The Yellow Springs Sea, the extreme north of the nether realm:
“Your Reverence, we cannot fly over the Yellow Springs Sea! We must proceed below!” explained the Unborn Man.
The Mosquito Daoist chimed in, “Your Reverence, the Unborn Man is right. The laws are chaotic at the Yellow Springs Sea. Even birds cannot fly there; only consummate Upper Heavenly Palace Realm cultivators can!”
Gu Hai nodded in agreement.
The group descended to the shore of Yellow Springs Sea, only to be surrounded by a large number of skeletons.
“Halt! Who are you people?” shouted the crowd of skeletons, barring Gu Hai’s group from approaching.
However, who could stop Gu Hai’s group when they have not reached the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm?
With a casual wave of his hand, Long Shenying sent the skeletons flying.
“Oh no! Quick, report to the Bone Deity!” A few skeletons jumped into the Yellow Springs Sea and disappeared.
“They went to inform the Bone Deity. The Yellow Springs Road lies beneath the sea. Your Reverence, be careful. The water in the Yellow Springs Sea lacks buoyancy but carries immense weight instead; it is like sinking into a quagmire,” explained the Unborn Man.
Gu Hai nodded in understanding.
Following the Unborn Man, the group stepped into the Yellow Springs Sea.
Indeed, the seawater was peculiar. It was still water but felt extremely heavy, dragging them down as if they were sinking.
“This is suicide! I heard that no one who entered the Yellow Springs Sea has come out alive,” remarked the Mosquito Daoist with a wry smile.
The group quickly sank to the bottom of the Yellow Springs Sea. Many hands reached out to grab them as soon as they reached there.
“These are the people who got trapped at the bottom of the sea recently. Once they enter, the Yellow Springs Sea suppresses them. When they see people come down, they frantically try to grab those people, hoping those people can pull them out. Your Reverence, don’t worry. Given our strength, we can walk at the bottom of the sea. Come with me; we will arrive soon,” the Unborn Man explained.
Gu Hai’s group followed the Unborn Man.
The chaotic and bizarre laws in the Yellow Springs Sea prevented the group from flying. However, with their formidable physical bodies and high cultivations, they inched forward step by step.
Soon, they arrived at a vast sea valley. A whirlpool there sucked in the water of the Yellow Springs Sea.
“This whirlpool is the Yellow Springs Road. Your Reverence, if we jump into it, we can reach the flawed immortal firmament,” explained the Unborn Man.
Gu Hai nodded again.
Without hesitation, the four of them leaped into the whirlpool.
Whoosh!
The four entered the vortex in the blink of an eye.
Upon entering, Gu Hai felt a force tearing at his physical body. However, the strain remained within his tolerance.
The four of them swiftly traversed a tunnel, descending into the infinite depths.
Bang!
After Gu Hai’s group entered the Yellow Springs Sea, three figures landed on the shore. These were the Silken Web Heavenly Demon and the eighth-ranked and ninth-ranked peak masters.
“Number Six, are you sure about this location?” exclaimed the eighth-ranked peak master in astonishment.
“Yes, this is where the crystal ball points to!” the Silken Web Heavenly Demon said in a deep voice.
“Are you saying that Gu Hai and his group traveled from the land of the living to the nether realm to jump into the Yellow Springs Sea and commit suicide?” The eighth-ranked peak master’s face was slack with disbelief.
“Ji Dihong won’t deceive us with this. There must be secrets we don’t know about beneath the Yellow Springs Sea!” the Silken Web Heavenly Demon said solemnly.
“But how can they do anything even if they go into the vast Yellow Springs Sea? The laws here are chaotic, and…” Number Nine furrowed his brow.
“Just follow the crystal ball’s guidance!” the Silken Web Heavenly Demon said.
“Huh? The crystal ball’s guidance is gone?” The Silken Web Heavenly Demon’s expression changed.
“If the guidance is gone, are we searching for a needle in the ocean?” Number Eight exclaimed anxiously.
