Divine Emperor of Death

Chapter 4447: Nether Springs Death Wolf Clan

”Maybe it lies with the secret of the nether-death energy.”

Rokushi Mirai stated, her brows furrowing, ”Is there any other magical beast that is capable of using nether-death energy?”

”I’m not sure...”

”Perhaps the Nine-Death Bone Worm...” Nadia stated.

She knew it was one magical beast required to activate the Hell Poison Gem.

”No, the Nine-Death Bone Worm is a darkness-nether beast. Only its poison is death attributed- just like how the Dreadcoil Necrofang Viper’s poison is.” Rokushi Mirai answered.

”I see.” Nadia nodded.

She only knew the name and some features, not knowing too deeply since there was no need. After all, they had already acquired it.

”You’re quite knowledgeable about these beasts,” Nadia said to Rokushi Mirai.

”I am a bit knowledgeable about most beasts in Saint Magical Beast Rank and Grand Saint Magical Beast Rank that has death poison in it. I need to comprehend Death Laws from it, and I will succeed sooner or later.”

Nadia nodded at her, ”Comprehending death energy is difficult, but using it is even more difficult. Are you sure you can withstand the energy from affecting your soul?”

”...”

Rokushi Mirai went silent. It seemed like she didn’t have the confidence to fully cast death energy. However, she had learned so much from Myria, so she knew it was only a matter of time before she found a way to use death energy without having her affect it so badly.

Nonetheless, she shared more of her knowledge about the death poison beasts with the group.

The others listened, continuing to travel.

After seventeen more days, Veralt came to a stop.

He turned to look at Nadia, ”I no longer know where I’m going, so it’s better if you take the lead.”

”Alright.”

Nadia nodded. With Schleya’s help, she had her blood essence resonate, allowing her to narrow down the path. The scent in the nether winds shifted. She could feel it in her blood. The clan was near. Despite never having stepped foot in the clan’s ancestral territory, her instincts surged with strange familiarity. There was a subtle vibration in the nether haze that called to her, guiding her through forked valleys and shattered canyons.

”This way,” Nadia echoed, her eyes glowing faintly as she allowed her suppressed bloodline to pulse just enough to sense the terrain without fully revealing herself,

”There’s a passage ahead... it smells like me...”

The group descended into a deep gully where the miasma coiled heavily like smoke trapped in an invisible bowl. At the far end, there lay a massive, vine-choked crevice, its entrance shaped eerily like the gaping maw of a slumbering beast. Black-purple moss blanketed the rocky walls, and dim violet crystals glimmered faintly from inside the cave, like fangs catching ambient light.

”Yeah, the scent is very similar to Mistress Nadia...” Illumina sniffed near the entrance.

”We are quite close.” Nyoran arrived beside Nadia, ”We should be careful.”

”Mhm.”

Nadia nodded, ”Stay close, everyone. Expect to meet some resistance, so do not be alarmed.”

The others nodded and followed her.

Veralt couldn’t stop his shaking. His instincts as a beast were yelling at him to run, but the others were braving the danger, and so did his son, so he couldn’t possibly turn his back, causing him to move forward.

They passed through the jagged mouth and entered a long, winding tunnel. Here, the haze lessened slightly, but the pressure increased. Ancient claw marks lined the walls, some deeper than a grown man’s arm was long. They weren’t just from battle. They appeared to be left intentionally as symbols, stories, and warnings.

Some were tales of conquest. Some were trials. Some described the defense they mounted against tribes that had challenged the Nether Springs Death Wolf Clan, only to fail.

Nonetheless, Nadia and the others didn’t bother to stop and read.

A few kilometers in, the tunnel widened abruptly, revealing a high chamber where an old skeletal wolf husk rested curled around a stone dais. Its size was immense, twenty meters from snout to tail. It wasn’t just a corpse. It was a fossilized guardian, a monument.

Nadia literally froze while seeing this monument.

She had never seen another wolf in her shape, yet she had seen one in the form of bone now. It invoked a sense of sadness in her that she couldn’t understand, making her take a deep breath before walking further.

The others were scared to walk past it, but since Nadia was there, they could manage it.

After all, even though the husk had long since lost its soul, its bloodline still lingered, echoing down the walls of the chamber like a heartbeat- the sound of it making them feel like death was near.

Beyond the chamber lay a second, wider tunnel that gradually led them upward. The oppressive haze began to break, dispersing into thin, spiraling streams that rose into the unseen heights above.

They emerged out of the tunnel, only to be greeted by an expansive flatland enclosed by a ring of mountains.

The haze here was thin enough to reveal a blackened sky, swirling with slow, cyclonic winds of violet and gray. The sun didn’t seem to exist in this region, the dim light of Nether Lantern Trees glowing from atop the cliffs and casting eerie shadows on the plains.

These plains were vast, shadowy, and mostly flat except for massive crater-like pits filled with yellow-black springwater. There were dozens of them, each pulsing with traces of nether essence.

Nadia, Nyoran, and Illumina were shaken. Their bodies reacted to the pure nether essence inside these waters, making them want to jump in it and absorb it. Azbel and Veralt also felt similar.

Yet none of them made a move except Nadia.

She turned into a magnificent Nether Springs Death Wolf.

In the distance, they could see circular stone structures built into the walls of small winding mountains.

Yet even from here, they could feel eyes on them.

Dozens.

From atop cliffs, from the shadowed craters, from behind the flickering trees, wolves crouched and watched. Not a single one barked or howled, but their intent pierced the air like daggers. It was like they were stunned to see Nadia. She felt similar but different.

Why did she have three tails? Why did she have wings? They couldn’t understand.

Nadia’s purple-golden eyes narrowed. She waited, but there was no response, causing her to walk further, and the others followed, not wanting to be separated and picked apart.

The closer they walked toward the mountain structure, the more tension built. The Nether Springs Death Wolf Clan’s territory was vast, but nothing escaped their notice. The bones laid at the entrance were more than enough proof for them to know that there was no escape after coming here..

Clearly, trespassers were hunted. It made the others feel terrified as they felt that their end was near.

*Awooo~*

Suddenly, a howl echoed across the flatlands.

It was low, loud, yet dominant.

It came from atop the tallest cliff, where a massive black-furred wolf stood with shimmering springs running down its mane like purple rivers. Its gaze bore into Nadia’s soul, trying to see through her, its aura brimming at Emperor-Tier. She wasn’t intimidated at all, leading it to narrow its eyes heavily.