Chapter 512: Passing Through the Eyes of the Powerful

Why has the Nether Deer appeared here?

Hua Changxi guessed silently in her heart: could it be because it sensed the aura of the Nether Blade?

Does the Nether Blade carry the aura of the 'Nether Dao'?

Thinking this, she tentatively raised her hand, pointing eastward: "The Nether Blade went that way."

Uh...

The Nether Deer remained motionless, merely gazing quietly at Hua Changxi.

Seeing no reaction from it, Hua Changxi felt a mix of shock and doubt in her heart; if it hadn't come for the Nether Blade, and was now staring so eagerly at her, surely it hadn't manifested just for her sake?

As soon as the thought arose, she shook her head to dismiss it.

She was of the Human Race; even if she possessed an aura of the Dao, hers was the Dao of the Mortal World, which had nothing to do with the Nine Netherworlds.

Suddenly, Hua Changxi's eyes brightened as a certain speculation formed in her mind—could it be that the Nether Deer had also been attracted by the Soul Ballad?

To verify this idea, she took out a piece of Soul Bamboo leaf and placed it against her lips.

The next moment, an ethereal and melodious Soul Tune rang out.

Then, Hua Changxi saw joy surge within the Nether Deer's eyes, which were as vast as the starry sky. It slightly raised its head, and the dark blue halo surrounding its body pulsed gently in rhythm with the melody.

Well, it was indeed attracted by the Soul Ballad.

After all, it was a heavenly melody of the Nine Netherworlds; truly, every living creature loved it.

Having confirmed the reason for the Nether Deer's appearance, Hua Changxi lowered the Soul Bamboo leaf and raised her eyes to carefully examine this legendary creature before her.

The Nether Deer, existing as an auspicious symbol of the Nine Netherworlds, possessed great divine abilities; it was always traceless and shadowless, traveling tens of thousands of li in an instant, capable of swiftly traversing every region of the Nine Netherworlds.

Without the Nether Blade, her greatest reliance for traveling the Nine Netherworlds was gone. With dangers lurking everywhere in this place, she no longer had the mind to linger.

However, the Nine Netherworlds were vast, and since she could not expose her Human Race aura, she was unable to employ the Somersault Cloud; relying solely on her own feet for rapid travel ultimately limited her speed.

By the time she returned from the Fifth Realm to the First Realm, and then crossed more than half the territory of the Nine Netherworlds to reach the region of the Demon Prison, who knew when that would be.

As for whether she could still make it to the Jiuguan Auction by then, only Heaven knew.

Gazing at the Nether Deer, a bold idea gradually emerged in Hua Changxi's mind—could she ask this Nether Deer before her to carry her away from this place and back to the First Realm of the Nine Netherworlds?

"Ahem~"

Hua Changxi cleared her throat and said to the Nether Deer, "Do you wish to hear the Soul Ballad?"

The Nether Deer, which had shown no reaction until now, nodded.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi felt joy in her heart, though her expression remained unchanged: "I can play the Soul Ballad for you, but in exchange, you must carry me away from this place and return me to the First Realm of the Nine Netherworlds."

She paused, her expression serious and resolute.

"If you agree, nod your head; if not, you may leave. I will not play the Soul Ballad for you without compensation."

The Nether Deer did not respond immediately; hesitation floated in its eyes. After quite a while, it finally nodded in agreement.

Immediately afterward, it bent its front hooves, lowering its nearly two-meter-tall body.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi paused, then confirmed, "Are you asking me to ride on your back?"

The Nether Deer nodded again.

Hua Changxi first felt joy, but then some worry crept in.

Although the 'Soul Canon' clearly recorded that the Nether Deer never initiated attacks and was the gentlest creature in the Nine Netherworlds,

this was, after all, her first time encountering a Nether Deer, so she still felt somewhat uneasy.

However, perceiving that the aura of this Nether Deer before her was not particularly powerful, she reasoned that even if something went wrong midway, she would still have the strength to protect herself; thus, she hesitated no longer, walked toward the Nether Deer, and sat sideways upon its back.

The next moment, her line of sight suddenly soared upward.

