The moment they set foot on Netherworld soil, an indescribable heaviness pressed in from all directions. It was not merely an increase in physical gravity, but more like rejection and suppression from the world's very rules. The spiritual energy in the air was pitifully thin, replaced by a dense, inescapable aura of yin and death. Breathing it into their lungs brought bone-deep cold and the stench of decay, making Su Yan and the others, as The Living, intensely uncomfortable. Their spiritual power circulated at least thirty percent more sluggishly than it had in the mortal realm.
Looking around, they found themselves in a land beyond all common sense.
The sky was an eternally oppressive dusky yellow. There were no sun, moon, or stars, only distorted patches of light that wriggled slowly like dying eyes, casting shifting, unreal shadows. The earth was dark red, as though it had been soaked in endless blood before drying for countless millennia. Strands of black baleful energy occasionally seeped from its cracked fissures. In the distance, twisted and grotesque mountains lay silently along the horizon like the skeletal remains of slumbering beasts.
There was no wind, yet a frigid current constantly spiraled soundlessly through the air, stirring gray-white dust like bone ash from the ground. Half-transparent [Wandering Souls] (Level 33, Common) with indistinct forms drifted aimlessly about. They seemed to sense Su Yan and the other "living," but most merely watched from afar without attacking at once. Strange plants occasionally appeared as well, such as [Soul Guiding Flowers] that glowed ghostly blue and resembled spectral hands, or [Sighing Grass], black from root to leaf, its leaves shaped like weeping human faces. They lent this dead land an even more eerie atmosphere.
"So... this is the Netherworld?" Bai Zhi murmured softly. Even with Buddhist light protecting her body, she still felt an instinctive rejection and discomfort born of life itself. Even the luster of the Willow Branch in her hand seemed to have dimmed.
Mo Hen inspected his mechanisms, his brow deeply furrowed. "The environment is highly corrosive. Spiritual energy conduction efficiency has dropped by nearly forty percent, and mechanism durability is being consumed more than twice as fast as outside. What an unfriendly place."
Cloud mist swirled around Yun Ji, seemingly adapting to and filtering the yin-death aura around her. She watched the distorted patches of light in the sky and said coolly, "The laws of this realm differ greatly. Its space-time structure is also unstable. We must remain cautious at all times."
Xingxuan was the most restless of them all. The Star Map Veins on its carapace lit up on their own, driving away the yin energy trying to approach. The star vortex at its tail continuously emitted a low hum, displaying intense disgust toward this place. It was, after all, a living creature, utterly out of place in this silent world of the dead.
Su Yan took a deep breath and forced himself to adapt to the discomfort. He took out the Compass and saw that its silver light was more active than it had been in the mortal realm, even trembling faintly on its own. The Star Map in his mind seemed to have been infused with life. The [Netherworld Beacon], which had originally only marked directions, now shone brilliantly, pointing like a lighthouse into the depths of this dim yellow world. What alarmed Su Yan even more was that the Compass's newly unlocked [Energy Trace] function was continuously detecting extremely faint energy ripples from the surroundings—ripples filled with distortion, chaos, and disharmony. They were the pollution emitted by the "Rule Tumor"!
"The Compass's response is very strong. The Rule Tumor is in that direction, and it doesn't seem to be especially far from where we entered." Su Yan pointed in the direction indicated by the Netherworld Beacon. "But its polluted ripples are everywhere around us. Be careful. Any anomaly could be a trap."
They began to advance cautiously in the indicated direction. Before they had gone far, a group of grotesque creatures blocked their way. They were monsters that seemed to have been forcibly fused from countless shattered souls. Their bodies constantly twisted and changed shape, producing a teeth-grating tearing sound. They were called [Soul Devouring Beasts] (Level 35, Elite). They had no fixed form, attacked in bizarre ways, could unleash spiritual assaults, and could rapidly reform after being struck by physical attacks.
At the same time, the ground split open, and several [Remains of Yin Soldiers] (Level 34, Common) crawled out. Clad in tattered Netherworld-standard armor, green ghostfire burning in their eye sockets, they held rusted weapons and closed in with stiff steps.
"The adaptation battle begins!" Su Yan shouted low as he struck first. He tried to use a [Lightning Talisman], only to find that the lightning it summoned was weak and dim in this place. Its power was greatly reduced, and it was far less effective against the Soul Devouring Beasts than it had been against resentful spirits in the mortal realm.
"The laws of the Netherworld reject righteous lightning!" Yun Ji immediately warned. "Try using yin-attributed power or the Origin Power of Stars!"
Su Yan immediately changed tactics, unleashing the [Soul Chasing Talisman]. The purple lightning and black patterns seemed perfectly at home here, dealing considerable damage to the Soul Devouring Beasts. At the same time, he circulated his Star Power. Though suppressed, the inherently balanced and harmonious Power of Stars remained effective against these chaotic soul forms.