Splash!
Not far away, skeletons jumped into the Yellow Springs Sea.
“These skeletons must know something. Let’s follow them!” the Silken Web Heavenly Demon said in a grave tone.
“Alright.”
Splash!
The three of them stepped into the Yellow Springs Sea.
Gu Hai’s group of four traversed the Yellow Springs Road for about thirty minutes.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, they found themselves in a pitch-black environment.
There was a yellow tube barrier within the dark environment, so the four quickly moved forward in the tube.
“Where are we?” Gu Hai’s expression changed.
“We are outside the Six Paths Immortal Firmament, in the void. The Yellow Springs Sea’s water has paved a path or built a bridge to the flawed immortal firmament. We are almost there; we will arrive in at most another thirty minutes!” explained the Unborn Man.
“What about the skeletons we encountered earlier?” Long Shenying asked out of curiosity.
“There are eighteen Yellow Springs Roads; this is one of them. The skeletons may have used another Yellow Springs Road!” clarified the Unborn Man.
Everyone nodded in understanding.
Thirty minutes passed quickly. Soon, they left the dark environment behind.
As Gu Hai’s group continued traversing the Yellow Springs Road, their speed increased, reaching an extreme by the time they arrived before the flawed immortal firmament.
Boom!
A loud noise rang out as if they had collided with a vast ocean.
Due to their tremendous inertia, the four flew out from the seabed to the surface and landed on the shore.
Bang!
The four barely stabilized themselves without falling, but the immense impact shattered several nearby mountains.
“Who goes there?” a voice shouted from the distant forest.
“Your Reverence, we should leave quickly!” urged the Unborn Man.
At this moment, Gu Hai’s expression darkened because his connection to the Han Imperial Dynasty’s blessings broke the moment they entered the flawed immortal firmament.
“Your Reverence, we should leave quickly. Those people are troublesome!” the Unborn Man urged again.
However, Gu Hai paid no attention. Instead, he looked up at the sky, then glanced at the vast sea before him, a trace of worry flickering in his eyes.
The blessings will scatter. I wonder what will happen on Xianer’s side.
Just then, five men in Daoist robes flew over, standing on swords, and arrived near Gu Hai.
“Who are you? How dare you intrude upon our Lifespan Veritable Sect’s territory?” demanded the leader of the Daoist-robed group.
“Unborn Man, are you saying that these five Nascent Soul Realm whelps are troublesome?” the Mosquito Daoist scoffed with a hint of disdain.
“Nascent Soul Realm whelps? What arrogant words! Senior Brother, these people of unknown origin trespassed our forbidden grounds. I shall capture them!” one of the Daoist-robed men declared.
“Alright!”
That Daoist-robed man reached for the sword he stood on and swiftly swung it at the Mosquito Daoist.
The Mosquito Daoist flicked his finger.
Bang!
The man’s long sword shattered.
Blargh!
The man spat a mouthful of blood, revealing a look of shock and horror.
“Senior Brother, these people…they are incredibly powerful. I need to seek the holy lord’s blessing!” the man who vomited blood called out.
“Go ahead!”
“The world is infinite; the universe lends me power! Six Paths Holy Lord, bestow strength on me!” shouted the man who had vomited blood.
“Hahaha! Borrowing power from the universe? Six Paths Holy Lord? Bestow strength on you? Can strength be given? Who would lend it to you? You’re just spouting nonsense!” the Mosquito Daoist laughed heartily.
Strangely, that man’s clothes started flapping despite the windless conditions. His voice seemed to rise to the heavens.
Thick clouds instantly gathered overhead, shrouding the sky in darkness. In that instant, a beam of holy light descended from the pitch-black clouds as if heralding the Immortal.
The holy light instantly enveloped that man, and a powerful aura suddenly erupted from his body.
Nascent Soul Realm? In the blink of an eye, his aura reached the Lower Heavenly Palace Realm, then the Middle Heavenly Palace Realm, and finally the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm.
