It's Time for the Army to Descend — Seal the Heaven and Earth
It’s Time for the Army to Descend — Seal the Heaven and Earth
Chapter 690: It’s Time for the Army to Descend, Seal the Heaven and Earth (Seeking Subscriptions)
Was the Nether’s contact finally about to surface?
In the quiet courtyard, when Gu Changge received news of Lu Ming, he was leisurely sipping tea. Dressed in white robes whiter than snow, his hair cascading like a waterfall and bound with a simple hair tie, he was spotless and immaculate, appearing transcendent and otherworldly, as if standing beyond the mortal realm.
The Battlefield of Hundred Worlds had been extremely restless lately, growing ever more chaotic, yet he appeared perfectly at ease.
Every day, he drank tea and listened to music in his courtyard, then ordered people to wander through the various districts, selecting young seeds to muddy the waters and confuse onlookers.
Now, standing before him were Qing’er and numerous high-ranking members of the Alliance of Thousand Merchants from within the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds.
“According to the message Xue Yan sent through the Jade Talisman, Lu Ming has been spending all his time in the Battle Arena lately, seemingly searching for someone. Especially tonight — after the duels ended, he didn’t return to his residence right away...”
Qing’er held a Jade Tablet in her hand and respectfully reported its contents truthfully.
“If that’s the case, then it’s time for my great net to start tightening.”
Hearing this, Gu Changge smiled faintly, set down the teacup in his hand, and rose to his feet.
As his words fell, faint, terrifying fluctuations emerged in the void behind him. Immediately after, it was as if a hazy spatial portal had been torn open.
Ah Da and several figures shrouded in black mist emerged, stepping forward.
Aside from Ah Da, every one of these blurry figures possessed the strength of a True Daoist.
Each one standing there radiated a terrifying pressure that could shatter heaven and earth.
The expressions of everyone in the courtyard changed drastically. They grew restless and uneasy, fear rising in their hearts.
Had Gu Changge not revealed this himself, they would never have dared imagine that so many True Daoists had been hiding in the shadows all along, ready to follow Gu Changge’s commands at any moment.
This force alone — “six-five-three” — was enough to easily sweep across the entire Battlefield of Hundred Worlds.
Only if the masters behind the various districts personally appeared would they perhaps be qualified to contend with even one of them.
Of course, what they didn’t know was that these True Daoists were all puppets refined by Gu Changge. Though they retained their original cultivation realms, compared to living experts, there was still a considerable gap.
“It’s time to let the army descend upon this place.”
Gu Changge raised his head to gaze at the vast sky, his tone carrying a deeper meaning.
Since the Nether’s contact had surfaced, it was time for him to mobilize the army here.
After all, this was a perfect opportunity — when a wall falls, everyone pushes it.
Since their founding, Nether and Pagoda had made far too many enemies. Countless Daoist traditions and forces hated them to the bone.
If not for the fact that no one could find the world where their headquarters hid, armies of experts would have long since been dispatched to slaughter their way in.
Over the years, the number of sieges they had endured was beyond counting.
“Young Master, since we’ve confirmed that the world where Nether and Pagoda are hiding is right here, why not make this news public? I imagine that Nether and Pagoda, having existed for so many epochs, must have unfathomable hidden reserves. In a short time, they absolutely won’t give up or relocate...”
Knowing that Gu Changge intended to move against Nether and Pagoda, these two ancient assassin organizations, Qing’er and the others still harbored many doubts. They didn’t understand why Gu Changge insisted on confirming their hiding world before acting.
After all, if the news of Nether and Pagoda’s location were released earlier, the various forces and traditions could prepare sooner.
“If we did that, Nether and Pagoda would be prepared. What I want is to catch them completely off guard.”
Hearing this, Gu Changge smiled faintly.
Outside the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds, he had long since arranged for forces to wait in secret.
Now, all it would take was a single command from him, and this army would charge into the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds, slaughtering their way to the world where Nether and Pagoda hid.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Following the secret technique taught by the middle-aged man within the Mysterious Stone Fragment, Lu Ming had located the Nether’s shriveled man and was being led onward.
On both sides stretched palaces and pavilions, with carved beams and painted rafters, incomparably magnificent.
An extremely wide river flowed quietly down the middle, shimmering with light, specks of radiance drifting across its surface.
There were many Cultivators and living beings around. Some lingered indulgently in pleasure houses, while others drank and gambled in casinos, spending lavishly.
Lu Ming kept his eyes straight ahead, doing his best to conceal anything unusual about himself, careful not to attract anyone’s attention.
He knew this place was crawling with experts.
One careless move could bring unnecessary trouble.
Soon, led by the shriveled man ahead, Lu Ming boarded an extremely tall divine boat — resplendent in gold and jade, gleaming with divine light, with countless figures moving within.
