The chill wind blew cold and eerie, made all the more sinister by the mournful howls of wild foxes and night crows.
Ao Ding gritted his teeth, activated the Golden Light Breathing Technique, and rushed underground.
Beneath the burial mound, he found stairs stretching downward, growing longer and longer...
Pitch darkness surrounded him. The thin layer of golden light Ao Ding produced with his cultivation was useless. Beyond three feet in front of him, he could see nothing.
Ao Ding could only listen to the footsteps ahead, barely making out that Old Daoist Sun was still in front.
By Ao Ding's count, they had walked at least a thousand steps underground, yet still had not reached the bottom.
Eleven hundred, twelve hundred...
Ao Ding counted silently...
Twenty-one hundred, twenty-two hundred...
The pale golden radiance around him had dimmed into invisibility. Ao Ding gave a bitter smile.
More than two thousand steps down into a grave, and still no bottom... Where were they going?
Straight to the Nine Nether Yellow Springs?
Only at the three-thousandth step did the old Daoist ahead stop.
Ao Ding could now hear the faintest sound of flowing water around them.
The passage had reached its end. Ahead stood a carved stone gate. It bore Forty-Nine Nails and two incised lotus patterns, with a One-Horned Eyeless Tomb Guardian Beast on either side.
Sun Chen knocked lightly and called out:
"Junior sister, an old friend has come to visit!"
Whoosh-
The white paper lanterns on either side of the residence ignited without a breeze. Eerie ghost flames flickered as the great carved stone gate slowly opened.
A veiled beauty in a pale blue flowing dress walked gracefully out, followed by four strange-looking lantern-bearing maids.
The beauty's crossed collar fastened to the left, and her silk stole was a shadowy purple. A moon-colored veil covered her jade-like face, revealing only a pair of starry eyes.
Ao Ding glanced at her, then was too frightened to look again.
Those eyes, like his own, were Spirit Pupils.
As for the four lantern-bearing maids without eyeballs, they put Ao Ding’s Dao heart even more on guard. He dared not look directly at them at all.
He knew what these maids were-paper people.
Ghastly pale skin, wax-yellow clothes. Figures fashioned from paper, their eyes snowy white, without any pupils.
Could these maids have been burned as offerings to this lady outside?
Seeing the boy's timid manner, Old Daoist Sun was secretly amused.
He smiled at the beauty. "Junior sister, it's very late tonight. I meant to ask to stay the night here, but the child is timid. Let me trouble you for a cup of tea and a small sedan chair instead."
The beauty looked at the boy who kept Old Daoist Sun "shielded in front of him" and could not help smiling.
Such behavior was hardly surprising in a fourteen-year-old child.
After all-this was the Yellow Springs.
"How could I refuse a request from my senior brother?"
She instructed the maids to lead the two of them inside the cave abode.
The residence followed the feng shui of a yin dwelling, its layout utterly unlike those of the human world. Yet it had every tower, terrace, pavilion, and waterside hall, with a murmuring stream flowing through its garden.
Only the water was tinged blue-black, and the chill wind blowing across it gave rise to waves of wailing.
Ao Ding stood far away, refusing to approach.
The River of Forgetfulness? Weak Water? The Yellow Springs?
Whatever it was, it was nothing the living should touch.
Suddenly, Ao Ding's left eye began twitching incessantly.
Midnight had passed, and after sufficient rest, his left eye could see again.
Ao Ding glanced at the yin residence with his left eye.
That single glance frightened him out of his wits, nearly scattering his very soul!
An enormous, hideous creature held its mouth open, its maw piled with corpses and bones. Only on the tip of its tongue stood a yin residence.
He could even see the black wind blowing from its mouth and the saliva dripping ceaselessly from the giant devil. How could the stream flowing through the residence be water from a nether river of the Nine Netherworlds?
It was plainly an old devil's drool!
Ao Ding was so frightened he wanted to cry out, but forced himself to hold it in.
Stay calm, stay calm... I simply haven't seen the world. I've spent all six years since transmigrating in a peaceful place like the kitchen gardens. I've never seen demons, devils, ghosts, or monsters.
Struggling to reassure himself, Ao Ding followed close on Old Daoist Sun's heels.
Once they were seated, the pale paper maids brought tea and black dates, but Ao Ding dared not put any of it in his mouth.
His head was full of myths and legends about the Yellow Springs and the underworld.
If I eat something from the Nine Netherworlds, will I be trapped here forever, never able to leave again...?