The Nether Deer lightly tapped the void with its four hooves, rising into the high sky to walk upon the air.

Hua Changxi lowered her gaze to look down, seeing layers of dreamlike dark blue ripples spreading beneath the Nether Deer's feet, as if treading upon a flowing galaxy, each step subtly conforming to some profound rhythm.

In just a short while, the outline of Soul Nightmare Valley was left hundreds of li behind, reduced to a blurry black shadow on the horizon.

Seeing the Nether Deer's incredible speed, Hua Changxi felt even more certain that her decision had been correct; she immediately took out the Soul Bamboo leaf, placed it to her lips, and gently began to play the Soul Ballad.

As soon as the music began, she clearly felt the Nether Deer beneath her quicken its pace, the dark blue halo around its body flowing slightly with the melody, as if immersed in delight.

Thus, the figure of one human and one deer swiftly traversed the high skies of the Fifth Realm Abyss, leaving behind only a faint dark blue trail and the lingering, barely perceptible echoes of the Soul Tune.

Along the way, to conserve soul power, Hua Changxi constantly adjusted her method of playing.

After some experimentation, she discovered with delight that even without using the Soul Bamboo leaf as a medium, the Soul Ballad hummed softly from her lips alone was equally acceptable to the Nether Deer.

Consequently, for the remainder of the journey, Hua Changxi simply hummed the Soul Ballad with her mouth.

This method of low humming lacked the penetrating power granted by the Soul Bamboo leaf, ensuring only the Nether Deer could hear it; this saved soul power and avoided attracting the attention of others.

[Realm: Infant Transformation Stage 9.999 billion/1 billion; Divine Sense: 5 billion points]

Playing the Soul Ballad for the Nightmare Tapir in Soul Nightmare Valley had consumed half of Hua Changxi's soul power.

As the Nether Deer walked upon the air, it accurately avoided the various races of the Nine Netherworlds; seeing no danger, Hua Changxi took out the Night Glow Cup and began absorbing Soul River Water to replenish her soul power.

The Nether Deer sensed the fluctuation of soul power, tilted its head, and looked at Hua Changxi and the Night Glow Cup in her hand.

Seeing this, and for the sake of a smooth journey ahead, Hua Changxi smiled and asked, "Would you like some?"

The Nether Deer nodded.

Hua Changxi immediately waved out a ton of Soul River Water, pouring it directly into the Nether Deer's widely opened mouth.

"Alright, now that you've drunk the Soul River Water, it's time to speed up."

Having drunk the Soul River Water, joy flowed once more in the Nether Deer's eyes; hearing Hua Changxi's words, it immediately resumed its journey, its speed now faster than before.

[Realm: Infant Transformation Stage 9.999 billion/1 billion; Divine Sense: 10 billion points]

After her soul power recovered to 10 billion points, Hua Changxi could no longer continue absorbing Soul River Water.

It seemed that the capacity for soul power was ultimately severely limited by the strength of her physical body and her realm; the Nine-Aperture Exquisite Soul Heart Fruit was of no use in this regard.

However, when she carefully perceived her current soul body, she was instantly stunned.

Her soul body, originally somewhat insubstantial, had now condensed to a terrifying degree of solidity.

If her previous soul form resembled trembling jelly, easily scattered by a blow, then now it had metamorphosed into silicone of extreme toughness and dense texture, radiating an unprecedented resilience and weight.

"It truly underwent a qualitative change!"

Hua Changxi tried extending her divine sense outward again, and immediately realized just how sensitive she now was to fluctuations in soul power.

Within the area covered by her divine sense, everything appeared with crystal clarity.

Even a wisp of dust stirred by a gust of yin wind could not escape her detection, appearing as vividly as if enacted right before her eyes.

"Have you heard? The Netherworld Blade has appeared and fallen into the hands of a mysterious ghost race member; that ghost is wreaking havoc at the fourth layer of Zhongyuankou."

"How could I not have heard? Because of this, Ghost Fortress directly dispatched ten Ghost Commanders to personally descend to the fifth layer and hunt down that mysterious ghost."

