Epoch Burial Pit

"Fellow Daoist Yuangeng, would you be willing to take charge of the Underworld?"

At the Corpse Emperor's words, not only did Yuangeng raise an eyebrow, but the weapons of Yama, Prison-Suppressing, and Rebirth beside him also trembled slightly, reflecting a ripple in the emotions of the beings behind them.

Having known him for so many years, however, they understood what the Corpse Emperor meant. The Dao Yuangeng had developed bore some resemblance to the Netherworld Venerable's. In a sense, he was indeed naturally suited to the Underworld, and as a powerhouse no weaker than the Netherworld Venerable, he was qualified to take charge of it.

"I just scared off the Heavenly Nether Treasure, and now you're proposing we work together?"

An inscrutable smile appeared on Yuangeng's face. This turn of events genuinely surprised him. He had never considered becoming part of the Underworld, but the Corpse Emperor's words inevitably brought other possibilities to mind.

"Besides, with the Underworld in decline and all of you old, weak, sick, or crippled, you probably can't even produce a Nine-Turn Pill anymore. You have nothing that could tempt me."

"The Heavenly Nether Treasure? Ultimately, it isn't the Netherworld Venerable, merely his weapon. It huddles together with the experimental creations he left behind, dreaming of becoming an Immortal Artifact. It has never been of one mind with us."

The Corpse Emperor's divine sense pulsed outward. His body remained motionless, while the great bow resembling a True Dragon, together with the war spear, the Heavenly Halberd, and the armor, carried Yuangeng into the depths of the Underworld's star domain. Here lay a vast expanse of Netherworld soil stretching untold billions of miles. No living beings inhabited the black, icy land; only deathly energy that surged toward the heavens gathered here.

"As for what we have to offer, this is the Underworld, a place personally chosen by the Netherworld Venerable. As long as this star domain remains and he has not fallen into eternal silence, the Underworld will not decline."

As those words fell, the bloodstained war spear trembled and swept across the land. The boundless Netherworld soil immediately split open, and still older, deeper, more desolate deathly energy poured from the fissure.

Yuangeng looked down and saw that beneath the Netherworld soil, everything was packed with an immense quantity of bones. These were countless remains belonging to countless races, interspersed with broken artifacts, iron coffins, stone steles, and more from unknown eras... It was as though every living being from an entire age had been buried here after death.

"At the end of reincarnation, the Underworld is destined to become the final resting place of all living beings. Fellow Daoist, having cultivated a method similar to the Netherworld Venerable's, you should understand what makes this place special."

The Corpse Emperor's voice emerged from the great bow. This expanse of Netherworld soil was boundless. Even slaughtering every creature on thousands of life-bearing stars as large as Big Dipper could never have created such a region.

"Hmm?"

Even Yuangeng was somewhat shocked. He descended above the Netherworld soil, shaped his hand into a blade, and slashed across the vast land below, widening the fissure severalfold. Its depth was terrifying, enough to contain dozens of stars the size of Feixian Ancient Star.

Boom!

Yuangeng was taken aback. The nether deathly energy rushing out from deep beneath the soil made even him hold his breath. As the Corpse Emperor had said, this place truly resembled the final resting place of all living beings. Even slaughtering every creature in the present universe might not produce anything on this scale. It required accumulation over long ages.

"A Burial Zone?" he murmured.

The term Burial Zone did not exclusively refer to the lands of the Burial Domain. When corpses accumulated in a region beyond a certain point, nether deathly energy would profoundly affect the laws of the myriad Daos, forming what was known as a Burial Zone.

His gaze swept across the immense fissure below. Suddenly, Yuangeng extended a great hand, plucked a battered chunk of iron from the masses of ancient remains, and set it upright before him.

"Reflect the Ancient!"

There was something unusual about this five-foot-tall chunk of iron. Yuangeng employed Reflect the Ancient, bathing the broken iron in flowing heavenly light. Its rust faded away, revealing several barely distinguishable runes.

They were neither the writing of the Mythological Era nor that of the Primordial Era, but a peculiar kind of rune. Though damaged and dim, they still revealed the writer's cultivation through the force of their strokes.

Yuangeng used Reflect the Ancient, tracing the iron back through an unknown number of years before its writing finally became clear. This surprised him even more, for the characters resembled those of his own era, as though they had evolved from Immortal Ancient Script.

He examined them carefully. Only after a long while did he barely manage to make out the meaning of those two characters.

"Yuyu..."

