Yellow Springs and the Corpse Emperor

Along the way, countless powerful figures came to pay their respects. News of the Three Heavenly Venerables' tour spread throughout the entire universe.

At last, they arrived at the Underworld.

A vast, boundless expanse of Netherworld Soil emerged before them. From afar, its netherly aura was mysterious and powerful, as though it were utterly incompatible with the rest of the world. It was practically another universe.

Upon arriving at the Underworld, Netherworld Venerable shouted, "All yin soldiers and yin generals of the Underworld, come out at once to receive us!"

Netherworld Venerable's vast voice swept through the entire Underworld, rumbling mightily and shaking the whole place.

All the yin soldiers and yin generals seemed to have been startled awake. Trembling with fear, they fell to their knees in panic.

Rumble!

A pitch-black beam of light shot into the heavens, carrying dense deathly aura as it sped toward them from afar.

When the black light faded, a handsome young man appeared.

He wore black nether iron armor and held a Dragon-Patterned Black Gold shield. The moment he saw Netherworld Venerable, Demon Venerable, and Daode Tianzun, his pupils contracted, and his entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

It was suppression originating from the depths of his soul.

Netherworld Venerable had returned.

Naturally, he knew just how powerful Netherworld Venerable was.

Li Ming was somewhat surprised as he looked at the young man.

This was actually an expert at the peak of the ninth level of the Quasi-Emperor realm. Despite his youth, he vaguely possessed the bearing of one who could attain the Dao.

He had never expected the Underworld to possess such a genius.

This man was not of the Human Race, but a naturally born Yin God.

He was a native creature born and raised in the Underworld.

No one knew what race his true form belonged to. His entire body was black as ink, emanating dense netherly aura.

Such an incomparably powerful Yin God had gone unheard of before. The Underworld's foundation truly could not be underestimated.

Besides Netherworld Venerable, the Underworld seemed to have the Prison-Suppressing Emperor and the Yama Emperor. Could this man be the yet-unenlightened Prison-Suppressing Emperor or Yama Emperor?

This naturally born Yin God could be considered an Innate lifeform born from this Netherworld Soil.

He had cultivated to the peak of the ninth level of the Quasi-Emperor realm and even forged a weapon for attaining the Dao from Dragon-Patterned Black Gold. It seemed he had encountered no small amount of Fortune.

Moreover, by cultivating with the Underworld Soil's unique environment and even drawing upon the formation patterns here, he could contend with ordinary Dark Supremes.

Though he was utterly insignificant before Li Ming, he was undoubtedly formidable for a ninth-level Quasi-Emperor.

"Yama Child welcomes Netherworld Venerable's return!"

Although Yama Child still radiated the vigor of youth, he appeared somewhat meek and submissive before Netherworld Venerable.

Clearly, Netherworld Venerable had left an indelible impression upon his heart.

"These two must be the legendary Demon Venerable and Daode Tianzun, correct?"

"This junior, Yama Child, pays respects to the two seniors!"

After bowing to Netherworld Venerable, he respectfully bowed once more to Li Ming and Daode Tianzun.

He displayed none of the domineering conduct the Underworld would possess in later generations.

It seemed that wherever Netherworld Venerable held sway, everyone above and below had been kept utterly obedient. No one dared defy him.

Even all the yin soldiers, yin generals, and Yin Gods felt terrified and trembled whenever they saw him.

This name truly seemed to have some real skill behind it.

Netherworld Venerable nodded. "Where is the Prison-Suppressing Emperor? Why has he not come out to receive us?"

Yama Child said, "The Prison-Suppressing Emperor has sealed himself away once more. He intends to emerge when the Road to Immortality opens."

"During this time, I have been guarding the Underworld."

"Now that Netherworld Venerable has returned, it is truly cause for celebration and a blessing for us yin soldiers and yin generals!"

Li Ming clicked his tongue in amazement. This Yama Child truly was impressive.

If nothing unexpected happened, then just as in the original work, he should seal himself away and only attain the Dao as an emperor during the Primordial Era.

He would become the Yama Emperor, standing alongside the Prison-Suppressing Emperor and the Corpse Emperor.

Who would have thought that the Yama Emperor was so low-key at this time?

He was so respectful before Netherworld Venerable. It seemed Netherworld Venerable had left an invincible mark in all their hearts.

Everything seemed to obey his every command.

No wonder the Corpse Emperor and the Prison-Suppressing Emperor in the original work had both felt uneasy and fearful whenever Netherworld Venerable was mentioned.

