Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao
Chapter 453 - 102 Netherworld Queen

Chapter 453: Chapter 102 Netherworld Queen

The words of Qingyao Xuanzhe plunged everyone present into deep thought.

Even though the crowd didn’t know much about the Netherworld Palace, the news weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts.

The Life and Death Illusion Realm of the Netherworld exists in all major universes as a Netherworld place, existing in a very peculiar way.

If you could say the real world is a ’positive’ world, then the Netherworld Palace represents the ’negative’ world.

Once the power of this ’negative’ world invades the ’positive’ world, it is not a good thing at all.

Qingyao Xuanzhe didn’t share much information, not because she didn’t want to say more, but because her knowledge was limited.

However, Zhou Yan knew far more than the crowd because he even had an identity badge from the Netherworld Eight Soul Envoys.

Yet, many things, Zhou Yan did not speak of. For instance, the fact that the Netherworld Beasts weren’t rampaging because in this Heaven and Earth, a chilling Sword Spirit loomed like a Divine, overseeing everything.

Just like a Sovereign.

The fact that the Netherworld Beasts had an owner was a thought that made one’s scalp tingle.

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned somewhat cold.

Qingyao Xuanzhe’s gaze fixed on the distance, her steps halted, eyes filled with contemplation. After a long while, she shuddered, as if realizing something crucial.

Suddenly, she lamented inexplicably, "I’m beginning to regret coming here."

"Qingyao Xuanzhe, why suddenly such a thought? Even if there are Netherworld Beasts, we are not entirely without the power to resist... Besides, with Zhou Yanxuan here, able to wield Soul techniques, our chances of survival are even greater," Yan Ran comforted her, her pretty face clouded with doubts.

"It’s difficult, too difficult. I should have known that the Yuan Ci Secret Realm’s opportunities wouldn’t be easy to come by, and that readiness for death isn’t an impulsive decision, yet I couldn’t admit this fact in my heart. Now it seems... I have underestimated this place."

Qingyao Xuanzhe spoke, her expression turning forlorn and her eyes filled with melancholy.

"If it were only the Netherworld Beasts, it wouldn’t have affected Qingyao Xuanzhe so much. Perhaps it’s the familiar feeling we sensed ourselves that is frightening, isn’t it? Qingyao Xuanzhe, did you enter here in your physical form or as a Void Body?"

After a long hesitation, Jia Yongheng suddenly asked Qingyao Xuanzhe.

"What did you see?"

Instead of answering, Qingyao Xuanzhe countered with a question.

"I saw a lot of Dead Qi and Disaster Qi, and it’s not just you, it could be me as well."

Jia Yongheng hesitated again before sighing.

Then, he looked at Yan Ran Xuanzhe, Si Yuan Xuanzhe, Holy Daughter Jiang Yuning, and finally, his eyes settled on Zhou Yan.

His look became increasingly sorrowful until it landed on Zhou Yan, where it abruptly paused.

While Jia Yongheng was practicing Qi Observation, Zhou Yan observed too, but what Zhou Yan saw was different.

He didn’t see any Dead Qi or Disaster Qi; in his eyes, everyone seemed ordinary with no anomalies.

Zhou Yan didn’t know how Jia Yongheng was seeing things, but after Qingyao Xuanzhe mentioned the Netherworld Beast, the mood of everyone was evidently somber.

"The Netherworld Beasts are not unsolvable. Let me take you out of here. Let’s go."

At that moment, Zhou Yan sensed something was wrong, the previously cold presence suddenly reappeared inexplicably, so he immediately employed the Purple Flame Void Power, attempting to leave the place at once with Jia Yongheng and the others.

But just as he was about to act, the sensation of being watched by a pair of incredibly cold eyes suddenly emerged. Zhou Yan immediately felt a chill through his body, understanding that not only did he perceive this terrible presence, but so did Qingyao Xuanzhe.

It was precisely because they sensed this unstoppable scene that Qingyao Xuanzhe realized she had no power to resist.

Because compared to this terrifying strength, even the Sword Tribulation Realm would feel like ants.

"We can’t leave," Qingyao Xuanzhe said with a bitter smile, subsequently performing an action that nearly stupefied Zhou Yan—she blew herself up in an attempt to self-destruct.

"It seems you truly know a lot. Yao Fairy, we meet again."

A chilling voice suddenly emerged in this realm, echoing in everyone’s mind.

This voice, chilling to the marrow, made Zhou Yan feel as if his body was suddenly frozen.

This voice was terrifying; its presence was astonishing.

Under this presence, Zhou Yan’s Sword Soul trembled, as if encountering the mighty Great Success Emperor Qi Sword Body, completely suppressing his Sword Dao, suffocating Zhou Yan’s heart.

The owner of the voice, peerlessly invincible, was terrifyingly powerful.

After the sound appeared, Qingyao Xuanzhe, who had just exploded, her body now reassembled as if time had flowed backwards, restored to its original state.

She was inexplicably resurrected just as she was about to die.

