Several years passed in the blink of an eye.
"I finally did it."
Zhou Qing looked with satisfaction at the miniature world in his hand, where fierce winds raged.
He had spent this time studying the Dark World manual.
Dark World had eight levels: the Kun Earth Realm, Gen Mountain Realm, Kan Water Realm, Xun Wind Realm, Zhen Thunder Realm, Li Fire Realm, Dui Marsh Realm, and Qian Heaven Realm. Together, they corresponded to the way of the Eight Trigrams.
Thus, to comprehend the supreme art of Dark World, one needed not only a sufficiently strong grasp of the Path of Space, but also some attainment in the way of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams.
For example, to master the second level, the Gen Mountain Realm, a cultivator needed some comprehension of the way of earth.
By the same principle, the third through seventh levels required cultivators to have some comprehension of the ways of water, wind, thunder, fire, and so on, respectively.
With his second-level Space Power and considerable attainment in the way of the Five Elements, Zhou Qing had no trouble comprehending the first three levels of Dark World. Only the fourth, the Xun Wind Realm, posed him a slight challenge.
But after a few months, he had mastered it with ease.
During this time, Zhou Qing also came to understand that Dark World was, at its core, a supreme art for suppressing others.
Simply put, it used Space Power as a catalyst to contain the power of chaos and form a world that suppressed enemies.
Moreover, with each additional level of Dark World mastered, the world it formed grew heavier, making it harder for enemies to break free of its suppression.
It was indeed a manual created by a mighty figure who had reached the fifth level of Space Power.
Zhou Qing nodded inwardly.
Just as he was about to continue practicing this profound supreme art, someone outside his immortal cave suddenly sent a message requesting an audience.
Hmm?
After learning the visitor's identity, Zhou Qing frowned deeply.
Taibai Jinxing... Why has he come...
Though puzzled by the purpose of his visit, Zhou Qing released the formation restrictions on his immortal cave and let Taibai Jinxing in.
Zhou Qing then saw Taibai Jinxing enter the immortal cave in small steps, carrying something like a scroll in his hands.
"This humble immortal pays his respects to Exalted Immortal Taixu."
While still some ten paces away from Zhou Qing, Taibai Jinxing bowed respectfully.
"Please, Star Lord, dispense with the formalities." Zhou Qing waved a hand. "May I ask why you've come?"
"Haha..." Taibai Jinxing gave a fawning smile. "I've come to congratulate you on a joyous occasion, Exalted Immortal!"
"Oh?" Zhou Qing chuckled. "And what occasion might that be?"
At Zhou Qing's question, Taibai Jinxing immediately unrolled the Heavenly Emperor's decree in his hands and read it aloud.
When Zhou Qing heard that the Heavenly Emperor intended to appoint him Great Emperor of Fengdu, an odd look came over his face.
Great Emperor of Fengdu?
Hearing that the Heavenly Emperor intended to grant him a divine office so renowned in his previous life, he felt an inexplicable sense of absurdity.
He promptly prepared to turn down the post.
If he had transmigrated into a story about the divine path, or an immortal dynasty, he might have had some interest in the appointment.
But this was the world of Desolate Era!
Other than cultivating and comprehending the Dao, everything else was superfluous.
"Disciple, accept it."
Just then, however, Daoist Sanqing's voice suddenly sounded by his ear.
Though Zhou Qing did not quite understand why Daoist Sanqing had said that, he swallowed the words he had been about to speak.
"I am honored by the Heavenly Emperor's regard. In that case, I shall accept the post."
Taibai Jinxing was overjoyed to hear Zhou Qing say this.
"With Your Majesty accepting the post, the Grand Heavenly Venerable will surely be delighted."
He then presented the Heavenly Emperor's decree and took out a storage treasure. "These are treasures from the Heavenly Court for Your Majesty, a small token of the Grand Heavenly Venerable's goodwill."
After accepting it, Zhou Qing inspected its contents. Inside were immortal pills, immortal wine, and two high-grade Xiantian Spirit-Treasures.
Quite a generous gift...
Zhou Qing immediately held the Heavenly Emperor in higher regard.
After all, Xiantian Spirit-Treasures were still very precious to Pure Yang True Immortals.
"Please thank the Heavenly Emperor for me," Zhou Qing said to Taibai Jinxing with a smile.
