Chapter 505

The Netherworld is where the turbid Qi of heaven and earth gathers; it is also the land of the dead where souls return to silence and enter reincarnation after death.

Since the formation of the realms, two great races were born: the Nether race, nurtured by Nether Qi, and the Ghost race, born from the lingering obsessions of souls that refuse to enter reincarnation.

Just as the mortal world experienced the great upheaval from the dominance of demons to the rise of humanity, the situation in the Netherworld was equally turbulent—and even more violent.

Among these upheavals, the most intense was the fragmentation of the Nether race.

Even Lady Red Nightmare’s memories of the Nether race’s past were hazy. What she knew was merely fragments pieced together from various surviving ancient texts.

Legend has it that before the Primordial Era, the Nether race once produced a peerlessly talented powerhouse named Luo Xiu, revered by them as the "Nether Ancestor."

Since the creation of the Four Spirit Realms, the order had been established: "The Nine Heavens above, the mortal world in the middle, and the Netherworld below." This was not merely a spatial arrangement but a division of status and resources.

The foundation and resources of a single realm were ultimately limited. The Nine Heavens and the mortal world, both above the Netherworld, possessed far greater numbers of both Dao Fruits containing the Great Dao of heaven and earth and divine thrones that could hold authority over a region.

As if that weren't enough, in the Four Spirit Realms, only the four great continents could give birth to Emperor-level powerhouses, while the strongest in the Netherworld could only ever reach the Divine level.

After Luo Xiu cultivated to become a Nether God and subdued and refined the World-Destroying Black Lotus, he refused to bow to the Nine Heavens and the mortal world. He vainly attempted to defy heaven and forcefully break through to the Emperor realm.

Unexpectedly, this action incurred the wrath of the Heavenly Dao, which unleashed a devastating heavenly punishment.

Luo Xiu ultimately perished under the heavenly tribulation, and the Nether race was completely shattered and scattered as a result of this catastrophe.

The Nether race, which had once unified the Netherworld, split into five major clans—the Nether River clan, the Blood Sea clan, the Yellow Spring clan, the Demon clan, and the Soul clan—along with countless scattered clans that were constantly destroyed and then regrouped.

From then on, there was no longer a Nether race in the Netherworld, and the entire structure of the Netherworld was thoroughly rewritten.

While reading Lady Red Nightmare’s memories, Hua Changxi cautiously watched the demons before her.

Compared to the Nether River, Blood Sea, and Yellow Spring clans—which had lived as long as the Netherworld itself and whose heritage had never been broken—the fate of the Demon clan and the Soul clan was far more turbulent.

The Netherworld was inherently a place of chaos and slaughter, and even the most warlike Demon clan had experienced near-total annihilation.

Yet even so, the Demon clan still went everywhere killing whatever they found, just as they were doing now.

"Hah, even stray cats and dogs dare to tread into the third level of the Abyss these days."

"Why waste words? Kill."

As the words fell, two demonic shadows, carrying dense,狂暴 aura, lunged at Hua Changxi like black lightning.

The instant the attack came, Hua Changxi raised the Ghost-Carriage Soul Flute to her lips.

The next moment, a clear and piercing flute sound broke through the air.

The invisible sound waves rippled outward, and the first demon general to attack suddenly froze mid-motion, the violence in his eyes replaced by confusion, his movements suspended in the air.

Taking the opportunity, Hua Changxi sidestepped another demon general's claws. Catching a glimpse of his eyes beginning to glaze over, she instantly tensed her fingers, and the flute's pitch turned sharp and urgent, like a blade slicing through the sky—the second layer of the Soul-Capturing Melody, Soul Severing, began.

However, she had not yet mastered this tune, and her playing came out somewhat haltingly. Though the two demon generals were forcibly immobilized, their souls were not shattered as expected.

"Hah, thought it was just some kid—didn't expect a tough nut!"

"All together now!"

Seeing this, the remaining demons' eyes blazed with malice. Roaring, they swung their blades and charged, their demonic energy weaving into a net that surrounded Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi’s expression turned serious. Her body moved like a phantom, spinning rapidly to dodge, while her flute never stopped. She wove among the demons, pushing the melody higher and more urgent.

The shrill sound waves, like thousands of ghostly claws striking together, pierced through the demons' protective demonic energy and stabbed directly into their souls.

After a while, the demon generals began clutching their heads and shrieking. Their weapons slipped from their hands as they rolled on the ground, the ferocity in their eyes replaced by terror.

Fine sweat seeped from Hua Changxi’s temples, and her fingertips turned white from the strain. Yet she dared not pause for even a moment, tirelessly continuing to play.

The flute sound clung like a bone-gnawing maggot, tightly entwining the souls of those demons.

"BOOM—"

A sudden explosion rang out.

One demon general abruptly burst apart, his body detonating into a cloud of black mist.

"It worked!"

Hua Changxi's eyes lit up—the third layer of the Soul-Capturing Melody: Reduction to Ashes!

Immediately after, the remaining demon generals also let out shrill screams as their bodies were torn apart by an invisible force, shattering into pieces.

After dealing with all the demon generals, Hua Changxi fled the battlefield at top speed. While dashing, she took out the Night Luminescence Cup and rapidly absorbed Soul River water to replenish her consumed soul power.

No sooner had she disappeared into the darkness than countless auras converged from all directions.

Only when there was no sound around, and even the wind seemed frozen, did Hua Changxi slowly come to a halt.

She lowered her head, her gaze falling on the black fish pattern on the back of her right hand.

After killing those ten-some demon clan members, the black fish pattern had deepened in color — the urge to kill was being magnified!

She clearly perceived an irrepressible impulse to kill, like wild grass madly growing inside her heart.

While vigorously rubbing the back of her right hand with her left hand in an attempt to suppress the intense stinging there, Hua Changxi gazed with deep, dark eyes toward the boundless darkness that had driven the black broken blade to tremble wildly.

The Netherworld Abyss is a field of negative energy. Being within it, even doing nothing can provoke negative emotions. Once slaughter begins, one will be swept in, dragged down, and lured into sinking deeper.

The Netherworld Abyss is no place for humans!

Hua Changxi thought that from now on, she should come to the Netherworld Abyss less. The human world was vast enough for her to train.

Throughout the rest of the journey, whenever Hua Changxi encountered Netherworld Abyss races that did not provoke her, she ignored them. However, once she sensed hostility from an opponent, she immediately raised her Soul Flute and began to play the "Soul-Seizing Tune."

By the time she reached the Abyss Mouth connecting the third layer of the Earthly Abyss to the fourth layer, she had become very proficient in the first tier of the "Soul-Seizing Tune" — Soul-Bewildering, and the second tier — Soul-Slaying.

As for the third tier — Annihilation to Ashes — she did not play it in order to control the murderous urge within her heart.

The area around the third Abyss Mouth was very quiet, with no one occupying it to collect tolls, and few people passed by.

In the second layer of the Netherworld Abyss, one could still see melees among low-level races. In the third layer, this phenomenon was almost nonexistent; only small-scale absolute-kill battles existed.

Hua Changxi looked around and, after detecting nothing unusual, leaped into the Abyss Mouth.

"Whew~"

This time, the descent was accompanied not only by a severe feeling of weightlessness but also by a bone-scraping dark wind.

After landing, Hua Changxi took a breath and immediately held it.

The air was thick with an inseparable mixture of rust and decaying bones. Taking a single breath made even the soul feel as if it had been sanded rough.

The dark wind gusted; in the fourth layer of the Netherworld Abyss, even the bone-white lanterns could not be lit!