Darkness.
Boundless, icy, desolate darkness, as if time itself had decayed here.
Lin Yuan felt himself slowly sinking, like a feather, or a drop of ink, plummeting into this eternal void.
Was he dead...?
Was this the resting place of souls? There was no legendary Netherworld Path (Netherworld Path - the path or road leading to the underworld or afterlife), no Soul Reapers (Soul Reapers / Underworld Envoys - messengers or enforcers from the underworld responsible for guiding or capturing souls) to claim his life. Only an emptiness that could make even immortals and Buddhas wary.
But the hatred had not died.
That endless hatred, like a brand seared deep into his soul, still burned fiercely. His Revered Master's cold gaze, Lu Yunfei's unrestrained laughter, and Su Mei'er's heart-piercing words... scene after scene, like the most malicious curses, replayed repeatedly in his consciousness, preventing him from even peacefully dissipating.
He was unwilling!
"Awaken."
An ancient, vast voice, genderless and indistinct, didn't come from his ears but directly from the deepest part of his soul, like a grand bell, shaking his entire being, causing his surging hatred to momentarily halt.
This voice seemed to contain some ancient law from before the creation of the heavens and earth, forcibly pulling him out of his descent.
Lin Yuan's "vision" suddenly cleared.
He saw himself—a faint, ethereal silhouette emitting a weak azure glow, a wisp of residual soul that could dissipate with a mere breath of wind.
And at the very core of his soul, an ancient bronze lamp quietly floated. On its wick, the tiny, pitch-black flame emitted an indescribable, peculiar fluctuation that made his soul tremble.
It was that lamp! The Lin family's Nether Lamp!
"You, with your unyielding resentment, ignited my eternal nether flame. From this moment, you are my master." The vast voice sounded again, originating from the Nether Lamp. "This place is neither life nor death; it is the Rift of the Underworld (Rift of the Underworld / Netherworld Rift - a space or gap between the mortal realm and the underworld, a place where souls may linger)."
Lin Yuan's consciousness spun rapidly amidst the violent tremors.
He hadn't completely died! It was this lamp that, at the last moment of his physical body's collapse, protected his residual soul!
"Can I... go back?" His voice resonated on the soul level, carrying a tremor he hadn't even noticed himself. It wasn't fear, but an extreme, rekindled excitement.
"Your physical body is destroyed, your soul rootless, like water without a source. Within three days, you will inevitably dissipate here." The Nether Lamp's voice was devoid of emotion, stating a cruel fact.
Three days!
Lin Yuan's heart—no, the core of his soul—shrank abruptly. The spark of hope that had just ignited was doused with a bucket of ice water.
"However, holding my flame, you also wield the authority of the deceased." The Nether Lamp's tone shifted. "With the souls of this realm, forge your Soul Soldiers (Soul Soldiers / Spirit Warriors - warriors or constructs made from souls, obedient to their master's will). Perhaps... you can reverse life and death."
As soon as the words fell, a profound and obscure torrent of information, accompanied by the pitch-black nether flame, surged into Lin Yuan's soul body. It wasn't text, but a higher level of "comprehension."
He instantly "understood."
This nether flame could ignite wandering souls, awakening them from their stupor and transforming them into "Soul Soldiers" who would only obey his commands. These Soul Soldiers would be fearless, absolutely loyal, and an extension of his will.
For the first time, Lin Yuan surveyed this darkness from a completely new perspective.
In his "perception," this desolate void was filled with countless bright or dim specks of light. These were all residual souls, just like him, lingering between life and death. Most of them had lost their consciousness, drifting like dust motes.
"Ignite."
Lin Yuan's will, following that newfound comprehension, locked onto the nearest soul speck.
The black flame on the Nether Lamp flickered slightly, and a thread of fire as thin as hair, ignoring distance, instantly branded itself onto that speck of light.
"Hiss..."
A faint, strange sound, as if a soul was being scorched. The muddled speck of light trembled violently, its glow contracting inward, finally coalescing into the ethereal silhouette of a soldier in tattered armor. His eyes were hollow, yet his entire being exuded a cold, murderous aura befitting a warrior.
