"Nine Sorrows, Sick Body, Declining Fate..."
Chu Mo's gaze deepened. He repeated the names inwardly, then turned to Daoist Bichen. "You said you earned a trace of Nine Sorrows' favor. Tell me exactly what happened." Daoist Bichen dared conceal nothing. After briefly recalling the events, he said:
"Senior, this happened over four hundred years ago. By then, I had already spent a long time in the netherworld soil. Under its influence, my soul body was gradually losing its clarity of mind.
"Just as I stood on the brink of sinking into oblivion completely, I was fortunate enough to be drawn by Lord Nine Sorrows' aura and granted a wondrous technique, the Sorrow for Myself Scripture.
"This technique allows one to distill the intent of suffering and sorrow for one's own use. Only after receiving it did my cultivation advance, eventually reaching my present realm."
Chu Mo said evenly, "There must have been conditions attached to that gift."
"Yes." Bichen nodded.
"That lord ordered me to venture into the depths of the netherworld soil once every three years and offer up the sorrowful thoughts I had distilled through the Sorrow for Myself Scripture during those three years."
"You've already gone many times?"
"Over a hundred and thirty times since I first received the scripture. Each time, I follow a fixed procedure to visit the lord's residence, the Eternal Sorrow Palace, and pay my respects." Hearing this, Chu Mo considered for a moment, then asked a string of questions:
"Where is the Eternal Sorrow Palace? How do you reach it? Have you encountered other Taboos along the way? What does Nine Sorrows look like? What rules must you follow during an audience?"
Bichen steadied himself and held nothing back:
"The Eternal Sorrow Palace lies in the deepest reaches of the netherworld soil,