A faint mist rose all around, dispersing whenever the breeze blew through.
Numerous jade boats drifted upon the river, and singing drifted over — weeping and lamenting, resentful and longing, tugging at the heartstrings.
“This is...”
Seeing the scene within the divine boat, even Lu Ming, who had weathered great storms, was somewhat shocked and couldn’t help but avert his gaze.
Many male and female Cultivators were gathered together, orioles and swallows flocking, the scent of powder and perfume wafting over, fragrant breezes filling the air.
The shriveled man leading the way couldn’t help but sneer at the sight. “So you’re still a fledgling. What’s there to make such a fuss about?”
Lu Ming’s expression shifted slightly, but he quickly recovered.
He had cultivated for over a decade and indeed had never experienced matters between men and women — especially with these Cultivators being so unabashed, laughing and flirting openly right there on the divine boat.
“Why did you bring me to a pleasure house like this?”
He couldn’t help asking the shriveled man leading the way.
“Aren’t you looking for the contact? Well, haven’t I brought you right to them?” The shriveled man’s laughter carried a few traces of mockery.
Hearing this, Lu Ming began to understand.
From the outside, this place was indeed a pleasure house. Who would have thought it was actually one of the Nether’s contact points?
“You’d better be careful. Don’t think that just because you obtained my Nether’s inheritance, the great ones of my Nether will acknowledge you. The one I’m taking you to meet in a moment is a ruthless figure who can take a life mid-conversation with a laugh.”
Seeing Lu Ming’s expression, the shriveled man worried he might offend that great one later, so he deliberately added a few more warnings.
Lu Ming’s expression turned solemn as he nodded, his heart both nervous and expectant.
“Judging from the layout here, he’ll probably take you to meet one of Meng Po’s subordinates.”
Beneath his sleeve, the Mysterious Stone Fragment glowed faintly, and the middle-aged man’s voice sounded in Lu Ming’s ear.
Lu Ming’s expression shifted slightly. He knew the Nether was divided into ten palaces, and the lord of each palace was known to the world as one of the Ten Palace Lords.
Besides the Ten Palace Lords, there were also the Ten Nether Marshals and the Four Judges.
Meng Po was another special figure beyond the Four Judges, her status no lower than theirs, and she was extremely mysterious.
Of course, whether there were Five Ghost Emperors above the Ten Palace Lords, or the legendary Yin Heavenly... that he had no way of knowing.
The middle-aged man within the Mysterious Stone Fragment had never told him these things either.
“A long time ago, the Nether was actually called Neraka. But later, for unknown reasons, it seemed to have violated some taboo in the unseen fabric of fate, and they had no choice but to change the name to Nether.”
Just as Lu Ming’s thoughts churned...
The shriveled man ahead had already led him to the lowest level of the divine boat.
Here, he smelled a strange fragrance, like orchids and musk.
An intoxicating daze washed over him.
Even the circulation of his blood inexplicably quickened.
“I heard you wanted to see me?”
A seductive, enchanting voice came from ahead, seemingly separated by a hazy distance, with wisps of mist spreading through the surroundings.
Lu Ming’s heart trembled, but remembering the middle-aged man’s instructions, he forced himself to calm down.
He raised his head to look, only then discovering that this place held a world of its own — spatial fluctuations permeated the area, seemingly capable of enveloping everything around.
In the distance hung curtains, blocking the view of everyone looking over.
He could only vaguely make out a graceful figure reclining there, half-propped up on her head, seemingly smoking some kind of spirit smoke, appearing utterly languid.
“If your eyes dare wander, they’ll be dug out.”
The seductive voice sounded again, without the slightest killing intent, as if she were merely discussing some trivial matter.
Lu Ming’s whole body shook, and he hurriedly withdrew his probing gaze, then respectfully lowered his head. “This lowly one requested an audience with Daren because there is a matter I must speak of.”
“What matter?” The voice behind the curtain sounded again, without any impatience.
“This lowly one once obtained the inheritance of a great figure of the Nether.”
Remembering the middle-aged man’s instructions, Lu Ming didn’t dare conceal anything and recounted it word for word.
He didn’t directly say he had obtained the complete inheritance.
He only said that the inheritance remained lost in some place, and he lacked the ability to obtain all of it.
Otherwise, he worried that this Nether high-level figure before him would covet his inheritance and kill him for it.
Hearing Lu Ming’s words, the figure behind the curtain slowly sat up, her expression turning uncertain.
“Are you telling the truth? If there’s a single false word, do you know the consequences?”
Her voice no longer held its earlier seductiveness; instead, it carried a few traces of coldness.
Because from Lu Ming’s words, the inheritance he obtained very likely came from that great Palace Lord who fell sixty million years ago.
Regarding this matter, the entire upper echelon of the Nether had always kept it strictly taboo.
