Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 397: Extraterrestrial Demon
The mechanism pushed the silver hammer to strike the silver plate six times, a sound that startled Kong Youxin awake. She immediately opened her eyes and looked out from under the bed curtains. She saw that the light coming through the gap in the curtains was bright white, and she was delighted—it was a sunny day, the kind of sunny day with no clouds and bright sunshine.

Sunny days are rare on the mountain because there are so many mountains nearby. They stretch endlessly as far as the eye can see, as if all the mountains in the world have been brought here. Therefore, it is often cloudy and foggy, and the sun is rarely seen.

She got out of bed barefoot and stepped onto the wooden floor, feeling its warmth beneath her feet. This was because a fire pit was running beneath the wooden floor, and the hot smoke from the kitchen circulated through the fire pit, making the entire room cozy and warm.

However, she felt the heating had come on a bit early this year. It was only early autumn, and the house wasn't actually that cold. Now that she was close to reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, she was strong and healthy, so she wasn't afraid of the cold at all. But now that the heating was on, she kicked off the covers twice last night and felt like she hadn't slept well.

She changed into a new undergarment, threw the old one into the bamboo basket, and went to the clothes rack by the bed to put on her outer robe. Halfway through tying it, she noticed a loose thread at the collar, so she took the robe off and changed into a newer one from the rack.

After getting dressed, she drew back all the curtains from the six windows of the room—and sure enough, the sun was shining brightly outside, making the stone floor gleam. She squinted, basking in the sunlight, and looked into the distance for a while, feeling that the scenery of the distant mountains was completely different in the sunlight and in the mist.

The mountains under the sunlight are colorful and exceptionally bright, as if someone had splashed paint on them. Even knowing it's autumn, they still feel vibrant with life. But the mountains shrouded in mist are hazy, dark, and deep, making one feel a sense of desolation at first glance.

She looked at it for a while, then walked to the door and opened it—there was a food box outside. She brought the food box in and placed it on the table.

Inside was a small bowl of porridge, a plate of cold shredded vegetables, a plate of walnut and shrimp salad, a plate of braised tofu, and a boiled egg.

Kong Youxin sighed, finding the same few dishes over and over again quite tiresome. She first took a sip of porridge, then picked at the cucumber shreds from the three-shredded vegetables, and then the walnuts from the walnut and shrimp dish. Next, she slowly peeled the egg, eating only the egg white and leaving the yolk on the table.

He ate slowly for half an hour, finishing the cucumber strips, walnuts, and braised tofu. He then got up, walked to the other end of the room, and opened the door to the water room.

The earth dragon came out from the water room and didn't linger here much, so the temperature here felt comfortable to Kong Youxin. She first looked at her face in the silver-plated mirror and thought that although she hadn't slept well last night, her complexion was still pretty good. She squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush and brushed her teeth carefully. After brushing, she rinsed her mouth and looked in the mirror again, noticing a little green tinge between her upper teeth, so she brushed again.

After washing her face and hands, she returned to her dressing table to comb her hair and put on her shoes and socks. As she finished, the silver coin was struck seven more times, and Kong Youxin went out.

As she was leaving, she saw a servant enter the courtyard. She sighed and asked, "Could you change the dishes for breakfast from now on? We've been eating the same three dishes all year. Could you please replace the shrimp? I don't like them."

The servant bowed and replied, "Yes, I've got it. I'll tell the kitchen staff in a bit. But the shrimp was something the young lady asked for after autumn, so I'll have to ask her about it."

Kong Youxin walked towards the courtyard gate, but when she pushed it open, she turned around and said, "Never mind, no need to say anything more, let's just leave it like this."

Beyond the courtyard was a cliff, but there was no need to worry about falling. Wooden railings lined the path along the cliff, and pavilions were built in some spots offering beautiful panoramic mountain views. Kong Youxin walked, basking in the sunlight and squinting, and after a quarter of an hour, she began her ascent.

The mountain path is lined with gardens on both sides, and the vegetation is not haphazardly growing. Strange rocks and waterfalls are hidden among the trees, and at this time, only the sounds of water and birdsong can be heard, making it very tranquil.

The mountain road twisted twice and reached a flat area halfway up the mountain, where a cluster of white-walled, black-roofed pavilions came into view. Kong Youxin entered through the back gate of a courtyard on the east side and immediately smelled a faint fragrance wafting from the courtyard—the scent of medicine.

Are you making medicine so early today?

She quickened her pace and entered the house in the courtyard—where more than a dozen people were already busy. Some were busy grinding herbs, some were busy purifying water, and some were busy adding white charcoal to the alchemy furnace.

