Chapter 402: Seeing Death Without Saving

Having absorbed sufficient energy, Ye Liuyun's realm also broke through.

Moreover, after he broke through to the eighth level of Golden Core this time, his strength was more than double what it was before. Probably because the Golden Core expanded and also received a supplement of Xuanqi, which improved the quality of his True Essence.

His Golden Core could actually rotate slowly inside his body. Although this rotation is slow, it at least doubles the speed at which he absorbs spiritual energy from the air, and the speed at which he releases True Essence is also much quicker.

Moreover, after his physical body and bloodline were also enhanced, he felt an indescribable comfort all over, as if he had inexhaustible strength.

Ye Liuyun then consolidated his realm for a while before leading the already breakthrough crowd out of the Xuan Kong Shi.

And Su Miaoyin, seeing these people collectively break through, was also astonished.

"There's nothing strange about it; we were already at the brink of breakthrough, and with the power of this life crystal stone, breaking through was a natural progression." Ye Liuyun gave a simple explanation.

In fact, seven or eight days had passed inside the Xuan Kong Shi, while outside, not even a day had elapsed.

Su Miaoyin didn't pursue it further. Now they all experienced the marvelous use of this life crystal stone. She merely thought her previous accumulation wasn't enough, so she hadn't broken through yet. Moreover, she herself needs to break through a major realm to reach the Tian Gang realm, so being a bit slower is normal.

As they continued on their way, Ye Liuyun finally had time to ask the Hell Mingshe: "What is the background of that Underworld God?"

"That is the top expert in the Underworld, whose true form is at the Divine Rank. I never expected to encounter him! Fortunately, it's only a fragment of his soul; otherwise, if he released even a hint of his pressure, we two would have been dragged straight into the Underworld!"

The Hell Mingshe's voice still trembles when mentioning the Underworld God even now. Clearly, he is extremely fearful of it.

"Such a powerful existence!" Ye Liuyun, however, was not afraid; in his heart, there was more longing for that realm.

The road ahead went smoothly; they encountered no hindrance whatsoever until they reached the Underworld Gate.

The Underworld Gate, seen from afar, was merely a huge black door, currently closed. Yet the aura it emitted made people feel fearful.

Even though Ye Liuyun's soul was strong, he still felt that intense pressure. Others need not be mentioned—they dared not even approach; just a glance gave them the sensation of their souls being sucked in.

Ye Liuyun activated his Golden Pupil and peered inside, but his Divine Sense was blocked outside, unable to see the interior. Although he was very curious about what lay within, he had to forcibly restrain himself.

As long as that Underworld God does not rush into his Sea of Consciousness, destroying him would still be very easy.

Ye Liuyun glanced, saw nothing, and directly led the group through the Underworld Gate without daring to linger.

Not far ahead, they unexpectedly encountered a group of martial cultivators—over ten people, with realms ranging from Tian Gang to the ninth level of Golden Core. Seeing Ye Liuyun and company, they were also stunned; they probably never expected to meet martial cultivators in this place.

"Who are you? Where do you come from?" asked the leading old man, a Tian Gang second-level cultivator.

"I am Ye Liuyun, a martial cultivator from the Five Regions, merely passing through here on my way to outside the Five Regions." Ye Liuyun explained to the old man.

"From the Five Regions? You actually came through this life-forbidden zone?" The old man and those behind him all felt quite astonished.

"Just good luck. May I ask your esteemed name, senior? And what place lies beyond this exit?" Ye Liuyun politely inquired.

The old man immediately replied: "I am Wu Zhenjiang, an elder of the Chengzhu Fu of Jiangbei Jun City. Leaving this place leads to Jiangbei Jun; however, one must travel several days' distance, with a vast forest in between."

"Thank you, Elder Wu!" Ye Liuyun expressed his thanks, then directly led the group in bidding farewell and departing.

He had always held a poor impression of the City Lord's mansion, so he didn't bother asking whether they intended to go to the Underworld Gate. Anyway, he couldn't go there; asking more would be useless. It was better to hurry away from here.

Elder Wu, after looking at them, also led his men rushing toward the Underworld Gate. They intended to directly charge in for exploration. However, they did not realize that it was the Underworld Gate.

This stretch of secret realm had no guards of the Hell Twin-Headed Dogs; only some Soul-Eating Cats lingered at the entrance. However, this secret realm has recently attracted many explorers, so those Soul-Eating Cats have mostly been slain by the adventurers.

Just as Ye Liuyun's group was passing through the mist, two disciples of the eighth to ninth level of Golden Core suddenly ran up from behind. Upon seeing Ye Liuyun, they immediately pleaded for help.

"Young Master Ye, please help us! Our elder and fellow brothers have all been devoured by a black gate! Can you go rescue them?" a middle-aged man begged Ye Liuyun.

"I'm truly sorry. I have seen that black gate before; I am powerless against it, and there is nothing I can do." Although Ye Liuyun felt somewhat reluctant, he still refused their request.

Not to mention him alone; even if ten more came, he would still be no match for that Underworld God—going would be nothing but suicide.

Seeing Ye Liuyun's refusal, those two could do nothing but continue running outward, presumably to return to the city to report the situation.

Unexpectedly, after those two first escaped the secret realm, they used a Transmission Talisman to contact the City Lord of Jiangbei Jun City, and also filed a complaint about Ye Liuyun's failure to rescue them. They also said Ye Liuyun might have discovered some treasure in the secret realm, though not necessarily.

The City Lord promptly replied, telling them to watch Ye Liuyun's group's movements, and they immediately sent people out.

Ye Liuyun never imagined that, despite being unable to help, he would still bear a grudge. He simply led the group out of this secret realm while staying on guard, arriving at the territory of Jiangbei Jun.

"Have we really come out?" Su Miaoyin still couldn't quite believe it. The fabled life-forbidden zone, spoken of in legendary terms, had been exited by them so easily.

"That should be right! If Elder Wu didn't deceive us, this should be the territory of Jiangbei Jun. Let's first go to the nearby city to buy a local map!"

Ye Liuyun himself was unsure about going there. So he planned to first buy a map to check, in order to find out where Liang Xue's Lingxi Palace is located. Perhaps he could go see Liang Xue first, so she wouldn't worry about him.

Su Miaoyin also needed a map to locate the Tianyin Hall's position. Thus they together rushed toward the nearby city. Ye Liuyun took out a flying boat, estimating half a day would be enough to reach the city.

Meanwhile, the two who had just escaped from the City Lord's mansion, upon seeing from afar the direction Ye Liuyun's group was leaving, again took out a Transmission Talisman to report Ye Liuyun's direction of travel.

In their view, Ye Liuyun's group's strongest cultivation was merely the ninth level of Golden Core. Moreover, they were outsiders with no backing, so they could be easily manipulated.