Chapter 265: Sword Seals the Nether Realm (II)

Why is Senior Sister suddenly this forward?

Wang Sheng felt no joy. On the contrary, his brow furrowed slightly. Glancing at the pyramid-shaped stone mountain ahead, he breathed in quietly.

He channeled his enchanted power to activate the talismans and threw down the sword case. He made Flying Haze float beside him and then gripped Spiritless tightly again.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Clusters of black shadows crashed into the forest from above. Some shattered into black mist on impact, but most survived and began to roar within the woods.

At the same time, countless black and purple fierce spirits were immediately drawn to Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan's auras. With their blood-red eyes fixed on the pair, they charged in madly.

Wang Sheng inhaled softly. He could only fight back in the most energy-efficient way.

His Golden Core quivered ceaselessly, frantically absorbing the surrounding primal qi. Its sword shell remained hidden under Wang Sheng's suppression.

Using the Seven-Star Footwork, he became as light as a solitary swan's shadow. With Spiritless in his grasp, he could still the might of a dragon!

In his arms, Mu Wanxuan kept her eyes closed. She focused entirely on suppressing her Golden Core injuries while waiting for the right time to act.

Amid the blade radiance and sword phantasms, Wang Sheng whispered in her ear, "Senior Sister, when we get there to support the female immortal, what can we do to help?"

Mu Wanxuan froze slightly, her lips pressed together. She didn't know how to respond; she could barely speak clearly, let alone lie.

Wang Sheng smiled calmly, opting not to press further. He weaved rapidly through the dense forest. A little while after, they charged up one side of the mountain.

Boom!

A deafening explosion echoed from above. Wang Sheng looked up and felt an indescribable pressure emanating from the passage leading to Hell.

***

Half a minute earlier, in Mount Pingdu.

Cyan lightning suddenly cleaved apart the dark clouds above the Nether Gate. A woman then descended from the sky, landing right in front of the Nether Gate.

She turned slightly and looked toward the command post. In front of several Special Warfare Unit soldiers, she turned into a flash and darted straight into the Nether Gate.

The ancient robe she wore flickered with cyan light as she entered. Soon after, in the sky of the Small Nether Realm, streaks of cyan lightning appeared. With the aid of the Treasured Robe, she could use escape techniques at will.

The woman moved horizontally for two thousand five hundred

li

, stopping only once she was above Hell. Looking at the struggling group below, she pointed lightly with her fingers, which were carved like fine jade. Cyan light spread outward, turning the wandering spirits and fierce ghosts surrounding Qing Yanzi into black smoke. They vanished instantly.

Already gravely wounded by the surge of primal qi, Qing Yanzi and his companions collapsed almost at once. They looked up in shock at the "immortal" who had appeared out of nowhere. Though they could not see her face clearly, they could see her familiar-looking robe and her simply tied gray-white hair.

"Senior!" Qing Yanzi cried out, coughing up blood. "Please, I beg you, save my disciples! Suppress the devils below!"

In midair, she snorted coldly. She then gave them an old-fashioned yet youthful-sounding warning. "

Hmph.

The Small Nether Realm is a sacred ground. Daoists are forbidden from trespassing into it. Since this is your first offense, I will spare your lives. Return to the world of the living at once."

Qing Yanzi frowned as the woman vanished. The instant the cyan light flickered, he thought he saw a familiar face.

Shen Sui'an's daughter? That's Impossible. She's never cultivated before...

Boom!

Qing Yanzi's spirit jolted. He immediately sensed pressure erupting under him.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The figure cloaked in cyan light was clearly not just a mere immortal. Her aura seemed fused with the power source of the Small Nether Realm.

Covered in blood and panting, Zhang Zikuang asked, "What do we do now, Daoist Master Bu Yan?"

With eyes full of worry, Qing Yanzi exhaled deeply. "The only thing we can do: wait."

At that moment, below the mountain, a young-looking monk floored the gas pedal of a jeep. Filled with the fear of meeting Buddha at any moment, he charged straight toward the turbulent Hell.

***

Below Hell, in the small world of the Earth Qi Seal.

Wang Sheng and Qing Yanzi felt an immense pressure erupt. In the blink of an eye, a mass of cyan light burst out from the vertical passage beside the Eighteen Levels of Hell.

The green light grew thicker, filling the entire small world. A familiar yet strange voice echoed with divine authority.

"All of you fierce ghosts and vengeful spirits have committed evil in this realm! Your sins are unforgivable! Today, in the name of Ghost Emperor Yanluo, I shall be your overseer and punish your lawlessness! I hereby cast you all down and banish you!"

The cyan light transformed into bolts of lightning, and the yin qi in the small world surged wildly. In the forests around the Eighteen Levels of Hell, all the fierce spirits attacking Wang Sheng, Mu Wanxuan, and Xi Lian turned into black smoke, no matter how strong they were.

Wang Sheng stared at the enemies vanishing before him, finding it rather... unrealistic.

The cyan light flashed again, reappearing near Xi Lian. Black chains shot out from the cyan light, binding all the ancient devils in place. When the chains shook, the devils shattered completely.