They had dispatched yin soldiers and yin generals to strike everywhere precisely to dig Netherworld Venerable out and disrupt his transformation plan.

"Mm, very good. Go tend to your duties."

"I'll take Demon Venerable and Daode Tianzun around the Underworld."

With a wave of his hand, Netherworld Emperor Duan De dismissed the yin soldiers and yin generals.

Yama Child led the numerous yin soldiers and yin generals away soundlessly.

"This damned place is so thick with yin aura. I really dislike this damned environment," Netherworld Venerable said to Daode Tianzun and Li Ming.

Li Ming and Daode Tianzun both looked astonished upon hearing this.

The Underworld was Netherworld Venerable's territory, supposedly founded by him.

Who would have thought that Netherworld Venerable would say he disliked this place and its gloomy environment?

Netherworld Venerable shook his head. "I control the Underworld merely to study the Way of Reincarnation, not because I truly like this sort of place."

"You'll understand once you see this place's unique environment."

"It is a fine place for comprehending the Dao and cultivating, but if I truly had to live in such a gloomy place, I would not be used to it. I am a genuine member of the Human Race, not a Yin God from here."

Netherworld Venerable led the two of them into the Underworld.

Upon entering, they felt as though they had left the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands and entered another universe.

The Underworld appeared to be a pitch-black continent suffused with netherly aura, but upon truly stepping inside, they discovered a completely different world.

Its starry sky held countless stars, each one filled with incredibly dense deathly aura.

There was a vast, boundless Yellow Springs River, surging and roaring beyond sight. It ran through the entire Underworld, flowing toward an unknown destination.

Yin soldiers and yin generals moved about everywhere in groups, along with skeletons and Yin Gods.

From time to time, newly born skeletons or Yin Gods emerged from the Netherworld Soil and crawled out of the ground.

The order of the entire world appeared strange, yet under strict hierarchical suppression, it still maintained a relatively orderly structure.

Li Ming opened his Heavenly Eye and carefully observed the place, sensing its unique aura of the Great Dao.

He could see that beneath the pitch-black Netherworld Soil lay densely packed, endless bones.

It was difficult to imagine their exact number. Even though Li Ming had attained the Dao as a Venerable, he found them impossible to count.

How many tens of thousands of years of dead creatures must have accumulated to form such a vast expanse of bones?

No wonder the Underworld was known as the final destination of all living beings in heaven and earth. Anyone seeing bones on such a scale would sigh in awe.

This Underworld should not have come into existence later. Rather, Netherworld Venerable must have stumbled upon and excavated it.

Of course, it was also possible that after Netherworld Venerable had been buried in the earth since the Chaotic Ancient Era, he had crawled out from here.

Perhaps this was a stretch of Burial Soil that had fallen from the Immortal Domain into this world.

On this mysterious land, new yin soldiers, yin generals, or skeletons were born from time to time. Everything appeared chaotic, yet also strangely orderly.

Under Netherworld Venerable's suppression, the yin soldiers and yin generals here were each able to perform their proper duties.

Netherworld Venerable quickly led the two of them to an important location.

It was the Nether Emperor Hall where Netherworld Emperor Duan De resided.

The palace was incomparably grand, emanating thick deathly aura. Pitch-black in appearance, it had been forged from nether stones unique to this place.

To Li Ming's surprise, Netherworld Venerable had stored mountains of Divine Source here, cultivated all manner of medicinal herbs unique to the Underworld, and gathered all kinds of rare materials produced here.

Li Ming even saw something called nether gold. It was black as ink and gave off incredibly dense deathly aura, yet it was metal, and its quality seemed no weaker than the Nine Immortal Metals.

The incomparably dense netherly aura it contained made it one of the Underworld's finest materials for forging artifacts.

Netherworld Emperor Duan De casually divided it into two pieces, giving one each to Li Ming and Daode Tianzun.

"I never expected Netherworld Venerable to have established a treasure vault here."

"Why not store these things within your body instead of leaving them here?" Li Ming asked curiously.

"It is not as you think. These materials are indeed precious, but the truly good items are all stored within my weapon space and body space," Netherworld Venerable said with a smile.

Li Ming nodded. This was the Netherworld Venerable that matched the original work and the image in Li Ming's memories.

Passing through the palace, the three headed deeper into the Underworld.

This pitch-black Netherworld Soil seemed eternally cold and dark, but such darkness could not obstruct the perception of three Heavenly Venerables.

Even in complete darkness, their Heavenly Eyes saw a world as bright as day. Everything was flawlessly clear within their senses.

