The Netherworld, an unspeakable place.
Since ancient times, this had been a forbidden zone for life. Almost no living person had ever set foot here, and even if they had, they had never truly ventured deep into it to investigate its secrets.
It was located beneath the mortal realm. Only the souls of the deceased could resonate with it. Guided from the mortal world, they converged into a boundless river of souls, churning with waves as it plunged into its depths. And throughout this process, there was always a majestic estate overlooking and observing it all.
White mist permeated the area around the estate.
This hazy, smoke-like white mist shrouded the estate within. Half-hidden, only its outline could be faintly seen, thereby isolating it from all external influence.
[Dao-Attaining Hidden Profound Palace]
A majestic estate, with the Dao hidden and the profound concealed. It could even bypass the Netherworld's detection of the living. Its essence was exactly a supreme Dao Fruit Secret Method possessing all Five Elements.
However, right at that moment.
The white mist surrounding the estate suddenly scattered. Subsequently, with a loud boom, the estate's main gate was pushed open, and a brilliant golden rosy light surged out.
[Sky-shrouding], his entire body enveloped in smoke, slowly walked out from the estate. His narrow eyes, the only part exposed, revealed a rare look of shock and anger. Riding the white mist and rosy light, he stared fixedly at the unfathomably deep Netherworld with an unprecedented gaze.
The next second, [Sky-shrouding]'s aura began to skyrocket!
[Great Forest Wood], [White Wax Gold], [Silted Sand Earth], [Overturned Lamp Flame], [Eternal Flowing Water]. The Five Elements Dao Fruits instantly aligned, combining and transforming into a single Dao Fruit.
The Dao Fruit took the [Overturned Lamp Flame] as its primary and the others as auxiliaries.
Furthermore, a pathway leading to the nether reappeared behind him. This was exactly his Pseudo Void Attainment Dao, and simultaneously the Nascent Soul foundation upon which he placed his highest hopes.
[Inversion].
'[Nether Insight Dao Fruit]!'
Instantly, firelight almost completely illuminated the Netherworld. Yet, concealed by a pinnacle-level knowledge-perception barrier, it didn't trigger the Netherworld's self-warning mechanism in the slightest.
This was exactly a Dao Fruit Secret Method that pushed the power of the [Overturned Lamp Flame] to its absolute limit, concentrating all its functions on the concept of "uncovering secrets." Therefore, wherever the firelight passed, practically nothing in the Netherworld could remain hidden. A massive expanse of radiant light surged like mighty waves, manifesting the scenes within the Netherworld.
Looking out, it was a scene of utter desolation.
Hills resembling burial mounds were everywhere. Aside from those, there were some ruined buildings, their architectural styles dating back to endless eras ago.
"Hmph... It's that person again!"
Within the Netherworld, some slumbering consciousnesses awakened. They looked over coldly, staring fixedly at [Sky-shrouding]. Their eyes were filled with malice, yet also brimming with dread.
There were also dormant individuals within the Netherworld!
If the living creatures of the mortal realm were beings of life, then those in the Netherworld were beings of death!
[Sky-shrouding] wasn't surprised by this. Having resided in the Netherworld for so long, although he had always remained at the entrance and never truly ventured deep inside, he had long anticipated this.
However, this wasn't important to him. In the Netherworld, he was in his absolute peak state. Even if these beings of death had massive origins and backgrounds, and a few top-tier ones even possessed combat strength at the Great Perfected Lord level, in his eyes, they were nothing more than leaping clowns and petty demons.
In truth, this was exactly the case.
[Sky-shrouding] completely ignored those awakened consciousnesses. He openly deployed his Dao Fruit Secret Method, brushing right up against the Netherworld's warning line.
Tap... tap... tap...
The sound of his footsteps echoed faintly in the empty space. Just like that, [Sky-shrouding] walked a full lap around the four Nether regions of the east, south, west, and north, finally stopping at a boundary.
Further ahead was the central region of the Netherworld.
That was the only place [Sky-shrouding] didn't dare set foot in and couldn't investigate. Because once he approached, the knowledge-perception barrier would no longer be able to conceal his existence.
At this thought, his eyes grew increasingly gloomy.
