Enlightenment through Life and Death

The starlight staircase seemed endless, extending downwards into the unfathomable depths of the underground.

The surroundings were no longer rock and soil, but rather like strolling through a miniature starry sky, where countless points of light swirled and flowed, containing indescribable mysteries of the Law.

Azure Glass led the way in silence, her silver hair flowing with a faint luster under the starlight, her figure ethereal, as if she were one with this starry expanse.

Nightmare followed closely behind; he could feel that with every step he took, the pressure around him increased, and that vast, ancient aura grew increasingly dense, constantly scouring his body and Divine Soul.

Had it not been for his Azure Qi and Blood, combined with the tempering of his Myriad Poison Demonic Body and the Heavenly Tribulation, he would likely have been unable to endure it long ago.

Finally, a glimmer of light appeared ahead.

At the end of the staircase was a massive circular platform composed entirely of starlight.

Floating around the platform were nine colossal dark-gold stone steles, covered in dense, constantly shifting ancient characters and patterns, emitting a vast, oceanic pressure and torrent of information.

In the center of the platform was a mass of constantly shifting chaos qi flow, at times vibrant and lush with life, at times deathly silent with all things withering, and at other times intertwined with life and death, in an endless cycle of Reincarnation.

This was the outer Legacy site of the first gate—the location of "The Netherworld Book of Life and Death"!

"I can only escort you this far." Azure Glass stopped at the edge of the platform, her lavender eyes looking at Nightmare.

""The Netherworld Book of Life and Death" is no ordinary Cultivation Technique; it is the master outline created by our ancestors through observing the birth and death of the Universe and comprehending the true meaning of Reincarnation, pointing directly to the Origin of the Dao."

"Whether you can obtain the Legacy and how much you can comprehend depends entirely on your own Comprehension Ability and fate."

"Remember, do not force it; if you sink too deeply into it, you risk Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering."

Her tone carried a rare solemnity.

Nightmare took a deep breath, nodded, and walked onto the starlight platform with firm steps.

As soon as he stepped onto the platform, the nine stone steles seemed to be instantly activated!

Hum—!

A vast torrent of information surged into his Sea of Consciousness from all directions like a burst river!

It was not just words and images, but also contained various insights, questions, deductions, and even… fear regarding life, death, Reincarnation, and the birth and death of the Universe!

The massive information impact almost made his head explode!

At the same time, the mass of chaos qi flow in the center of the platform rolled violently, dividing into countless fine threads that coiled around him like tentacles, each thread carrying a completely different aura—the ultimate vitality could make a person young in an instant, while the ultimate deathly silence could age a person in a moment!

Information impact! Energy baptism!

The dual test descended instantly!

Nightmare let out a muffled groan, and blood even began to seep from his seven orifices!

He felt like a small boat in a raging storm, ready to capsize at any moment!

He forcibly steadied his mind; the tenacious will of the Demon Lord from his past life and the obsession to defy heaven and change his fate in this life supported him.

He did not try to understand all that information; that was impossible.

He simply guarded the clarity in his mind, like an observer, to feel the "core Concept" contained within that torrent of information—the cycle of life and death, the balance between creation and destruction.

His Myriad Poison Nascent Soul automatically appeared above his head, the poison mist and Qi and Blood intertwined around the Nascent Soul, and the broken "Azure Star Crown" on his forehead sprinkled starlight to help him stabilize his Divine Soul.

He recalled the process of refining the Xiangliu Poison; was that not finding a glimmer of life within a desperate situation and turning the power of destruction to his own use?

He recalled the Nirvana light during the Heavenly Tribulation; was that not also the ultimate death, yet he had swallowed a trace of it and merged it into himself?

The Demonic Technique he cultivated inherently contained plunder and destruction, but its purpose was for his own transcendence and "life"!

"Life is not eternal, death is not eternal…"

"Life and death rotate, Nirvana leads to Rebirth…"

"Above the Netherworld, transcend beyond it…"

Passages of profound scriptures emerged naturally in his heart, not by forced memorization, but by feeling and resonating with them.

He no longer resisted the torrent of information but guided it, using the master outline of "The Netherworld Book of Life and Death" as a Foundation to begin reorganizing and reinterpreting what he had learned!

The Foundation of the Demonic Path of the "Starfall Demonic Art" began to disintegrate and restructure, incorporating new insights into "deathly silence" and "plunder."

The toxic properties of the Myriad Poison Demonic Body were incorporated into the Law categories of "destruction" and "termination," thereby seeking the transformation of "exhausting poison to generate vitality."

The "void" and "reality" transformations of the Flowing Cloud Illusory Annihilation Art were combined with the true meaning of life and death regarding "existence" and "nothingness."

Even that trace of Nirvana became the source, becoming the embodiment of the ultimate "death" in the cycle of life and death.

And the core of all this was governed by that ancient and noble "Azure Qi and Blood," like an emperor sitting in the center, harmonizing Yin and Yang, balancing life and death!

Within his Dantian, the Myriad Poison Nascent Soul underwent an earth-shattering change.

The color was no longer a simple dark green, but transformed into a profound "dark nether color" that seemed to contain the starry sky and the abyss.

In the Nascent Soul's small hands, the left hand held a faint green sprout of vitality, while the right hand grasped a trace of grey, deathly air.

