Free Web NovelChapter 465: Chapter 395: Netherworld True Monarch
The sky was filled with swirling sand, casting a massive shadow that blocked the serene moon.
From time to time, the sand formed a giant, blurry human face, which then swiftly dispersed.
The howling wind swept by, and Ji An felt a chilling sensation seep into his bones. A powerful oppressive force descended from the celestial vault, making the air seem heavy and his breathing slightly labored.
The ground seemed to tremble, with pitch-black human hands emerging one by one.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and his entire body trembled reflexively, akin to a beast encountering a predator higher up the food chain.
This was not something he could control; it was the instinct of a living being.
At this moment, four words reverberated incessantly in his mind, each word as weighty as a thousand catties, ’Nascent Soul Dharma Aspect!’
Time seemed to freeze, and he silently endured the pressure, his heart bitter and secretly cursing:
’For such an old monster to come out and snatch opportunities, how shameless.’
But he could only voice this in his heart; his expression not daring to show a hint of resentment. Under the eaves, one must bow their head.
For the Nascent Soul Daoist Monarch, killing him would be easier than crushing an ant.
Many Foundation Establishment cultivators could not withstand the oppressive force brought by the Nascent Soul Dharma Aspect and collapsed to the ground.
It’s unknown how much time passed, though it shouldn’t have been long, before all the anomalies disappeared, and the moon illuminated the mountain hollow once more.
"Greetings, Netherworld True Monarch. As a latecomer, I naturally abide by your words.
However, I am a disciple of the Tai Chi Palace in the Central Continent, and I hope the True Monarch considers the face of my master, Huayang Daoist Monarch, and grants us disciples some dignity."
The words of an unknown Golden Core cultivator echoed again. With the Nascent Soul cultivator present, he could only lower his head.
The Earth Evil Sect has only one Nascent Soul Daoist Monarch, proficient in corpse refining. It’s said that by a stroke of luck, he refined a Taiyin Moon Corpse that broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage.
Even more enviable was that when the Netherworld True Monarch broke through, his refined corpse also advanced to the Nascent Soul Level.
Back then, the news reached the Central Continent, dropping the jaws of all the Daoist Monarchs.
From then on, a Golden Core Stage power suddenly elevated to a dual Nascent Soul power.
Unless they encounter a cultivator higher by one or two small realms, other cultivators of the same realm are no match for the Netherworld True Monarch.
Originally, the Southern Continent was dominated by the Shadowless Sect, but in an instant, it became a scene of dual stars shining brightly.
The Earth Evil Sect now holds its power steadily over the Shadowless Sect.
"Dignity, heh, if Huayang Zi were here today, I would naturally give face, but why should I give dignity to a mere junior like you!"
At this moment, Ji An saw a dark shadow under the moon, a tall and burly cultivator appearing out of thin air.
As he appeared, ghostly green flames floated in the void, forming a heavenly curtain, instantly lighting up the mountain hollow.
Disregarding the color, there was no difference from daylight.
Ji An bitterly smiled in his heart, having underestimated the allure of the World Core. If such a treasure were to truly appear, it could maintain a power’s prosperity for tens of thousands of years.
This place is both an opportunity and a whirlpool of trouble. He only regrets not being able to withdraw earlier.
If the Earth Evil Sect checks everyone thoroughly, the Grotto Void Stone is sure to be found, and the spiritual objects he carries might be skinned.
Moreover, he wasn’t confident that the Stone Turtle could escape the detection of Nascent Soul cultivators.
Ji An gritted his teeth hard and let out a somewhat dejected sigh.
Encountering such an unreasonable High-Tier Cultivator left him completely helpless, a feeling that made him feel quite stifled.
He dared not attempt to flee either. He didn’t know the means of a Nascent Soul Daoist Monarch, but in all the history of the cultivation realm, there has never been a record of a Chao Origin Stage cultivator escaping from a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Even in those miscellaneous records of cultivation, they wouldn’t dare boast like that.
The scene was silent as death, and no one dared to make a sound.
"Line up in four rows for our inspection, and then you can leave in an orderly manner.
Don’t play any tricks, or I won’t mind having one more pet.
Be quick, don’t waste my time."
The Netherworld True Monarch floated in the air, coldly overlooking the cultivators below.
If it were another opportunity, he wouldn’t behave so unattractively; a Nascent Soul Daoist Monarch also has face to maintain.
The news was relayed to the sect by his disciple, a Golden Core Stage disciple who happened to be in Rongman Immortal City at the time. Upon receiving the news, he rushed to Lantao Mountain immediately.
He discovered that the anomalies were caused by an unknown secret realm reaching the end of its lifespan and disintegrating, leaving behind a mark to monitor the place, then hurriedly flew back to report to the sect.
Upon receiving the news, he immediately ordered the sect to gather disciples, while he, along with the sect’s four Golden Core Stage Elders and elite Chao Origin Stage disciples, proceeded first.
The foundation of the Earth Evil Sect is not deep; not only does it not compare to the Nascent Soul sects of the Central Continent, but it is also slightly inferior to the Shadowless Sect.
If the disintegrated secret realm had indeed nurtured a World Core, the Nascent Soul inheritance of the Earth Evil Sect would be stabilized.
Therefore, the Netherworld True Monarch, disregarding his reputation, wanted to grasp any possible opportunities firmly in hand.
Before other forces could react, he would turn over Lantao Mountain thoroughly.
