Chapter 2197: Nether King Emerges
Soul summoning is extremely complex and must be carried out as early as possible. The longer the delay, the greater the difficulty, and it may even extinguish all hope.
Once a sacred soul dissipates into heaven and earth, over time, it will gradually be assimilated by the world. In the end, not a single shred can be gathered again.
Zhang Ruochen's situation was relatively good. At least he had retained nearly one percent of his sacred soul. Using this as a foundation, it would be relatively easier to reassemble the scattered soul.
"Splash."
Xue Hou cut her wrist, releasing a large amount of divine blood.
Using divine blood as a guide, she quickly inscribed many complex secret patterns, forming a peculiar soul-summoning formation.
Setting up a soul-summoning formation did not necessarily require divine blood; many other materials could serve as substitutes, and it could even be prepared in advance.
But time was urgent now, and Xue Hou did not want to waste a single moment.
For Zhang Ruochen, she did not mind expending some divine blood.
Moreover, Xue Hou and Zhang Ruochen were mother and son, bound by the closest relationship. Zhang Ruochen's soul had been nurtured within her body. Using her divine blood as a guide could maximize the retrieval of the scattered soul fragments from heaven and earth.
Xue Hou not only wanted to revive Zhang Ruochen but also to restore him to his peak state, ensuring no impact on his future cultivation.
As a parent, she always wanted to give her child the best.
"Search the heavens and sweep the earth, gather the souls and condense the spirit."
Xue Hou's expression was serious as her hands slowly formed various strange hand seals.
"Buzz."
The soul-summoning formation inscribed on the ground instantly burst into brilliant blood light, shooting up into the sky.
In an instant, the void vibrated, faintly revealing a peculiar passage that seemed both real and illusory. It was pitch-black inside, leading to an unknown destination.
However, this passage appeared very unstable, shifting and changing, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Xue Hou immediately released another surge of divine blood, injecting it into the soul-summoning formation, stabilizing the passage and further widening it.
With a thought, she released her vast, ocean-like divine thoughts, pouring them into this special passage.
The process of soul summoning involved using spiritual power or divine thoughts to capture the strands of soul scattered between heaven and earth, bring them back, and then reassemble them.
Of course, this was not easy. Reversing life and death violated the laws of heaven and earth, so it would incur backlash from the world's rules.
The stronger the person being revived, the stronger the backlash from the soul summoning.
When Zhang Ruochen died, he was already at the Undying Great Saint realm. His cultivation and strength were extremely formidable. Even if a top-tier spiritual power Great Saint intervened, paying the price of their life, success was not guaranteed.
In fact, even summoning the soul of a Saint realm cultivator was extremely difficult. After all, Saint realm cultivators had already begun to comprehend the rules of heaven and earth, forming a tight connection with the world.
Xue Hou did not consider any of this. She only wanted to revive Zhang Ruochen quickly, regardless of how fierce the backlash from heaven and earth's rules might be.
Outside the cave, the sky suddenly changed color. The lightning enveloping the blood-colored mountain became even more violent. Countless massive spatial rifts appeared, as if the entire world was about to shatter.
The rules of heaven and earth in this second gradient of the Endless Abyss became completely chaotic and aggressive, turning from virtual to real, like true dragons soaring.
Blood Demon and Qiu Yichi stood outside the blood-colored mountain, their expressions extremely grave.
Several more figures arrived near the blood-colored mountain, all acquaintances of Zhang Ruochen. They were Chi Linyuan, Qi Sheng, Yinghuo, and Xue Tu, who had been following Xue Hou.
"What is happening?" Chi Linyuan asked.
Not only him, but Qi Sheng, Yinghuo, and Xue Tu were also puzzled, unaware of why such a massive upheaval had suddenly occurred here.
Qiu Yichi said, "The Crown Prince has encountered a deadly calamity. The master is using heaven-defying means to revive him. The rules of heaven and earth here will become increasingly chaotic. We..."
As she spoke, a sudden change occurred in the sky.
"Boom."
Bolts of lightning tore through the sky, shattering the void.
An awe-inspiring divine might surged from the blood-colored mountain, rapidly spreading in all directions.
"Bang."
Including Blood Demon, everyone present was forced to their knees by the divine might, unable to move.
For a moment, all the blood beasts living in the second gradient prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling in fear.
Gods transcended the mundane, standing high above. They were fundamentally different from Saint realm cultivators. The divine might they possessed could not be resisted even by Great Saints.
Previously, Xue Hou had deliberately restrained her divine might, so Blood Demon and the others had not been greatly affected.
But now, as Xue Hou performed the soul-summoning secret art, her power was unleashed without reservation, and her divine might naturally became unconstrained.
Chi Linyuan, Qi Sheng, Yinghuo, and Xue Tu were all shocked. They never imagined that the invincible Zhang Ruochen could also fall. They wondered what great event had occurred in the outside world.
Especially Xue Tu, who had not left the Endless Abyss since entering. He had been in seclusion, cultivating, completely unaware of the current situation in the Kunlun Realm.
