Chapter 32

As for the deeper layers of You Hun, Tai Ming had not sensed You Hun's power. That place seemed more like the true inheritance ground of the Earthly Dao Lineage.

"So that was it. Although the Netherworld belonged to the Earthly Dao Lineage, the foundations of the Earthly Dao Lineage went far beyond the Netherworld."

The Eighteen Layers of Netherworld were merely one part of the Earthly Dao Lineage's foundations.

Tai Ming now controlled the Netherworld and could be considered its ruler.

He could develop his own Ghost Dao Ghost Gods within the Eighteen Layers of Netherworld.

When he discovered the You Hun gathered within the Eighteen Layers of Netherworld, he felt as if he had found water in a parched land.

If he could enshrine all these You Hun as Ghost Soldiers and Ghost Gods, the power of the Ghost Dao Lineage would greatly increase.

However, he knew this was impossible.

On one hand, he lacked enough time and energy to enshrine the endless Ghost Gods and deities. On the other hand, if he truly did so, the resources required might be too much for even the entire Primordial Wilderness to bear.

The Primordial Wilderness's Yin-Yang order was on the verge of collapse, and Tai Ming himself would be directly constrained by the Primordial Wilderness's mandate of Heaven.

Therefore, even if he wanted to transform them into Ghost Gods, he had to proceed cautiously.

Ordinary You Hun had limited influence. Though vast in number, they could hardly change the overall situation. As for You Hun at the Taiyi Great Luo level, since they had transcended life, death, and spacetime, even if they were enshrined as Ghost Gods, their impact on the Primordial Wilderness's order would be negligible.

After realizing this, Tai Ming was rather shocked. He understood that weak You Hun were sometimes more important than powerful ones, showing that accumulating quantity to a certain degree could also trigger a qualitative change.

When Tai Ming had collected You Hun in the Western Land earlier, he had possessed the protection of the Primordial Wilderness's mandate of Heaven, but he had still affected the balance of the Primordial Wilderness.

Those Ghost Soldiers and Ghost Gods had been regarded as rewards under the influence of the mandate of Heaven. Without that, however, the Great Dao Merit Tai Ming obtained might have been even greater.

All this left him conflicted over whether he had lost or profited, but in the end, he had gained and lost at the same time.

After learning the truth behind it, Tai Ming was astonished by his own good fortune and even felt as if he had become the Child of Destiny.

However, apart from being constrained by the Primordial Wilderness's order, transforming You Hun also required him to consider the Yin-Yang Ghost Clan of the Netherworld.

If Tai Ming did not want to expand the Yin-Yang Ghost Clan, the number of Ghost Gods he could transform would be limited.

This also explained why the You Hun of the Eighteen Layers of Netherworld had shocked him and inspired those thoughts. It reflected the importance of restraining oneself and guiding one's desires while advancing along the path.

After becoming the master of the Netherworld, Tai Ming absorbed the foundations of the Netherworld and gained new insights into the Great Dao.

At that moment, the Great Dao Divine Rings around him grew increasingly dazzling. A brand-new Dao Fruit condensed alongside them, flashing with brilliant starlight together with the other Dao Fruits, such as the Great Freedom True Demon Dao Fruit and the Great Freedom Pure Land Dao Fruit, as well as the illusory Dao Fruits of the Three Thousand Great Daos that had yet to take shape.

At critical moments, the Dao Fruits could manifest Tai Ming's Great Dao incarnations and display extraordinary battle prowess.

Currently, the Dao Fruits of the Demon Buddha Paths—the Great Freedom True Demon and the Great Freedom Pure Land—were the strongest, already revealing the Dao resonance of the Great Luo realm.

If Tai Ming had not imposed restrictions on himself, the battle prowess of these Dao Fruits could have rivaled that of ordinary Great Luo cultivators.

Next, the Netherworld Dao Fruit grew at an astonishing speed, quickly reaching the level of the Demon Buddha Dao Fruits.

Upon entering the Netherworld's World Origin, Tai Ming seemed to personally experience the scene of Earthly Emperor Yue Jianshi opening up the Netherworld.

Earthly Emperor Yue Jianshi's Earthly Dao rivaled the Heavenly Dao, and his Three Thousand Great Dao Laws had completely merged into the Earthly Dao.

Thus, the Netherworld had already condensed the origin of its own Three Thousand Great Dao Laws.

In a certain sense, the Netherworld's will could be regarded as a weakened version of the Primordial Wilderness's mandate of Heaven.

Then, Tai Ming experienced what was known as an "infusion of enlightenment."

With the Netherworld's World Origin and the Three Thousand Great Dao Laws assisting his Ghost Dao, he rapidly absorbed the power of the Three Thousand Great Daos within the Primordial Chaos Dao Realm.

The Dao Fruit condensed by his Self Great Dao grew increasingly solid. The Reincarnation Law, Yin-Yang Law, Life-and-Death Law, World Law, and others all reached the limit of Tai Ming's own realm.

