Immortality and cultivation begin with full comprehension.

Chapter 737 The Nine Netherworlds, Another Realm (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
"No...impossible..."

Li Tianba slumped to the ground, his face ashen.

He never expected that even with everyone's combined efforts, they couldn't even touch the hem of Li Yunjing's clothes.

This was completely beyond his expectations!
This also caused Li Tianba, who was full of ambition and ready to do something earth-shattering, to completely break down.

With over a dozen top-tier Nascent Soul Realm cultivators and hundreds of Golden Core Realm experts working together, along with numerous magical treasures, restrictions, and even formations surrounding them, why couldn't they kill this person?

"Now, it's time to end it."

Li Yunjing threw out his two swords, the "Yin Yang Five Elements Heavenly Evolution Sword" and the "Boundary Breaking Sword," which trembled in the air. The phantom of the Thunder God transformed into a sky full of lightning, enveloping the entire "Mist Valley."

Those demonic cultivators who were lucky enough to survive howled and struggled amidst the lightning, but ultimately could not escape death.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred!
"Li Yunjing! You killed my 'Blood Demon Palace' members, and today you will pay for this in blood!"

A streak of blood-red light streaked across the sky, distorting space wherever it passed.

The newcomer was none other than the half-step Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Blood Demon Palace!

This is also the number one expert in the "Blood Demon Hall"!

His relationship with Blood Princess was ambiguous; they were fellow disciples. Upon receiving Blood Princess's message, Blood Demon Old Ghost, who was lying in ambush outside, naturally couldn't be negligent and immediately attacked.

"Blood Demon Old Ghost!"

Li Yunjing's pupils contracted slightly as he saw a colossal hand emerge from the blood-red rainbow, reaching out to grab him with earth-shattering force.

At the critical moment, a clear and melodious sword cry resounded through the sky: "Blood Demon Old Ghost, bullying the weak with your strength, how shameless!"

A streak of azure sword light pierced the sky, splitting the blood-red giant hand in two!
"Ling Xiaozi!"

The Blood Demon Ancestor roared and was forced to reveal himself.

Above the clouds, Ling Xiaozhi of the Shenxiao Dao Sect descended, followed by twelve Nascent Soul elders.

"Damn it, Li Yunjing must be banished to the 'Nine Netherworlds'!"

Seeing that reinforcements had arrived from both sides, Zhang Daoyou gritted his teeth and immediately signaled everyone to use their magic to open a passage connecting to the "Nine Netherworlds" in order to drive Li Yunjing to the underworld.

"Nine Nether Soul Devouring Formation! Activate!"

With a roar, Daoist Zhang crushed the last Netherworld Token, and a dark crack appeared between his brows, from which a chilling aura far exceeding that of the Nascent Soul realm surged forth.

"Let's do it together!"

Upon seeing this, Li Tianba, Xue Ji, and the other survivors all slashed their foreheads, injecting their life essence and soul power into the formation.

"Om..."

The ground of the entire "Mist Valley" suddenly collapsed, revealing a pitch-black vortex with a diameter of 100 feet.

Thick, inky yin energy surged within the vortex, and countless skeletal arms could be vaguely seen waving within it. Furthermore, the shrieks of countless vengeful spirits pierced through space, directly striking the soul.

"Oh no! They're going to sacrifice their souls to forcibly open the Netherworld Passage!"

Ling Xiaozi's expression changed drastically, and his Azure Rainbow Sword grew ten feet in length, slashing towards the center of the vortex.

"late!"

The Blood Demon Ancestor laughed wildly, burning half of his cultivation to unleash a palm strike of blood-red demonic energy.

The demonic energy struck the Azure Rainbow Sword, momentarily slowing its momentum.

In that instant, a ghostly claw formed from billions of vengeful spirits suddenly emerged from the vortex, ignoring the lightning defenses surrounding Li Yunjing, and gripped his shoulder tightly.

"what……"

The biting cold spread throughout Li Yunjing's body along the ghostly claws. He felt as if his soul was being pierced by countless steel needles, and the thunderous power within his body began to dissipate.

He roared and swung his twin swords, the "Yin Yang Five Elements Heavenly Evolution Sword" and the "Boundary Breaking Sword" intertwining into a thunderous vortex, forcefully severing the ghost claw.

The broken ghost claws transformed into countless yin threads, burrowing into his meridians like maggots clinging to bones.

Even more terrifying, an irresistible suction force emanated from the Nine Nether Vortex, as if the entire world was dragging him into the abyss.

