Chapter 181 - If There is No Light

The underworld. Xu Ying looked out into the endless darkness with a solemn gaze.

From the moment he slew the god Jiangjiatian Village, his fate seemed inextricably bound to the underworld. Ever since the Hell River changed its course and the underworld invaded, the world he once knew changed completely.

He met Yuanqi, encountered Master Zhong at the Rocky Mountain, and became entangled in the feud between Li Xiaoke and Fairy Qingbi. While fleeing the Zhou clan’s pursuit, he crossed paths with Zhou Qiyun and stumbled upon a dark truth: Exorcist Immortals were being devoured.

Every thread tied back to the underworld.

Zhou Qiyun had to intimidate the underworld before facing his tribulation. The Heavenly God Hall sat right at the underworld’s gateway, monitoring it rather than ruling it. To avoid Zhou Qiyun, Yuan Weiyang and I came to the Abyss of Cangwu through the underworld and climbed Mount Jiuyi.

Pondering this, Xu Ying suddenly remembered Zhou Qiyun’s tribulation. The Underworld Court Emperor had brought a coffin to Mount Wu Wang to watch. Inside lay the emperor's own corpse, its glabella pierced by an eight-faceted sword.

The eight-faceted sword was Li Xiaoke’s weapon.

Clearly, Li Xiaoke was also paying attention to the underworld!

Fu Yi, the frowning old man, frequently headed to the underworld to get Meng Po Soup. The underworld was likely deeply involved in sealing Xu Ying, perhaps even driving it.

Xu Ying thought, Xu Fu was behind the Hell River changing course and the underworld invasion. He has to be tied to the underworld, too!

The sealed lands of the Divine Land began emerging from the underworld. Even now, the underworld and the Hell River constantly clashed with the mortal realm, eroding its borders.

This invasion went largely unnoticed only because the breaking seals rapidly restored vast landscapes to the Divine Land, masking the expansion.

Still, the invasion of the underworld hadn’t stopped!

And now, the underworld is actually invading the Primordial Beginning Realm. What here has caught its eye?

Xu Ying fell into deep thought. The Yuanshou Realm was rich and fertile, a natural target. However, the Primordial Beginning Realm was so barren that even a heavenly god wouldn’t bother to take a bite. So, why target it?

He gazed toward the Martial Dao Other Shore’s primordial battlefield. A brutal war had utterly ruined this world.

The underworld’s invasion began right here, on this primordial battlefield. Clearly, something was off with this battlefield.

Xu Ying asked, “Martial Immortal Zhai, did the creator of the Eight Arts of the Combat God leave the Primordial Beginning Realm to search for a way to leave this world, or did he go to find out the reason behind the underworld's invasion?”

Martial Immortal Zhai shook his head. “I don’t know. He never returned after he left. Perhaps he’d found a path out, or he died along the way.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “Since you’ve already mastered all the martial Dao here, you may venture out to test what you've learned. Once you’ve fully integrated all these martial arts, you can try to undo the seal yourself.”

He hesitated for a moment before adding, “Although the Heavenly Dao seal isn't particularly strong, breaking it at your current strength will be tough. If you fail, don't despair. Heavenly Venerable Wu or I can break it for you."

Xu Ying expressed his gratitude, stood, and walked toward the boundaries of the Martial Dao Other Shore.

Martial Immortal Zhai watched him leave.

Dao Master Yuan, with his robe open, walked over lazily. “Martial Immortal, he’s only in the Qi Gathering Realm at present and hasn’t opened his gate yet. It’s too early for him to enter the primordial battlefield. Besides, he can never shatter the Heavenly Dao seal alone.”

Martial Immortal Zhai said, “Master Yuan, how long did you take to master the martial arts of the Other Shore?”

Gazing at Xu Ying’s receding figure, Dao Master Yuan said, “I was exceptionally talented, much more so than Heavenly Venerable Wu. So, it took me two centuries. Back then, besides Heavenly Venerable Wu, several other old monsters were still alive. They would pat my head and praise my brilliance, predicting I would easily match their achievements.”

Martial Immortal Zhai said, “I used two months to learn all the martial arts, and another year to integrate them fully.”

Dao Master Yuan let out a muffled groan and said awkwardly, “I was the one who brought you in. Naturally, I know your record. You don’t have to tell me. I’m proud of you.”

Martial Immortal Zhai said, “When I mastered all the martial arts back then, Heavenly Venerable Wu and another old monster declared me the fastest genius in history. A once-in-a-ten-thousand-generations marvel born to become a Martial Immortal. They said nothing would shock them, even if I shattered the void, ascended, and became the Martial Dao Emperor.”

Dao Master Yuan stroked his beard. “I know you’re amazing, but a little humility would suit you better.”

Martial Immortal Zhai sighed. “Xu Ying took two months to learn all the martial arts.”

