Chapter 153 - 152: Netherworld

Chapter 153: Chapter 152: Netherworld

"Junior Sister, this man might look like he’s in the Qi Refining Realm, but he appeared out of thin air without either of us noticing. His Cultivation must be high."

The man was a cautious sort. Seeing this, he didn’t act rashly. Instead, he spoke softly to the young woman beside him.

"Senior Brother, if we can’t even see through his Cultivation, doesn’t that mean he’s far more powerful than we are?"

The man nodded. "That’s possible. But it’s also possible he’s just using some kind of Dharma Gate to conceal his Qi Mechanism, preventing us from seeing his true level."

"Then..." The young woman hesitated. "What should we do?"

The man was silent for a moment. "We’ll play it by ear. If we have to run, we split up."

Hearing this, the young woman said nothing, but a cold, almost imperceptible sneer flashed across her face.

Through his Conscious Fish, Chen Qingyang observed their discussion with perfect clarity.

’She must be thinking that if they split up, her Cultivation is a full Realm lower than the man’s,’ Chen Qingyang mused. ’She wouldn’t be as fast, meaning she’d become the bait to help him escape with his life.’

’Just as expected of the Demon Sect. Her nature is cut from the same cloth as the two I saw the other day. It seems this is how you have to be to survive in the Demon Sect.’

"Who might you be, and why have you appeared here?" the man shouted, though he already knew the answer.

Chen Qingyang didn’t answer, his mind busy calculating how to take both of their lives.

The young woman’s Cultivation was clearly weaker. However, when the man had mentioned the name ’Netherworld Peak’, his expression held a sense of reverence, as if her background was extraordinary. Chen Qingyang feared she was carrying some powerful Protective Magical Artifact.

As for the man, despite his higher Cultivation, he was solely focused on earning a bit of merit for the Sect. He was just like so many others who were diligent yet lacked any real backing.

Chen Qingyang answered him, "You don’t need to know my name. I just want to know what you’ve found regarding the Cyan Nether Sword Embryo."

His voice was quiet, yet it carried a palpable threat.

The man had been about to play along and feign civility, but the young woman cut straight to the point. "Hmph! So you’re one of those Daoist Dogs. Even if my Senior Brother has found something, he won’t tell you!"

With that, she had pushed the man into the line of fire. Realizing he’d been played, he could only curse her internally. After all, he still needed his Junior Sister to face their enemy together.

Chen Qingyang didn’t get angry. "Searching like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Don’t you have any other methods?"

Before the man could speak, the young woman shouted again, "Senior Brother, he’s trying to trick information out of you! Don’t you dare tell him anything you know."

’This...!’

The man grew even more furious. He wanted nothing more than to slap her across the face, but remembering their plan to split up, he forced himself to hold back.

Chen Qingyang remained still. He asked another question, "You’re not making a move. Is it because you think my Cultivation is higher than yours, or are you too busy scheming against each other, trying to figure out how to push your partner forward so you can escape?"

His words laid their schemes bare. The man realized this couldn’t go on; they would fall apart from infighting before a single blow was struck.

"Junior Sister, he isn’t necessarily stronger than us. Let’s team up and fight him for a bit. We’ll test this kid’s true strength."

This time, the young woman didn’t contradict him. "Whatever Senior Brother says, we’ll do."

The man’s eyes darted about as he tried to come up with a strategy, but Chen Qingyang was already charging at them, sword raised.

He didn’t dare hesitate, immediately summoning a foot-long Flying Sword. It pulsed with waves of blood-red light, guided by streaks of black as it shot toward the heavens.

The Flying Sword formed a phantom image above Chen Qingyang’s head and slashed down violently.

Chen Qingyang was unperturbed. He circulated True Essence into his hand, and the Qianxue Sword erupted with a radiant glow. He unleashed his formidable True Essence in a powerful strike. With a sharp CLANG, he knocked the Flying Sword back.

The man’s expression changed drastically. He understood that his opponent was stronger than him, but he could also see clearly now: Chen Qingyang was at the Essence Condensation Second Realm.

"Junior Sister, his Cultivation is on par with mine, and the Sword Formulas he practices aren’t even as sharp as my Flying Sword! Let’s work together and kill him, then you can make him the Main Soul for your Soul Banner."

The woman was clearly tempted by his words. Her figure soared thirty feet into the air, a Soul Banner appearing in her hand at some unknown moment.

It was white as snow and shone like jade. As she waved it, a dark green Qi Mechanism billowed out. Within this energy, the wails of countless tormented souls could be heard, a shrill shrieking that seemed to ring right beside one’s ears. It was utterly terrifying!

Chen Qingyang felt a sinister, cold aura, as if it had emerged from the Underworld itself, born from the depths of the Nine Netherworld. It was truly a formidable power.

He could tell at a glance that while the woman’s Cultivation was low, her Dharma Gate had an extraordinary origin. ’Netherworld... just that name alone is anything but simple.’

Seeing the green light surge toward him, he casually shattered it with a touch of Danxia Radiance. Then, ignoring the young woman completely, he charged straight for the man.

The young woman was startled. She shot a glance at her Senior Brother and cursed him in her heart, ’That bastard lied to me! This guy’s Cultivation is incredibly strong!’

Her mind was already racing, looking for a way to escape.

At that moment, Chen Qingyang’s sword was once again pressing in on the man. The man already knew he was no match for his opponent, and now, seeing his Junior Sister’s wavering will to fight, he grew even more panicked.

