How long have you been here?
Li Ming asked.
The big black dog replied without hesitation:
"Woof...it's been about several decades."
As a member of the Netherhound clan, the big black dog possesses the ability to communicate with the spirit world and travel through time. When it reaches adulthood, it will leave the clan and find its own place to live.
And this place with its extremely heavy yin energy is their best environment for growth.
It entered this place decades ago, then devoured the yin energy to enhance itself.
The restrictions of the secret realm did not drive it away, but instead negotiated with it and made it a kind of "NPC".
Unlike other rigid NPCs, it is relatively free and doesn't have much to do most of the time.
However, in recent years, changes have occurred in the secret realm. Some of the restrictions of the secret realm have been altered, and the spirit of the secret realm has not made any move, which has made it a little flustered.
In the shadows, it discovered that many ghosts had been given sentience by a strange being and were then driven by it.
It has been avoiding its gaze, hiding its presence, and lurking in this vicious dog ridge.
It could have left at any time with its abilities, but with the change in the restrictions, it dared not act rashly, for fear of being caught.
Li Ming was actually the only outsider he had met in the past ten years.
"Oh? That's quite a while. You should know about the changes that have taken place in this secret realm in recent years, right?"
Li Ming stared into the big black dog's eyes, his face grim, and said in a deep voice.
The big black dog rolled its eyes and quickly replied:
"I know, I know. The restrictions within this secret realm have changed, and the original operating trajectories of some secret realm mechanisms have been deliberately modified."
"Get to the point, of course I know all of that."
Li Ming said viciously.
"Well... I've been to all over the place, I can show you the way, I know a lot about the mechanisms!"
"The later levels have been modified, but I've been secretly observing them."
Upon seeing Li Ming's fierce expression, the big black dog quickly explained its purpose.
They were terrified that Li Ming would chop them up at any moment.
This malevolent star, with just one glance, made it feel as if it had been completely seen through. If it tried to escape, it had a premonition that it would surely die!
And its idea was absolutely correct. If the big black dog made any unusual moves, Li Ming would not hold back. At that time, it would be a matter of whether he could act faster or the black dog could run faster.
Seeing that the black dog was so sensible, Li Ming pondered and said:
"Come here."
"yes."
The big black dog obediently walked over.
Li Ming then injected a stream of pure Hunyuan True Qi into the dog's body. A hint of anger flashed in the big black dog's eyes, but it dared not show it when it looked at Li Ming's eyes and could only cower in fear.
Looking at its pitiful state, Li Ming felt no pity and said coldly:
"If you dare to deceive me, you'd better think twice about how tough your life is... Let me tell you, if I were to unleash my true energy, it would have the power to devour everything."
After sensing the terrifying true energy within his body, the big black dog dared not harbor any more anger and instead put on a pitiful expression.
"Sir, spare my life! I would never dare to lie to you. If I have lied to you, I... I wish I were born without an anus!"
The big black dog felt remorseful at this moment, cursing itself for what had gotten into it that it had to come out and provoke this evil star, putting itself in such a predicament.
In all honesty, it initially saw Li Ming as just an ordinary martial artist with supernatural powers, thinking that with its own skills, it might be able to have a proper exchange with him. However, it never expected that Li Ming's strength would completely exceed its expectations.
The Netherhound's talent wasn't in combat; its strength was only equivalent to that of an ordinary human at the Divine Power Realm. If it encountered a typical Divine Power Realm martial artist, it felt that even if it couldn't win, it could still escape.
However, when it looked into Li Ming's eyes, it knew it would be difficult to escape.
The opponent's attack was firmly locked onto his aura; if he showed even the slightest intention to escape, he would likely be met with a devastating attack in the next second.
"Lead the way."
Li Ming said calmly, "Now the life of this big black dog is entirely in my hands."
"Yes, sir...behind Evil Dog Ridge lies Golden Rooster Mountain."
The big black dog walked ahead, preaching as it went.
Jinji Mountain is shaped like a rooster, and Li Ming climbs up from the rooster's tail to cross the mountain and reach the next stop.
The ghosts here are mostly chickens, and like vicious dogs, they hide in dark corners, occasionally darting out to attack passersby.
These chickens were extremely ferocious, their beaks as hard as steel, as if a single peck could pierce through flesh and even the soul. Their sharp claws seemed to still bear traces of blood.
"My lord, I'll do it!"
Just as Li Ming was about to make his move, the big black dog volunteered, wanting to show off its skills.
Its originally enormous body was shrouded in ghostly energy, and it unleashed a barrage of claw attacks on the ferocious chickens, sending them flying all over the ground, clucking incoherently.
This dog loved chasing chickens in the mortal world, and it was no exception in the underworld. With the big black dog's hard work, the chickens, which had previously looked fierce, were either dead or injured, and they were no longer as arrogant as before.
Suddenly, some ghosts emerged from the mountains and forests, saying in a sinister tone:
"Chickens are so cute, why do you kill them? Do you know how wonderful they are?"
They laid eggs for humans during their lives and made a huge contribution. Isn't it too cruel to kill them after they die?
Wouldn't it be better if we took good care of our chickens?
Li Ming couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the ghosts coaxing him.
The big black dog looked impatient and barked:
"I just love eating chicken, so what? You chicken lovers, you've got to live your lives to the fullest!"
Then he grabbed and killed the ghosts and chickens together, and said with a disdainful look:
That's it?
Seeing this, Li Ming let him clear out these blind little devils in front of him.
He himself was quite happy to be idle. These chicken-like ghosts were too weak, and even if he killed them, there would be almost no benefit.
As Li Ming was about to reach the top of the mountain, a large black rooster blocked his way.
"My lord, we have killed too many chickens along the way, which has triggered the secret realm mechanism, and there will be Black Prison Chickens blocking our way."
"That's what the big black dog explained."
Originally, when crossing Jinji Mountain, we were supposed to prepare some spiritual grains to appease the chickens' ferocity.
Similarly, when crossing the Evil Dog Ridge, it is the gatekeeper's duty to block Li Ming's path.
Li Ming focused his gaze and discovered that this Black Prison Chicken was different from the Big Black Dog. Although it was also a Netherworld Beast, it was merely an illusion conjured by the secret realm and had no intelligence.
For ordinary people to pass this level, they won't encounter these monsters.
This was exactly what Li Ming wanted.
It's time to start taking advantage of the secret realm.
In response, Li Ming prepared himself, his body radiating golden light, and unleashed a powerful punch.
Instantly, the Black Prison Chicken's head exploded, and blood gushed out like a waterfall.
The black prison chicken, in pain, quickly shook its body, trying to peck Li Ming to death.
Li Ming was quick to follow up, delivering another punch to the man's head.
In that instant, Li Ming smashed the chicken's head to pieces!
Li Ming nodded in satisfaction. After the rooster was killed, Zi Lian swayed her body and fed Li Ming a large amount of cultivation energy.
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