However, after some time, Xue Tu's cultivation had clearly become much deeper, making him hard to read. He was far superior to his former self.
If he returned to the Blood Heaven Tribe now, his ranking would no longer be merely the top five on the surface.
"To save her son, Xue Hou has really gone all out. Although she has already become a god, reviving Zhang Ruochen will inevitably come at an enormous cost. I never thought family bonds would hold such weight in her heart," Blood Demon said.
He was a cultivation fanatic, with all his thoughts focused on cultivation.
If it were his own children who had met with disaster, he would find it extremely difficult to do what Xue Hou had done.
Soul summoning was no easy task. No one knew how long it would take. Although no one liked kneeling, they had no choice but to wait quietly.
They silently prayed that everything would go smoothly.
Otherwise, if Zhang Ruochen could not be revived, given Xue Hou's temperament, who knew what might happen.
...
At the same time, an elegant and noble figure appeared at the outskirts of the Zhenyu Ancient Clan.
If Zhang Ruochen were here, he would be greatly astonished. This figure was none other than his other mother, Lin Fei.
Lin Fei was supposed to be living with Mu Lingxi at Fenghuang Lake.
Why had she come to the Zhenyu Ancient Clan?
Before Lin Fei lay the ancient divine patterns protecting the Zhenyu Ancient Clan and the Sword Grave, densely covering the sky and earth, forming a tight defense.
All of this was the work of Zhenmiao Xiaodaoren.
Ever since defeating the hundreds of thousands of troops from the Undying Blood Clan, Zhenmiao Xiaodaoren had stayed at the Zhenyu Ancient Clan, studying the "Star Chart" while repairing the ancient divine patterns.
With Zhenmiao Xiaodaoren's formation mastery, controlling the repaired ancient divine patterns meant that even an ordinary Great Saint could not break through.
Moreover, the Zhenyu Ancient Clan had Shi Mingyuan, a Rune Dao Earth Master. As long as the Hell Realm did not deploy the kind of force that attacked the Central Imperial City, the Sword Grave could generally be defended.
A faint divine light appeared in Lin Fei's eyes, instantly penetrating all the ancient divine patterns.
"Whoosh."
With a movement of her body, she passed through the ancient divine patterns without any hindrance, entering the Sword Grave.
"Huh? Did someone just come in? Was that an illusion?" Zhenmiao Xiaodaoren showed a surprised expression.
The ancient divine patterns were under its control, so any disturbance could not escape its perception.
Zhenmiao Xiaodaoren had vaguely sensed something but had not caught any specific trace.
"It must have been an illusion."
Too lazy to think further, it continued studying the "Star Chart."
With its formation mastery, it truly did not believe anyone could pass through the ancient divine patterns unnoticed. Not even a Great Saint could.
Before long, Lin Fei arrived deep within the Sword Grave, in front of a pitch-black stone mountain shaped like a turtle shell.
The next moment, Lin Fei took a step forward, passing through the stone mountain, and her figure vanished.
There was an invisible door on the stone mountain, leading to the Nether Prison.
Just as Lin Fei entered the Nether Prison, a bald old man emerged from the stone wall. He was the self-proclaimed sole jailer, Kong Lao.
Following Kong Lao, the four prison wardens also appeared.
"Hasn't it been a while? Why is she here again? Hasn't she given up on rescuing the Nether King?" Jin Ye Warden said.
Clearly, this was not Lin Fei's first visit here. Kong Lao and the four wardens had already dealt with her.
Lei Gua Warden snorted lightly, "Everyone underestimated the sturdiness of the Nether Prison. Without Kong Lao's permission, even a god would find it impossible to release someone suppressed here, let alone just a divine doppelganger."
"It's only because Kong Lao is easygoing that he lets her in to meet the Nether King."
Kong Lao smiled, "This Nether King is quite interesting. As a member of the Undying Blood Clan, he is determined to subdue the six sacred swords suppressing him. I gave him a chance."
"As long as he can gain the recognition of Jian Zu's spiritual will before becoming a god and subdue the sword spirits of the six sacred swords, I will not stop him from leaving the Nether Prison."
The six sacred swords were six fragments of the Eternal Star Divine Sword, one of the ten great divine artifacts of the Kunlun Realm. The Eternal Star Divine Sword was forged by Jian Zu. In theory, it was impossible for a creature of the Hell Realm to subdue it.
After all, the "Wordless Sword Manual" was passed down by Jian Zu, who was considered the founding master of the Sword Dao in the Kunlun Realm.
Jian Zu's spiritual will was so powerful that even gods found it hard to resist, let alone beings below the god level.
Kong Lao's bet with the Nether King was merely because he found the Nether King unique, different from other Undying Blood Clan members. He gave him a glimmer of hope to leave alive.
Guarding the Nether Prison for countless years was dull and tedious. He had to find some amusement for himself.
After entering the Nether Prison, Lin Fei encountered no obstacles and smoothly reached the fifteenth layer, the "Punishment Prison Realm."
Compared to the previous fourteen prison realms, the "Punishment Prison Realm" was a cultivation paradise. It was covered in colorful crystals, including spirit crystals and sacred stones, too numerous to count.
