Chapter 543 – The Underworld Stretches Boundless, Myriad Lineages Academy - Part 1

Li Yuan and Sheng'er gazed into the distance at the newly formed Ghost Prison. It was an eerie, overwhelming sight that sent shivers down their spines. A woman in azure robes stood silently beneath the ghost palace, her presence so chilling and divine that it was impossible not to believe she was something beyond human. A ghost? A god? Who could doubt it?

“Papa, what’s going on?” the little crow asked, puzzled, tugging on his sleeve.

“There are three great unified ghost domains in this world,” Li Yuan said solemnly. “One is your mother’s. One lies in Swallowcloud Province, said to be the fusion of the Ghost Lake, Ghost Peak, and Apparel Atelier. And the last is formed from the Northern Wind Inn and the Ghost Bazaar. I suspect...the other two are on their way here.”

The little crow was stunned. Her eyes widened. “Then what about Mama?”

Li Yuan lowered his eyes slightly. “In a moment, step back.”

Sheng’er instantly understood. Her father was going to fight. He wanted to face the other two ghost domains himself. But...could he really stand against something of that scale?

After spending so much time with her father, she knew all too well. His strength wasn’t far from those so-called taboo-level ghost domains. In fact, he was practically a taboo-level force himself.

Among the seven taboo ghost domains of the Nine Provinces, if there were a ranking, her father would easily be in the top three. Even her mother, who now controlled the entire Ghost Prison, might not come out on top in a direct confrontation with him.

But now? These three great ghost domains weren’t just taboo-level anymore. They’d evolved and transcended that boundary. So if all three clashed, and her father got involved...would he even stand a chance?

Sheng’er’s face clouded with worry.

Li Yuan gave her a small smile and gently pinched the little tuft of hair on top of her head. But he said nothing more.

There was no way he would just stand there and watch Yan Yu fight alone.

While the two of them were speaking, more fifth rank martial artists began arriving from the direction of Gemhill County.

They were all from the Bladeseekers. They lacked any fourth rank powerhouses, but it had no shortage of fifth ranks.

Li Yuan, in his spare time, had often thought about the matter of breaking through to fourth rank.

In theory, it was simple: to rise from the fifth to the fourth rank, one had to temper their heart, align their path with righteousness, and live out the ideals of hero.

But even then, none of them could wield his Great Spiral, or the terrifying Great Moon Blade that could compress space and collapse matter around it. That was because both the Great Spiral and Great Moon Blade were born from almost 20,000 ancestral seal seeds, each one representing a will refined by him into power.

In contrast, a typical disciple of the Bladeseekers could, at most, hold three ancestral seal seeds.

Between three and 20,000, how could they compare?

Besides, if these tens of thousands of powerful cultivators all went off to

uphold justice

and play the hero, that might not be a blessing for the nation...but a disaster.

And there was another issue.

Walking the path of righteousness and heroism was only one route, the continuation of the Ruling Blade. But what about the Final Blade? What about the Phantom Blade? Where were their paths?

Even if they couldn't grasp the core powers, they should at least have a path forward...shouldn’t they?

So while Li Yuan pondered how to craft a fourth rank cultivation technique for the disciples of the Bladeseekers, he was also watching, carefully waiting for the right moment to act.

When he sensed the approach of many fifth rank cultivators, he glanced to his side and said calmly, “Tell them to fall back. They must not come any closer.”

The little crow Sheng’er didn’t move. But from beneath the earth, a Tree’er emerged gripping a thorned staff.

With a flicker, she shifted into the form of a crow. She beat her wings and took to the skies, flying out to meet the approaching disciples.

When the fifth rank experts saw the crow, they immediately bowed with deep respect and greeted her loudly,

“Our respects to Lady Divine Crow.”

“We sensed strange movements here and came to investigate.”

“Is Yan Yu Yu about to awaken?”

“There’s more turmoil ahead. The aftershocks alone will be far beyond your ability to endure. Leave, at once,” the crow cawed sharply.

The disciples were startled, but all quickly bowed again in thanks, then wisely turned to depart.

Years ago, The crow might’ve still been seen as little more than a ceremonial mascot, the honorific title something the former princess of Chu had called her on the spot. But ever since the great ghost tides three years back, when the Crimson Sun Child appeared, and Lady Divine Crow herself descended into battle, none dared underestimate her again.

And last year, when the Emperor declared that he would not intervene in the south, powerful cultivators had streamed southward to escape the chaos in the north, putting immense pressure on the southern lands. But Lady Divine Crow stood alone at the mountain pass of Antelope’s Pass, with only her thorned staff in hand, blocking the road of all who tried to cross.

And not a single one succeeded.

No matter how many sixth, fifth, or even a few fourth-ranks tried to force their way in, none could slip past her watchful eye.

Only then did the world realize that Lady Divine Crow wasn’t just a guardian. She stood at the very peak of existence.

And yet, before Li Yuan, she was still just his daughter.

In the distant Western Extremes, she was the Crowmother. In the Central Plains, she was the legendary Divine Crow, known far and wide.

After delivering the warning, the Tree’er flew further back and settled atop a distant peak, standing guard to stop anyone else from drawing near.

Li Yuan and the little crow remained at the very front, watching everything unfold.

About half a stick of incense later, the Ghost Prison in Li Yuan’s gaze began to blur.

