Chapter 5022: That Man

“He revealed his identity to me,” the middle-aged man whom Sima Xiangtu addressed as Lord Taibai said. 

“But doesn’t the Netherworld Sect only make a move on talented children? As far as I know, they rarely get involved with the conflicts in the world of cultivation,” Sima Xiangtu asked. 

“That’s where the problem lies. The reason he gave for interfering here is that Chu Feng is a member of the Netherworld Sect,” Lord Taibai replied. 

“Chu Feng… is a member of the Netherworld Sect? Does he have the Netherworld Embryo implanted inside his body too?” Sima Xiangtu exclaimed with fear reflected in his eyes. 

“Do you finally understand what kind of risk I’m taking for helping you? I hope you understand what kind of outcome will befall you if you fail to fulfill your promise,” Lord Taibai said with menacing eyes. 

“Rest assured, Lord Taibai. I wouldn’t dare to deceive you. Take a look at this.”

Sima Xiangtu took out a gourd filled with runes from his Cosmic Sack and passed it to Lord Taibai. 

As soon as the gourd was uncorked, a green aura drifted out from within, causing the surrounding space to shudder. As the aura grew denser, the intensity of the quakes heightened. 

The underground lava began to bubble, and the sky started to tremble. Even spatial rifts started appearing eventually. 

The green aura wielded the power to influence everything.

“You actually found it.”

Lord Taibai revealed a smile when he saw the green aura. 

“Milord, if this energy is like the boundless ocean, all I have inside this gourd is just an infinitesimal portion of it,” Sima Xiangtu said. 

“Wonderful. Sima Xiangtu, as long as you can fulfill your end of the promise, I guarantee that you’ll rise to heights you have never reached before,” Lord Taibai said.

“Milord, it’s just that I’m unable to accomplish that step with my current skill. I’ll need you to lend your Immortal Cauldron to me,” Sima Xiangtu said.

“We’re already in the midst of activating the Immortal Cauldron, and it won’t take long before it’s fully activated. It’s just that using the Immortal Cauldron requires an immense amount of power. Just as I’ve told you before, our Pill Dao Immortal Sect won’t be helping you on that. You only have yourself to count on. Are you certain that you can pull it off?” 

Lord Taibai eyed Sima Xiangtu doubtfully. 

“Rest assured, milord. As long as you lend the activated Immortal Cauldron to me, I can settle the rest on my own,” Sima Xiangtu said. 

“I see that you’re confident, but I still want to put it out here clearly. Our agreement is for me to lend you the Immortal Cauldron, and you’ll help me acquire what I need. Regardless of whether you are able to use the Immortal Cauldron or not, I expect you to fulfill the end of your bargain. Otherwise… you know the consequences,” Lord Taibai said. 

“Milord, I won’t let you down. I’m just worried about Chu Feng. He won’t let things rest easily. If the Netherworld Sect chooses to help him, I’m afraid that…” 

Sima Xiangtu’s voice slowly trailed off.

“You don’t have to worry about that. As troublesome as the Netherworld Sect is, a mere Netherworld Envoy means nothing to me. I’ll ensure your safety till our deal is done,” Lord Taibai said.

“I’ll be counting on you then, milord.”

A bright smile broke out on Sima Xiangtu’s face after receiving a guarantee. 

… 

After rushing quite a distance, Chu Feng and the Netherworld Envoy arrived at a realm in the Nine Souls Galaxy. The Netherworld Envoy led Chu Feng toward a black lake that was furiously bubbling as if it was boiling. 

What was queer about this lake was despite its unseemly appearance, it was emanating a faint fragrance. 

“Stay here and don’t go anywhere else.”

The Netherworld Envoy had managed to recover from his injuries, but his aura was still extremely weak. After saying those words, he dived into the lake. 

Chu Feng knew that the Netherworld Envoy was here to find someone, though the latter refused to tell him who it was. Nevertheless, he could still deduce as much that the person inside the lake was likely to be someone from the Netherworld Sect who could help them deal with the Pill Dao Immortal Sect. 

The Netherworld Envoy dived all the way down until he reached the bottom of the lake. There, he took out a talisman paper, formed a hand seal with his left hand, and murmured, “Open!”

The talisman paper started burning up, releasing smoke filled with glowing runes. The smoke diffused into the surroundings at the lake bottom, expanding at a swift pace. 