Back then, that First Palace Lord’s strength had been unfathomable.
If not for someone within the Nether leaking his whereabouts, he would never have been ambushed and killed by the other traditions.
Because of this, the Nether’s Heaven-Annihilating Prison Immortal Grand Array could no longer be laid out.
Otherwise, why would they have needed to fear Gu Changge so much lately, choosing to hide and cower?
“I wouldn’t dare deceive Daren. If Daren doesn’t believe me, you may examine this item.”
Lu Ming had long anticipated the other party’s reaction.
So, from his bosom, he took out a broken stone mirror fragment that the middle-aged man had given him earlier.
The void trembled, and immediately a plain white, jade-like hand reached out from behind the curtain, snatching the stone mirror fragment away.
“It really is this item...”
The woman behind the curtain examined it for a long time.
After a long silence, a sigh finally sounded from within.
Lu Ming stood in place with hands lowered, saying nothing more.
He knew that since the other party recognized this item, she surely wouldn’t doubt him anymore.
“Go back for now. If this matter proves true, someone will come find you in three days.”
Soon, the woman behind the curtain issued her dismissal.
Though her tone was much gentler than before.
She was a disciple of the Nether’s extremely mysterious Meng Po, and could be considered a high-level figure of the Nether.
Regarding these secret matters, she knew more than ordinary people.
Hearing these words, Lu Ming breathed a sigh of relief, feeling he was one step closer to becoming the Nether’s successor.
However, just as he was about to leave this place and return to his residence...
Urgent footsteps and knocking suddenly sounded from outside the room.
“Reporting to Daren, something terrible has happened!”
“Many unfamiliar figures have appeared outside the pleasure boat. Some unimaginable existence has acted in secret, sealing off all the space here. Forget Cultivators — right now, not even divine sense can be transmitted out!”
A pale-faced man came stumbling over, his expression utterly panicked.
Hearing this, not only was the woman behind the curtain stunned, but Lu Ming’s expression also changed drastically.
Almost immediately, the woman behind the curtain’s expression turned ice-cold, her gaze filled with killing intent and frigid chill, staring fixedly at Lu Ming.
At this moment, she couldn’t help but think this way.
How could there be such a coincidence in the world?
Lu Ming had just come seeking them out, and immediately after, a powerful expert acted to seal off this stretch of heaven and earth?
“This lowly one absolutely has no intention of scheming against Daren. This lowly one is willing to guarantee it with his life!”
Lu Ming felt terrifying killing intent enveloping him, making his breathing nearly stop, his skin aching as if about to split apart.
He also felt that if he didn’t explain himself quickly, he would likely collapse under this pressure, bursting into a mist of blood.
“Then who exactly is it...”
The woman from behind the curtain emerged, dressed in a long green gown, her coldly beautiful, exquisite face flickering between light and shadow.
She didn’t think Lu Ming would dare deceive her.
But at this moment, there was no time for her to think.
Because a terrifying, boundless divine sense, like heaven and earth toppling over, came crushing down all at once.
The void within a radius of several hundred li froze solid, seemingly absorbed into someone’s domain.
“A True Daoist?”
The green-dressed woman’s expression changed again, turning pale, feeling as if her soul itself was frozen, her entire body trembling.
To prevent news of this place from spreading, the attacker had turned this area into their domain.
Such methods — only existences like the Nether’s Ten Palace Lords could accomplish them.
“Could someone have been following me?”
Lu Ming thought of this possibility. Actually, these past days, he’d had the feeling of being watched.
But he had asked the middle-aged man, and the middle-aged man had said he sensed nothing.
And just then, the entire divine boat trembled.
Terrifying energy poured down. A giant black hand stretched across the sky, descending to crush everything.
Countless Array Patterns engraved on the walls lit up, attempting to resist this force.
But they didn’t last even a moment before melting away like snow meeting the blazing sun, rapidly disintegrating.
All the Cultivators and living beings didn’t dare move, trembling in extreme terror.
“Void Forbidden Technique...”
Sensing these fluctuations, the green-dressed woman inside the pleasure boat turned even paler, her expression filled with dread.
She understood now.
The other party had come prepared, and specifically for the matter of the Nether.
That was why they had isolated this place first thing — to prevent news from leaking out and alerting the enemy.
Thinking of this, she didn’t hesitate. She raised her hand, about to shatter her own Spirit Platform, to prevent any information about the Nether from leaking out.
But faster than her was a burly figure clad head to toe in Dark Iron Battle Armor, who directly tore through space, stepped out beside her, and raised a palm to suppress and capture her.
It all happened too fast — in the blink of an eye, in a flash of lightning — so fast that the green-dressed woman despaired, utterly unable to resist this power.
