đź“– Chapter 1185 - Refining the Magical Laws!
The waters of the Underworld River churned, as if stirred by that faint vortex in the void. It was only after the Underworld Sect cultivators disappeared back into Planet Underworld and that astonishing figure walked far into the distance that the roiling waters recovered stability.
Gradually, the waves rippling over the surface of the river ceased, and the countless souls that had shied away to the depths returned. After a short time passed, their howling could be heard once more.
These howls contained the seven emotions and six desires, a longing for life, and an unwillingness toward death. This was the usual state of the Underworld River; it had only temporarily quietened due to the Underworld Sect’s excursion.
To a certain extent, despite the miserable howls of the scattered souls, the current Underworld River could be described as calm.
In stark contrast to the calm Underworld River was Planet Underworld floating in the middle of it. The Underworld Sect could be considered to have suffered serious losses; the hundreds of cultivators who had departed from the planet were reduced to mere dozens upon their return.
But even so… after learning that their Heavenly Dao had successfully obtained the Underworld Emperor’s remains, the whole planet erupted in cheers. The concentrated voices of the entire Underworld Sect were so loud that they echoed far beyond the planet itself.
“Time for us to rise up!”
“Revive the glory of the Underworld Sect!!”
“Suppress this stele world!!”
The resounding cheers echoed all throughout the Underworld River, spreading into the void and entering the ears of… a figure at the center of the faint vortex.
This figure was Chen Qingzi, who had walked here after leaving the Underworld Emperor Tomb.
But to his current self, perhaps the name Chen Qingzi was no longer important. Because he was… the Underworld Sect’s Heavenly Dao, as well as the new… Underworld Emperor!
He stood silently at one end of the vortex for a long time before sitting down cross-legged. Closing his eyes, his will spread out into the vortex toward… the world of the living on the other end.
In the Never-Ending Dao Domain of the living world, all the Star Domain Realm cultivators instantly trembled. No matter where they were, no matter what they were doing, they all felt a sense of unease rise up in their hearts.
At the same time, they seemed to hear a faint voice echoing in their ears…
“Starting today, reincarnation reappears. The magical laws shall be re-refined, and the natural laws shall be re-established. Life and death shall cycle as they ought. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…
“Those who establish alternate paths of reincarnation shall be killed!
“Those who try to escape their end shall be killed!
“Those who revive their souls in secret shall be killed!
“Those who disrespect the Dao of the Underworld shall be killed!”
These words were like the rumbling of heavenly thunder in the ears of all the Never-Ending Dao Domain’s Star Domain Realm Almighties. As soon as they rang out, the entire Dao Domain seemed to shake.
Before anyone could react, something happened in almost all of the myriad factions. A fish-shaped black cloud silently appeared over the factions’ headquarters, bringing with it heavenly lightning that represented death.
Although it was just lightning, its power was enough to shake the heavens and shatter the earth. That was because… it was retribution, retribution from the Dao of Heaven!
Retribution from the Underworld Sect’s Heavenly Dao!
In front of this retribution, even Star Domain Realm Almighties were helpless. Nothing could stand in its way; hidden spaces, physical barriers, and spell formations all shattered in an instant in the face of this retribution lightning. It was completely unabated as it struck its targets’ fleshly bodies and divine souls, leaving nothing behind as… it annihilated them completely!
Just as the voice had said… they were killed!
Everyone struck by the heavenly lightning had broken the voice’s rules. Either their lifespans had run out, but they managed to escape death; or they had been killed and later revived through the power of the Never-Ending Heavenly Dao.
In but a moment, thousands of Star Domain Realm cultivators perished. The fish-shaped black cloud that appeared all over the Never-Ending Dao Domain became the nightmare of countless cultivators, and clamors instantly broke out across the entire Never-Ending Dao Domain.
Vicious roars echoed from the void, and golden clouds in the shape of beetles suddenly appeared around the fish-shaped black clouds. These beetle-shaped golden clouds were the power of the Never-Ending Heavenly Dao, which instantly waged war against the power of the Underworld Sect’s Heavenly Dao!
As all the world broke out into an uproar, a massive fish cloud suddenly appeared in the Never-Ending Holy Region between the Left Dao and Unorthodox Holy Regions. Almost the entire range of the Never-Ending Clan’s territory fell under its shadow, and unprecedentedly powerful retribution lightning was brewing within.
