Chapter 1014 A Skull Falls from the Sky

A snow demon. A snake demon. One had Buddhist energy, while the other wielded demonic energy. Despite being complete opposites, these two strange figures actually knew his grandfather.

"I’ve known who you were for a long time, unlike someone who had to check your face first," Vasuki said with a chuckle.

The Yeti shot him a glare over his shoulder. "Shut your mouth, you bald idiot, and get over here!"

Ethan stared at Vasuki in surprise. ’So he’d known my identity all along.’

No wonder the little monk had insisted on sticking around him all this time. Looking back, Vasuki had helped him more than once. When Ethan had been trapped inside the Divine Sea Temple, it had been Vasuki who smashed the place apart and dragged him out.

Was all of that because of Grandpa?

Vasuki simply grinned and walked past him to stand beside the Yeti. Before Ethan could ask another question, the two of them raised their hands and formed a series of intricate seals.

Golden Buddhist light wrapped around Vasuki’s body, while the Yeti’s hands overflowed with icy violet-black demonic energy. A thread of brilliant gold stretched from one pair of fingers, while a second thread of dark violet-black emerged from the other. The two strands twisted together in midair, weaving themselves into an intricate Convergence Sigil where opposing energies somehow existed in perfect harmony.

The instant it was complete, both of them slammed their palms downward. The massive vertical Taiji symbol crashed into the sea of magma below.

There was no explosion, no deafening roar. Instead, a pillar of brilliant light surged into the sky. The magma disappeared, the Taiji vanished with it, and in its place floated a circular portal.

Through the shimmering opening, Ethan caught a glimpse of another world. Endless forests stretched across the land beneath a bright sky, while flocks of birds glided peacefully overhead. It was a scene overflowing with life, completely unlike the desolate place around him.

"Go," Vasuki said. "Twilight Pass connects the mortal world to the Underworld. Follow it, and you’ll reach the Underworld itself. Your grandfather should’ve already sensed the passage opening."

He folded his arms and smiled. "I know you’ve got a mountain of questions. Go ask the old bastard yourself. And while you’re at it... tell him we miss him."

When he said those last words, Vasuki exchanged a quiet glance with the Yeti. Something softened in the Yeti’s expression as well, as though an old memory had surfaced. Even Vasuki found himself staring at the portal with obvious longing, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to step through it himself.

The Yeti noticed immediately. "Don’t even think about it. Without both of us staying here, this passage won’t open again. If you leave, there’s no coming back."

"Uh... I’d never be that irresponsible." Vasuki awkwardly scratched his bald head. The Yeti rolled his eyes, clearly knowing exactly what Vasuki had really been thinking.

Seeing that Ethan still hadn’t moved, the Yeti frowned. "Kid, stop standing around. The portal won’t stay open forever, and we won’t be able to reopen it anytime soon."

That only made Ethan hesitate. "What about getting back?"

"Don’t worry. Once you find your grandfather, sending you back here won’t be difficult for him."

Ethan was just about to ask another question when something suddenly slammed into his lower back. "Move already!" Vasuki had somehow appeared behind him and planted a solid kick squarely on his backside.

"What the hell..." Ethan didn’t move so much as an inch. He slowly turned around to look at the tiny monk.

Vasuki froze. "...Let’s just pretend that didn’t happen." His face turned bright red. He’d put plenty of strength into that kick, yet Ethan hadn’t even swayed. It was unbelievably embarrassing.

The Yeti let out a loud snort before bursting into laughter.

Shaking his head with a helpless smile, Ethan decided to stop wasting time. He walked toward the portal and leaped through it.

Halfway across, a thought suddenly struck him: ’The Yeti had said Grandpa could send him back without any trouble. Then why had he warned Vasuki that once he crossed over, he wouldn’t be able to return? Didn’t those two statements contradict each other?’

Ethan instinctively turned around, intending to ask before the portal closed, but it was already gone.

His stomach lurched. He was falling. Fast.

"Holy shit..." His expression changed. He couldn’t fly.

Despite possessing Divine-level power, he found himself completely unable to ignore this world’s natural laws. The rules here were fundamentally different from Earth’s, and the world itself seemed to reject his existence, suppressing every instinctive ability he possessed.

The ground rushed toward him at terrifying speed. ’Am I seriously about to splatter into a meat pancake?’

As he plummeted closer, he finally noticed what lay below: two armies were locked in fierce battle, and he was about to land right in the middle of them.

Boom! The earth exploded beneath him. Dust and shattered stone blasted outward in every direction, forcing both sides to stagger backward.

A dull ache spread through Ethan’s body. He’d hit the ground face-first.

"Ptui... ptui..." He quickly pushed himself upright, spitting dirt from his mouth with a grimace. ’Great. First impression in a new world, and I eat dirt.’

Only then did he look around. The soldiers on both sides had already formed two distinct camps, every pair of eyes fixed cautiously on the mysterious man who had literally fallen from the sky.

Ethan barely paid them any attention. None of them felt particularly strong, and they all carried ordinary cold weapons like swords and spears. Judging from their armor and banners, they looked like the private armies of rival factions rather than professional imperial troops.

Before anyone could react, a skinny boy no older than ten or eleven suddenly sprinted out from behind a nearby tree. He shoved something into Ethan’s hands. "Big Brother, run! I finally stole it for you!" Without waiting for a response, the boy spun around and disappeared into the trees faster than a rabbit.

Ethan blinked, then looked down at the object in his hands. "...What the hell is this?"

The kid had apparently been hiding near the tree the whole time, but Ethan hadn’t sensed him at all. Ever since entering this world, his spiritual perception had been almost completely suppressed. It wasn’t that his senses had disappeared, but rather that this world’s laws refused to acknowledge him, making everything feel strangely unfamiliar.

When he finally looked closely at what the boy had given him, his expression grew even stranger. It was a human skull.

One of the soldiers suddenly shouted in panic, "Give back our ancestor’s skull!" Another faction immediately roared back, "That relic belongs to the Fifth Prince!" Someone else bellowed, "The Third Prince has ordered us to seize it! Kill anyone who gets in our way!"

"A skull?" Ethan muttered, weighing the thing in one hand. To him, it was nothing more than an old human skull that had been dead for who knew how many years, its once-white bone now faded into a dull gray. ’People were killing each other over this?’

Only now did he notice the corpses scattered across the battlefield. Then realization hit him. ’That little brat...’ He hadn’t been helping Ethan at all. The boy had stolen the skull, spotted a perfect scapegoat literally falling from the sky, shoved the evidence into Ethan’s hands, and escaped while everyone shifted their attention to the newcomer.

"What a little schemer..." Rather than getting angry, Ethan almost felt impressed by how quick the kid had been.

Still, he had no interest in becoming someone else’s fall guy. He casually raised the skull, intending to toss it back. "Here. If you want it so badly, take it." He didn’t care about some ancient skull. Right now, he was far more interested in catching that crafty little rascal and asking why he’d dragged a complete stranger into this mess.

Unfortunately, before he even had the chance to throw it, a spear came hurtling straight toward his head.