In a short time, more than a hundred Innate Great Daos condensed into substantial Dao Fruits.

As Dao resonance intertwined, the Self Great Dao on his Great Dao Divine Ring became even more profound.

This scene made the distant Heart of the Earthly Path jealous, as if it had eaten a lemon.

The Heart of the Earthly Path sighed that it had actually been forced by a "monster" to cultivate diligently. The feeling was both absurd and strange.

Meanwhile, Tai Ming was experiencing what it felt like to become the Netherworld itself. After completely refining the Heart of the Netherworld, the Netherworld's will no longer faced any obstruction before him.

The will of Ming He and the Netherworld's laws of order had condensed from the Netherworld's origin.

It had neither wisdom nor emotions, possessing only the instinct for the world's growth.

Therefore, Tai Ming's control over the Netherworld proceeded extremely smoothly.

Before long, it separated from the origin.

Cheating was wonderful, but one still needed to keep one's feet on the ground and transform insights into one's own strength.

Otherwise, merely piling up Great Dao insights would cause one to lose oneself.

At the same time, Tai Ming summoned the Netherworld Ghost Seal. In his capacity as Lord of the Ghost Dao and Lord of the Netherworld, he had the Lineage of Ghosts and Gods merge into the Eighteen Layers of Netherworld.

In an instant, Tai Ming sensed the resonance between the Ghost Dao and the Netherworld.

The entire Netherworld seemed to have its flaws repaired and began to grow rapidly.

The Eighteen Layers of Netherworld, which had originally been filled with You Hun, became spacious, and the laws emerged clearly.

After the Baptism, the Netherworld became even more complete.

The Netherworld of today was like a young man reborn, brimming with life and vitality.

This was because Tai Ming's Ghost Gods and the Netherworld seemed to have been one from birth.

After more than a hundred Yuan Hui, the Ghost Gods and the Netherworld had merged into one.

The Ghost Soldiers and Ghost Gods guided the You Hun in an orderly manner, while the Yin-Yang Ghost Clan, which possessed extraordinary potential, perfectly integrated into the system.

You Hun reincarnated as members of the Yin-Yang Ghost Clan, making up for the deficiencies in the Ghost Gods' life vein while jointly managing the You Hun.

The three formed a perfect closed loop, requiring no effort from Tai Ming to manage.

As time passed, the You Hun had somewhere to go, the Yin-Yang Ghost Clan gained a stable source of reincarnation, and the Ghost Gods of the life and death branches of the Ghost Dao reached balance.

The Netherworld took on a new life.

At this moment, news spread through the Primordial Wilderness that the Innate Divine Beings Ming He and Huang Quan were about to emerge.

As the internal cycle of the Netherworld was completed, the entire Netherworld achieved unprecedented perfection, attracting the attention of countless divine beings in the Primordial Wilderness.

At this moment, the two Innate Divine Beings nurtured by the Netherworld—Ming He and Huang Quan—benefited the most.

Some time after the Netherworld's transformation, two vast divine lights flashed in succession at the boundary between the Netherworld and the Netherworld Blood Sea.

One light was like the Netherworld Blood Sea, swirling with blood-red radiance and enveloping the entire Netherworld. Although it lacked the terrifying Negative Energy of the Netherworld Blood Sea, it was no different from the purified aura of Ming He in the Netherworld.

The other light was dark yellow and turbid, corroding all things. It was precisely the power of Huang Quan from the Netherworld.

Then, two declarations of the Great Dao rang out simultaneously: "Daoist Ming He emerges today. The True Spirit of the Blood Sea appears, the Netherworld's Ming He soul; I shall transform all the Blood Sea's intent and forge my Karma Body of Slaughter.

"And Daoist Huang Quan emerges today. Nine Nethers nurtures Huang Quan, and the Blood Sea gives birth to the spirit essence. With the souls of all living beings unable to cross over, only after ferrying them all shall Nirvana be attained."

The True Names of the Great Dao of the two Innate Divine Beings awakened in succession.

Daoist Ming He had been nurtured by the Ming He of the Netherworld, but his true origin was the Netherworld Blood Sea, a forbidden land of the Primordial Wilderness.

However, because the Netherworld Blood Sea contained boundless Negative Energy, it could not nurture a complete Innate Divine Being.

Although a True Spirit had been born, it could not survive the erosion of the Negative Energy.

But the transformation of the Netherworld allowed a True Spirit to escape into Ming He, becoming an Innate Divine Being of Ming He over the long years.

However, influenced by the Netherworld Blood Sea, the Innate Great Dao he nurtured was slaughter.

Daoist Huang Quan, meanwhile, had evolved further under Ming He's influence. He was less affected by the Netherworld Blood Sea, and his Huang Quan was closer to the Netherworld.

The Innate Great Dao he nurtured was a branch of the Netherworld's Soul Great Dao—the Great Dao of Soul Depravity.