"Li Yunjing! Taste the bitterness of eternal damnation!"

Zhang Daoyou's voice was filled with manic laughter. His body was being devoured by the chilling aura, yet he desperately maintained the operation of the formation.

"Break it for me!"

Li Yunjing burned his essence blood, and the power of thunder surged three times. The phantom of the Thunder God condensed again, and the thunder halberd slammed down fiercely towards the center of the vortex.

This time, however, a bronze coffin lid covered with ghostly patterns appeared in the vortex, forcefully blocking the bombardment of the thunder halberd.

"That's... a fragment of the lid of the Nine Nether Soul-Suppressing Coffin!"

Ling Xiaozi exclaimed in shock, "They can actually draw upon the power of ancient artifacts!"

"boom!"

Before he could finish speaking, a beam of black light suddenly shot out from the bronze coffin lid, striking Li Yunjing precisely in the chest.

The lightning on his body dimmed instantly, and his protective magic weapon, the "Ancient Bronze Bell," let out a mournful cry, revealing cracks.

"puff……"

Li Yunjing spat out a mouthful of blood imbued with the power of thunder, his body unable to maintain its balance, and was violently pulled forward by the suction force of the Nine Nether Vortex.

He turned to look at Ling Xiaozhi, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Fellow Daoist Ling Xiaozhi, don't worry, I will return!"

"Vice Sect Leader Li!"

Ling Xiaozi frantically activated the Azure Rainbow Sword, but was tightly entangled by the Blood Demon Ancestor.

They watched helplessly as Li Yunjing's figure was swallowed by the dark vortex. The hundred-foot-wide vortex seemed to have never existed, shrinking and disappearing in an instant, leaving only a messy Misty Valley.

"Hahaha! Li Yunjing is dead!"

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, the Blood Demon Ancestor dared not linger and transformed into a streak of blood rainbow as he fled into the sky.

Other cultivators from various factions fled in all directions. Only a few unlucky individuals were intercepted by the reinforcements of the "Divine Firmament Dao Sect" and annihilated.

Ling Xiaozi stared at the empty ground, his knuckles white from gripping the Azure Rainbow Sword so tightly that the blade trembled incessantly: "Send a message to the sect, saying... Vice Sect Leader Li, in his attempt to break the demonic formation, mistakenly entered the Netherworld, and his fate is unknown!"

The twelve Nascent Soul elders bowed in unison to obey the order, but a hint of heaviness flashed in their eyes.

Everyone knows that even a Nascent Soul cultivator would have little chance of survival if they fell into the "Nine Netherworlds".

And at this moment, in the Nine Netherworld.

Li Yunjing felt dizzy and his soul was being repeatedly crushed by a millstone.

When he finally regained his balance, he found himself standing on the bank of a murky river.

The river water was dark yellow, with countless broken skeletons floating on it. A cold wind howled across the river, and twisted ghostly figures could be seen everywhere.

This Netherworld is indeed completely different from the human world.

Looking up, the sky was a solidified dark red, as if it had been stained with the blood mist of countless wronged souls. There was neither sun nor moon nor stars, only a few wisps of twisted gray-black clouds slowly wriggling across the sky, emanating a chilling aura.

The air was filled with an indescribable stench, a mixture of the smell of decaying grass and wood, the smell of congealed blood, and a faint sulfurous odor. Inhaling it felt like ice shards scraping against the lungs, stinging the throat painfully.

The ground beneath my feet was not ordinary soil, but a dark, cracked black rock, cold and icy to the bone, as if I were walking on millennia-old ice.

Thick, black liquid, like congealed blood, seeped from the cracks in the rocks, emitting a faint glow that illuminated the scattered bones around them.

There were human remains, demonic beast remains, and even some grotesque skeletons with seven or eight legs that had never been seen before. They were clearly the remains of yin creatures unique to the "Nine Netherworlds".

The river we just saw was wider than it appeared from a distance, by a thousand feet. The water was not a pure dark yellow, but rather turbid with countless tiny specks of light.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the remnants of countless dead souls floating in the water.

Some of them stretched out their pale claws and scratched desperately upwards, while others howled silently in the water, their mouths opening and closing without uttering a sound. Only their venomous gazes pierced through the water, staring intently at the creatures on the shore.

Floating on the river were not only skeletons, but also broken coffins, rusted weapons, and even half-submerged paper boats with eerie green will-o'-the-wisps flickering in the cold wind.

"This is... the Nine Netherworld?"

