Immortal Refiner

Nether Domain, outside the West Mausoleum Divine Mountain.

The cultivators and mortals who had come to pay homage wore expressions of terror. They kept a considerable distance, daring not to approach the divine mountain.

”What’s happening? Is someone fighting within the West Mausoleum Divine Mountain?”

”The heavens are collapsing and the earth is splitting! Half of the divine mountain is on the verge of collapse!”

”Thank goodness we didn’t get closer. Even the aftershocks would have been unbearable.”

”It’s the time of the sacred sacrifice again, just like two years ago. During the Polar Day, the sky suddenly darkened. It’s likely the Gluttonous Demon Ancestor has attacked the mountain again.”

The Gluttonous Demon Ancestor was the sinister title given to Wu Chong by the Western Mausoleum Divine Temple. They publicly declared him a ruthless and malevolent demonic path cultivator.

The presence of this infamous demonic path true lord instantly paralyzed the pilgrims.

Though still some distance from the West Mausoleum Divine Mountain, they refused to advance any further.

The terrifying fluctuations of spiritual energy had ceased for now, but no one could guarantee they wouldn’t erupt again.

If their predictions proved wrong, even the aftershocks of such a powerful battle would be fatal.

By now, many had lost their nerve and were preparing to leave, intending to spread the news.

Meanwhile, deep within the West Mausoleum Divine Mountain, Wu Chong and Li Qing had already located the netherworld sacrifice site.

”Beneath the Nether Domain lies a yin meridian,” Wu Chong explained. ”Ancient legends say these meridians connect to the Nine Netherworld Prefecture, the final destination for all living beings after death.”

”Yet throughout history, no one has ever verified this. Anyone who tried to follow the yin meridian deeper met with disaster, even Nascent Soul True Monarchs!”

The West Mausoleum Divine Mountain was a ring-shaped mountain range. The netherworld sacrifice site lay beneath the mountain’s encircling peaks.

During the Polar Day, when yang energy reached its zenith, the various sects of the Nether Domain would gather here to perform the Yin Sacrifice, offering tribute to the unknown entity at the meridian’s end.

Having spent years in the Nether Domain, Wu Chong was well-versed in these matters. As he gathered the yin stones scattered around the site, he continued his explanation for Li Qing.

”The Western Mausoleum Hall forces countless mortal villages to mine these yin stones. When extracted from the mountain walls, each stone absorbs a wisp of yang energy, shortening the lifespans of the mortals who mine them.”

”Excessive mining will curse even the dead, tainting their souls with overwhelming yin energy. After death, they transform into lingering yin spirits, devouring the yin energy of the world during the darkest hours of the night to continue condensing yin stones.”

”Such actions are a grave sin against heaven. I cannot stand by and watch, yet I am no match for the Hall Master of West Mausoleum. Thus, I can only disrupt his Yin Sacrifice during the annual Polar Day, preventing its completion.”

At this point, Wu Chong burst into laughter.

”Hahahaha! But thankfully, you’ve arrived, Li Qing! I never imagined your daoist arts and divine abilities would advance so far in our time apart. Even the Hall Master of West Mausoleum is no match for you now!”

Hearing this, Li Qing modestly shook his head.

”I could never have defeated the Hall Master of West Mausoleum alone. If you hadn’t blocked the fierce ghost summoned by his Yin Nether Eye, the outcome of this battle would still be uncertain.”

Wu Chong, who had known Li Qing for years, understood his humble nature. He didn’t press the matter further, knowing that the most urgent task was to begin the Yin Sacrifice.

At the foot of the central mountain within the crater, the sunlight had gradually shifted westward, no longer directly illuminating the area from overhead.

The spot where they stood was now shrouded in the shadow of the western peak, having already missed the optimal time for the Yin Sacrifice. By now, the yang energy in the netherworld heaven and earth had begun to wane slightly.

Before them stood a stone monument roughly twice their height, not placed here but seemingly grown naturally from the earth, fused seamlessly with the ground beneath.

The nether monument was piled high with yin stones, obscuring even the cryptic inscriptions carved into its surface.

Li Qing watched quietly from behind Wu Chong, curious to see what he would do.

Wu Chong formed a magical seal with his hands, spiritual energy gathering in his palms before he struck the nether monument directly.

In the next instant, the surrounding yin stones began to tremble violently.

Hum!

Each yin stone vibrated, as if resonating with the black nether monument.

”Heh heh, who would’ve thought that trick the ox-nosed daoist taught me years ago would actually work? Worth the three drops of essence blood I traded for it—finally coming in handy.”

Wu Chong grinned, channeling even more spiritual energy.

