Start in Terra, immortal

"My lord, what are your orders?" Zhao Xin, who had just swiftly wiped out a demon stronghold on the border of the Perus Empire, received a message from Rosso in the spirit world.

"Karon hasn't received Kazan's soul. Go check on the place where he died."

"Yes, sir." With a wave of his hand, Zhao Xin unleashed another burst of condensed spiritual energy, completely purifying another village in the distance that was permeated with chaotic energy. He nodded in acknowledgment, but his face showed no sign of relief.

Witnessing the village gradually turn into nothingness and dust in the golden energy, a trace of regret flashed across Zhao Xin's resolute face.

These were all living, breathing people.

Because of that damned blood curse, the souls of the innocent were twisted and stripped away, turning into these rotten demonic shells.

A surge of anger welled up in his chest, and he longed to immediately find and punish the culprit who spread the curse.

Taking a deep breath of the air, thick with the scent of anxiety and evil, Zhao Xin forced himself to calm down, turned into a streak of light, and sped off in the direction indicated by his lord.

The most urgent task is to complete the mission entrusted to us by the Lord.

The Stru Mountains, majestic and continuous, are considered the backbone of the Arad continent. The area is bitterly cold year-round, with steep and rugged terrain. The highest peak is covered in snow all year round and is known as the "Eternal Snow Mountain".

Nestled among the mountains lies a relatively flat yet still bitterly cold highland—the Strelit Plateau.

People traveling between the plateau and the outside world have recently been discussing a strange phenomenon: near a certain mountain pass, in the snow and ice, lies a strange, incorruptible corpse, surrounded by dark red veins resembling tree roots.

After Zhao Xin arrived at the Stru Mountains, the most frequent thing he heard was the rumor about the "special corpse".

He followed the directions to the legendary mountain pass, but instead of finding a body, he immediately spotted the "veins" described in the text.

In Zhao Xin's perception, which was infused with the power of the spirit realm, it was a highly concentrated aggregate of life essence and violent blood energy, formed by the intertwining of a certain tenacious will and special energy.

They pulsate slightly as if they were alive, more like a carefully arranged "source point" for the slow diffusion of some kind of factor.

Almost instantly upon seeing it, Zhao Xin connected it with the "Curse of Blood" that had recently ravaged the empire.

"The aura... is somewhat different." Zhao Xin frowned, carefully sensing, "It lacks a pure and frenzied malice, and instead has a kind of... tragic feeling of being forcibly bound and unable to break free."

He was about to expand the scope of his search to investigate the origins and destination of this network more closely.

A group of figures dressed in uniform jet-black armor and draped in dark purple cloaks, their auras deep and concealed, appeared silently before him as if emerging from the shadows.

"My lord, are you searching for the remains of 'Kazan'?" the leading woman asked, her tone cautious and respectful, yet her demeanor was not subservient, clearly indicating her training.

"Yes. His body was moved by you?" Zhao Xin's gaze swept over the group, and he immediately sensed a blood energy fluctuation from them that was purer and more restrained than the solidified veins on the ground. He instantly understood. The disappearance of the body must be related to this group of people with special auras.

"Please calm your anger, my lord." The woman bowed slightly, but did not back down. "This action is in accordance with the will of the Mother of the Underworld."

"Mother of the Underworld?" Yet another name I've never heard of.

Zhao Xin felt a slight chill, and he had a more direct understanding of Rosso's earlier lament that "things are about to get chaotic"—the various entities hidden behind Arad seemed to be becoming active due to some changes.

"It is the supreme deity who holds the power over the underworld and death, the Mother of the Underworld, Lady Ushir." When this name was mentioned, the caution on the woman's face was quickly replaced by a solemnity and reverence from the bottom of her heart, and even the team members behind her subconsciously straightened their backs. "We are the Dark Templar Knights, who are the agents of the Underworld's will, under the 'Ushir Cult' that believes in Lady Ushir.

Zhao Xin ignored the prefixes and titles, grasping the core: "The agent of the Netherworld?" He thought to himself, 'Similar to my relationship with my lord?'