Deeper within the Netherworld Soil were more numerous and more powerful yin soldiers and yin generals.

In another direction, Li Ming sensed another palace.

Prison-Suppressing Hall!

A vague yet incomparably powerful aura slumbered there. Clearly, it was the Prison-Suppressing Emperor's sealed resting place.

Netherworld Venerable glanced in that direction and nodded. Without stopping, he led the two farther inward.

Splash, splash.

The Yellow Springs River surged and roared through the vast, boundless Netherworld Soil, its waters emanating incredibly dense deathly aura.

Netherworld Venerable led the two of them to see the true source of the Yellow Springs River.

According to Netherworld Venerable, the Yellow Springs River's true source was the foundation of the Underworld.

If they went there to gain insight, they would surely benefit immensely.

Netherworld Emperor Duan De's words stirred Li Ming's curiosity.

Before long, the three arrived at the deepest region of the Underworld and saw the source of the Yellow Springs River.

Rumble!

It was as though a Milky Way had appeared in the void, vast and dazzlingly beautiful.

It was hard to imagine that such a beautiful waterfall existed within the Underworld.

The waterfall, resembling the Milky Way, was a silver liquid, yet it carried the aura of Divine Source fluid. It was immensely sacred and emanated dense life force.

Yet surprisingly, the moment it came into contact with the Netherworld Soil, it underwent a startling transformation.

It became the Yellow Springs River.

Surging and roaring, it emanated incredibly dense deathly aura and nurtured the Underworld Soil's many Yin Gods.

"This Yellow Springs actually carries the aura of the Fortune Origin Eye!" Li Ming said in astonishment.

Daode Tianzun also raised his head, staring intently at Yellow Springs, that mysterious source embedded within the void.

Li Ming opened his Heavenly Eye and examined it closely.

The place where Yellow Springs lay was truly inconceivable.

It was indeed not the Fortune Origin Eye, but a mysterious land of Fortune.

No wonder Netherworld Venerable had said that Yellow Springs could nurture life.

This Yellow Springs was truly unfathomably mysterious.

This place had already deeply fused with the Netherworld Soil. If it were forcibly taken away, it would only destroy Yellow Springs and this entire land.

According to Netherworld Venerable, Yellow Springs had existed for countless tens of thousands of years without ever drying up, enduring through the ages.

"This is the legendary Yellow Springs!"

"No wonder this became the Underworld's land of Fortune!"

"That's right. Precisely because Yellow Springs exists, the Underworld can endure and continually give birth to ever more incomparably powerful Yin Gods, yin soldiers, and yin generals."

Li Ming stepped forward and took some of the waterfall water, intending to comprehend the mysterious essence within.

That special aura, like the chaos of creation itself, was truly extraordinary.

After sensing it slightly, Li Ming immediately gained many unique insights.

He simply closed his eyes and carefully comprehended the Dao's divine essence and runes within.

Daode Tianzun did the same.

Netherworld Venerable, meanwhile, seemed to have sunk into deep memories.

Li Ming soon discovered what appeared to be a life aura within the Yellow Springs River.

It was continuously devouring the power of Fortune within Yellow Springs.

Li Ming looked toward the Yellow Springs River beneath the waterfall.

He soon discovered a corpse there.

The corpse wore ancient clothing, so old that no one could identify its era.

"I never expected it to be a corpse."

"This corpse is lifelike. It seems Corpse Spirit Awakening is not far away."

"This corpse is truly extraordinary. It genuinely has the potential to attain the Dao as a Venerable."

"That's right, I thought the same. When I dug this corpse out from the depths of the Underworld back then, I could clearly sense that it was different."

"I placed him in this Yellow Springs River and set some restrictions within his body, hoping he could revive soon or undergo Corpse Spirit Awakening rather than become a Corpse Calamity."

Hearing Netherworld Emperor Duan De's words, Li Ming understood.

So this truly was the Corpse Emperor before his Corpse Spirit Awakening.

Daode Tianzun was extremely interested in the Corpse Emperor's body. His eyes shone as he examined it closely.

In a daze, he seemed to gain some insight.

Li Ming, meanwhile, entered Yellow Springs directly and comprehended its mysteries there.

Rumble!

The Yellow Springs water, like a Milky Way, radiated incomparably dense vitality, utterly unlike this world filled with netherly aura.

Yet once that mysterious Yellow Springs water fell into the Netherworld Soil, it immediately became the Yellow Springs River. Its incredibly dense deathly aura became the cradle that nurtured countless yin soldiers and yin generals.

