Chapter 958 : Seeking the Netherworld's Heart

With this thought, Eldrin Chen performed a brief divination with his fingers, then spoke thoughtfully: "Within the Purple Seal Realm, there is one place that might lead into the Netherworld Depths [the profound and perilous abyss of the underworld]."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, the others all raised their brows slightly, expressions of curiosity appearing on their faces.

Eldrin Chen nodded and continued, "The Netherworld Sea [the vast, stygian ocean of the underworld] where the Netherworld Patriarch resides churns with surging Netherworld Energy [the corrupt and yin-aligned spiritual essence of the underworld]. It should penetrate deep into the heart of the Netherworld [the realm of the dead and departed spirits]. There might be fissures there leading to the deepest reaches of that realm."

"That makes sense."

Exquisite Jiang inclined her head in agreement, yet still pondered aloud, "However, the Netherworld Sea stretches for who knows how many hundreds of millions of Li-lengths. Trying to find a single fissure within it that leads to the Netherworld Depths would be like searching for a needle in the ocean's depths."

After a moment of contemplation, Eldrin Chen spoke up, "There is one person who might be able to assist."

"..."

Without delay, Eldrin Chen traveled to the territories of the Vast Sea. He traversed endless mountains and rivers, descended deep into the bowels of the earth, and finally located the Verdant Seal Patriarch.

Upon meeting the Patriarch, Eldrin Chen dispensed with pleasantries and directly stated his purpose. Dive deeper into the Dao at audio-novel dot com.

After listening, Verdant Seal Patriarch nodded and spoke, "Within the Purple Seal Realm, when it comes to sensing the Netherworld Depths [the profound and perilous depths of the underworld], we Ghost Cultivator [cultivators who specialize in ghostly and underworld arts] are indeed second to none."

"Very well, I shall accompany you on this journey."

Seeing Verdant Seal Patriarch agree, Eldrin Chen could not help but smile slightly. "I am grateful for your assistance, Patriarch."

Without further delay, the group set off towards the Netherworld Sea [a vast, dark sea bordering the underworld].

Upon reaching the Netherworld Sea, Verdant Seal Patriarch took the lead. Following the trail of Netherworld Energy [the dense, yin-aligned spiritual energy that permeates the underworld], they searched for a long time before finally discovering a fissure in the seabed.

Stroking his long beard as he gazed at the fissure, Verdant Seal Patriarch said, "Netherworld Energy is seeping out from this crack. By following the energy downward, one should be able to enter the bottomless Netherworld [the vast and layered realm of the dead]."

"My thanks!"

Eldrin Chen clasped his hands in salute and prepared to fly into the fissure. However, Verdant Seal Patriarch held him back, shaking his head. "The endless Netherworld is fraught with unpredictable dangers. It would be better if I accompanied you."

"That will not be necessary," Eldrin Chen declined with a shake of his head. "Since that Demonic Lotus [a malevolent, sentient lotus born of demonic energy] has not achieved immortality, its power poses little threat to me."

"For this trip, Exquisite shall accompany me. Her Five-Colored Divine Light [a supreme divine ability capable of capturing and suppressing all things composed of the five elements] has reached its pinnacle. It can capture anything of Heaven and Earth's Five Elements [the fundamental spiritual energies of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth], preventing the Demonic Lotus from escaping."

Verdant Seal Patriarch [the ancient patriarch of the Chen Clan] nodded upon hearing this and spoke, "The great calamity approaches. Remember, you must go swiftly and return swiftly. If you cannot find the Demonic Lotus [a legendary flower of immense power and corruption] within thirty years, do not linger there any longer."

"We understand," they replied.

Eldrin Chen [the protagonist, a powerful cultivator] waved his hand dismissively. He immediately took Exquisite Jiang [his wife, a formidable cultivator in her own right] with him and descended into the endless Depths of the Netherworld [the profound and perilous underworld] through the fissure in the earth.

Having cultivated for nearly four thousand years, both Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang possessed spiritual power [the refined energy cultivated by immortals] that could be considered peerless, standing at the absolute pinnacle of existence.

Their flight speed was such that they could chase the stars and overtake the moon. Even though the terrain within the earth's fissure was complex, they could still traverse a hundred thousand Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] of heaven and earth in the blink of an eye.

Yet, even with such speed, as the two of them wove their way through the labyrinthine depths, three full months slipped by without them noticing.

"To think it is so distant," Eldrin Chen murmured.

He stood before a particular chasm in the earth's depths, a look of profound calm settling in his eyes.

Throughout this journey, he had followed the increasingly dense aura of the Netherworld Depths, sensing the Netherworld Energy [the dark, yin-aligned spiritual essence of the underworld] grow richer and more potent with every passing league.

Now, before this final subterranean rift, Eldrin Chen found the Netherworld Energy had condensed almost into a tangible substance, thick and heavy in the stagnant air.

"Such potent Netherworld Energy [the dark, cold energy of the underworld]," he observed. "It seems crossing this point leads to the boundless Netherworld [the realm of the dead and departed souls]."

Beside him, Exquisite Jiang gazed at the fissure and could not help but murmur in agreement.

Eldrin Chen nodded as well, a faint smile gracing his lips. "Let us go and see for ourselves," he said.

