The fishing rod suddenly sank violently.
Chen Zhou’s brow furrowed. Death qi surged in his palm as he gripped the rod tightly.
In the black sludge pond, the entire surface was churning. Several of the largest eerie creatures had already devoured over a dozen of their own kind, their bodies swelling multiple times over. Their auras skyrocketed, with one or two faintly showing signs of breaking through to the ninth-stage.
Chen Zhou gritted his teeth and expanded his Ghost Domain. Grayish-white mist spread from beneath his feet, enveloping the entire black sludge pond.
He attempted to use the Ghost Domain to steady the fishing rod, but the pull was simply too immense—so great that even as an evil spirit who had temporarily broken through to the eighth-stage, he felt the strain.
The Golden Dragon of Merit emerged from behind him, letting out a roar that shook the heavens.
Golden merit flowed into Chen Zhou’s body, and auspicious clouds surrounded him. The fortune of the Auspicious Noble surged from the Gathering Fortune Pavilion, causing his strength to explode and allowing the fishing rod to steady slightly.
But it wasn't enough.
Chen Zhou summoned the Wing-Fire Snake to help him hold the rod.
Simultaneously, Chen Zhou gave another command. Countless white bones surged from the ground, layering upon each other to form a bone army in an instant.
The skeletons, wielding bone blades and swords, charged into the black sludge pond in unison, diving into the water in an attempt to suppress the eerie creatures through sheer numbers.
The skeletons used their own bones to forcibly construct a bridge in the water, extending toward the Golden Buddha meat. The eerie creatures at the bottom were momentarily obstructed by the bone bridge, and their devouring slowed down for a heartbeat.
Chen Zhou took the opportunity to exert his strength, lifting the rod by three inches.
Then, at that very moment, the bottom of the pond suddenly went silent.
All the eerie creatures stopped moving.
Those massive entities that had been tearing at each other—even the two terrifying beings that had swelled to the peak of the eighth-stage and were on the verge of breaking through to the ninth-stage—all froze in place, as if they had sensed something horrifying.
Then they began to flee frantically, but it was too late. A colossal black shadow slowly rose from the depths of the pond.
The shadow was so vast that even Chen Zhou’s Ghost Domain could not fully perceive its boundaries. As it rose from the bottom, the water level of the entire black sludge pond began to drop.
The shadow slowly opened its mouth at the bottom of the pond, a rift tearing open beneath its head. The gap grew larger and wider, like an abyss splitting open the earth.
The currents of the black sludge pond rushed frantically toward that giant maw. The fleeing eerie creatures were caught in the current, struggling desperately, but they could not escape the suction.
In the blink of an eye, all the eerie creatures in the black sludge pond were swallowed whole by the black shadow as if by a whale. Finally, its mouth aimed at the clump of Golden Buddha meat.
Chen Zhou’s pupils constricted. He tried to retract the fishing rod, but the shadow was faster. It swallowed the Golden Buddha meat in one gulp and then bit down on the line.
An extremely terrifying pull was transmitted through the rod.
The rod instantly bent to its limit. The death qi groaned under the burden, threatening to snap at any moment. A boundary formed around the black sludge pond, isolating all life except for Chen Zhou.
Chen Zhou planted his feet firmly on the ground, creating two deep pits in the bone-ash earth. Despite this, the massive force slowly dragged him toward the black sludge pond inch by inch.
“Not good!”
Chen Zhou cursed inwardly, frantically pouring death qi into the fishing rod to maintain its form. However, his cultivation at the initial phase of Siming was like a drop in the ocean before the black shadow.
The bridge built by the bone army in the water collapsed instantly. Countless skeletons were swept away by the current, shattered bones flying everywhere. Chen Zhou was dragged closer and closer to the edge of the pond.
The ground beneath his feet had already cracked, and the pulverized bone ash was swept up by the air currents, dancing through the air. On the edge of the outer boundary, the little pig was frantically ramming against the barrier, its body covered in blood, but Chen Zhou could no longer pay it any mind.
One of Chen Zhou’s feet stepped into the black sludge pond. The icy water rose over his ankle, and a suffocating sensation spread from the sole of his foot, as if something were tugging at his divine soul, trying to pull him into a bottomless abyss.
Then the black shadow gave a sudden, violent yank, and Chen Zhou was dragged into the black sludge pond, the water submerging the top of his head.
Cold, viscous, and suffocating darkness enveloped him.
Chen Zhou felt as if he had fallen into a pot of boiling asphalt. Pressure squeezed in from all directions, threatening to crush him.
He couldn't open his eyes, couldn't breathe, and even his divine sense was suppressed within his body, unable to extend outward.
Outside the black sludge pond, the little pig was nearly driven mad with anxiety. Its thirty-foot-tall fiendish body slammed repeatedly into the boundary that had suddenly appeared around the pond. Each strike was delivered with full force, fiendish qi billowing and fangs bared. Hundreds of nightmare eyes opened in unison, shooting out beams of purple light.
