Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 528 The Two Messengers of Impermanence
On Tianqing Peak, in front of the Ancestral Hall.

The light of the demon rose and changed, and the heavenly light fell, gradually being distorted and disintegrated, plunging into darkness.

The tall and imposing demonic figure still stood before the hall, remaining silent after uttering those words.

At this moment, Tian Tuo, through Xu Xuan's description, also sensed something was amiss, and whispered:
"It is dangerous, scattered, and destroyed, thus rendering supernatural powers ineffective and magic spells unresponsive. If this demonic nature were to go out of control, it would be enough to raze the entire Tianzhou to the ground, turning it into a desolate wasteland devoid of all spiritual energy."

How should we send them away?

Xu Xuan silently observed the scene in the hall, his expression unchanged. He used the pure energy to keep an eye on the movements of the demonic being beside him, but saw that the other party remained calm and made no further moves.

Suddenly, a clear, melodious bell rang out from afar, seemingly from the south, carrying a sense of desolation and mystery, causing the demon to slowly turn around, as if touched.

At the southern horizon, the aura of the netherworld suddenly manifested, and a chilling ghostly wind swirled in, instantly landing on the summit of Azure Peak.

A faint light swirled, and two figures emerged from the void, dressed in black and white robes, befitting underworld officials.

The two stood openly, making no attempt to conceal their presence, with wisps of ghostly energy rising around them. Liu Shuhan, however, seemed oblivious, as if in deep meditation.

The black-robed underworld official stepped forward. His face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, his body was broad and stout, and a fierce aura surged between his brows, making him awe-inspiring.

However, there was an extremely deep wound on the back of his head, radiating the light of a vast ocean, and exuding a fierce sword intent, causing the [Cave Transformation Sword Box] within Xu Xuan's body to stir slightly.

In his left hand he held a dark, heavy wooden yoke, exuding a sinister aura, while in his right hand he shook a black iron bell, which rang out with a mournful sound, causing the demonic aura to tremble slightly and reveal its outline, making it visible to others.

A perfectly timed look of surprise flashed across Xu Xuan's face, his expression solemn, his supernatural power poised to be unleashed.

The two underworld messengers before him seemed like an unfathomable abyss, beyond his current ability to handle.

Tian Tuo's tone became slightly solemn, as if he had discerned the origins of the two demons:

"Yin Shuai? No, that's a lower rank."

The Black Law True Text manifested itself, with deep black light flowing endlessly, and silver lightning rolling like dragons and snakes, the intent of calamity and punishment extremely heavy, forcing back the surrounding ghostly aura.

At the same time, the white-robed underworld official floated to Xu Xuan's front like a ghost.

He was tall and thin, with a pale face, but his expression was kind. He chuckled, looked at Xu Xuan, and performed an ancient salute:

"Xie Sheng, a lowly ghost, greets Your Excellency. We, the two messengers of Wuchang, have come here from the Yin Palace of Mount Tai to capture this Colorless Demon. We have offended Your Excellency's mountain gate."

Xu Xuan's mind raced, and he released his spiritual senses.

The entire area above Luoqing was covered by a ghostly light, dark and unclear, as if one had fallen into a dark and evil land. Only the black law hung high like the sun, with lightning surging and dispelling the ghostly light.

"People from the underworld?"

His voice deepened, carrying a hint of defensiveness. Seeing this, Xie Sheng quickly replied:

"The [Taishan Yin Mansion] is different from the [Fengdu Ghost City] that destroyed Shu. Please don't blame the wrong person, sir. My mansion worships the Yuan of the Northern Yin Youdai and pays homage to the Venerable of Zhengyi Wufu. Please make the distinction clear."

Elsewhere, a black-robed underworld official continued to ring his bell, shouting sternly:

"Distinguish them, distinguish them!"

"Why do you call me 'sir'? This..."

"You are in charge of the Black Laws. In ancient times, you would be a celestial general of the Thunder Palace, and a god-king is within reach. We ghosts of the underworld are also subject to these laws, so we must naturally show you respect."

Xie Sheng glanced at the black law hanging high above, his gaze complex and seemingly apprehensive.

Xu Xuan's mind raced as he looked at the tall and imposing demonic figure. As if seeing it for the first time, he asked in a doubtful voice:

"You two have come to my mountain, but what is this demonic nature of yours?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, this is one of the four demonic natures left behind by the [Lost and Destroyed Colorless Demon Lord]. The Lord of the Prefecture foresaw that he would emerge from the Wu Clan's Realm Gate today, so he ordered my brother and me to collect it."

"Come and collect it, come and collect it!"

The black-robed underworld official echoed his sentiments, then turned to his companion beside him and said solemnly:
"Quick, quick!"

