Xiao Yan was immersed in the joy of coming back to life. He could clearly feel that his strength had increased enormously.
One-Star Dou Ling.
That was right. Xiao Yan's strength had shot up from Four-Star Dou Zhe to the same realm as Xiao Yi Xian. Such a leap would have been utterly impossible through normal cultivation.
"Nihility, how do we get out?" Xiao Yan tried to communicate with Nihility Devouring Flame through his soul power.
A person conversing with a Heavenly Flame might seem bizarre by ordinary standards, but he distinctly remembered that Nihility Devouring Flame possessed intelligence.
His surroundings were utterly silent, yet Xiao Yan's nerves were stretched taut. He feared that the enormous disturbance Nihility Devouring Flame had caused earlier would draw the Netherworld Soldiers and Generals here, especially Ox-Head and Horse-Face, who had guarded the gate.
Those two "Netherworld Deities" could probably crush both him and Nihility Devouring Flame with a casual flick of their hands, couldn't they?
Unfortunately, no matter how Xiao Yan tried to communicate with Nihility Devouring Flame, he received no response whatsoever.
Thankfully, the Netherworld Soldiers and Generals had not noticed the disturbance here, so he was safe for the moment.
What Xiao Yan did not know was that, while he was worried sick over being unable to contact Nihility Devouring Flame, those Netherworld Soldiers and Generals were just as anxious for the very same reason.
"Lord Void? Lord Void?" Saint Hun Qing tried to contact Nihility Devouring Flame's true body through Nihility Devouring Flame's sub-flame, but still received no response.
"Hall Master, what should we do? Lord Void hasn't followed the next step of the plan. Should we still go out and pretend to hunt Xiao Yan down?" Bewildered and uncertain, several Heavenly Venerables asked Hun Miesheng what they should do next.
"Keep trying to contact him. Lord Void is a Nine-Star Dou Sheng. How could anything happen to him on our own territory? He must have his own considerations. Just wait!" Hun Miesheng's gaze remained calm. As one of the few men in the Hun Clan who knew Nihility Devouring Flame's true strength, he did not believe they needed to do anything extra.
Everything was under control.
However...
Inside Xiao Yan's Dantian, Nihility Devouring Flame, who had finally confirmed that he could not get out, began questioning his existence. He reflected on whether everything he had done over the past ten thousand years had been worth it.
Yes, in a sense, he did harbor divided loyalties. He had concealed the existence of the inheritance in Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion from Hun Tiandi, but he had never actually done anything to wrong him.
On the contrary, he had contributed enormously to the Hun Clan's continued existence, toiling diligently day after day for ten thousand years. In the minds of most Hun Clan members, he was even more important than their clan leader, Hun Tiandi.
So what exactly had he received in return for all those years of effort?
He shook with rage and felt chilled to the core... Was there any hope left for the Hun Clan?
"Forget it. If my efforts get me nothing anyway, I might as well give up." Having fallen into such a predicament, Nihility Devouring Flame instead made his peace with it.
He looked toward Xiao Yan's qi vortex, then used his power to forcibly create a Naling out of the void.
This was an exceedingly rare storage material capable of holding living things. After devouring a Heavenly Flame, every Alchemist who possessed one would choose to place it inside a Naling to prevent it from turning on them.
Nihility Devouring Flame moved the Naling to the center of Xiao Yan's qi vortex, then frantically expanded its interior space, creating a little nest large enough to accommodate his entire body.
Once he burrowed into the Naling, the soul-transmitted voices of Xiao Yan and Saint Hun Qing around him finally vanished. Nihility Devouring Flame looked around this newborn little world and nodded in satisfaction.
Hun Tiandi's plans and all that were no longer his concern.
Time to give up!
Inside the little world called "Corpse Mountain and Blood Sea," which Hun Tiandi had secretly constructed.
Xiao Yan and the Hun Clan members were all left in an awkward position, having discovered that no matter how they called out to Nihility Devouring Flame, he simply ignored them.
Time ticked by, and Xiao Yan began to feel numb. Nihility Devouring Flame stubbornly refused to answer, and there was not a single sign of the Netherworld Soldiers and Generals who might come chasing after him.
It was as though he were the only person in the entire world.
Finally, after waiting for who knew how long, Xiao Yan could no longer stand it.
He began cautiously searching the "Netherworld" for a safe area, planning to slowly look for a way out afterward.
With his increased strength, Xiao Yan could travel much faster. To his surprise, the "Netherworld" had mountains, and he even found a secluded cave.
After confirming that there were no soul bodies inside, he hid there immediately, hoping to evade the pursuit he anticipated.
"My safety is assured for now, but food and water are a problem." Xiao Yan fretted inside the cave. Now that he had come back to life, he was a living being, and living beings needed to eat.
Although Xiao Yan's strength had soared, and legend had it that those who reached the Dou Emperor realm could indeed go without food, he was clearly not at that level yet.
How was he supposed to find something living to fill his stomach in a place full of soul bodies?
This became Xiao Yan's greatest immediate problem. Otherwise, barely any time after coming back to life, he would be heading straight for another curtain call.
Would Nihility Devouring Flame, who had appeared inexplicably and then become inexplicably unreachable, help resurrect him again?
That remained an unknown.
"I have to find a solution." Xiao Yan was not the sort to sit around waiting to die, even though he had only just come back to life and had neither weapons nor clothes.
Drawing on the knowledge he had picked up online back on Earth, Xiao Yan began considering what things in the Netherworld might be edible.
Other Shore Flowers? Heartbreak Grass? Dragon Saliva Grass? Meng Po Soup?
Even if eating those didn't kill me, they'd leave me crippled...
The corners of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched. Every Netherworld specialty he could think of would cause severe side effects if consumed.
After careful consideration, he decided to leave the cave and search for something to fill his stomach.
There was no other reason: not eating really could kill a person.
Down the mountain path, not far away, was the spot where the Three-Life Stone had stood earlier. By now, however, that shattered mirror surface had disappeared without a trace. It looked as though the "Netherworld Soldiers" had taken it away.
This made Xiao Yan even more vigilant. He decided to search around his hiding place first, doing his best to avoid being discovered by the Netherworld Soldiers.
But Xiao Yan was destined for disappointment. He did not see a single one of those legendary things-Heartbreak Grass, Other Shore Flowers, or Dragon Saliva Grass. There was not even a single weed in this world.
That deprived Xiao Yan of even the chance to eat roots and tree bark.
He collapsed weakly onto the ground. Although this world had no concept of day or night, Xiao Yan could tell by instinct that he had gone at least seven days without a drop of water.
He already felt himself on the verge of dehydration. Only by relying on his cultivation to lock the moisture inside his body had he avoided going into complete shock.
"No, I can't die here!" A ruthless gleam shone in Xiao Yan's eyes. He struggled to his feet and glared fiercely toward the cluster of buildings he had never dared set foot in before.
The place was full of Netherworld Soldiers and Generals. He just did not know whether there was anything to eat inside.
I'll take the gamble!
Before you continue