Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 425? Huh?
After Li Wuxiang finished speaking, the light curtain at the entrance of the courtyard suddenly disappeared, turning back into complete darkness.

The disciples outside the courtyard were stunned, but not for long. They cheered because of the magical treasures outside and jumped over the wall into the courtyard, asking Zhao Qi to take them out to pick up the items.

—These people are not highly skilled. They only know that the usually proud and interesting Sword Master Zhao is a true spirit incarnate, Sword Master Xue's cultivation level is as fast as lightning, and Sect Master Li Wuxiang is even more unfathomable. To kill the Blood God Sect's Infant Immortal is as easy as tonight!
Zhao Qi and Xue Baoping were also stunned, but they were stunned because Li Wuxiang had always faced great danger and had to fight back from desperate situations in his previous battles. Seeing the situation just now, they were momentarily speechless.

The one who was truly stunned was Zhou Xiang.

He remembered something: when he was on the ship, his senior brother Xu, who taught him all sorts of common knowledge outside the sect, had said that Li Wuxiang was a Nascent Soul cultivator of the Great Calamity Sword and had once possessed the fortune of Donghuang Taiyi.

At that time, his mind was entirely focused on the vast world outside the sect. He only vaguely remembered what he heard and didn't think much about it. Back then, Little God Lord Li Wuxiang and the extraterrestrial demons were still distant figures to him, just like Mei Qiulu.

In the following days, he did indeed encounter Li Wuxiang, but for some reason, he couldn't have the slightest doubt about his identity; the only thing on his mind was the name "Li Xiao".

It wasn't until Zhao Qi said the words "Great Calamity Sword Scripture" that the memories of the name "Li Wuxiang" in his mind suddenly became extremely clear, as if a veil had been lifted from them!

Yes... he cultivates the Great Calamity Sword Scripture!
But that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is...

He is a demon from beyond the realm!!
The reason why the Six Departments of the Mysterious Sect sent people to escort the body of the Dao-Merging True Man out of the sect was because they discovered that this Li Wuxiang was an extraterrestrial demon!
Just a moment ago, he had almost completely forgotten about it... not that he forgot, but that he knew about it, but just couldn't recall it, didn't care—the thought would just slip past him!

Hearing the jubilant sounds from the courtyard, Zhou Xiang suddenly felt a chill run down his spine—did these people know that Li Wuxiang was an extraterrestrial demon?

Was I captivated by some kind of magic he possessed?

What about these people? Could they also be captivated by his magic?
Now…now, when I think of Li Wuxiang, a thought still pops into my head—he's actually a very good person, exceptionally good. His Sword Sect is even better, exceptionally good. Am I still captivated by these thoughts?

After he stood there stunned for a moment, Zhao Qi suddenly patted him hard on the shoulder: "Brother Zhou, come on, I'll take you out to have a look!"

Zhou Xiang was startled and almost shuddered. He then forced a smile: "Oh, Brother Zhao, you also know the art of leaping across land in a day?"

Zhao Qi immediately realized what was going on and smiled smugly: "I am the Great Sword Master, so naturally the Sect Master passed this method on to me. However, it can't be described as progressing by leaps and bounds, but rather as navigating between the two realms."

Zhou Xiang was taken aback. Two realms? When people usually mention two realms, they are referring to the mortal world and Mount Ling. Many towns of the Five Sacred Mountains True Form Sect have set up strongholds in Mount Ling to provide disciples with access for cultivation. It takes a huge amount of manpower and resources and a very long time to build them... So Li Wuxiang's Sword Sect is located in Mount Ling?
He couldn't help but look around again, feeling that this place didn't seem like Mount Ling, but rather like some kind of blessed land, looking no different from the real world... Li Wuxiang, this extraterrestrial demon, his methods are too clever.

He inwardly gasped, but his face remained impassive: "Alright, let's go out."

Zhao Qi walked to the courtyard gate, grabbed Zhou Xiang with one hand and a row of disciples behind him with the other, mumbled some incantations for a while, and shouted, "Go!"