There wasn’t just one bolt of lightning in this cloud. Countless bolts of retribution lightning struck out to execute the Never-Ending Clan members who had resurrected in this world. At the same time, even more lightning gathered, turning into a veritable river of lightning that streamed toward the depths of the Never-Ending Clan’s territory.
There, guarded by countless restrictions and spell formations, was an ultimate treasure forged by the Never-Ending Clan… the Never-Ending Reincarnation Cauldron!
This cauldron was green in color and seemed slightly illusory. It was the focal point that held all the dead souls of the entire Never-Ending Dao Domain. With this cauldron, everyone who died could be resurrected by the Never-Ending Clan!
As the rumbling river of lightning descended on the cauldron, roars instantly rang out from within the Never-Ending Clan.
“Chen Qingzi!”
“Bold!”
Several enraged Divine Emperors immediately appeared and tried to stop the lightning river. Indescribable booms reverberated as soon as they touched it, and the formidable Divine Emperors instantly coughed up blood and had to fall back.
Although they were injured, Divine Emperors were Almighties at the top of the stele world, after all. Using all their strength, they managed to halt the lightning river’s momentum, and it was about to dissipate without striking the cauldron.
But at that moment… a giant hand suddenly descended from the starry sky. Endless deathly aura erupted from this hand, and the whole world rumbled as it… reached down to take the Reincarnation Cauldron!
The speed and power of this hand seemed to surpass the limits of the myriad Daos of the universe. Even the Divine Emperors were shaken, and their expressions changed drastically as soon as the hand appeared.
That was because… the mysteries of Dao contained in this hand far exceeded what they could block. It was no longer on the level of a Divine Emperor. All they could do was watch as the hand closed in on their Reincarnation Cauldron.
Suddenly, a cold snort rang out from within the cauldron. A moment later… an elderly figure vaguely appeared on top of the cauldron, sitting cross-legged in meditation. Behind him, an endless sea of golden light shone, and the illusory figure of a golden beetle appeared. Normally, this Never-Ending Heavenly Dao was cold and vicious, but as it waited behind this elderly figure, it seemed like a well-behaved child. It was even trembling slightly, as if the man in front of it struck fear into its unfeeling heart.
After snorting coldly, the old man on the cauldron opened his eyes. He lifted a finger and poked out toward the incoming hand.
In an instant, rumbles spread through the void, and the starry sky shattered on a massive scale. The giant hand collapsed as soon as it touched the old man’s finger, but the finger… also turned blurry.
Seeing the destruction of the hand, the Never-Ending Clan cultivators in the surroundings all grew excited. Even the unruly and aloof Divine Emperors had eyes full of respect as they lowered their heads and bowed toward the old man sitting atop the Reincarnation Cauldron.
“Patriarch!”
This old man… was the founding ancestor and patriarch of the Never-Ending Clan, the one who led the Never-Ending Clan to rise up in rebellion and destroyed the Underworld Sect!
Patriarch Never-Ending didn’t pay the slightest attention to those people around him. Instead, he looked up at the starry sky, where the void was churning and a huge vortex was silently appearing. He could see that on the other end of this vortex, there was a figure sitting cross-legged, and behind that figure was a flowing river… the Underworld River.
“You cannot destroy the Never-Ending Reincarnation Cauldron today.” Patriarch Never-Ending slowly spoke, his ancient voice full of the vicissitudes of endless years.
“It’s fine if I don’t destroy the cauldron. From now on, any soul resurrected through the cauldron will be subject to retribution. This fact is already written into the magical laws of the stele world!” On the other side of the vortex, the Underworld Sect’s Heavenly Dao replied lightly.
After this exchange, the two figures fell into silence. They didn’t speak, and the confused and anxious cultivators nearby also didn’t dare to speak.
A while later, Patriarch Never-Ending suddenly smiled.
“Chen Qingzi, Allheaven has fallen, and the stele world has been sliced open by an outside cultivator. It’s currently extremely fragile, and the mission of your Underworld Sect is impossible to fulfill. You should already know that I am not the one your Underworld Sect has been searching for. Let me leave. This place… can be left to you.”
The Underworld Emperor on the other end of the vortex coldly replied in a calm voice.
“I refuse!”