Chapter 1512: The Netherworld

The heavens and earth shook violently, with thunderous rumbles echoing nonstop. Crowds of people filled the sky and ground, all gazing at the vast expanse ahead.

That land was pitch-black, stretching endlessly, with mountains, rivers, and valleys, yet it was utterly desolate and lifeless. No creatures stirred, devoid of any vitality, shrouded in a dry, cold gloom and an ancient mystery.

Occasionally, faint winds would blow from within, weak and subtle, yet they sent chills down one's spine, as if those wisps carried the dead energy of Jiu You, laced with ancient resentment.

This was the Nan Yu Mingtu, the notoriously dangerous forbidden zone, one of the five great forbidden zones of the Xuan Huang Da Lu, alongside Dong Huang's Lian Yu, Xi Mo's Wang Chuan, Bei Yue's Huang Quan, and Zhong Zhou's Tian Xu.

Much like Dong Huang's Lian Yu, this Mingtu was extremely strange, akin to the underworld itself. Deep within, there were always wails and roars—sounds of sorrow, anger, and confusion—that made listeners feel disoriented, as if it were a burial ground for the gods, ancient beyond the bounds of time.

What a twist of fate: Kunpeng Laozu had struck Ye Chen directly into the Mingtu forbidden zone with one palm.

Hundreds of thousands of cultivators, nine Zhun Di, and countless Da Sheng and Sheng Wang stood only at the periphery, not daring to set foot inside. They stared intently, their eyes filled with wariness.

As a forbidden zone, it was a place of great peril, with a fearsome reputation that dated back to ancient times—once you entered, there was no return. It was too bizarre, even making Zhun Di hesitate to venture in lightly.

"This is absurd." At the edge of the crowd, Xiao Yuan Huang and Kui Niu, cloaked in black robes, had hurried over. Seeing it was the Mingtu forbidden zone, their faces changed; it was a land of death.

"Being inside might be better than outside. With nine Zhun Di waiting, if he comes out, it's certain death." Di Wu Xiong murmured, his expression extremely grim, well aware of Mingtu's notorious danger.

"The Sheng Ti is done for this time." Cultivators from all sides sighed. "The Nan Yu has been thrown into chaos because of him time and again, and now he's wanted by all races. He's doomed no matter what."

"Even in death, he's earned supreme honor for drawing nine Zhun Di here personally."

"Kunpeng, your aim was spot-on!" The Jinwu Clan elder glanced sideways at Kunpeng Laozu. "Out of all directions, you had to choose this one. Didn't you know there's a forbidden zone here?"

"What's this? Are we going in or not? Your palm was quite the blunder." Ba Qi Laozu and Feng Diao Laozu both sneered mockingly. Among all the attacks in this siege, yours was the most effective.

"Forbidden zone or not, I fear nothing." Kunpeng Laozu snorted coldly and immediately raised his hand, summoning a divine ability to form a massive illusory hand, reaching into Mingtu to grab Ye Chen.

However, as soon as his illusory hand entered, before it could touch Ye Chen, it was dissolved by a mysterious force from Mingtu, vanishing without a trace—it was eerily strange.

Kunpeng Laozu frowned and then sacrificed an iron chain, thrusting it into Mingtu to bind Ye Chen and pull him out. But as soon as the chain entered, it inexplicably drooped down, leaving Ye Chen untouched in a bizarre manner.

In Mingtu, Ye Chen's Yuan Shen flickered as he opened his eyes. In his dazed vision, he saw a dim sky, like nighttime without stars, pitch-black as if in hell.

"Am I dead?" he murmured softly, feeling his whole body ice-cold with gusts of chilling wind.

"Dead? Nonsense, you're still alive." Yan Long roared from within the cauldron. "This is Mingtu."

"Mingtu? A forbidden zone?" Ye Chen was stunned and instinctively scanned his surroundings. As he looked, he spotted the throngs of people outside the zone, all staring at him with wide eyes.

"Now you see why they don't dare come in." Yan Long said. "They're all afraid."

"I'm afraid too." Ye Chen shivered, pulling his Sheng Ti out from the great cauldron. His Yuan Shen state felt too vulnerable; returning to his physical body brought warmth. Yes, it was indeed warmer.

"This isn't a good place at all. I'm ready to go down with you."

"I can tell." Ye Chen shuddered again, glancing around. Though his Xian Yan was sealed, his vision was still functional, yet he couldn't see through it—a mysterious force obscured Mingtu.