But the boundary remained motionless.
The boundary was pitch black. When the little pig struck it, only a faint ripple appeared before all the force was reflected back.
The little pig was sent flying, crashing into the bone-ash earth and creating a massive crater.
It crawled back up and continued to ram.
Again and again.
The fiendish qi on its body began to dissipate, and the nightmare eyes closed one by one. Purple blood seeped from the gaps in its fangs, dripping onto the ground.
Yet, as if it could not feel the pain, it stood up, charged forward, and slammed into the barrier again.
“Hrr-oink—!”
The little pig roared, its voice filled with desperation and fear. It was the Lord of a Thousand Dreams; how could there be something in a dream that exceeded its understanding?
A Yao, Yuheng, and Mo Cang also rushed over.
“What the hell is this?” Mo Cang’s brow was tightly furrowed. “We have stayed in the Immortal-Slaying Shrine for tens of thousands of years, and we have never seen the black sludge pond automatically generate a boundary.”
Jianmu was on the verge of tears. It jumped from A Yao’s arms and threw itself against the boundary, its tiny branches tapping frantically and making urgent rustling sounds.
The Golden Dragon swam over from the edge of the pond, his whiskers drifting. His expression was equally grave, but he was far calmer than the little pig and Jianmu.
He swam to the little pig’s side, his dragon tail gently coiling around its body to pull it away from the boundary.
“Stop hitting it.”
The little pig struggled desperately, its fiendish qi surging as it tried to break free from the Golden Dragon’s restraint.
While holding it back, the Golden Dragon’s gaze swept over A Yao’s group, finally landing on Mo Cang.
“Mo Cang, has there ever been a situation like this during the Wanchuan pond assessment before?”
Mo Cang studied the Golden Dragon for a long while, his gaze lingering on the five claws and dragon horns for a few breaths.
“Are you the Ancestral Dragon?”
The Golden Dragon neither admitted nor denied it, simply watching Mo Cang and waiting for his answer.
Mo Cang didn't press further. He turned to look at the pitch-black boundary and fell into deep thought for a moment.
“No.”
“We old fogies have stayed in the Immortal-Slaying Shrine for tens of thousands of years. We have seen many anglers and countless eerie creatures being caught.”
“But this situation is unheard of.”
“The black sludge pond is only an eighth-stage Wanchuan pond. According to the rules of the Immortal-Slaying Shrine, only eighth-stage eerie creatures should be sealed within—at most the peak of the eighth-stage.”
“But you saw that massive black shadow occupying the entire pond floor just now.”
“With one opening of its mouth, it swallowed those creatures that were near the peak of the eighth-stage and about to break through to the ninth-stage. They didn't even have a chance to struggle.”
“Is there really such a thing in the black sludge pond?”
A Yao and Yuheng looked at each other and shook their heads.
Yuheng stroked his beard, his brow knit into a tight knot.
“Forget the eighth-stage black sludge pond; even in the ninth-stage blood pond, such an existence is rare.”
“Back when I followed the Great Emperor, I heard him mention that there are some extremely ancient existences slumbering in the depths of Wanchuan. They have existed longer than the divine path itself, and their strength is unfathomable.”
“But those things never surface to the shallow layers, nor are they attracted by any bait.”
“What exactly did he use as bait? To even lure out an existence like that?”
A Yao bit her lip, her eyes fixed on the black sludge pond within the boundary.
“There’s no use talking about that now.”
“The boundary is still there, which means he is still undergoing the assessment.”
“He has overwhelming fortune and merit, and the Wanchuan pond was left behind by that lord. Logically, it shouldn't truly take his life.”
She paused and turned to Mo Cang.
“But if... I mean if an accident really happens.”
“Old Mo, lend me your Life-Substitute Gu.”
Mo Cang’s expression shifted slightly.
Yuheng’s face also changed.
“A Yao, you—”
“I know,” A Yao interrupted him, her tone calm. “Once the Life-Substitute Gu is used, the caster suffers the calamity in their stead. At best, their cultivation is damaged; at worst, their soul is dissipated.”
“But he is the only person in all these years who has the potential to inherit the divine path.”
“He is also the only one who has given me hope.”
“I cannot let him die here.”
Jianmu flashed frantically, its branches shaking with all its might.
It had also heard of the Life-Substitute Gu many years ago and knew what it was. It was a rare Gu that grew within skeletons and could block a death's door once, but the price was that the caster had to bear the equivalent damage.
It didn't want to lose Chen Zhou. Chen Zhou was the one who had brought it out from beneath the Eternal Scars, given it the unaging pine cone to eat, helped it restore its lifespan, and brought it to see A Yao.
But it also didn't want to lose A Yao. It had only just reunited with her.