Xie Sheng's gaze shifted, a hint of apology in his eyes:

"My brother Fan Si was once injured by the sword immortal Taihao, and his mind is not very sharp. I hope you will forgive him. I am sorry to bother you today, but I need to use your place to perform some tricks."

The underworld official surnamed Xie let out a strange laugh, looked at his colleague beside him, and said in a deep voice:
"Why don't you bring out the [Netherworld Turbidity Banner] and return to the mountain as soon as possible?"

"Return to the mountains, return to the mountains!"

The two underworld messengers joined forces and unleashed a black banner radiating a ghostly light. It was covered with the dark earth of the underworld, a symbol of the turbid and evil realm, and inside was a deep, turbid cave that kept spinning. They aimed it at the demonic nature beside them.

It was clearly a magical artifact, but it was impossible to tell which one it belonged to; it didn't resemble Wenyou or Daiqi.

Xu Xuan immediately felt his body stiffen. The fact that these two had summoned this artifact without warning was truly terrifying. In comparison, the demonic energy seemed much safer.

"Come back now!"

The white-robed underworld official gave a shout, and the light beside the demonic nature instantly receded, returning to the dark cauldron, as if it had been sent to another location.

The two underworld messengers put away the [Netherworld Turbidity Banner], as if they had completed some important task. Xie Sheng turned his eyes to look at Xu Xuan, and was about to speak when he saw a long, blood-red tongue fall out of his mouth and drag down to his body.

He hurriedly turned back, put the food back in his mouth, and seeing nothing amiss, then slowly said:
"According to the old rules, we ghosts should not come to the territory where [Northern Thunder Black Law] is located. We have no choice but to do so today because we are afraid that his demonic nature will get out of control and cause some trouble. We hope that you will understand."

"You two can simply call me fellow Daoist, there's no need for such a formal address."

Xu Xuan smiled slightly, intending to figure out the other party's methods and also to gain insight into the power structure of the underworld.

"That's fine too."

Xie Sheng seemed to remember something, picked up a scroll of names, turned the pages with a whooshing sound, frowned as he read, and said:

"Your name isn't on the register. Let me double-check. Your title is [Bijie]?"

“Exactly.” Xu Xuan replied in a deep voice, but Xie Sheng nodded slightly, took out a vermilion brush, and was about to add to the register. He tried to write, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t write a single character.

"This"

Xie Sheng finally gave up, turned to look at Xu Xuan, and said only:

“Fellow Daoist, you have received the Black Law, yet your Spirit Rank is much higher than ours. You are not included in this [Record of Death and Fate], otherwise it should have manifested when you broke through to the Purple Mansion.”

As he spoke, Xie Sheng put away the roster in his hand and then smiled:
"Now that our manor is cooperating with the Song family, if the supernatural powers of the cultivators of Dali collapse and they perish while seeking gold, their affairs after death will be handled by our [Taishan Yin Mansion]."

"Of course, those who are alive should be disciplined by the [Xuanlei Divine Department], which is the great power of Fellow Daoist Bijie."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan's heart stirred slightly. He never expected that this Yin Mansion would also be connected with Da Li, and that, according to what he said, there was even a Golden Core cultivator presiding over it.

"May I ask, whose orders are you two acting on?"

Xu Xuan hesitated for a moment, but still asked the question. Given his status in the Thunder Department, asking about this matter was not considered offensive.

"Our lord is the Lord of the Prefecture in the Yue region, who is in charge of the duties of the righteous rites. In the underworld, he is the Saint of the Netherworld, ranking among the Ten Kings. His honorific title is [Turbid Underworld], and he is the Lord of the Turbid Qi Dao."

Xie Sheng smiled, but Xu Xuan was astonished by his words.

"Turbid Qi?"

Even Tian Tuo was puzzled at this moment, wondering what this person meant, as he had never heard of this lineage before.

"It is the 'Three Qi Outside the Dao' which are outside the Nine Qi. Turbid Qi is the mysterious method used by the Underworld to construct the Yin World and hide the Dao's signs. It is not listed in the Three Systems of the Netherworld."

"The 'Yuqing' in the 【Yuqing Zhouguang Tianchen Daoda】 was called 'Xuqi' in ancient times. There is also a 'Hunqi'. Hey, that's who..."

Just as Xie Sheng was about to continue speaking, a sudden clap of thunder boomed in the sky, startling him so much that he immediately fell silent, repeatedly apologizing, and then said:

"It's best not to continue. The entrance to my residence is located at the foot of Mount Tai. We have always been on friendly terms with the Thunder Palace. Fellow Daoist Bijie, you are welcome to visit my residence sometime in the future. There are still a few ghosts from ancient Shu in the underworld who are clamoring to see you."

