Chapter 791: Hidden Dragon in the Depths
Beside a stretch of the River of Forgetfulness within the Nether Realm, Wang Sheng watched the countless silhouettes of living beings drifting through the waters. He sighed quietly.
To be born human truly is a blessing.
Blending into the Nether Realm was not difficult at all. There were still more than two hundred years before the King of Hell selection, and all kinds of so-called heroes, fiendish devils, and monsters were already gathering here from every direction.
Every kind of strange creature had thrown the Nether Realm into chaos.
What used to be a gloomy and lifeless place now almost felt like a tourist attraction in some areas.
Ghost cultivators and yin cultivators of the Nether Realm had always stood at the very bottom of the cultivation world's hierarchy. Now that countless factions and experts had flooded into the Nether Realm, their lives had become even harsher.
Wang Sheng walked along the River of Forgetfulness's banks with Ling Sheng for a while, then stopped by one of the famous sights where the "Flowers of the Other Shore"[1]bloomed in great clusters.
Along the way, they also saw quite a few immortals and cultivators visiting the Nether Realm for the first time.
Even Wang Sheng could not help but sigh in amazement. "The King of Hell selection has practically become one of the greatest events in the world."
Ling Sheng asked softly, "Master, should we get rid of some of them beforehand?"
Wang Sheng chuckled and shook his head. "Eh, there's no need. As long as they aren't enemies, they can become our allies someday."
"Oh." Ling Sheng lowered her head at once, not daring to say anything else.
Smiling faintly, Wang Sheng led her toward the underworld city they had asked about earlier.
The Nether Realm was essentially just a cultivation land with a unique environment.
The place was filled with turbid yin qi, while pure primal qi was scarce. Even so, it suited certain beings with remnant souls.
As the saying went, "heaven always leaves a path open."
This place was proof of that.
Wang Sheng and Ling Sheng soon arrived at a massive city within the Nether Realm. After wandering through half the city, Wang Sheng found little that truly stood out.
The streets under the low-hanging sky were sparsely populated. There was no sun, moon, or stars in the sky, only a thin veil of sinister yin aura drifting through the air.
The architecture of the Nether Realm also leaned toward an ancient and gloomy style.
Moss and bones could be seen all over the streets and alleys. A thick death aura also lingered everywhere.
In this place, it was easy to tell who originally belonged to the Nether Realm and who had arrived within the last two thousand years. The former mostly had dull, lifeless eyes with not even a trace of hope. The latter still possessed the sharp spirit of cultivators from the endless space and the Immortal Saint Realm, much like unsheathed longswords.
If they have any other choice, who would even willingly become a yin cultivator and remain here to cultivate?
"I wonder where the Bridge of Helplessness is," Wang Sheng said with a smile. "If I get the chance, I'd really like to visit it and take a selfie."
"Master, the Bridge of Helplessness is probably in Fengdu City."
Wang Sheng laughed. "Sometimes, I'm only joking. Come, let's find a place to stay. You can gather information while I work on the sword case."
"Yes, Master," Ling Sheng accepted softly.
She seemed rather pleased. Ever since obtaining the Dao of Creation, she had rarely acted on her own.
Wang Sheng purchased a courtyard in the city and personally arranged several layers of grand arrays. Afterward, he sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and sent his consciousness into the Sword-Forging Tower.
Things were no longer as they once were. Now, Wang Sheng had complete control whenever he faced the old tower spirit. Moreover, thanks to the Great Dao of Creation's intervention, the Sword-Forging Tower no longer had any hidden dangers.
In the past, Wang Sheng had always worried that he would unknowingly become a puppet of the Great Dao of Slaughter or have his mind secretly manipulated by the ruthless River of the Dead from the Primal Era. Now, he intended to clear the entire tower in one go and fully claim Yuan Tu.
That would give him another trump card that he could use in dangerous situations without exposing his Great Dao of Creation.
The moment Wang Sheng's Primordial Spirit appeared, the old tower spirit smiled. "You finally came. Are you planning to—"
He stopped abruptly. The old man's eyes widened as though he had seen a ghost.
"Why has the power of your Primordial Spirit become so terrifying all of a sudden?"
Wang Sheng gave him an embarrassed smile. "I inherited a bit of my previous life's cultivation."
The tower spirit was filled with confusion, but he did not press further. He simply continued guiding Wang Sheng through the trials.
Wang Sheng also started experimenting within the tower itself, trying to merge his Great Dao with his original Dao of the Sword to create a "Sword of Creation."
Meanwhile, the tower spirit stood still with a complicated expression. He stared at the focused sword cultivator, who remained motionless amid the illusions with his eyes closed. The old man wanted to offer guidance, but he no longer knew what to say.
This Dao Rhythm... The Great Dao of Creation?
Shock appeared across the tower spirit's face, but he found himself speechless.
The Great Dao sword case actually fell into the hands of Goddess Nuwa's successor. Old Master... is this a blessing or a disaster?
***
Half a month later.
Wang Sheng sat quietly under a large tree with two swords resting across his knees.
One of them was his bonded sword, Spiritless of Creation.
The other was a silver-white longsword with an icy radiance. It appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary spiritual treasure at first glance, but anyone who would examine it closely would sense the pure and absolute sword intent hidden within.
It was the Sword of Slaughter, Yuan Tu, a complete natural spiritual treasure.
Wang Sheng found himself wondering, Back then, if I had not chosen the Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent, would I now possess Abi, the other natural spiritual treasure that was as famous as Yuan Tu?
If so, does another Great Dao Sword Case exist somewhere in the world? How exactly does that even work? Since I chose Yuan Tu, can the owner of the other Great Dao sword case only obtain Abi? If I can't figure this out, can I just call it "quantum mechanics" and move on?
