518: Underworld

After burying Elder Xuan, Xiao Chen, Murong Gu did not leave the Immortal Cave immediately.

He knew well that only by becoming stronger as quickly as possible could he live up to the Remolding Spirit Crystal Elder Xuan had gifted him at the cost of his life, and fulfill the promise to find Elder Xuan's daughter.

He sealed the stone door of the Immortal Cave, laid down a simple defensive Formation with Spiritual Qi, took out the blood-colored jade box, and brushed his fingertips over the warm spirit crystal. He then sat cross-legged on the prayer mat where Elder Xuan used to meditate, formally beginning the remolding of his Foundation.

The moment the spirit crystal entered his body, violent and pure Spiritual Qi swept through him like thousands of red-hot needles, piercing his Meridians and seeping into his bones. His old Foundation shattered inch by inch under the scouring power of the spirit crystal, the intense pain causing Murong Gu to twitch all over and break into a cold sweat.

Murong Gu gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to faint, and simultaneously circulated three major Cultivation Techniques, cultivating against the tide of pain.

The Murong Family's Golden Spirit Art operated at high speed, with Spiritual Qi surging through his limbs and bones, tempering the Physical Body damaged by the shattering Foundation, making his bones and muscles even tougher amidst the agony.

The Azure Origin Art taught by Elder Xuan combed through the violent Spiritual Qi, strengthening and widening his Meridians, making his true essence increasingly mellow and condensed, laying a solid Foundation for the power of his Spells.

Meanwhile, the ancient Divine Illumination Seamless Record nourished his Divine Soul, allowing him to precisely control the flow of Spiritual Qi even in extreme pain. The three complemented each other, achieving a simultaneous advancement of essence, qi, and spirit.

Time passed in a cycle of pain and cultivation. In just five months, the power of the spirit crystal was completely exhausted, and Murong Gu's Foundation remolding finally reached Perfection.

He slowly opened his eyes, gold and green light intertwining in his gaze, as the Spiritual Qi around him surged like waves.

This remolding had actually forged his originally mediocre Foundation into the once-in-ten-thousand-years Purple Gold Black Dragon Bone. Coupled with the tempering of the Golden Scale Art, it even awakened the Nine Heavens Dragon Physique. Not only was his Spiritual Qi capacity far beyond ordinary people, but his physical defense and cultivation speed also reached the Peak of the same rank.

The Breakthrough in his Realm followed naturally. He advanced triumphantly from the Early Golden Core Stage, easily crossing the barriers of the Middle Stage and Late Stage, steadily stopping at Golden Core Peak, only a step away from the Nascent Soul Realm.

Such a cultivation speed was rare even in the five-thousand-year history of the Eternal Continent.

Deep within the Immortal Cave lay Elder Xuan's lifelong collection. The bookshelves were filled with Cultivation Techniques, combat methods, and Formation manuals scavenged from various places, ranging from basic sword manuals to high-level Spells, and from defensive Formations to offensive combat skills.

Besides stabilizing his Realm every day, Murong Gu devoted himself to studying these manuals, discarding the violent essence of the Demonic Techniques and incorporating their strengths into himself.

He placed particular importance on sword-type Spells. Within a few months, he mastered dozens of sword moves, from the deceptive "Thousand Layers of Sword Shadows" to the offensive "Golden Scale Array Breaker." Every move was practiced to Perfection, and his combat power soared.

After another month or so, Murong Gu repeatedly refined his Golden Core Peak stage, but found that the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the Immortal Cave was no longer enough to support further progress, and his Realm hit a Bottleneck.

He knew that working in isolation would never lead to greatness; only by stepping into the vast world to gain experience, refining his skills in actual combat, and accumulating insights could he break through his shackles.

On the eve of his departure, Murong Gu packed his belongings, properly stored Elder Xuan's manuals and the blood-colored jade box, and tucked away the half-piece of the Twin Moon Jade Pendant close to his body.

He walked slowly to the secret chamber, knelt before Xiao Chen's remains, and bowed deeply three times: "Elder Xuan, I am leaving today. I will certainly not fail your trust. I will Cultivate tirelessly to break through my Realm and travel across the mountains and rivers to find your daughter. When I succeed in the future, I will surely return here to pay my respects and comfort your soul in heaven."

Having said that, he stood up, gripped the flowing cloud sword, pushed open the heavy stone door, and resolutely stepped into the unknown path ahead, facing the faint light of the Soul Severing Forest.

That upright figure, carrying two obsessions, walked toward a broader world... Deep within the Netherworld, inside the Palace of the Nether Emperor where ten thousand ghosts bowed their heads.

The obsidian-paved floor of the hall shimmered with a cold luster, and chains were wrapped around the pillars, binding the remnant souls of ancient vengeful spirits.

On the highest Nether Iron Throne in the hall sat Xiao Jingyan, the Lord of the Netherworld.