Having finished speaking, the underworld official was about to pack up and leave immediately, but Xu Xuan spoke up, saying solemnly:
"There is one more matter that requires the underworld messenger's detailed explanation. This demon is extremely close to our disciples, and we are unsure of its nature."

"Fellow Daoist, rest assured, this is a good thing. She has received the inheritance of the Colorless Demon Lord and is also the place where demons reside, which brings many benefits. This Demon Lord is a meticulous person. In order to prevent Him from turning into a demon after His fall, He took measures early on. Once He falls, He will use a magic weapon to demote the Golden Nature."

Xie Sheng's gaze darkened slightly as he continued:
"When the True Lords of Qi in past generations perish, the demons and monsters that their metal nature transforms into become one of the greatest crossings of the heavenly demons in the world. Therefore, all the great masters of this path must carefully prepare for their afterlife."

"If no measures are taken and this demonic nature is not subdued, it will immediately sense the golden position, transform into a demon, and bring forth countless heavenly demons."

"I see."

Xu Xuan seemed to be deep in thought, glancing briefly at the two underworld messengers. Their cultivation seemed to be close to the peak of the Purple Mansion realm, belonging to the Underworld path, as if they had been borrowed from somewhere.

"It's getting late, so we'll take our leave now. We hope to meet again when Fellow Daoist Xu seeks the Dao in the future."

Xie Sheng used very particular language, simply saying "seeking the Way" and never "attaining the Way," before bowing again to take his leave. Fan Si, standing beside him, echoed his words:

Goodbye, goodbye!

These two ghost messengers arrived extremely quickly and left just as swiftly, returning to the underworld almost instantly, causing Xu Xuan to feel a growing sense of unease.

'With the methods of the underworld, this great formation cannot stop them at all. If they want to monitor the situation on my mountain...'

Xu Xuan's heart sank slightly, but he was relieved that the affairs of the underworld in Dali were now under the jurisdiction of the [Taishan Underworld], which seemed to be on friendly terms with him.

However, whether it's true or false is hard to say.

"This underworld seems to have been established by the [Zhengyi], but now it has fallen into the hands of that great man in the position of turbid qi."

Tian Tuo spoke in a somber tone, and even with his extensive experience, he had little understanding of the current state of the underworld.

"In the ancient underworld, the way of 'hearing the spirits' lay with the Yin Marshals, who were mostly made of false elixirs. The Yin Judges, on the other hand, served as attendants to those who 'hid the earth' and 'hear the spirits.' Only the Ten Kings and even higher-ranking immortals could govern their respective positions."

"According to what this underworld official said today, there is indeed another 'turbid qi'."

Xu Xuan's gaze sharpened slightly, as if deep in thought, and he simply said:

"This underworld messenger mentioned the title 'Northern Underworld,' which is the same as the Taoist title of that person from the Wu family. I wonder if it has anything to do with the Qi of the Underworld."

"【Northern Yin】?"

Tian Tuo seemed to recall something, his tone solemn:

"This was the first master of the Primordial Qi, a manifestation of the original Qi. Later, he entered the Daoist lineage of the Underworld and resided in 'Reincarnation.' His rank was extremely high, enough to be ranked alongside Immortal Lords."

"There's something fishy about the way that Master Wu chose this Daoist title. The fact that he could cultivate to the point of mastering all five methods while bearing such a prestigious title suggests that the Qi (vital energy) approves of him."

If Xu Xuan dared to adopt a Daoist title like "Tianpeng," he would probably be instantly killed by a bolt of lightning. Yet that Wu family Grand Master has safely cultivated to the Purple Peak and has an extremely long lifespan. I wonder what the mystery is behind this.

Did this powerful being who had mastered the Dao of Qi not know about the departure of this demonic being, or had he already communicated with the Yin Palace of Mount Tai beforehand?
With all sorts of thoughts tangled together, Xu Xuan couldn't sort things out for the time being, so he could only look towards the Ancestral Hall.

Liu Shuhan had already returned to normal. After offering incense, she seemed oblivious to the earlier strangeness.

The demonic force that had been attached to her life had departed, but it had left behind an extremely profound aura within her. Under Xu Xuan's divine perception, a soaring light condensed around her.

The jade book inside the inner scene trembled slightly, and a stream of pure energy flowed through it, revealing Liu Shuhan's true name in front of it.

"A real person."

Liu Shuhan walked out of the Ancestral Hall and waited for Xu Xuan to speak.

"Follow me into the Heavenly Punishment."

Once Xu Xuan calmed his mind, the most troublesome demonic entity had already been taken away by the underworld officials.

Now that he can teach Shu Han the seal script, he might be able to use it to explore the legacy of the [Lost and Destroyed Colorless Demon Lord].

(End of this chapter)