Chapter 349
Chapter 349
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 0
Chapter Title: The Indescribable Netherworld
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The Netherworld, a place beyond description.
Towering halls sat amid the void, countless souls flowing past their doors, all observed by the shadowy figure within.
". Heh heh."
The Soaring Empyrean Sun-Obscuring True Lord suddenly let out a light chuckle.
Almost simultaneously, prismatic light bloomed from his body, seeping into the river of souls before him, gently brushing over each one.
—Nothing happened.
The unexpected outcome furrowed the Soaring Empyrean Sun-Obscuring True Lord's brow for a moment, though he quickly composed himself. "Fellow Daoist Hongyun, why hide and refuse to face me?"
He had just sensed someone watching him.
Who was it?
The answer was obvious. Only True Lords could retain their wits in the Netherworld. Aside from Hongyun, who had just reincarnated, who else could it be?
With that thought, the Soaring Empyrean Sun-Obscuring True Lord gazed at the river of souls, his fingers twitching slightly before he reluctantly let them fall. He dared not truly touch the souls entering the Netherworld—that would shake its very foundations, a grave taboo. He was not yet the Lord of the Netherworld; the cost would be too great.
'Eat one loss, gain one wisdom.'
The Soaring Empyrean Sun-Obscuring True Lord sighed. "Back then, I clearly sealed away that portion of your memories, Fellow Daoist. I never imagined you'd recall them after all these years."
Moments later, a voice filled with resentment finally rang out:
"Angxiao!"
Amid the river of souls, a burst of golden light flashed. The soul within took on a vivid, ferocious form. "You despicable, shameless wretch!"
The Soaring Empyrean Sun-Obscuring True Lord was right—he had remembered everything.
And it was precisely those recollections of the past that made him curse here and now. His previous life's defeat had been far too humiliating.
"You beast... You actually hid your lair at the Netherworld's entrance!"
In this way, every soul in the heavens and earth had to pass before his eyes before reincarnation—even True Lords were no exception!
"Five thousand years ago, right after I perished and prepared to reincarnate, that's how you ambushed me!"
The Netherworld back then was far less terrifying than it was now.
The Soaring Empyrean Sun-Obscuring True Lord had endured its pressure, suffering grievous wounds in exchange for ambushing him while he was caught off guard in the cycle of reincarnation.
That was when the Soaring Empyrean Sun-Obscuring True Lord had stripped away his memories.
"Were it not for the Netherworld's protection, barring you from directly destroying my soul, forcing you to target my memories instead, I might have died then and there!"
"You beast!"
Faced with Hongyun's furious tirade, the Soaring Empyrean Sun-Obscuring True Lord remained utterly unperturbed, even tinged with regret.
Five thousand years ago, the sneak attack had succeeded because Hongyun was unprepared. Now that Hongyun was on guard, pulling it off again wouldn't be so simple.
Moreover, the Netherworld had grown stronger.
Not to mention the millennial calamity loomed, and with his identity exposed, he was forced from the shadows into the light. He could no longer afford such costs.
". Fine then."
With that, the Soaring Empyrean Sun-Obscuring True Lord withdrew the prismatic light enveloping him. Ignoring Hongyun's scolding, he closed his eyes and resumed his contemplation:
'But... something still feels off.'
'Hongyun is a True Lord, after all. With his cultivation, if he truly wished to hide, I shouldn't sense his gaze in the Netherworld.'
'The gaze I detected must belong to someone of unequal realm.'
'. Wait, no!'
In an instant, the Soaring Empyrean Sun-Obscuring True Lord snapped his eyes open. "Not Hongyun's gaze? Someone else—could it be that mysterious young friend watching me?"
Even so, with the countless souls entering the Netherworld, even he couldn't pinpoint that particular tributary now, let alone drag out the "young friend" who had glanced his way. Still, what could have brought the other suddenly to the Netherworld?
At the thought, a shadow fell over the Soaring Empyrean Sun-Obscuring True Lord's eyes.
'Pity. Because of Chongguang and that Heaven of Non-existence, I can scarcely leave the Netherworld now. In a mere cycle of sixty years, how many twists and variables will arise?'
At this point, even he had to admit:
'The momentum of the world is no longer in my grasp.'
"Fuck, that scared the shit out of me!"
Blended into the torrent of souls, Lu Yang's soul fragment finally breathed a sigh of relief. "That old thief Angxiao is too sinister! Just how many contingencies does he have left?"
"Like a damn ghost!"
Though it wasn't their first encounter, Lu Yang had nearly severed the Marionette link in fright, terrified of being tracked down.
But it hadn't been without gains.
Through the Marionette, Lu Yang's view locked firmly onto a soul wreathed in golden light, clear-minded and free of any daze.
'Hongyun!'
Without Angxiao, he might never have spotted this reincarnated True Lord.
Lu Yang maneuvered his soul fragment bit by bit toward Hongyun's soul, careful not to stare lest he be noticed. Excitement burned in his heart: 'Even a Golden Core True Lord, freshly reincarnated, can obscure karma, but won't carry much power with him.'
A once-in-a-millennium chance!
The metallic nature of a reincarnated True Lord—its purity far surpassed what Suo Huan or Chongguang could offer. After all, the latter two hadn't truly broken through yet.
His heart ablaze, Lu Yang's mind grew ever calmer.
Boom!
At last, another Netherworld gate swung open. Lu Yang watched as Hongyun's soul drifted upward, flashing into the portal.
Lu Yang, long prepared, followed suit, slipping in just before it sealed!
Northern Frontier, Yan City's Yan Clan.
With a sharp infant's cry, Hongyun opened his eyes. In that instant, the Golden Core True Lord's soul birthed countless thoughts.
'Angxiao... This isn't over between us!'
Though he had failed to seek metal again, Hongyun quickly readjusted his mindset: 'Strictly speaking, I still hold great advantages this life!'
'Chongguang... Detestable as he is, he did one good deed.'
"With the True Lords vanished, no one remains to stop me from seeking metal. As for the Covered Lamp Fire's seclusion, that's solvable too."
As a former reigning True Lord, Hongyun knew well: for other peak Foundation Establishment cultivators, a fruit position's seclusion skyrocketed the difficulty of seeking metal. But he had ways: 'The simplest is a grand slaughter, annihilating a wondrous site to fuel my seeking.'
Soon, Hongyun outlined his plans for this life.
'The priority is restoring Foundation Establishment cultivation—a matter of hours...'
But then, Hongyun sensed a bizarre touch nearby. Turning, he found a pair of eyes staring right at him.
Beside him lay another infant.
Only now did Hongyun realize this reincarnation came with a twin brother—and the other's gaze seemed rather off...
'. Shit!'
Years of instinct jolted him awake: damn it, there might be a beast here!
But it was too late.
The next second, he saw his blood-kin brother this life—that innocent, adorable infant—reveal a somewhat perverse grin.
"Heh heh heh."
Before Hongyun could react, Lu Yang's dharma body tore through the void from above, seizing Hongyun's freshly reincarnated form!
'This is my greatest haul yet!'
'Today, I'll defy the odds—with mid Foundation Establishment, slaying a Golden Core True Lord in reverse!'
A feat unprecedented in history!
Hongyun: "???"
The next instant, Lu Yang yanked out Hongyun's soul. The Book of a Hundred Lives pounced like a wolf scenting meat!
Refined in a heartbeat!