Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 870 - 865: Encounter Again I

Chapter 870: Chapter 865: Encounter Again I

Lin Xin’s gaze involuntarily turned to the solid black earth of the Mortal Realm.

All that was left on the ground were these pitch-black and incredibly hard stones.

Even the corrosive aura of calamity was slowed down significantly by the obstruction of these stones.

"It is said that the Underworld lies beneath the Human World; perhaps it could be true."

He waved his right hand, dispersing a circle of red Primordial Spirit Holy Light that instantly cleared away all the calamity aura from the surrounding ground.

Then, with his left hand, he formed a knife and directed it at the earth beneath him. A terrifying and vast force quickly gathered, trembling.

He intended to break open the earth to see if the Underworld really lay beneath the Human World.

"If I were you, I definitely wouldn’t do that."

Suddenly, a familiar voice reached Lin Xin’s ears, causing his movements to pause slightly.

"Fang Yu?!"

He had not expected to encounter him here.

Turning around, Lin Xin saw that at some point, three figures in black robes had appeared behind him.

The three were entirely shrouded in long black robes, including their heads, with no part exposed.

The one standing at the front slowly reached up and removed his hood, revealing a familiar face from Fang Yu’s past.

"Sherie Divine Monarch, long time no see."

Lin Xin stared at him intently.

The aura surrounding the other was unfathomable, with no discernible limits. Even now, Lin Xin could barely suppress a shiver.

Clearly, Fang Yu had reached a level he could no longer estimate.

Despite still bearing the face he had once known and fought bitterly against, Fang Yu’s hair had turned pale, and his eyes had become completely pitch-black voids without a trace of color.

If the previous Fang Yu still held a hint of humanity, this one had utterly abandoned all vitality.

"Why are you here to find me?"

Lin Xin heightened his guard but did not feel fear. The opponent was strong, but without having fought, he didn’t believe he would lose.

"Are you heading to the Shattered Wheel Hall? Or the Underworld? I know the way," Fang Yu said telepathically.

"What do you mean?" Lin Xin narrowed his eyes.

"I remember it was the Shadow Realm that I led the team to destroy, right? You and I should be mortal enemies."

"Enemies? No... that was just something I deliberately let you have," Fang Yu laughed.

"There are no eternal enemies in this world. I just heard something about you from someone, so I came specifically to ask for your help."

"First, tell me how to get to the Shattered Wheel Hall," Lin Xin said calmly.

"Of course."

Fang Yu casually reached out and grabbed at the air.

Hiss...

A mass of gray, lifeless gas quickly appeared in his palm.

Then, to Lin Xin’s astonishment, Fang Yu grabbed the gray gas and slammed it against his own forehead.

"The method to enter is simple but also difficult. You must make the universe believe you are truly dead," Fang Yu conveyed telepathically.

"Make the universe believe you are truly dead..." Lin Xin pondered.

He watched as Fang Yu’s body trembled, and under the corrosive decomposition of the gray gas, his entire body disintegrated and vanished within three seconds.

There was no longer any trace of Fang Yu’s presence in the world.

"In that case..." Lin Xin slowly closed his eyes, allowing his consciousness to sink into a state of deathly silence, where eerie joy, rage, and sorrow roared and raged within him.

A wisp of deathly silence abruptly separated from the sorrow, merging into his body.

Hovering in mid-air, Lin Xin’s already pale skin quickly became dry and devoid of luster, while all his Essence Elemental Force attempted to compress and shrink like Fang Yu’s.

The Evasion Attribute subtly trembled, immediately taking effect. A layer of mystical, traceless power quietly altered his already restrained bodily aura.

"Shut off the five senses."

Fang Yu’s voice echoed.

Lin Xin hesitated momentarily before cutting off his five senses. He was confident that even under the Sword of Rage, should Fang Yu strike, he wouldn’t be easily killed in an instant.

Besides, he never relied on the five senses to fight.

Instantly plunging into darkness,

In complete blackness, although supposedly devoid of his five senses, Lin Xin gradually began to hear the tremendous, repetitive crashes.

He abruptly opened his eyes.

The surrounding white calamity aura had vanished.

Now, he stood in a familiar white hall, flanked by massive stone pillars on either side.

The stone pillars were terrifyingly thick, each over a hundred meters in diameter.

Fang Yu stood just ahead, alongside the two black-robed figures from before.

The three seemed to be waiting for him.

"I didn’t expect you to find a way so quickly," Fang Yu remarked, casting a surprised glance at Lin Xin.

"This is the Shattered Wheel Hall," he continued, "and the way to the Underworld also passes through here."

"Now that I’m here, I know where to go," Lin Xin nodded.