'Within the Netherworld, outside of the central region, there is absolutely nothing I cannot clearly see after deploying the [Nether Insight Dao Fruit].'
'Yet just now, I walked through all four Nether regions and didn't discover any anomalies. Does this mean the Netherworld fluctuation I sensed earlier, which closely resembled the outward projection of a soul's thought, was either my hallucination, or it originated from the central region? But there shouldn't be any beings of death in the central region.'
'Then it must have been my hallucination... Impossible!'
[Sky-shrouding] instantly rejected this guess. At his realm, there was absolutely no such thing as a hallucination. That was just a thought meant to deceive oneself.
Then there was only one possibility left.
Under the concealment of the smoke, [Sky-shrouding]'s face grew increasingly ugly.
'If there is a being of death in the central region, who could it be? The Master of the Netherworld? Impossible, the Master of the Netherworld should have been killed by the Dao Lord long ago.'
But how could that fluctuation from just now be explained?
Soon, a logical conclusion surfaced—
'The Master of the Netherworld... is still alive?'
Instantly, [Sky-shrouding] almost suffocated. A thought immediately flashed through his mind—
Just because this is a possibility doesn't mean it is the truth...
The next second, a new thought popped up—
So what?
'The mere existence of this possibility is enough, isn't it? This concerns my path to the Nascent Soul. If the Netherworld actually had a master all along, then by seeking the Netherworld, aren't I just courting death?'
'And thinking about it another way, the reason I settled on the path of seeking the Netherworld was actually due to the Ancestor's guidance. Over the years, I've suspected whether the Ancestor was setting a trap for me, but I could never find an answer. Now, discovering that the Netherworld has a master actually perfectly aligns with my impression of that old monster.'
[Sky-shrouding] couldn't help but grit his teeth.
He didn't attempt to deduce the karma, nor did he dare show the slightest hint of emotion. The surrounding smoke this time even shrouded his eyes.
'Calm down. The situation hasn't reached the absolute worst point yet.'
[Sky-shrouding] pondered inwardly:
'Think about this first: why did a fluctuation emit from within the Netherworld? That fluctuation connected directly to the outside world, yet left no trace... What change in the outside world triggered it?'
He had stayed in the Netherworld for so many years.
Before this, no matter what happened, the Netherworld had always remained deathly still. It had never produced an anomaly because of it, as if it would continue this way forever.
Recently, what extraordinary change had occurred in the mortal realm?
At this thought, a name surfaced:
'The [Tribulation]!'
The birth of inner demons, the emergence of the [Tribulation], the fourth innate Great Dao beyond the three foundations... Could the Netherworld have produced this inexplicable fluctuation because of this?
If so—
'Immortal Lord Master of Tribulations and Ferryman of Karma... He might know something.'
[Sky-shrouding] exhaled a deep breath of foul air and locked onto his target. 'It seems I must have a conversation with this person. He might know the hidden secrets within.'
The speculation that the Netherworld had a master did not shake his resolve.
After all, things having reached this point, he could no longer turn back. So what if the Netherworld had a master? At worst, he would just find a way to kill them. He would never show mercy to anyone blocking his path to the Dao.
He even felt a bit fortunate. 'It's a good thing I discovered this before the Thousand-Year Great Tribulation began and my Dao-seeking formally commenced. There's still room to operate. Otherwise, if I only discovered this when I was attaining the Dao, I'm afraid there would be absolutely no room for maneuver, and the final result would most likely be perishing together with the opponent.'
At this thought, [Sky-shrouding] suddenly realized:
'That's it! If I perish together with the Master of the Netherworld, the Netherworld will truly be completely empty! That's exactly the wishful thinking that old monster is planning on!'
What a bastard!
[Sky-shrouding] continuously cursed inwardly as he retracted his profound wonder and decisively returned to the [Dao-Attaining Hidden Profound Palace]. Then, he cast his gaze toward the mortal world.
However, right at that moment.
"...Hm?"
Suddenly, a bizarre resonance transmitted from the [Bodhisattva Coiled Dragon Shadow] he had painstakingly crafted in the past and gifted to the Pure Land long ago.
"This is... an inner demon?"
"The [Bodhisattva Coiled Dragon Shadow] generated an inner demon? What is the Pure Land trying to do?"
(End of Chapter)