The Golden Core cultivators of the Earth Evil Sect descended at the mouth of the mountain hollow, each surrounded by five or six disciples, clearly having been long ambushed here.
With the Nascent Soul Daoist Monarch speaking again, the cultivators dared not delay, quickly forming four lines.
Ji An deliberately lingered at the back to meet with Han Yan, both of their faces filled with helplessness.
Han Yan transmitted his voice:
"Senior brother, what should we do?"
She understands very well the target of the Nascent Soul Cultivator; she doesn’t have it, and she knows that the Nascent Soul Cultivator surely won’t care about her belongings.
However, the inspection won’t be done personally by the Nascent Soul Daoist Monarch, and the subordinates are bound to be dishonest.
"We can only wait and see," Ji An said bitterly; he was even more worried than the other party.
Being powerless in the face of the threat, he had no idea.
If the opponent were a Golden Core Cultivator, he wouldn’t worry, because a Golden Core Daoist Master cannot see through the Stone Turtle hidden inside his body.
But now, he can only leave his fate to the whimsical luck.
Han Yan sighed; even if a cultivator got the World Core, the Earth Evil Sect’s move would probably not find it.
A cultivator who knows its value will surely hide the core somewhere, and those who don’t know might even overlook the World Core even if they see it.
...
The cultivators’ team walked forward unhurriedly, occasionally hearing someone shouting that they lost something, only to be rudely pushed away. These small incidents cast a shadow over everyone’s heart.
The Earth Evil Sect’s Golden Core Cultivator, Sang Chen, quickly walked to the Netherworld True Monarch and restrained his excitement to transmit:
"Ancestor, I discovered a peculiar space being nurtured within this."
With this, he handed over a stone only the size of a glass marble.
The stone was light gray, resembling a gourd, with day, month, and star patterns on the upper part and flower, bird, insect, and fish patterns on the lower part.
The base color of the stone was intricate patterns, full of mysterious aura.
Inside, he discovered a space about several zhang in circumference, with Gang Wind blowing outside, occasional lightning flashes, and several black spatial tears occasionally appearing.
The Netherworld True Monarch’s face lit up with joy, immediately receiving the stone, which felt warm and smooth like jade.
Quickly, a look of disappointment flashed across his face as he threw the stone back, saying through transmission:
"This space is a highly unstable World Fragment with the future risk of collapse.
Don’t keep it; if the space obliterates, a part of your body might disappear."
This space is indeed an extremely small World Core, just not yet nurtured fully.
Now the world nurturing it is shattered, making it impossible to cultivate further.
Keeping it in hand is akin to holding a Thunder Talisman ready to explode anytime, possibly blasting you into bits one day.
The Netherworld True Monarch sighed deeply; the World Core had already been found, indicating the Earth Evil Sect had no fortune to obtain a Little World.
Sang Chen felt he celebrated in vain, retrieved the item, and tossed it to his disciple Sangji, instructing:
"A useless object, with potential to explode, don’t keep it."
Sangji raised his eyebrow slightly, returned the stone, secretly brushing some sacrificial refinement corpse dust on it.
Corpse dust, similar to regular dust, emanates a very subtle special scent detectable only by Corpse Refining.
Even through a Storage Bag, it can be distinguished.
This marking showed the other party was a big fish he’d do some cost-free trade with if an opportunity arose.
The Foundation Establishment Cultivator stored the stone in his Storage Bag, an item he got at dusk.
However, he couldn’t discover the space within, as his Divine Sense couldn’t penetrate inside.
This trait of the stone made him think he obtained a treasure, since prohibited methods aside, he hadn’t found anything to hinder Divine Sense.
The Golden Core Daoist Master handing the stone to the Nascent Soul Daoist Monarch for review further proved the stone’s rarity.
Although puzzled as to why the Earth Evil Sect didn’t confiscate it, he felt this only highlighted the stone’s mystique even more.
...
The cultivators continued advancing, each wearing a difficult expression on their faces yet feeling helpless.
Half an hour later, another Golden Core Cultivator from the Earth Evil Sect hurriedly approached the Netherworld True Monarch, handing over a black sphere filled with moon-white stars, whispering:
"Ancestor, my Divine Sense cannot penetrate this stone."
The already absent-minded Netherworld True Monarch snapped to attention as he took the orb, probing it with Divine Sense only for it to be bounced back.
His heart became jubilant, carefully analyzing the patterns of the stars, uncovering the secret quickly.
His Divine Sense condensed in a special form, covering the sphere’s surface, allowing entry into a mystical space.
This space was approximately fifty mu large, with a volcano rising in the middle, black smoke soaring with rich Fire Spirit Qi.
Thunderous explosions echoed from deep within the Earth Vein, occasionally splitting the ground, to spew turbid spring water.
Fierce winds howled, lightning occasionally flashing, with deafening roars ensuing.
The Netherworld True Monarch withdrew his Divine Sense from the space; inwardly he roared in elation, outwardly maintaining composure.
This was an already nurtured Little World, reconstructing earth, fire, water, and wind, would eventually stabilize and become utilizable.
He tucked the stone into his sleeve, simultaneously extracting a piece of black mud from beneath the ground, refining the toxins instantly, using other means to craft a duplicate identical to the sphere.
He covertly injected Dharma Prohibition inside, making it impenetrable even by Golden Core Level Divine Sense.
The Netherworld True Monarch tossed the replica out, shaking his head:
"A kind of hard unusual stone, capable of blocking Divine Sense, could be useful if there were many."