Close to falling into devilry, Xi Lian's mind was clouded. She opened her mouth to bite the cyan light, yet the woman within the light still advanced instead of retreating. Upon reaching the silver-white fox, the woman struck the fox's forehead with her hand.

"Senior, please have mercy!" Wang Sheng shouted.

The cyan light seemed to pull back a bit. Wang Sheng was so far that he couldn't see it clearly, but what should have been a cleaving palm strike instead became a gentle finger tap, sealing Xi Lian's cultivation.

The woman flicked her fingers again. She wrapped Xi Lian in a green glow and tossed her toward the passage leading to the Eighteen Levels of Hell.

The cyan light then flashed and reappeared before Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan. In complete silence, the woman bowed politely to Mu Wanxuan. She then turned and flew to the summit of the stone mountain.

Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan stared at each other, disbelief written across their faces.

"Senior Sister Shen!" Wang Sheng yelled, but the woman only glanced back and nodded slightly before disappearing into the cave atop the mountain.

Wang Sheng grinned. "Let's follow her. With her here, they probably don't need our help anymore."

He pulled Mu Wanxuan along as he rushed up the mountain. However, before they could get close, the mountain shook violently, and a multicolored beam of immortal light shot into the sky. At its center was "Shen Qianlin," who was wrapped in cyan light.

The immortal light blasted her back up into the Eighteen Levels of Hell, smashing cracks into the earth below. This time, however, the surge only lasted for two seconds before being cut off at the source.

Wang Sheng pictured what had just occurred inside the mountain.

The immortal, who was possibly possessing Shen Qianlin, was likely connected to the Small Nether Realm. She had swiftly dealt with the fierce spirits and even subdued Xi Lian, an Ascension Realm half-immortal fox, which could only mean that she was now equal to immortals herself. Still, when she tried to help the female corpse seal the Earth Qi Seal, her power proved insufficient. The vast primal qi blasted her back.

Wang Sheng furrowed his brow, thoughts churning. He glanced at Mu Wanxuan's waist and slightly pressed his lips together.

The cyan light flickered again, and the woman reappeared at the entrance of the Earth Qi Seal. She bowed deeply.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness. I failed."

In an ancient tone, the female corpse in the cavern answered, "It matters not."

She spoke clearly, allowing Wang Sheng to roughly understand her.

"You inherited the immortal bloodline of the Small Nether Realm's Meng clan. It was never meant for combat. You're also only channeling the power of the Small Nether Realm through your Yin Soul Robe. Being able to match a true immortal doesn't mean you are one."

Lady Meng? Meng clan?

Wang Sheng looked up at the woman atop the mountain in shock, unsure what to say.

"You're finally here, Hua Qing," the female corpse greeted.

Mu Wanxuan nodded gently and responded softly. Having reached the summit, she and Wang Sheng looked into the multicolored cavern within the mountain.

The female corpse sat cross-legged at the cavern's base, which was about two hundred meters below. She faintly radiated immortal light, and mist circled her.

She leaned forward slightly, two fingers pressed against the glowing wall below. She didn't appear nearly as battered as Wang Sheng had imagined.

"I'm sorry," said the female corpse. "Even though this mess is my fault, I need your help to fix it."

Mu Wanxuan shook her head gently.

Lady Meng added, "The Earth Qi Seal being broken has little to do with you, Your Highness. It was already damaged before you entered the Small Nether Realm. The Eighteen Levels of Hell have simply been suppressing it until now."

"We don't have much time. Let's not waste it talking," the female corpse said. Though her eyes were still closed, she finally seemed to notice Wang Sheng. "You. Who are you?"

He smiled bitterly. "Wang Sheng, Senior. We've met before."

"I mean, who were you in your past life?"

Wang Sheng shook his head. "I don't think I was an immortal in my past life. Senior, is there a way to seal the Earth Qi Seal?"

"I'm going to try something risky."

"What are you going to try?"

The female corpse fell silent. Mu Wanxuan suddenly struck Wang Sheng with no warning, slamming him away with a palm to the shoulder.

Tears sparkled in her eyes. She tried to say something as Wang Sheng flew off, but no words came out. All she could do was bite her lower lip and smile in sorrow.

Mu Wanxuan turned to leap into the cave. However, just as she stepped forward, she felt a powerful force pull her back.

When Mu Wanxuan had struck him, Wang Sheng had secretly tucked Flying Haze, his celestial-grade sword, into the inner belt of her Soaring Celestial Dress!

Still airborne, Wang Sheng formed a sword finger gesture with his left hand. Flying Haze dragged Mu Wanxuan away at high speed.

Mu Wanxuan tried to resist, but surges of Pure Yang Energy suddenly erupted inside her. They struck her Golden Core and disrupted the balance of her yin and yang, making her shudder and opening her suppressed injuries.

Wang Sheng staggered but stabilized his footing. He then clutched his left shoulder and sighed softly.

Even when attacking him from behind, Mu Wanxuan had used precise control to avoid harming him. Yet when he set her up, he showed no regard for her well-being.