The azure-robed Yan Yu standing at the palace gates, slowly lifted her head and looked across the void, meeting the eyes of the father and daughter.

For a brief moment, their gazes locked.

Yan Yu smiled.

Time seemed to freeze.

And then, she was gone.

In a blink, both she and the entire Ghost Prison vanished into nothingness.

She...had said her goodbye.

In Li Yuan’s vision, the Ghost Prison had transformed into a massive, terrifying surge of Yin energy, hurtling straight toward the other two great ghost domains.

“Mama!” Sheng'er cried out, but she couldn’t even see where the Ghost Prison had gone. The mighty figure was a little girl once more, helplessly calling out, “Mama, Mama, Mama...!”

Li Yuan gently patted her on the head. “Hold the county. I’ll go check it out.”

“Okay...” Sheng'er’s eyes shimmered with tears.

Li Yuan’s figure flickered, and he soared into the sky, chasing after the direction that Yin energy had gone.

But the speed of that ghostly current was monstrous, far beyond anything normal. Without the Nine Provinces Provisional Patrol Token, even Li Yuan’s incredible speed couldn’t keep up. The ghostly surge had vanished in the blink of an eye.

And so, Li Yuan had flown only a few dozen kilometers north when the trail of Yin energy vanished completely.

He remembered the general direction it had been flowing. Even though he could no longer see it, he continued to pursue it without hesitation.

He moved in fits and starts, pausing frequently to sense his surroundings, listening for any disturbance.

After all, the collision of three great ghost domains was bound to shake the heavens and split the earth, a cataclysm that couldn’t help but leave ripples in its wake.

Sure enough, along the way, he began hearing whispers of inexplicable disappearances, people vanishing in broad daylight, gone without a trace.

Li Yuan followed the path of these vanishings, pushing forward. He pushed himself to the limit, traveling day and night. After nearly half a month, he finally reached the borders of Ocean Province.

The moment he stepped into Ocean Province, he heard weeping rising from the earth.

Crowds filled the streets and village squares. Panic buzzed through the air like static.

Cries seeped into Li Yuan’s ears from every direction.

“Father! Father!! Where did you go?!”

“My child... My poor child...”

“My mother, she was just in the house, just now! Did anyone see her? Anyone?!”

...

There was no doubt, another wave of disappearances.

Li Yuan followed the sound of crying deeper into the region.

Before long, he saw it. Deep underground, a massive and utterly overwhelming concentration of Yin energy was coiling and gathering.

He narrowed his eyes, and what he saw...defied comprehension.

The mass of Yin energy stretched so vast that it exceeded the limits of his perception.

In truth, it had already swallowed up most of Ocean Province, turning the entire region into a

ghost domain

in its own right.

Yet unlike the usual ghost domains that would emerge visibly on the surface, this one remained buried underground—like some enormous, sleeping beast, lying beneath the mountains, beneath the homes of common folk, beneath everything.

And the terrifying part? Ordinary people couldn’t see it at all.

Li Yuan knew what this meant. This was it.

The final convergence, the unification of every ghost domain across the entire Great Zhou.

And Yan Yu...was inside.

His heart clenched. He had to find her. Now. He needed to stand with her. Whatever was coming, they had to face it together.

Unable to contain the urgency rising in his chest, Li Yuan dropped down to the ground, stepping onto the massive tide of Yin energy, and hurried through the crowd.

All around him, people were crying, searching, panicking, desperate to find lost loved ones.

He was just like them. He didn’t know what would happen to Yan Yu this time. Would she still be herself? Would she lose her humanity?

He rushed through the chaos, eyes sharp, searching, searching... Then something tugged at his senses. His gaze shifted, drawn to a small girl crying on the side of the street, calling out over and over for her mother.

She looked about eight or nine years old. Her mother must’ve vanished only moments before.

Just as that thought passed through his mind, the girl’s figure began to shimmer and blur... And in the blink of an eye, she vanished right before his eyes.

Li Yuan froze. Then instantly, his figure flickered, appearing at the spot where the girl had been.

The moment he arrived, a wave of terrifying Yin energy surged toward him.

Li Yuan quickly calmed his mind, suppressing the withered flame within as much as possible, and allowed the Yin energy to wash over him, letting it sink into his body.

And in the next instant, all sound vanished.

The bustling streets, once filled with noise and motion, were suddenly eerily silent. The crowd, the chaos, the weeping, all of it was gone.

And in the distance...he saw the little girl.

Li Yuan looked around. The once-lively market now drifted with an unnatural gray mist, swirling like smoke across a stage set for something dreadful.

He began walking toward the little girl.

But she looked terrified. Whether from fear or something else, her mouth opened wide as if to scream, yet no sound came out. Not a single note. Then, like a startled rabbit, she scrambled to her feet and bolted.

Li Yuan started after her, but suddenly realized the road ahead was changing.

It was narrowing, warping, twisting like a crooked sheep’s gut. The silence deepened, oppressive and absolute, wrapping the path in an eerie stillness that gripped the heart with fear.

The scene tugged at something deep in his memory.

It was just like the first time he followed Pang Yuanhua into the ancient ghost street,

Back then, the road had looked exactly like this.

So this path...was the road to the underworld.

Those marked by heavy sin would be dragged down this road.

Even corpses steeped in ghostly energy could enter it.

But the Dragon Vein had long since shattered. The ancient ghost street no longer existed. So now...where did this new road to the underworld lead?