Chapter 505: Field of Negative Energy

The Nine Netherworlds are the gathering place of heaven and earth's turbid qi; they are also the nether realm where the souls of all living beings return to silence after death to undergo reincarnation.

Since the formation of the realm, two major races have been nurtured here: the Nether Race, which relies on nether qi for life, and the Ghost Race, formed from lingering obsessions of departed souls that refuse to enter reincarnation.

Just as the mortal world experienced the tumultuous shift from the dominance of demon beasts to the rise of humanity, the situation in the Nine Netherworlds has also been highly volatile, and even more intense.

Among these upheavals, the most drastic was the fragmentation of the Nether Race.

Regarding the past of the Nether Race, even Lady Chi Yan's memories are vague; what she knows is merely scattered information pieced together from various surviving ancient texts.

Legend has it that before ancient times, the Nether Race produced a brilliantly talented powerhouse named Luo Xiu, revered by his people as the 'Nether Ancestor'.

Since the creation of the Four Spirit Realms, the order of 'Nine Heavens above, Mortal World in the middle, Nine Netherworlds below' was established. This was not merely a spatial arrangement but a division of status and resources.

The foundation and resources of any realm are ultimately limited; with the Nine Heavens and Mortal World towering above the Nine Netherworlds, the quantity of Dao fruits imbued with the great Dao of heaven and earth, as well as divine positions wielding authority over regions, far exceeds that of the Netherworlds.

Furthermore, within the Four Spirit Realms, only the four great continents can give birth to Emperors, while the strongest experts of the Nine Netherworlds can, at best, stop at the Divine Realm in their entire lives.

After cultivating into a Nether God and refining the World-Extinguishing Black Lotus, Luo Xiu, unwilling to remain beneath the Nine Heavens and Mortal World, attempted to defy heaven and forcibly break through to the Emperor Realm.

Unexpectedly, this act provoked the wrath of the Heavenly Dao, which descended a heaven-and-earth-destroying heavenly punishment.

Luo Xiu ultimately perished under the heavenly tribulation, and the Nether Race completely collapsed due to this catastrophe.

The once-unified Nether Race split, based on different cultivation directions, 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 repeatedly annihilated and reformed.

From then on, the Nether Race ceased to exist as a unified entity in the Nine Netherworlds, and the landscape of the Netherworlds was completely rewritten.

While extracting Lady Chi Yan's memories, Hua Changxi vigilantly watched the Demon Clan members before her.

Compared to the Nether River, Blood Sea, and Yellow Spring clans, which were born alongside the Nine Netherworlds and whose lineages never broke, the fates of the Demon Clan and Soul Clan were far more turbulent.

The Nine Netherworlds are inherently a place of chaos and slaughter; even the most valiant and warlike Demon Clan has experienced near-extinction tragedies.

Yet even so, the Demon Clan still kills wherever they go, just as they are doing now.

"Heh, nowadays even stray cats and dogs dare to run around in the Third Nether Abyss."

"Stop talking nonsense; kill her."

As soon as the words fell, two demonic shadows, carrying dense, violent qi, rushed toward Hua Changxi like black lightning to slaughter her.

The moment the attack arrived, Hua Changxi raised the Ghost Cart Soul Flute to her lips.

In the next instant, clear and resonant flute notes pierced the air.

Invisible sound waves rippled outward; the leading Demon General's figure suddenly stalled, the ferocity in his eyes instantly replaced by bewilderment, his movements frozen mid-air.

Seizing the opportunity, Hua Changxi sidestepped the other Demon General's sharp claws; catching a glimpse of his eyes beginning to glaze over, she immediately exerted force with her fingertips, making the flute music suddenly urgent and sharp, like a blade slicing through the sky—"Soul-Seizing Melody," Second Layer: Soul Slashing, begins.

However, she had not yet mastered this piece; her playing was somewhat halting, and although the two Demon Generals were forcibly immobilized, their souls were not shattered as expected.