Soon, the stacked yin stones around them began to crack, releasing their pure yin energy, which converged toward the nether monument.

This was the accumulated yin stone harvest from several nearby villages over an entire year. The yin energy contained within was so dense that even Li Qing, with his vigorous vital energy, felt a bone-chilling cold.

Yet the nether monument, barely over three meters tall, effortlessly absorbed all this concentrated yin energy without a scratch. It was truly astonishing!

”With such a massive offering of yin stones, what kind of good fortune could we possibly gain?” Li Qing exclaimed in awe.

Wu Chong, who was maintaining the Yin Sacrifice, now trembled from the sudden, bone-chilling cold.

”Wait... just wait a little longer... and you’ll see,” he stammered, his teeth chattering. The biting cold made speaking difficult; unlike Li Qing, who had cultivated his physical body, Wu Chong’s vital energy was far less robust.

Finally, as the last wisps of yin energy vanished into the monument, a mutation occurred.

The mysterious characters etched onto the nether monument began to glow with an ethereal azure light.

Hum!

As the luminous, mysterious characters glowed, they seemed to activate some kind of ritual, suddenly projecting a layer of spiritual light onto the earth.

This spiritual light imprinted itself onto the ground, forming patterns that faintly resembled an array. The intricate designs were utterly incomprehensible.

At the center of this arcane network of spiritual light, a pitch-black portal abruptly opened.

The portal continuously emitted wisps of yin energy, obscuring any view of what lay beyond. It was impossible to discern where it led.

”Move! This is the entrance to the yin meridian of West Mausoleum Divine Mountain. It only opens during the Polar Day, revealing the good fortune obtained from sacrificing massive quantities of yin stones.”

”We don’t have much time. If we don’t exit before the Polar Day ends, this connection to the yin meridian will close automatically, trapping us inside forever!”

With these words, Wu Chong charged toward the pitch-black, unknown portal.

Li Qing immediately followed closely behind.

As they approached the yin meridian entrance, Li Qing felt an even more bone-chilling yin energy assault him. This path truly felt like it led to the Nine Netherworld Prefecture.

The sensation was so unnerving that even he felt his hair stand on end!

”Fatty Wu, are you sure the Yin Sacrifice’s good fortune lies within? I’m getting a really bad feeling about this.”

A layer of frost seemed to settle on Li Qing’s face.

If the yin meridian truly connected to the legendary Nine Netherworld Prefecture, then their current course meant they were actively barging into the netherworld itself.

Such an act was utterly reckless.

Yet Wu Chong charged ahead into the yin meridian’s entrance without a backward glance.

Staring into the pitch-black, void-like entrance, Li Qing gritted his teeth and followed suit.

Buzz!

In an instant, Li Qing felt as if he had been plunged into a pool of icy water.

Darkness and cold enveloped him completely, chilling even his divine soul to its core.

Then, the cold seemed to strip away his five senses: his eyes could no longer see, his mouth could no longer speak, and his ears could no longer hear.

In this moment, Li Qing found himself adrift in endless darkness, feeling as if his fleshly body had vanished, leaving only his divine soul exposed to the void.

The world had dissolved into nothingness, leaving only his consciousness adrift.

Within this realm of boundless yin energy, Li Qing felt utterly lost and disoriented. Where was he supposed to go?

Before long, amidst the endless yin energy, a distinct golden stream emerged, its boundaries sharply defined.

This golden stream pulsed with pure yang energy, like a guiding beacon in the darkness.

The moment Li Qing touched the stream, he instantly snapped out of his profound disorientation.

”These are...”

He quickly realized that this must be the yang energy extracted from mortals mining yin stones!

Indeed, when yin stones were mined from the rock walls, they autonomously drained a wisp of yang energy from the mortals.

This yang energy had converged at the entrance of the yin energy conduit, forming the radiant golden stream.

Though small, it was strikingly brilliant and luminous.

As Li Qing’s five senses returned, Wu Chong’s voice echoed in his ears.

”The yin meridian connects to the netherworld, and it rejects all foreign yang energy, forcing it back to the outside world.”

”At this moment, the yang world is experiencing Polar Day, the peak of yang energy. This yang energy connects us to the outside world, providing our path back to the yang world.”

”Without this yang energy, we would be utterly lost within the yin meridian!”

Listening to Wu Chong’s explanation, Li Qing’s eyes flashed with insight. He exclaimed:

”So that’s how it is! Could there truly be a Nine Netherworld Prefecture? Is this the final destination for all souls after death, lying beneath us?”

This was truly astonishing!

Li Qing could scarcely believe what he was hearing, even after entering the world of immortal cultivation. He still maintained a skeptical view of the afterlife.