Having revealed his identity, Zhao Xin readily replied, "My name is Zhao Xin, and I am the representative of Lord Rosso, the Lord of the Spirit Realm, in this realm. I have been sent by my lord to investigate the reason why Kazan's soul has not returned to the Spirit Realm."

Upon hearing the title "Lord of the Spirit Realm," a very subtle ripple flashed in the woman's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. Her tone remained polite, yet it revealed an undeniable firmness: "I see. Lord Zhao Xin, I apologize. Due to Kazan's last actions before his death, he forcibly condensed and spread the seed of the bloodline curse with his remaining body and essence, which severely disrupted the natural order of the cycle of life and death."

Therefore, we, by the divine decree of the Mother of the Underworld, have sealed and suppressed her remains as punishment, until her remaining karma and influence are worn away by time or ritual.

"Could you allow me to communicate with His Majesty Ushir?" Zhao Xin was unwilling to antagonize any local deity's power without cause, especially since this matter seemed to involve higher-level authority and responsibility.

Upon hearing this, the woman was about to reply when her body suddenly stiffened.

Her eyes instantly became empty and blank, her eye sockets stained with a deep blackish-purple, as if they had transformed into a passage to the underworld.

"...A soul from beyond the realm...an agent of the spirit world..." The woman spoke words that were clearly not of her own will, but there seemed to be a very brief "pause" in the middle, as if she was trying to identify something.

Immediately, the emotions conveyed by that will became clear, carrying an undisguised alienation and...disdain.

"The aura of light and darkness surrounding you... is unpleasant. Quite similar to 'He'... Leave this place, and when the sinner's sentence is over, his soul will naturally return to where it belongs."

Before Zhao Xin could respond, the overwhelming will receded like a tide.

The woman swayed, her eyes regaining their clarity, but the way she looked at Zhao Xin was completely different from before. The superficial politeness had vanished, leaving only a cold, businesslike demeanor and a hint of rejection.

"The will of the Mother of the Underworld has been personally conveyed. Farewell, Lord Zhao Xin." The woman's tone was stiff, and she said no more, raising her hand to make a gesture.

The entire squad of Dark Templars blended into the shadows and disappeared into the biting mountain wind and snow.

"This..." Zhao Xin stood there, somewhat taken aback.

The sudden change in the other party's attitude clearly stemmed directly from the opinion of the Mother of the Underworld, Ushir.

"Does the 'He' that Uhir speaks of refer to the Lord? What past interactions or... conflicts did the Lord have with this god of death?"

He shook his head, temporarily suppressing his doubts.

"In any case, the whereabouts of Kazan's soul are now clear; it's in Ushir's hands. It seems our lord is acquainted with these native gods. How to deal with it is up to our lord to decide."

No longer dwelling on it, Zhao Xin organized all the information and transmitted it to Rosso, who was far away in the spirit world, through the soul link.

Having completed his report, Zhao Xin moved again, transforming into a golden streak as he sped towards the next stronghold shrouded in demonic clouds.

In the spirit realm, Luo Suo, having received Zhao Xin's detailed report, revealed a slightly amused expression.

"Interfering with the cycle? Ushir has come up with a plausible reason for his hijacking." He muttered to himself, "Kazan's final act of stripping the Seed of the Curse was indeed, in essence, using himself as a medium, forcibly interfering with the transformation and spread of life forms. Saying that it interfered with some of the 'natural processes' of the laws of death is not entirely unreasonable... although it seems more like he was using this as an excuse to make trouble."

As for Uhir's undisguised disgust towards Zhao Xin, Rosso could only smile helplessly.

"Is it a rejection of the spirit world's essence—'transcending reincarnation and being self-contained'—by the authority of death... or rather, a dislike for anything that might 'disturb' or even 'transcend' the realm she governs? This 'prejudice' is deeply rooted in the rules and cannot be changed in the slightest."

Rosso wasn't particularly worried about the blood curse that Zhao Xin mentioned.

He knew that since Remedios was already searching for the host of that power, he would not stand idly by and watch the power of chaos wreak havoc in Arad.

Moreover, there's Zhao Xin traveling all over the Arad continent.

Many matters that do not require his personal intervention are best handled by Zhao Xin, who is righteous and capable.

Rosso is now more focused on the core issues of the development of the spirit world.