"Nowadays, not only are the ghost races searching for that individual, but other factions are as well; if it weren't for the fact that experts from all races have gone to contend for the key to the Nine Nether Soul Realm, they might have gone searching personally too."

Indistinct whispers drifted into the area covered by Hua Changxi's divine sense and were immediately captured by her.

Hua Changxi knew she had caused too much commotion at the fourth layer of Zhongyuankou; now becoming a target for all the Nine Nether races left her extremely annoyed.

After pondering briefly, she took out the soul bead she had obtained earlier and embedded it into the formation slot of the Capricious Mask.

In an instant, the aura surrounding her shifted dramatically, transforming her into a female cultivator of the Soul Race; her black dress faded away, replaced by a plain white long skirt.

Sensing the change in her aura, the Nether Deer paused slightly, tilted its head to look at her, then quickly averted its gaze and continued on its way.

"Boom~"

A deafening roar of battle suddenly erupted from the distance.

The land of the Nine Nethers was shrouded in thick mist, making direction hard to discern; after leaving Soul Nightmare Valley, Hua Changxi had lost her bearings.

It was only now, upon spotting the huge, ferocious body of the Nightmare Tapir high in the distance, that she realized the Nether Deer had been heading east all along.

Several powerful figures were currently fighting the Nightmare Tapir over the Netherworld Blade.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi quickly patted the Nether Deer's spine: "Those people over there are fighting over the Netherworld Blade; don't get close."

The Nether Deer seemed somewhat unwilling; it wanted to reach the mouth of the Nether River Waterfall, which flowed from the first layer of the Nine Nethers down to the ninth, representing the fastest path back to the first layer.

Hua Changxi sensed its mood: "Would you like some more Nether River Water?"

The Nether Deer nodded.

Hua Changxi gave it another ton: "I'm not in a hurry; let's take a detour and avoid that battlefield over there."

After drinking the Nether River Water, the Nether Deer, though still reluctant, ultimately deviated from its original direction.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi had just begun to relax when she noticed the Nether Deer had only deviated slightly.

Previously, it had been charging straight toward the battlefield; now, it was merely passing along the battlefield's periphery.

"What is that?"

"Is that a Nether Deer?"

The Nether Deer, a legendary Dao Envoy of the Nine Nethers, was an auspicious creature that every being in the Nine Nethers dreamed of seeing.

When that ethereal blue figure appeared on the horizon, the numerous experts who had been killing each other over the Netherworld Blade unanimously ceased their fighting.

They all lifted their heads, their gazes filled with obsession and awe, staring blankly at the figure treading through the air as if they had even forgotten to breathe.

High in the sky, being watched by several Nine Nether King-realm experts, Hua Changxi truly felt her scalp go numb.

Fortunately, the Nether Deer was incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, it had put distance between itself and the battlefield.

"Did this King's eyes deceive me? Is there something riding on the Nether Deer's back?"

No one responded.

Only in the eyes of the Nightmare Tapir did a look of confusion emerge.

It seemed to smell a familiar soul aura; was it that human?

Probably not, right?

The Netherworld Blade falling into human hands was already baffling enough; if the Nether Deer had also been lured out by a human, it would have to doubt its own judgment—that the human was not human at all, but a creature of the Nine Nethers.

"Phew~"

Only after the figures of the Nightmare Tapir and other Nine Nether experts vanished from sight did Hua Changxi exhale deeply in relief.

Facing a single Nightmare Tapir, she still possessed the power to protect herself, but facing multiple Nine Nether experts comparable to the Nightmare Tapir simultaneously would leave her completely at a loss.

However, before the tension in Hua Changxi's heart could fully subside, fierce sounds of battle erupted from ahead once again.

The tremendous booming noise churned the clouds; the scale of the commotion was even more intense than the battle unleashed by the Nightmare Tapir and those few experts.

"Don't go over there."

Hua Changxi urgently urged the Nether Deer to stop, yet this time, the Nether Deer showed no intention of obeying.

Soon, a scene of fierce combat involving various factions of the Nine Nethers appeared in the vision of the one human and one deer.

