327: The atmosphere has reached this point, why aren't you playing by the rules, Divine Child?

How does one get to the Netherworld?

When Su Chen's light, almost casual question echoed through the great hall.

The entire Nine Heavens Palace instantly fell into a deathly silence.

The expression on the face of the Eighteenth Ancestor, who had just been tearfully and passionately pleading with Su Chen to save the Family from peril, froze solid.

His mouth hung open, his eyes wide, as he stared dumbfounded at Su Chen, as if he were hearing things.

What... what was I just saying?

I was talking about the Family being on the brink of collapse! I was saying you are our last hope! I was entrusting you with the entire Family's future!

The mood was perfectly set!

You're not thinking about how to turn the tide, how to save the world, how to make some passionate 'thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river' declaration... Instead, you ask me how to get to the Netherworld?

What kind of godly mental gymnastics is this?!

This topic shift is way too fast! So fast my old back is about to snap!

Elder Su Qi was even more dumbstruck, kneeling on the ground with his mouth agape for a long moment.

Your Highness the Divine Son!

Not following the script is one thing, but this isn't how you're supposed to not follow it!

[Huh? Why has everyone gone silent?]

Su Chen looked at the petrified Old Ancestor before him, feeling a bit puzzled.

[Does he not know how to get to the Netherworld either? That shouldn't be right, having lived so long, his knowledge should be vast, right?]

[Or is going to the Netherworld some kind of taboo topic? Not to be asked casually?]

[Sigh, forget it. If he doesn't know, he doesn't know. I can just find my own way later. Let's get back to discussing the reward, that's the real business at hand.]

Just as Su Chen was about to steer the conversation back to the core issue of 'issuing rewards'.

The Eighteenth Ancestor finally snapped out of his petrified state.

The muscles on his face twitched unnaturally, forcing out a smile uglier than crying, and he asked tentatively:

"Y-Your Highness the Divine Son... wh-what you just asked was... going to the Netherworld?"

"That's right," Su Chen nodded matter-of-factly. "My wives were captured by people from the Netherworld. I need to go fish them out. It's quite urgent."

Wives?

And... 'wives' plural?

The corner of the Eighteenth Ancestor's eye twitched violently again.

He suddenly realized he might never have truly understood this 'Divine Son'.

In his plans, Su Chen should have been a 'Son of Destiny' bearing a sea of blood feuds, mentally resilient, and solely focused on reviving the Family.

But now it seems... this guy looks more like a... salted fish who just wants to be in love and dabble in a side hustle on the side?

The Eighteenth Ancestor took a deep breath, trying desperately to get his train of thought to catch up with Su Chen's pace.

He pondered for a moment before slowly speaking: "Your Highness the Divine Son, the Netherworld... is the land of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. It exists in a different dimension from the Myriad Realms we inhabit."

"It and the Immortal Realm are like the two sides of a coin, interdependent yet non-interfering, clearly demarcated."

Hearing this, Su Chen's eyes lit up.

[Oh, sounds quite professional. Looks promising!]

"Under normal circumstances, only after a living being dies will its Divine Soul be guided by the Laws of the Netherworld to enter Reincarnation."

"For a living person to enter the Netherworld is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Not only must they endure the erosion of the Netherworld's Laws, but they would also become the enemy of all living beings within the Netherworld."

"However..." the Eighteenth Ancestor's tone shifted.

Su Chen immediately pricked up his ears.

"There are always exceptions to everything," the Eighteenth Ancestor's gaze turned solemn. "If Your Highness wishes to go to the Netherworld, you must first journey to the Immortal Domain."

"Among the many realms of the Immortal Domain, there lurks an extremely ancient and mysterious force known as—the Fallen Immortal Divine Cult!"

"Fallen Immortal Divine Cult?" Su Chen repeated the name.

"Correct," the Eighteenth Ancestor nodded, a flash of deep apprehension in his eyes. "They are a group of... utter lunatics! They call themselves 'Fallen Immortals', Cultivate the Mortal World Demonic Path, act erratically, neither purely good nor evil, and have no taboos whatsoever."

"Rumor has it they control an ancient passageway that can bypass the Heavenly Dao's Laws and allow one to sneak into the Netherworld."

"If Your Highness wishes to go to the Netherworld, finding them might be the only way."

"But!" the Eighteenth Ancestor's tone suddenly intensified. "The Fallen Immortal Divine Cult operates in secrecy and is extremely dangerous! They never interact with outsiders. Anyone who trespasses into their territory is mercilessly eliminated! If Your Highness seeks them out, you must... be extremely cautious!"

Hearing this, Su Chen nodded thoughtfully.

[Fallen Immortal Divine Cult...]

[Alright, noted. So to save my wives, I still have to go to the Immortal Domain first.]

[But the Immortal Domain is so vast. Finding this so-called Divine Sect probably won't be easy either. Sigh, troublesome.]

He committed this matter to memory, then looked up at the Eighteenth Ancestor and steered the conversation back again.

"Alright, I understand this matter now."

"Now let's talk about something else."

He rubbed his hands together, an expectant expression appearing on his face.

"Old Ancestor, look, this time, for the harmony and stability of the Family, I've taken action, used my brain, exerted myself mentally and physically, and even delayed my precious Cultivation time."

"Shouldn't there be some... compensation for that?"

"Like some Immortal Artifacts, Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills or something. Just give me whatever, I'm not picky."

The Eighteenth Ancestor: "..."

The great hall once again fell into an eerie silence.

Looking at Su Chen's righteous, hand-outstretched-for-money demeanor, he felt his worldview being refreshed yet again.

I talk to you about the Family's great righteousness, and you talk to us about personal romantic affairs.

I talk to you about forbidden secrets, and you talk to me about... service fees?

Can this conversation even continue?!