He glanced at Fang Yu.

"You found me for a reason, can’t you tell me now?"

Fang Yu waved off the two black-robed figures, who bowed slightly to the two before turning and vanishing into the air as if they had never existed.

"Follow me."

Fang Yu turned and flew towards the source of the colossal sound from the Shattered Wheel Hall.

Lin Xin followed closely behind.

Both moved at great speed, and within a few breaths, they were before an immense stone wheel.

The stone wheel was gigantically broad, its upper half shrouded in endless white mist, with only faint glimpses of its edge visible to the sides.

"This is the Shattered Wheel, the sturdiest and sharpest, said to crush everything in the Three Realms," Fang Yu stood by the giant wheel, quietly gazing at it and speaking softly.

"You’ve brought me into the Shattered Wheel Hall, so I owe you a small favor," Lin Xin stood about a hundred meters behind him.

Fang Yu smiled but said nothing more.

He rarely sought help, but when he truly did, there was no one to turn to instantly.

Eventually, he decided on Sherie Divine Monarch.

Having an enemy help him might seem a joke,

but Fang Yu firmly believed there were no absolute oppositions.

Just as when he was forced to join the Shadow Realm and become a member of Shadow City.

Rumble...

The giant wheel slowly rotated, creating an immense, almost trembling rolling sound.

Unlike Lin Xin’s previous visits, this rumble included heavy impacts.

Similar to the noise they had heard upon entry.

For a long time, neither spoke.

Lin Xin awaited the other to speak first. His patience was considerable, and given their current level,

a year was like a nap. Waiting a little more time was nothing.

"I’ve heard of your matter from a senior,"

unsure how much time had passed before Fang Yu finally spoke.

"What matter?"

Lin Xin couldn’t think of any connection with Fang Yu apart from the Shadow Realm.

"Your dealings with a great being from the Underworld," Fang Yu smiled again. "For a promise and an agreement, even after so many years, you still remember."

"I never promise lightly," Lin Xin squinted.

"So once you promise, you make sure to keep it. Am I right?" Fang Yu didn’t care.

"You could think of it that way," Lin Xin knew himself well. At his current level, because he hadn’t utterly embraced the path of Integration, the concept of karma barely entangled him.

Even embracing the Taoist Ancestor’s path of Integration, the karma of the Underworld wasn’t as heavy as he imagined.

Perhaps it was remnants from experiencing the Shattered Wheel Hall’s cleansing, or other reasons.

The karma tied to Hong Ye barely affected him.

But even understanding this, he came resolutely.

It wasn’t just about karma; it was about his fundamental principles.

"This is why, after much hesitation, I sought you out," Fang Yu stood before the giant wheel, hands behind his back, facing away from Lin Xin, completely unguarded.

"I..." Lin Xin began, but was interrupted by Fang Yu.

"I’ll give you enough reason and chips to agree, so let me finish first, okay?" Fang Yu straightforwardly said.

"Go ahead." Lin Xin fell silent.

The rumbling of the giant wheel, mixed with heavy impacts, made a deafening sound. Ordinary mortals would be pulverized instantly from the vibration.

But to the two, it was barely a slight breeze.

"Jiu Se and I are mortal enemies; one of us must perish. Only one can survive," Fang Yu slowly revealed.

"I came into existence because of him, or rather, I am his dark side.

Our struggle is the internal conflict of the Future Buddha. Only one can win, devouring the other, to become the complete Future Buddha."

Lin Xin was shocked. He had guessed Fang Yu’s identity but never thought he and Jiu Se originated from the same source.

"So Tian Yin Dragon King waits for us to settle our struggle, to become complete," Fang Yu continued.

"Before, the Divine King’s Hall gathered the Evil God King to plot against your true form in the Underworld, even swallowing one of your steward Taoist soldiers.

Do you wonder how, with the Underworld always sealed, your steward Taoist soldier was covertly attacked?"

The Underworld mattered significantly to Lin Xin as it was his true form. Unlike limited Heavenly Venerables cautious with their power,

his evolved core heart could convert matter and life into immense energy.

Thus, the Underworld’s energy crisis was averted.

His connection with the true form was occasional, checking in mainly.

The Evil God King’s invasion didn’t concern Lin Xin much.

Like ignoring minuscule dust floating towards him.

He hadn’t set up defenses because his true form’s area was naturally the most dangerous.

If he didn’t suppress his true form’s instincts, it could collapse the Underworld into a black hole-like state instantly.

All life and matter would perish.

It was lethal even to his own people, so three Evil God Kings were courting death.

"Still, I’m curious how Lin Yi got possessed,"

Lin Xin admitted, nodding slightly.

Fang Yu smiled again.