Chapter 135 - 135: The Immortal Sovereign of the Netherworld, The Source of Darkness!
As Hong Feng swallowed the strange wooden carving, Lu Xuan sensed a mysterious force descending, transforming Hong Feng into that monstrous form.
“Yes, Senior,” He Zhao complied, stepping back.
Lu Xuan activated his power, slightly intervening. The human-faced beast’s body exploded, turning into a bloody mess. At the moment of its death, a faint light tried to escape from the creature but was captured by a hand of spiritual energy.
“You can go back on your own, right?” Lu Xuan asked He Zhao.
“No problem, Senior,” He Zhao replied. Now a Conviction warrior with the power of the Prison-Taming Scripture, he was more than capable of handling risks.
“Good,” Lu Xuan nodded, releasing the captured spirit and following He Zhao back.
In the boundless darkness, a remnant soul chased by a wooden puppet, controlled by Lu Xuan, fled. Lu Xuan realized that this remnant soul was summoned by some power and was being drawn to a specific destination.
The soul journeyed through dry riverbeds, desolate deserts, and over mountain ranges. After an indeterminate amount of time, a colossal corpse appeared in the deepest part of the darkness.
Lu Xuan, observing the immense body, felt his heart sink. It was a divine corpse, exuding a terrifying pressure despite being dead for an unknown number of years. A massive wound almost decapitated the corpse, with dark blood dripping from it. This divine blood transformed into thick black mist upon touching the ground, from which Nightmare Demons and Evil Spirits were born.
This corpse was the source of the dark forces in the Dream Ruins World. Dark mist swirled around the corpse, pulsating like a breathing organism, absorbing souls that came near it into the divine body.
After pondering for a moment, Lu Xuan released a spark of light from the wooden puppet, which entered the brow of the divine corpse.
Returning to the physical world, Lu Xuan’s expression became troubled as he uncovered the identity of the corpse. It was the “Immortal Sovereign of the Netherworld.” After the fall of the Great Dream Sovereign, the Netherworld Sovereign had forcibly entered the Dream Ruins World but was slain by the traps left by the former.
From the residual memories of the Netherworld Sovereign, Lu Xuan learned that the Great Dream Sovereign and the Netherworld Sovereign were once close friends, much like Yi Changqing and Yan Feiyu. However, a rift had developed between them for some reason.
The Netherworld Sovereign knew about a secret hidden by the Dream Sovereign in the Dream Ruins World and sought to claim it. But the gap in power between the two was too vast. Even after the death of the Dream
Sovereign, the defenses in the Dream Ruins World were enough to slay the Netherworld Sovereign.
“But this was all part of the Netherworld Sovereign’s plan,” Lu Xuan thought, looking at the giant divine corpse. The corpse, surrounded by a pulsating mist, had turned into a source of darkness after its death.
For countless millennia, the power of the Netherworld Sovereign had spread, corrupting almost ninety-nine percent of the Dream Ruins World. Only Dream Ruins City remained uncorrupted.
“If Dream Ruins City falls, this existence would surely refine the entire Dream Ruins World and resurrect itself from within the divine body, ” Lu Xuan realized.
According to the original plan of the Netherworld Sovereign, this could have been successful. But now…
Lu Xuan leaped near the head of the Netherworld Sovereign. Spiritual hands emerged, gripping the divine corpse’s head. The hands, swirling with the power of laws, completely severed the last connection between the head and the body.
The Netherworld Sovereign’s head was twisted off by Lu Xuan. The body shuddered, and the surrounding mist dissipated. Along with it, the unformed soul of the Netherworld Sovereign vanished.
In the distance, the remnant souls and spirits attracted by the divine corpse lost their target and aimlessly wandered. In a short time, these remnants would completely fade away.
After eliminating the source of corruption, Lu Xuan surveyed the surroundings. The darkness still lingered, but he could clearly feel it weakening and dissipating. The natural laws of the Dream Ruins World were in motion, and the tainted land began to purify itself. Without the Netherworld Sovereign’s influence, the remaining dark forces could no longer compete with the world’s natural energy.
“Anyway, the issues in Dream Ruins City have been resolved,” Lu Xuan thought, as he shrank and sealed the divine corpse. However, the reason why the Great Dream Sovereign created this world remained unknown.
“The Great Dream Sovereign, who entered the Dao through dreams, had profound and penetrating cultivation. It’s said that she could glimpse the future through dreams,” Lu Xuan mused. He wasn’t in a hurry to uncover the secrets: “By resolving the source of pollution, I’ve set Dream Ruins City back on its original path. The secrets of this world will reveal themselves when the time is right.”
He had taken He Zhao under his wing partly out of fondness and also as a strategic move. Should any changes occur in Dream Ruins City, he would have someone to inform him.
After completing these tasks, Lu Xuan severed the connection with his wooden puppet and retracted his spiritual projection.
In the Imperial Palace of the Demon Immortal Nation, Lu Xuan lay in bed the next morning, looking at Cheng Lingzhu who was beside him.
“Is it over just like that?” Cheng Lingzhu asked, blinking curiously. It was the morning after Lu Xuan had ventured into the Dream Ruins World, almost twelve hours ago. Since his real body remained in the Demon Immortal Nation, he could multitask without impacting his regular life. Cheng Lingzhu had been watching the live stream of his experiences in the Dream Ruins World for the entire duration.
“What do you mean ‘is it over’?” Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow. “I did a lot of significant things.”
“I went into the Dream Ruins, dealt with Ru Shou, secured Nangong Xuan’s position, guided a simple young man, changing his tragic fate, and planted a spy in the Immortal Tomb. At the edge of darkness, I sent off the Netherworld Sovereign, solving the problems faced by the Dream Ruins World. This is a world-saving feat. And by saving the Dream Ruins World, I’ve established a karmic connection with the Great Dream Sovereign. I suspect this will lead to further developments.”
Lu Xuan was always lenient with himself. Any of these achievements would have made the trip worthwhile, but he had completed all of them within twenty-four hours. The rest would have to wait for the next update.
Cheng Lingzhu was convinced by his explanation. “It’s time for breakfast. Let’s go out and eat,” Lu Xuan suggested.
“Don’t we have food prepared here in the palace?” Cheng Lingzhu curled up, reluctant to leave the bed. “Why suddenly go out?”
“Ye Banzhuang likes sweets too much. The royal kitchen’s food really isn’t to my taste. Let’s go, we can also take a stroll,” Lu Xuan stood up and picked Cheng Lingzhu up.
Ye Banzhuang’s fondness for sweets, be it in her work or personal life, included an abundance of desserts and sweets. Such a preference might concern a mortal about health issues, but Ye Banzhuang’s cultivation level rendered these concerns irrelevant.
“Alright,” Cheng Lingzhu agreed with his reasoning.
Sitting on the edge of the bed with Cheng Lingzhu in his arms, embracing each other, she gently rocked back and forth. Being held like this made her suddenly even less inclined to leave the bed, Cheng Lingzhu thought to herself..