Chapter Two: Heaven’s Tribulation Unyielding, The Underworld’s Path Awaits

In the underground cavern.

The cloaked figures were somewhat puzzled.

Once the Soul-Seizing Divine Light is unleashed, it should absorb the scattered souls and battle spirits within the Spirit-Gathering Formation into the Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag. The scattered souls naturally become nourishment and raw material, while the battle spirits enter the Nine Nether Mysterious Pool, where they are purified before being forged into Daoist weapons.

But now, no souls were entering the Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag at all.

“Ten-Thousand Ghosts, obey! All ten thousand souls, seize them now!” the nine men shouted in unison once more.

Black wisps of smoke still seeped from the flag’s surface, seemingly endless. The three-zhang-tall flagpole slowly rose, as if about to lift off from the altar.

The leader of the black-robed men broke out in sweat.

Normally, when activating the Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag to unleash the Soul-Seizing Divine Light, the appearance of black mist is expected—that black mist is the Nine Nether Mysterious Energy within the flag, a forbidden power. Since these disciples had yet to master their cultivation, they could not directly manifest the Soul-Seizing Divine Light, only drive the flag’s power to do so.

Once the Soul-Seizing Divine Light is out, the next step should be to draw in the battle spirits and fragmented souls, enhancing the flag, not to continue consuming the flag’s energy like this.

Who was intercepting the Soul-Seizing Divine Light of the Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag? And judging by these signs, it seemed they intended to seize the entire flag as well.

Could it be a True Immortal with a primordial spirit intervening?

Without delay, the black-robed man issued a command. The others bit their tongues, spitting blood onto the altar to stimulate their magical power.

“Ten-Thousand Ghosts, obey! All ten thousand souls, seize them! Open the path to the Nine Nether, summon the Yellow Springs, come! Come! Come!”

Countless skulls forming the Nine Nether Altar simultaneously opened their jaws, emitting mournful wails.

At the very center of the altar, the skull that served as the base of the Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag—a skull as large as a water jar—shed a few pale yellow tears from its hollow eye sockets.

The pale yellow tears turned into a thick fog upon contact with the air, enveloping the base of the Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag at the altar’s heart, dense and lingering.

The nine black-robed men all stepped back.

This was the Yellow Springs water transformed into malevolent qi; even the slightest contact could randomly erase portions of a cultivator’s memory.

For ordinary people, this might not be significant, but for cultivators, losing memory of how to operate magical power could be disastrous. If one suddenly forgot the next step in their magical technique mid-flow, it was no simple matter to abandon halfway.

Each of the twelve Ten-Thousand Ghost Flags was a nearly perfected magical artifact, only one step away from becoming a true treasure with spiritual intelligence.

Moreover, under the stimulation of the Nine Nether Altar, the Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag connected to the Nine Nether Yellow Springs, its power limitless. Even if a True Immortal sought to seize it, they could not match the flag’s power linked to the Yellow Springs.

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So cold—chilling to the bone, then penetrating the soul itself.

At the extreme limit of cold, warmth is born.

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Though the cold pierced to the bone, once it reached the soul, it transformed into a gentle, warming stream, flowing from the soul back into the body.

Though darkness remained all around, a strange icy energy coursed endlessly from the head and feet into the body, reaching the soul, then flowing out in an indescribable manner, transmuting into flesh and blood.

This sensation was intoxicating, filling one with vitality.

Every inch of flesh and blood brimmed with willpower, as if with a mere thought, the flesh could transform back into energy and merge with the soul.

To the traveler of worlds, the relationship between soul, energy, will, and matter had never been so clear.

This time, the traveler was no longer a mere observer.

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“What’s really happening? That person isn’t making a move?”

In the cavern, a black-robed man’s eyes reddened with blood as he spoke with difficulty.

Driving a near-perfect magical artifact on the verge of transcendence was no easy task, even with the combined strength of the Nine Nether Altar and the nine men.

Now, to prevent the Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag from being seized, they activated the Nine Nether Altar and drew Yellow Springs water. Though this stabilized the flag, it also made it wild and uncontrollable.

Yet the supposed master attempting to seize the flag showed no sign of action, forcing them to fully exert themselves to suppress the flag’s rampage.

“The Yin Wind Spirit-Gathering Formation is functioning normally.”

If anyone intended to attack them, the first move would be to disrupt the Yin Wind Spirit-Gathering Formation. As the formation’s core, the Nine Nether Altar would certainly respond.

“What should we do?”

“Summon the Yin Celestial Talisman to suppress the Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag.”

“What about the battle spirits?”

“If the Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag falls, we’ll all be buried without a trace. Battle spirits won’t matter then.”

“If we’re going to summon the Yin Celestial Talisman, do it quickly—I can’t hold on much longer.”

“After fifteen moments, everyone release the flag and invoke the Yin Celestial Talisman.”

Outside on the surface,

The black clouds formed from the Yin spirits converged into a dark mist, merging with the Soul-Seizing Divine Light of the Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag, drawing it downward toward the earth.

Far above, real storm clouds gathered from all directions, countless bolts of lightning flickering like slithering spiritual serpents within the clouds.

Beneath the ground, in the cavern.

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A dark scroll unfurled in midair. The nine black-robed men chanted in unison, “Open the Nine Nether Gate, Yin Celestial’s command—All things of Yin nature, obey—”

Before the incantation could be completed, a thunderclap rang out. A lightning bolt tore through space, striking the Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag directly.

“Lightning Tribulation!”

“Impossible! How can there be a lightning tribulation!”

“This is bad! The Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag is undergoing tribulation! Senior Brother, retract the Yin Celestial Talisman quickly, or—”

“There’s no time! Everyone, flee!”

“Boom!”

That lightning strike was just the prelude. In the next instant, myriad bolts of lightning cascaded down from the cavern’s ceiling, like waterfalls and seas of lightning, threatening to drown the entire cavern.

Above, the floating Yin Celestial Talisman displayed a semi-transparent projection.

The figure wore a robe embroidered with mountains, rivers, and great landscapes, crowned with the Sun-Moon Heaven Diadem. Twelve jeweled tassels adorned the crown, each a five-colored sacred jade bead, radiating majesty far beyond any earthly emperor.

The projection slowly opened its eyes, about to speak, but then saw the cavern transform into a thunder pool as countless bolts of lightning abandoned the Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag and surged toward it like a tidal wave.

The projection cast a fierce glare at the nine black-robed men, then vanished without a trace.

Only the talisman remained, engulfed by lightning, reduced to ashes within moments.

The nine black-robed men were left powerless—this was clearly the grudge of the founder’s founder!

An obvious act of sabotage.

But at this life-or-death moment, they had no time to think of consequences. Each activated their escape techniques.

Magical power surged recklessly, but beneath the overwhelming lightning, all Yin-natured power dissipated instantly like snow in boiling water. Escape techniques could not be employed; they could only watch helplessly as lightning engulfed them.

In his final moments, the black-robed leader saw the Nine Nether Altar explode, forming a black hole in the air.

The Ten-Thousand Ghost Flag transformed into a streak of black light, plunging into the black hole. Then, a pure yellow, jade-like mysterious water gushed out—the legendary True Yellow Springs Water.

Lightning cascaded down like a waterfall, while the Yellow Springs water surged upward.

The cavern shattered, the ground above collapsing.