"Heh, I thought she was just a little ghost, but didn't expect her to be a tough nut to crack!"

"Attack together!"

Seeing this, the remaining demons' eyes flashed with ferocity; roaring, they swung their blades down, weaving demonic qi into a net that surrounded Hua Changxi completely.

With a serious expression, Hua Changxi spun like a phantom to swiftly dodge, her flute music never ceasing; as she weaved through the demons, she pushed the melody to become increasingly high-pitched and urgent.

The piercing sound waves, like thousands of ghostly claws striking simultaneously, penetrated the demons' protective demonic qi and stabbed directly at their divine souls.

After some time, the demon generals began clutching their heads and screaming; their blades slipped from their hands as they fell to the ground, rolling about, the ferocity in their eyes replaced by fear.

Fine beads of sweat had appeared on Hua Changxi's forehead, and her fingertips turned white from exertion, yet she dared not pause for even a moment, continuing to play tirelessly.

The flute music clung to the demons' souls like a maggot in the bone, binding them tightly.

"Boom~"

An explosion suddenly rang out.

One Demon General suddenly split apart; his demonic body detonated, turning into a sky-full of black mist.

"Success!"

Hua Changxi's eyes brightened; "Soul-Seizing Melody," Third Layer—Ashes to Ashes!

Immediately afterward, the remaining demon generals let out successive piercing screams; their bodies were torn apart by an invisible force, splitting into pieces one after another.

After dealing with all the demon generals, Hua Changxi moved away from the battlefield at maximum speed; while dashing, she took out the Night Glow Cup and quickly absorbed Soul River water to replenish her consumed soul power.

Just as she vanished into the darkness, countless auras converged from all directions.

Only when there was not a single sound left around, and even the wind seemed to solidify, did Hua Changxi slowly come to a halt.

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

After killing those dozen or so demons, the color of the black fish pattern had deepened—the desire to kill was being amplified!

She clearly perceived an uncontrollable impulse to slaughter growing wildly in her heart like weeds.

While vigorously rubbing the back of her right hand with her left, attempting to suppress the intense stinging pain, Hua Changxi gazed with a dim, eerie light into the endless darkness that was causing the broken black blade to tremble frantically.

The Nine Netherworlds are a field of negative energy; being within them, even doing nothing, stirs up negative emotions; once one begins to kill, one gets swept up in it, leading people to sink and tempting them to fall deeply.

The Nine Netherworlds are simply not a place for humans!

Hua Changxi felt that in the future, she should visit the Nine Netherworlds less often; the mortal world was vast enough for her to undergo trials.

For the rest of the journey, whenever Hua Changxi encountered Netherworld races, she ignored them as long as they did not provoke her; however, the moment she sensed hostility, she immediately took out her soul flute and began playing the "Soul-Seizing Melody."

By the time she reached Zhongyuankou, the passage from the Third Nether Abyss to the Fourth, she had practiced the First Layer of the "Soul-Seizing Melody"—Bewildering Soul, and the Second Layer—Soul Slashing, to a high degree of proficiency.

As for the Third Layer—Ashes to Ashes, she did not play it in order to control the killing desire in her heart.

The area around the third Zhongyuankou was very quiet; no one was stationed there to collect tolls, and few people passed through.

In the second realm of the Nine Netherworlds, one could still see chaotic battles among low-tier races, but in the third realm, such phenomena had nearly vanished, replaced only by small-scale battles of absolute slaughter.

After scanning her surroundings and finding nothing amiss, Hua Changxi leaped into Zhongyuankou.

"Whoosh~"

This descent, apart from the intense sensation of weightlessness, was accompanied by bone-scraping yin winds.

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

The air was permeated with an indissoluble mixture of rust and rotting bone; a single inhalation made even the divine soul feel as rough as if it had been sanded.

Chilly winds blew in gusts; within the fourth realm of the Nine Netherworlds, the bone lantern could not even be ignited!