A faint but absolute sense of control was established between Lin Yuan and this Soul Soldier. He felt as if he had become this Soul Soldier's "god," capable of bringing it to life or extinguishing it with a single thought.
Success!
Lin Yuan was ecstatic. But the next second, a strong sense of weakness washed over him, and his own soul light dimmed slightly.
"Refining souls consumes your essence." The Nether Lamp's voice sounded at the right moment, as cold as ever.
Lin Yuan immediately understood that his residual soul was his essence, and summoning and maintaining Soul Soldiers consumed it.
He looked around, and those dense specks of soul light instantly took on a different meaning in his eyes. They were no longer fellow deceased souls, but the resources for his return to the human world and his revenge.
But soon, he discovered he wasn't the only "hunter" in this darkness.
"Roar—!"
A roar filled with savagery and greed resonated in the void. Not far away, a malevolent soul, several times larger than the other specks and emitting a faint bloody glow, opened its illusory maw and swallowed a weak soul speck in one gulp. The bloody glow on its body visibly intensified.
That malevolent soul noticed Lin Yuan and the Soul Soldier beside him, and a pair of scarlet soul-fire eyes cast an undisguised look of greed. This was a malevolent soul that had already learned to instinctively devour and strengthen itself!
"Good timing!" Lin Yuan was not surprised but delighted.
If his soul power was exhausted, his soul would dissipate. And devouring was the best way to replenish soul power! The laws of this Rift of the Underworld were so stark!
"Kill!"
Lin Yuan's will transformed into a silent command. The soldier Soul Soldier immediately raised the illusory long-handled spear in its hand, and its entire soul body transformed into a streak of light, charging towards the malevolent soul.
The malevolent soul roared and met the charge, its sharp claws not bringing forth wind, but a chilling fluctuation that tore at the soul.
"Pfft!"
The soldier Soul Soldier's chest was grazed by the sharp claws, and its soul body flickered violently, becoming much thinner. But it seemed to feel no pain, its long-handled spear still following Lin Yuan's will, fiercely piercing into the malevolent soul's core.
There was a disparity in strength between them!
Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he locked onto another wandering soul speck.
"Ignite again!"
Another Soul Soldier appeared, silently joining the battle.
Two against one!
Though the malevolent soul was fierce, facing two Soul Soldiers who feared no dissipation and knew only how to kill, it was instantly entangled.
"Now!"
Lin Yuan forcibly endured the dizziness brought by the over-expenditure of his soul essence, violently slammed his main soul body forward, and at the same time, urged the Nether Lamp, causing the tiny, dark nether flame to blaze brightly!
"Nether Flame... Devour!"
The black flame, like a maggot clinging to bone, instantly wrapped around the malevolent soul.
"Aooo—!"
The malevolent soul let out a desperate, piercing wail of spiritual agony. The bloody glow on its body, under the scorching of the black flame, melted rapidly like ice and snow under a scorching sun. Finally, its entire soul essence was forcibly stripped and absorbed by the Nether Lamp.
A pure, cold stream of soul power flowed back from the Nether Lamp into Lin Yuan's soul body.
The weakness he had felt, on the verge of dissipation, was swept away. His soul light not only returned to its original state but even solidified by a fraction!
Lin Yuan felt the renewed power filling his soul, and an unfamiliar, controlling joy of life and death welled up within him.
So, this was power.
So, the so-called righteous sects, the so-called demonic overlords, after death in this Rift of the Underworld, were nothing more than lambs to be slaughtered.
He raised his head, looking at the boundless darkness, his eyes no longer confused, only filled with an iron-forged resolve.
Three days, that's enough!
His goal was clear: hunt, devour, grow strong! Assemble an army of Soul Soldiers! And then, find a way out of this damned place!
He gently caressed the cold Eon Soul-Suppressing Lamp (Eon Soul-Suppressing Lamp - a powerful, ancient artifact capable of suppressing or controlling souls across eons) at the core of his soul, and with a soul-voice only he could hear, he uttered those names, one by one:
"Cang Xuan."
"Lu Yunfei."
"Su Mei'er."
"...Wait for me."
"Your lives, I will personally claim."
"Your souls, I... will personally ignite!"