All the World Falls Silent; Those Who Enter the Underworld Never Reincarnate

Ziwei Star Domain, Heavenly Frost Immortal Sect.

Once a towering power that had dominated an entire star domain for ten thousand years, the sect was now shrouded in a cold, suffocating silence.

Atop the sect's main peak, the ancestral soul lamp that stood ten thousand feet tall went out with a crash.

When the Dao-Slaying Great Elders who had escaped returned, their faces hollow with shock and terror, and revealed everything that had happened beyond the Canglan Realm, the entire Heavenly Frost Immortal Sect ground to a halt.

"The ancestor... had his soul taken by an Underworld Emissary and was cast through the Ghost Gate?!"

"The Netherworld... a place that governs life, death, and reincarnation... truly exists?!"

Countless core disciples and stewards turned deathly pale. They did not even notice their swords falling from their hands.

As cultivators understood it, mortals left behind souls when they died, while cultivators left behind primordial spirits. So long as a primordial spirit survived, its owner could seize another body and cultivate anew, or become a Loose Immortal and cling to life.

But the appearance of the Netherworld had imposed a cruel, ironclad law upon heaven and earth—

When one's allotted lifespan ran out, even a primordial spirit became prey for the soul-hooking chains! Once through the Ghost Gate, all cultivation from one's previous life came to nothing. Only judgment under the Six Paths of Reincarnation remained!

This law of life and death, so far beyond anything they knew, plunged countless cultivators who had spent millennia struggling to defy fate into despair from the depths of their souls.

In just half a day,

the Heavenly Frost Immortal Sect announced it would seal its gates for ten thousand years. Every disciple training abroad was recalled, and all contact with the outside world was severed!

And that was only the beginning.

As the experts from the Heavenly Demon Great Realm and the Primordial Demon Realm fled home in disgrace, word of the earth-shaking scene beyond the Canglan Realm swept through dozens of surrounding great worlds like an apocalyptic storm.

The order of the entire universe was rewritten!

The great clans and immortal sects that had once looked down on the Canglan Realm as "the ruins of a lower world" now paled at the mere mention of its name.

In the eyes of the experts across the myriad worlds, the Canglan Realm was no longer an ordinary realm of cultivation. It was the holy land where myth had awakened, the only place in the present world where the Heavenly Court and the Netherworld met!

"Have you heard? Old Monster Kurong of the Heavenly Frost Immortal Sect tried to seize an opportunity in the Canglan Realm, only to have his soul taken on the spot by the Netherworld's Black and White Impermanence. He was thrown into Avici Hell!"

"Hiss! Black and White Impermanence? What terrifying deities are they, to bypass the defenses of someone at the peak of the Tribulation Transcendence Stage?!"

"And they're not the only ones! They say the Ten Yama Kings hold the Book of Life and Death deep beyond the Ghost Gate. Even Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who suppresses the eighteen layers of hell, is there!"

"It's terrifying... The Ancient Heavenly Court ruled the heavens, and the Netherworld governs death. We cultivate for ten thousand years, yet before such a mythic order, we're as fragile as a speck of dust!"

"Pass on my decree as sect master! From this day forth, any disciple of our sect who passes through the Canglan Realm's star domain must steer well clear! Treat the Primeval Holy Land and Holy Son Lin Qiye with the utmost respect. Show not the slightest discourtesy!"

For a time, turmoil swept the myriad worlds.

Countless old monsters who had once brimmed with ambition withdrew their claws and frantically searched the oldest, most tattered surviving texts of their lineages, hoping to find even a scrap about the "Ancient Heavenly Court" and the "Netherworld."

And the more they read, the more they compared those texts with the Myriad Heavens Mythic Rankings and the sight of the Ghost Gate, the more certain they became—

This mythic history, lost for 120,000 years, felt terrifyingly real!

Some even began filling in the gaps in Su Chen's worldbuilding of their own accord:

"No wonder no one has ascended since the calamity a hundred thousand years ago! The Heavenly Court collapsed, and the path to immortality was severed!"

"No wonder the ancient records say the souls of the dead have nowhere to go and eventually dissipate! The Netherworld was shattered in that battle too, and only today has a fragment of its order awakened again!"

"Thank the heavens! Myth is returning! If we follow the Primeval Holy Land and Holy Son Lin Qiye, perhaps we'll see the path to immortality restored in our lifetime!"

Across the universe, fervor and reverence reached their peak!

Canglan Realm, Primeval Holy Land.

Unlike the panic and fear gripping the worlds beyond, the Primeval Holy Land had become a destination for pilgrims from across the Canglan Realm and several nearby small worlds!

Every day, ancestors from great ancient kingdoms and secluded clans of the Ancient Era arrived with lavish gifts and utmost sincerity. They waited respectfully at the foot of Primeval Mountain, hoping only to meet Lin Qiye or pledge their loyalty to the Primeval Holy Land.

On Falling Geese Peak,

Lin Qiye sat cross-legged on a bluestone, the Broken Sword on his back and his eyes gently closed.

The Eight-Nine Profound Art surged through him like a dragon, while a dark-gold divine radiance shimmered faintly around his body. After witnessing the Netherworld claim a soul beyond the starry skies, his resolve in the Dao had grown purer and more complete.

"Qiye."

A streak of violet light cut through the void, and Ji Changkong appeared out of thin air.

The Primeval Holy Lord, whose life had been extended by a hundred years, was glowing with health and full of energy. As he looked at Lin Qiye, he could not hide the pride and reverence in his eyes.

