from the window and quickly left the tavern.

First, he returned to his home in Willow Town, packed some clothes for the journey, silver coins, and bundled them up. He left the deed untouched.

He shouldered his pack, chewing on bitter medicinal herbs for his injuries.

Soon after, he returned to the Pei Family Tavern, which was now in an uproar.

The old martial artist Pei Qing, faced with the tragedy in the tavern, was wearing a mournful expression. When he suddenly noticed Chen Xuan, his mouth fell open in shock.

"You..."

Having committed such a monstrous crime, shouldn't you be fleeing for your life? Why are you coming back to the scene?

Young man, truly arrogant and lawless!

"Slap!"

Chen Xuan smiled and tossed a thumb-sized silver coin over as compensation. He cupped his hands and said:

"Master Pei, I'm heading to the Southern Wilderness Peach Blossom Spring Village... We won't meet again in the martial world."

With that, he turned and left.

Master Pei watched the figure walk away, clutching the silver coin in his hand, stunned for a long moment:

"You young man, why tell me this... Do I look like the kind of person who sells out someone's whereabouts... Ah, thank you..."

In the end, he couldn't afford to offend Green Deer Mountain either.

Pei Qing understood the hidden meaning in the young man's words—settle scores with the one responsible, leave the innocent out of it. If anyone came seeking revenge, just tell them to head south and find him...

This young man's style was open and aboveboard, brimming with heroic spirit. It even earned Pei Qing's admiration. How could he be the kind of petty villain who betrays his master?

Pei Qing turned and sighed: "Old Yang, believing such bizarre nonsense... truly senile and muddled..."

Yang Family Martial Hall.

Inside the courtyard, the wailing of women rose and fell. Some fellow disciples who couldn't bear it tried to explain, only to be harshly scolded by Little Sister Yang.

One could roughly imagine the scene unfolding in the yard.

Chen Xuan listened outside for a while, snow piling on his shoulder, but in the end, he didn't go in.

"...That's it, then."

Chen Xuan turned and walked away, stepping through the snow-covered ground, heading into the boundless wilderness.

This Willow Town—he would never return.

Southward!

Junior Brother Wang Chan... I'm coming for you.

Your [Yellow Millet Dream]—

Do you know?

The weather was cold, snowflakes drifting down.

Chen Xuan began to run. Blood and Qi surged within him, and a wave of heat even steamed from the surface of his body.

He charged into the snowy plains, running wildly, as if venting all his strength, like a shooting star streaking into the distance.

At the edge of Willow Town behind him.

A tall, slender woman stood still. She wore a long white dress, her chest full, a long sword at her waist. A bamboo hat veiled her face, but the outline of her delicate features and the sharp curve of her chin were faintly visible, carrying a mysterious, cold aloofness.

A towering black horse, divinely spirited, stood at her side and spoke in human tongue:

"Oh, his blood and qi surge like a blazing sun at dawn—rare indeed for a mortal to hone martial arts to such a level."

"Though we came a step too late and the [Yellow Millet Dream] was snatched away, this young man isn't bad either."

The black horse, its body forged like black gold, gleamed with the luster of precious metal. It stared at Chen Xuan's retreating back and continued: "Let's pick him for the Peach Blossom Garden. I think it'll work—he can pass your sect's trials."

The White-Robed Woman lightly stroked the long sword at her waist. A cold wind blew, her robes fluttering and clinging to her form, outlining a breathtaking silhouette of slender branches bearing ripe fruit. She shook her head and said:

"Aside from the [Yellow Millet Dream], there's someone more suitable than him."

In the distance, Chen Xuan seemed to sense something. His gaze flickered as if glancing back, then his figure vanished into the forest, disappearing swiftly.

"Truly a martial heart sincere to the core."

The black horse clicked its tongue in admiration and remarked: "I know why you look down on him... You resent that he struck over a dozen blows yet only crippled that doddering old man's meridians and martial arts—he didn't finish the job."

"You Sword Officials who cultivate the Geng Metal [White Qi] are too cold. But I appreciate his style. His bone structure isn't top-tier, but it's far from poor. Are you really not choosing him?"

This one horse and one woman were perfectly aware of everything that had happened in Willow Town!

"Choosing him means taking on the karmic burden of the [Yellow Millet Dream]. I'm not afraid of extra trouble, but I do have someone suitable in mind."

"Every choice brings consequences. He will never know what he missed out on..."

The White-Robed Woman still shook her head, rejecting the black horse's suggestion. She took the reins, turned, and walked away, her voice ethereal and drifting:

"There are too many Heaven's Chosen in this era. Peerless geniuses truly swarm like fish crossing a river—countless beyond measure. The [Yellow Millet Dream] is not the only one... They will all become existences he can never catch up to in a lifetime, ones he can only look up to from afar."