novelraw Chapter 101 : Lord of the Nether (Two-in-One)
Chapter 101 : Lord of the Nether (Two-in-One)
Chapter 101: Lord of the Nether (Two-in-One)
Dao Sect.
All the cultivators stood on guard, gazing solemnly at the sky.
They had already been standing here for three days. The aura surrounding them was growing stronger by the hour, as if the moment Jiang Jiayi gave the command, another great purging of demons under heaven would begin.
The azure sky was still shrouded in pitch-black darkness. They had all seen the scene of the Sect Master raising her sword and charging into the Outer Heavens.
No one found this strange at all.
From Daoist Chang’an to the current Sect Master of the Dao Sect, for two generations now, it had already become tradition for the Sect Master to rush into the heavens to battle some unknown existence.
“The sky... seems... brighter?”
Someone spoke.
The originally thundercloud-covered, pitch-black sky seemed to be torn open by a slit. Then, light shone through, and the world was suddenly filled with brightness.
Jiang Jiayi’s voice came from afar: “All is well for today. Fellow Daoists, continue to temper yourselves and advance your cultivation realms.”
“Yes.”
The disciples of the Dao Sect all let out a sigh of relief. Nothing happening was naturally the best outcome. Otherwise, they would be endlessly busy, which was not good for their secluded cultivation.
Jiang Jiayi said nothing more. Her expression revealed little, though her smooth, delicate brows carried a hint of concern.
She soon arrived at the foot of the Heavenly Mountain.
Xia Lianxue was still instructing her senior sister in sword practice.
Within the ancient pavilion, Xia Lianxue’s expression too seemed somewhat off.
“Something’s happened.”
Jiang Jiayi walked up to Xia Lianxue.
She trusted Xia Lianxue greatly—partly because of Xia Lianxue’s connection to Lu Changyuan. Thus, Jiang Jiayi could share things with her that she could not say to other sect members.
Moreover, the other was the Palace Mistress of the Jade Palace, one of the few top cultivators in the entire White Domain. Her insight into matters might differ from others.
The fairy in white nodded slightly, her eyes carrying a trace of contemplation. She was the one who spoke first: “Just now... I seemed to sense the tremor of time. Someone is touching time.”
Jiang Jiayi’s fairy-like figure paused slightly.
She had not expected Xia Lianxue to say that.
As one who cultivated in the Sword Dao, Jiang Jiayi was not particularly sensitive to the flow of time. All she could do was listen.
Xia Lianxue spoke softly: “It should be someone borrowing a connection to pry open time. I just don’t know who it was.”
At present, Xia Lianxue had yet to reattain the realm of Jade Radiance, so her mastery over the Dao of Time was naturally far weaker than before. Her perception could only be vague.
If time was likened to a net, Xia Lianxue was one who could see that net. Just now, the net had quivered—though only very slightly. Naturally, she could not tell who or where had disturbed it.
The red-robed sword immortal said, “How is the Sect Master of Chang’an?”
Supporting her cheek, Xia Lianxue looked at Qiu Yuehan, who was still battling wits with the clouds. “She should be fine. The demonic patterns on Senior Sister’s shoulder remain stable.”
That meant Lu Changyuan was safe.
As long as the connection between him and Qiu Yuehan remained, it meant he was still alive.
Jiang Jiayi breathed a sigh of relief again, though her expression soon turned grave. “The Desire Demon just tried to descend to the lower realm.”
The fairy in white softly replied, “I saw that. The demonic miasma nearly poured down from the Outer Heavens to taint the mortal world, so she raised her sword and went to slay it. Now that the sky is clear, it must mean the Desire Demon was repelled once more.”
Naturally, she was referring to the Sect Master of the Dao Sect.
By all reasoning, that should have been the case. If the Desire Demon had not been repelled and truly descended, Jiang Jiayi would have felt it through the Sect Master’s Command she held.
Since the Command remained still, it meant the Desire Demon had been pushed back.
But if that was true...
Why had the Sect Master not returned?
That was what worried Jiang Jiayi most.
Given the Sect Master’s cultivation, even the sky-shaking flames of the Desire Demon should not have prevented her return.
Especially when the demon that appeared in the sky was only a half-body projection.
Thus Jiang Jiayi said, “She went up... but didn’t come back. I can’t sense her sword anymore.”