There was nothing peculiar at first, but all of a sudden, the smoke seemed to have bumped into something.

Weng!

The glowing runes washed over the obstacle, and something started materializing. From its outlines, one could tell that it was an ancient underwater palace. 

However, there was clearly nothing there before it was touched by the glowing runes. 

The Netherworld Envoy turned toward the palace and kowtowed deeply. 

“Ghost Rank Netherworld Envoy requests an audience with Lord Netherworld General!” the Netherworld Envoy said.

Creak!

The gates to the ancient underwater palace started opening, and a silhouette could be seen standing behind the gates. The silhouette had an intimidating presence, standing at almost ten meters tall with a brawny physique. His face was hidden amidst the shadow, making it impossible to make out his appearance. 

His clothes were very similar to that of the Netherworld Envoy, a white veil accompanied with a red robe, except that he had an additional white cape behind his red robe with the words ‘Netherworld General’ embroidered on it. 

“What happened?” the Netherworld General asked. 

“Milord, I have encountered three incredible prodigies in the Nine Souls Galaxy and wanted to bring them back to the Netherworld Sect, but…”

The Netherworld Envoy talked about the events that had transpired thus far, be it his meeting with Chu Feng, Song Yun, and the mysterious girl, his meeting with the mysterious father and son pair at Totem Galaxy, and his encounter with a cultivator from the Pill Dao Immortal Sect. 

“Something like that happened? Show me Song Yun.”

The Netherworld Envoy quickly brought out the unconscious Song Yun from his formation space and presented her to the Netherworld General. 

“It really is the legendary fusion of Netherworld Embryos. Wonderful! You have contributed greatly to the Netherworld Sect once again!” 

The Netherworld General quickly inspected Song Yun before laughing heartily.

“Milord, Chu Feng, who received the guidance of the Divine Vat, is a formidable prodigy too. I believe that he would be a great asset to our…” the Netherworld Envoy continued.

The truth was that he was reluctant to give up on Chu Feng.

“There’s no need to bother with Chu Feng. That man has already made a move anyway,” the Netherworld General said.

“Milord, could it be that you know who that man is?” the Netherworld Envoy asked.

“I can’t say that I know him, but I have heard of him. Do you remember the ancient remnant that was discovered in the Nine Souls Galaxy two years ago?” the Netherworld General asked.

“Milord, are you referring to the ancient remnant we have found in the Nine Souls Galaxy’s Soulgrudge Ordinary Realm?” the Netherworld Envoy asked.

“Indeed,” the Netherworld General replied.

“Of course I do. Milord, I was the one who found the ancient remnant. I remember that the ancient remnant was so dangerous that Milord had to return to the sect and request the help of many elders before we were able to open it.

“Who could have thought that the man with an ape got to it before we could?”

The Netherworld Envoy felt aggrieved just thinking about it, but a thought suddenly arose in his head. 

“Milord, could it be that the person whom I’ve met was the man with an ape?” the Netherworld Envoy asked.

“That’s not it.”

Surprisingly, the Netherworld Envoy shook his head in response to that question. 

“You weren’t able to enter the ancient remnant because your cultivation was too weak, so you aren’t aware of the happenings back then. In fact, I was only able to explore the front portions of it, so most of what I know about it was heard from others,” the Netherworld General said. 

“Milord, what happened inside the ancient remnant?” the Netherworld Envoy asked.

He was so curious that he asked about it back then, but no one answered his doubt. He dared not to probe any deeper back then because he sensed that it might be a sensitive topic. 

But since they happened to chance upon this topic once more, he bucked up his courage and asked about it once again. 

“It’s true that the treasure inside the ancient remnant was taken away by the man with an ape, but the person who first got in the way of our Netherworld Sect was another person. He was a middle-aged man who carried a wood axe on his back. I suspect that he’s the person whom you have encountered in Totem Galaxy,” the Netherworld General said.

“Milord, may I ask how strong that man is?” the Netherworld Envoy asked.

“I don’t know the details, but just like the man with an ape, he isn’t someone whom we can deal with. Even the elders whom I have invited over from the Netherworld Sect chose to retreat from the ancient remnant upon encountering the man with an axe and the man with an ape. From the moment they appeared, it was no longer safe for us to remain in the vicinity of that ancient remnant,” the Netherworld General replied.