The stone gate ahead was wide open, while the one in the distant background remained tightly shut. But as the “King of the Netherworld” exerted force, a crack appeared.
Instantly, Meng Qi felt a chilling, damp aura surge forth like a flood breaching a dike, violently rushing out as if it could pierce through his physical body and seep into his Yuan Shen. The Eight-Ninth Heaven’s pale golden clarity flickered unstably within this “tidal wave”!
Ye Yuqi made no move, watching helplessly as the semi-transparent “King of the Netherworld” squeezed into the crack.
She stepped forward, passing by Poisonous Hand Demon Monarch and the Soul-Reaping Yecha, moving through the first stone gate and slowly approaching the second.
“Why don’t I feel any seal? Could it be that the people of Bomi have already lifted the seal here?” Meng Qi followed closely behind, frowning as he murmured, half to himself, half as a question.
Outside, everything had been under the binding power of the Five Elements Opposing Spirit Formation and the eerie red mist, forming a sealing force. But since entering the auspicious gate, Meng Qi had only sensed the damp coldness without detecting any sealed presence. He suspected that the Bomi people might have already unsealed this place before their catastrophe. If so, was there some malevolent entity inside running amok?
Ye Yuqi remained calm, walking as leisurely as in a garden: “What is there to fear from an ‘evil being’ that couldn’t escape even without a seal? And if there exists an inner layer of seal, what do we have to fear?”
With a profound background and formidable cultivation, she was fearless.
Like a tall person bearing the weight of the sky, Meng Qi also harbored fearless courage. Saying nothing more, sword in his left hand and saber in his right, he advanced steadily.
Pushing open the stone gate, they entered a wide stone chamber. At its center stood a raised platform, upon which rested a green jade coffin. The semi-transparent figure of the “King of the Netherworld” stood motionless before it.
The chamber walls were carved with indescribable arcane patterns, seemingly forming the images of a tortoise and a snake, but now dim and lifeless, devoid of any power fluctuations.
“Xuan Gui and Teng She… Was it the Pacifying Demon Heavenly Venerable who struck outside the Nine Nether?” Surprisingly, Ye Yuqi did not first glance at the green jade coffin.
Meng Qi, however, was drawn to the wall entwined within the tortoise and snake imagery. There, painted—not carved—was a door!
It appeared ordinary, yet inexplicably captivating, holding one’s gaze. The ink-drawn door seam twisted and meandered, intersecting with the heads of the tortoise and snake, forming a palm-sized indentation.
“Who am I… Who is he…” Only when the “King of the Netherworld” spoke in a bewildered voice did Meng Qi and Ye Yuqi suddenly snap out of their trance. Turning around, they felt the chilling dampness within the green coffin condense into a humanoid form—demonic, sinister, powerful, and immense. It seemed as though every hair and every muscle of this being could destroy all of Bomi!
Could this be the sealed “Yellow Spring”? The sleeping Yellow Spring? Meng Qi’s pupils constricted sharply. His aura surged to its peak, with the inner scenery merging and flowing with the external world, ready to unleash a full-force attack at any moment!
Here is the translation of the provided Chinese text into English:
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This was an ancient and mighty existence, a supreme divine spirit born from the Nine Nether, who had mastered the profound mysteries and keys of life and death. He would not be inferior to the ancient Thunder God and was likely countless times stronger than any present-day Law Body cultivator!
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The translation preserves the original meaning while ensuring natural phrasing in English. Let me know if you’d like any refinements.
How could the two of them handle this?
Chills ran down Meng Qi’s spine, but suddenly he recalled something—if this was indeed the “Yellow Spring,” He might have already perished from the end of his lifespan, leaving behind only His body… At this thought, Meng Qi felt a sudden surge of excitement.
Yet, this excitement and fear passed like wild geese over a calm lake, leaving no trace, not disturbing his calm. Meng Qi remained ice-cold and composed, his blades burning like fire!