A Yao looked down at Jianmu and reached out to gently stroke its branches.
“Silly child, don't worry.”
“I only said ‘if’.”
“He will be fine.”
Yuheng and Mo Cang looked at A Yao’s expression and hesitated to speak. Ultimately, they said nothing and only sighed.
...
Chen Zhou lost all perception in the pond water. After an unknown amount of time, the pressure suddenly vanished, and he opened his eyes.
What met his sight was an indescribably massive palace.
The palace floated in a boundless void, standing there without any visible support.
The surroundings were a deep dark gold, like the sky at dusk or the color of ancient metal polished by the ages.
The scale of the palace far exceeded any building Chen Zhou had ever seen.
His territory, the City of the Wrongfully Dead, was already considered grand after several rounds of expansion, but compared to the palace before him, it wasn't even a gatehouse.
Just looking at the steps in front of the palace, Chen Zhou estimated there were over nine thousand.
If he guessed correctly, there were probably nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps. Each step was thirty feet high. Looking up from the bottom, the stairs led straight to the heavens, their end vanishing into the dark-gold clouds.
On both sides of the stairs stood statues.
Each one was a thousand feet tall, depicting ghost generals clad in armor and wielding weapons. They had green faces and protruding fangs, with three heads and six arms, holding steel forks and treading upon malevolent ghosts.
They stood silently on both sides of the steps, as if guarding something or waiting for something.
Chen Zhou stood at the very bottom of the steps, looked up at it all, and took a deep breath.
This fishing trip was completely different from previous ones.
In the past, catching something meant entering combat immediately. If he won, he would obtain the inheritance. But this time, no hostile biological entities appeared.
There was only this palace and these seemingly endless stairs.
Chen Zhou expanded his Ghost Domain. Grayish-white mist spread in all directions, attempting to scout the environment. However, the Ghost Domain had barely extended a hundred feet before it was suppressed by an invisible force.
Chen Zhou immediately felt as if he were being scrutinized by some existence. The other party seemed to be using his Ghost Domain to observe and judge him.
Chen Zhou frowned and retracted the Ghost Domain.
With no other choice, Chen Zhou began to step onto the stairs.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
With every step, he could feel an invisible pressure weighing down on him. It was a pressure more profound than mere aura, as if it were weighing his divine soul, scrutinizing his past, and judging whether he was qualified to tread these stairs.
Chen Zhou did not stop.
He passed a hundred steps, two hundred, five hundred.
The pressure grew greater, but his pace did not falter.
When he reached the thousandth step, the statues on both sides suddenly moved.
The two statues closest to him turned their heads. Ghostly green fire lit up in their stone eyes. They stared at him for a few breaths before turning back and returning to their stillness.
It was as if they were confirming something or granting passage.
This situation was very similar to some cultivation novels Chen Zhou had read in his past life—sect entrance trials, climbing the heavenly ladder to test will, talent, or potential.
However, he was an evil spirit. Although the pressure was immense, he did not experience fatigue. In the setting of a cultivation novel, he would likely be considered a peerless genius with extraordinary talent, a disciple that every elder would fight to recruit.
Chen Zhou continued upward. Step by step, when he reached the nine thousandth step, he finally saw the full view of the palace at the end of the stairs.
It was a pitch-black palace. The walls were made of a material Chen Zhou had never seen, as if cast from solidified night, with dark-gold patterns flowing across the surface.
The patterns even shifted constantly, sometimes resembling mountains and rivers, sometimes myriad ghosts worshiping, and sometimes the cycle of reincarnation.
He crossed the nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps in one go.
The view suddenly opened up.
The interior of the palace was even more magnificent than he had imagined.
The vaulted ceiling was so high the end could not be seen, obscured by dark-gold clouds. Countless light-points could be faintly seen moving within the clouds, like stars in the night sky or myriad souls in transit.
In the very center of the hall stood a massive stele.
The stele was pitch black, about a thousand feet high, and covered in golden text. The strokes were powerful and vigorous, radiating an ancient aura.
Chen Zhou walked to the stele and looked up.
The inscription began with a preface:
“When the heavens and earth first opened, the clear and turbid were separated. Yang qi rose to become the heavens, and Yin qi sank to become the earth. When humans die, their souls return to the Underworld; good and evil are rewarded accordingly, and karma is never obscured.”
“By the mandate of heaven, I govern the Abyssal Underworld. I established the Five Direction Ghost Emperor Mansions and erected the Wanchuan Six Paths Bridge. Rewarding the good and punishing the evil, I judge life and death, and preside over reincarnation, maintaining the order of heaven and earth.”
“All who enter my gate must undergo the Trials of the Five Direction Ghost Emperors. Passing all five trials grants my inheritance, succession to my title, and the authority over the Abyssal Underworld.”
“I am—the Northern Great Emperor.”
Rate on N.U.
