Chapter 52: Roots of the Netherworld
This clarity also allowed him to discover a detail that horrified him. "Something's wrong." On the evening of the third day, when Mo Li and Li Ge had finished their work and sat around the fire, Chu Yun, who had been closing his eyes to regulate his breathing, suddenly opened them, his brows furrowed tightly. "What's wrong?" Mo Li asked. "Are your injuries still not healed?" "No," Chu Yun shook his head, his expression unusually solemn. "It's about the 'nightmare.' I've been trying to trace the 'energy sources' that remained in this world after it was purified." "What did you find?" Li Ge asked immediately. "I found it." Chu Yun took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "I discovered that the source of that nightmare's power isn't the ancient evil born from heaven and earth as we previously imagined." "Its power is more like something... 'grafted'." "Grafted?" Mo Li asked, puzzled. "What do you mean?" "Its 'root' is a kind of yin energy I've never encountered before, yet it's incredibly pure, governing the laws of 'reincarnation' and 'extinction'." Chu Yun's voice grew lower and lower. "I've only seen this kind of yin energy in one place, in all the books of the Evil Suppression Bureau." "The Underworld." Li Ge's expression changed instantly. "That's right," Chu Yun nodded. "It's the Underworld. The source of that nightmare is the purest yin energy of the Underworld." "But," he changed the subject, his eyes becoming incredibly cold, "this pure yin energy has been forcibly 'grafted' onto it. A power filled with filth, distortion, and malice." "A power... that we're all very familiar with." "Shadow Pavilion," Mo Li uttered the two words, practically gritting his teeth. "Yes." A terrifying glint flashed in Chu Yun's eyes. "The sorcery of the Shadow Pavilion and the sinister energy of the Underworld, in a way I cannot fathom, perfectly blended together, ultimately creating the monster 'Nightmare'." This conclusion, like a boulder, hammered down upon the three of them. A deathly silence fell upon the valley. "This... this is impossible..." Mo Li was the first to utter incredulously. "The Underworld... that's the place that governs the six realms of reincarnation! How could it possibly... be mingled with a cunning and treacherous organization like the Shadow Pavilion?" "Why not?" Li Ge's voice was unusually calm, almost eerily so. "Have you forgotten those 'righteous' figures we encountered in the Mechanical City? Even within the self-proclaimed Tianshi Mansion, there are scumbags..."
This clarity also allowed him to discover a detail that horrified him.
"Something's wrong." On the evening of the third day, when Mo Li and Li Ge finished their work and sat around the fire, Chu Yun, who had been closing his eyes to regulate his breathing, suddenly opened his eyes with his brows tightly locked together.
"What's wrong?" Mo Li asked, "Your injury hasn't healed yet?"
"No." Chu Yun shook his head, his expression extremely solemn. "It's about the 'nightmare'. I've been trying to trace back the 'energy sources' that remained in this world after it was purified."
"What did you find?" Li Ge asked immediately.
"I found it." Chu Yun took a deep breath and said slowly, "I discovered that the source of the power of that nightmare is not the ancient evil creature born between heaven and earth as we previously imagined."
"Its power is more like something... 'grafted'."
"Grafting?" Mo Li asked in confusion, "What does that mean?"
"Its 'root' is a kind of Yin Qi that I have never come into contact with, but it is extremely pure and governs the laws of 'reincarnation' and 'extinction'..." Chu Yun's voice became increasingly low. "I have only seen this kind of Yin Qi in one place in all the books of the Evil Suppression Bureau."
"Underworld." Li Ge's face changed instantly.
"That's right." Chu Yun nodded, "It's the underworld. The source of that nightmare is the purest Yin energy of the underworld."
"But," he changed the subject, his eyes becoming incomparably cold, "this pure Yin energy has been forcibly 'grafted' with another kind of power. A power filled with filth, distortion, and malice."
"A power... one we are all very familiar with."
"Shadow Pavilion." Mo Li almost gritted his teeth as he said these two words.
"Yes." A terrifying glint flashed in Chu Yun's eyes. "The evil magic of the Shadow Pavilion and the yin energy of the underworld have perfectly merged together in a way that I cannot understand, and ultimately created the monster 'Nightmare'."
This conclusion hit the three of them like a huge rock, and the valley fell into a dead silence.
"This... this is impossible..." Mo Li was the first to speak out in disbelief. "The Underworld... that's the place that governs the six realms of reincarnation! How could it possibly... be mixed up with an evil organization like Shadow Pavilion that hides its head and shows its tail?"
"Why not?" Li Ge's voice was unusually calm, almost terrifyingly so. "Have you forgotten those 'righteous' people we encountered in the Mechanical City? Even within the self-proclaimed Tianshi Mansion, there are scum. Why wouldn't there be scum in the underworld, which has never seen the sun and is surrounded by ghosts and spirits?"
"But……"
"It's nothing." Li Ge interrupted her. "I practice the art of ghost medicine and deal with ghosts all year round. I know better than any of you that in recent years, the underworld... has been in trouble for a long time."
She looked at Chu Yun and Mo Li and said slowly, "Haven't you noticed? There are more and more wandering ghosts in the human world now. Many souls that should have been taken away by ghost officials and sent into reincarnation can only wander aimlessly in the human world, and eventually some evil cultivators turn them into tools to harm people."
"I used to think it was because of the excessive killing in the human world that the ghost officials in the underworld were too busy. But now it seems..." The corners of her mouth curled up in a cold, self-deprecating arc, "Maybe it's not that they're 'too busy' at all, but that they... 'don't want to care'."
