Immortal Nexus, a mortal kingdom in Jiangbei.
The spiritual battles of the immortals above the sky dome did not affect them. Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea—even if the sky collapsed, life had to go on as usual.
At this moment, in a rural village, a bare-chested young man yawned and walked out of his thatched cottage, ready to sweep the courtyard and feed the chickens. However, when he reached the chicken coop, he froze.
Inside, the roosters and hens he had raised fat and plump had all turned into skeletons. Chicken feathers were scattered everywhere.
"What's going on?"
The young man opened his mouth to speak, suddenly feeling a slight itch between his eyebrows. Subconsciously scratching it, he became even more confused... because on his fingertip sat a piece of minced meat.
There was no blood, just a scrap of flesh. And as time passed, this piece of meat rotted rapidly, emitting a strong stench.
"What's happening..."
A bad premonition gripped his heart. Suddenly, he felt itchy all over. He gave his body a simple shake, and every scrap of his flesh and blood fell away.
"Phew, much more comfortable."
Having shed his skin, the young man hurried back into the house. "Dad! Mom! Something is wrong. The chickens at home have all turned to bone..."
A moment later, terrified screams erupted from inside the house.
The same scene played out across the mortal world of the Immortal Nexus. Countless mortals shed their flesh for no reason, leaving only skeletons, yet their consciousness remained perfectly clear.
As time passed, this change rapidly expanded to Qi Refining cultivators. It was unstoppable. Only Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones could barely suppress the change, though they felt as if they had contracted a terminal illness, discovering an inexplicable ink-colored brilliance in their Sea of Consciousness.
"What is going on!?"
"It must be the upper cultivators fighting again... But this time everyone is affected and isn't limited to Dao Fruits... What exactly happened!?"
"Who has inside information?"
"Will I die?"
Countless Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones cried out in shock, yet they knew nothing of the situation, gradually falling into madness amidst confusion and fear.
As for the Golden Core Perfected Lords, they could see the situation clearly. However, early-stage Golden Core Perfected Lords, limited by shallow Dao comprehension, saw the 'what' but did not understand the 'how'. Mid-stage Golden Core cultivators faintly perceived the truth.
Only the Great Perfected Lords truly understood what [Sky-Shrouding] was doing. And because they understood, they were filled with shock. Without exception, they all uttered the same exclamation Lu Yang had made before:
"What audacity!"
[Sky-Shrouding]'s strategy was simple: let the mighty power of the Netherworld flow out, reversing life and death, and fundamentally swapping the symbols of the dead and the living.
From now on, the Immortal Nexus—and the entire sea of light—would be ruled by the dead. Only the dead could cultivate. To be "alive" was to lose consciousness and enter the cycle of reincarnation; one had to die once more to step onto the Dao path.
This was a drastic transformation. Though it currently affected only Qi Refining cultivators, it would inevitably expand to Foundation Establishment, then Golden Core, and finally reach straight to the Paramita.
At that moment, [Sky-Shrouding] would seek the Nascent Soul!
Inside [Nourishing Life Master], Lu Yang couldn't help but clap his hands and sigh. "So that's it. Using this method to raise the Netherworld's stature... very brilliant indeed!"
Before this, the Netherworld's level was insufficient. As far as Lu Yang knew, the Netherworld in the past was just a Void Attainment Dao Fruit.
Though developed over eons, its essence was at most a Great Dao. Because of its special nature, its stature was not "upward" but "downward." Consequently, it could never touch the Paramita.
This was likely why the four Dao Lords had abandoned the Netherworld. If it couldn't reach the Paramita to become a Dao Lord, it could never threaten their rule.
However, [Sky-Shrouding] had found a way.
The Paramita, the [Sea of Bitterness], and the Foundation Establishment Realm are essentially layered upon the present world like a pyramid. The Netherworld was the same, except it was limited to souls and had no effect on the living. This was why it could never compare to the Paramita.
Now, everything had changed. By converting life and death, the Netherworld expanded its authority to the living, making it no different from the Paramita!
Beyond this, there was an even more brilliant point: [Sky-Shrouding]'s method of raising the Netherworld's stature had no negative effect on the current methods—Grotto-Heaven, Spiritual Power, Dharma Body, or Dao Arts.
