Chapter 452

Chapter 452: The Underworld?

Whoosh!

Xuan Du Ancient Immortal, Lin Qianmo, and three others rushed through the Ghost Gate into the Place of Origin.

"Move!"

The Immortal Emperors followed closely behind.

After passing the Ghost Gate, a corner of the Place of Origin came into view.

A desolate road stretched from beneath their feet toward the horizon, its end invisible.

Strange flowers bloomed on either side of the road—some crimson, some ivory—blossoms both seductive and eerie.

Wisp after wisp of reincarnation power radiated from these peculiar flowers.

"Other Shore Flowers?"

Reincarnation Ancient God’s expression shifted slightly. These flowers’ appearance perfectly matched the Other Shore Flowers he possessed, with one exception: the genuine Other Shore Flower was one of the Nine Great Spirit Roots of Heaven and Earth, while these strange blooms merely held traces of reincarnation energy.

"First, pass the Ghost Gate; then tread the Yellow Springs Road…"

Xuanxin blinked. "Mother Goddess, could this very path be… the Yellow Springs Road?"

Though they had reviewed Ye Xu’s information, witnessing it firsthand still shook them to the core.

"Are you implying… this may be the Underworld?"

Martial Emperor Lingxiao roared with laughter.

"The Underworld belongs to legend alone! How could it manifest in our realm?" Immortal Daoist shook his head skeptically. "Still, this Secret Realm does hold an unsettling aura."

"Teacher," Lin Qianmo posed thoughtfully, "might this Secret Realm represent Ninth Young Master’s Great Dao World?"

The place brimmed with the pure essence of the Origin Dao of Reincarnation. Such purity could only exist within Ninth Young Master’s Great Dao World.

Yet Ye Xu’s intelligence contained no mention of Ninth Young Master, leaving Lin Qianmo hesitant to confirm its origin.

"My opportunity for transcendence… lies here."

Reincarnation Ancient God’s heart pounded with anticipation. He was a Reincarnation Divine Egg born from the Hongmeng Dao Realm—nurtured by the Origin Dao of Reincarnation itself. Seizing the source of reincarnation’s Dao fruit would not only grant transcendence but propel him to soaring heights.

"Yes."

Xuan Du Ancient Immortal replied lightly, his gaze serene as he pressed onward into the depths.

The Yellow Springs Road stretched endlessly toward oblivion.

After an immeasurable time, a thunderous rush of water reached their ears.

A boundless river loomed ahead—no origin, no end visible to the eye. Its churning currents spanned the horizon.

A long bridge arced across the waters.

This stood as the sole passage forward.

"How disturbingly similar to the fabled Underworld…?" Sword Master murmured. "First the Ghost Gate, then the Yellow Springs Road, and now both the River of Forgotten Waters and the Naihe Bridge…"

"Isn’t that Nostalgia Platform beyond the bridge?"

Martial Emperor Lingxiao scoffed derisively. "Are you about to tell me there’s a Meng Po waiting on the Nostalgia Platform?"

"Not necessarily," Qin Emperor chuckled.

Hiding immense doubt within their hearts, the group followed Xuan Du Ancient Immortal onto Naihe Bridge.

"This man possesses only the proof of the Second Primordial Spirit, yet he seems deeply familiar with this Secret Realm…" Qin Emperor stared at Xuan Du Ancient Immortal’s back. The ancient immortal’s composure unsettled him slightly.

"Damn!"

As they crossed Naihe Bridge, everyone’s pupils abruptly contracted.

A tall platform resembling a pavilion stood at the bridge’s end. Though ancient in structure, it radiated an eerie aura.

"Truly… it really is the Nostalgia Platform…"

The white-robed Immortal Emperor said gravely, "Could we truly have arrived in the underworld?"

"Making a fuss over nothing!"

Martial Emperor Lingxiao snorted coldly. "Even if it is the underworld, so what?"

"My allotted Yang lifespan is unspent! The underworld dares not claim me!"

Lin Qianmo was utterly shaken within.

"How could the Ninth Young Master’s Great Dao World be like the underworld?" Countless questions swirled in Lin Qianmo’s mind. "Was her ambition to forge her Great Dao World into the underworld itself?"

"If so… could her death be connected to this?"

Everything in this Place of Origin matched Ye Xu’s descriptions within the golden book and jade slip perfectly.

Yet a greater doubt lingered within her.

If Ye Xu could grasp all this so clearly… could his origins surpass even those of the Ninth Young Master?

"It cannot be the underworld."

It was then that Immortal Empress Yan flashed a charming smile. "Consider this, everyone. If it truly were the underworld, wouldn’t there be ghost soldiers? Ox-Head? Horse-Face? Black and White Impermanence? We see none of them."

"Moreover, the underworld teems with countless souls. Yet here, all is desolate. Not a single ghost is present, let alone a mosquito or fly."

"That makes sense," the white-robed Immortal Emperor nodded.

"…A fissure!"

