Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 914: Chapter 909: Ang Xiao’s Panic

The Netherworld was an ineffable place.

Since ancient times, it had been a forbidden zone for life. Almost no living person had ever set foot here, and even if they did, they had never truly delved deep to investigate its secrets.

It was located beneath the Current World; only the Souls of the dead could resonate with it. Guided from the Current World, they converged into a boundless River of Soul, churning with surging waves as it plunged into the depths. Throughout this entire process, a towering mansion had always stood by, overlooking and observing everything.

White mist pervaded the surroundings of the mansion. This hazy, smoke-like mist shrouded the building, making it faintly visible. Only its silhouette could be vaguely made out, isolating it from all external influences.

The Enlightenment Hidden Profound Mansion.

The towering mansion, where the Dao was hidden and the profound concealed, could even bypass the Netherworld’s detection of the living. Its essence was precisely a Supreme Venerable Fruit Arcana encompassing the complete Five Elements.

However, right at this moment, the white mist surrounding the mansion suddenly dispersed. Following a loud BOOM, the mansion’s main doors were pushed open, unleashing a burst of brilliant golden rays.

Ang Xiao, completely shrouded in smoke, slowly walked out of the mansion. His narrow eyes, the only part of him exposed, revealed a rare look of shock and fury. Riding the white mist and golden rays, he stared straight into the bottomless, abyssal Netherworld with a gaze unlike any he had ever shown before.

In the next second, Ang Xiao’s Qi trace began to surge wildly!

The Fruit of Great-Forest Wood, the Fruit of Pewter Metal, the Fruit of Sand-Within Earth, the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire, and the Fruit of Long-Flow Water—the Five Elements Fruit Positions instantly aligned, combining into a single Dao Fruit.

The Dao Fruit was primarily led by the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire, with the others serving as support.

In addition, a serene Great Dao emerged behind him. It was precisely his Path of Void Certification, which was also the Nascent Soul Foundation upon which he had placed high hopes.

”Curved and Straight!”

He roared in his mind, ”Observing the Profound and Void Dao Fruit!”

In an instant, the firelight nearly illuminated the entire Netherworld. Yet, concealed by the absolute pinnacle of the Veil of the Trees, it completely bypassed the Netherworld’s automatic warning mechanism.

This was precisely the Fruit Arcana that pushed the power of the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire to the Extreme, concentrating all its functions into the concept of ”unveiling secrets.” Therefore, wherever the firelight passed, almost nothing in the Netherworld could hide. Massive waves of radiant light surged, manifesting the internal landscape of the Netherworld.

What entered his eyes was a desolate wasteland.

Hills resembling burial mounds were scattered everywhere. Aside from that, there were ruined buildings with architectural styles dating back countless ages.

”Hmph... It’s him again!”

Within the Netherworld, some slumbering consciousnesses awakened. They cast cold glances, staring fixedly at Ang Xiao with eyes full of malice yet brimming with wariness.

There were hidden entities lurking in the Netherworld as well!

If the living creatures of the Current World were Living Creatures, then those in the Netherworld were Dead Spirits!

Ang Xiao, however, was not surprised by this. Having resided in the Netherworld for a long time—even though he had always stayed at the entrance and never truly ventured deep—he had long anticipated this.

But this did not matter to him. In the Netherworld, he was at his absolute Peak state. Even if these Dead Spirits had tremendous backgrounds, and a few top-tier Dead Spirits even possessed Great Perfected Lord level combat prowess, in his eyes, they were nothing more than jumping clowns and ghastly monsters.

In fact, that was indeed the case.

Ang Xiao completely ignored those awakened consciousnesses. He blatantly utilized his Fruit Arcana, dancing right on the edge of the Netherworld’s warning perimeter.

TAP... TAP... TAP...

The echoing sound of empty footsteps reverberated eerily. Just like that, Ang Xiao walked a full circle through the four Nether Realms of the east, south, west, and north, eventually stopping at a boundary.

Further ahead lay the central region of the Netherworld.

That was the only place Ang Xiao did not dare set foot in and could not investigate. Once he got closer, even the Veil of the Trees would not be able to conceal his presence.

At this thought, his gaze grew increasingly gloomy. ℯℯ𝘭.

