The No.1 Undercover in the Immortal World-Chapter 461 - 451: Better to Be Dust, Than to Enter the Netherworld
Impermanence had heard the news of His awakening not long ago, but he was actually dubious about the words spoken by Lin Yun.
However, this time, he personally experienced His power.
Before falling into slumber, He had killed countless Divine Spirits, and there was a prophecy claiming that when He awoke again, it would mark the end of the world.
Impermanence immediately panicked, considering the theft of the Phantom of the Earth Scripture a trivial matter compared to His awakening.
It was at this moment that the space shattered again, the work of Lin Yun’s Heavenly Demon Tearing Hand, which widened the gap. Originally, Daoist Elder Yuxuan was trapped in the Netherland, unable to escape, but Lin Yun’s intervention gave him a glimmer of hope.
This truly was a situation where mountains and rivers seemed to leave no path, yet willows grew and flowers brightened to reveal another village ahead.
Stars sparkled around him, and Impermanence quickly realized that Yuxuan was planning to flee!
How dare such a tiny ant be so impudent!
He had no idea what relationship the man had with Him, but this person was very important and must not be allowed to leave!
The seizure of the Phantom of the Earth Scripture was just one of his crimes, but the most important thing was his connection with Him. Moreover, the Netherland was not a place where mortals could come and go as they pleased.
Impermanence pointed a finger towards Yuxuan, but Yuxuan’s body turned into specks of stardust, quickly dissipating.
"You’ve got some skill, but Divine Spirit’s power is not something you mortals can resist!"
Impermanence unleashed a mysterious and profound finger strike, a bizarre power that pursued Yuxuan through the world’s fissure.
This was a Divine Spell, Soul Hooking Finger.
Unlike spells used by mortals, which all have traces to follow, using either Divine Sense or Spiritual Power, their cast spell movements also have trajectories.
But the spells of Divine Spirits were different.
With this finger strike unleashed, no matter where Yuxuan was, he could not escape this finger. The power’s composition was not Spiritual Power or Divine Sense, but rather a rule.
As its name implied, Soul Hooking Finger was meant to hook the soul and seize the spirit; no matter where Yuxuan fled, his soul would be dragged back to the Netherland by Impermanence.
At this point, Yuxuan was unaware that, having employed the Art of Star Shifting, he had left the fissure and quickly escaped the Netherland, suddenly appearing before Lin Yun.
Seeing him in such a sorry state, Lin Yun hurried forward, ready to help.
It was then that a strange force penetrated the fissure, landing upon Yuxuan’s body.
Yuxuan’s face changed as he felt his soul being pulled, instantly understanding the effect of the spell.
After all, he had not escaped his fate.
It’s difficult to contradict Heavenly Mandate, today was indeed his day to die.
Yuxuan had foreseen his own death, but he had not expected to die in such a manner after all his struggles.
"Elder, are you alright?"
Lin Yun looked at the still-expanding fissure and Yuxuan, who had returned injured from it, at a loss for what to do.
Great Immortal, please tell me you know how to open a door but not how to close it, if you’re really going to screw me over like this, don’t blame me for running away!
Yuxuan shook his head, glanced at the spreading fissure behind him, and, enduring the pain in his body, mobilized the power of the stars, bridged Yin and Yang, and cast Black and White Qi.
The Black and White Qi, like threads, weaved through the fissure, stitching the rip slowly closed.
Using up his last bit of energy, Yuxuan finally repaired the fissure.
Boy, it wasn’t as big when I first went in!
With a thought, Yuxuan knew the reason.
The fissure was widened by Lin Yun, and it was precisely because he widened it that Yuxuan was able to escape the Netherland.
He was saved because of Lin Yun, yet due to Lin Yun’s actions, he used up all his strength; resisting Impermanence’s Soul Hooking Finger became very difficult.
At this very moment, Yuxuan couldn’t help but lament how fate toys with people.
As long as he was freed from the Netherland and comprehended the Earth Scripture, he might have reached a higher level, and even with the Soul Hooking Finger upon him, he could’ve resisted with his cultivation level.
But the spatial rift of the Netherland was too large; he had to repair it. If left unrepaired, the power of the Netherland would further destroy the world, accumulating more sins for him. Moreover, due to the existence of the fissure, the connection between Soul Hooking Finger and Impermanence became even tighter, making resistance all the more difficult.
However, the fissure was too large, and after repairing it he no longer had enough strength to combat the Soul Hooking Finger.
He was so close to breaking free from fate, missing by just a bit.
Alas, arm’s length was as distant as the ends of the earth.
Fate played him like a fiddle, inexorably cornering him step by step, forcing him to make the choice leading to death.
Yuxuan knew that he would die like this, but he no longer had a choice.
Now, at the end of his confrontation with his own fate, fate bared its fangs, and he had nowhere to run.
However, though he was about to die, he had preserved a Fire Seed of hope.
Yuxuan looked at Lin Yun with a complex gaze.
It was Lin Yun that led to both his salvation and his downfall; ultimately, he and Lin Yun had formed an indissoluble bond.
If that was the case...
"Take this."
Yuxuan took out a torn page from his bosom.
If there was anyone else who might have a chance to break the shackles of this world, that person would definitely be Lin Yun.
Today he lost to fate, but with his final move, he wasn’t seeking life for himself but planting a plot for Lin Yun to overcome fate.