He looked down at his hands; the power of thunder was almost gone, and most of his protective magic treasures were also destroyed.

What alarmed him even more was that the flow of spiritual energy within his body became unusually sluggish, as if it were being suppressed by the rules of this world.

"Hehehe... Another fresh soul has arrived..."

A hunched, dark figure emerged from the bone forest on the opposite bank of the river. Its entire body was covered in rotting black cloth, and it held a bone cane in its hand. Its eerie green eyes were fixed on Li Yunjing.

Li Yunjing gripped the "Boundary-Breaking Sword" tightly, his eyes as solemn as iron.

He had stepped into a perilous land a thousand times more dangerous than the Netherworld, and the only way to survive was to fight his way out!

Since ancient times, the world has been divided into three realms: Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

Besides the lofty celestial realm and the human realm where Li Yunjing lives, there is the mysterious underworld.

The underworld has had many names since ancient times: hell, the land of nine netherworlds, the netherworld, the underworld...

Regardless of the name used, it is inextricably linked to death.

This was Li Yunjing's first time in another world.

That is the River of Oblivion.

A hoarse voice suddenly rang out behind him. Li Yunjing turned around sharply and saw that the dark figure leaning on the white bone cane had somehow moved to a distance of about ten feet behind him. "Every drop of water in the river contains millions of unwilling souls. If a living person comes into contact with the river water, their three souls and seven spirits will be gradually stripped away, and they will eventually become one of them."

Li Yunjing gripped the "Boundary-Breaking Sword" tightly, remaining silent, but his gaze swept across the river to the other side.

The bone forest there is even denser than here, with piles of bones forming mountains, the tallest of which are hundreds of feet high, resembling menacing tombstones.

The silhouettes of some buildings can be vaguely seen through the gaps in the trees...

They were pavilions built of black stone and white bones, with strings of skulls hanging from the eaves, and eerie green will-o'-the-wisps flickering in the skulls' eye sockets.

Every now and then, underworld officials dressed in tattered black clothes would walk by carrying iron chains. The chains were used to chain up disheveled souls, whose wails pierced the sound of the River of Oblivion, so mournful that they sent chills down one's spine.

Further away, a stone bridge spanning the "River of Oblivion" can be vaguely seen. The bridge is made of grayish-white bones, and a crooked stone tablet stands at the bridgehead with the three characters "Bridge of Helplessness" written on it in dark red paint.

The bridge was crowded with ghosts of all shapes and sizes, some weeping and wailing, others numb and dazed, being driven step by step to the other side of the bridge by several blue-faced, fanged ghost messengers with steel forks.

At the end of the bridge, there seems to be a high platform, on which a blurry figure is vaguely seen flipping through a booklet. This must be the legendary "Looking-Homeward Platform" and "Judge".

"This is the first level of the Nine Netherworlds, 'Youdu'," the dark figure said slowly, pointing his withered hand into the darkness in the distance. "Go deeper, and there are eight more levels of hell, each more dangerous than the last."

"The second level, the 'Black Rope Hell,' binds the souls of the dead with red-hot iron ropes, causing their flesh to char and rot; the third level, the 'Hell of the Masses,' forces the souls of the dead to kill each other, never to have a moment of peace... The deepest level, the ninth level, the 'Hell of No Return,' crushes even the souls of the dead, condemning them to eternal damnation."

As soon as he finished speaking, a huge wave suddenly surged up in the River of Oblivion. A giant claw covered in black scales emerged from the river, its tip grabbing a struggling soul. The soul was instantly crushed in the claw, turning into a wisp of green smoke which the claw sucked into its mouth.

Immediately afterwards, a huge shadow appeared beneath the river's surface, as if some enormous creature was slowly swimming underwater. The souls on the river's surface were thrown into a frantic struggle, but could only watch helplessly as they were swallowed by the shadow.

Li Yunjing felt a chill run down his spine; this "Nine Netherworld Land" was indeed fraught with danger at every turn.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the surging blood and qi within him.

Here, not only is the flow of spiritual energy sluggish, but even the soul seems to be bound by invisible chains, and every movement consumes a great deal of energy.

Here, every moment, he is using his life force to fight against the laws of heaven and earth.

The shadow of death hangs over my mind.

In such an environment, not to mention the external dangers, the yin energy here, over time, can also kill people.

Li Yunjing's lifespan is only a little over 500 years. He calculated that he might only live for another fifty years here.
This made Li Yunjing's heart sink!
In other words, if he cannot leave within fifty years, he will die here and transform into a ghost.