The light before their eyes suddenly brightened and then dimmed again, and the group appeared on a red earthen plain.

A strong, fishy stench immediately hit them, and several people almost vomited, but quickly held it back.

Seeing Li Wuxiang's fingertips gathering a point of sword light as he walked among the corpses, flicking the sword light at whatever he saw as if finishing off an enemy, they noticed him approaching. He then raised his hand and waved, "Don't move yet. Let me deal with these blood nerves first."

From the courtyard, viewed from above, the corpses on the ground didn't seem too numerous. But now, standing there in person, one could truly grasp just how many undead he had slain with those few sword strikes—the plain stretched endlessly as far as the eye could see, resembling a battlefield where two armies clashed, the pus and blood nearly turning the red earth into a swamp!

Sensing the stench and chilling atmosphere, everyone involuntarily held their breath and dared not move.

After standing there for a quarter of an hour, Li Wuxiang lightly floated back from a distance and stood down: "Alright, go pick it up. Be careful not to cut your hands."

Zhao Qi nodded to his ten disciples, who immediately picked up sacks and began searching among the corpses.

Li Wuxiang, Zhao Qi, and Zhou Xiang stood watching the disciples work. Zhao Qi asked in a low voice, "Where is Master Cui's soul?"

Li Wuxiang said calmly, "They ran away."

"what?"

"Cui Daocheng's, those thirty-six, these corpse ghosts, all their souls have run away, we couldn't keep them."

Zhao Qi remained silent for a moment, realizing that Li Wuxiang's claim of "escaping" was not so simple. Zhou Xiang shared the same thought, but this matter seemed to be an internal secret of the Sword Sect, and he felt he shouldn't listen too much.

Zhou Xiang opened his mouth, about to say that he would also go and see the corpses of those corpse demons, but Li Wuxiang had already spoken: "They have escaped into the Netherworld. As soon as their physical bodies were destroyed by me, their souls were immediately drawn into the Netherworld. If you ask me, this time it's not just the Six Ministries of the Mysterious Sect."

He turned to look at Zhou Xiang: "Even the Netherworld Sect is involved. The Netherworld Sect is helping the Blood God Sect. It's really strange. The Netherworld Sect hasn't appeared in the world for thousands of years, and before, You Jiuyuan was between the Netherworld and Mount Ling... Why are they helping the Blood God Sect?"

Zhou Xiang was stunned, unsure of what to say for a moment—aren't these things internal secrets of your Sword Sect? How could I possibly hear them? What do you mean by telling me this?

Li Wuxiang looked at him and said, "Brother Zhou, after seeing what I just did, what do you say now? Is it that you absolutely won't do what I mentioned before, or can you consider it?"

Every time Zhou Xiang heard Li Wuxiang speak, she felt as if a breeze was blowing past her ear. It wasn't the murky, obscure, and oppressive wind that blew through the sect, but rather a cool and refreshing breeze that blew over from the open plains without any obstruction.

He's a very open and honest person, but he's also an extraterrestrial demon... he... he...

Zhou Xiang suddenly made up her mind, took a deep breath, and said, "Can we talk in private for a moment?"

Li Wuxiang looked at Zhao Qi, then thought for a moment and said, "There are no secrets between Brother Zhao and me. Brother Zhou, just say what you have to say."

Zhou Xiang's expression was serious: "This one is not necessarily true."

Li Wuxiang smiled: "Speak freely."

Zhou Xiang remained silent for a moment, then spoke in a low voice, waiting for Li Wuxiang to send Zhao Qi away after he uttered these few words. He pointed to the sky: "I might know why the Netherworld Sect has also joined forces with the Blood God Sect. Perhaps it's not because of Mei Qiulu, but because of you. You are... from beyond the realm—"

At this point, I immediately shut up.

But then Zhao Qi said, "Extraterrestrial demons? Because of this?"

He actually knew?! Zhou Xiang was stunned again, feeling more stunned than ever before in her entire life—how could he tell others about Li Wuxiang's identity as an extraterrestrial demon?
"You found out too?" Li Wuxiang asked.