Wang Sheng did not bother asking the tower spirit about it. He did not want to accidentally trigger some strange task again.
Right now, he had no time to spare. His first real confrontation with Feng Jiu could happen in the next three hundred years.
Ling Sheng appeared outside the array and lightly knocked on the courtyard gate. Wang Sheng snapped his fingers, and she was instantly moved inside the courtyard.
The girl quickly stepped forward and lowered her head. "Master, I've already gathered the details. The preliminaries for the King of Hell selection will take place in Fengdu City. It begins in a hundred thirty-two years.
"The process is somewhat unusual, or rather, there has never been a King of Hell selection before. Hence, the rules are considered quite novel. First comes a written examination, then martial combat. Those who pass both stages have to proceed to a third test: judging cases as a King of Hell."
"Judging cases?"
Even Wang Sheng found that surprising.
He could understand the written examination. After all, the Nether Realm was recruiting officials, not reckless combatants who only knew how to fight. The Kings of Hell normally handled all kinds of affairs inside and outside Fengdu City.
Access to the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation was only one part of their authority. Still, he had not expected the third stage of the selection to involve judging cases.
Wang Sheng smiled. "That's certainly interesting. Are they really missing one King of Hell?"
Ling Sheng replied, "Master, I also discovered that before the news spread from Fengdu City, many factions had already entered the Nether Realm, but there were very few unaffiliated practitioners among them.
"After the announcement, the number of unaffiliated practitioners surged. Cultivators within the Nether Realm have multiplied several times over, and more unaffiliated Heavenly Immortals are still arriving, with no end in sight. I also heard that Heavenly Immortal Realm is the selection's minimum cultivation requirement."
Wang Sheng fell into thought.
Meanwhile, Ling Sheng continued divulging the various pieces of information she had gathered about the Nether Realm. She spoke of dozens of powerful experts who had already revealed themselves, numerous factions from the Immortal Saint Realm, and remnants of the Heavenly Court.
Several major battles between top experts had already erupted within more than ten dangerous regions of the Nether Realm, causing shockwaves throughout the entire realm. A few famous primal experts from the Primal Era had also seemingly revealed traces of themselves.
"Master, the two figures attracting the most attention right now are Emperor Qinghua and the Black Emperor. It's said that the Black Emperor has joined forces with six great experts in an attempt to eliminate Emperor Qinghua within the Nether Realm. Moreover, he has been spreading news everywhere to provoke him.
"However, Emperor Qinghua still hasn't shown himself. No one knows where he is. Still, according to one expert, the Great Dao of Death's laws within the Nether Realm have been growing increasingly active, which suggests Emperor Qinghua is still here. The Black Emperor's attempt at revenge against him has become one of the biggest points of attention."
Wang Sheng slowly nodded and continued pondering in silence.
The more reports Ling Sheng gave him, the clearer it became that the Nether Realm was even more chaotic than he had expected.
And at the center of it all was Fengdu City.
After thinking for a while, Wang Sheng said, "We'll stay in the shadows for now. Ling Sheng, I want you to head out once every half a month and gather information. If there's any news at all about my senior sister, notify me immediately."
"Yes, Master." Ling Sheng quickly left the courtyard.
Wang Sheng casually picked up Yuan Tu and drew a large circle on the ground. He added a few more strokes, creating a vivid smiling face.
The rulers of Fengdu City are deliberately attracting more unaffiliated practitioners to this place. But why? Are they simply trying to conceal some secret objective? Or are they attempting to lower the chances of Feng Jiu identifying a target? Perhaps they merely want to muddy the waters while watching from the sidelines.
More importantly, how am I supposed to meet Empress Houtu? If I can not establish contact with her beforehand and quietly secure the King of Hell position through connections, won't this entire trip be pointless?
Ahem.
He wanted to speak with Houtu as a junior member of the family and persuade her to support him against Feng Jiu.
Emperor Qinghua with the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation. The Great Dao of Death with the Great Dao of Reincarnation... There's no way we can lose, right? Even if all our celestial soldiers die in battle, the Great Dao of Death can still preserve their true spirits, which means they just keep reincarnating. After a thousand eight hundred years, they would be heroes once more.
Of course, that was only part of the reason.
The true reason Wang Sheng instructed Ling Sheng to immediately report any news regarding his senior sister was that he was worried. Very few people currently knew of his senior sister's existence.
Even those who knew that Qinghua had taken away two disciples during the incident in the divine tree's array did not know any specific details about his disciples. If rumors regarding her spread through the Immortal Saint Realm or the Nether Realm, it would mean his senior sister's existence had already been exposed.
In such a situation, he would have to find a way to reach her side as quickly as possible.
There was no sense of day or night passing in this place. Ling Sheng continuously brought back information from across the Nether Realm.
Meanwhile, Wang Sheng remained in secluded cultivation, rapidly refining his Creation Sword Intent. He fused the Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent, the Pure Yang Sword Intent, and the Heavenly Tribulation Sword Intent into it while concealing his Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent.
Wang Sheng also fed some Spiritual Dawnlight to Yuan Tu. However, Spiritual Dawnlight did not easily affect natural spiritual treasures. Hence, the changes were limited.
Every supreme treasure born innately was extraordinary by nature. Obtaining one was naturally no easy matter.
"Treasures..."
Wang Sheng pondered silently, wondering just how many supreme treasures the Immortal Emperor currently possessed.
Considering even Emperor Qinghua has the Apricot-Yellow Banner, the Immortal Emperor surely has more than one trump card of his own.
1. Red Spider Lily, also known as "Flowers on the Other Shore" in Chinese mythology, are normally found on the banks of the River of Forgetfulness. ☜
