Zhang Ruochen, a sword cultivator of profound realm, shared a unique bond with swords. He could distinctly sense the sharp sword path fluctuations emanating from the six holy swords.
Those fluctuations revealed their extraordinary quality—far surpassing even Ten-Yao Wanwen Holy Artefacts.
Peering into the distance, Zhang Ruochen saw a blood cocoon suppressed beneath the six holy swords.
The cocoon, roughly ten zhang in diameter, was woven from countless blood-red threads.
These threads draped downward, spreading across the ground, staining an area dozens of li in radius an eerie red.
Suddenly, a human face emerged from the cocoon, hair dishevelled, flashing Zhang Ruochen a sinister smile.
“What is that?”
A sharp pain stabbed Zhang Ruochen’s eyes, his body trembling. Dizziness overwhelmed him, his head heavy and feet unsteady.
Before coming here, Bao Lie had warned him: either the seal of the six holy swords had weakened, or the Nether King had grown stronger. The Nether King’s spiritual power and soul force could now escape, reaching a thousand li outward, affecting cultivators within that range to varying degrees.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen and Bao Lie stood approximately a thousand li from the Nether King—a distance that should have been safe.
Realising he was under attack by the Nether King’s spiritual will, Zhang Ruochen swiftly drew spiritual power from his saint heart, forming a defensive domain.
“Zhang Ruochen, you’re the son of the Blood Empress, a member of the Undying Blood Clan. Why fear or resist me? That shouldn’t be.”
A voice rang out, and a handsome figure appeared before Zhang Ruochen.
Clad in translucent blood-red armour, he had long arms, sharply defined features, and bright eyes. An aura of otherworldly grace flowed naturally from him—less a bloodthirsty demon, more a banished immortal walking the mortal realm.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Bao Lie beside him. A rustling sound filled his ears as Bao Lie’s form dissolved like flowing sand.
In this desolate world, only he and the imposing man before him remained.
“Who are you? How do you know I’m the Blood Empress’s son?”
Zhang Ruochen summoned the Azure Sky Pagoda, cradling it in his right palm, intent on unleashing its supreme power. But his holy qi felt frozen, unmovable—a shocking realisation.
“By the Kunlun Realm cultivators’ naming, I suppose I’d be called the Nether King.”
“The Nether King? Impossible!”
Zhang Ruochen looked toward the sword mountain formed by the six holy swords. It had collapsed, the swords broken, the surrounding space shattered.
The Nether King gazed at Zhang Ruochen with a smile. “I can see into your heart, so I know you’re my sister, the Blood Empress’s, descendant. By that reckoning, you should call me Uncle.”
“You can see into my heart? But even I’m not certain if the Blood Empress is truly my mother. Wait—what did you say? You’re her brother?”
Zhang Ruochen’s emotions churned, impossible to calm.
Kunlun Realm’s records and texts had never mentioned any connection between the Nether King and the Blood Empress. How could two beings separated by ten thousand years be siblings?
The Nether King’s gaze carried an undeniable authority. He nodded gently. “At my level of cultivation, there’s no need to deceive a junior like you.”
He continued, “I can see what you’ve endured these years. That god of the Kunlun Realm killed you once, forcing you to flee far from home. You share a blood feud with her, yet you lack the power to take revenge.”
“Call me Uncle, and I’ll help you kill her. Or I can strip her of her cultivation and leave her to your judgment.”
Zhang Ruochen laughed, shaking his head. “Our grudge doesn’t need outside interference. If I’m to kill her, it’ll be by my own hand. Why would I beg a demon of the Undying Blood Clan for help? You’re trying to sway me, but you’ve picked the wrong target.”
The Nether King smiled faintly, as if truly peering into Zhang Ruochen’s soul. “You call the Undying Blood Clan demons, yet deep down, you despise the Heavenly Court even more. You’re profoundly disappointed in them.”
“If so, why not join the Hell Realm and become one of the Undying Blood Clan? You’d no longer need to restrain yourself—slaughter the Heavenly Court’s foes to your heart’s content, drink their blood, take them as slaves. Wouldn’t that be exhilarating?”
“Zhang Ruochen, Kunlun Realm holds nothing worth clinging to. Come with me to the Hell Realm. There, you’ll gain unrivalled power and authority.”
“If you want revenge on Empress Chi Yao, your Uncle can aid you—the entire Undying Blood Clan can aid you.”
Zhang Ruochen stared coldly at the Nether King. “I may be disillusioned with the Heavenly Court and crave vengeance against Chi Yao, but those aren’t weaknesses for you to exploit. Underestimating my resolve is your mistake.”
His gaze sharpened abruptly. Clenching the Azure Sky Pagoda, he strode forward with steady steps, charging at the Nether King.
The Nether King stood calmly, chuckling. “With your current cultivation, you can’t harm me. Why seek your own doom? Know this: even a Nether King has his dignity, not to be trifled with by any cultivator.”
