Chapter 19: Reminder – Snakes and Trees!
The entire hall fell silent in an instant. Everyone was stunned by that move from the red-haired young woman. The way the fishing line danced seemed to control the surrounding space, as if countless whirlpools were converging, forming a dense spatial net. This scene was simply too bizarre!
"So strong!" The upper-tier gods in the hall all understood why the hotel dared to claim—no fighting allowed within the hotel.
"Hmph!" The purple-haired youth let out an angry snort, his entire body erupting with crackling lightning. At times, he transformed entirely into lightning, trying to escape from the fishing line. But the line that trapped him shimmered with a green light, sealing the purple-haired youth completely. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free!
"Causing trouble in my hotel, you've got some nerve," the red-haired, pretty young woman said coldly. "You don't need to pay for the damages, but get ready to be my bait."
With that, the red-haired young woman hoisted her fishing rod, the line binding the purple-haired youth. She walked out of the hotel, heading toward the grassy area outside. When she reached the lakeside, she flicked the rod. With a splash, the purple-haired youth plunged into the water.
"She really used him as bait," Bebe said in surprise. "Boss, this woman... hey, Boss!"
Bebe was startled to find Linley sitting there with his eyes closed, completely still.
At that moment, Linley's mind was replaying the shocking scene from earlier. The way the fishing line coiled resembled countless whirlpools in turbulent waves, endless and unbroken. After years of cultivating the laws of water element, Linley was only stuck at the bottleneck of the sixth profound mystery—the Profound Mystery of Softness. He hadn't broken through yet.
Among the laws of water element, the Profound Mystery of Softness was relatively easy to grasp but the hardest to master.
Water, the ultimate softness!
A delicate fishing line could stir space like flowing water, forming countless spatial threads that entangled like a spatial net, binding and wrapping the target. Such skill showed a terrifying mastery of the water element laws. Seeing this, Linley had a flash of insight.
A sudden epiphany!
"Whoosh—" A fluctuation of the laws of heaven and earth abruptly descended upon the hotel lobby. A large amount of water element gathered, forming a misty cloud above Linley. An overwhelming pressure radiated outward. Facing this pressure, everyone instinctively submitted.
From Linley's body, a water-type divine clone suddenly emerged—the green-haired Linley.
"Boss, you broke through?" Bebe exclaimed joyfully.
Outside the hotel, by the lake, the red-haired young woman, who was using a person as bait to fish, frowned slightly. She turned and glanced at the lobby in surprise: "Huh? Watching me use that move, and he broke through? This guy's comprehension is truly remarkable." At the same time, she flicked the rod, tossing the bait aside.
The purple-haired youth rolled on the ground and immediately stood up.
"Alright, I've lost interest in punishing you!" the red-haired young woman said coldly. "Remember, in my hotel, don't cause trouble again. I let you off lightly this time. If there's a next time, I'll kill you directly!"
The black-robed, purple-haired youth gave her a silent look, then walked a short distance away, sat cross-legged on the grass, and closed his eyes.
The red-haired young woman put down her fishing rod, stood up, and turned to head back into the lobby.
Inside the lobby, the staff were cleaning up. Many upper-tier gods in the dining area were discussing the events, mostly about the red-haired young woman, Linley, and the purple-haired youth.
"It looks hopeless this time. Even if we're lucky and a Netherworld Fruit appears, we can't compete with them."
"Those two from the Infernal Realm are indeed strong."
"Don't give up. On Netherworld Mountain, it's all misty, and everyone scatters to search. It's not just about strength to get the Netherworld Fruit! Maybe one of us will get lucky and find it."
Having witnessed the strength of the purple-haired youth, Linley, and the others, they knew they couldn't match them. But they still refused to give up. Searching for the Netherworld Fruit required strength, but luck was also important. In countless years, only three Netherworld Fruits had appeared. The odds were extremely low, but they still wanted to try.
If they didn't try, they'd remain ordinary upper-tier gods in the vast Netherworld.
But if they tried, they might skyrocket in power, become a Sovereign's emissary, and stand at the peak of the Netherworld.
"Boss, congratulations," Bebe said happily, raising his glass. At the same time, he opened his divine domain to prevent others from hearing their conversation.
"Looks like my luck is turning," Linley said with a smile. "To have my water-type divine clone reach the upper-tier god level at this moment. I think tonight, when we enter Netherworld Mountain, we'll succeed!"
"Yeah, we definitely will!" Bebe agreed.
Entering Netherworld Mountain to meet a Sovereign—the difficulty was immense. Even Linley and Bebe were worried.
"Hmm?" Linley turned his head.
The red-haired young woman was walking directly toward their table. She pulled out a chair and sat down with Linley and Bebe without hesitation. Taking a glass, she poured some of their wine and downed it in one gulp without a word.
Linley and Bebe looked at her in confusion.
"Kid," the red-haired young woman said, looking at Linley with a smirk, "Your water element just reached the upper-tier god level. Don't you think you should thank me?"
"True," Linley said with a smile, raising his glass. "I really do thank you. Otherwise, I don't know when I would have broken through."
"Boss, what's this woman's angle?" Bebe asked via telepathic transmission, puzzled. Linley was also curious and replied, "Bebe, I find this woman very strange too. A powerhouse nearly at the level of an Infernal Realm Asura, running a hotel here. It's hard to figure out."
The red-haired young woman downed a few more glasses.
"You two are here for the Netherworld Fruit too?" she said with a faint smile. "From what I've seen of your strength, you're at least at the Seven-Star Fiend level, maybe stronger. It seems to me you don't need to take this gamble and look for the Netherworld Fruit. With your strength, you could dominate a region in either the Infernal Realm or the Netherworld."