Vaguely, he could make out ancient palaces in the depths, resembling Sen Luo Hall, along with coffins placed about, numerous withered bones half-buried in the soil, and faint, ghostly figures shimmering in and out of view.

It truly was Mingtu, just like hell. Standing on that dark land, his body had no warmth at all, as if he'd fallen into Jiu You, where he might be dragged to Sen Luo Hall and laid in a coffin at any moment.

"It's suppressing my cultivation too." Ye Chen muttered to himself. Once inside Mingtu, he was like an ordinary person, with no cultivation base and his Fa Li concealed into nothingness, all dissipated by the mysterious force.

"Come out on your own, and I'll grant you a quick death." As Ye Chen murmured, a distant voice echoed from outside Mingtu, laced with supreme authority—it was Kunpeng Laozu, staring at him intently.

"Want to catch me? Come in and try." Ye Chen sneered. Though that earlier palm had left his head buzzing, he could still clearly see one thing: the people outside didn't dare enter.

Kunpeng Laozu's old eyes narrowed, flashing with cold light. Though furious, he didn't step into Mingtu. As an ancestral figure, how could he be unaware of its fearsome reputation? It was a genuine forbidden land.

Even at the edge, he wouldn't risk it lightly—it was just too strange.

Though he wouldn't go in, he turned to three Da Sheng nearby. "You three, go fetch him out."

"But that's a forbidden zone." The three Da Sheng trembled, their faces paling. They were from other races, not Kunpeng's clan. His meaning was clear: he wanted them to take the risk for him.

"Go now." Seeing them hesitate, Kunpeng Laozu exuded his authority, his gaze saying it all: Go in, and I won't trouble you further; refuse, and you'll die right here.

"Alright, we'll go." The three Da Sheng, though furious, didn't dare retort. He was a Zhun Di and could extinguish them anytime. It was blatant bullying, but they had no choice.

Facing the forbidden zone, even Zhun Di were cautious, let alone these three Da Sheng. Before stepping in, they tied iron chains around themselves for those behind to hold, ready to pull them back if anything went wrong.

After that, still uneasy, they sacrificed their natal magical tools and various protective secret arts.

Only then did they shakily take their first steps, hearts pounding and faces ashen.

But before their feet could land, they suddenly heard Ye Chen let out a thunderous roar.

His roar startled everyone outside, making them jolt, and the three Da Sheng fumbled in panic, eyes wide, wondering what Ye Chen was shouting about.

"Who are you? Stay back!" Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Ye Chen roared again, staring fearfully in one direction. His eyes bulged, pupils contracted, filled with terror, as if he'd seen something horrifying. He stumbled backward and collapsed on the ground.

The people outside were baffled and looked in the direction Ye Chen was staring, but saw nothing.

The fact that there was nothing made it all the more frightening, sending chills down their spines.

Ah! As everyone puzzled over it, another wail came from Ye Chen, sharp and anguished.

When they looked again, Ye Chen was already bleeding from all seven orifices, sprawled on the ground, his body drenched in blood. Those present had seen death before, but dying like this was gruesomely vivid.

"Old Seven!" From the crowd, Xiao Yuan Huang moved to rush in but was held back by Kui Niu and the others. If even Ye Chen ended up like that, going in would likely be worse for him.

"Stay put, I'm fine." Ye Chen winked at Xiao Yuan Huang and the rest.

"Playing dead?" Xiao Yuan Huang and Kui Niu exchanged glances, their mouths twitching. Your talent for bluffing is unmatched, and your skill at feigning the supernatural is equally legendary!

They knew exactly what Ye Chen was up to—he was trying to scare off the surrounding crowd.

As for the bleeding and blood-soaked appearance, it was all self-inflicted, of course.

To make it convincing, Ye Chen had even used dead energy to mask his Yuan Shen fire, creating the illusion of death. With Mingtu's chilling winds swirling, even Zhun Di couldn't see through the deception.

They might know, but others believed it completely. Seeing Ye Chen's horrific death, they couldn't help but gasp. "What did Ye Chen see? Who killed him?"

"A perfectly fine person turned into a bloody mess right before our eyes. Mingtu is terrifying."

"Did you see clearly?" Kunpeng Laozu transmitted to the other eight Zhun Di, their eyes narrowed into slits. Even with their Zhun Di cultivation, they couldn't unravel the strangeness.

"No warning at all—truly bizarre. What happened?" Jinwu Laozu pondered.

"There must be something in Mingtu we can't see." The other Zhun Di chimed in.

"You three, go in and bring him out." Kunpeng Laozu fixed his gaze on the three Da Sheng again.