Above its forehead, the phantom of the "Azure Star Crown" became more solidified.

He did not know how much time had passed, but the violent torrent of information gradually subsided, and the chaos qi flow in the center of the platform returned to calm.

Nightmare slowly opened his eyes, and the scene of the Universe's birth and death and the turning of Reincarnation flashed through his pupils.

His aura became more restrained and profound, yet carried an inexplicable majesty of controlling life and death.

He had successfully obtained the Legacy of "The Netherworld Book of Life and Death," and using it as a master outline, he had initially integrated his disparate powers, carving out a unique path!

Although his cultivation Realm did not immediately Breakthrough, his Foundation had become incredibly solid, and his understanding and application of power had reached a whole new level.

At this moment, he was confident that he could easily defeat his former self!

[Ding! Successfully obtained and comprehended the master outline of "The Netherworld Book of Life and Death" (Heaven Rank High Grade), merged it with your own Cultivation Technique, and created the unique path "Myriad Poison Netherworld Dao."]

[Foundation significantly strengthened, future potential is limitless. Obtained 2000 Luck, 10000 villain points!]

[Ding! "Myriad Poison Netherworld Dao" initially formed, mastered Divine Ability: Vitality Plunder (Elementary), Deathly Silence Entanglement (Elementary).]

Nightmare exhaled a long breath of turbid air, and this breath even carried the strange charm of the alternation between life and death.

He looked at the nine stone steles; in his eyes, those flowing characters and patterns were no longer chaotic, but contained infinite mysteries, waiting for him to slowly explore in the future.

"The Netherworld Book of Life and Death" was vast and profound; what he had comprehended now was merely the tip of the iceberg.

He turned around and walked towards Azure Glass, who had been waiting at the edge of the platform.

Azure Glass looked at him, a flash of imperceptible amazement in her lavender eyes, and she nodded slightly: "Congratulations. It seems you have been recognized."

"Many thanks." Nightmare said sincerely.

If it were not for the Legacy here, he would not know how many detours he would have had to take to straighten out his own power.

"What are your plans next?" Azure Glass asked.

Nightmare's gaze was sharp, looking into the void, as if piercing through layers of space to see the treacherous Gui Xu Sea Eye.

"Naturally, I will re-enter the Sea Eye to retrieve the 'blood key'."

His voice was calm but full of determination: "But before that, I need to completely control the 'cloud key' and try to sense the location of the 'blood key'."

He took out the white cloud key token.

Previously, he had only initially refined it, but now, by refining it again with the power of "The Netherworld Book of Life and Death," the process became incredibly smooth.

Soon, the cloud key turned into a beam of white light, merging into his palm and forming a faint cloud pattern mark on the back of his hand.

A large amount of information regarding the Third Observation Post flooded into his mind, and his control authority over the stone chamber was greatly improved; he could even remotely perceive its status (Energy: 4.25%, slowly recovering…).

More importantly, through the cloud key, his perception of "gates" and "anchors" became incredibly clear.

He could clearly feel the majestic aura of the "first gate" here in the Lost Village, and deep within the Gui Xu Sea Eye, the "second gate" anchor, which had originally had a signal interruption, was now transmitting a trace of an extremely weak and intermittent fluctuation!

And the aura of the "blood key" seemed to exist near that second gate anchor!

But it was being interfered with by some powerful force, making it impossible to pinpoint.

"Did you sense it?" Azure Glass asked.

Nightmare nodded, his expression solemn: "Yes, it is near the second gate, but the situation seems very complex; there is strong interference."

"The activities of 'The Fisherman' deep within the Gui Xu Sea Eye are likely much deeper than we imagined."

He could even vaguely feel that the area where the altar was located was only the tip of the iceberg of 'The Fisherman's' forces.

Deeper in the Sea Eye, there seemed to be something even larger and more unsettling hidden.

"Since that is the case, it requires more careful consideration." Azure Glass said.

"You need stronger strength and some helpers. Perhaps you can go to one place first."

"Where?"

"Bibo City." Azure Glass uttered a place name.

"A chaotic city located on the edge of the Gui Xu Sea Eye, jointly controlled by several escaped Great Demons and evil cultivators; it is the last supply point for entering the depths of the Sea Eye, and also a place where information converges."

"It is a mixed bag of people there; perhaps you can find more intelligence about the depths of the Sea Eye and about 'The Fisherman'."

"And…" She paused and said: "There seems to be an underground auction in the city recently; it is said that the finale item is an 'ancient sea chart' obtained from the depths of the Sea Eye, which might be helpful for you to find the second gate."

Bibo City… ancient sea chart…

A sharp light flashed in Nightmare's eyes.

This was indeed a useful clue.

"Very well, I will make a trip to this Bibo City."

To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools.

Before breaking into the dragon's den again, it was indeed necessary to make full preparations.

He bid farewell to Azure Glass and left the Lost Village through the teleportation array in the village.

This time, his goal was clear—Bibo City, gather intelligence, obtain the sea chart, further improve his strength, and then… re-approach the Gui Xu Sea Eye to take the blood key directly!

And he also had a premonition that the trip to Bibo City would by no means be calm.

The fishing line of 'The Fisherman' might have already been laid out there.

A new storm was gathering.