Netherworld

Biodata

Nature and Cosmology

• The Netherworld constitutes only the Yin portion of the Three Realms. Its laws of heaven and earth are incomplete, leaving its space fragile and its native cultivation system unable to fully develop. 544
• Native cultivators can reach, at most, a level equivalent to Ghost Immortal. Going further requires leaving the realm through ascension. 544
• Its incomplete laws contain numerous hidden gaps in space-time. These loopholes allowed Evil Gods, Demon Gods, Celestial Venerables, and other pre-existing powerful beings to hide or perish within its depths during the Ancient God War. 544
• The Netherworld's ancient ruins and spatial irregularities attract Strangers from other realms seeking secrets and relics. 544
• A tradition attributed to sage Peng Shuzi describes the Netherworld as an ever-expanding abyss that absorbs and incorporates foreign matter; this remains a theory rather than confirmed fact. 323 898

Geography

Nether River

• The Nether River is a vast, pure Yang spring entered through the Disappearing Saint Heaven. It can indicate the general direction of a cultivator's future Yuan Jing. 379
• It is reputed to connect the Netherworld to many other worlds, though the extent of those connections remains uncertain. 379
• Its depths contain corpses and artifacts from vastly different beings, including remains with equipment comparable to Celestial Venerable natal Magic Items. 898
• Zhao Yun attributes the river's formation to a collision between the local universe and another universe. According to his account, the Netherworld Mansion became one of the conflict's battlefields, and its dead were cast into the river's depths. 900

Relation to the Human Realm

• The Human Realm is described as lying above the Netherworld. 897
• The Netherworld Mansion is situated at the intersection of the Netherworld and Human Realm, on the boundary between life and death. 860
• Passage into the Mansion requires reaching Wan Rou Stream at the southernmost point of the Human Realm and possessing a Demon Talisman Seed. 860

Relationship with Netherworld Mansion

• The Netherworld Mansion is distinct from the Netherworld, although the two are collectively called the Underworld. 315
• The Mansion exists in the gap between illusion and reality rather than the real universe; a visitor must adjust their form correctly to enter it. 870
• It lies deep within Netherworld territory and is associated with half-real, half-false forces that cause recurring illusions. 228
• Its will uses its children and Lords as channels to devour the aura and resources of other worlds. 308 446
• The Mansion was controlled by the Netherworld Time Master, one of Shadow City's three City Lords, while the Yi Shen Dragon Queen managed its harvesting operations. 697 746
• Even the Netherworld Time Master could only harvest peripheral resources after suffering losses in deeper explorations; ancient remnants within the Mansion remained beyond his control. 794

History

Ancient Era

The Netherworld's incomplete laws and hidden spatial cavities became refuges and burial grounds during the Ancient God War. Numerous powerful beings left behind ruins within its depths, creating the conditions that later drew outside explorers and Strangers. 544

At some point, a collision between universes turned the Netherworld Mansion into a battlefield. The Nether River subsequently accumulated the corpses of that cosmic conflict. 900

The Great Calamity

The Great Calamity eventually reached the Netherworld after advancing through the Human Realm and the Shattered Wheel Hall. 894

Half a month later, gray-white Calamity Qi fell across the realm, consuming people, animals, plants, and terrain alike. The Netherworld's Yang Membrane shattered, and its mountains, rivers, and streams degenerated until only black rock remained. 906

Distinction from Netherworld Realm

• Netherworld Realm is not the Netherworld itself. It was the name Lin Xin gave to his own small-world territory because he had been born in the Netherworld Mansion. 696
• The later Netherworld Realm developed into a fortified Sacrifice to the Gods Land with its own cities, Dao Soldiers, formations, and inhabitants. 758 848
• Lin Xin ultimately compressed the Netherworld Realm and its three Nether Cities into a bead with Object Attraction Mystical Power, removing it from its original location. 891