Chapter 691: The Golden Finger’s Backlash, Face Like Ashen Death (Seeking Subscriptions)
The figure in Dark Iron Battle Armor stood there like an iron tower, his gaze cold and merciless, radiating a soul-seizing pressure.
He raised his palm and suppressed the green-dressed woman. Sky-piercing baleful qi condensed into chains, binding her hands and feet, rendering her immobile.
“Protect Daren!”
Outside the room, a large number of figures roared and charged over, blades and swords in hand, killing intent surging.
But before they could even get close, they were crushed into mists of blood by the boundless pressure, body and soul annihilated.
The enormous gap in cultivation realms was simply not something numbers could make up for.
Ah Da merely stood there, without making a single move, and the permeating pressure alone could shatter everything.
“Enough. Someone must be moving against the Nether, and you’ve been used as their pawn.”
The Mysterious Stone Fragment glowed faintly. The middle-aged man witnessed all this and spoke in a heavy voice, an ominous premonition rising in his heart.
Back in his day, he had been one of the Nether’s Palace Lords.
He had experienced no shortage of events, and at a glance, he saw through the whole sequence of causes and effects.
At the end of the day, it was Lu Ming’s attempts these past days to find the Nether’s contact that had drawn the attention of those with ulterior motives hiding in the dark.
This left him somewhat vexed — after all, he was now merely a Remnant Soul.
If he were at his peak, how could he have failed to sense the prying from the shadows?
“Then what do we do now? Surrender, or find a way to escape?”
Lu Ming’s heart was deeply uneasy as he asked the middle-aged man.
But sensing an even more terrifying aura descending outside the pleasure boat...
The middle-aged man had no time to answer him. He hurriedly concealed and suppressed his own aura, hiding away.
Since Lu Ming had long been marked, then if he wasn’t careful, he too might be rooted out by the enemy.
Lu Ming called out several more times, but the middle-aged man never answered.
His heart gradually sank.
Today, things were looking grim — more misfortune than fortune.
The other Cultivators and living beings in the pleasure boat, trembling with terror, knelt prostrate on the ground, equally not daring to move.
They could only watch as several figures walked in from outside the pleasure boat.
The one in the lead wore white robes, his figure tall and straight, his eyes profound, his countenance handsome and refined.
Like a young banished immortal, transcendent and otherworldly, radiance flowing all around him.
Many Cultivators recognized him, and their faces filled with even greater terror.
During this period, the entire Battlefield of Hundred Worlds had been thrown into boundless turmoil by Gu Changge’s arrival.
None of them had imagined he would appear here tonight, and looking anything but friendly.
Behind Gu Changge followed quite a few people.
There were high-ranking members of the Alliance of Thousand Merchants, and also Xue Yan, the young woman from the Blue Flood Ancient World, all with solemn expressions.
The reason Xue Yan had come along was actually out of worry for Lu Ming — she wanted to persuade him not to oppose Gu Changge.
Although Gu Changge had previously promised he wouldn’t harm Lu Ming, Xue Yan still felt somewhat uneasy in her heart.
The reason Lu Ming’s whereabouts were exposed tonight...
was largely because she had truthfully reported all of Lu Ming’s recent activities to Gu Changge.
“Young Master, how should these people be dealt with?”
Qing’er’s gaze slowly swept over everyone in the pleasure boat, her expression cold as she respectfully asked Gu Changge.
Among these people, no one could be sure whether there were Nether operatives mixed in.
“Take them all into custody. Seal their Knowledge Seas and cultivation.”
Gu Changge said casually, not particularly concerned about these people.
His attention was actually on the big fish inside the pleasure boat.
Soon, swathes of soldiers clad in black battle armor surged in from around the pleasure boat, seizing everyone here regardless of age or gender.
Because of the Void Forbidden Technique, this place had become a domain of its own.
Only the Cultivators and living beings who had entered this place could know what had happened here.
Moreover, the Cultivators and living beings inside were unable to transmit any news out.
“Master, everyone inside has been captured. How should they be dealt with now?”
All the Cultivators in the pleasure boat were silent as cicadas in winter, watching as Ah Da, clad in Dark Iron Battle Armor, walked out.
In his hand, he still held the green-dressed woman, whose face was ashen with despair.
Lu Ming and the others followed behind with their hands hanging at their sides, not daring to make a single move.
“So this is Neraka’s contact?”
“Take her back first.”
Gu Changge glanced at the green-dressed woman but did not interrogate her in front of everyone.
Gu Changge...
Staring at the white-robed man before her, the green-dressed woman’s face was deathly pale, her voice trembling, her heart left with nothing but final despair.
Had it been anyone else, she would have felt there was still some chance of turning tonight’s events around.
But the person before her was actually Gu Changge. Even if her shifu, Meng Po, were here, she could only obediently surrender and be captured.
“How could it be him? And why is Xue Yan-shimei here too?”