If he could get two Xiantian Spirit-Treasures for free, there was no harm in being the Great Emperor of Fengdu.
Cultivation was cultivation wherever he went, so he could simply stay in the Netherworld from now on.
Though he was going to the Netherworld to take up his post, Zhou Qing was in no hurry to leave.
He planned to find Lü Dongbin first and bid him farewell.
But Lü Dongbin was restless by nature. Only a few months had passed, and he had already gone traveling to some unknown lower realm.
With no other choice, Zhou Qing had to make his way to the Netherworld alone.
The Netherworld, Fengdu City.
With a ripple in space, Zhou Qing appeared at the gates of Fengdu City.
Looking at the towering black walls before him, he nodded. He was becoming more and more adept at using Grand Teleportation.
"Your Majesty has come from afar. I, Cui, have failed to come out and welcome you."
A distant, indistinct voice came from the black mist.
Zhou Qing looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged man in a green robe emerge from the mist, accompanied by ten strange-looking men in official robes.
"You are too courteous, Lord Cui."
Having guessed the man's identity, Zhou Qing did not dare put on airs and immediately went forward to meet him.
"Sorry to trouble you and the Yama Kings to welcome me, Lord Cui."
The reason Zhou Qing was so courteous was, naturally, Lord Cui's identity.
Though only a Pure Yang True Immortal, he had a very special identity: he was the reincarnation of the treasure spirit of Nuwa's treasure, the Book of Life and Death.
In particular, he also controlled the Nuwa Immortal Realm, a core foundation of the Nuwa Faction. His status was probably beyond even that of an ordinary Dao Ancestor.
Seeing how courteous Zhou Qing was, the Yama Kings of the Ten Courts secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
When the Heavenly Court had told them that it was sending a Great Emperor of Fengdu, and that this Great Emperor was Daoist Sanqing's newly accepted disciple, they had broken into a cold sweat, afraid that their future Great Emperor would be difficult to get along with.
Now it seemed they had judged a gentleman by their own petty standards.
Zhou Qing exchanged a few more courtesies with Lord Cui and the Yama Kings of the Ten Courts.
Lord Cui then led him to the core of the Underworld-the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
The Yellow Springs Road, the Bridge of Helplessness, the Three Lives Stone...
Along the way, Zhou Qing took in the various sights and landscapes unique to Fengdu City.
At last, when he reached the head of the Bridge of Helplessness, he saw a plain-looking old woman feeding soup, one by one, to the ghosts about to enter reincarnation.
Zhou Qing immediately realized that this woman must be the legendary Granny Meng.
When Granny Meng saw Zhou Qing and Lord Cui, she immediately sent a clone over to them.
"Fellow Daoist Cui, might I ask who this is?"
In answer to Granny Meng's question, Lord Cui introduced him. "Fellow Daoist Meng, this is Fellow Daoist Taixu, a disciple of the Sage Sanqing. The Heavenly Court has now appointed him sovereign of our Netherworld Bureau, the Great Emperor of Fengdu."
"So he is a disciple of the Sage Sanqing." Granny Meng was inwardly surprised.
The Netherworld Bureau has been without a sovereign for tens of trillions of years. Why has one come now, and why is he a disciple of the leader of the Daoist Sect?
Though her thoughts churned like rivers and seas, she bowed and said, "This old woman pays her respects to Your Majesty."
"There's no need for such courtesy, Granny Meng."
Though Zhou Qing said this, his attention was wholly drawn to the six unfathomably deep abysses behind Granny Meng.
Chaos, space, time, karma, yin and yang, fate...
In the space of a few breaths, Zhou Qing glimpsed the mysteries of dozens of Daos within them.
"Your Majesty, this is the Six Paths of Reincarnation."
Seeing that Zhou Qing's attention had been drawn to the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Lord Cui explained with a smile.
"Long ago, the ancient Pangu World was destroyed, reincarnation collapsed, and living beings were plunged into misery."
"Mother Nuwa, who had already reached the Pangu God level, took pity on all living beings and rebuilt the Six Paths of Reincarnation with her immense magic power and divine abilities."
"These rebuilt Six Paths of Reincarnation contain Mother Nuwa's comprehension of the Dao. Over countless years, an unknown number of mighty figures have come to our Underworld to study them."
"Of course, most returned empty-handed. Only a few dozen managed to make a breakthrough."