This is not the outcome Li Yunjing wanted.

Ghost Immortals and Yin Spirits are also a great path, but which is better than the path of Pure Yang True Immortals?

He hasn't lived enough!

"Outsider, if you want to survive, you'd better not wander around."

The dark figure leaned on a cane, a complex glint in his eerie green eyes. "The rules here are nothing like those in the mortal realm."

Li Yunjing ignored his "good intentions," simply holding the "Boundary-Breaking Sword" horizontally in front of his chest and sharply scanning his surroundings.

From the moment you set foot on this land, retreating means certain death.

To return, one must overcome the numerous obstacles of this "Nine Netherworld" and find a way back to the human world.

Just as he turned to step into the Forest of Bones, a piercing shriek suddenly came from the River of Oblivion behind him.

As if startled by something, countless ghosts stretched out their claws in his direction, and the will-o'-the-wisps on the river surface suddenly became violent, forming four twisted characters in the air!

"May the living die quickly!"

These four characters twisted and writh like ghostly claws, each stroke composed of the phantoms of countless vengeful spirits, radiating a chilling aura capable of freezing the very soul.

The waves of the "River of Oblivion" suddenly rose ten feet high, and countless pale arms surged from the dark yellow water, reaching out to grab at the riverbank where Li Yunjing was, as if to drag this only living creature into an endless abyss.

"Things that don't know whether to live or die."

Li Yunjing snorted coldly, and although the lightning within his body was reduced to a flickering candle flame, he still gripped the "Boundary-Breaking Sword" tightly.

With a light tap of his toes, he leaped towards the bone forest like an arrow released from a bow, simultaneously slashing out with his sword in a backhand motion.

"Crack!"

Although the pale blue sword light was less than one ten-thousandth of its peak power, it carried the sharpness of spatial laws and severed the dozen or so ghost claws in the front row.

"Shoot..."

The severed demon claw turned into black smoke and dissipated, but an even more shrill scream came from the river.

The enormous shadow covered in black scales slowly rose from the riverbed, revealing a gaping maw filled with sharp teeth!

It turned out to be a gigantic crocodile from the underworld, thousands of feet long!

Its carapace was studded with pale white skulls, each skull's eye burning with eerie green flames, clearly a ferocious beast that had devoured countless souls.

"It's the 'Netherworld Crocodile'!"

The dark figure leaning on a bone cane suddenly exclaimed, "This beast has guarded the River of Oblivion for a thousand years, devouring at least 80,000 to 100,000 souls! Run!"

Li Yunjing did not turn around.

He could sense that although the Netherworld Crocodile was strong, it was not yet to the point where he was helpless.

The real threat is that seemingly lifeless forest of bones.

The moment he stepped into the edge of the forest, he clearly heard countless "clicking" sounds of bones grinding together, as if a thousand troops were emerging from the ground.

"Roar!"

The Netherworld Crocodile opened its massive jaws, unleashing a torrent of dark, gloomy wind that instantly froze the black rocks on the shore.

Li Yunjing touched the tip of his toe to a piece of white bone stuck at an angle, and his body suddenly shifted to the side, narrowly avoiding the cold wind.

The eerie wind fell on the pile of bones behind them, actually corroding the hard, dry bones into a pool of black water.

"Breaking the Boundary!"

He seized the fleeting opening and aimed the "Boundary-Breaking Sword" directly at the Netherworld Crocodile's left eye.

Instead of being covered in black scales, there was a dark blue soul bead embedded there, which was the core of the beast's spiritual power.

The sword light pierced through layers of ghostly mist and was about to hit, but then the "Netherworld Crocodile" suddenly swung its head and lashed out with its tail fin covered in bone spurs.

"when……"

Li Yunjing raised his sword to block, but felt a tremendous force coming from him, and his arm went numb instantly. The Breaking Boundary Sword almost flew out of his hand.

He used the force of the impact to retreat rapidly, but his lower back struck a thick white bone, causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood.

"Outsiders, if you don't stop now, you're really going to die!"

The dark figure had followed them unnoticed. He slammed his cane on the ground, and with a loud "bang," a trench more than ten feet wide split open in the ground.

Countless gray-black vines emerged from the ravines, wrapping around the "Netherworld Crocodile's" limbs as if they were living creatures.

The "Netherworld Crocodile" was entangled in vines, letting out angry roars as its huge jaws opened and closed repeatedly, but it was unable to break free.

