Chapter 604: The Nine Nether Dao Lord

"Cook, what are you spacing out for? Move it!"

The Nian Beast was somewhat irritable. It was hungry and tired, and this place made it very uncomfortable. To think the cook wasn't taking action yet.

"Yes, Lord Nian Beast, I'm going right now!"

Zhao Xing suppressed the excitement in his heart and immediately covered his head, heading toward the Heaven-Swallowing Boundary Sea.

The Heaven-Swallowing Boundary Sea looked like a mountain; it appeared close at hand, but in reality, it was still very far away.

After walking briskly for two hours, the panel finally prompted that he had entered the Heaven-Swallowing Boundary Sea region.

Looking back, the silhouette of the Nian Beast was already blurred, appearing only as a dim patch of light, much like the setting sun.

At this moment, Zhao Xing felt two sensations. One was cold; the Heaven-Swallowing Boundary Sea was a place even the Nian Beast feared to go, let alone the Great Sun Sea within his own body. Now, the Great Sun Sea had lost its Great Sun, leaving only pure darkness.

The other was the warmth coming from his palm, originating from the Polar Star Origin provided by the Nian Beast. It illuminated his divine body, causing a small sun to rise once again in a corner of the Great Sun Sea.

Zhao Xing looked at the progress of his Great Sun Sea cultivation technique.

【Great Sun Radiant Sea Second Layer: 3465/10000】

The original progress of the Great Sun Radiant Sea had been over three thousand points, after which it had been very difficult to increase; he might not even gain 1 point in a thousand years.

Now, however, it was slowly jumping. Although it was only jumping by a few points at a time, it still made Zhao Xing incomparably excited.

"First layer, Polar Star Light; second layer, Great Sun Saint Body. How long have I been stuck? Now, I finally see hope."

"I'll eat!"

Zhao Xing opened his mouth without hesitation and began to suck fiercely at the Polar Star Origin in his palm.

"Yu~"

The ball of light shrank visibly to the naked eye, while his progress began to rise rapidly.

When the sun in his hand was about to extinguish, Zhao Xing stopped.

He still had to make the return trip; he couldn't eat it all at once.

【Great Sun Sea Second Layer: 5583/10000】

"Over two thousand points. It seems I'll have to get more from the Nian Beast."

"I'll have to make a few more trips."

Zhao Xing glanced at the pitch-black Heaven-Swallowing Boundary Sea ahead. Although he couldn't see clearly, he could vaguely sense terrifying strip-like objects swimming in front.

"Such a dangerous place—only a fool would go and take risks." Zhao Xing snorted and retreated immediately.

As for spiritual energy materials? His inner world had plenty. The reason he said that was purely an excuse Zhao Xing had made up.

He had once harvested a piece of divine soil and a large amount of Earth Divine Crystals on the Universe Boat; in the Divine Machine City, the Boundless True God hadn't treated him poorly either, allowing him to take materials like Yin-Yang Boundary Stones and World Stones as he pleased.

Of course, the most exaggerated part was the massive inheritance he had inherited from the inner world of the Divine King Yu Heng.

Initially, Zhao Xing's inner world had a radius of no more than 3 boundary unit units, but now it exceeded 30,000 boundary unit units.

In terms of the size of his inner world, it was larger than the largest ancient kingdom in the Profound Spirit Star Region.

Not enough for Du Yun to eat? That was obviously an excuse!

Even if there were ten thousand more Du Yuns, they wouldn't be able to finish eating it even after hundreds of epochs!

Several hours later, Zhao Xing returned to the side of the Nian Beast.

"How was it?" the Nian Beast asked weakly.

"Reporting to Lord Nian Beast, this subordinate is incompetent; I only managed to get a year's worth." Zhao Xing's expression was somewhat ashamed and fearful.

"A year? That's not bad at all! Let's go, we're heading back." The Nian Beast seemed very satisfied.

"Yes." Zhao Xing froze for a moment, then quickly lowered his head and followed.

Damn, I said too much!

Master Zhao felt great hatred in his heart. He had originally thought that getting a year's worth was very little.

The Nian Beast would surely give him some more Heavenly Time Origin to go salvage.

