Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 898 - 893: Road One

Chapter 898: Chapter 893: Road One

"Since you are so knowledgeable, why don’t you tell me the origins of the Nether River from the Underworld?"

Lin Xin seized the opportunity to ask this question.

He was still extremely puzzled about the powerful corpses beneath the Nether River.

When did that terrifying battle occur?

If those Earth Immortal level corpses were to fully engage, perhaps this entire region of the human world within the Underworld would be wiped out in moments.

"The Nether River of the Underworld..." Zhao Yun pondered for a moment.

"If the Divine Monarch asked others, they might not be able to clarify, but since you’re asking me..."

He paused and looked at Lin Xin.

"This matter starts with our universe’s collision with another universe that bordered ours."

"Oh?"

Lin Xin was slightly intrigued.

"Another universe? Are you referring to the one dominated by dragons?"

"No... It’s not that," Zhao Yun shook his head, "You wouldn’t think that our universe has had collisions with only one universe over all these years, right?"

"That’s naturally impossible," Lin Xin thought for a moment, agreeing that the phenomenon of universe collisions and borders wouldn’t happen just once.

"A long time ago, I saw in some relic data that during one of the universe collisions, the Underworld was just at the edge of the collision zone.

The collision between the two universes brought vast mutual force contamination.

The Underworld transformed from a state of chaos to its current form, while the edge of the other universe also underwent significant changes.

The Nether River seemed to have emerged from that time."

"Was there any outbreak of major combat?" Lin Xin pursued further.

"Naturally there was, and many," Zhao Yun said flatly.

"The Underworld at that time became one of the numerous battlefields in the cosmic war. Where there is a battlefield, there are corpses.

All corpses were said to be thrown into the depths of the Nether River that formed at that time."

"I see..."

Lin Xin didn’t know if this explanation was true, but it at least provided a plausible reason for those corpses in the Nether River.

"Why have you come to see me now?"

Lin Xin didn’t believe in any visitation to honor the predecessor; he had no rapport with the Supreme Heavenly Venerable of Unadorned Jade, nor did they need to come running to meet him.

Zhao Yun gave a wry smile.

"Honestly, Divine Monarch, my purpose here is to seek permission from you for us to leave together."

"Oh? You’re so sure I will agree?"

Lin Xin didn’t elaborate, only posing a counter-question.

The quota for the Nether Realm wasn’t given for free; anyone wanting to hitch a ride must pay a price.

Zhao Yun understood this well.

"We need nine slots, and we’re offering this in exchange for one slot!"

Zhao Yun took out something from his bosom.

It was a dark golden demon talisman seed. Unlike the demon talisman seeds Lin Xin had previously seen, this one was faintly glowing.

"Demon talisman seed..." Lin Xin scanned it with his spiritual sense and found this dark golden talisman seed was different from the ones he had encountered before. It could even serve as a key to enter and leave the Underworld.

"Alright. But it will only allow temporary residence." He considered it as giving face to the Supreme Heavenly Venerable of Unadorned Jade.

"We dare not expect more," Zhao Yun said with a full smile, respectfully exiting.

Nan Shunqing waited outside. Seeing Zhao Yun come out, he simultaneously heard Lin Xin’s instructions in his ear.

"Let them wait outside the sect gates; you will arrange a place for them to rest."

Nan Shunqing passed on the message.

"Much obliged," Zhao Yun grasped the situation and displayed proper respect to Nan Shunqing, considering he was a major figure in the Pine Sword Sect.

"Qing’er, please attend to the two individuals coming from the other side." Lin Xin’s voice directly reached Nan Shunqing’s ears.

"As you command, Master."

Nan Shunqing slightly bowed and looked at Yin Mantuo approaching from behind. He summoned the escape light, soared into the sky, and flew out of the Silver Taoist Palace towards the direction of a mysterious sensation.

"Qing’er, catch!"

As he was about to leave the sect completely, a sound suddenly pierced the air from behind.

Lin Xin’s voice suddenly reached his ears.

He turned around and caught it.

Snap.

A piece of black jade with a Lin character engraved in the center appeared in his palm.

"Thank you, Honored Master."

Nan Shunqing didn’t know Lin Xin’s intention, but such jade pendants generally served the purpose of calming the mind and protection, likely used as amulets.

He bowed in the direction of the Silver Taoist Palace and flew directly towards the distance.

In his memories, his original universe used a type of energy called spiritual power as its main form.

Spiritual power was incredibly potent and omnipresent, evolving all cultivators while creating myriad wondrous abilities.

Nan Shunqing organized his thoughts while speeding towards the source of the sensation.

On his way, he encountered a team of disciples patrolling the sect. He casually found an excuse to assign them to other areas, temporarily stopping their patrol of this region to facilitate contact with the visitors.

Flying non-stop, he swiftly arrived above a dense bamboo sea.

Below, the emerald bamboo sea swayed in the wind, producing a rustling sound.

The connection between the blue ocean and sky creates an unspeakable pureness.

Nan Shunqing had no time to admire the scenery; his eyes carefully scanned the surrounding area.

Soon, a code left amid the bamboo forest appeared in his field of vision.