He wore a black robe with dark patterns, his ink-black hair falling to his shoulders. His face was handsome but exuded a thousand-year-old coldness. The pressure of his half-immortal body was almost tangible, permeating the entire hall and freezing the very air.

Suddenly, Xiao Jingyan's fingers on the armrest paused slightly. A faint ripple passed through his eyes before they returned to their usual indifference.

He slowly closed his eyes and spread out his Divine Sense, crossing the barrier between the Netherworld and the Eternal World, finally settling on that abandoned Immortal Cave in the Soul Severing Forest—the Divine Soul mark belonging to Xiao Chen had completely dissipated.

"Xiao Chen..." Xiao Jingyan murmured softly, his tone betraying no emotion, with only a hint of imperceptible sighing hidden deep in his eyes.

According to the Lifespan he had previously calculated for Xiao Chen, even if this person had discarded his Demonic Techniques and lived in seclusion in the Mortal Realm, he should still have had two or three years left. He had passed away so abruptly.

He raised his hand and tapped the armrest of the throne as fragments of the past flashed through his mind: A thousand years ago, that dying boy in the slave market who still had a fierce look in his eyes followed him through battles across the land, growing from a nobody into the Blood Shadow Demon Venerable who shook the Three Realms, becoming one of his four most trusted Demon Generals.

Some time ago, Xiao Chen had made a special trip back to the Netherworld, using his lifelong combat achievements as leverage to ask him for a Remolding Pill.

Xiao Jingyan at that time had already seen through his intentions; he must have met a Junior in the Mortal Realm who suited his fancy and wanted to take them as a Disciple to help them change their fate against the heavens.

"That old fellow," a faint self-deprecating smile touched the corner of his mouth, "instead of staying as a Netherworld Demon General, he insisted on retiring to the Mortal Realm to seek warmth, only to end up like this."

Having worked together for a thousand years, even though Xiao Chen later turned away from slaughter and retired to the Mortal Realm, Xiao Jingyan still felt some old sentiment for him.

This sigh was fleeting; after all, he was the Lord of the Netherworld and had long since grown accustomed to life and death.

Moreover, he simply could not descend to the Mortal world in person to see Xiao Chen one last time.

To the outside world, everyone in the Netherworld thought their master disdained stepping into the Mortal Realm, viewing the Eternal World as a place where ants dwelled.

Only Xiao Jingyan himself knew that he didn't dare to go—out of fear of the man named Liu Yan.

Xiao Jingyan was now at the Peak Undergoing Tribulation stage, possessing a half-immortal body and commanding millions of Ghost Soldiers in the Netherworld; his strength was enough to intimidate the Three Realms.

Yet, he always remained wary of Liu Yan.

The Black Lotus World Annihilation Art cultivated by Liu Yan was sinister and overbearing, capable of absorbing the negative energy of the entire Eternal World for his own use; slaughter, resentment, and pain could all be transformed into his cultivation.

Although the Netherworld was large, its territory was less than one-ten-thousandth of the Eternal World; in terms of energy volume alone, it was destined to be unable to contend with Liu Yan.

What made Xiao Jingyan even more wary was that Liu Yan's Realm had long been unfathomable.

For years, he had been secretly investigating Liu Yan's whereabouts and cultivation, but had found nothing.

That unknown fear was like a thorn deeply embedded in his heart.

Xiao Jingyan dreamed of killing Liu Yan for revenge—not only to completely eliminate the threat but also because of the Heart Demon caused by Liu Yan preventing him from killing Zhuge Mo back then.

All these years, he had exhausted the power of the Netherworld to search everywhere for the legendary god realm shardss, all to find the capital to contend with Liu Yan.

The secret of the god realm shardss was information that naturally surfaced in his mind after he created the Netherworld and achieved a half-immortal body: by obtaining just one god realm shards, one could use it as a Foundation to create a Small World where the Laws operated on their own.

And the creator could absorb the energy of the Small World and convert it into their own.

While Xiao Jingyan was deep in thought, a burly figure strode into the Palace of the Nether Emperor, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a voice as loud as thunder: "Master!" The newcomer wore silver armor, had a resolute face, and was surrounded by the aura of a thunderstorm; he was the leader of the Four Major Demon Generals, the Thunder Shadow Demon Venerable, Xiao Lei.

"What is it?" Xiao Jingyan opened his eyes, a cold light flashing within them as the pressure around him intensified.

Xiao Lei bowed his head and cupped his hands, his tone respectful yet unable to hide his urgency: "This subordinate has found news of a god realm shards! In the Fallen Immortal Valley in the southern part of the Eternal World, a heaven-and-earth phenomenon recently occurred—clouds are surging in the valley, and space-time is distorted. Any Mortals who accidentally enter, even if missing for only one day, emerge transformed from young children into white-haired elders, suggesting a special time gap has formed."

He paused and added, "god realm shardss can interfere with the Laws of space-time, triggering such phenomena. This subordinate speculates that a god realm shards must be hidden within the Fallen Immortal Valley!"