Chapter 2: Flame Bone Mountain
The Nine Nether Domain consisted of eighty-one territories.
Though called territories, they were actually eighty-one massive islands. When the Death Overgod created the 'Underworld' long ago, this peculiar place, the 'Nine Nether Domain,' was formed deep within the Nether Sea. These eighty-one islands of comparable size were all adjacent to one another. If viewed on a map, one would discover that these eighty-one islands were arranged in a circle.
"The Nine Nether Domain, a gathering place for the strong in the Underworld!" Linley gazed from high in the sky at the distant island landmass.
The Nine Nether Domain, much like the 'Purgatory' in Hell, was a place where many battle-hungry experts flocked. They were unruly and arrogant, they craved combat. Over countless years, the eighty-one territories of the Nine Nether Domain had given birth to eighty-one Lords! To be a Nine Nether Lord was to be the pinnacle of strength within one's territory!
Holding the position of Nine Nether Lord also meant facing challenges from other experts within the territory. If defeated, a stronger expert would take the position of Lord!
"Whoosh!"
A cyan rainbow streaked across the sky, quickly descending upon the nearest island. Calling it an island was only in comparison to the mainland of the Underworld. Compared to the Yulan Continent, the Yulan Continent was merely a tiny speck! Any one of these eighty-one islands spanned millions of miles in circumference.
As soon as they landed, Linley and Bebe looked around.
This was a vast, desolate wilderness, sparsely populated.
"I've been flying for so long, I don't even know which of the eighty-one islands this is." Linley frowned slightly. The Nether Sea was far too vast. Linley had been relying on some special reference points to roughly gauge his route. But the Nether Sea was so huge that if his flight path deviated even slightly, the first island he reached could be different.
He first needed to figure out which of the eighty-one islands he was standing on.
Only then could Linley clearly determine the positions of the various islands and find the Spatial Gate.
"Boss, that's simple. Just find someone to ask. But there really aren't many people here, completely different from the Underworld mainland." Bebe frowned as he spoke. Linley chuckled and said, "Only the strong dare to come to the Nine Nether Domain. Even if there were tens of millions or hundreds of millions of people, spread across such a vast island, it wouldn't amount to much. I think most of them have gathered towards the center. Hey, there's someone over there!"
Linley's eyes lit up.
He saw a golden-haired man flying at extreme speed in the distance.
"Let's go ask." Linley and Bebe, like two bolts of lightning, instantly tore through the sky and gave chase.
The golden-haired man turned his head and was startled: "Such speed! Not someone to mess with!" In a place like the Nine Nether Domain, killing was common. This golden-haired man didn't dare to run, afraid of angering the newcomers. He quickly stopped. When Linley and Bebe stopped in front of him, the golden-haired man forced a smile and asked, "You two, is there something you need?"
Still, he glanced at Linley with some surprise. Linley was still in his Dragonform.
"Don't worry," Bebe said bluntly. "We're not looking for trouble. Just asking you something. Which island in the Nine Nether Domain is this?"
The golden-haired man breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly replied, "This island is the 'Lotus Rock Island' of the Nine Nether Domain."
"Lotus Rock Island? Looks like I drifted off course. I was planning to reach Willow Mantis Island." Linley recalled the map of the eighty-one islands' positions in his mind. He instantly knew his location and which direction to head next.
"Thank you." Linley said to the golden-haired man. "Bebe, let's go."
Without resting, Linley and Bebe immediately soared into the air again, flying southeast at top speed.
"Phew." The golden-haired man watched Linley and the other leave, finally relaxing. Linley's Dragonform aura had already made him wary.
The most central island of the Nine Nether Domain – Flame Bone Island!
The most famous place on Flame Bone Island was 'Flame Bone Mountain'. This Flame Bone Mountain wasn't the residence of some super expert. It was the location of the Spatial Gate leading to the 'Planar Battlefield'. Every time a planar war occurred, a large number of people would pass through here to go to the Planar Battlefield.
On Flame Bone Mountain, amidst the vast wilderness, ancient stone houses were scattered here and there.
"Second Brother, that bald man on the 'Blood Battle Platform' today was really strong. I think his achievements in the Laws of Lightning have fused at least three profound mysteries." Two black-robed youths were flying through the air, discussing the great battle they had just witnessed on the Blood Battle Platform.
"He's pretty strong. Including today, he's already had sixty consecutive victories. I wonder if he can reach a hundred." Another slightly thinner black-robed youth sighed.
"What use is a hundred consecutive victories? Do you think he dares to challenge the Flame Bone Lord?" The slightly plumper black-robed youth sneered. "In the over a hundred million years we brothers have been on Flame Bone Territory, there have been quite a few who achieved a hundred consecutive victories. But challenges to the Flame Bone Lord have only happened three times. And those three times, you saw the Flame Bone Lord's strength. Those who challenged him definitely had the strength of a Seven Star Demon, maybe even higher, much stronger than that bald man. But what happened? They were all killed in one move! They didn't even have a chance to fight back."
"But now, no one can challenge the Flame Bone Lord even if they want to. I heard the Flame Bone Lord has entered the Planar Battlefield."
"Yeah, right. The Planar Battlefield! That place, even a Seven Star Demon entering would be slaughtered. But if you come out alive and render some service, things change. I heard you can get the power of a Sovereign, and I heard the highest reward is a Sovereign artifact!" The two black-robed men talked, both envious.
The greater the risk, the greater the reward.
But...
Most people turned pale at the mention of the Planar Battlefield and didn't dare to enter.
"Hmm?" The two black-robed brothers suddenly looked ahead.
