Chapter 1338: The Underworld
Misty Yin fog filled the air, bones littered the ground everywhere. Ahead, a squad of ghost soldiers, about a dozen strong, was clad in heavy armor, holding long halberds and war spears, exuding a chilling, murderous aura.
They patrolled this place, cold and eerie. There was not a single trace of life fluctuation in their bodies; they were like icy, lifeless puppets.
"So many ghosts... have we come to the Underworld?" the little kid asked, clicking his tongue. His face had gone from deathly pale to gradually adapting, his small heart slowly growing tougher.
Ye Fan frowned. He might have encountered a superpower that had existed for millennia, a lineage of extreme terror. This was definitely a very serious matter.
Ghost soldiers borrowing the path, campaigning in distant lands!
Since ancient times, these legends had circulated, yet few knew the secrets within. This was clearly a mobilization of troops across star domains. How terrifying was that? Just thinking about it made one's scalp tingle.
He didn't believe in any tales of vengeful spirits; this had to be a supreme organization!
Ye Fan opened his heavenly eye and carefully observed these ghost soldiers. They were all ancient corpses that had been dead for who knows how many tens of thousands of years. Some of the armor was clearly in the style of ancient iron garments.
"Uncle, we haven't really come to the Underworld, have we?" the little kid whispered, his heart uneasy.
Ye Fan was startled. "The Underworld... does this starry sky also have legends about it?"
"Yeah, it's where the dead go, also called the Netherworld. Isn't that what folks say?" The little guy blinked his big eyes, asking naively in return.
Hearing this, Ye Fan was stunned. Whether on Earth, in the Big Dipper, or on this ancient starry path, such legends existed.
After embarking on the path of cultivation, he had always scoffed at these tales. Cultivators themselves could fly through the sky and burrow into the earth, move mountains and drain seas, already considered immortals in the eyes of mortals. Why would they believe in Underworld ghosts and monsters?
At this moment, Ye Fan realized he had overlooked an extremely serious fact: many ancient starry lands had legends of the Underworld, which he had selectively ignored.
"The Underworld... under the rule of the Heavenly Court, such an organization truly existed in the Mythical Era. It hasn't been completely annihilated; it still rules the Netherworld!"
Ye Fan shuddered, a chill running down his spine. In an instant, he thought of many problems. For so many years, he had overlooked a terrifying question: who said everything from the Heavenly Court had turned to smoke?
Over the endless years, the ancient Heavenly Court wasn't just a small remnant clan surviving; there should have been a considerable number of its followers passing down its teachings.
The behemoth that was the ancient Heavenly Court hadn't truly turned to ashes; there were still traces to be found. Perhaps some gods still ruled over certain ancient star domains!
The more Ye Fan thought about it, the more likely it seemed. It wasn't just a matter of barely surviving or having only a few descendants left. Perhaps some ruling regions had never declined.
"At the very least, the Underworld still exists. So many ghost soldiers borrowing the path—what a massive force this is! They can mobilize troops across star domains. This can only be described as absolute, great terror!"
Ye Fan had once consulted many Guide Envoys. The ancient human path was a legacy of the Mythical Era, existing since the time of the ancient Heavenly Court, passed down by later generations.
"Following the same path, walking all the way down, I might encounter everything from the ancient Heavenly Court."
Ye Fan opened his heavenly eye and carefully observed these ghost soldiers. Peering through their armor, he saw their true forms. Most were human, but there were also a few from the Demon Clan, Ancient Clan, and others.
"The Underworld under the Heavenly Court's rule doesn't discriminate by race. But for now, this section of the ancient path belongs to the human race. Eventually, the branch paths of the God Clan, Human Clan, Demon Clan, etc., will merge, leading to the ultimate ancient land."
Ye Fan bypassed this squad of ghost soldiers and moved forward. On an open expanse, he saw a massive city, an immortal king's city built upon bones.
Strands of black mist swirled. There weren't many ghost soldiers; they casually entered and exited this ancient city, conducting patrols.
"What does all this have to do with the Origin Heavenly Master? How did they become connected?" Ye Fan muttered to himself.
This was like a small Netherworld world, devoid of life, filled only with these lifeless ancient corpses. It was unimaginable how they could walk like this, forming squad after squad of battle soldiers.
It was truly hard to believe that on such an inconspicuous meteorite, there was such a massive ancient city, burying endless secrets.
"Uncle, what do you want to do? Are you going to storm the Underworld?" Yang Xi's eyes shifted from early unease to calm, and now to excitement. This transition was very rapid.
"Hmm, I really should go take a look." Ye Fan nodded. He needed to see through all of this, as it hid too many secrets.
With one step, he covered hundreds of li, traversing the entire not-so-large meteorite. Everywhere was Yin fog, bones visible everywhere, just like a Netherworld realm.
There weren't many ghost soldiers; they were all gathered in this ancient city, as if guarding something. This was an important Underworld fortress.
Bang!
Ye Fan activated the Weapon Art. A ghost soldier in the wilderness flew backward and was instantly restrained by him. The ancient corpse in heavy armor opened its mouth to let out a fierce shriek. He raised his golden palm and pressed down directly, rendering the ghost soldier immobile.
He pointed a finger at the ghost soldier, trying to read the memories in its Immortal Platform. However, with a crack, its forehead bone shattered. That place had long decayed, with no old memories left, only a single demonic thought echoing in its sea of consciousness: "Guard this city."
How powerful was Ye Fan now? The ghost soldier's fierce resistance was useless. When he stripped off its layer of armor, its entire body developed cracks, then turned to dust. The armor followed suit, vanishing with the wind.