Ao Ding felt his skin crawl. He neither ate nor drank the entire time, sitting silently beside Old Daoist Sun and doing nothing but circulating the Golden Light Method.
Only by relying on that little golden light flowing through his body could he feel a trace of warmth.
Sun Chen shook his head speechlessly.
Judging by the boy's behavior, he could hardly be the reincarnation of some great figure of the Northern Yin lineage. If a mighty Ghost Dao cultivator had been reborn, how could he be so averse to the underworld?
Only a living creature would have such an attitude.
Ao Ding showed considerable insight into the Northern Yin Hell Diagram. Had he comprehended a Daoist art from it because his understanding was truly exceptional, or because he had some connection to the Ghost Dao?
Intent on testing him, the Daoist had brought Ao Ding on this trip to the Nine Netherworlds.
Now it seemed the latter was not the case.
The Daoist leisurely drank his tea and savored two dates. Once the beauty had prepared the sedan chair, he stood with his cane and was about to call Ao Ding to leave.
But just then, golden light suddenly flashed from Ao Ding's body, and his aura abruptly rose a notch.
"Oh?"
"Ah-"
Sun Chen and Madam Chi Mei were first taken aback. Then the lady realized what had happened and exclaimed, "Senior brother, this young fellow of yours actually broke through?"
The Qi-Seeding Upper Realm.
Here in the realm of the Nine Nether Yellow Springs, Ao Ding had actually crossed the bottleneck that had held him back for years by circulating his technique at full strength.
Sun Chen, too, wore a look of wonder.
He had only been teaching Ao Ding for a short time. The boy had just converted his Seven-Spirit True Qi into Golden Light True Qi, and already he had broken through?
The boy's aptitude was greater than he had expected.
When Ao Ding finished circulating his technique and slowly opened his eyes, he found Sun Chen and Madam Chi Mei studying him thoughtfully.
"S-Senior?"
"It's nothing-let's go. The sedan chair is ready. We can leave now." Sun Chen regained his calm expression and beckoned Ao Ding outside.
Ao Ding had broken through in his terror, and his magical power had increased somewhat. With a thought, the pale golden halo around him grew stronger.
Wrapped in golden light, he cautiously jumped down from the great devil's tongue and returned to the stone residence's entrance.
But watching the great devil drool incessantly, with gusts of chill wind blowing from its throat, was still unsettling.
"Come, come, take a look. This is the sedan chair used to travel the yin roads."
Sun Chen enthusiastically pointed at the bright red bridal sedan parked outside the stone residence.
Eerie ghost flames rose around the sedan, with vague shapes of uncanny creatures visible within them. Layers of hideous phantoms floated behind it, and occasional giggles could be heard.
Holding the Golden Phoenix Immortal-Guiding Lantern, Madam Chi Mei nodded with a smile. "Since you'll be traveling the yin roads, senior brother, I feared demons or ghosts might cause trouble along the way. I've dispatched these Chang Soldiers to guard your passage and see you safely through."
Sun Chen shook his head repeatedly. "Dismiss all these Chang Soldiers-I'll protect the flying sedan with golden light. If they crowd around, I'll only have to divide my attention to protect them."
At this, Yin Chimei waved the Chang Soldiers away, leaving only four balls of ghost fire before the sedan.
"It isn't convenient for me to travel far, so I'll wish you success in all you seek from here, senior brother."
Old Daoist Sun nodded his thanks and beckoned Ao Ding into the sedan with him.
The moment they entered, the door curtain dropped swiftly.
Before Ao Ding could settle into his seat, the violent motion of the sedan taking flight threw him off balance, sending him straight into Sun Chen.
The old Daoist laughed twice, helped Ao Ding sit upright, and reassured him, "Don't worry. We're setting off now. Close your eyes and treat it as a nap. When you wake and dawn comes, we'll have arrived."
As he spoke, he thoughtfully lowered the curtain on the left, blocking the view of the Nine Netherworlds outside.
Junior sister had only drawn in a nether river and manifested a little scenery of the Yellow Springs, and that had scared the boy half to death. Now that we're in the actual underworld, won't his soul go straight to the Northern Yin Ghost Capital to report in?
Though pale, Ao Ding showed a measure of stubbornness. He did not close his eyes, instead leaving the right-hand window curtain open to observe the surroundings cautiously.
So what if this was the Nine Nether Yellow Springs?
If a cultivator was frightened by this little bit of scenery, how could he attain the Dao in the future?
The more frightened I am, the more I need to temper myself.