The red-robed sword immortal cultivated the True Sword Dao. She was overly familiar with the Sect Master’s sword aura—but now, she could not feel it at all.
“Don’t panic too much.”
Xia Lianxue raised her delicate hand. A cup of steaming tea floated gently toward the red-robed sword immortal.
Jiang Jiayi sighed softly. Perhaps because Xia Lianxue cultivated the Dao of Time, even her emotions were tempered by the depth of time, making her calmer. Jiang Jiayi’s own mood began to settle as well.
She took a sip of tea.
Xia Lianxue said, “Even if you can’t sense her sword, you can still see her Dao Star in the sky, can’t you?”
Jiang Jiayi nodded.
She felt that Xia Lianxue was becoming more and more like the Sect Master’s wife.
That was only natural—she had lived far longer. Jiang Jiayi had only cultivated for a few hundred years, while the other was a figure from over a thousand years ago. Greater experience and composure were to be expected.
“In that case, she should still be alive. Your Sect Master of Chang’an often says—‘As long as one lives, that’s enough. Nothing else matters.’ With her cultivation and divine powers, mere survival means full strength.”
A calm air spread through the pavilion, like the sound of gentle drizzle, bringing serenity to the heart.
Jiang Jiayi thought about it and felt that was true.
Perhaps she had worried too much.
Still, this Palace Mistress Jade was somewhat like the Sect Master of the Dao Sect—or no, more like the Sect Master of Chang’an. After all, the Sect Master of the Dao Sect had learned from him; master to disciple, such inheritance was natural.
As for this Palace Mistress Jade, perhaps this was what people meant by “a couple growing alike.”
Holding her cup of tea, the red-robed sword immortal spoke casually, “I’ve always been curious about the wonders of the Dao of Time. Whenever someone in the world touches time, can you sense it?”
“More or less.”
Xia Lianxue’s reply was vague. “But most of the time, I only sense ripples upon the surface of time.”
Jiang Jiayi grew curious.
She didn’t understand such things. All she knew was how to swing her sword and cut down whatever she saw.
“In this world, nothing should transcend time. By logic, if you cultivated your Dao to Jade Radiance, shouldn’t that make you the strongest in the world? Then how come, in the past years, you...”
“Because there was no need. And this Dao binds too tightly.”
Xia Lianxue smiled faintly. She didn’t bother to mention that aside from the century she spent stabilizing the Jade Palace, the only time she used the Great Dao was when searching for Lu Changyuan.
“Besides, many things are not within the jurisdiction of time. Even among those of equal Jade Radiance, the backlash is limited.”
Jiang Jiayi nodded, still not understanding what she meant by “backlash.”
The fairy in white continued softly, “There are many things not governed by time.”
Something beyond time itself?
The red-robed sword immortal pondered for a long while but could not figure it out.
“For example, your True Sword Dao. At your level, it’s already difficult for me to reverse your sword techniques once they’ve been unleashed.”
Xia Lianxue paused. “And your Young Master’s sword—Taiyi, for instance. Such things defy reason entirely! I still don’t know how your Young Master managed to cultivate that.”
Jiang Jiayi could only smile faintly.
The little fairy lifted the lid of her teacup and gently stroked it. “And there are more—such as death. Death, too, is not within time.”
“What do you mean?”
“Death represents slumber—eternal slumber.”
Eternity and an instant were one and the same within death. Time, in such a state, had already lost meaning.
For death...
Time, space—everything—lost all significance, leaving only endless rest.
That was why Xia Lianxue said death was beyond time.
Clang.
A sword fell to the ground not far away.
Jiang Jiayi and Xia Lianxue turned their heads simultaneously—only to see Qiu Yuehan standing there, gazing coolly at the heavens.
Her bearing was transcendent—beautiful as a pure lotus, cold as the bright moon.
During their conversation, Qiu Yuehan seemed to have been drawn by something, dazedly standing still, even letting her sword fall from her hand.
Of course, that was only how it looked to those unfamiliar with her.
Xia Lianxue, however, could tell that her senior sister was simply spacing out.
So she brewed another cup of tea, looked at Qiu Yuehan, and spoke gently, “Senior Sister?”
Hearing her call, Qiu Yuehan returned to her senses, picked up her sword, rubbed her forehead, and walked over.
“What is it, Junior Sister?”
“Rest a while. There’s no rush in sword practice.”