"Are you Snow Immortal or Frost Immortal? I didn’t expect that after all these years, I would still fall into your hands."

Qingyao Xuanzhe gave a bitter smile, her voice tinged with a melancholic tone.

It seemed at this point, she was prepared for a fate worse than death.

But her words seemed to make that cold voice pause for a moment.

"Snow Immortal? Frost Immortal? It’s been so long since I remembered those names, they now sound so foreign.

Now, the life forms here call me ’Netherworld Queen.’ The past is over, I have forgotten it."

The woman’s voice resonated through Heaven and Earth, followed suddenly by a beam of purple light emerging within the void, revealing a woman in a purple robe with an enchanting and seductive figure.

She was like a mesmerizing goddess, incredibly tempting, yet she did not reveal an ounce of vulgarity, for that charm was innate to her very bones.

She had long purple hair, extravagantly coiffed and bold, her eyebrows elongated, giving her a bewitching look, yet her face remained utterly pure.

In that purity, there was enchantment, and within the enchantment, utter purity—a stark contrast in qualities that combined perfectly, yet strikingly.

Everything about her was astonishing and shocking, but her appearance was most alarming—she closely resembled someone very familiar to Zhou Yan—Sword Spirit Xiao Xue.

"Are you Sword Spirit Xiao Shuang?"

Zhou Yan was utterly stunned and exclaimed in disbelief.

He hadn’t expected to encounter here, in such a secret land, the sister of Sword Spirit Xiao Xue, Xiao Shuang.

But this woman...

"Um? You—Brother Li?"

The Netherworld Queen was slightly taken aback, then turned her scrutinizing gaze toward Zhou Yan, which quickly faded, along with the brief flicker of excitement on her face.

"So it turns out it’s you, waste and ingrate. I didn’t expect you to survive this lifetime."

The Netherworld Queen’s excitement vanished, her demeanor turning exceedingly cold again.

"Frost Immortal, are you still dwelling on the past? Let go of the past."

Holy Daughter Jiang Yuning stepped forward, fixing her gaze on the Netherworld Queen and sighed suddenly.

"I said if it’s in the past, then it stays in the past. But if I don’t want those things to pass, they never will. Fairy Ning, you seem to follow him wherever he goes. But we don’t have any relationship to speak of anymore; you don’t need to say much to me, I don’t want to see you, leave."

The Netherworld Queen’s expression turned colder, ignoring Jiang Yuning completely, speaking indifferently.

"You know, many things are beyond our control..."

Jiang Yuning hesitated.

"No need for more words, spar the courtesy. If you speak further, I will kill all of you! You should believe I have the strength to do so."

The Netherworld Queen’s voice was unforgiving as she spoke, and the air filled with terrifying thunder, ready to annihilate any Cultivator at any moment.

"Well, if that’s how you feel, then I won’t say anymore. I’m truly happy to see you here, even if you don’t like me. I’ve not had many days of joy, but today, I truly feel happy."

Jiang Yuning spoke softly.

"Humph, save those sweet nothings to seduce men!"

The Netherworld Queen scoffed, her tone still icy, but Qingyao Xuan and others could hear a slight softening.

"Xiao Shuang, I know it’s you."

Zhou Yan spoke up.

"How dare you! Who are you to address me as ’Xiao Shuang’? Are you worthy?!"

The Netherworld Queen immediately became enraged, and as she spoke, she violently slapped Zhou Yan’s face.

Zhou Yan reacted superbly, extending his hand in an instant to grasp hers.

The Netherworld Queen’s hand was neither tender nor warm; rather, it was thin and withered like an elderly person’s, chilling to the touch.

Having grasped her hand, Zhou Yan inexplicably felt a deep, unspeakable sorrow, as if this frail hand pained his heart.

The Netherworld Queen was momentarily stunned, apparently not expecting Zhou Yan to catch her hand.

Caught off guard, she became furious, and with a burst of terrifying power from her hand, she flung Zhou Yan far away.

The ferocious force catapulted Zhou Yan a mile away, yet he was unscathed, clearly showing the Netherworld Queen had held back somewhat.

"Xiao Shuang, Xiao Xue is with me; I am guarding her; her current state is very bad. Won’t you come to see her?"

Zhou Yan flew back, not retreating, his eyes directly meeting those of the Netherworld Queen.

"She has long been dead; only a residual soul lives, which has nothing to do with me. I am here only to guard the Yuan Ci Secret Realm from invasion. You should leave now; for the sake of our past, I will not kill you; just go."

The Netherworld Queen’s expression fluctuated, ultimately sighing softly.

As she spoke, she suddenly struck out with her palm, and amidst the heavens and earth, terrifying thunder and lightning exploded continuously like a lightning transmission array, wrapping around Zhou Yan and others, preparing to send them away.

However, at that instant, a sudden burst of light from an artifact spirit appeared on Zhou Yan and others, protecting them from being transported away.

"How... How can this be?"

The Netherworld Queen, upon seeing the light from the artifact spirit, showed a mix of shock, surprise, helplessness, and disappointment.