Dao Master Yuan’s expression grew solemn. Gazing at Xu Ying’s back, he said, “He’s mastered them, but he may not have integrated them. It would take him at least a year or so to truly master all the martial arts.”

Martial Immortal Zhai said, “He’s comprehended the Eight Arts of the Combat God on the first day he entered the Other Shore. Integration will come naturally.”

Dao Master Yuan pondered aloud, “Your talent is a once-in-ten-thousand-generations anomaly. If he matches you, does that mean two such peerless geniuses exist?”

He shook his head and said, “That is far too many miracles for one era.”

Martial Immortal Zhai said, “He’s from another world. Perhaps he’s the one-in-ten-thousand-generation genius of that world. Master Yuan, he’ll surely break the Heavenly Dao seal!”

Dao Master Yuan shook his head. “With only his nine hundred ninety-ninth level cultivation?”

***

The moment Xu Ying stepped out of the Martial Dao Other Shore and entered the primordial battlefield, gusts of chilling wind swept toward him, chilling him to the bone.

He channeled his martial Dao vital energy, instantly repelling the wind.

He looked back. The Martial Dao Other Shore was like a solitary island in this ancient battlefield. The martial Dao experts’ essences and spirits resisted the onslaught of the Yin qi and fiendish qi. They were like torches in the dark, giving him a sense of inner calm.

Turning his gaze forward into the storm of Yin wind and fiendish qi, Xu Ying saw numerous tiny wisps of essence and spirit swaying unsteadily, too faint to make out clearly in the darkness.

“They should be experts from the Other Shore. Even in death, they fight the underworld and resist the fiendish qi, trying to purify this ancient battlefield.

Xu Ying felt reassured and continued onward.

Suddenly, a gust of chilling wind swept by. Up ahead, fiery light ignited within the empty eye sockets of a skull buried in a bone pile. Skeletal remains clattered together, converging into a towering, massive shape.

Xu Ying stopped in his tracks and looked up. A massive skeleton rose amid the Yin wind and fiendish qi. Its aura erupted, as if an archaic god or demon had awakened.

This was the skeleton of a being who had died on the primordial battlefield. It stood over ten zhang tall, its bones riddled with tiny holes eroded by the Yin wind and fiendish qi. Still, many parts remained undamaged because strange patterns emerged and covered it.

That was because the owner of this skeleton had branded their Dao onto their bones in life. Even though their soul had scattered and their flesh was gone, the skeleton still contained terrifying power!

Corrupted by the underworld, the lifeless fossil reanimated the moment it caught the scent of living flesh.

It wore tattered robes, and its shattered ethereal void hung suspended behind it, fractured everywhere. Even its skull was missing a piece, and its bones were often missing three or four pieces each.

“Kill!” Its lingering consciousness surged toward Xu Ying, blowing his martial Dao spirit into pieces.

At the same time, the pattern on its glabella blazed as flames erupted. That was the True Fire of Samadhi. It burst out like an explosion and howled right toward him!

Xu Ying dodged the fiery light, only to see the skeleton’s fist hammer down like a small mountain and strike him directly, sending him tumbling backward.

The skeleton opened its mouth and breathed out several blasts of True Fire of Samadhi.

Xu Ying quickly channeled the Extreme Intent Freedom Art and appeared dozens of li away in the next moment, dodging the fire.

The Yin wind subsided, and the fiendish qi vanished as waves of warmth rushed in. Xu Ying looked around and paused in surprise. He had returned to the Martial Dao Other Shore!

He felt somewhat ashamed for having fled back to the Other Shore.

“Every man harbors fear in his heart, and I am no different. Overcoming that fear is what makes one a warrior!”

He took a deep breath, crouched low, and detonated his power into the earth. Soaring as a brilliant streak of rainbow light, he crossed the ten miles in a heartbeat!

“Hyah!”

Xu Ying’s fist intent erupted as he unleashed a devastating punch, aiming at the skeleton’s glabella.

The skeleton grinned in a silent laugh, then suddenly roared. Its lingering fighting spirit swept over like a flood, crashing against Xu Ying’s martial Dao spirit!

Xu Ying firmly guarded his grand unity as he channeled the Grand Unity Guiding Method, achieving a state of absolute spiritual unity. No matter how formidable the enemy’s lingering fighting spirit was, it couldn’t shake his spirit in the slightest!

The patterns on the skeleton’s glabella glowed brightly once more. True Fire of Samadhi exploded toward him as the giant snatched a malice-dripping, shattered weapon from the earth and hacked down at Xu Ying!

Whoosh!

Xu Ying focused his fist intent, ignoring everything around him, and poured all his strength into the punch. His roaring fist parted the True Fire of Samadhi like water.

The next moment, a loud boom rang out. His punch hit the skull's brow dead-center, shattering the ancient Dao-imprint instantly. Bone that had resisted eons of decay exploded into shards.

Diving straight through the skull's hollow interior, Xu Ying smashed out through the back of its head!