Qiu Yuehan nodded and sat down, though she was clearly still distracted.
The red-robed sword immortal said, “Junior Sister, since she isn’t here, I’ll temporarily act as the sect’s acting master. The trip I promised to take you on to the Spirit Clan will have to wait.”
With the Sect Master gone, the red-robed sword immortal had to stay and keep order.
Qiu Yuehan nodded slightly. “It’s fine. I’m not in a hurry.”
Now she knew her mother was Feng Xianlong—but who was her father?
That question suddenly resurfaced in her mind, and she couldn’t help but think deeply. That strange feeling from earlier... how should she even describe it?
Why was the demon mark heating up again?
That old monster—he still had the mood to reinforce the demon mark?
How terrible of him!
Lu Changyuan smiled in satisfaction.
Ah.
That felt good.
To personally shatter the thousand-year plot of his archenemy—and to severely wound it too—how should one describe such a feeling?
It was like, beneath a clear blue sky, on the grass by the sea, watching clouds roll and drift, with the sound of the tides rising and falling in one’s ears.
No, that wasn’t quite the right description.
It was more like running a thousand miles through the night, finally chopping off the head of the one who killed his father, and then, as the night wind swept past, drinking that first mouthful of wine.
It was probably indescribable.
In short, his Dao heart was incomparably clear.
Although that damned Desire Demon still couldn’t be killed completely.
After all, if one truly wanted to annihilate the Desire Demon, it would probably require killing every cultivator in the world below the realm of Jade Radiance.
That was unrealistic.
So this was already the best possible result.
Having lost this half of its body, the Desire Demon would likely be unable to stir up trouble again for many years.
Lu Changyuan stretched his body slightly and returned to his own form, feeling a lightness like never before.
“Fourth Realm.”
He was still in the Fourth Realm.
But the path to the Fifth Realm was already perfectly clear to him—just like when Su Youwan ascended to the Upper Jade Capital.
When Lu Changyuan’s Five Desires and Six Dusts Mind-Transforming Technique broke through to the Fifth Realm, he would naturally reach the Fifth Realm, Heavenly Balance.
There was no need to rush.
Power and difficulty were always linked.
If one cultivated slowly, it only proved how powerful it was!
Lu Changyuan rose to his feet and walked onto the Death Path.
The surrounding Nether aura could no longer easily corrupt him. He had walked this long Death Path once before.
This time, it felt far easier than before. Along the way, none of those black hands that once tried to drag people down appeared.
The last time he came, those black wrists had tightly coiled around his legs, trying to pull him into the Nether darkness on either side.
The two sides of indistinguishable darkness were actually the Nether Lord’s Dao of Death—falling into it meant certain death.
Not only that—
The Nether energy here was extremely lethal to the living. If one were overly tainted by it, they would lose all reason.
Lu Changyuan carefully recalled what happened before.
“It was after walking out of the Death Path that I began preparing to walk the Red Dust Path again.”
That had been long ago.
Lu Changyuan shook his head, clearing away those distant memories, focusing instead on how he might leave the Death Path this time.
The Death Path was an endless road—it eroded one’s patience. The space around was narrow and suffocating; after too long, one lost all sense of time. The void’s utter solitude could eventually drive a person mad.
“How did I leave last time...?”
Memory returned.
The Death Path was the Dao of the Nether Lord, but those who walked it were living spirits seeking life.
Thus, one had to find life through death.
In other words, one must first find the place most certain to die.
And where was that place?
The answer was simple.
Jump.
But not just anywhere—if it were that simple, those black, sticky hands wouldn’t have needed to pull people down.
Along this endless bridge, there was only one place where jumping led to life. All other places led to death.
Lu Changyuan narrowed his eyes.
Every part of the Death Path offered the same chance. To discern where to leap was no easy task.
Think about it.
Those who walked the Death Path were sinners. And how could sinners earn forgiveness?
First, through true repentance; second, through sincere reverence and submission to the supreme Nether Lord. Only then could one receive the Nether Lord’s pardon—and gain a chance at life.
The last time, Lu Changyuan had neither of those.
So he had used the most brute-force method—relying on the strength of his Sixth Realm, Dawning Sun cultivation, he forcefully resonated with the Dao of the Nether Lord. Coincidentally, he had also cultivated the Dao of Killing, which shared some similarity with the Dao of Death. In this way, Lu Changyuan resonated for many years before finally finding that one place to leap.