At the center of the battle hovered a small cluster of ethereal blue light.

Without needing to ask, that object was the prize contested by all factions—the key to the Nine Nether Soul Realm, the Nether Fire Match.

Hua Changxi cast a hurried glance across the battlefield.

The Nether River Race, the Blood Sea Race, the Yellow Springs Race, the Demon Race, the Soul Race, the Beast Race, and several scattered clan factions...

Good heavens, nearly all the major factions of the Nine Nethers had gathered here.

At the same time, the various Nine Nether factions engaged in the fierce battle also noticed that ethereal blue figure rapidly approaching from the sky above.

"That is..."

"A Nether Deer?"

The various factions in the battle almost simultaneously withdrew their hands and looked up at the sky in unison.

Previously, being stared at by just a few experts had already left Hua Changxi struggling to cope; this time was even worse, as representatives from all Nine Nether racial factions were present.

Under such circumstances, she really wanted to jump off the Nether Deer's back and simply flee.

But she did not do so.

It was not because she was bold and fearless, but because she now understood why the Netherworld Deer had come to this place.

Directly east of the battlefield hung a spectral green waterfall—the Nether River Waterfall.

The Nether River Waterfall plunged straight from the First Layer of the Nine Netherworlds down to the Ninth Layer.

To return to the First Layer of the Nine Netherworlds, taking the Nether River Waterfall was undoubtedly the fastest route.

In stark contrast to Hua Changxi's anxious state of mind, the Netherworld Deer's gait remained calm and steady; its eyes were fixed solely on that spectral green Nether River Waterfall, caring nothing for anything else.

Thus, in this dead silence where swords were drawn and bows bent, this trace of ethereal blue appeared utterly out of place.

It approached unhurriedly, treading upon the void.

There was no earth-shattering momentum, only a sense of transcendence, as if it drifted apart from the slaughter.

Since prohibitions surrounded the Nether River Waterfall, preventing flight, the Netherworld Deer carried Hua Changxi, descending slowly from the high sky to the ground, preparing to cross the battlefield and head toward the Nether River Waterfall.

Time seemed to freeze at this very moment.

Every living being of the Nine Netherworlds stood stunned in place.

Only Hua Changxi was frightened half to death.

Although the creatures of the Nine Netherworlds would not attack the Netherworld Deer, she herself was an 'outsider.'

Recalling that the Soul Ballad could soothe agitated spirits, Hua Changxi immediately took out her soul bamboo leaf and began to play the Soul Ballad.

This time, she spared no soul energy, striving to ensure that every living being of the Nine Netherworlds could bathe in the melody of the Soul Ballad.

Please do not attack; I only wish to borrow this path to pass through.

At first, the gazes of all the Nine Netherworld factions focused on the Netherworld Deer; only when the Soul Ballad rang out did everyone's attention shift to the white figure seated upon the deer's back.

"The Soul Ballad..."

The various factions of the Nine Netherworlds trembled once more; the rarity of hearing the Soul Ballad was no less than seeing the Netherworld Deer itself!

"The Soul Clan..."

Seeing Hua Changxi on the Netherworld Deer's back radiating the aura of the Soul Clan, every Soul Clan cultivator present was shaken.

Since when had the Soul Clan produced a genius capable of playing the Soul Ballad? How had they not known of this?

In the moments that followed, the entire battlefield sank into an eerie silence.

The Netherworld Deer's pace was neither fast nor slow, carrying a peculiar rhythm. The ethereal blue halo beneath its hooves interplayed with the spectral green light of the Nether River Waterfall, forming a harmony difficult to describe.

Just so, carrying Hua Changxi, it passed calmly through the center of the battlefield under the gaze of the crowd.

Hua Changxi sat upright on the deer's back; although her heart pounded wildly, her playing of the Soul Ballad remained graceful and fluid.

Her white robes fluttered gently in the yin winds of the Nine Netherworlds, forming the starkest contrast against the gloomy surroundings.

Soon, the Netherworld Deer carried Hua Changxi across the battlefield.

The entire process lasted no more than a few dozen breaths, yet it felt as long as a century.