At this moment, Lu Ming naturally recognized Gu Changge as well, and his eyes couldn’t help but widen.
Especially when he saw Xue Yan-shimei standing behind Gu Changge.
In an instant, countless things connected in his mind, the blood drained from his face, and everything suddenly became clear.
“Impossible. How could Xue Yan-shimei do something like this...”
Lu Ming’s eyes reddened slightly, webbed with bloodshot veins. His fists clenched tight, and he wanted nothing more than to rush forward and demand answers in person.
In his memory, Xue Yan-shimei was sensible, clever, mature, and steady. How could she have schemed against him in the dark? How could she have reported his every movement to Gu Changge?
However, before Lu Ming could step forward to confront her—
Upon seeing him, the young woman Xue Yan let out a small sigh of relief and walked straight toward him, her words carrying some guilt. “Lu Ming-shixiong, I’m sorry. I had my own difficulties. I’ll explain everything to you in a moment.”
“But you absolutely must not oppose Gu-gongzi. Otherwise, no one will be able to protect you.”
Her words were utterly sincere, carrying deep remorse.
After all, if she hadn’t leaked Lu Ming’s recent whereabouts, he would never have fallen to such a state.
“Why?”
“Why did you do this? Why did you scheme against me like this?”
But by now, Lu Ming no longer had the reason to listen to her words.
His gaze was filled with disappointment and pain, and endless fury surged up within his heart.
“I’m sorry, but I truly had no choice.”
Xue Yan’s gaze dimmed somewhat, and her heart was indeed filled with guilt.
Although Lu Ming had kept many things from her, he had never once harmed her.
And this action of hers might very well push Lu Ming into an abyss of eternal damnation.
“I understand now. Gu Changge must have threatened you into doing this, right?”
“That night, when he summoned you over, it was for this matter?”
Lu Ming was no ordinary man after all, and he quickly pieced together the whole sequence of events.
His furious gaze fell upon Xue Yan’s face, filled with nothing but disappointment.
Hearing this, Xue Yan was momentarily at a loss for words and fell silent, not knowing how to explain.
“There’s a hidden soul fluctuation on him.”
Ah Da looked at Lu Ming and spoke in a muffled, buzzing voice.
“I know.”
Gu Changge smiled, making no move to interrupt the conversation between Lu Ming and Xue Yan, his face carrying keen interest as he watched from the side.
The first time he saw Lu Ming, he had understood that this Fortuitous One had encountered quite a few fortuitous encounters, and that he surely carried some kind of Golden Finger on him.
Now, it seemed that this Golden Finger of his likely had considerable ties to Neraka.
Perhaps it harbored the Remnant Soul of some figure within.
“Xue Yan-guniang, as per our agreement, since you helped me with this favor, I naturally will not take the life of this shixiong of yours.”
“I wish to find someone through him, and that person is now on his body.”
Gu Changge smiled faintly, and as he spoke, he walked slowly toward Lu Ming.
Naturally, he was only saying this casually; he had never actually needed Xue Yan’s consent.
Whether it was Lu Ming or Xue Yan, in his eyes they were all the same.
“Lu Ming-shixiong, you heard it yourself. Gu-gongzi said he won’t take your life.”
“He only wants to find a certain person.”
Seeing this, Xue Yan also spoke earnestly, hoping Lu Ming wouldn’t fail to appreciate the situation and thereby lose his life.
Lu Ming stared fixedly at Gu Changge, struggle flashing across his face.
He knew, of course, that what Gu Changge cared about was not him, but that Mysterious Stone Fragment of his.
Or rather, to be precise, it was likely the middle-aged man within the Mysterious Stone Fragment.
Otherwise, how could an ant-like, insignificant nobody like him be worth Gu Changge’s attention?
After a moment, countless struggles flashed across his face before Lu Ming finally spoke with difficulty.
At this point, he knew he had no other choice but to hand over the Mysterious Stone Fragment.
However, just as his words fell and he made his decision—
The Mysterious Stone Fragment hidden beneath his sleeve suddenly burst forth with crystalline radiance.
Dazzling lightning interwove as if ignited, burning with incomparable heat.
“You damned brat, you actually sold me out.”
The middle-aged man’s expression turned incomparably gloomy. Unwilling to sit and wait for death, he could only resort to his final measure, intending to fuse his soul body with the Mysterious Stone Fragment.
At this moment, Lu Ming also screamed miserably, as a terrifying burning pain erupted from within his palm.
Even if he wanted to throw the Mysterious Stone Fragment away, he couldn’t.
This object that had aided him all along, the very thing he had relied upon to climb step by step to the peak of his generation in the Blue Flood Ancient World, seemed to burn straight through his palm in an instant, fusing and growing into it.
Crimson-red flames spread out from Lu Ming’s palm all at once, instantly engulfing his entire body.