"Holy Lord." Lin Qiye opened his eyes, rose, and bowed.

Ji Changkong waved away the formalities and smiled warmly. "I've handled the visitors from outside for you. Those old fellows from the Ziwei Star Domain and the Heavenly Demon Great Realm are scared out of their wits by the 'Netherworld.' They won't dare set foot in the Canglan Realm again for ten thousand years."

He paused, his expression turning solemn and expectant:

"Qiye, you are now the First Holy Son and have inherited the supreme divine legacy of True Lord Erlang. Every resource and treasure our sect possesses is yours to use."

"What do you plan to do next?"

Lin Qiye touched the Broken Sword on his back, then raised his head toward the seemingly ordinary Library Pavilion at the edge of the Primeval Holy Land. His voice was gentle but firm:

"I intend to visit the Library Pavilion... and seek guidance from Guest Elder Su Chen."

Ji Changkong's pupils contracted. Then his face took on an expression that said he understood everything.

"Yes! Exactly!"

Ji Changkong slapped his thigh and sent an excited voice transmission: "Elder Su Chen is the Heavenly Court's 'guide' in the mortal world! Had he not spoken the divine name 'Southern Heaven' that day, that fragment of the Heavenly Court's legacy would never have manifested so soon!"

"If you seek his guidance, you're sure to learn the next step in True Lord Erlang's inheritance!"

"Go! I've already declared the hundred miles around the Library Pavilion a forbidden zone. Aside from you and me, no one may disturb Elder Su Chen's secluded cultivation!"

Lin Qiye nodded slightly. Without another word, he turned into a streak of dark-gold light and flew straight for the Library Pavilion.

A short while later,

incense smoke curled through the Library Pavilion.

Su Chen sat behind a long wooden desk, holding a fragment of animal hide. With an unhurried motion, he brushed the dust from it with a feather duster.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Steady footsteps sounded inside the pavilion.

Lin Qiye walked in with the Broken Sword on his back. When his gaze fell upon the gentle, jade-like young man in blue robes behind the desk, supreme reverence flashed deep in his eyes.

After dreaming of True Lord Erlang, witnessing the revival from a desperate plight, seeing the Myriad Heavens Mythic Rankings, and watching the Netherworld claim a soul, Lin Qiye knew better than anyone—

the seemingly powerless Menial Elder of the Library Pavilion possessed a terrifying background beyond imagination!

"Disciple Lin Qiye greets Elder Su Chen."

Lin Qiye stopped before the desk and bowed deeply, his manner utterly respectful.

Su Chen set down the feather duster and looked up, a warm smile on his handsome face:

"No need for formalities, Holy Son Qiye. You reclaimed your position today and became famous across the heavens. How are you finding it?"

Lin Qiye gave a wry smile and shook his head. "It's only an empty title. If a god hadn't granted me that opportunity, I'd be nothing but bones on Falling Geese Peak by now."

His expression grew serious. Looking Su Chen straight in the eye, he came to the point:

"Elder Su, I've come today with a question."

"Ask." Su Chen raised a hand and poured him a cup of warm spirit tea.

Lin Qiye took the cup and said gravely:

"I've merged with the True Lord's inheritance and mastered the Eight-Nine Profound Art. I've seen the Heavenly Court Collapse and the Thirty-Six Generals die in battle. I've also seen the Netherworld claim a soul."

"But one question has never left me: what was the 'great terror' that destroyed the supreme Heavenly Court and shattered the Netherworld?"

"I've inherited the True Lord's legacy. If that 'great terror' descends again one day... how am I to fight it? And how can the severed path to immortality be restored?"

Su Chen's hand paused around his teacup.

For a moment, the air inside the Library Pavilion seemed to fall still.

He looked at the young man before him, at his resolute eyes and fierce will to fight. An unreadable light flickered deep in Su Chen's gaze.

This was exactly what Su Chen wanted.

A "proxy" with a coherent understanding of the myth, one willing to shoulder its legacy of his own accord, was the best piece on the board.

"If you knew what the great terror was now, your resolve in the Dao would shatter."

Su Chen lowered his voice. His words carried a distant weariness, as though they had crossed countless ages:

"As for how to fight it, and how to restore the path to immortality..."

He tipped his head back slightly and gazed at the boundless stars beyond the window. Then he spoke words that shook Lin Qiye to his very soul:

"This damaged Canglan Realm is too small. The great worlds around it are too small as well."

"True myth has never existed only in this mortal mire."

Su Chen turned to Lin Qiye, the vast stars of the heavens reflected in his gentle eyes:

"Qiye, do you know... what Zixiao Palace is? What the Primordial World is?"

Lin Qiye's breath caught. He stood frozen.

Zixiao Palace?!

The Primordial World?!

Two more ancient divine names he had never encountered in the Canglan Realm's records, yet both sounded vast beyond measure!

"I... don't know!" Lin Qiye's voice trembled, and his hands tightened around the teacup.

Su Chen smiled faintly, drained his spirit tea, and said softly with an inscrutable air:

"That's as it should be."

"Soon... not only you, but the supreme rulers and old monsters at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage throughout the myriad worlds will have the good fortune to glimpse the supreme opportunity within Zixiao Palace, above the nine heavens."

"Go back and prepare."

Su Chen brushed down his blue robes and slowly rose:

"When the next mythic vision manifests... the myriad worlds will truly go mad for the chance to 'hear the Dao.'"