The two ghostly flames in the skeleton’s eye sockets went out, and its head blew apart with a loud crash.

The skeleton collapsed. Suddenly, Yin wind enveloped the skeleton’s lingering thoughts, transforming them into a ball of black qi that flew toward Xu Ying with a whoosh, trying to possess him.

Xu Ying waited until it was inches away, then unleashed his martial spirit and vital energy in a blinding solar flare. The lingering thoughts sizzled and dissolved into nothingness.

He raised his hand. His finger bones were covered in blood. Though his punch was indeed ferocious, the impact had also injured his bones.

He channeled his martial Dao vital energy to nourish his flesh and bones. Then, he continued onward, muttering under his breath, “Martial Immortal Zhai could use the martial Dao to manifest effects similar to five of the six secrets. Even if he’s injured, he can recover instantly. Unfortunately, I have yet to figure out the profound mysteries of the martial Dao.”

As Xu Ying walked across the desolate battlefield, an unknown force thrust massive white bones up through the earth, twisting them into skeletal trees.

On those bone trees, arm bones were the branches, hands served as the leaves, and skulls hung as the fruit. They swayed in the Yin wind, waving their arms back and forth.

The skulls hanging as fruit beneath the trees laughed out loud, their jaws clattering in glee. The grotesque sprouting accelerated until a dense, skeletal forest hemmed him in on all sides.

In the darkness, a demonic creature clung to the withered bones, singing through the forest of bones and enticing people toward death, its voice eerie yet alluring.

“In death, there are no rulers, so there is no oppression.

“In death, there are no subordinates, so there is no relentless labor.

“In death, there are no seasons, so there is no cold or burning heat.

“In death, there are no worries, so there is no pain or agony.”

It resembled a graceful maiden, her form weaving through the bone forest. She poked her head out from behind a bone tree and sang eerily, “What joy, what absolute joy! Life is fleeting, but death is eternal. Life holds a thousand griefs; death offers ten thousand joys! Life is worse than death. Die now! Die quickly! Die quickly, die quickly!”

The haunting melody wrapped around Xu Ying’s mind. He felt as though he had fallen into a paradise beyond death, where all living beings were rushing toward death to find liberation.

“I possess the martial Dao. I can overthrow tyranny and wipe out exhausting labor. I don't care about cold, heat, or pain. Mere demons and vile spirits think they can disrupt my Dao heart?”

Xu Ying gathered his qi to form a sword. Sword qi erupted through the forest of bones. Streaks of sword light crisscrossed through the air, fast as lightning.

A moment later, the forest of bones collapsed, and the demonic creature was reduced to dust by the Heavenly Sword’s sword intent.

Xu Ying pressed onward, encountering all kinds of bizarre demonic creatures. They were powerful experts who perished in the primordial battlefield. Their fallen souls and lingering obsessions, corrupted by the underworld’s domain, had either been demonized, reanimated, or spawned sinister spirits.

After a long time, he approached the first torch-like martial Dao essence in the darkness.

From afar, he saw a towering figure standing on the barren land. The surrounding dozens of li were empty. No Yin wind or demonic qi could reach this place.

That figure's vital energy surged into the sky, forming a cloud that churned with a roaring sound and struck terror into the hearts of the demonic creatures in the darkness.

Xu Ying sighed in relief and walked toward the figure.

He was covered in numerous wounds and needed to recuperate. “I am Xu Ying. I recently entered the Martial Dao Other Shore to test and validate my Dao.”

Stepping forward, Xu Ying said, “My cultivation is meager, and I hope to rely on the protection of your vital energy to get a quick rest—"

He suddenly froze mid-sentence.

Standing there was a white-haired elder, his frame tall and straight, his vital energy overflowing without a hint of decay. His martial Dao spirit surged like a torrent. Even before getting close, Xu Ying could sense his courageous, indomitable spirit to rival or even surpass the heavens.

However, that white-haired elder was already dead.

His figure stood tall, keeping all the creatures at bay. He had transformed into a towering beacon beyond the Martial Dao Other Shore, lighting the path for all who followed.

Xu Ying fell silent and looked in the direction of the elder’s gaze. There, pillars of spirit essence burned like flames. They were other martial Dao masters who had marched into the underworld before their deaths, using their remaining lives to radiate warmth for others.

Xu Ying thought, If there is no light, then become the light.Even in death, they insist on lighting up the world! Is this the courage and spirit of the martial Dao?

He sat down beside the elder, internalizing this spirit of martial valor.

After a long while, his vital energy surged. His spirit, qi, and mind fused as one, transforming into a torrential force that rushed toward the Tailbone Pass, covered in Heavenly Dao seals.

That black iron mystic gateway, covered in various Heavenly Dao runes, lit up one after another!

At the same time, on the primordial battlefield, a stone statue suddenly turned his head around and looked in Xu Ying’s direction!

“Xu Ying, I've been waiting for you!”