Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 858 - 853 Lurk Three

Chapter 858: Chapter 853 Lurk Three

"Indeed, even when facing the so-called strongest Universal Heavenly Venerable, although I still cannot look directly at him, it’s not as severe as this," Lin Wai nodded in agreement. "Unfortunately, our souls are limited and cannot bear more of our master’s grace. As things stand now, it is already the limit...."

He sighed softly.

"Alright, I’ll make the subsequent arrangements first."

"Mm, you may go."

Lin Yi nodded. He and Lin Wai were respectively responsible for the Netherworld Realm and the Nether City.

He was responsible for the Netherworld Realm, while Lin Wai was responsible for the three Nether Cities.

Watching Lin Wai soar into the sky, transforming into escape light and flying away.

Lin Yi kept his gaze on the escape light, only slowly lowering his head and withdrawing his gaze after it gradually disappeared at the edge of the palace courtyard.

"Sherie Divine Monarch is going out...."

A trace of evilness suddenly flashed across his face.

Beneath the white long-haired skin of his face, a long worm, like an earthworm, wriggled across.

The worm swelled the skin of his face, occupying half of it, eerily creeping under Lin Yi’s cheek.

"This is a good opportunity!"

A sharp and eerie female voice echoed in his mind.

"The Netherworld Realm does not have adequate means to seal the Taoist Ancestor Origin; he cannot take it out.

We just need to launch a surprise attack on the Netherworld Palace before he returns. If the Land for God Worship is destroyed, no matter how powerful he is, he is bound to die, and we can also harvest two Taoist Ancestor Origins, hehe, excellent."

"After the Hall Master of the Star Hall is killed, Lin Sherie probably possesses a high-level strength among truth-seekers. It won’t be easy to take his life force."

A male voice echoed in Lin Yi’s mind.

"This depends on Xia...." The woman laughed sharply. "The hidden hand from the past, now is the time to use it."

"That makes sense."

Lin Yi transformed into escape light and flew up, quickly disappearing into the clouds above the palace.

*********************

Northern Starfield.

The northeastern part of the starfield.

A golden Buddha’s light shone like a disc, covering an area of tens of thousands of Spirit Miles.

The calamity energy was blocked outside by a barrier set up by the Jiu Se Divine Lord, preserving the original image of the void within.

Within the golden light, a towering golden Buddha statue sat cross-legged.

The statue was semi-transparent, with layers of temples faintly visible inside. Monks came in and out, and arhats floated in the air.

Bodhisattvas were high above, situated in the region of the statue’s head.

At the top of the Golden Buddha’s head, within a golden temple.

Bodhisattvas sat on lotus seats, some with closed eyes in contemplation, some softly reciting scriptures, others revealing compassionate eyes listening to the prayers of the people.

This was the Palace of Miraculous Abilities, one of the places where all Bodhisattvas from the Buddha Domain gathered for cultivation after relocation.

Buddha Disciple Wei Ming sat quietly on a white lotus, his face peaceful. A graceful woman with golden markings stood silently behind him, whom he had once enlightened from the Shadow City.

The air faintly carried sandalwood incense, making one feel uplifted.

"Buddha Disciple Wei Ming."

Suddenly a monk in white slowly walked into the temple.

"The Future Buddha wants to see you."

The Buddha Disciple opened his eyes, revealing a smile that was both that and a sudden clarity.

"Are you going?"

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, sitting alongside, had a look of compassion.

The Buddha Disciple bowed his head.

"To go or not has long been destined?"

"Destiny does not mean you cannot strive against it."

Manjushri Bodhisattva said softly.

"That was the reason for my birth. Now that I am free, it is also the end of it all."

The Buddha Disciple slowly stood, saluted the two Bodhisattvas beside him, and looked at the Great Sage behind him from the Shadow Demon tribe.

"Hui Fan, Qing Kong, and Wei Sheng will all rely on you."

The Shadow Demon Great Sage Hui Fan seemed to anticipate something, bit her lower lip trying to speak but didn’t know how to keep him.

In the end, all words condensed into a nod.

The Buddha Disciple finally smiled.

His smile was more radiant than flowers but carried a trace of foreboding.

Finally, he bowed to the Bodhisattvas and Arhats in the temple.

They also bowed in return, their faces filled with sorrow.

"Wei Ming, taking leave."

The Buddha Disciple turned and walked out of the temple.

Outside, several subordinates of the Jiu Se Divine Lord had been waiting for a long time.

The Buddha Disciple knew well: the life force of the Great Sage was just one aspect. His life was essentially a reincarnation of a wisp of the Future Buddha’s divine thought.

Now, with the Jiu Se Divine Lord intending to reestablish the Golden Lotus, the first step was to reclaim all divine thoughts to reforge the soul before reenacting the transformation of the Galactic Core.

This was his fate; he could not avoid it, nor resist it.

Memories of his life flashed before his mind: people, light and heavy.

Within his heart, there was no sorrow or joy, no regret or bitterness. He merely took one last look at the golden temple. Then, he turned and stepped into the Golden Dragon carriage that awaited him.

*************************

Netherworld Realm.