Xingxuan let out a long roar, and [Starlight Breath] surged forth. The silvery-white stellar breath illuminated a small area, dealing significant damage to both the Soul Devouring Beasts and the Remains of Yin Soldiers. Its added Soul-Scorching effect in particular made the Soul Devouring Beasts release agonized shrieks. It flashed forward like lightning, using [Star Vortex Sky Rend Strike] to target the cores of the Remains of Yin Soldiers with remarkable efficiency.
Mo Hen's enchanted crossbow bolts were only moderately effective, but he immediately switched mechanisms and deployed a large number of [Frost Traps] and [Soul Power Disruptors], effectively limiting the monsters' movement and attack frequency. Bai Zhi's Buddhist arts were highly effective against the Remains of Yin Soldiers. Under the all-pervading Buddhist light, the baleful energy on their bodies melted away like snow and ice. Against the purely soul-based Soul Devouring Beasts, however, she mainly relied on the [Golden Cudgel Spell] to restrain and weaken them.
After a fierce battle, they finally cleared out the Netherworld creatures. The fight had been more difficult than expected. The environment's suppressive effects were obvious, and everyone had consumed a great deal of spiritual power and stamina.
"We need to find a relatively safe route as soon as possible and adapt to fighting here," Mo Hen said, catching his breath.
They continued onward, deliberately avoiding areas where the Compass indicated especially concentrated pollution ripples. However, while crossing a depression filled with twisted black dead bones, the Compass suddenly began to shake violently!
The pollution ripples here were exceptionally clear, and the air was filled with a nauseating smell, as if countless negative emotions had been mixed together and left to ferment. At the center of the depression, the scenery within one area warped faintly, as though viewed through a layer of filthy frosted glass.
Su Yan instinctively focused his Spiritual Power on the Compass, trying to sense the source of the pollution more clearly. At the instant his Spiritual Power deeply merged with the Compass's [Energy Trace] function—
"Boom!"
A chaotic, fragmented vision filled with pain and madness crashed violently into his mind!
It was an ancient divine palace of endless splendor, its majesty blanketing the entire Netherworld... A figure in an obsidian imperial robe embroidered with dragon patterns sat upon a throne forged from white bones and Netherworld metal. A crown of hanging jade beads rested upon its head, and though its face was blurred, its authority was boundless. It ruled over ten thousand ghosts and controlled reincarnation... Yet within the endless darkness, a trace of filth silently seeped in. Like ink dripping into clear water, it rapidly spread... The imperial robe became stained with corruption, cracks appeared in the crown, and the majestic figure let out an unwilling, agonized roar. Its power began to spiral out of control, its will became twisted, the divine palace collapsed, and the laws crumbled... In the end, everything returned to deathly silence, leaving only an enormous, constantly pulsating "tumor" rooted in the very origin of the Netherworld, radiating chaos and destruction...
The vision ended abruptly.
Su Yan staggered back several steps, his face pale and cold sweat beading at his temples. His head throbbed as though pierced by needles.
"Brother Su!" "Fellow Daoist Su!" The others hurriedly supported him.
"I... I'm fine." Su Yan panted, his eyes filled with shock and horror. "I saw... part of the truth behind the Rule Tumor... It may have formed after an ancient Netherworld ruler was corroded and twisted by the Power of the End!"
The news shook everyone to the core. A ruler of the Netherworld! What kind of being had that been? Even such an existence had been polluted by the Power of the End and turned into a malignant tumor of the world? Just how terrifying was this Power of the End?
"That ruler... the remnants of its consciousness seem to be enduring endless pain..." Bai Zhi's compassion stirred, and a tremor entered her voice.
Yun Ji's expression was incomparably grave. "Corroding a ruler and twisting the laws... This is no ordinary calamity. It is corruption at the very foundation of the world."
After a brief rest, they continued on with heavy hearts. Learning part of the truth behind the Rule Tumor had not relieved them. Instead, it made them feel an even heavier responsibility and pressure.
As they ventured deeper, the direction indicated by the Compass became clearer and clearer. Finally, after crossing a forest of black stone spikes that pointed skyward like Sharp Swords, they saw a horrifying sight:
The terrain ahead had been extensively altered. A crude but fully functional camp had been built on a relatively flat stretch of land! Black banners bearing the emblem of the End Times Cult stood around it, while figures draped in black robes and exuding frigid auras moved through the camp. Outside the camp wandered large numbers of even more ferocious Netherworld creatures, their bodies wreathed in black Breath of the End—[Corrupted Soul Devouring Beasts], [End Times Yin Soldiers], and more. Most were between Levels 36 and 38, clearly minions converted and controlled by the End Times Cult.
Deeper within the camp, they could vaguely make out the outline of an altar built from countless bones and twisted metal, radiating intense spatial fluctuations and Filthy Energy! That had to be where they intended to conduct their ritual—the forward outpost at the edge of Yin Soul Ravine!
The End Times Cult had already extended its reach this far and established a solid foothold.
Su Yan and the others concealed themselves behind a massive black boulder, staring from afar at the brightly lit camp—lit by ghostly green flames—and its tight defenses. Their expressions were utterly grim.
The road ahead had been blocked by powerful enemies.
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