Rumble!
Rolling dark clouds, thunderbolts, and lightning cast an indescribably massive shadow over the entire Immortal Nexus, obscuring the sun, moon, and stars.
When that pair of narrow eyes emerged, countless cultivators in the Immortal Nexus sensed it instantly. Subconsciously, they raised their heads to meet that gaze. In that moment, even the Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones—who were originally unaffected by the Netherworld—felt the aura of death surface upon them the second they met those narrow eyes.
The influence began to expand rapidly.
The Netherworld had already utilized the unique characteristics of the Immortal Nexus to permeate the entire sea of light. Along with it, [Sky-Shrouding]'s mighty power climbed relentlessly.
High above, that pair of narrow eyes rose even further. Transcending the present world and unbound by any restriction, they calmly reflected every Perfected Lord below within their field of vision.
"This is [Sky-Shrouding]'s true body!"
"Impossible! Then who was the [Sky-Shrouding] we just saw?"
"That was merely an incarnation!"
[World-Retribution Incarnation]!
As established, [Sky-Shrouding] was not a character who enjoyed manifesting his holiness before the masses. When he appeared calmly before the world, it was either because he was forced by circumstance—or because he had already achieved his ultimate goal.
"Long before you arrived, I had already entered the Netherworld. Leaving the incarnation outside was merely a ploy to make you misjudge my progress."
The rumbling thunder echoed. In the midst of this, all the Perfected Lords perceived a sudden, terrifying change: the surrounding space and their own stature began to collapse. Their environment magnified infinitely, until the narrow eyes overhead covered the very limit of their vision.
This is... the demotion and surpression method!
From the direction of the Pure Land, the divine sense transmitted by Bodhisattva Precious Lotus Hidden Subduer carried a hint of shock: "Such a wonder... it is actually stronger than my own use of [Ornamental Gold]?"
This was illogical! The fundamental Wonder of [Ornamental Gold] was [Demotion and Surpression]. Yet even as a Great Perfected Lord, urging it with her full force, she could not achieve the effect currently unfolding before her eyes.
On what basis?
For a time, every Perfected Lord present displayed their own Wonders, desperately trying to break free from this Stature surpression. However, the next wave of the offensive followed close behind.
There was no heaven-shaking momentum. There was no brilliance or anomaly. Those narrow eyes high above the sky dome—seemingly transcendent—simply made an incomparably basic movement: they slowly closed.
"..."
In an instant, all sound was silenced. Every Perfected Lord still trapped in the state of Stature surpression vanished completely. The rest of the sentient beings—Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment alike—followed shortly after.
If anyone had been standing outside the Immortal Nexus at that moment, they would have been horrified by the sight: the Immortal Nexus had simply disappeared. Only a mass of agitated smog remained, a bottomless abyss that divine sense could neither pierce nor fathom.
Inside [Nourishing Life Master].
Hiss!
Lu Yang nervously pinched Mu Changsheng's thigh, unable to help but gasp. "This old ghost... when did he become able to control the Netherworld to this extent?"
Others might be blind to the truth, but Lu Yang was not. How had [Sky-Shrouding] surpressed the stature of every Perfected Lord?
The answer was simple: he hadn't surpressed them at all. He had merely spread the power of the Netherworld, imposing the stature of the dead onto every living Perfected Lord.
This wasn't surpression; it was an "enhancement."
The only problem was that the Netherworld's Stature was negative—it pulled downward. Consequently, this enhancement caused the Stature of every Perfected Lord to plummet instantly.
This old ghost didn't waste those years in the Netherworld. But he couldn't do this before. Is this an ability he just obtained because expanding the Netherworld to the entire Sea of Light earned him the realm's favor?
It was highly likely. Expanding the Netherworld was equivalent to a massive, successful ritual, thereby securing the Netherworld's absolute attention.
Lu Yang wished he could study [Sky-Shrouding]'s operations more closely, but as [Sky-Shrouding] closed his eyes, an extreme Knowledge-Perception Barrier blanketed the Immortal Nexus. Mu Changsheng's "live broadcast" was abruptly disconnected.
"Is he trying to stop me from witnessing his ascension to Nascent Soul?"
…
"Heh!"
"Can't see do you? Are you anxious now?"
In the Overseas at the ends of the earth, [Sky-Shrouding]'s figure resurfaced. His eyes were tightly shut and his mouth wore a smirk, as if he could see a certain little bastard stomping his feet in frustration.
The next second, his eyelids twitched, nearly fluttering open. He had prepared for this, immediately formed a hand seal and stroking his palm across his cheek. A layer of hazy brilliance surged, smoothing the twitch and reinforcing the seal of the Knowledge-Perception Barrier.
He stepped forward.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, he threw himself into the abyss. He did not look back. What met his eyes was an infinitely expanding, boundless darkness.
The Netherworld...
[Sky-Shrouding] understood that this was the Netherworld at its absolute peak, having expanded across the sea of light with his help.
The original Netherworld had an entrance and an end. He used to sit at its gates, watching the river of souls flow. Now, however, he could no longer see its boundaries. The Netherworld was inflating, expanding crazily as if it would never stop.
"Exactly as I wished."
[Sky-Shrouding] chuckled. His aura bloomed to its fullest. Finally, a gloomy, infinitely collapsing brilliance surfaced behind him.
That was a Great Dao.
In the [Sea of Bitterness], this Great Dao was useless because it spread "downward" like the Netherworld. But here, in the Netherworld itself, it was a different story.
Ordinary people entering the Netherworld would find their stature surpressed to the extreme. For [Sky-Shrouding], however, this Great Dao was like a dragon entering the sea. His power did not drop; it intensified. Meanwhile, the resistance of the Perfected Lords suppressed by his Knowledge-Perception Barrier grew weaker by the second.
He continued downward, deeper into the Netherworld. Along the way, bizarre sights flickered past—regions of the dead with faint living beings shuttling through them. In the wake of the Netherworld's great upheaval, these beings cowered in place, terrified to move.
[Sky-Shrouding] ignored them. A moment later, he stopped in a patch of pure darkness. He slowly opened his eyes, lifting the blockade on the Immortal Nexus.
"This should be the place."
He had reached the deepest part of the Netherworld. Even if the Great Perfected Lords outside wanted to stop him now, it was far too late.
Yet, he had also reached his limit.
My Void Attainment Great Dao has only reached this step. I still cannot touch the absolute peak of this inflated Netherworld; I cannot reach the Paramita level where the Dao Lords reside.
But this was expected. Up to this point, every development followed his original plan. It was only from this step forward that the true variables would arise.
[Sky-Shrouding] held a hand seal. Dao Fruits surfaced around him in sequence: [Great Forest Wood], [Heavenly River Water], and [Wall Earth], circling him in a rhythmic orbit.
Hateful... if I hadn't been plotted against by that little beast, I would have had five Dao Fruits right now!
He cursed silently, then, without hesitation, threw [Wall Earth] into the Void Attainment Great Dao behind him.
Boom!
In the blink of an eye, the Dao Fruit vanished. In its place, the Void Attainment Great Dao seemed to obtain infinite fuel, shockingly extending even further down into the depths of the Netherworld!
"It truly... works!"
[Sky-Shrouding] was ecstatic. Though he had long been convinced the method was feasible, seeing it manifest still made it difficult to conceal his excitement.
For a moment, his memory returned to that day five thousand years ago.
The World Honored One attaining the Dao; the whole world grieving in unison.
In the world today, he was likely the only Golden Core Perfected Lord who had truly seen, with his own eyes, how the World Honored One attained the Nascent Soul and stepped onto the Paramita!
(End of Chapter)