In the sky above the vast, slowly rotating, earth-yellow Netherworld Realm.

A ray of red light suddenly shot out, crossing thousands of Spirit Miles in an instant, piercing straight into a distant white sea of calamity energy.

The massive sea of calamity energy was directly pierced through, forming a clear path.

A mass of black light gleamed on Lin Xin’s brow, his entire body wrapped in red glow. The Primordial Spirit Holy Light of the Heavenly Venerable naturally turned into a terrifying, corrosive blood-colored halo that dissolved everything.

A ring of blood light, like a disc, appeared behind him, filled with floating white bones and human faces, looking utterly bizarre.

He moved incredibly swiftly, faster than the speed of light.

In a mere instant, the Netherworld Realm and Nether City behind him were no longer visible, surrounded entirely by a white expanse, with no discernible direction or location.

He had no sense of time passing.

As Lin Xin flew, he pondered the method for entering the Nether Mansion that Jiuqu Immortal Elder had imparted.

The answer from Jiuqu Immortal Elder was still clear in his mind.

"The Nether Mansion lies at the junction between the Underworld and the Human Realm, at the border of life and death, on the same plane as the Reincarnation Hall.

To enter, you must meet two conditions."

"First, go to the southernmost point of the Mortal Realm, to a place called Wanrou Creek, where the spatial layers are thinnest.

Second, you need a Demon Talisman Seed."

"A Demon Talisman Seed...."

Lin Xin extended his hand, revealing a black Demon Talisman Seed in his palm.

This was a leftover from what he had not used previously.

"Next, I need to find Wanrou Creek."

He knew the general location of the Mortal Realm, but whether Wanrou Creek still existed was unknown even to Jiuqu Immortal Elder.

As he continued fleeing.

Lin Xin’s speed grew faster, more urgent.

The red glow from his body stretched into a comet tail several Spirit Miles long.

He was uncertain how long he flew for—a day, two days, or perhaps three or five days.

All his timekeeping devices were rendered useless under the influence of the calamity energy.

He lost track of time.

With a sudden swoosh, the area ahead opened up.

Before Lin Xin lay a vast expanse of black-and-white land.

The ground was covered in bare black rocks, with white calamity energy flowing between the cracks like streams, denser than in the air.

Stretching as far as the eye could see, the land consisted entirely of black rocks, rising and falling, without end.

There were no trees, no soil, no life, not even colors other than black and white.

"Is this the Mortal Realm?"

Lin Xin frowned.

He confirmed he was not off course. With his current strength, it was unlikely any force could deviate him significantly.

"This place has become devoid of life. What a pity...."

He checked his position to determine the direction he should fly.

His form suddenly flashed, streaking through the thin white calamity energy, tracing a blood-red line against the gray sky.

After flying south along the black land for several hours, Lin Xin soon arrived at a location that seemed to match the characteristics described by Jiuqu Immortal Elder.

He abruptly halted, his pupils faintly revealing silver vortices like a Star River, and the scene before him transformed.

Spatial lines revealed themselves all around, appearing like numerous transparent net-like filaments, densely packed and easily distinguishable.

The spatial lines here were clearly more dense and distinct compared to other places.

Some carried a faintly familiar black aura.

"Indeed, it’s the aura of the Nether Mansion."

He hadn’t expected to find the entrance to the Nether Mansion so easily.

Lin Xin guessed that the calamity energy had weakened the overall structure of space-time, making it easier for him to sense the Nether Mansion’s existence.

Following the black spatial lines, he flew a bit more slowly for a distance.

The surroundings abruptly darkened.

The spatial lines in his eyes swiftly dominated all his vision.

Above, below, left, right, everything was filled with black lines.

"This is the place."

He took out the Demon Talisman Seed, giving it a gentle squeeze, releasing a wisp of black energy that attempted to enter his head.

However, it was immediately blocked by the highly corrosive red Primordial Spirit Holy Light.

The black energy quickly retreated, trying to return to the Demon Talisman Seed.

Snap.

Lin Xin grabbed the black energy and forced it into his mouth.

Aah!!

The black energy, like a living creature, let out a fearful scream but couldn’t resist Lin Xin’s terrifying power, easily grabbed and swallowed.

"I remember, entering the Nether Mansion was through dreams. Now I need to adjust my mental frequency to simulate a dream state."

Lin Xin thought, quickly attuning his mind to a sleeping state.

At his level, even dreams were perfectly within his control.

Upon closing his eyes and entering sleep.

When Lin Xin reopened his eyes, he was already in another place.

He stood in a boundless, pitch-dark space, with a familiar black carriage before him.

The carriage was drawn by a black horse, completely rotted, even the eyes gone, with large and small scars and runes all over the cabin.

Sss.....

The cabin door slowly slid open, revealing the deep, dark interior.

"Such nostalgia..." Lin Xin squinted his eyes, striding into the cabin.

As he boarded the carriage, the door behind him slowly closed.

In the back seat, a figure in a white robe still sat upright.

"Long time no see."

Lin Xin smiled lightly, greeted the white-robed corpse, and then settled into the empty seat, closing his eyes to refresh himself.