Boom-
Once the sedan rose into the air, cold winds surged on either side. Endless ghosts wailed and spirits howled amid inexhaustible phosphorescent gleams. Even the outlines of several hells and ghost cities could be seen standing far away upon the nether earth.
Compared with what he had seen in the yin residence, this scenery of the Nine Netherworlds actually felt somewhat familiar to Ao Ding.
After studying the Northern Yin Diagram year after year, I've seen countless visions of the Nine Netherworlds' hells. Why fear this?
Ah-that great cauldron in the distance, eight hundred li across. Could it be the legendary Oil Cauldron Hell?
And that mountain-sized pestle, pounding into a deep valley again and again-could that be Pounding Mortar Hell?
And how could there be only eighteen hells in the netherworld?
As Ao Ding surveyed the yin road, he saw no fewer than a hundred hells of every description. Entirely without fear, he devoted his thoughts to pondering the fundamental great methods of each hell.
Compared with seeing himself standing right beside a demonic god's mouth, these hells viewed from afar were much more reassuring.
Sun Chen suddenly said, "Among the many orthodox methods of the Northern Yin lineage is the Eighteen Naraka Method. It allows you to choose eighteen hells of your own from among thirty-six hundred. By using the eighteen narakas to evolve a Dharma realm, you can attain the exalted standing of a True Person. If you can grasp the essence of the Northern Yin Diagram, it will be no inferior to the golden light method I've taught you."
The Northern Yin Diagram.
In years past, to spread its lineage, the Northern Yin Ghost Dao had cast untold numbers of Northern Yin Diagram Iron Certificates into the human world. Yet the Ghost Dao was secretive, shadowy, and uncanny; few cultivators in the human world had achieved anything through it.
Travel along the yin roads was swift. In less than half a double-hour, they crossed ten thousand li and returned from the yin world to the yang world.
Their surroundings abruptly changed, and the sedan suddenly stopped.
"We're here."
Sun Chen lifted the curtain, and Ao Ding stumbled out of the sedan.
Only when he saw a faint blush of red in the east did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Old Daoist Sun stepped leisurely out of the sedan and said with a smile, "Boy, your courage leaves much to be desired. You merely accompanied this old Daoist to visit an old friend, and you were frightened like that? With so little nerve, wouldn't you faint outright if you met a real demon or devil?"
Ao Ding smiled bitterly. "This journey to the Yellow Springs was far too terrifying. I... though I do odd jobs in an immortal sect, I've never seen a single ghost in my life."
Never mind this life-he had never seen one in his previous life either!
The experience of this journey to the underworld had been far too intense for him.
Only at this moment did the fact that he had come to a cultivation world truly strike him.
Previously, cultivating in the kitchen gardens, he had been like Lord Ye professing his love of dragons: following the crowd, cultivating merely for cultivation's sake.
Now, having witnessed ghosts and the underworld firsthand, only amid these layers of peril had Ao Ding truly developed a trace of longing for the Dao.
"Senior, was the place we just visited the Yellow Springs? Was it that lady's Dharma Realm Spirit Land?"
"Indeed. That was her grave. She established a Dharma realm beneath her own burial mound, at the intersection of the yin and yang worlds. Thus, when we travel through the Nine Netherworlds, we can use the paths through ghost cultivators' Dharma realms. But really-you're far too timid, boy. Just one road through the Yellow Springs frightened you like that?"
"That stone residence was terribly cold. The chill pierced my bones and almost felt fatal. Those Yellow Springs were horrifying, with ghosts crying and wailing. They made my heart quail." Ao Ding covered his left eye, filled with awe toward that beauty.
She had dared to build her yin residence inside a great devil's mouth.
Such courage was hardly that of an ordinary person-or an ordinary ghost.
His left eye had glimpsed the beauty's skeletal form, as well as the bloody corpses and bones filling the giant devil's mouth.
How was that a ghostly manor or yin residence? It was plainly a domain of death!
The deathly energy there was a hundred, a thousand times denser than that on Sun Chen.
Watching the eastern sun, Ao Ding silently stood and began gathering qi.
Only when a thread of warmth slowly spread through his body did Ao Ding's mind settle completely.
Old Daoist Sun studied Ao Ding, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.
"His qi-refining progress isn't slow-though his left eye is a burden, it also assists his qi refinement. Looking at it that way..."
A question occurred to him. Once Ao Ding stopped, he carefully asked about his past progress in Foundation Establishment.
Meanwhile, the beautiful woman stood before the stone residence. Looking at the returned bridal sedan, she instructed the paper maids beside her, "Put it away."
The four eyeless, wax-yellow paper maids slowly shouldered the bridal sedan and carried it inside the cave abode.