No effect meant no conflict!
After all, lifespans were still the same lifespans. It was just that life and death had reversed positions. The foundation of the Grotto Heaven method and the principles of cultivation remained completely unchanged..
This reversal resembles the [Chen Earth] Yin-Yang Reversal from back then.
No doubt about it!
The reason [Sky-Shrouding] could achieve this was not just because of the Netherworld, but because of that Void Attainment Great Dao he had been hiding all along!
What exactly is that Dao?
Lu Yang sat up straight. Barring any accidents, the final trump card hidden by [Sky-Shrouding] was about to surface.
Overseas, The Ends of the Earth.
As the Netherworld expanded, more and more Perfected Lords cast their gazes over. Finally, a Star Gate opened, and a middle-aged Daoist stepped out.
"This poor Daoist is Haoyuan."
The middle-aged Daoist looked calm. Spiritual power like an ocean flowed through him, yet it carried a strong scent of decay. Clearly, his days were numbered.
Another Star Gate opened. Celestial Master Chongying Yuanyou of Mysterious Wall stepped out, surrounded by countless concepts unique to Dao Arts.
Two Ancient Method Great Perfected Lords had arrived.
Behind them, Emperor Jiayou, Perfected Lord Feixue, and Perfected Lord Hanguang Futian appeared one after another.
Clearly, [Sky-Shrouding]'s move had exceeded their expectations. They had to act. They hadn't stopped him earlier because they wanted to drain the strength of Mysterious Wall and the Star Palace, not because they actually wanted [Sky-Shrouding] to succeed!
Seeing the crowd, [Sky-Shrouding] chuckled.
"All here?"
"Actually, you don't need to act. You can see that I seek the Netherworld, which is unrelated to the Paramita. It won't affect your interests. In fact, it could open a new path for everyone. If the Paramita can have multiple Dao Lords, why not the Netherworld? In time, if you cannot ascend to the Paramita, and I attain the Netherworld, perhaps I can give you a brand-new path to seek the Dao."
The dying Star Palace Daoist Haoyuan's eyes flickered with interest.
Seeing this, Celestial Master Chongying Yuanyou hurriedly spoke: "Devil, stop talking nonsense! Fellow Daoist Haoyuan... this person is from the Saint Sect. You wouldn't be fooled, would you?"
"...Saint Sect, is it?" Daoist Haoyuan's gaze instantly regained its clarity.
[Sky-Shrouding] looked on with mock helplessness. "So what if I'm from the Saint Sect? Can't the Saint Sect produce good people? Back when I was a Saint Sect Perfected Lord, my good name was known throughout the world!"
The Immortal Nexus Perfected Lords remained silent.
Unwilling to let [Sky-Shrouding] weave more words, Celestial Master Chongying Yuanyou acted first, raising his hand to unleash a brilliant light.
[Separating Heaven Ever-Bright Grand Immortal Arts]!
The light illuminated the void, falling straight onto [Sky-Shrouding] to burn his spiritual power and soul. Yet [Sky-Shrouding] remained indifferent.
"Does no one want to see?" In the blazing flames, [Sky-Shrouding] stood with hands behind his back, his tone calm. "What the attitude of those Lords in the sky truly is toward us lower cultivators?"
"Do they really allow us to seek the Dao?"
"Or is the fighting between those great lords merely a facade? Have they actually already made peace with each other, ready to strike us down the moment any of us seeks the Nascent Soul?"
Having spoken, [Sky-Shrouding] looked up at the sky.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, the hazy smoke collapsed. [Sky-Shrouding]'s figure was incinerated into nothingness. His aura vanished instantly.
"Dead?" Inside [Nourishing Life Master], Lu Yang stood up, frowning.
No...
The gathered Perfected Lords sensed something as well. They raised their heads as one.
What met their eyes was a vast shadow imprinted quietly upon the sky dome, overlooking the [Sea of Bitterness] and gazing down at the present world. It was as if it had never left, yet no one had noticed it.
It was a pair of narrow eyes.
"Stubbornly clinging to ignorance!"
(End of Chapter)