They saw two afterimages flash across the sky, shooting towards them at incredible speed. The speed made the two brothers cautious. The two figures stopped. They were a young man in a sky-blue robe and a youth wearing a straw hat. The young man smiled and said, "Sorry to bother you. We'd like to ask you something. Do you know where Flame Bone Mountain is?"
Flame Bone Mountain was on Flame Bone Island, Linley knew that, but he had never been there.
"Flame Bone Mountain?"
The hearts of the two black-robed brothers trembled, but they forced smiles onto their faces.
"Flame Bone Mountain. Head straight in this direction. After flying for several hundred thousand miles, you'll see a tall mountain burning with flames from afar. That's Flame Bone Mountain." The slightly plumper black-robed youth spoke with a smile.
"Thank you both."
Linley smiled, then he and Bebe sped off in the direction the black-robed youth had indicated.
"Phew." The two black-robed brothers looked at each other, shock in their eyes.
"Going to Flame Bone Mountain at this time? Looks like they're heading to the Planar Battlefield. But getting in now isn't that simple." The plumper black-robed youth's eyes lit up. "Second Brother, which one of them do you think is a Nine Nether Lord level figure?"
Linley and Bebe flew for a while following the directions, then they saw from afar a tall mountain covered in faint, dark red flames. This mountain was tens of thousands of meters high, far smaller than the Nether Mountain, but it was considered very tall for an island.
"Flame Bone Mountain!" Linley squinted.
"We've traveled all this way, finally made it to Flame Bone Mountain." Bebe revealed a smile.
Linley immediately reverted to his human form. There was no need to rush for now. After seeing Flame Bone Mountain, Linley and the other flew to its base. The mountain itself was pitch black, devoid of any vegetation, seemingly made entirely of black stone.
On the surface of the mountain, dark red flames flickered.
These dark red flames had burned for countless years without being extinguished. Even standing at the foot of the mountain, Linley could feel the eerie aura emanating from the dark red flames.
Linley looked up towards the summit of Flame Bone Mountain.
Atop the flame-wreathed Flame Bone Mountain stood a sprawling black castle. This black castle was also wreathed in dark red flames.
"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"
Linley and Bebe shot into the air, quickly reaching the main gate of the black castle. The castle was entirely black, but the main gate was a dazzling, vivid red, like gory blood. Just looking at the gate, Linley felt a wave of killing intent wash over him.
Over a dozen guards stood at the castle gate, all clad in black armor.
"Halt!" one of the guards shouted.
"We want to enter the Planar Battlefield." Linley stated directly.
"Get out of the way!" Bebe shouted coldly.
The dozen or so guards looked at each other, somewhat shocked. The guard who had shouted immediately put on a friendlier expression and said with a smile, "So you two lords want to enter the Planar Battlefield. May I ask which of you is a Nine Nether Lord?"
"Nine Nether Lord?" Linley and Bebe were taken aback.
Seeing the expressions on Linley and Bebe's faces, the guard frowned slightly but continued, "Then... which of you lords is a Prefect of my Underworld?"
Linley and Bebe were still confused.
"Hey! We want to enter the Planar Battlefield! What's this about Nine Nether Lords and Underworld Prefects?" Bebe shouted impatiently. "Hurry up and take us to the Spatial Gate so we can enter the Planar Battlefield. We're in a hurry and don't have time to waste with you!"
The smiles on the faces of the dozen or so guards instantly turned cold.
"Get lost!" one of the guards shouted coldly. "Stop causing trouble here! Make another scene, and don't blame us for being ruthless!"
Linley and Bebe were stunned. Bebe flew into a rage: "What did you say! Let me in now, and I won't bother with you. Otherwise—"
"I told you to get lost!" the guard shouted coldly. A black longspear suddenly appeared in his hand, and he stabbed it towards Bebe without hesitation. The black spear shot out like a black flood dragon, causing ripples in the space around it. But Bebe simply reached out, easily grabbing the spear tip.
The guard was stunned. He tried angrily to pull it out, but couldn't.
The other guards were also startled.
"Bebe, don't go too far. They are, after all, under the command of a Sovereign." Linley sent a mental message.
Bebe glared at the guard: "Speak! If it weren't for the face of the Sovereign, I would have killed you all already. Speak! Why won't you let us in?"
The guard realized the strength of the person before him. Although they were soldiers under a Sovereign, if the other party killed him in a fit of rage, he would die for nothing. He quickly said, "My lords, it's not that I won't let you in, it's that I truly cannot! This is a rule set by the Sovereigns, a rule that has been followed for countless years."
"What rule?" Linley demanded.
"To open the Spatial Gate and enter the Planar Battlefield, one of you must be a Nine Nether Lord, or an Underworld Prefect. A Lord or Prefect can lead a group in. But ordinary Highgods are not qualified to enter on their own." The guard quickly explained.
Linley frowned. He suddenly understood.
The highest-ranking position in the Planar Battlefield was 'Commander', which included Prefects and Lords. Only Commanders could bring people in. Ordinary Highgods were not qualified.
"So that's why the Sovereign said you should become a Nine Nether Lord first before entering." Bebe looked at Linley.
Linley also recalled the words the Death Sovereign had spoken.
"You mean, if I find a Nine Nether Lord to take us in, that's fine?" Linley asked again.
"Yes, yes." The guard quickly agreed.
"Are there any other rules?" Linley pressed.
The guard added, "In the Planar Battlefield, it's a war between two planes. There are only 'Commanders' and ordinary soldiers. So ordinary Highgods who enter are just soldiers and must obey the Commander's orders. They are not allowed to roam freely in the Planar Battlefield! If you two lords enter, you also need to follow the arrangements. Only a Commander can lead his own people and fight freely in the Planar Battlefield."