"What method was used to summon them from underground back to the battlefield?" Ye Fan was utterly puzzled. He struck repeatedly, capturing over a dozen ghost soldiers in succession. Almost all of them exhibited the same phenomenon: their entire bodies turned to sand, as if they had experienced hundreds of thousands or millions of years in an instant.
There was only one exception. One ghost soldier's body blazed with intense black light, then rapidly shrank, turning into a thumb-sized black jade puppet. With a ding, it fell to the ground, its entire body flickering with an eerie light.
Ye Fan picked it up and examined it. Something similar had happened in the Ancient Prison of Purgatory. Duan De had caught a ghost soldier that eventually turned into a pitch-black puppet.
Many years later, Duan De had only roughly figured out that it was a Yin talisman, a ghost soldier created by some supreme being to summon real ancient corpses as servants.
Outside the fortress, there was little to gain. Ye Fan moved stealthily, concealing his tracks, and arrived before the city wall. He used the Stride Art to cross through it. Although array patterns blocked him, they couldn't hold him back.
The city was deathly silent, with not a trace of life fluctuation. Only a few sparse ghost soldiers walked the ancient streets, with nothing unusual to be seen.
Suddenly, the entire ancient city surged with Yin energy, erupting into violent turmoil. All sorts of cold, eerie auras converged on him.
This was a dead city, and Ye Fan was a living being. He was detected by the powerful and bizarre ancient array patterns, which triggered the entire city's ghost soldiers to attack him.
"Who... dares to trespass in my Underworld?" A hoarse voice came, deep and intimidating. He arrived in an instant, bringing with him a vast tide of Yin fog.
This was a general among the ghost soldiers, clad in black armor, revealing a pair of cold, deep-set eyes that flickered like ghostly flames, exuding a shocking saintly might. Behind him was a dense, dark mass of hundreds of ghost soldiers, each holding weapons, encircling Ye Fan.
"Finally, I've encountered one with a spiritual fluctuation." Ye Fan muttered to himself, not alarmed but pleased.
Soon, he was greatly surprised. This ghost soldier general's Immortal Platform was black, unlike the pure and holy ones of cultivators. It was filled with layers of Yin energy, like a ghost's lair.
"What exactly is this place? What are you all? Why are you guarding here?" Ye Fan asked.
"A pass... on the Underworld path. Why have you... barged in?" His voice was hoarse, his speech unclear, his divine sense scattered.
"Where is the Underworld?" Ye Fan asked again.
"I don't know. You... must join us." He suddenly let out a long roar. The entire fortress shook. In the distance, densely packed ghost soldiers charged toward them.
At the same time, another long roar sounded. A second ghost soldier general appeared, transforming into a black demonic light that rushed in, joining the siege on Ye Fan.
This was an unavoidable battle. The ghost soldier general's thoughts were simple: to turn Ye Fan into one of them, a corpse entering the Underworld.
"A hundred ghosts walk the night, a swarm of corpses dance wildly! Uncle, hurry up and storm the Underworld's reincarnation! If we succeed, we'll be gods!" the little kid shouted excitedly.
What nonsense was this? Ye Fan ignored him and began to fight. As he unleashed the Six Paths Reincarnation Fist, golden blood energy surged. Many ghost soldiers turned into wisps of black smoke, with a very small number becoming black jade puppets that fell to the ground.
As powerful as Ye Fan was now, he could easily dominate a region. Even within a ancient pass of the Underworld, he was fearless and could suppress an entire domain.
Puff, puff...
With each punch, Ye Fan's fist force could easily shatter mountains and all things, sweeping away everything in its path. Swaths of ghost soldiers turned to ash.
Ye Fan's golden hand descended like the Heavenly Emperor descending to the mortal world. The two generals couldn't move an inch, completely suppressed. No matter how much they roared, it was useless.
Ye Fan searched their black Immortal Platforms. Inside, it was extremely chaotic. They only had simple consciousness, ordered to guard this place, with no other thoughts. This was an important Netherworld site needed for the ghost soldiers' passage.
"Uncle, you're really too strong! You've defeated the Underworld! Have we become gods?" Yang Xi shouted.
Ye Fan's head ached. He sensed something ominous. He had touched upon a shocking, ancient secret. The Heavenly Court had fallen, but the Netherworld's rule hadn't collapsed. For such a long time, they had been mobilizing troops. Where were they campaigning?
"Can I enter the Mythical Era's Underworld from this place?" he muttered softly, escorting the two generals forward as he searched the ancient city.
Suddenly, Ye Fan's heart tightened. His entire body glowed, his golden blood boiling. Dense, red hairs began to grow from his body's surface. His whole body ached, and his heart was uneasy.
At the center of the ancient city, there were Source Heaven patterns, crisscrossing and emitting a blinding light, all fully activated.
Trickles of blood spread along those array patterns, making the place look sinister and evil, filled with a bizarre and powerful wave of magical power.
At the center of that blood-colored array pattern stood a tall figure, his entire body covered in red hair, his back to Ye Fan, like a demon.
"Destroy!"
Ye Fan shouted. Golden blood mist emerged, severing the ominous aura from his body. The red hairs on his body were burned clean, and strands of Yin energy were expelled from his flesh.
"Are you a few generations of Origin Heavenly Ancestor, or an existence from the starry sky?"
"I don't know. I don't know the end. At the end of reincarnation, everything will come to an end." The tall figure covered in red hair suddenly turned around, even his eyes blood-red.
August is about to end. All good Great Emperors, start sweeping through your warehouses! Cast your final monthly votes, or they'll expire and spoil, giving birth to divine thoughts.