She had just stepped inside when she heard a stern rebuke: "Where did you go last night?!"

The one who reprimanded her was a young man, with his hands behind his back and a jade pendant hanging from his waist.

Kong Youxin immediately knelt down: "I...I went to Jingyuetan at the foot of the mountain after I finished my shift last night. Senior Brother Qiao, did you send someone to look for me last night?"

Senior Brother Qiao frowned at her: "Is Jingyue Pool a place you went to? You've only been a disciple for two years, just a disciple of this hall, your status isn't much higher than a constable, yet you've learned to taint the spiritual energy of blessed lands and grottoes? Didn't I tell you when you entered the hall that you weren't allowed to wander around freely?"

Kong Youxin glanced at the dozen or so people in the room—they were all busy and oblivious, only their movements became quieter.

She lowered her head again: "My senior brother mentioned it. I just... went to take a look last night."

“You are becoming increasingly lawless. I don’t care what you call ‘eldest young lady,’ ‘second young lady,’ ‘third young master,’ ‘fourth young master’ in front of those servants down there, but remember this: here, my words are the decree of your master! If I send someone to summon you again and you fail to receive it, you can go down the mountain!”

Kong Youxin's heart pounded. She was so stunned by the scolding that she could only say, "I remember, Senior Brother Qiao."

Senior Brother Qiao turned and walked away, but stopped after taking two steps: "Get up. Don't blame me for being in a bad mood today—the Heavenly Hall has been very busy these past few days. As you all know, quite a few ancestors have come. If something goes wrong in our alchemy room at other times, Master will just laugh it off. But if something happens these past few days, how will Master explain it to the Altar Master? We'll all be in trouble then."

When she was scolded, Kong Youxin's mind went blank. But now, hearing Senior Brother Qiao's gentle tone, she finally came to her senses. Her nose stung, and she realized she had been wronged, but she didn't dare to cry. She got up from the ground and quickly went to the table to grind the medicine.

Their master, Zhou Xiang, used Fragrant Mud Pills every morning. These pills had to be freshly made, otherwise the taste wouldn't be right. Usually, only four pills were used a day, but looking at today's ingredients, it seemed like dozens of pills would be made.

Beside her was Senior Sister Xu Qian, the "eldest daughter." After Senior Brother Qiao finished his rounds in the alchemy room, gave everyone some instructions, and left, Kong Youxin asked, "You all came up last night?"

"Hmm." Xu Qian said while busy, "I was woken up in the middle of the night and have been busy all night. I've already made more than a hundred pills. You know how to find peace and quiet. We're almost done now."

"I didn't mean..." Kong Youxin thought for a moment, "Why are we getting so many today? We could put one in every room of the hall. Didn't the ancestors only come in the dozens?"

Xu Qian lowered her voice: "Look at our alchemy room." Kong Youxin turned to look: "What's wrong?"

"Our alchemy room, fire room, water room, and metal room together have over a hundred people, all serving our master. There are thousands of servants below, all serving just the hundred or so of us—guess how many people a Dao-merging ancestor needs to serve?"

"Ah..." Kong Youxin was taken aback, "Someone else is coming?"

"They're all coming from the main altar. I heard there are over three hundred of them, all serving the ancestors. They should be arriving today."

"...What are they doing at our Immovable Mountain?"

Xu Qian didn't speak. Kong Youxin waited a while, then couldn't help but nudge her elbow: "What's wrong?"

Xu Qian sighed: "Don't be angry with me. What Senior Brother Qiao said earlier wasn't wrong. Now that you've entered the sect, the important thing isn't cultivation, but understanding more things. No matter how hard you cultivate on your own, can it compare to opening the coffin? When Master personally teaches you cultivation in another year, once the coffin mountain is opened, one month of that will be equivalent to a year of your cultivation."

"I ask you, our Immovable Mountain is a thousand miles away from the main altar, and Master is only..." She lowered her voice, "...only at the Refining Spirit cultivation level, so why is there a separate hall here? Our Immovable Hall has never lacked offerings?"

“I know that, Senior Sister. Before the Five Great Emperors attained enlightenment, they had offspring in the mortal realm. Our Master is a descendant of the Great Emperors before they attained enlightenment. You told me that when we entered the sect.”

"Do you know what kind of place this Immovable Mountain is?"

"It's...where Master is."

"Listen carefully, go back and look it up yourself in the library—Immovable Mountain is where the Great Emperor attained enlightenment. This place can be considered the ancestral home of our sect, which is why Master stayed here to hold the ceremonies. Do you understand?"

"Huh? Our Immovable Mountain is our ancestral temple!?"