But the Nian Beast was actually very satisfied!

A miscalculation.

They returned to the plaza of the Nine Nether Dao Palace.

Du Yun quickly cast a questioning look.

"Brother Du, I have failed you." Zhao Xing felt somewhat ashamed in his heart.

"It's fine." Du Yun was somewhat melancholy. "Give me the box."

"Mm—" Zhao Xing skillfully took out the box and turned his back.

The steaming Du Yun was carried before the Nian Beast's nest.

After a big meal, the Nian Beast slept for a while, then quickly ran out again.

Zhao Xing took a look; it wasn't in the direction of the Heaven-Swallowing Boundary Sea.

He quickly went to Du Yun's side; at this moment, Du Yun was recovering.

After he recovered, the two of them came before the main gate of the Nine Nether Dao Palace.

For over forty years, Zhao Xing and Du Yun would come to the palace gate of the Nine Nether Dao Palace every time the Nian Beast left to study the mysterious runes on the gate.

Zhao Xing basically had no progress in his comprehension because it was rumored that the Nine Nether Dao Lord was a God of Martial Dao.

Instead, it was Du Yun who would look for a long time each time, seemingly having gained some insights.

"Brother Du, any progress?"

"None." Du Yun shook his head.

"Really none?"

"Could I be lying to you?" Du Yun sounded somewhat dissatisfied.

"Brother Du, don't misunderstand," Zhao Xing hurriedly explained. "Perhaps you have undergone some changes that you aren't aware of yourself, but the Year Beast says the marrow in your bones is becoming increasingly delicious."

"Oh? Which ones?" Du Yun asked, puzzled.

"The sacrum." Zhao Xing pointed. "That is why I said that."

Du Yun looked up, thoughtful: "Now that you mention it, I do seem to feel like I've grasped something."

"The patterns on the palace gates look very much like some kind of divine script, and they are vaguely related to the black storms in the outside world."

Seeing Du Yun in a daze, Zhao Xing quietly stepped back.

The Nine Nether Dao Lord must have had some scheme in leaving this Dao Palace behind; even the God King Gu Xiao couldn't figure it out after obtaining it, so it was hard to say whether Du Yun's enlightenment would be a blessing or a curse.

Three years later, on this day, Zhao Xing complained to the Year Beast again.

"Lord Year Beast, the spiritual material needed for Du Yun's recovery is running low."

The "one year's supply" mentioned last time was based on the assumption that the Year Beast would eat every single day.

In reality, because the Year Beast would leave after a meal and its return time was uncertain, Zhao Xing had waited until the third year to bring up the fact that the spiritual material was insufficient for recovery.

"Let's go, to the Heaven-Swallowing Boundary Sea." The Year Beast said nothing more and led Zhao Xing into the storm.

When they were close to the Heaven-Swallowing Boundary Sea, the Year Beast spat a ball of light from its mouth.

This time, the ball of light was very dense; clearly, the Year Beast was too lazy to run back and forth and wanted Zhao Xing to get more in one go.

"Cook, go quickly and return quickly."

"Yes!"

Zhao Xing ran into the Heaven-Swallowing Boundary Sea and, in one breath, absorbed the head-sized ball of light until only a fist-sized portion remained.

A boiling sensation surged from within his body.

The progress on his panel jumped up by a large margin.

【Great Sun Boundless Sea Second Layer: 9143/10000】

"Almost there, the breakthrough is right before my eyes!"

Zhao Xing took a deep breath and walked back.

The Year Beast asked as usual how long it would last.

Zhao Xing replied: "Lord Year Beast, this time it can last for two and a half years."

"Why is it only this much?" The Year Beast stared at Zhao Xing suspiciously. "Cook, you aren't being honest!"

Compared to last time, it had given seven times the amount!

Spitting out that much origin energy had left it somewhat fatigued; it had expected the cook to last longer, but it hadn't expected it to only last for two more years.

"Lord Year Beast, I am wronged!"

"The path inside is not easy to walk, there are many terrifying things, I almost lost my life, and obtaining the spiritual material is also quite difficult..." Zhao Xing cried out in grievance.

"Hmph, you are truly useless."

"Forget it, let's go."