He rolled on the ground, screaming and wailing without end, trying to lessen the pain.
But the Mysterious Stone Fragment contained a special power that ceaselessly devoured his flesh and soul, seeking to use his flesh and blood as a catalyst to break free and escape this place.
“Lu Ming-shixiong!”
Xue Yan was also stunned by this sudden turn of events and couldn’t help but cry out, wanting to act to save Lu Ming.
However, Gu Changge moved faster than her. His sleeve trembled lightly, and a stream of pure qi shook down like sweet rain after a long drought, directly extinguishing the crimson flames on Lu Ming’s body.
But Lu Ming had already been burned beyond recognition, his breath faint and fading, long since unconscious.
“Rather clever, trying to escape through this method...”
“Speaking of which, does this count as the Golden Finger’s backlash?”
Gu Changge’s gaze fell upon the horrifying hole burned into Lu Ming’s palm, and he chuckled softly.
Naturally, he would not allow the Remnant Soul within to escape.
Force of Law, vast as clouds and mist, emerged, and immediately an indescribable aura surged through this space.
Everything slowed down. Whether it was the thoughts or the gazes of everyone present, all seemed to enter a state of stillness.
Then time reversed. Fine, fragmented radiance visible to the naked eye emerged from the surrounding void.
It was the shattered Mysterious Stone Fragment, fused with the fragments of the middle-aged man’s Remnant Soul. But under the control of Gu Changge’s will, all of it began to enter a state of reversal and rewinding.
Countless fine points of light slowly gathered, converging toward Gu Changge’s palm, and soon formed a stone fragment the size of a palm.
Time reversal—returning everything to its original beginning.
The many Alliance of Thousand Merchants higher-ups following behind Gu Changge all stared with wide, horrified eyes, filled with disbelief.
It was as if they had witnessed a divine miracle.
Such an unfathomably profound technique—even a True Daoist could never hope to accomplish it.
They absolutely could not reverse time and restore everything to how it was.
After all, the law of time was one of the most mysterious and unfathomable supreme laws in this world.
Of course, Gu Changge also knew that he had only just begun to grasp this law.
He could only achieve reversal over a brief span of time.
The true power of time was far more vast and mysterious than anyone could imagine.
“You... who exactly are you?”
The middle-aged man’s Remnant Soul emerged above the stone fragment, filled with shock and terror.
He had never imagined that even after fusing his Remnant Soul into the stone fragment—
To a Cultivator, that was equivalent to the utter annihilation of body and soul—
Yet in Gu Changge’s hands, his Remnant Soul had been reconstituted. Such a method was no different from resurrection from the dead.
He had touched the threshold of the Celestial Realm.
And he was still a young man.
At this moment, the middle-aged man thought of the only possibility, and his heart surged with monstrous waves of shock, horrified to the extreme.
“A Remnant Soul at the True Daoist level.”
Gu Changge gazed at the middle-aged man emerging above the stone fragment, somewhat enlightened.
So this was what Lu Ming had relied upon to contact Neraka.
However, he did not interrogate the middle-aged man about various matters in front of everyone. Instead, with a wave of his large hand, he directly stored him into his Storage Space.
Gu Changge was not worried about failing to extract information.
With True Daoist strength, this man was an existence on the level of a Palace Lord within Neraka.
Even if there were Forbidden Techniques sealing his spiritual sense, preventing him from revealing many things—
For Gu Changge, finding Neraka’s location was already effortless.
Very soon, this divine vessel and all Cultivators and living beings within a hundred li were taken away.
This place sank into a strange dimensional void.
Unless a True Daoist came to investigate in person, no one would know what had happened here.
After all, what Gu Changge wanted was to catch them completely off guard. To avoid alerting the enemy, he naturally had to arrange everything here properly.
As long as Neraka’s hidden world emerged, everything else would be easy to handle.
What happened tonight only spread within a small circle of the Alliance of Thousand Merchants’ upper echelons.
For Gu Changge had ordered that this matter be strictly sealed.
Of course, there was no question that the Alliance of Thousand Merchants had Neraka’s spies within it.
So, after returning to his previous residence, Gu Changge dismissed everyone.
“Spare my life, and I will tell you everything I know.”
The middle-aged man’s Remnant Soul was released by him.
He took a deep breath, gazed at Gu Changge before him, and guaranteed in a heavy voice.
Having lingered on in a wretched existence for sixty million years, one could see how intense his will to survive was. Naturally, he did not want to die at this moment.
“What I wish to know does not require you to tell me.”
However, Gu Changge had no intention of saying more to him, his expression calm and indifferent.
Between his fingers and palm, dense black light spread, and Grand Runes appeared one after another, forming a Grand Flask that slammed down fiercely toward the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man had originally wanted to negotiate terms with Gu Changge, never imagining that Gu Changge simply wouldn’t bother.