Li Yunjing then noticed that the vines were covered with fine runes, which could temporarily suppress the spiritual power of the evil spirits.

"This is the 'Soul-Locking Vine,' which can trap it for a while, but not forever."

The dark figure was panting heavily, a hint of weariness flashing in its eerie green eyes. "Follow me. There's a place called 'Wangxiangyi' beyond the Bone Forest. It's the only place where the living can temporarily take refuge."

Li Yunjing frowned at him: "Why are you helping me?"

"help you?"

The dark figure let out a sinister laugh, "I just didn't want this beast to steal the treat I was about to have. You think I'm a kind soul?"

Before he finished speaking, a series of clicking sounds suddenly came from the bone forest.

Li Yunjing turned his head and saw countless white bones emerging from the ground, piecing together to form skeleton soldiers wielding bone knives and spears, densely blocking the path ahead.

Red ghostly flames flickered in their eye sockets; they were clearly ghostly soldiers disturbed by the roar of the Netherworld Crocodile.

"It seems there's no way to take a shortcut."

The dark figure held the white bone cane horizontally in front of his chest. Suddenly, the skull at the top of the cane opened its mouth and spewed out a cloud of gray mist. "There is a rift on the left that leads to the edge of the 'City of the Wrongfully Dead.' People from the 'Reincarnation Bureau' patrol there. These scum dare not approach."

Li Yunjing did not hesitate.

He could sense that although the shadowy figure exuded a sinister aura, it was not fatal for the time being!

In this "Land of the Nine Netherworlds," any hesitation could be fatal.

With no other option, he drew his sword and followed the shadowy figure. With a swing of the "Boundary-Breaking Sword," he cleaved the leading skeleton soldiers into pieces.

The two traveled at a fast pace. The shadowy figure seemed to be extremely familiar with the "White Bone Forest," always managing to avoid hidden traps at crucial moments.

Sometimes it's a suddenly collapsed bone pit, filled with "Nether Ants" that devour souls; sometimes it's a "Soul-Eating Flower" disguised as bones, its open petals covered with barbs.

"The crevice is just ahead."

The shadowy figure pointed to a crack about ten feet wide ahead, from which a faint red light could be seen flickering. "Don't talk nonsense after you pass through the crack. The ghost messengers of the 'Reincarnation Bureau' hate it when living people pry into other people's business."

Li Yunjing was about to take a step when he suddenly stopped.

Although his divine sense was suppressed, he could still feel a familiar aura coming from the other side of the crack.

That's... the aura of the Netherworld Decree!
"what happened?"

The shadowy figure watched him warily.

Li Yunjing did not answer, but simply gripped the "Boundary-Breaking Sword" tighter.

He vaguely understood that it was no accident that the demonic cultivator surnamed Zhang and others were able to open the Nine Nether Passage.

The most prized treasure of this "Netherworld Ghost Sect" is probably inextricably linked to this "Nine Nether Lands".

Just then, the roar of the "Netherworld Crocodile" breaking free of the Soul-Locking Vine came from behind, and the clicking sound of the skeleton soldiers grew closer.

Li Yunjing took a deep breath and said to the shadowy figure, "Lead the way."

The two leaped into the crevice, which slowly closed behind them, shutting out the roars of the pursuers.

The crevice was pitch black, with only the ground beneath their feet emitting a faint red glow, and a thick, pungent smell of blood permeated the air.

"This is the bottom of the moat of the 'City of the Wrongfully Dead,' where vengeful ghosts who died with their eyes wide open are buried."

The shadowy voice sounded particularly eerie in the darkness, “Watch your step, don’t step on those protruding chunks of flesh, those are the backs of ‘vengeful corpses’.”

Li Yunjing looked down and indeed found that the ground beneath his feet was not rock, but composed of countless intertwined flesh and blood, with pale fingers occasionally sticking out from the flesh and blood, trying to grab any passing creatures.

He stopped speaking and simply followed the shadowy figure's steps, walking step by step toward the other side of the rift.

But the real test has only just begun.

The aura of the "Netherworld Decree" grew clearer and clearer, as if something was waiting for him not far ahead.

On the other side of the rift, a massive city built of black stone is shrouded in a blood-red mist.

The city walls were covered with hideous ghost faces, and above the city gate hung three twisted characters: "City of the Wrongfully Dead".

Beneath the city gate, several expressionless ghost guards dressed in black official robes patrolled with iron chains, and the souls on the chains emitted silent wails.

(End of this chapter)