He swiftly descended, landing on the soft bamboo leaves, gazing at a pale purple light ring floating in the bamboo sea, faintly glowing.

The light ring was only the size of a fist, occasionally expanding and contracting, as if it were breathing.

Nan Shunqing stood before the light ring, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently pressed against it.

Swish!

He began to clumsily form one hand seal after another.

Initially, his speed was slow, barely one seal a second.

But as he continued, he became more proficient, his speed accelerating rapidly to ten seals a second.

Snap!

Suddenly, he abruptly stopped forming hand seals.

A burst of purple flames ignited in his hand, then spread out.

The flames dispersed, revealing a long black box inside.

It was a black coffin box!

Nan Shunqing shoved the coffin box into the light ring.

The box disappeared instantly, as if it had immersed completely.

The light ring closed as well, everything seemingly untouched.

"Little brother."

Suddenly, a cold female voice came from behind Nan Shunqing.

He turned sharply to look.

Two streams of purple flame ignited out of nowhere in the bamboo forest, forming two purple human shapes.

The flames dissipated, revealing a man and woman of remarkable poise.

These two were clearly not people of the Underworld’s Human Race.

They wore long purple robes resembling formal attire, their faces adorned with delicate flower-like purple tattoos.

Most notably, the power fluctuations and aura they emitted made Nan Shunqing feel breathless from the moment he laid eyes on them.

Even with his current Polar Region level power, standing before these two, he felt oppressed in his breathing!

This oppressive sensation occurred even though the two were not intentionally exerting their power.

One could imagine their formidable strength.

"Nan...Zhaorong??" Nan Shunqing swiftly organized his memories, hesitantly speaking the name.

He did not use the language of the Underworld’s Human Race, but an entirely different complex language.

"You should call me your second sister." The woman with long hair braided in a ponytail that hung down her left side, tied with silver threads, her robe sleeves fluttering in the wind, exuding an exotic yet noble beauty.

"This is Murong Cheng. Together with me, we have been especially sent by the Family Head to find you and bring you back." Nan Zhaorong spoke calmly. "Are you prepared?"

Nan Shunqing was silent.

"If there’s nothing else, let’s go." Nan Zhaorong waved her large sleeve, sending out a beam of purple light that fell upon the three present.

As the purple light flowed, it formed a light barrier that completely enveloped the three, then quickly shrank into three light points, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Nan Shunqing felt as if he had plunged into a vortex of purple water, surrounded by flowing purple runes and patterns.

For a moment, he seemed to see thousands of Taoist priests in purple robes, kneeling reverently toward the sky, chanting prayers and curse scripts.

The sound was uniform and grand, like thunder shaking his eardrums.

"Escape!"

Suddenly, a tender voice echoed in his ear.

Nan Shunqing snapped back to reality.

Upon closer inspection of himself, he was standing together with Nan Zhaorong and that stern man named Murong Cheng, on an elliptical purple jade disk.

The jade disk was speeding rapidly with purple light all around.

They seemed to be flying at lightning speed through a glowing purple tunnel.

"Where are we going?"

Nan Shunqing asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Of course, we’re returning to the original universe." Nan Zhaorong replied calmly. "Unless you’d rather stay in this mediocre place for life?"

"Third Young Master, the Family Head is critically ill, and now deceitful ministers hold sway. The family realm must strive for stability.

If we don’t return to the family as fast as possible, there is a danger of losing influential power." Murong Cheng spoke earnestly.

"Currently, the Eldest Young Master is reckless and stubborn, the Second Miss lacks potential, so it is you, Third Young Master, who holds the primary qualifications for inheritance."

"Is the situation really that dire?" Nan Shunqing, with his own memories inherited, already understood the general situation.

He came from a universe primarily focused on spiritual cultivation, known as the Spiritual Energy Universe.

Within, the universe was divided into three great empires.

The Nan Family belonged to one of those empires as a major family.

And he was the most qualified Third Young Master within the family for inheritance, though previously exiled to another universe due to certain troublesome issues for intense cultivation.

But now a crisis had emerged in the family, the Family Head was critically ill, and he was recalled due to special reasons to prepare as a major potential heir to contest for the position. Moreover, he was the strongest contender.

At this time, Nan Shunqing began to gradually merge with his body’s memories.

Scenes of past memories swiftly passed before his eyes, from childhood to adulthood, living within the family, all those beautiful, unforgettable memories suddenly revisited him.

He closed his eyes, remained silent for a moment, then reopened them.

A flash of purple light flickered in his eyes.

At this point, he was no longer Nan Shunqing of the Underworld’s Pine Forest Sword Sect but the Third Young Master, third in line to inherit the Nan Family.

Moreover, prior to his arrival in the Underworld, his repeated reincarnations and cultivation across countless millennia, barely diluted the twenty-thousand-year experience he endured in the Underworld.

"Remember everything?" Nan Zhaorong had been observing her brother the entire time.

Utilizing the Shattered Wheel Hall, he had continuously reincarnated for thousands of years, practicing spiritual energy to achieve a remarkably high level.

Though not comparable to true masters, among the family disciples, he could be deemed outstanding.