With those words, he took a single step forward, appearing within a sea of utter, ink-black darkness—the Netherworld [the realm of the dead and departed souls].

It was a seemingly endless ocean of Netherworld [the realm of the dead and departed souls], its depths composed of Pure Lunar Energy [the refined, yin-aligned essence of the moon] gathered from heaven and earth. For a cultivator's soul, this was a supreme nourishing substance.

Eldrin Chen swept the area with his divine sense, discovering that the Netherworld Sea [the vast, energy-filled sea within the Netherworld] was teeming with clusters of ethereal soul energy. Original English translation available at audio-novel dot com.

Some of these souls were as weak and insignificant as a flickering candle, while others shone with the brilliance of Stellar [pertaining to stars or star-like radiance]. In the profound depths of the Netherworld Sea [the vast, energy-filled sea within the Netherworld], far in the distance, there were soul energies as radiant and dominant as the midday sun.

"These are the Earth Soul [the earthly, foundational aspect of a cultivator's tripartite soul] of departed cultivators,"

Exquisite Jiang stated, a flicker of astonishment passing through her eyes.

Although they had long heard tales of where the Earth Soul [the earthly, foundational aspect of a cultivator's tripartite soul] resided, witnessing it firsthand filled both of them with a sense of profound wonder.

The vastness of the Purple Seal Realm's boundless Netherworld [the spiritual underworld or afterlife realm] rivals that of the material heavens and earth, and its Netherworld Sea [the vast, dark ocean of the underworld] is as unfathomably deep as a bottomless abyss.

Within this endless Netherworld, the number of wandering Earth Soul [the earthly, foundational soul of a living being] corresponds precisely to the myriad living spirits of the material world.

The weakest of these are as insignificant as ordinary mortals, while the most powerful, cultivated through a practitioner's unceasing efforts, can even reach a state of flawless perfection, mirroring their master's Great Perfection of Infant Soul [the peak stage of the Infant Soul cultivation realm].

Those Earth Soul that blaze like miniature suns belong precisely to cultivators who have achieved that Great Perfection of Infant Soul.

These Earth Soul await only a final catalyst. Should their original master successfully guide them back and merge them, they could forge a flawless Primordial Spirit [the unified, primordial spiritual core of a high-level cultivator].

After observing the Netherworld Sea for a moment, Eldrin Chen spoke. "This boundless Netherworld is the dwelling place of Earth Soul. For us to enter here with our physical bodies is an act that defies the natural order."

"Therefore, we must not delay. Finding the Demonic Lotus [a legendary, sinister spiritual lotus] is of utmost priority."

As his words faded, he immediately summoned the Celestial Mechanism Tower [a mystical tower artifact capable of profound divination] to perform a divination. Soon, he rose to his full height. "Found you!"

"Whoosh—"

The moment the sound vanished, Eldrin Chen transformed into a streak of radiant light, shooting toward the endless Depths of the Netherworld.

After an unknowable span of flight, they finally arrived at the Netherworld Core.

And within these Netherworld Depths, a single Demonic Lotus was rooted amidst the Netherworld, ceaselessly drawing upon the boundless Netherworld Energy [the dark, yin-aligned spiritual power that permeates the underworld].

Upon that Demonic Lotus sat a figure crowned with an imperial diadem and robed in verdant imperial garments.

He resembled a supremely august Nine Heavens Imperial Lord, seated in serene stillness within the Netherworld Sea. He gathered the myriad streams of Netherworld Energy into himself, striving to cultivate a Supreme Path Fruit [the ultimate fruit of one's cultivation path, representing supreme enlightenment and power].

"Whoosh!"

In that very instant, the imperial-robed figure's eyes snapped open with a flash.

His gaze pierced the depths of the void, his pupils reflecting a five-colored thunderbolt of such power it seemed capable of cleaving the heavens and sundering the earth.

"The Great Five Elements Primordial Solar Divine Thunder!"

The verdant-robed existence's brow furrowed slightly. With a flick of his sleeve, he withdrew, instantly teleporting himself and the Demonic Lotus away into the Boundless Void.

The thunderbolt grazed past the Demonic Lotus, and in that moment, it reduced an endless expanse of the Netherworld Sea waters into nothing but ashes of calamity.

"Booming thunderclaps—"

"Returning Abyss…"

Amidst the overwhelming peals of thunder, the Demonic Lotus opened its eyes and then soared into the heavens.

Without engaging Eldrin Chen in a prolonged struggle, it sought to transform into a streak of light and make its escape.

"Too late!"

Eldrin Chen spoke calmly. With a flick of his sleeve, a Primordial One Giant Hand manifested, enveloping the space and, arriving later yet striking first, sealed off the Demonic Lotus's path of retreat.

"Damn it!"

The Verdant-robed Figure roared in fury. The Black Lotus beneath him instantly unfurled, projecting a shield of Indestructibility [a state of absolute durability and unbreakability] black light that actually managed to block the Primordial One Giant Hand.

"Nether Lotus Demonic Aegis?"

Eldrin Chen murmured. The Primordial One Giant Hand suddenly clenched with immense force. Original publication: (audio-novel.com) - The source of this chapter.