Although he had been affected to some degree by the Netherworld Blood Sea, as an Innate Divine Being of the Netherworld, he had no serious issues.

The emergence of these two divine beings was an unexpected delight for both the Earthly Dao Lineage and Tai Ming.

They had not placed great hopes in them. As long as they could be put to use, that was enough.

In fact, they were satisfied that Daoist Ming He and Daoist Huang Quan had reached the realm of advanced Innate Divine Beings.

With some nurturing, it would not be difficult for them to become top-tier Great Luo cultivators in the future.

When the two Innate Divine Beings, Ming He and Huang Quan, noticed Tai Ming and the Heart of the Earthly Path, they also discovered that Tai Ming had provided them with some precious breakthrough experience and stabilized their foundations.

Ming He and Huang Quan saluted the two seniors, grateful for the seniors' guidance.

They possessed the inheritances of Innate Divine Beings and already had some understanding of their current situation.

They had been born from the Earthly Dao Lineage and the Netherworld, naturally belonging to this domain.

Upon emerging, they had obtained their True Names of the Great Dao, nurtured Innate Authorities, and possessed the realm of Mid Immortal Venerable Gods.

Therefore, they clearly sensed the might of Tai Ming and the Heart of the Earthly Path.

They followed the survival rule of respecting the strong and did not dare show the slightest neglect.

Seeing this scene, Tai Ming remained silent, as if he saw his former self in them.

The Heart of the Earthly Path, meanwhile, was delighted to have gained two more little fellows with powerful potential.

The Heart of the Earthly Path began introducing the situation of the Earthly Dao Lineage in detail, and Ming He and Huang Quan gradually gained a general understanding of the Primordial Wilderness.

They were filled with awe toward Yue Jianshi, one of the Ancient Three Sovereigns, and were shaken to learn that they had been born within the Netherworld opened up by Yue Jianshi.

They turned their gazes toward Tai Ming, who had once helped them, and sensed a feeling of closeness, as if Tai Ming were their source.

In reality, Ming He and Huang Quan both originated from the Netherworld Blood Sea and the Netherworld.

After Tai Ming split off a soul incarnation to become Jiang Chen, he shared an affinity with the Netherworld Blood Sea and the ability to control Negative Energy. This talent had brought him considerable advantages.

Other Innate Divine Beings could not bear negative obsessions as Tai Ming did. Thus, the key opportunity that allowed Tai Ming to receive the favor of the mandate of Heaven was precisely his talent for fearing no Negative Energy.

Now that Tai Ming had become the Lord of the Netherworld, he was, from every angle, the source of Ming He and Huang Quan.

After hearing the introduction, the Heart of the Earthly Path grew solemn and began introducing Tai Ming's identity to Daoist Ming He and Daoist Huang Quan.

"This person is the ancestor of the Primordial Wilderness's Ghost Dao, the Lord of the Netherworld, the Netherworld Ghost God, the ruler of the Ghost Clan and You Hun, and also the Guardian of the Dao of our Earthly Dao Lineage.

"You may address him as the Ghost Ancestor, Lord of the Netherworld, or Venerable Tai Ming."

Tai Ming was no longer an ordinary cultivator. He was now the master of a powerful faction with many identities.

Even the Heart of the Earthly Path had to show him some respect in front of others.

Hearing the Heart of the Earthly Path's solemn introduction, Daoist Ming He and Daoist Huang Quan were shaken inwardly. They immediately bowed respectfully to Tai Ming. "Ming He and Huang Quan pay their respects to the Ghost Ancestor!"

Although Tai Ming felt somewhat disappointed by this change, he gradually adapted to his new identity and status.

Facing the respectful attitudes of the two Innate Divine Beings, Ming He and Huang Quan, he smiled calmly and voiced his expectations.

"You are also members of the New Generation born from my Netherworld. You possess the foundations of advanced Innate Divine Beings, and I hope you can grow as quickly as possible and become pillars of the Netherworld and the Earthly Dao Lineage.

"Speaking of which, there is quite a connection between us.

"Just in time, they have arrived as well. You can meet them.

"Compared to us, they are more suited to guiding your cultivation."

As he spoke, Tai Ming turned his gaze toward the void. Two divine figures gradually emerged—it was Jiang Chen and Daoist You Quan.

The Heart of the Earthly Path approved of this.

Indeed, neither Tai Ming nor the Heart of the Earthly Path itself was suited to guiding Ming He and Huang Quan, as they could easily influence their Great Daos.

The appearance of Jiang Chen and Daoist You Quan resolved this problem.

Jiang Chen shared the same root as them. Although he would still have some influence, the degree was far smaller.

As soon as Jiang Chen and Daoist You Quan appeared, they looked toward the Heart of the Earthly Path and Tai Ming and saluted together. "Jiang Chen pays his respects to my true self and Senior Heart of the Earthly Path!"