Zhou Xiang answered blankly, "Ah."

"So, that's why the Six Departments sent the True Body to the Blood God Sect?" "...Yes." Zhou Xiang was still in a daze. He still couldn't understand—everything he had seen and heard since Li Wuxiang revealed his identity challenged his life experience of the previous thirty years. He could somewhat understand the atmosphere within the Sword Sect; he had heard of the swordsmen's reputations and temperaments, and knew that it wasn't surprising that they had produced such disciples.

Otherwise, if it weren't for a group of such figures uniting people outside the sect, the Taiyi Sect would have ceased to exist long ago.

But Li Wuxiang's openness was now almost beyond his comprehension. How could Zhao Qi, who was beside him, know about such an identity and secret?! Then Mei Qiulu must know too?
But he's a demon from beyond the realm!

Li Wuxiang sighed: "Brother Zhou, do you think the name 'Extraterrestrial Demon' is terrifying?"

Zhou Xiang was momentarily at a loss for words—these four words would make the Six Ministries feel as if they were facing a formidable enemy, of course…

"So, do you think I'm scary? Or let me ask you, do you know what 'extraterrestrial demons' means?"

This truly stumped Zhou Xiang. Before his departure, the elders of the sect had said that Donghuang Taiyi and Li Ye were extraterrestrial demons who caused chaos throughout the world. Now, Li Wuxiang was likely a reincarnation of a demon, destined to bring another great calamity, which was why he had to be eliminated immediately.

But now, listening to Li Wuxiang's words, seeing his person, and witnessing the situation of the Sword Sect, Zhou Xiang suddenly felt that the claim that Li Ye had caused chaos in the world back then was questionable. At least, he felt more comfortable outside the sect and within the Sword Sect than within the religious district.

"The world is not just this one. There is the Spirit Mountain in this world, and the Outer Heaven where your Six Great Emperors reside... All living beings in this world are formed from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Do you think there might be other places with spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and humans might have been born from that spiritual energy?"

“If so, then it is from beyond this realm. People from beyond the realm are roughly what you call extraterrestrial demons—you see, you are human, and I am human, there is no difference between us. As for why the Six Ministries are so wary of my identity, I guess they might be worried—if one extraterrestrial demon can come, can a second one come? Will otherworldly beings from beyond the realm come to this realm?”

He paused here.

Zhou Xiang was shocked to hear this, feeling that she had seen more since leaving the diocese than in the previous thirty years combined, and subconsciously asked, "Then is it possible or not?"

Li Wuxiang smiled slightly: "Would you believe me if I told you? To know whether it's true or not, you'd better spend more time with me and meet Senior Sister Mei. See what kind of person I am and what kind of person she is. As for the rest, Brother Zhou, you can figure it out yourself."

Zhou Xiang thought for a moment, then sighed: "I'm afraid it's too late for me to figure this out. The Infant Immortal of the Blood God Sect has already seen me, and I'm afraid I can't go back."

"What I see is you, whom I have captured. Besides, it doesn't matter. Once we get to Bixin Lake, I'll just kill them all."

What a boastful tone! But now Zhou Xiang no longer thought he was bragging—he was the Nascent Soul of the Great Calamity Sword!
That question still lingered in his mind—how was he able to cultivate the Great Calamity Sword? If the clan's saying was correct, cultivating the Great Calamity Sword required a certain amount of luck… Had Taiyi possessed him and given him that kind of luck? Then he…

Wouldn't that be... another Taiyi in the future?!
In Li Wuxiang's eyes, Zhou Xiang was an exceptionally pure person. So pure that he couldn't hide his emotions. Seeing the trembling in Zhou Xiang's eyes, he roughly knew what he was thinking.

So they threw out another bait—

"Senior Sister Mei and I not only want to help you become the sect leader, but also help you become the Yang God of the Lesser Tribulation Sword. Your Xuan Sect's path to immortality is blocked, but ours may not be. We might even be able to help you become a True Immortal. I like to explain the advantages and disadvantages clearly, rather than making people guess. So now I'll lay out all the benefits for you, Brother Zhou, you can slowly consider whether it's worth it."