The six paths of reincarnation and reincarnation itself—he had always dismissed these as mere myths and legends circulating among the common folk, never taking them seriously.

To him, death was simply the end. When a person died, their existence vanished like a extinguished lamp. Placing hope in a future life seemed utterly illusory and baseless.

Wu Chong chuckled awkwardly. ”How would I know? That’s just what they say out there.”

”But we don’t need to dwell on that now. See that sight ahead?” Wu Chong pointed forward.

Li Qing followed his gaze. Bathed in the golden stream’s radiant glow, he finally discerned the true nature of the so-called yin meridian.

It was a vast, boundless ocean of darkness—a sea composed entirely of yin energy!

Boom!

Waves crashed against the shore with deafening roars that shook the very air.

Could the netherworld truly be nothing more than a sea of condensed yin energy?

”Follow me!” Wu Chong immediately strode toward the shore of the black, boundless sea, with Li Qing close behind.

At that moment, Li Qing’s mind was still reeling from the awe-inspiring sight before him—a spectacle he had never witnessed before.

He continued to ponder the existence of the so-called netherworld.

Reincarnation...

If reincarnation didn’t exist, how could his own situation be explained? He hadn’t forgotten his origins!

Li Qing’s steps grew heavy, as if he dared not face this place directly.

”Hurry! Don’t just stand there! The cultivators of the Nether Domain call this the other shore. Every yin meridian entrance leads to it!”

”There are lotus dao platforms along the shore. Just sit cross-legged on any platform, and you’ll receive a fortuitous opportunity!”

”I once received guidance from an ox-nosed daoist, allowing me to infiltrate the Heaven’s Guard Temple and the Western Mausoleum Divine Temple’s Yin Sacrifices. By using the Gluttonous Divine Art, I managed to seize a portion of good fortune.”

”Even I’ve never managed to ascend one of these lotus dao platforms. Don’t waste any time!”

With that, Wu Chong charged ahead through the long yin meridian tunnel and settled cross-legged on a stone lotus dao platform.

On the other shore, lotus dao platforms stood spaced several dozen feet apart, numbering over fifty in total.

The stone-carved dao platforms were peculiar, clearly not naturally formed but artificially crafted.

Lost in thought, Li Qing eventually arrived before a lotus platform. After a moment’s hesitation, he resolutely sat down.

Buzz!

As he settled, a celestial curtain seemed to descend from the endless abyss, blurring the surrounding scenery.

Before Li Qing, on either side and opposite him, sat several indistinct figures in meditative postures, resembling his own.

Sensing Li Qing’s arrival, one of the blurred figures on the celestial curtain stirred slightly before quickly settling back into stillness.

”Oh? Isn’t that the direction of the Western Mausoleum Divine Temple? The Yin Sacrifice is starting so late this time—could something have gone wrong?”

”Wait, why are there two figures?”

”Didn’t the Gluttonous True Immortal kill the Western Mausoleum Divine Temple’s other core formation true lord two years ago? Could someone else have successfully achieved core formation within the temple?”

”We can’t know for sure. Let’s investigate after the Yin Sacrifice concludes. For now, refining the nether marrow is our priority!”

”...”

The voices on the other side of the celestial curtain quickly fell silent.

Meanwhile, beneath Li Qing, strange movements began as soon as he sat down.

Dark, worm-like creatures of varying sizes emerged, drawn by some unseen force, and crawled up the lotus dao platform toward him.

”These are the nether marrow, drawn here by the yang energy of the living. Next, refine them with your true essence, and you’ll understand the true nature of this Yin Sacrifice’s fortuitous opportunity!”

Wu Chong’s voice faded into complete silence, likely as he began to focus on refining the nether marrow himself.

Li Qing nodded slightly, then used his fingertip to hook a wriggling strand of nether marrow. He channeled his true essence and began to refine it.

As the pure true essence flowed out, the pitch-black nether marrow evaporated upon contact, transforming into an invisible gas that poured into Li Qing’s nostrils and mouth.

”Hiss!”

The moment the invisible gas entered his body, Li Qing couldn’t help but groan from the depths of his soul.

He felt as if his divine soul were undergoing a baptism.

Within his body, the nether marrow’s essence manifested the union of yin and yang, and his true essence actually grew thicker!

His cultivation had stagnated for a long time, making further progress in the mid Core Formation Realm nearly impossible.

Yet here, refining just a single strand of nether marrow had already elevated his cultivation by a fraction.

Though small, it was a tangible improvement!

At that moment, Li Qing finally understood the true nature of this so-called fortuitous opportunity.

(End of the Chapter)

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