The Year Beast said a word, then led Zhao Xing back.

Returning outside the Nine Nether Dao Palace, the Year Beast began to eat Du Yun.

A day later, the Year Beast suddenly pointed at one of the food boxes.

"Cook, this one is delicious, make more of it in the future."

Zhao Xing looked and saw that the food box contained one of Du Yun's left thigh bones and flesh.

"Yes, Lord Year Beast."

*Chomp, chomp. * The Year Beast ate for a month and was full.

It slept for another month, woke up to eat a meal, and then swayed its way out.

Zhao Xing immediately went back and told Du Yun what the Year Beast had said.

"Left thigh bone?" Du Yun nodded. "It seems what is recorded on the palace gates of the Dao Palace is indeed some kind of cultivation method."

Zhao Xing stared closely at Du Yun, checking the data, and found that no new secret technique had appeared for the other party.

"Be careful, if you feel something is wrong, immediately use the Golden Cicada True Form Second Body."

To ensure Du Yun's safety, Zhao Xing taught the Golden Cicada True Form Second Body to Du Yun.

Once something was cultivated incorrectly, he wouldn't fall into qi deviation and could immediately sever the source of the trouble.

Now the two were tied together in honor and disgrace; if Du Yun kicked the bucket, he, the cook, would lose his value, and it was not guaranteed that the Year Beast wouldn't eat the cook.

"Don't worry," Du Yun nodded. "It's not easy for a Qi Sect martial artist to die."

1II

The enlightenment was intermittent because the Year Beast's return time was uncertain; sometimes it wouldn't return for months, and sometimes it would leave and return on the same day.

Occasionally, it would even bring back injuries.

Zhao Xing really wanted to ask the Year Beast who it was fighting, but the Year Beast refused to say, nor was it willing to take Zhao Xing to see.

It wasn't until a certain day in the seventh year that the Year Beast returned, and it was heavily injured.

It was bleeding, a section of its single horn was broken, its aura was withered, and it had lost a lot of fur.

"Lord Year Beast, you are injured!" Zhao Xing was shocked and rushed over with great concern.

He looked the Year Beast up and down; on the surface, it was concern, but in reality, he was judging the Year Beast's injuries to see if it was possible to slaughter it.

However, in the end, he still didn't make a move, because the Year Beast didn't mind his proximity—clearly, it wasn't because it trusted him, but because it wasn't afraid.

"Cook, this isn't an injury, it's a symbol of glory!" The Year Beast held its head high, its eyes triumphant.

It opened its mouth and spat.

"Thump!"

Something slammed onto the ground.

Zhao Xing looked closely and saw that it was actually a corpse.

Or rather, it couldn't be called a corpse, because this person was still alive and still possessed vitality.

【Name: Lü】

【Profession: God of Musicians】

【Realm: God General Peak (Free God)】

【Divine Soul: God General Peak】

【Divine Skills: Eight-Pillar Feather Sound, Divine Emblem·Thunder (Fengshan Divine Skill), Divine Emblem·Cloud (Fengshan Divine Skill), Divine Emblem·Wind, Divine Palace·Rain (Fengshan Divine Skill), Palace Enemy Curse, Thousand-Silk Tribulation, Earth God Twelfth Tier (Fengshan Divine Skill)】

【Seven Palace Divine Body】

【Divine Domain: Five-Tone Divine Domain】

Lü lay on the ground, his complexion a sickly white, with divine-grade ornaments on his wrists, ears, and hair.

The magic robe he wore was also hung with many small musical instruments, a dazzling array, but it had suffered large areas of damage.

To be able to injure a special divine beast like the Year Beast, Lü was clearly also a very powerful existence.

But now, he had become the Year Beast's meal.

"Cook, he is handed over to you, make it taste good." The Year Beast pushed Lü's body with its hoof, its mood seeming quite good. "I can allow you to eat a little too."

"Thank you, Lord Year Beast." Zhao Xing put Lü away.

Taking advantage of the Year Beast's good mood, Zhao Xing asked a question: "Lord Year Beast, besides us, are there other living people here?"