"Madam! Wang of the Seven Spirits Sect requests an audience."
Just then, another voice sounded outside the earthen mound.
The beauty frowned slightly. "Why has this boy come?"
With a wave, she opened the entrance to her Spirit-Realm Dharma Realm, guiding Wang Weilong down.
"Wang boy, instead of properly managing the Seven Spirits Sect, what have you come looking for me for?"
Her words carried unmistakable authority, while strands of golden light flowed around her.
This martial uncle has touched Light-Combining Spirit Refinement too.
Wang Weilong sighed inwardly, but spoke respectfully. "I've come to ask whether Uncle-Master Sun has visited."
"Mm-what do you want with him?"
Somewhat surprised, the beauty raised her brows at him.
Wang Weilong grew anxious. "Martial uncle really was here? Was there a fourteen-year-old child with him?"
The beauty nodded. "There was indeed a little child, though he was rather timid."
Timid?
Was Ao Ding a timid person?
Wang Weilong was somewhat puzzled, but still dutifully asked where they had gone.
"They took the road through the Yellow Springs. Where they went, I don't know either. Why, do you have business with that child? Surely he didn't steal some treasure from your Seven Spirits Sect?"
"If he'd stolen a treasure of ours, that would be wonderful. With that karmic connection, our Seven Spirits Sect would be secure for centuries to come. But-he himself is the greatest treasure of our Seven Spirits Sect."
Wang Weilong smiled bitterly and told the beauty who Ao Ding was.
The beauty thought nothing of it.
"He's only a promising cultivation prospect. So what if you give him to my senior brother? My senior brother is dying, yet instead of finding a way to give him Liberation by Violence and lay him to rest, you keep making excuses. And you won't even let him find another successor? All the care he showed your Seven Spirits Sect in the past was utterly wasted."
"Even if you picked ten disciples from the inner sect, Martial Aunt, that would be better than taking Ao Ding away!"
Seeing that the beauty still thought little of it, Wang Weilong gave a miserable smile. "Madam, do you know how long Ao Ding took to complete Foundation Establishment?"
The hundred days of Foundation Establishment were a compulsory course in cultivation for the immortal sects.
The principle was to gather one breath of qi each day, forming primordial qi in a hundred days.
Once primordial qi formed, one entered the Seed Qi Realm.
"How long? Fifty days?" Madam Chi Mei's expression was calm.
The sect master silently shook his head.
Among this generation of outer disciples in the Seven Spirits Sect, there were already five or six youths who had successfully completed Qi-Seeding within fifty days. In the Seven Spirits Sect's inner court, eight or nine out of ten disciples had such aptitude. If that were all Ao Ding's aptitude amounted to, how could he have caught Wang Weilong's eye?
The hundred days of Foundation Establishment were how the Seven Spirits Sect, and indeed all immortal sects under heaven, tested those with a fated affinity.
Immortal arts were profound and wondrous. Even ordinary mortals who toiled day and night might form a qi seed within a few decades and step into the Seed Qi Realm. But for those with such aptitude to squander their entire lives in an immortal sect would not only waste the sect's resources, but also do them a disservice.
Thus, the Six Sects had established a rule: they would impart the secret Foundation Establishment art, the "Supreme Void Divine Transformation Primal Spirit Jade Immortal Art," to test all living beings.
Completing Foundation Establishment within a hundred days meant passing.
Succeeding within fifty days meant superior aptitude.
After a moment's thought, Wang Weilong made a hand gesture to Madam Chi Mei.
"Five? Twenty-five days?" Madam Chi Mei exclaimed in surprise. "Such progress surpasses even your master's back then! And he was the reincarnation of a True Disciple of the Guangfa Sect."
The sect master shook his head again.
"Fifteen days? Surely it couldn't be five days? Completing Qi-Seeding in five days? That... with cultivation like that, he could go straight to the Six Sects and seek a master! It's understandable that you'd cling to such a true seed, a vessel of the Dao, and refuse to let go."
Sect Master Wang watched shock fill Madam Chi Mei's face. His mouth felt a little dry as he said quietly, "Ten hours."
"How long?"
Madam Chi Mei felt she might have been cultivating too diligently lately and was showing signs of qi deviation. Otherwise, why would she be hearing things?
"What did you say?"
She walked up to Sect Master Wang and stared fixedly at Wang Weilong.
Wang Weilong also understood what had shocked Yin Chimei. "Ten hours," he said bitterly. "He completed Qi-Seeding in ten hours."
Before you continue