He thought, ”Within the Netherworld, aside from the central region, there is absolutely nothing I cannot see clearly after using the Observing the Profound and Void Dao Fruit.”

He reasoned, ”Yet just now, I walked through all four Nether Realms and found no anomalies. This means that the Netherworld fluctuation I just sensed, which perfectly resembled the external release of a Divine Soul Thought, was either my illusion, or it originated from the central region. But there shouldn’t be any Dead Spirits in the central region.”

”Does that mean it was my illusion? Impossible!”

Ang Xiao instantly denied this speculation. At his Realm, he would absolutely never experience illusions; that was merely a self-deceiving notion.

Then there was only one possibility left.

Beneath the cover of the smoke, Ang Xiao’s expression turned increasingly ugly.

He pondered, ”If there is a Dead Spirit in the central region, who could it be? The master of the Netherworld? Impossible. The master of the Netherworld should have been killed by the Master of Dao long ago. But how could that recent fluctuation be explained?”

Soon, a logical conclusion surfaced.

”The master of the Netherworld is still alive?”

For a moment, Ang Xiao almost suffocated. His immediate thought was, ”It’s only a possibility. That doesn’t mean it’s the truth...”

In the next second, a new thought popped up.

”...So what?”

He questioned himself, ”Isn’t having this possibility enough? This concerns my Nascent Soul Path. If the Netherworld has actually had a master this whole time, wouldn’t my pursuit of the Netherworld be courting death?

”And on second thought, my decision to establish a path pursuing the Netherworld was actually guided by the Ancestral Master. For many years, I’ve suspected whether the Ancestral Master was setting me up, but I could never find an answer. Now, discovering that the Netherworld has a master actually perfectly matches my impression of that old bastard.”

Ang Xiao couldn’t help but grit his teeth.

He didn’t attempt to deduce the karmic links, not even daring to reveal the slightest emotion. This time, the surrounding smoke even completely veiled his eyes.

He told himself, ”Stay calm. The situation hasn’t reached the worst-case scenario yet.”

Ang Xiao pondered inwardly, ”Let’s think first. Why would a fluctuation emanate from within the Netherworld? That fluctuation went straight to the outside world, yet it left no trace... What change in the outside world triggered it?”

He had stayed in the Netherworld for so many years. Prior to this, no matter what happened, the Netherworld had always remained deathly silent, as always. It had never produced any anomalies because of anything, as if this stillness would last for eternity. During this recent period, what extraordinary changes had occurred in the Current World?

At this thought, a name surfaced in his mind: Tribulation!

He reasoned, ”The birth of the Heart Demon, the emergence of the Tribulation, the fourth Heaven-born Great Dao outside the Three Foundations... Could it be that the Netherworld experienced inexplicable fluctuations because of this?

”If so—

”Immortal Monarch of Tribulation, he might know something.”

Ang Xiao exhaled a deep breath of Muddy Qi, locking onto his target. ”It seems I must have a conversation with this person. He might know the secrets hidden within.”

The speculation that the Netherworld had a master did not shake his resolve.

After all, at this point, there was no turning back for him. So what if the Netherworld had a master? At worst, he would just figure out a way to kill them. He would show no mercy to anyone who blocked his path.

He even felt slightly fortunate. ”Good thing I discovered this before the millennium great calamity began and I officially started my Attainment. There’s still room to maneuver. Otherwise, if I only found out when I was undergoing my Attainment, there would probably be no room for recovery. The final result would most likely be mutual destruction with the other party.”

At this thought, it suddenly dawned on Ang Xiao.

”That’s right! If I die together with the master of the Netherworld, the Netherworld will truly become completely empty. That must be the exact scheme that old bastard has been calculating!”

What a beast!

While cursing fiercely in his heart, Ang Xiao withdrew his Profound Mysterious aura and decisively returned to the Enlightenment Hidden Profound Mansion. Then, he cast his gaze toward the Current World.

However, right at this moment, he paused. ”...Huh?”

Suddenly, a strange sensation was transmitted from the Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva—a creation he had once painstakingly crafted and had long since given to the Pure Land.

”Is this... a Heart Demon?”

”The Dragon and Snake Coiling Shadow Bodhisattva has birthed a Heart Demon? What is the Pure Land trying to do?”