Meanwhile, the sea of primordial energy in this place seemed frozen, inseparable from the chilling dampness. Meng Qi felt as though he had entered someone else’s “Domain,” subtly rejected by the natural forces.
Ye Yuqi’s aura remained unchanged—steady and calm—but suddenly, a swirling blizzard erupted from behind her. The outer layer was bitterly cold, each snowflake dazzling like stars, swirling and flowing into the dark, profound core. There, it seemed empty and void, yet unified like the Primordial Unity!
Even without being directly targeted, Meng Qi felt a terrifying force capable of freezing him into icy dust and returning him to nothingness with just a breath.
Was this her Dharma Body? A Dharma Body as solid as reality itself? One that had preliminarily fused with her being, not requiring the deliberate opening of acupoints to wield?
Was it the “Blizzard Star Body”? Or the “Multitudinous Stars Yin Body”?
Meng Qi didn’t know the exact name of Ye Yuqi’s Dharma Body. The only certainty was that it wasn’t the “Douchmu Yuanjun Body.” It seemed Ye Yuqi primarily cultivated the “Primordial Unity Returning to Emptiness Technique,” but when establishing her path, she combined it with the “Star God’s Descent Manual” and her family’s “Moon-Cold Ice Soul Palm,” forging a unique path that was both different from tradition and suited her nature.
The blizzard swirled, and ice crystals danced throughout the stone chamber. Yet the humanoid figure within the green jade coffin showed no reaction, seemingly truly asleep until its lifespan had ended.
The “King of the Netherworld” swayed unsteadily, staring blankly at the figure inside the coffin, muttering:
“Who am I… Who is he…”
The chilling dampness was so immense and terrifying that neither Meng Qi nor Ye Yuqi could sense the figure’s appearance or features within the jade coffin. After exchanging glances, they cautiously advanced, concealing their auras, and ascended the platform one after the other.
The lid of the jade coffin had already fallen aside. Meng Qi approached, peering inside.
Inside lay an elderly man dressed in black imperial robes, his face deeply wrinkled, white hair tied into a high topknot with a snake-shaped hairpin. He lay still and quiet—exactly resembling the bewildered, semi-transparent “King of the Netherworld” standing outside!
Meng Qi was first shocked, then countless thoughts raced through his mind.
Just then, he saw the old man’s eyes open!
Gray-white irises, blood-brown pupils!
Meng Qi’s scalp prickled with dread, a chill rising within him. The chilling dampness condensed into a sinister entity, its aura fluctuating violently, shaking heaven and earth. If not for the piercing coldness that kept his Yuan Shen alert, he might have already been overwhelmed by the damp chill!
He had awakened!
This ancient great being—possibly the “Yellow Spring”—had awakened!
As if an inaudible void-like resonance spread through the air, the chilling dampness throughout the entire Wuyou Valley surged violently, like claws reaching out. Countless yin spirits rose and fell with it, whispering in low voices:
“Who am I…”
The “King of the Netherworld” smiled eerily, suddenly lunging toward the old man with open eyes, completely merging into the chilling dampness!
The old man’s gaze was blank, staring at the ceiling of the stone chamber, his voice hoarse:
“Who am I…”
“You are the National Preceptor of Bomi.” Ye Yuqi’s clear, slightly magnetic voice suddenly rang out.
At these words, all previous clues exploded in Meng Qi’s mind, connecting into a coherent truth!
It was him!
Slowly, the old man sat up. Merely from the sinister, chilling aura alone, Meng Qi and Ye Yuqi were forced to retreat several steps. The surging pressure that followed forced them back down from the platform.
This must be a Law Body, no—stronger than the Heavenly Emperor and Cui Qinghe at their peak! Meng Qi narrowed his eyes.
“Yes, yes, I am the National Preceptor of Bomi!” The old man’s face lit up with a delighted smile, which quickly turned into a frown. “But why am I lying here?”
He looked to Ye Yuqi and Meng Qi for answers.
Meng Qi replied solemnly: “You discovered Wuyou Valley and found the real, sealed King of the Netherworld, ‘Yellow Spring.'”