Li Ge's words made Chu Yun's heart sink. He thought of the evil spirit he had purified in Qingxi Town, the vengeful souls controlled by the Shadow Pavilion in Jijia City, and the nightmare of Wangyou Village, a nightmare made of pure negativity. The Shadow Pavilion's manipulation of souls, the perverse yin energy of the underworld, the shocking conspiracy within the Tianshi Mansion... All the clues seemed to be connected by an invisible thread at this moment, finally converging into a complete and chilling chain of logic.
"I understand." Chu Yun's voice was dry and hoarse. "The ultimate goal of Shadow Pavilion may not be to dominate the world at all. They want more."
"They have colluded with the scum of the Tianshi Mansion and the corrupt forces of the underworld. They are plotting a massive conspiracy that could subvert the entire Three Realms."
"And the key to that conspiracy is most likely the...Evil-Suppressing Seal in our hands."
"But we have only collected two fragments now." Mo Li's face became extremely ugly, "There is still one piece, and we don't even know where it is."
"No, we know." Chu Yun shook his head. He looked at the two glowing fragments in his hands, his eyes becoming incomparably firm. "They... have already told us."
"What?"
"The last piece of debris is in... the underworld." Chu Yun said word by word.
"What?!" Mo Li exclaimed again, "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." Chu Yun nodded. "I just felt it carefully. The vague sense of 'event' that guides us forward, its core source, comes from... the underworld."
"In other words," Li Ge's eyes became sharp, "the 'incident' that is enough to trigger the laws of heaven and earth is brewing in the underworld."
"And to ensure the smooth progress of that 'ritual,' Shadow Pavilion and their accomplices will inevitably use the final fragment of the Evil-Suppressing Seal to suppress or activate some core power within the underworld."
"So, if we want to stop them, if we want to find the last piece..."
"We must..."
The three of them looked at each other and saw the same crazy but only answer in each other's eyes.
“…deep into the netherworld.”
When Chu Yun uttered those four words, even he felt a tinge of unreality. Going to the underworld? That was legendary as a forbidden zone for the living and the final resting place for the dead. Since ancient times, only those who had reached the pinnacle of cultivation had dared to journey there for a brief moment, using their spirits to transcend their bodies. And these three young men, less than seventy years old combined, actually dreamed of venturing there in mortal form? This wasn't just crazy; it was simply... courting death.
"I object." Mo Li was the first to raise his objection without hesitation.
"This isn't an expedition to the Mechanical City, nor is it saving someone in a dream." She looked at Chu Yun, and for the first time, fear flashed in her eyes. "That's the underworld! It's the 'laws' of another world! We know nothing about that place! We don't even know if our powers will work there! Just barging in like this is tantamount to committing suicide."
"I agree with Mo Li." This time, even Li Ge, who always loved adventure, sided with Mo Li. "The dangers of the underworld are far beyond your imagination. There are not only ghosts and gods who govern the laws, but also countless terrifying monsters formed from the most extreme resentment and despair in heaven and earth. With our current strength, I'm afraid we won't even be able to cross the Naihe Bridge."
"Then what should we do?" Chu Yun looked at them and asked, "Just because we're afraid and it's dangerous, are we going to just sit here and watch them complete that ritual that will overturn the three realms?"
"We have no way out now!" His voice became excited. "From the moment we obtained the first fragment of the Evil-Suppressing Seal, we have been drawn into the center of this vortex! Even if we don't provoke them, they will come to us sooner or later!"
"Instead of just sitting there and waiting for death, why not... take the initiative!"
"This isn't a proactive attack! This is walking into a trap!" Mo Li also stood up excitedly, "Chu Yun, calm down! I know you really want to stop them, but we can't use this... the stupidest method!"
"Then tell me, do we have any better way?" Chu Yun stared at her intently. "We don't even know what they're trying to do right now! Our only chance is to go to the underworld, to the 'root' of that conspiracy, and find the answer there!"
The valley once again fell into argument and silence. This was the first time since the three of them had experienced such a huge disagreement since their transformation from a cocoon to a butterfly. This wasn't a difference of philosophies, but rather... a choice between life and death.
Looking at the two people arguing, Li Ge, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke: "Maybe..." She said slowly, "We have another way."
Chu Yun and Mo Li looked at her at the same time.
"My ghost doctor skills are inherited from ancient times, and they record a kind of... forbidden technique." Li Ge looked at them with a complicated expression and said, "That forbidden technique can allow us to 'cheat' the laws of the underworld in a short period of time and enter the netherworld in a 'half-dead, half-living' state."
"However, this method is extremely risky. If we fail, our souls will be completely shredded by the laws of the underworld, and we will never be able to reincarnate."
"Furthermore, even if we succeed, our time inside is extremely limited. Once that time limit is exceeded, we will be 'assimilated' by the laws of the underworld and completely become a part of it."
"Even so," she looked at Chu Yun and asked word by word, "Do you still want to go?"
Chu Yun didn't answer immediately. He stared at the flickering bonfire before him, at his own hands, worn from carrying so much. He remembered his father's resolute back, Zhilan's pure instructions, and the unconditional trust between Mo Li and Li Ge in his dream.
He knew he couldn't retreat any further. Behind him was no one, but beside him stood a companion whom he was willing to protect with his life.
He slowly raised his head and met the complicated gazes of Li Ge and Mo Li. His eyes were extremely calm, yet extremely... firm.
"go."
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