However, there was also a very special place in the "Punishment Prison Realm." It had few rules of heaven and earth, no celestial spiritual energy, and certainly no celestial sacred energy. It was a completely forbidden area for magic.
This was where the Nether King was sealed. Six sacred swords, each ten thousand zhang tall, were arranged into a sword mountain, standing on the horizon. They emitted dazzling light, illuminating a corner of this dark world.
Beneath the six sacred swords was a blood cocoon ten zhang in diameter, woven from countless blood-colored patterns. The surrounding hundreds of miles had been dyed an eerie blood red.
"Xue Hou, why have you come to the Nether Prison again?"
An extremely indifferent voice sounded, as if descending from the heavens.
At this moment, Lin Fei's form and appearance rapidly changed, transforming into Xue Hou's likeness, and even her temperament shifted.
No one would have imagined that Lin Fei, who had been taken to Fenghuang Lake by Mu Lingxi, was actually a doppelganger of Xue Hou.
Back then, when Qiu Yichi appeared at Fenghuang Lake, it was to meet Xue Hou's doppelganger, though Zhang Ruochen had accidentally discovered it.
When the Merit Battlefield was opened, the Kunlun Realm was monitored by the divine thoughts of the gods, so Xue Hou could not appear in her true form.
To rescue the Nether King and to see Zhang Ruochen sooner, she had condensed a doppelganger to walk in the Kunlun Realm.
In fact, Xue Hou's doppelganger had come to the Sword Grave long ago and had met Kong Lao.
Kong Lao appeared to be a mere jailer, but his cultivation was unfathomably deep. Xue Hou's doppelganger could not see through him at all. What puzzled her was that Kong Lao, knowing her identity, did not stop her and allowed her to enter the Nether Prison.
Was it because he was confident in his own cultivation?
Or was there another reason?
Xue Hou set aside her thoughts and turned her gaze to the blood cocoon. "Sixth Brother, I am returning to the Hell Realm. I came specifically to bid you farewell."
"It seems your karma in the Kunlun Realm has finally come to an end." The Nether King's voice, devoid of any emotion, sounded again.
Xue Hou said, "The various disputes and entanglements within the Blood Absolute Family in the past should also be settled."
"It seems I should also extricate myself soon and settle the matters of that year." The Nether King said.
Xue Hou asked, "Do you have the confidence to break free?"
"If it were just about breaking free, I would have had the confidence seven thousand years ago. But at that time, even if I broke free, I would only be a Great Saint."
"Voluntarily being suppressed here for seven thousand years, I knew this was my opportunity to become a god."
"The six swords suppress me, but are they not also tempering me?"
"No, from three thousand years ago, it has been me wearing them down. Even if I become a god, I will be a strong one among gods. Controlling the six swords is the first step."
"Rumble."
The blood cocoon trembled, releasing immense power.
The land for tens of thousands of li instantly shattered, then dissolved into scorching magma.
Countless blood-colored patterns extended from the blood cocoon, wrapping around the six sacred swords.
The six sacred swords shook violently, unleashing terrifying lightning, heavenly fire, and gale winds, all bombarding the blood cocoon below.
At the same time, the six sacred swords released extremely sharp sword lights, each capable of splitting the sky and annihilating a starry sky.
Each sacred sword was of the Supreme Sacred Artifact rank, and combined, they were even more powerful.
Such a set of powerful Supreme Sacred Artifacts was extremely rare, and even gods rarely possessed them.
Logically, being suppressed by six sacred swords for ten thousand years would have turned even a Supreme Realm Great Saint into dry bones.
But the Nether King had endured. Not only had he not been refined, but his spiritual will had grown stronger, allowing him to grasp the secrets of becoming a god.
Although the six sacred swords resisted fiercely, their power weakened as the blood-colored patterns entangled them.
Over time, the six sacred swords gradually shrank until they returned to normal size.
At that moment, the blood cocoon disappeared, revealing an extremely handsome figure. He wore a crystal-clear blood armor and exuded an ethereal, immortal-like aura.
The Nether King looked very young, about twenty years old. He was elegant and extraordinary, with a handsome and striking appearance. His eyes were full of charm, and any woman who saw him would likely find it hard to resist.
Looking at the six sacred swords before him, the Nether King extended a hand, releasing a highly condensed blood fiend force, engulfing them all.
Under the refinement of the blood fiend force, the six sacred swords slowly merged together, forming a single sword.
However, it was only the blade, lacking the hilt.
The sword body was covered in complex inscriptions, faintly emitting a powerful divine force.
"Where is the hilt of the Eternal Star Divine Sword?" The Nether King seemed to be asking, or perhaps talking to himself.
The moment the Nether King took the six sacred swords, Kong Lao sensed it. A complex expression appeared in his eyes, and he sighed, "Why would the Eternal Star Divine Sword submit to a creature of the Hell Realm? Jian Zu, is this your intention?"
He had never expected that the playful bet would result in the Nether King becoming the victor.
Although he was utterly puzzled, since it was Jian Zu's will, he naturally would not go against it.