Moreover, as a former Palace Lord of one of the palaces, his knowledge was vast beyond measure.
He recognized this Grand Flask at first glance, and his face was completely filled with terror.
Very soon, the screams within the palace came to an abrupt halt.
A Palace Lord from sixty million years ago...
Gu Changge closed his eyes, quietly perusing the middle-aged man’s many memories. Even though deep within the man’s soul there were Restrictions left behind to prevent the leakage of Neraka’s many secrets—
Before the devouring power of the Grand Flask, those many Restrictions still collapsed and crumbled like melting snow, utterly useless.
The middle-aged man’s many memories now lay before him like the pages of a book, to be flipped through at will.
692. Destroying the Practice Grounds—Neraka’s Good Days Are Over (Seeking Subscriptions)
Within the palace, Gu Changge stood with his eyes lowered, flipping through the many memories concerning this Palace Lord in his mind.
What he cared about most was still the question of Neraka’s foundations.
The many sects of the outside world only knew that Neraka had Ten Palace Lords, each named after the Ten Palaces of the underworld from ancient mythological times.
But whether above the Ten Palace Lords there existed the Five Ghost Emperors, and the most mysterious Yin Emperor—
That, no one could know.
But what was undeniable was that each of these Ten Palace Lords possessed cultivation that pierced heaven and earth.
Even among those at the True Daoist Realm, they would be hard-pressed to find a match.
Sixty million years ago, the First Palace Lord nearly perished, and that was only because he was besieged by many True Daoists.
From these memories, he learned that the location of each of Neraka’s palaces was actually deeply hidden.
Even the lord of each palace did not know where the other palaces were located.
Their contact with one another relied entirely on the Communication Altar within each palace.
Of course, doing this had definite advantages—it allowed them to avoid danger to the greatest possible extent.
The Battlefield of Hundred Worlds was indeed a gu-breeding ground, but for Neraka, it was far from the only one.
Gu Changge obtained another extremely useful piece of information.
Around the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds were countless Lower Realms, and many of the ancient worlds among them were controlled by Neraka.
Those ancient worlds served as back gardens that Neraka had deliberately left as escape routes, nurturing batch after batch of fresh blood.
This had been Neraka’s tradition all along, and it was what they relied upon to stand at the pinnacle of the assassin world.
Reading the middle-aged man’s Remnant Soul allowed Gu Changge to learn many of Neraka’s unknown secrets.
From certain perspectives, these secrets had enormous implications—behind them were even the shadows of several immortal forces and sects.
From the memories, the Cangrun Ancient World should be Neraka’s hidden world.
However, Neraka was likely hidden within a world-within-a-world, and the entrance to that inner world lay within the Cangrun Ancient World.
Gu Changge had roughly figured out Neraka’s hidden world.
So what needed to be done next became much simpler.
First destroy Neraka’s headquarters; the remaining Pagoda would be even simpler, because comparatively speaking, Neraka was more mysterious and harder to deal with.
Afterward, Gu Changge ordered someone to bring the green-dressed woman from before and personally interrogated her.
Neraka had special secret arts that could strictly prevent its members from leaking any information related to Neraka.
The green-dressed woman was Meng Po’s disciple and counted as one of Neraka’s higher-ups.
The Restrictions within her soul were even more complex and profound.
However, since even a former Palace Lord could not stop Gu Changge from probing his Knowledge Sea—
What did a mere green-dressed woman amount to?
Very soon, the screams and wails in this place came to an abrupt halt.
The green-dressed woman’s face was twisted, her spirit terrified, nearly fainting dead away.
She had been fully conscious while Gu Changge devoured her Knowledge Sea.
The degree of pain was no different from having her soul torn apart over and over again—unimaginable.
“Ah Da, take three True Daoists with you. Based on the information in this person’s Knowledge Sea, go and seize the contact location within the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds.”
Gu Changge pondered for a moment, then summoned Ah Da and the others and gave the order.
From her Knowledge Sea, he had obtained quite a bit of useful information.
There were indeed many of Neraka’s contact locations within the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds, but because of his arrival, they had all begun to seal themselves off.
Now, only one contact location remained open.
Neraka’s current Ten Palace Lords were not at this location. Even if they needed to discuss something, they would only project an external incarnation over.
This left Gu Changge somewhat regretful.
“Yes, Master.”
Ah Da received his orders and departed with three True Daoist puppets shrouded in black mist.
In the following days, the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds fell into an atmosphere of an approaching storm.
Almost all Cultivators and living beings felt a sense of unease and oppression.
What had happened that night in the Vermilion Bird Quarter could not be concealed from everyone, because the next day, Gu Changge—
Neraka’s contact location was destroyed that very day by Ah Da leading his people there.
Such a major event naturally attracted the attention of the many sects and forces of the Beyond.