Suddenly, another Immortal Emperor’s gaze locked onto a bizarre crack behind the Nostalgia Platform.

It resembled a scar marring the sky above the Secret Realm.

Peering through it, one could faintly glimpse a vast chaotic sea—turbulent and overwhelming, waves endlessly surging.

"The Return to the Ruins of old…"

Lin Qianmo’s expression turned solemn.

The Return to the Ruins was the entrance to the Void Tomb. Though the Return to the Ruins vanished after the Void Tomb manifested, Lin Qianmo remembered its location exactly. She was certain—this crack was where Return to the Ruins once stood.

"Was the Samsara power leaking from Return to the Ruins… originating from this Place of Origin?"

Clarity began to dawn on Lin Qianmo.

If the power of the fundamental Reincarnation Dao from the Place of Origin leaked into the Return to the Ruins, affected the Chaotic Demon God of the Void Tomb, and led to the birth of the Burial Soil in the Pangu universe, then everything could be explained.

The power of the Place of Origin became the rule of the Burial Soil, causing countless lives to rush forward one after another, vainly attempting to live a second life.

Because, under the influence of the fundamental Reincarnation Dao, it was truly possible to live a second life.

"After drinking Meng Po’s soup and looking back at the Nostalgia Platform, one must enter reincarnation," Qin Emperor said calmly. "If the master of this Secret Realm truly wants to forge an underworld, then the next place must be the Six Paths of Reincarnation."

These structures could not possibly be a coincidence.

As everyone walked past the Nostalgia Platform, one Immortal Emperor suddenly stopped.

"If this is truly the Nostalgia Platform, then at this place, one should be able to see my hometown," he said.

This Immortal Emperor had a sudden inspiration and said, "I will see if this Nostalgia Platform possesses such divine power."

Swish!

He flew up onto the Nostalgia Platform and suddenly turned to look back.

All eyes gathered on him.

"He actually saw…" This Immortal Emperor discovered in astonishment that his gaze could traverse layers of space-time, cross several universes, and see an ancient city.

That city was called Taiqing Divine City.

It was an ancient city with a long history in the Yuxu plane.

He was born into a million-year-old family.

At that moment, he saw his hometown as well as his deceased parents, and tears actually flowed from his eyes.

However.

The others felt chills down their spines.

In their eyes, the Great Dao of that Immortal Emperor was being continuously stripped away, his body was decaying, his bones were disappearing, and his primordial spirit was eroded by a bizarre power, becoming almost transparent.

He was dying rapidly.

But he seemed entirely unaware, still gazing at his hometown, immersed in his own world.

"The Nostalgia Platform, as the name implies, can only be climbed by the dead," Xuan Du Ancient Immortal said indifferently. "Though he is an Immortal Emperor, his abilities have not reached the level to surpass the rules of this world."

"So, he got his wish," he added.

Chills ran down everyone’s spines.

This world was eerily terrifying.

Who could have thought that a casual remark and an ordinary-looking platform could bury an Immortal Emperor’s life?

The most terrifying thing was that that Immortal Emperor had no perception of it at all.

"This damned place is too terrifying," the white-robed Immortal Emperor said with inexplicable fear. "Dear friends, my fortune is shallow; even if there were immense opportunities, I fear I could not enjoy them. I will take my leave now."

"Hesitant and timid, one cannot achieve great things," Martial Emperor Lingxiao said disdainfully.

"Since it is the true Nostalgia Platform, then the next place must be the Six Paths of Reincarnation where ghosts are reincarnated," Martial Emperor Lingxiao said with sparkling eyes. "If this is truly the underworld, then this journey has really enlightened me."

Swish!

Martial Emperor Lingxiao flew deeper into the Secret Realm.

One after another, the others departed.

Only that Immortal Emperor, as if frozen in time, remained on the Nostalgia Platform.

Meanwhile.

A hunched figure walked slowly across the Naihe Bridge, glanced lightly at the Immortal Emperor’s primordial spirit on the Nostalgia Platform, and then continued deeper into the Secret Realm.

This was Yi Daoist.

He had hidden in the Pangu universe; when Martial Emperor Lingxiao and others grandly headed to the Place of Origin, he had also been secretly following.

However, Yi Daoist had not revealed himself.

All along the way, he had been secretly observing the mysteries of the Place of Origin.

"Even if it’s not the real underworld, this is a Great Dao World of a transcendent…" Yi Daoist murmured. "Perhaps, this is an attempt to forge an underworld…"

He held the same view as Lin Qianmo.

"My lord, should we really let them enter?"

In a void.

Demon Ancestor looked to Qi Qingsi with confusion.

"Let them go," Qi Qingsi said with an unchanging expression. "Earth Mother has planned for many years; she has been waiting for this very day."

"That old man is no ordinary person," Divine Ancestor said solemnly.

The old man she referred to was clearly Xuan Du Ancient Immortal.

"He’s just a spy," Qi Qingsi said indifferently.

"We can wait peacefully for Earth Mother’s command," she added.