The old man slapped the jade coffin: “No, I didn’t find him—I only sensed the great King of the Netherworld’s aura!”
His blood-brown pupils filled with confusion: “Then what happened?”
You’re asking us to confirm what you yourself did… Meng Qi felt a helpless urge to protest, but blurted out: “Then you went mad.”
“I went mad? When did I go mad?” The old man roared in fury, his terrifying pressure forcing Meng Qi’s muscles and bones to creak painfully.
Meng Qi said solemnly: “Those who claim they aren’t mad are often the maddest. And you’ve forgotten what you’ve done!”
“Is that so? I went mad…” The old man fell into confusion.
Ye Yuqi, rarely caught off guard, seemed momentarily stunned, as if this conversation had exceeded her expectations.
Just as Meng Qi thought he could keep pushing this powerful, terrifying monster into self-doubt, the old man’s expression suddenly turned stern: “I am perfectly lucid. I know exactly what I am doing.”
“Is that so? Then tell me—what did you do?” Meng Qi pressed on.
The old man raised his head: “I am the National Preceptor of Bomi. I accidentally discovered Wuyou Valley, sensed the great King of the Netherworld’s aura, and through it, I attained the secret method of immortality, achieving the Law Body right here!”
“And then you pretended to be the King of the Netherworld, using dreams to guide the people of Bomi, attempting to use the entire nation’s power for sacrifices, breaking the seal to summon the King of the Netherworld into the mortal world?” Ye Yuqi asked, calm as ever.
“Yes, that’s right.” The old man hesitated slightly, then burst into laughter. “But it wasn’t to summon the King of the Netherworld into the world—it was to fully inherit his remaining aura, and have them become a part of me, helping me cross the Bitter Sea!”
No wonder they called you mad… Meng Qi’s lips twitched slightly: “Then where is the real King of the Netherworld?”
The old man pointed toward the painted stone door: “Beyond that stone gate. I can hear the King of the Netherworld’s whispers, the lion’s roar… But I’ve tried every method, exhausted every means, and still couldn’t open it. Even after succeeding later, it remained sealed. This seal is intertwined with the principles of heaven and earth, impossible to break by force.”
So “Yellow Spring” was inside. Meng Qi didn’t turn back, sensing the stone door.
At that moment, Ye Yuqi suddenly asked: “Success? What success? The success of sacrificing the entire Bomi?”
The old man pondered for a moment, seemingly finally recalling, and retorted: “Not sacrifices—just making them part of me. Gathering the souls of all beings, returning to the beginning, crossing the Bitter Sea.”
He smiled proudly: “Since the chaos of the Demon Buddha, the world has changed again. Even someone as enlightened and gifted as Shaolin’s Bodhidharma, despite attaining the Kashyapa Law Body and the potential to become a Great Arhat, a Great Bodhisattva, or even a Buddha, ultimately only reached the Bodhisattva stage before passing away peacefully.”
You say it like you actually knew Master Bodhidharma… Meng Qi felt cold sweat forming. This really was an ancient monster!
“But I am different. By inheriting the great King of the Netherworld’s power and comprehending this secret of uniting all beings, I finally crossed the Bitter Sea, reaching the place where Bodhidharma once stood. But that was his end—my journey has just begun!” The old man slightly raised his head, pride evident, yet his brows furrowed again. “But why did I fall into slumber…”
He looked at Ye Yuqi, half-proud, half-seeking affirmation: “Little girl, I can sense an item of a Law Body on you. You can ask him—what I said is true!”
At some point, a sword-shaped token had appeared in Ye Yuqi’s hand. After a moment of silence, she finally said: “He said you took the wrong path.”
“Nonsense!” The old man’s eyes flared wide open. The chilling dampness surged like a storm-tossed sea, wildly surging. Countless yin spirits soared into the air, their faces constantly shifting—sometimes resembling the old man, sometimes reverting to their original forms—roaring in unison:
“Nonsense!”
Meng Qi sensed an intense killing intent.
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