His smile faded, replaced by a chilling coldness and an overbearing aura that towered above all.
His form grew colossal, the sky above turning blood-red, the ground beneath cracking apart.
Faced with the Nether King’s holy path might, any being short of a Great Saint would likely be paralysed with fear.
Yet Zhang Ruochen gritted his teeth, leapt into the air, and swung the Azure Sky Pagoda down at him.
The Nether King raised a hand vast enough to blot out the sky, pressing down on Zhang Ruochen like he was crushing an ant.
Just as Zhang Ruochen thought death was certain, he pierced through the Nether King’s palm, striking his body with the pagoda and shattering it apart.
The suffocating holy might vanished.
“Thud.”
Zhang Ruochen landed, gasping for breath.
Looking up, he saw the blood-red world he’d struck had fractured, like a torn sheet of paper.
Reality reasserted itself.
The sword mountain of six holy swords still stood on the horizon, suppressing the blood cocoon.
“Junior Brother, were you attacked by the Nether King’s spiritual will?” Bao Lie asked, concern in his voice.
Zhang Ruochen had no time to explain. “The Nether King’s spiritual will can reach farther now! This place is dangerous—we need to retreat.”
Before they could withdraw far, a piercing sonic wave erupted from the ground, shaking the entire space.
The sound grew nearer, rapidly closing in on Zhang Ruochen and Bao Lie.
“It’s that monster—it’s back!”
Bao Lie stepped in front of Zhang Ruochen, hands clasped at his abdomen. His belly swelled, glowing with radiant holy light, as if a star burned within.
“Roar!”
Ripples of sonic waves burst from Bao Lie’s mouth.
The earth peeled away layer by layer, rocks and soil flying, spreading from Bao Lie’s feet to a thousand li out. Only near the sword mountain did the sword qi shred the waves into nothingness.
About a dozen li from Zhang Ruochen and Bao Lie, the monster—covered in white threads—was jolted from the ground by the sonic blast.
Zhang Ruochen finally saw clearly: those thousands-of-zhang-long white threads were strands of hair. Beneath them hung a gaunt, aged body, wrinkled and gnarled, its face twisted in ferocity, eyes blood-red.
Recognising the monster’s face, Zhang Ruochen said, “It’s indeed Shi Mingyuan.”
He and Bao Lie retreated swiftly, the monster in relentless pursuit.
They lured it thousands of li from the sword mountain before exchanging a glance and halting.
Bao Lie raised the golden spear, unleashing its full Seven-Yao power. Golden holy energy waves flooded out, turning the world into a sea of gold.
“Rumble.”
Using the spear like a staff, he struck downward.
The golden spear became a pillar reaching the heavens, crashing onto the monster and sending it flying back with a shrill scream.
Zhang Ruochen had already shifted spatially, appearing behind the monster to block its retreat. Holding the Azure Sky Pagoda, he readied its supreme power for a devastating blow.
Bao Lie’s cultivation was profound, his combat prowess immense. Each spear strike collapsed swathes of earth.
Yet the monster was formidable, inscribing runes to counter Bao Lie’s attacks.
“Junior Brother, it’s no use—we can’t dispel the evil qi in its body. It’s been controlled by the Nether King’s mind and poisoned by his blood,” Bao Lie said.
Zhang Ruochen frowned. “Then we’ll suppress it first, take it out of the Nether Dungeon, and find a way to detoxify it and purge the evil will later.”
“Agreed.”
Bao Lie unleashed his Dao Domain without holding back.
Solid as a fortress, the domain ensnared the monster, preventing escape and slowing its movements.
“Boom.”
The golden spear struck the monster’s back, hurling it into the air once more.
Simultaneously, Zhang Ruochen, waiting in ambush, unleashed the Azure Sky Pagoda, drawing the monster inside and suppressing it.
“Rargh!”
The pagoda trembled, shrill roars echoing from within.
From the direction of the six holy swords, a distant voice resounded: “Well done, Ruochen. You didn’t disappoint me. We’ll meet again—I hope by then, we’re not enemies.”
“What does he mean?” Bao Lie asked, puzzled.
“Ignore him.”
Bao Lie’s face grew grave. “The Nether King’s spiritual will has grown stronger, reaching over a thousand li. One day, he might break the seal and escape the Nether Dungeon.”
“I’m more worried the Undying Blood Clan will infiltrate the dungeon and help him escape early. With his current power, he might not even need the six child swords as keys. If someone delivers a supreme holy artefact to him, he could shatter the seal,” Zhang Ruochen said, his concern deeper than Bao Lie’s.
…
Half a day later, Zhang Ruochen, Shi Qiankun, Shi Ren, Bao Lie, and Bao Xinghun emerged from the Nether Dungeon, reuniting with Ji Fanxin and the others waiting outside before returning together to the Prison-Suppressing Ancient Clan.