Of course—
That was the old Lu Changyuan. The current Lu Changyuan no longer possessed the ability to resonate with the Death Path.
But now, he had a far simpler way. After all, he was the acting Nether Lord. For the acting Nether Lord to leave this place—how could it be troublesome?
So Lu Changyuan said softly, “Disperse.”
The mist along the bridge suddenly cleared. In Lu Changyuan’s eyes, the endless path transformed.
The boundless bridge was dyed a vivid crimson, and amidst that chilling red, a patch of white appeared—symbolizing life.
Lu Changyuan walked step by step to that white spot and crouched down.
“This is it.”
He saw the mark he had made the last time he came—at the edge of the bridge, a tiny chip of stone.
Back then, even after resonating to this point, he had been cautious. He’d made the mark, then resonated for several more years, confirming this was indeed the exit.
He hadn’t expected his past caution to prove useful today.
Lu Changyuan stepped onto that white spot, turned back toward the void of the Death Path, and said, “Thank you, Nether Lord. Though I don’t know why you helped me, you truly did. If there’s ever a chance, I’ll repay this favor.”
Cultivation was not just about fighting and killing.
It was about the bonds between people.
The Nether Lord was certainly not dead. Since Lu Changyuan had received his aid and become his acting successor, a karmic tie was formed. When the Nether Lord descended again in the future, this favor would have to be repaid.
Lu Changyuan exhaled deeply, then stepped into the void and fell.
He would emerge from here—
At that ancient ruin, a vast, archaic circular altar.
That was where he had exited last time.
Lu Changyuan thought to himself.
That place was not far from the Spirit Clan.
He still didn’t know why the exit of the Death Path was located there.
Falling—
In the boundless darkness, weightlessness consumed his body.
Suddenly, golden characters flared within Lu Changyuan’s eyes.
Unlike the usual blood-red script, this time, the writing gleamed with radiant gold—filled with a sacred aura.
【Those who walk the Path of Life are the sinless, and may pay audience to the Nether Lord】
“You... aren’t the Desire Demon?”
Lu Changyuan had thought the words in his eyes came from the Desire Demon—but he had already devoured her. Then... what was this?
The writing did not respond.
The cat within that eye seemed... angry.
If it wasn’t the Desire Demon—then what?
Lu Changyuan could only guess—perhaps the script itself had been tainted by the Desire Demon, usurped by her. Now that he had devoured her, it had been released.
【Those who finish the Paths of Life and Death may receive the Nether Lord’s reward】
What did that mean?
Lu Changyuan’s heart jolted in alarm.
Right—this time, when he entered the Nether Kingdom, he had walked the Path of Life.
Those who walked the Path of Life were meant to meet the Nether Lord. He should have met him—but the Nether Lord hadn’t appeared, so he hadn’t been able to.
As that thought struck him, Lu Changyuan looked toward where he was falling. A beam of light had appeared there.
Clang!
“The scent... of time?!”
A vast, dazzling white light filled Lu Changyuan’s vision. He instinctively shut his eyes.
His feet touched solid ground.
Lu Changyuan stood upon a vast, circular, stone altar—its layers spiraling inward toward the center. At its heart was a strange sigil, and from that sigil radiated countless fine runes, spreading outward in all directions. Some even spilled down the steps.
A melodious voice spoke: “Hm? So this is the spirit I summoned? A human spirit? Oh well... not bad, I suppose.”
Crack.
Pain shot through him.
Lu Changyuan felt something bite into his shoulder. When he looked, there was a feather-shaped mark there—still faintly throbbing with pain.
“From today onward, you are my spirit. Hm... I’ll call you Yu. Yes, from now on, your name is Yu.”
Before him stood a woman—her aura powerful enough to dim sun and moon alike.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Can’t you speak?”
The woman spoke in the Language of Spirits.
Lu Changyuan stared blankly at her and replied, “I can.”
“Good. From now on, I am your master. You may call me Master—or by my name.”
Her lips curved gently, beautiful as the moon surrounded by a thousand stars in the night sky.
“I am Ming.”
This was the Nether Lord—
The ruler of death, sovereign of the Nether Kingdom, one who transcended death itself.
But what startled Lu Changyuan most—
Was that the Nether Lord’s face—
Was exactly the same as Qiu Yuehan’s!