"No one ever thinks their strength is too great," Linley replied with a faint smile.
Linley didn't want to casually mention the matter of meeting a Sovereign to outsiders.
"Oh, fair enough," the red-haired young woman nodded. "But I'll give you a piece of advice. It's best not to enter Netherworld Mountain."
"What do you mean? Is it dangerous inside?" Linley asked.
The red-haired young woman chuckled lightly: "It is dangerous! In the history of the Netherworld, only three Netherworld Fruits have appeared, one every countless billions of years. Those who come looking for it..." She glanced at the nearby group, "are those who haven't made it in the Netherworld and are taking a gamble. But gambling comes at a cost! Even for someone as strong as you, on Netherworld Mountain, you could die if you're not careful!"
Linley narrowed his eyes.
"With your level of strength, you can roam the Netherworld freely. Why risk your life for a fruit that appears once in countless years?" the red-haired young woman said.
Linley nodded.
For ordinary upper-tier gods, those at the Five-Star Fiend or Six-Star Fiend level were decent but couldn't reach the peak of the Netherworld. These people risked their lives for a lucky break. But for someone near the Asura level, it wasn't worth it. Their lives were precious!
"We're willing to take the risk," Bebe said with a grin. "I'm curious, how dangerous is Netherworld Mountain?"
"I'm just giving you advice. Whether you go in or die, it's none of my business," the red-haired young woman said with a faint smile. "But over the years, too many have entered Netherworld Mountain and never come out."
"Can you tell me what dangers are inside Netherworld Mountain?" Linley pressed.
Since this woman ran a hotel nearby and seemed connected to the three lords of Green Leaf Castle—possibly even one of them—she likely knew something about the interior of Netherworld Mountain.
"And why should I tell you?" the red-haired young woman countered.
Linley and Bebe were taken aback.
The red-haired young woman stood up with a smile: "Netherworld Mountain has three-colored mists. The higher you go, the more dangerous it gets. Remember, be careful of snakes... and trees." With that, she turned and left, leaving Linley and Bebe baffled.
They had already expected that the higher they climbed Netherworld Mountain, the more dangerous it would be.
But...
"Snakes? Trees?" Bebe muttered. "There are plenty of trees in the mountains. Do we have to be careful of every single one? How are we supposed to climb the mountain then?"
"Don't overthink it. Just stay alert for snakes and trees, but don't let your guard down for other things either," Linley said thoughtfully. "That woman might know something about Netherworld Mountain, but she probably doesn't know all its dangers."
Under the moonlight, Netherworld Mountain, shimmering with faint electric light, seemed covered in a thin, reddish veil.
At this moment, at the northern foot of the mountain.
Countless billions of lightning chains cascaded down from the peak like a waterfall. At the northern base, there was a giant mountain gate ten meters high, carved with strange patterns. Lightning crackled along its edges, but there was none inside the gate itself.
Several dozen people were gathered at the gate.
"This is the only entrance," Bebe muttered. "I'd love to try charging in from somewhere else to see how strong that lightning is."
"Better to be cautious," Linley said, looking up.
The mist swirling around the mountain's surface had indeed thinned a bit.
"Brothers!" A group of five upper-tier gods huddled together. One of them spoke solemnly, "We've been drifting aimlessly for so many years... This time, we're going all in. If we fail, we die. But if one of us succeeds, that brother must fulfill the wishes of the others."
"Don't worry, big brother." The others had determined looks. One by one, they entered the mountain gate and stepped into Netherworld Mountain.
"Going to die!" a soft, sinister voice said.
It was the silver-haired, effeminate man. "Do they even deserve the Netherworld Fruit?" He too stepped into Netherworld Mountain. One by one, the upper-tier gods exchanged words and entered. Those who dared to enter Netherworld Mountain were all risking their lives.
"Netherworld Fruit?" The black-robed, purple-haired youth also dashed through the gate.
"Boom!" Linley instantly dragonized. Blue-gold dragon scales covered his body, and fierce spikes emerged from his back, forehead, and elbows. With a flip of his hand, he produced a nearly transparent longsword. "Let's go, Bebe." Linley and Bebe entered Netherworld Mountain.
Linley's sudden dragonization startled the others.
"So, he was hiding his strength!" they thought, trembling.
"That sword looks like a treasure too."
Though shocked, the other upper-tier gods entered the gate one by one.
After a moment, only two people remained outside the gate: the red-haired young woman and the green-robed woman.
"Boss, those two from the Infernal Realm are really strong," the green-robed woman said.
The red-haired young woman smiled slightly: "If I'm not mistaken, the weapon in that Azure Dragon clan youth's hand should be a divine artifact forged by Beirut! Such a large divine artifact is rare. That youth has a close connection to Beirut. And that boy, who caught a Seven-Star Fiend's sword strike with his bare hand without a scratch, yet has no aura of a Sovereign artifact... I think he's probably the legendary descendant of Beirut, the second Soul Devouring Rat."
"Oh, let's go back," the red-haired young woman said, turning away.
"Boss, how many do you think will come out alive?" the green-robed woman asked.
"Based on past patterns, this group is fairly capable. A few should survive. But if they greedily try to reach the peak of Netherworld Mountain, none of them might come out!" the red-haired young woman said indifferently. "Don't worry about them. The Netherworld has plenty of people. Losing a batch is nothing."
The green-robed woman followed the red-haired young woman back toward the hotel.