Much information about Neraka was also transmitted at the first opportunity, triggering enormous shockwaves.
At that contact location, Ah Da discovered many underground palaces, within which Neraka’s Teleportation Altars were hidden.
Those Teleportation Altars had not yet been destroyed by Neraka’s higher-ups, so one could easily lock onto the positions on the other side through spatial coordinates.
Many of Neraka’s experts attempted to resist.
But before three True Daoists, everything proved futile, and in the end, only the fate of utter annihilation of body and soul awaited them.
On the same day, outside the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds, a great number of Ancient Battleships also descended.
Based on the information from the contact location, they began a sweeping extermination of the many Practice Grounds Neraka had left in this place.
It was a blitz assault like a violent storm of wind and thunder, sweeping across the entire Battlefield of Hundred Worlds.
It left countless Cultivators trembling with fear.
That day, many Cultivators didn’t even have time to react before they saw, outside the Suppression Boundary Ancient City, a mighty armada of Ancient Battleships descending.
The soldiers upon them were like black clouds, rolling forth in endless numbers.
Within the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds, all of Neraka’s Practice Grounds were completely destroyed.
Two ancient beings at the True Daoist level emerged into the world, but it was of no use. Under the combined assault of Gu Changge’s several True Daoist puppets, they quickly perished.
No Cultivator had ever imagined that Gu Changge had long since made his arrangements, waiting for precisely this thunderbolt strike.
This grand, sweeping war also alarmed all the powers of the Beyond.
Gu Changge’s appearance at the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds was no secret.
But no one had expected that his ultimate target would actually be the assassin organization Neraka.
This move also made many forces and sects that held grudges against Neraka unable to hold back. Raising the banner of crusading against Neraka, they dispatched great armies to this place.
Of course, many forces also wanted a share of the spoils.
For Neraka had existed since ancient times, its accumulations and foundations unfathomably deep, and the wealth it had obtained was staggering.
In the past, Neraka had hidden itself extremely well, dodging many crusades. Never had it been like today, with its hiding place directly exposed.
In just a few short days, the elites of many sects and forces gathered outside the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds.
It seemed Neraka’s good days were coming to an end.
Having entrenched itself in the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds for many years, its many training grounds were now all swept clean.
In the various cities of the Beyond, the many Cultivators and living beings who received the news were all extremely shocked, discussing it animatedly.
Without a doubt, this was a major event sweeping through the Beyond.
After all, over the years, many prodigies and great figures had died miserably at Neraka’s hands.
Neraka and Pagoda were the undisputed overlords of the dark world, daring to assassinate even True Daoists.
Now that Gu Changge had found Neraka’s location and was launching a crusade, it naturally drew the attention of countless people.
No one knew what grudge existed between Gu Changge and Neraka that would cause him to make such a move and choice.
However, once the news broke that the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds served as Neraka’s gu-breeding ground, it still triggered enormous shockwaves.
Of course, behind this there were certainly the shadows of other forces and sects.
It was by no means merely Neraka’s gu-breeding ground.
But at this moment, everyone’s attention was on Neraka, so they naturally overlooked these things.
Meanwhile, within a vast space filled with darkness and gloomy clouds—
Palaces and islands floated, divine mountains and ranges stood, stretching endlessly out of sight.
This place resembled the underworld of ancient mythology. Heaven and earth were a vast expanse, with only a layer of grey mist surging, its borders unknowable.
This place was also rarely inhabited; one could hardly see any signs of living beings.
The earth was riddled with scars, as if a terrifying great war had once occurred, with traces of destruction everywhere.
Some traces of fallen meteor strikes still remained, hundreds of li wide, and the cracks extending outward had formed great ravines.
Vast baleful qi surged out from within, seemingly capable of shaking the heavens, sweeping toward the dim blood moon in the distance—like an ancient battlefield.
“The Practice Grounds and all the contact locations in the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds have all been destroyed...”
“I knew that Gu Changge came with ill intent, harboring ulterior motives. Behind the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion, he must be the one pulling the strings.”
Within the deepest palace, a terrifying figure clad in Hell Iron divine armor and wielding a heavenly blade stood tall.
He gazed into the distant sky, his eyes ice-cold, filled with fury.
“My poor disciple has also fallen victim to his poisonous hand. I only just learned of her death.”
“I should have had her withdraw from the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds back then, and not linger there.”
Below the palace, an elderly woman dressed in black spoke softly, yet her words carried a shocking weight.
Her robes were wide, embroidered with many intricate patterns, the designs within seeming as if they might come alive.
There were bewitching red spider lilies, and the surging waters of the Yellow Springs.
This was none other than the extremely mysterious Meng Po of Neraka.
And the terrifying figure before her was Neraka’s Third Palace Lord, whose power was boundless.