He watched as the unending Danxia Sword Qi and relentless Sword Intent battered his Flying Sword, leaving it riddled with holes. Just as he began to contemplate his own escape, a piercing pain suddenly shot through his mind.

An unknown True Fire ignited from his Baihui Acupoint, instantly engulfing his entire Spiritual Sea. He lost all control, and his body began to plummet.

Before he could even react, a brilliant silver sword light flashed before his eyes, swift as a fleeting swan, and was gone in an instant.

There, in mid-air, his own wide eyes watched as his body separated from his head at the neck.

His physical body was dead. His Divine Soul tried to flee, but it was instantly engulfed in flames by a single bead, utterly annihilating it. He was deader than dead.

’He was at the Essence Condensation Second Realm and didn’t even have a single Protective Magical Artifact. Looks like he wasn’t doing too well in the Demon Sect after all.’

The young woman was already well into her escape, but with her much lower Cultivation, Chen Qingyang caught up to her in an instant and blocked her path.

Having learned his lesson from last time, Chen Qingyang was more cautious. He didn’t attack immediately. Instead, he asked, "I can let you go, but you have to answer a few questions for me."

The young woman showed no hesitation. "What questions?"

"You’ve been searching here for so long. Have you found anything?"

The young woman now looked timid and shy. "Will you really let me go?"

Chen Qingyang replied, "In a situation like this, you don’t really have a choice, do you?"

"Sigh..." Suddenly, the young woman sighed, as if letting go of all her defenses. She even put away her Soul Banner.

"You’re right. I have no choice. I was born the daughter of a farmer in a land ruled by the Demon Sect. I was chosen to join the Sect and cultivate. It took me nearly a thousand years to reach this realm. But because I lacked sufficient merit, I was ostracized by my master, which is what led me to this predicament. If I had known, I never would have come. This must be my fate..."

It was as if she was lamenting to herself. At this, she looked up at Chen Qingyang. "Immortal Monarch, you probably don’t know this, but I lost my parents when I was young. I was forced into this life. Since joining the Demon Sect, I’ve never harmed a single person, but... a demon is a demon. If I die today, I die. I deserve it..."

As she spoke, the rims of her eyes reddened. Coupled with her lovely appearance, it was enough to make anyone feel a pang of pity.

Perhaps moved by her story, Chen Qingyang’s tone softened. "I’ve had similar experiences. So, if you answer my questions, I’ll let you go."

Upon hearing this, real tears welled up and fell. She wiped them with her sleeve. "Yes... Immortal Monarch, you should know, we’ve been here all this time and found nothing. The Jade Talisman the Sect gave us can only search a ten-li radius. It’s truly like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Chen Qingyang nodded, acknowledging her words. After all, he had one of those Jade Talismans himself. "So, other than that method, what other ways do you have to find the Sword Embryo?"

The young woman said, "Immortal Monarch, you may not know this, but all information about the Cyan Nether Daoist Monarch’s Immortal Mansion has always been controlled by the Daoist Sect. We weren’t supposed to get any of it."

"My guess is that someone from the Daoist Sect leaked the information, which is why the Sword Embryo was lost in the first place. Otherwise, logically, the Daoist Sect should have already claimed it long ago."

"During the battle between Masters three years ago, my Demon Sect gained no advantage at all. In fact, we lost a Master. We only caught a glimpse of the Sword Embryo and managed to plant a Talisman on it. No one knows if it was lost or if someone took it. The Demon Sect has always believed the Sword Embryo is in the hands of the Daoist Sect..."

She explained everything in meticulous detail, but it was all useless nonsense. It offered no progress whatsoever on what Chen Qingyang actually wanted to know.

"Your Soul Banner technique... it must be from the Demon Sect’s Netherworld Peak, correct?" Chen Qingyang asked.

The young woman replied, "The Immortal Monarch’s eyes are truly sharp. I am indeed a Disciple of Netherworld Peak. We cultivate Netherworld Power, emulating the Ancient Six Paths of Reincarnation, which the Immortal Monarch has surely heard of. The Path of Life and Death we cultivate is different from those who kill to achieve their Dao. I have never harmed a single person..."

She said all this to give Chen Qingyang the impression that she was a kind soul who had simply stumbled into the Demon Sect, hoping to use this act to save her own life.

It was, admittedly, a clever choice. Begging for mercy would only have earned his disgust, but appealing to his sympathy and compassion might just allow her to live.

"Then whose Disciple are you?"

At this question, the woman’s spirits lifted. "My master is a Golden Core True Monarch and the Peak Master of Netherworld Peak! His Daoist title is Reincarnation. Surely the Immortal Monarch has heard of him?"

’A Golden Core True Monarch’s Disciple?’

’She doesn’t look the part. This young woman has an innocent face, but she spins one tale after another.’

Chen Qingyang was now almost certain: this person had to die.

"You..."

The young woman’s face suddenly filled with terror. Reflected in her eyes was a streak of sword light, hurtling toward her at incredible speed.

In an instant, blood splattered. Her Divine Soul was annihilated.

Chen Qingyang searched her body for a moment. Other than the Soul Banner, there were no other Magical Artifacts.

Her youthful appearance didn’t mean she was actually young. For all he knew, she’d been navigating the Demon Sect for a very, very long time, and a large part of her Cultivation had probably been acquired through trickery and deceit.