"If you're planning to come with me to see Senior Sister Mei, you can nod now."

Zhou Xiang felt as if he had returned to when he was very, very young, standing by the medicinal bath. Steam rose from the pool, and he knew it was very hot; if he jumped in, he would be scalded red in an instant. Now, just like when he was a child, he slowly stretched out his feet, testing the water temperature one step at a time, hesitating whether to grit his teeth and jump in all at once.

Then he made his decision: "Okay."

Li Wuxiang grabbed his hand, and Zhou Xiang's vision blurred again. He found himself surrounded by a blood mist and had arrived at Mount Ling.

In the void before them, a small seal, tinged pale red by the blood mist, slowly rotated. Li Wuxiang raised his hand and wrote characters in the air, leaving behind streaks of pale golden light—

"Senior Brother Lou, I saved Zhou Xiang and took him to my sect's training ground. The Blood God Sect's self-proclaimed Immortal Cui wanted to take his life."

A moment later, words suddenly appeared spontaneously in the void—

"Immortal Cui's main concern is Sect Leader Cui, who is very difficult to deal with. Sect Leader, you just need to protect Zhou Xiang. You should be able to protect yourself as well. You can lure him towards Bixin Lake; we'll be there soon."

"Oh, I've already killed him, but his soul has left."

A large character immediately appeared in the void: "Ah?"

Li Wuxiang laughed: "Senior Brother Lou, our conversation will consume Senior Sister Mei's supernatural powers, so be careful."

This time, it took a little longer before the words reappeared: "Li Wuxiang, you have reached the Nascent Soul stage?"

Li Wuxiang turned to Zhou Xiang and said, "Master Mei."

Zhou Xiang subconsciously let out a slight breath.

"It's done, you've reached the Spirit Beginning stage. I rescued Zhou Xiang, and I'm going to take him to see you. He's a very good person."

Zhou Xiang's pupils dilated sharply—Ling Chu!?

The three realms of the Nascent Soul stage: Initial Spirit Stage, Transformation Stage, and Divine Connection Stage—Li Wuxiang's cultivation level is only at the Initial Spirit Stage!? He killed the Nascent Soul Immortal of the Blood God Sect at the Initial Spirit Stage!?

The Great Calamity Sword... it really is... it really is...

He then saw Mei Qiulu reply, "Alright. Bring him here. You were quicker than I was thinking. Your earlier message came just in time. I've already intercepted the people from Taiyin, Taiyang, and Wuguan. The people from Baosheng Sect went to Bixin Lake, and now I'm chasing after the people from Liudu Sect."

Zhou Xiang gasped – of the remaining five sects besides himself, three had already been intercepted by Mei Qiulu! The other one was still in pursuit, and it was certain that it couldn't escape either… The Land Sword Immortal was terrifying indeed!
He turned to look at Li Wuxiang, whose face remained calm, as if he had expected this. Yet, he still raised his hand and wrote a large character: "Ah?"

"Don't do anything strange. The people of the Baosheng Sect have fled into Bixin Lake, and the Blood God Sect will have a powerful enemy appear. It seems they have also received assistance from the Youming Sect, and there seem to be many demon corpse infants in Bixin Lake. I have injured some people here. You need to find a way to cultivate to the Yunhua Realm as soon as possible. I'll give you one month. Then we'll clear out Bixin Lake. Be quick and get this done before the Six Ministries and the Eastern Continent make any further moves."

Upon seeing the words "Don't do anything strange," Zhou Xiang felt she could almost picture the smiling face of that Yang Shen Sword Immortal. Were the Taiyi Swordsmen truly that close?

But what do these sentences mean?
"Cultivate to the level of Transformation as soon as possible," "I'll give you a month to do it."
Zhou Xiang could understand each word individually, but he couldn't understand them when they were put together.

But Li Wuxiang's answer left him even more bewildered—

"it is good."

(End of this chapter)