Li Ming comprehended the mysteries here for a long time. He had to admit that it was no wonder the Underworld could endure through the ages and survive until Ye Fan's era.

Yet the many forbidden zones had not endured until that era.

The Underworld's Yellow Springs truly possessed the profound mystery of seizing the Fortune of heaven and earth. Only after experiencing it personally could one understand its wonders.

Li Ming also came up with all kinds of speculations as to why Netherworld Venerable had been able to successfully undergo Corpse Spirit Awakening here.

He likewise formed all kinds of bold conjectures as to why the Corpse Emperor, after undergoing Corpse Spirit Awakening here, could attain the Dao once more.

Apart from their own talent and comprehension, the mysterious Fortune within the Yellow Springs water had undoubtedly provided them with crucial help.

Perhaps this Yellow Springs truly did not belong to this world.

Like this Netherworld Soil, it had fallen into this world from the Immortal Domain.

Even though Li Ming possessed a Chaotic Body, he could sense that the Great Dao here felt somewhat incompatible with the myriad Dao of heaven and earth outside.

For the first time, Li Ming, who should have resonated with the myriad Dao of heaven and earth, felt like an outsider in this world.

If he could cultivate and comprehend the Dao here year-round, it would certainly be immensely beneficial to Li Ming.

After contemplating the Yellow Springs for some time, Li Ming looked again at the ancient corpse soaking in the Yellow Springs River.

He watched as the ancient corpse continuously devoured the essence of the Yellow Springs, as well as the mysterious essence of the Netherworld Soil.

No wonder Daode Tianzun had fixed his burning gaze on it, focusing all his essence, energy, and spirit upon that corpse.

For this Corpse Spirit Awakening to reattain the Dao in the future, it must surely possess something extraordinary.

At this moment, new intelligence had not yet been born within the corpse, but its body was already brimming with vitality, while the deathly aura within it grew ever weaker.

Since it had yet to develop intelligence, this was also a fortunate opportunity for Li Ming.

Although Netherworld Emperor Duan De and Daode Tianzun had shared with Li Ming some of their insights regarding Nine-Lifetime Reincarnation Unification, they would not reveal the true core of it.

After all, before they had fully opened up that path of the Great Dao, they would not lay all their trump cards before others.

By observing the Corpse Emperor's Corpse Spirit Awakening and watching the changes in his fleshly body and Immortal Platform, Li Ming would surely gain astonishing insight into the unique Longevity Method of Nine-Lifetime Reincarnation Unification.

He might even comprehend the mysteries of the Reincarnation Seal.

For a powerhouse at Li Ming's level, such a fortunate opportunity was something that could only be encountered by chance.

Li Ming carefully observed the Corpse Emperor, his hands constantly tracing patterns as he even deduced past and future, seeking to trace back through time and see what this corpse had experienced.

In a daze, Li Ming seemed to witness some strange scenes.

Before him was a world exuding the aura of death, littered everywhere with corpses—a scene of utter apocalypse.

It was a scorched land devoid of any living creatures.

Black flames even rose from the ground, blazing fiercely enough to melt all things in heaven and earth.

Sure enough, some terrifying and bizarre creatures appeared there, gathering some of the flames before immediately leaving.

Rumble!

The black flames surged, as though they would burn apart the void.

The earth in the center split open, and the Corpse Emperor's figure actually crawled out from the ground wreathed in black flames.

His entire body shone with boundless divine light.

Vaguely, a terrifying figure appeared, its body flowing with mysterious azure radiance.

The two seemed to be saying something.

Very soon, time and space shifted. The mysterious scene vanished, and the Corpse Emperor's figure disappeared as well.

Not long afterward, more mysterious visions appeared.

There was a pitch-black yet crystalline divine bow, drifting up and down within chaos, emanating a powerful aura of ultimate extremity.

Before long, the image shattered once more.

In the end, every scene disappeared, and Li Ming could no longer deduce anything concerning the Corpse Emperor.

"No wonder the Corpse Emperor later forged the Corpse Emperor Bow. It seems that the weapon with which the Corpse Emperor attained the Dao in his previous life was a bow."

"If the Corpse Emperor could honestly undergo reincarnation and transformation like Netherworld Emperor Duan De, then if he truly managed to open up the Red Dust Immortal Path, perhaps he could, like Netherworld Emperor Duan De, recover the memories of his past life."

"What a pity..." Li Ming thought. "After reattaining the Dao, he actually became a Dark Supreme and slaughtered all living beings..."