Chapter 258: The Eighteen Levels of Hell (I)

The two basketball-sized spheres, which had a sleek technological look, floated in front of the robed Daoist masters flying on their artifacts. Despite the mismatch in style, the scene felt strangely harmonious.

Wang Sheng was a little curious about the mechanism that kept the spheres airborne. They didn't even have any visible propulsion systems under them; they just had speakers at the bottom that relayed the voice of a female Special Warfare Unit soldier at the transfer station.

Well, they're definitely high-tech. If I ever break free of Earth's orbit, I could probably trade some of Earth's technology to unsuspecting immortals for some treasures.

Despite having just broken through to the Golden Core Realm, Wang Sheng was already planning for life after ascending. He truly had great foresight.

The female soldier continued her explanation remotely.

—Inside the Eighteen Levels of Hell, there are strange magnetic fields that disable instruments near each sealed area. It's preventing us from finding the special passage that Sect Master Shen has mentioned. We still need you to inspect the area yourselves.

—Based on the data from the third eruption of immortal light, the energy surged up from the bottom of Hell. There are barriers on both sides of the rift, and the junction between the barriers and the Eighteen Levels of Hell appears to have gaps.

—If the internal special passage proves impassable, you can try following the outer perimeter of the Eighteen Levels of Hell to find a way down. That's what the experts at the research institute concluded.

"No matter," the grand elder of the Hidden Earth Sect said in a low tone. "I know where the passage is. Please, follow me."

With a furrowed brow, he stepped cautiously to the edge of the pit and then jumped in. Although he was now an elder of the Hidden Earth Sect, ten years ago, he had only been an ordinary old man. He still harbored some psychological shadow when it came to the Eighteen Levels of Hell, especially now that he had to jump in willingly.

However, now that he had led the way, the other Daoist masters followed without hesitation. Having come this far, they were already mentally prepared. One after another, they leaped into the entrance to Hell, officially entering its eighteen floors.

The moment they descended, darkness swiftly swallowed them. Wang Sheng had to take a moment for his eyes to adjust before he could see his surroundings. The Daoist masters around him also descended slowly and cautiously.

A bone-chilling cold seeped into them, and wailing reminiscent of tormented ghosts echoed in their ears. Before Wang Sheng could react, he felt two small hands clutching tightly onto his left arm.

His senior sister's voice trembled slightly. "So dark..."

He nearly forgot about her lifelong nemesis!

"Senior Sister, maybe you should wait outside with Big Sister?"

"Don't want." Mu Wanxuan replied firmly. She even let go of his arm to show that she was a strong, independent Golden Core Realm cultivator who was not afraid of ghosts.

As Wang Sheng looked into her eyes, just inches away, he raised his hand and gently held hers. "Then follow me."

"

Mm,

" Mu Wanxuan softly responded, obediently gripping her junior brother's hand in return.

A long sigh drifted in from the side. "

Haaaaa...

I'm getting old, yet no one is willing to help me walk."

Wang Sheng chuckled. "My senior sister is already seven hundred sixty-eight thousand four hundred years old."

"

Pfft.

" Mu Wanxuan couldn't help but laugh a little. Even Xi Lian couldn't stop giggling.

Qing Yanzi turned and scolded them. "You two, be serious. It took so much effort to build up this tense atmosphere."

The martial siblings quickly lowered their heads and followed along quietly.

The first level of Hell was probably the most expansive among the eighteen, reaching over a thousand

zhang

in height. They descended for quite a while before reaching the crimson ground below.

The dark-red hue seemed to be from congealed blood. Even before stepping onto it, a frigid aura rose upward, forcing some of the weaker Daoist masters to circulate their qi in defense.

A sword hum then rang out. The Golden Core within Wang Sheng trembled slightly, and the cold aura around them quickly dissipated.

"Everyone, this way," the grand elder of the Hidden Earth Sect called out. "We should fly close to the ground. There might be hidden restrictions we've yet to detect."

He pulled out an Eight Trigrams plate that had a black wooden ladle inside. The handle pointed to a specific direction.

The Golden Core Realm cultivators followed the grand elder for a while. At Qing Yanzi's side, the two floating spheres transmitted another message.

—You'll find one of the restricted zones on the first level in that direction.

That confirmed that they were on the right path.

The two spheres mainly served as cameras, continuously transmitting footage to the transfer station outside the Nether Gate.

After the appearance of the Nether Gate and three immortal light eruptions, they had finally gotten this far. Despite some setbacks, the cultivators of the Hua Republic had reached the deepest part of the Small Nether Realm and entered the Eighteen Levels of Hell, which was shrouded in mystery and full of malevolent ghosts.

Even though the first floor seemed empty, no one dared be careless—except those at the very back of the group, where a ghost seemed to be faintly gnawing on bones.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

In truth, it was just the half-immortal fox pulling out a packet of sunflower seeds. Standing on Wang Sheng's immortal sword, she began using the seeds to lure in Mu Wanxuan.

"Little Xuanxuan, are you feeling more balanced now? Feels like you and Little Fei Yu are on equal footing, doesn't it?"

"

Mm.

" Mu Wanxuan nodded, then looked expectantly at Xi Lian. After holding out for only a few seconds, she gently slipped her hand out of Wang Sheng's grip and drifted over on Ice Crystal.

She still had the flight artifacts that Xi Lian had made for her, like her enchanted ribbons and immortal scarves. However, everyone else was standing on something, and she didn't want to stand out too much.

Extending both hands, she accepted half a bag of sunflower seeds. The cracking rhythm soon became lighter and faster.

Wang Sheng was rendered speechless.

Zhang Zikuang suddenly asked, "This place is the Tongue-Plucking Hell, isn't it?"

Smiling, the second elder of the Hidden Earth Sect replied, "Yes, it is. Though the Small Nether Realm is tiny, it has all of the equipment it needs. It's all part of the immortals' sentimental connection to the Nether Realm."

Zhang Zikuang nodded. "Then where are all the tongues?"

"Please don't joke around, Instructor Zhang," Qian Cheng seriously reprimanded. "The Small Nether Realm has spirits that listen. We should be cautious, lest our words bring misfortune."

"Alright," Zhang Zikuang muttered, shaking his head.

He had just wanted to ease the tense atmosphere with some small talk. Dropping the subject, he flew forward with his hands behind his back.

After flying for about seven or eight minutes, the grand elder of the Hidden Earth Sect raised a hand signal. The fourteen-person group immediately slowed down.

From the footage that the spheres had captured, one could see radiant light now enveloping all fourteen Golden Core Realm cultivators. Their eyes gleamed with sharp clarity.

They had reached a corner of the Tongue-Plucking Hell. In front of them was a flat stone wall, and hanging from the wall was a temple that was ten

zhang

tall. A grey mist of yin qi flowed around the temple, resembling giant serpents coiling within the fog.