"So we're not allowed to go any higher. If we go any higher, we'll reach the place where the Great Emperor ascended to heaven."

Kong Youxin nodded, then asked again, "Are they here to worship the Great Emperor?"

Xu Qian fell silent again, so Kong Youxin nudged her with her elbow.

Xu Qian looked around, seemingly hesitant to speak. But in the end, she whispered, "Anyway, we'll find out sooner or later. When people come, there will be too many people and too much gossip, so it's bound to leak out—I heard it from Master. After you hear it, you'll have to hold back for the next few days and not talk about it."

"Yeah, senior sister, you know I'm the most discreet person."

"The ancestors didn't come to offer sacrifices...it seems they came to vanish into nothingness."

A sudden thought struck Kong Youxin, and she immediately told herself she shouldn't have asked. But before she could shut up, the words had already spilled out: "Nirvana!? Why?!"

"Keep your voice down!" Xu Qian looked around again before saying, "I heard it from Master last night. I went to deliver medicine to Master last night, and Master must have taken too much of the Jade Blood Pill, he was a little delirious. After I finished delivering the medicine and was about to leave, Master suddenly said behind me, 'Xu Qian, you little brats, how do you always talk about me behind my back?'"

Kong Youxin stared at her with wide eyes: "Master??"

"Yes. I was terrified, so I quickly knelt down and said we would never dare to speak ill of our master. Master just sat there and said in a sarcastic tone, 'You are all truly kind-hearted, able to refrain from speaking ill of such a worthless thing as me. Xu Qian, you tell me, as a descendant of the Great Emperor, I have enjoyed the sect's offerings for years, yet I am still only a Refining Spirit, unable to advance to the Transformation Realm. Am I a piece of trash?'"

“I didn’t dare say a word. So, do you think I am or not? Can I speak about my master? Fortunately, my master wasn’t really asking me. He said, ‘Tomorrow I’m going to the mountaintop, to the meditation hall where the Great Emperor attained enlightenment. I’ll stand before dozens of ancestral masters and offer incense to the Great Emperor. I’ll also wear the robes he wore when he attained enlightenment and receive three bows from them. Wouldn’t you say I’m impressive?’”

Kong Youxin immediately covered her mouth and exclaimed, "Really?! That's really impressive!"

Xu Qian nodded: "I wanted to say that too, but I didn't have time. Because Master cried... My God, Master suddenly cried, saying that he was unworthy, that he was incompetent, that with the great enemy of our sect at hand, he was a useless person who could not contribute anything, and that he was even forcing the thirty-seven ancestors to perish!"

Kong Youxin felt her mind go blank, and after a long while she asked, "Master forced them to annihilate? What does that mean?"

"Don't worry... When Master cried like that, I knew it must be because he was obsessed with the Jade Blood Pill, so I didn't dare say anything. Then Master asked me, 'Xu Qian, do you know why the Great Emperor joined forces to suppress Donghuang Taiyi back then?' I was so scared that I wished I could go deaf. I heard him say, 'Back then, it was because the extraterrestrial demon descended to earth and made Taiyi obsessed!'"

"Fortunately, back then, our six Great Emperors joined forces to eliminate the Heavenly Demon and suppress Taiyi. It is said that the Heavenly Demon has descended upon the world again these days, but our six divisions had previously made an agreement with the savages outside, saying that no one would be allowed to walk in the wilderness for thirty years. However, we cannot ignore this matter, so the thirty-seven ancestors had no choice but to perish—thirty-seven from our True Form Sect and thirty-seven from each of the other five divisions. Their primordial spirits had to perish, leaving only their bodies, and they were sent to the wilderness outside the sect!"

Kong Youxin felt her hands trembling slightly. Her thirty-seven Dao-Merging Ancestors had arrived at Immovable Mountain three days ago. Now, a thought suddenly popped into her mind—their cultivation was at the Profound Realm; could it be that their whispered conversations here had been overheard?

But she couldn't help but ask again, "What are extraterrestrial demons? Are they in the library?"

Xu Qian shook her head: "I don't know either. I've never heard of this before. Master was really confused after saying these things. He leaned back in his seat and kept chanting 'Don't think about it, don't think about it.' I don't know if he told me not to think about these things and I forgot. But after chanting it a few times, Master fell asleep, and I dared to slowly back out."

"But when I was refining the medicine last night, I felt that what Master said didn't seem to be 'You should not think about it'... Anyway, it couldn't be 'you,' it sounded more like 'Li'... Is it a person's name or something? I don't dare to deliver the medicine to him today, you go in a little while, okay?"

(End of this chapter)