Those two characters brought Yuangeng a sudden sense of clarity, as though everything had fallen into place. This enormous burial pit truly came from their realm, for Yuyu Heaven had once been among the most renowned heavens of the Primordial Ancient Realm. Even after the destruction of Immortal Ancient, it had continued to exist.

Following that line of reasoning, the beings buried in this pit most likely came from the Chaotic Ancient Era.

"The Netherworld Venerable said this was the burial pit of the previous epoch, and that it was also destined to bury this epoch. That is where the notion of the final resting place of all living beings comes from. This is the greatest treasure in the universe."

The Corpse Emperor sighed. This Burial Zone was the chief reason the Netherworld Venerable had chosen this star domain as the site of the Underworld. Legends from the Mythological Era claimed that the Netherworld Venerable was actually another incarnation of a Heavenly Venerable from the early Mythological Era. That Heavenly Venerable had chosen this place to nurture his corpse, eventually forming a Reincarnation Seal.

Even now, the Underworld frequently expended immense resources digging deep into this Netherworld soil. They believed the corpses of certain Extreme Dao supreme beings from the Chaotic Ancient Era might lie buried beneath it. If those corpses were unearthed, the Underworld was confident it could awaken their spirits and make them part of its ranks.

Just like the Corpse Emperor...

"If you take charge of the Underworld, we ask only that you guard this star domain. All the Underworld's resources will be yours to use. The countless Yin Soldiers, the Netherworld Branches, and those beings in the ancient coffins who have a chance of forming Reincarnation Seals can all become your subordinates."

The Rebirth Venerable spoke. He was likewise one of the Underworld's ancient venerables from the Mythological Era, but he was older than the Corpse Emperor, Yama, and the others. By the time he joined the Underworld, he had already been self-severed for countless years. In antiquity, he rivaled the Longevity Heavenly Venerable.

He, too, seemed to have accepted the possibility of Yuangeng joining the Underworld. The present Underworld was indeed far too diminished. The departure of the Heavenly Nether Treasure was effectively the loss of half its remaining active strength. These supreme beings needed fresh blood.

They truly were too old. Apart from the relatively youngest Corpse Emperor, whose condition was somewhat better, the other three had only enough strength left for one final battle through Ultimate Sublimation. If upheaval struck the Underworld in the future, it might well cost one or two supreme beings their lives.

Above all, Yuangeng truly possessed an inexplicable affinity with the Underworld.

On that point, Yuangeng himself agreed.

He had thought it through. Joining the Underworld held no disadvantages for him at all. Left behind by the Netherworld Venerable, this place had something of the Burial Domain's atmosphere. Its Dao laws resonated with Yuangeng and would greatly benefit his cultivation.

Moreover, Yuangeng wanted a group of obedient subordinates. The Underworld's Yin Soldiers and Nether Generals, along with the beings currently nurturing Reincarnation Seals, were all suitable followers. They could serve as extensions of his will and accomplish many things throughout the universe.

"We once established the Underworld alongside the Netherworld Venerable. We know his scriptures, as well as many secrets. If there is anything you do not understand, you can ask us."

To one side, the dark, unfathomable Black Iron Battle Armor shone as the Yama Emperor spoke. This old supreme being suddenly realized that if Yuangeng truly turned against them and killed all four old supreme-

beings, all the Underworld's resources would become his spoils anyway, equally his to use as he pleased.

"Very well. I also need this expanse of Netherworld soil."

Standing upon the boundless black land, Yuangeng pointed at the vast Burial Zone beneath his feet and spoke.

He was interested in this Epoch Burial Pit, not only because of the many secrets it contained, but also because he had visited the Burial Domain and knew more about how to make use of a Burial Zone than these supreme beings of the Underworld.

The Burial Cultivators of the Burial Domain wandered between life and death year-round. Many could "slumber" beneath the Burial Soil in a state of death, then "awaken" at the appropriate moment. None understood life and death more thoroughly.

As far as Yuangeng knew, the environment of a Burial Zone was the foundation that allowed Burial Cultivators to move freely between life and death in this way.

Of course, this so-called longevity was not Yuangeng's chosen path. He valued this Burial Zone because it could help him better comprehend the fundamental transformations between life and death, bringing clarity to a great Dao.

After all, he planned to walk the path of becoming an immortal through nine lifetimes. The best approach to that path was to develop a different path in each lifetime. In one of his future lives, Yuangeng might well take the Burial Method as his foundation.

"Agreed!"

The weapons of the four supreme beings-the Corpse Emperor, Prison-Suppressing, Yama, and Rebirth-gathered together. After a moment, they finally reached a decision and gave their approval.