“What?” The Mosquito Daoist rubbed his eyes.
This can’t be possible. What technique is this? Just uttering the words “bestow strength on me” could summon such strength?
“Little brat, surrender!” The man immediately lunged at the Mosquito Daoist with another palm strike.
“I refuse to believe it!” The Mosquito Daoist’s face turned cold as he met the attack with his palm.
Boom!
A loud bang resounded, and space shook.
The exchange sent that man flying.
The Mosquito Daoist remained in place. Clearly, as a ninth-layer Upper Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator, he was far superior to that man.
“This is impossible. It was really the strength of the Upper Heavenly Palace cultivator? Equal to the first layer? Wasn’t he in the Nascent Soul Realm earlier?” the Mosquito Daoist exclaimed in astonishment.
“Senior Brother! This guy is too formidable!” that man shouted, coughing up blood.
“The world is infinite; the universe lends me power! Six Paths Holy Lord, bestow strength on me!”
“The world is infinite; the universe lends me power! Six Paths Holy Lord, bestow strength on me!”
The remaining four people shouted.
Again, dark clouds covered the sky, and beams of holy light descended upon the four, transforming their auras into those of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm.
“What in the world?” the Mosquito Daoist cried out.
“Evil beings! Hand over your lives!” The five men once again pounced on the Mosquito Daoist.
Whoosh!
The Mosquito Daoist thrust out his hand, sending the five flying. Even after reaching the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm, they were still no match for him.
“This evil being is too powerful!” one of them cried out.
“Send the signal!” another person shouted.
Bang!
A technique produced an effect like fireworks suddenly soaring into the sky.
Subsequently, thousands of Daoist-robed men flew out from a distant forest, all exuding a menacing aura as they headed over.
“Your Reverence?” The Mosquito Daoist turned to Gu Hai with a bewildered expression.
“As I said, these people may not be as formidable as us, but they can be quite troublesome.” The Unborn Man smiled wryly.
“Let’s leave this place first!” Gu Hai said solemnly.
“Trying to run? It’s not that easy!” exclaimed the five men who had appeared earlier.
Gu Hai flung out his sleeves.
Whoosh!
Gu Hai pulled the group into the Gu’s Immortal Firmament, making them disappear without a trace.
Then Gu Hai’s group quickly departed the area. By the time the numerous Lifespan Veritable Sect disciples arrived, his group was long gone.
“Where are they?” The disciples searched around but could not find them.
In a distant forest, Gu Hai looked towards the horde of Lifespan Veritable Sect disciples and frowned slightly as he asked the Unborn Man, “What just happened? Borrowing strength? Where did that strength come from?”
“Does Your Reverence know about the sect established by the Six Paths Veritable Lord?” the Unborn Man asked.
“The Six Paths Veritable Lord’s sect?” Gu Hai’s brows knit.
Long Shenying, who was standing nearby, said, puzzled, “When I went to eight hundred thousand years in the past, I didn’t see any sect belonging to the Six Paths Veritable Lord.”
“No, there is a sect. It’s called the Holy Heavens Sect! The Holy Heavens Sect was the strongest sect eight hundred thousand years ago. However, you didn’t see it when you went to the past because the Six Paths Veritable Lord transferred all the Holy Heavens Sect disciples to this flawed immortal firmament. All the living beings in this flawed immortal firmament are fanatical followers of the Six Paths Veritable Lord. Although they established various sects, they all worship the Six Paths Holy Lord. Every sect has erected statues of the Six Paths Veritable Lord, and they pay homage daily, focusing their immense faith on these statues. When they borrow strength, they are actually borrowing it from the Six Paths Veritable Lord statues. Although the Six Paths Veritable Lord disappeared eight hundred thousand years ago, their worship has only intensified!” explained the Unborn Man.
The Mosquito Daoist suddenly realized what had happened earlier. “Fanatical followers mobilizing the power of faith?”
