# Chapter 1887: First Meeting with the Underworld King
Zhang Ruochen was a high-level sword cultivator with a special connection to swords. He could clearly sense the sharp sword dao fluctuations emanating from the six sacred swords.
Those sword dao fluctuations indicated that their grade was extremely high, definitely surpassing the Ten-Yao Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact level.
Gazing into the distance, Zhang Ruochen saw that beneath the six sacred swords, a blood cocoon was being suppressed.
The blood cocoon was about ten zhang in diameter, woven together from blood-red patterns.
The blood-red patterns hung down, spreading across the ground, dyeing the earth for dozens of li in all directions an eerie red.
Suddenly, a human face emerged from the blood cocoon, hair disheveled, flashing a sinister smile at Zhang Ruochen.
"What is that?"
Zhang Ruochen felt a stabbing pain in his eyes, his whole body shook, and then dizziness and lightheadedness overwhelmed him.
Before coming, Bao Lie had warned Zhang Ruochen that, whether because the seal of the six sacred swords had loosened or because the Underworld King had grown stronger, the Underworld King's spiritual power and soul power could now escape, extending a thousand li outward, affecting cultivators within that range to a certain degree.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen and Bao Lie were about a thousand li away from the Underworld King, which should have been a safe distance.
Zhang Ruochen knew he must have been attacked by the Underworld King's spiritual will, so he immediately mobilized his spiritual power from his sacred heart and formed a defensive domain.
"Zhang Ruochen, you are the son of Xue Hou, a member of the Undying Blood Clan. Why do you fear and resist me? You shouldn't!"
As the voice rang out, a handsome figure appeared before Zhang Ruochen.
He wore a crystalline blood armor, with long arms, distinct facial features, and bright eyes. He naturally exuded an otherworldly aura, not like a blood-drinking demon, but more like a banished immortal walking through the mortal world.
Zhang Ruochen looked toward Senior Brother Bao Lie beside him, hearing a "shasha" sound. Bao Lie's body dissipated like flowing sand.
This dead, silent world now held only him and the imposing man standing across from him.
"Who are you? How do you know I am Xue Hou's son?"
Zhang Ruochen summoned the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda, holding it in his right palm, trying to activate its supreme power. But the sacred qi in his body seemed frozen, unable to circulate, which shocked him deeply.
"According to what cultivators from the Kunlun Realm call me, I should be known as the Underworld King."
"Underworld King? How is that possible?"
Zhang Ruochen looked toward the sword mountain formed by the six sacred swords. The sword mountain had collapsed, all six sacred swords were broken, and that entire area of heaven and earth had shattered.
The Underworld King smiled as he stared at Zhang Ruochen, saying, "I can see into your heart, so naturally I know you are the descendant of my sister Xue Hou. Speaking of which, you should call me uncle."
"You can see into my heart? But even I myself cannot be certain whether Xue Hou is truly my mother. Wait... what did you say? You are Xue Hou's elder brother?"
Zhang Ruochen's heart could not calm down.
The classics and documents of the Kunlun Realm had never recorded any connection between the Underworld King and Xue Hou. How could two beings separated by ten thousand years be siblings?
The Underworld King's gaze carried an unquestionable authority as he nodded slightly, saying, "At my level of cultivation, there is no need to deceive a junior like you."
Then the Underworld King continued, "I can see what you have experienced over these years. That god of the Kunlun Realm once killed you and forced you to leave the Kunlun Realm, wandering far from home. There is a blood-deep enmity between you, yet you lack the power for revenge."
"If you call me uncle, I can help you kill her. Or I can cripple her cultivation and let you deal with her yourself."
Zhang Ruochen laughed, shaking his head, "Our grievances and grudges are no one else's business. Even if I want to kill her, that is my own affair. How could I ask a demon of the Undying Blood Clan to act for me? You want to tempt me, but you've chosen the wrong person."
The Underworld King smiled, as if he truly had seen through Zhang Ruochen, saying, "Though you call the Undying Blood Clan demons, deep in your heart, you hate the Heavenly Court Realm even more and are quite disappointed in them."
"Since that's the case, why not join the Hell Realm and become a member of the Undying Blood Clan? Then you won't have to restrain yourself anymore. You can freely kill enemies from the Heavenly Court Realm, drink their blood, and take them as slaves. Wouldn't that be satisfying?"
"Zhang Ruochen, there is nothing worth clinging to in the Kunlun Realm. Come with me to the Hell Realm, where you can obtain supreme power and strength."
"If you want revenge against Empress Chi Yao, your uncle can help you. The entire Undying Blood Clan can help you."
Zhang Ruochen stared coldly at the Underworld King standing opposite him, saying, "Though I am disappointed in the Heavenly Court and very much want revenge against Chi Yao, these are not weaknesses in my heart. If you think you can break my spiritual will with them, you underestimate me."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze suddenly sharpened. Gripping the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda with all five fingers, he took steady steps and charged toward the Underworld King.
The Underworld King stood there calmly, smiling, "With your current cultivation, you cannot harm me. Why seek death? You should know that the Underworld King has his own dignity and will not tolerate any cultivator's offense."