"Of course," the Year Beast said. "Back then, the Nine Nether Dao Lord was only one step away from becoming a God Emperor, and was even stronger than the Luo Emperor before he became a God Emperor."

"The Nine Nether Dao Lord could almost ignore the damage from the vast majority of Dao Lords; only mental attacks would have an effect."

"And even if injured, his recovery speed was very fast."

"In the five 'Heaven-Reaching Assemblies', the Nine Nether Dao Lord had won the title of Overlord three times; of the remaining two, he won one and lost one, only losing to the Five-Pole Dao Court of the Panhu Land once."

"Lord Year Beast, what is the Heaven-Reaching Assembly?"

"Cook, don't interrupt me!" The Year Beast was somewhat dissatisfied, but still explained.

"The so-called Heaven-Reaching Assembly arose after the Void Ancestor disappeared and the position of the Human God Emperor became vacant."

"The Dao Lords vied for the position of God Emperor, triggering large-scale Dao struggles."

"In order not to let the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths collapse, the 【Heaven-Reaching Assembly】 came into being."

"Because sacrificing to Heaven is the first step to becoming a God Emperor, and the second step is sacrificing to Earth."

"The location is a special space-time territory in the River of Time; because there is an important great river of the Primordial Ocean there, it was named the Heaven-Reaching River."

"So that's it, Lord Year Beast is truly knowledgeable."

"That's right," the Year Beast said proudly:

"The Dao Court established by the Nine Nether Dao Lord had many powerful figures."

"A small portion died in battle at the Heaven-Reaching Assembly, and most died in the conquests of the Luo Emperor."

"However, the Fengshan team of the Nine Nether Dao Court was extremely precious and was well protected; they basically rarely left the Dao Palace."

The Year Beast recounted the past: "Once the Nine Nether Dao Lord ascended to God Emperor, then the Dao Palace would be the new Divine Court, and the Fengshan ministers would at worst become God Kings, or even ascend to new Dao Lords."

Zhao Xing looked at the surrounding environment, full of destructive aura, space collapsing, and countless black storms, and couldn't help but sigh.

Once, there was hope for this place to become a new Divine Court, but now it was so dilapidated.

"Lord Year Beast, then—"

"Cook, you have too many questions." The Year Beast began to lose patience. "Go cook quickly, I'm hungry."

"Yes." Zhao Xing cursed under his breath and carried Lü away.

"This is..." Du Yun looked at Lü lying on the ground, puzzled.

"The Year Beast's new dish." Zhao Xing began to strip Lü's clothes.

"He is also a pitiful person." Du Yun sighed.

"Come help." Zhao Xing said.

"Okay." Du Yun handed over the knife.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Xing looked at Du Yun in surprise.

"Aren't you going to cut him?"

"Who said I was going to cut him?" Zhao Xing said. "He is heavily injured now and doesn't have the recovery power of a Martial God; if I cut him again, he will die."

"I'm asking you to give some blood to save him."

"..." Du Yun seemed somewhat reluctant.

Before Lü arrived, he had to cut flesh and bleed; now that Lü had arrived, he still had to cut flesh and bleed, and there was an extra person eating.

Hadn't Lü come for nothing?

Du Yun had thought this person was here to share the damage, but looking at Zhao Xing's intent, he actually had to provide an extra portion of blood!

"Slash~" Zhao Xing made a cut, drawing blood from Du Yun's wrist.

"What is this guy's background?" Du Yun's emotion lasted only a moment; he knew Zhao Xing wouldn't do useless work.

"He is a minister of the Nine Nether Dao Lord, and an important part of the team." Zhao Xing transmitted his voice: "Saving him might allow us to know some secrets of the Nine Nether Dao Palace, which will be of great help to both you and me."

"Understood." Seeing the wound close, Du Yun took the initiative to cut another one: "Is this enough? If not, keep drawing."

Watching Lü's eyeballs move, Zhao Xing pushed Du Yun's hand away: "Enough, enough, your flesh and blood are a great tonic; he is very weak right now,"

"don't supplement him to death."

"He is about to wake up, in a moment you do this, I'll do that—" Zhao Xing and Du Yun conspired.

Du Yun nodded repeatedly: "Mm, mm-hmm, okay, understood!"