He could lose, but the Human Race still had a future.
"What is this?"
Lin Yun held the torn page, somewhat puzzled.
"The object transformed by the projection of the Earth Scripture may perhaps contain the method to the true Great Dao."
"Why would such a precious thing be given to me?"
Lin Yun quickly stowed away the Phantom of the Earth Scripture, sensing its importance—it sounded like a treasure and surely must be significant, so he figured he would take it first and ask questions later.
Yuxuan: "..."
You couldn’t be any less polite, could you?
"The end of my days is nigh, and I can only entrust this item to you now. Hereafter, you must not let down my disciple."
Lin Yun: "..."
Daoist, you better not wrong me out of thin air, I haven’t done anything to your disciple!
But how could Yuxuan just vanish like that without warning?
With his departure, who else could possibly keep Wu Xin in check?
"Daoist, is there really no way you can save yourself?"
Lin Yun thought, if Yuxuan was affected by the miasma of the Netherland, perhaps he could cure him. After all, Lin Yun had walked this path unaffected, and under his aura, both Snowstep and Jiang Chenyu had remained safe and sound.
Maybe, he had a way to save him!
Yuxuan shook his head.
Heaven has decreed his death, and with Impermanence hooking his soul, even Lin Yun’s exceptional talent was not enough to challenge the gods.
"Don’t worry about me. After my death, the world will descend into chaos even faster. You need to survive, protect Zhen Li well, the hope of the Human Race now rests on your shoulders."
Lin Yun: "..."
Ah, is the elder Daoist starting the entrusted care mode now?
Lin Yun had never expected that, as a transmigrator, he’d somehow become the last hope of humanity. No, wait, Zhen Li too.
Elder, are you picking out a partner for your disciple?
Little did Lin Yun know, but as long as Yuxuan had a breath in him, he would never let Lin Yun take care of Zhen Li.
But after much consideration, Lin Yun was perhaps the only one who could indeed protect Zhen Li properly.
It was a choice made of necessity.
Lin Yun tried his best to have Xiao Qing heal Yuxuan, but still to no effect.
Yuxuan cast one last glance at the desolate Yuqing Mountain and Taiqing Mountain. Although he had succeeded in sealing the rift to the Netherland, its fleeting opening had inflicted an almost apocalyptic blow to both mountains.
What was once a fairyland had now turned into dead silence; vegetation withered, all was hushed, and the earth, eroded by the force of the Netherworld, could no longer nurture new life.
"In life, I roamed free and unrestrained, how can I be deceived by demon gods? Even as I return to dust and earth, I will not be taken by the Netherworld!"
Having said this, Yuxuan laughed thrice, marking the last sounds he would make in the mortal realm. His body vaporized into a wisp of blue smoke that ascended. As the smoke rose, it drew spiritual power toward itself, and upon reaching the high skies, it had formed into a vast expanse of azure clouds.
Once the clouds had formed, a rejuvenating rain began to fall. The rain, rich with spiritual energy, poured over the tainted mountains, quickly dispersing the dark qi. The dead trees, under the cascade of the rain, sprouted new buds, and the yellowed grass on the ground regained its green hue.
The vitality of Yuqing Mountain and Shangqing Mountain returned once more.
In the rain, Lin Yun picked up the clothing left behind by the elder Daoist, his emotions quite mixed.
Jiang Chenyu had remained silent before, but upon witnessing Yuxuan’s actions and his transformation into life-giving rain restoring the mountains, she too was deeply moved.
Both were leaders of the Righteous Path, Daoist Elder Yuxuan was revered and fought for the Human Race all his life, while Fang Yu was upright and just, dedicating his life to supporting righteousness.
It seemed only she, at first, had acted for herself and her Sect, and now seemed useless like a salted fish.
Compared to these noble cultivators, Jiang Chenyu suddenly felt her life lacked meaning.
What was the use of living a thousand years?
After this life passed, it was unlikely anyone would remember her deeds. What difference was there between a lifespan of a thousand years and a hundred?
For the first time, Jiang Chenyu began to contemplate the meaning of her own life.
Snowstep looked at the two of them as if they were fools—are they unaware that they could have sought shelter from such heavy rain?
"We should leave now."
Lin Yun did not dwell too long in complicated emotions. He called to Jiang Chenyu, equally immersed in her thoughts, and prepared to leave Yuqing Mountain.
The death of a rabbit grieves the fox—that is a common human sentiment.
But to wallow in sorrow is not advisable. Those who are still alive should think carefully about how to proceed.
Yuxuan had made it very clear before his death that the world would descend further into chaos without him.
Without the restraint of a supreme powerhouse, it was unpredictable what the other top powerhouses would do.
Lin Yun also needed to consider a more pressing issue: Wu Xin’s vengeance. Without Yuxuan, who had transcended the Defiant Heavenly Realm to keep him in check, who could possibly stand against Wu Xin?
The elder Daoist had said it: he and Zhen Li were now the Human Race’s last hope.
Does that mean Zhen Li has something special about her too?
"Let’s go find Zhen Li."
Lin Yun turned his horse around, blowing Dongfang Hongyue’s whistle again.
As the whistle sounded, Lin Yun inexplicably felt as if he had signed himself up for a huge ordeal.
Wasn’t Dongfang Hongyue just angry a moment ago?