As he spoke, the smile on the Underworld King's face vanished, replaced by a cold expression and an overbearing aura that dominated everything.
At the same time, the Underworld King's body grew larger and larger. The sky above his head turned blood-red, and the earth beneath his feet split apart.
Facing the sacred dao might emanating from the Underworld King, any living being except a Great Saint would have their courage shattered.
But Zhang Ruochen gritted his teeth, leaped up with both feet, and swung the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda down at the Underworld King.
The Underworld King extended a hand that covered heaven and earth, as if suppressing an ant, reaching toward Zhang Ruochen.
Just as Zhang Ruochen thought he was doomed, he passed through the Underworld King's palm and struck the Underworld King's body with the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda, shattering it.
The suffocating sacred dao might disappeared.
"Bang."
Zhang Ruochen landed on the ground, gasping heavily.
Looking up again, Zhang Ruochen found that this blood-red world had been shattered by his strike, like a piece of paper torn apart.
The real world appeared.
The sword mountain formed by the six sacred swords still stood at the horizon, suppressing the blood cocoon.
"Junior Brother, were you attacked by the Underworld King's spiritual will?" Bao Lie asked with concern.
Zhang Ruochen had no time to explain, saying, "The Underworld King's spiritual will can spread even farther now. This place has become dangerous. We need to retreat further."
Before Zhang Ruochen and Bao Lie could retreat far, a piercing sound wave emerged from underground, shaking the entire space.
The sound wave approached rapidly from afar, closing in on Zhang Ruochen and Bao Lie.
"It's that monster again!"
Bao Lie took a step sideways, standing in front of Zhang Ruochen, holding his hands at his abdomen. His abdomen swelled up, growing larger and larger, emitting brilliant sacred light, as if a star were contained in his belly.
"Roar."
Ripples of sound waves spread from Bao Lie's mouth.
The earth was peeled away layer by layer, soil and rocks flying, extending from Bao Lie's feet to a thousand li away. Only when it reached the area near the six sacred swords' sword mountain was it torn apart by sword qi, dissipating into nothingness.
About a dozen li from Zhang Ruochen and Bao Lie, the monster covered in white threads was shaken out from underground by the sound waves.
Zhang Ruochen finally saw clearly that those white threads, thousands of zhang long, were actually strands of hair. Beneath the hair was a withered, aged body, covered in wrinkles, with a ferocious face and blood-red eyes.
Zhang Ruochen recognized the monster's face, saying, "It really is Shi Mingyuan."
Zhang Ruochen and Bao Lie retreated rapidly, the monster pursuing relentlessly.
They lured it to a place thousands of li from the sword mountain, then Zhang Ruochen and Bao Lie exchanged glances and stopped simultaneously.
Bao Lie raised his golden war spear, activating its Seven-Yao Perfection power. Golden sacred dao energy waves spread out, turning the entire world into a golden ocean.
"Boom."
Using the spear as a staff, he struck straight down.
The golden war spear seemed to transform into a divine pillar reaching the heavens, landing on the monster's body, sending it flying backward with a sharp scream.
Zhang Ruochen had already used Space Displacement, appearing behind the monster, blocking its escape route. He held the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda, activating its supreme power, ready to launch a thunderous strike at any moment.
Bao Lie's cultivation was profound, his combat power formidable. With each spear strike, a large area of the earth collapsed.
However, the monster was also powerful, constantly inscribing talisman patterns to neutralize the force of Bao Lie's attacks.
"Junior Brother, this won't work. I can't disperse the evil qi inside it. It must have been controlled by the Underworld King's mind and also infected with the Underworld King's blood poison," Bao Lie said.
Zhang Ruochen frowned, "Then let's suppress it first, take it out of the Nether Prison, and then find a way to detoxify it and expel the evil dao will inside."
"Alright."
Bao Lie released his dao domain, no longer holding back.
Bao Lie's dao domain was as solid as gold and iron, pulling the monster inside, preventing it from escaping and suppressing its movement speed.
"Boom."
The golden war spear struck the monster's back, sending it flying again.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen, who had been waiting nearby, struck with the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda, drawing the monster inside and suppressing it.
"Yah roar."
The Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda shook, and piercing roars continuously came from within.
From the direction of the six sacred swords, a distant voice came: "Well done, Ruochen. You have not disappointed me. We will meet again, and I hope by then we are no longer enemies."
"What does he mean?" Bao Lie was puzzled.
"Don't mind him."
Bao Lie's face showed deep concern, saying, "The Underworld King's spiritual will has grown stronger, able to spread over a thousand li. Perhaps one day, he will break the seal and escape the Nether Prison."
"I'm more worried that cultivators from the Undying Blood Clan will infiltrate the Nether Prison to help him escape early. With the Underworld King's current cultivation, he probably no longer needs the six sub-swords as keys to unlock the seal. If someone delivers a Supreme Sacred Artifact to him, he might be able to break the seal." Zhang Ruochen's worry was even greater than Bao Lie's.
...
Half a day later, Zhang Ruochen, Shi Qiankun, Shi Ren, Bao Lie, and Bao Xinghun walked out of the Nether Prison, met up with Ji Fanxin and the others waiting outside, and then returned together to the Town Prison Ancient Clan.