Chapter 769: The Netherworld (Extra update for first place in April monthly votes)

As Lu Mian's figure disappeared in front of the crystal skull, those human skulls that had already developed countless cracks lost their support.

They shattered with a boom, and along with the shadow in the high altitude falling, the wilderness overgrown with weeds cracked into one piece after another.

Oseto's "Other Side World" collapsed toward the similarly cracking crystal skull, and everything located here turned into dust without a sound.

The undead dissipated, the light was extinguished, and the nihilistic darkness swallowed everything.

I don't know how much time passed, but points of soft light lit up in this absolute pitch-black, illuminating a desolate, dim, pale, and nearly solidified wilderness.

In the very center of the wilderness was that holy and tranquil Lake Dalsh.

The headless lady, wearing a gloomy black dress and carrying four heads, quickly outlined herself beside the lake water, quietly watching the transparent water surface that had not the slightest ripple.

…………

Having just passively passed through the bronze gate, Lu Mian felt as if he were being watched by countless eyes, his body becoming increasingly cold and paralyzed as a result.

At the same time, arms reached out from nowhere, grabbing toward his head, neck, chest, abdomen, and legs.

Some of them had dim skin and grew white, bone-like teeth; some had flesh so rotten it was falling off, with equally rotten insects slowly wriggling in the ulcers; some had no skin; some were only illusory spiritual bodies...

Their commonality was that they all brought a coldness that could freeze the soul.

The golden mask on Lu Mian's face, painted with white or black oil paint, emitted a faint and pure light; those arms that were trying to reach over first stopped, then retracted.

Those eyes watching him from the depths of the darkness also withdrew their gaze.

Lu Mian regained his thoughts and regained his perception of his body.

He discovered that below him was a profound pit that had no visible bottom and no boundaries.

The edge of the pit was composed of layers of blurry worlds; they circled the pit, constantly going downward until the end of his line of sight.

These blurry worlds were stacked together in a chaotic manner; Lu Mian couldn't see clearly what was specifically inside them, only knowing that each of them was more vast than the Star Highlands, and the gazes that had looked over earlier all originated from the bottom of the pit, in that darkness that seemed to have no end.

Lu Mian plummeted suddenly, and in the blink of an eye, he fell into one of the blurry worlds.

He miraculously stood on a wilderness of exposed grayish-white rock, surrounded by piles of white, bone-like skeletons; they were dense and extended toward different distances.

At this very moment, these skeletons were all stationary, as if they had fallen asleep in time.

This is the Netherworld? I wonder where that part of the "Abscessed Hand" body is? Lu Mian looked around and muttered silently.

It was because he discovered this was an opportunity to enter the Netherworld that he actively helped, using the Aigris family's golden mask and the seal of the "Netherworld Taoist" to push open the bronze gate within the crystal skull.

The problem now is that the Netherworld is much more vast than he had imagined; he had no idea where to start looking.

Similarly, he didn't know where the rotting infant Oseto had sent in had run off to, or what it wanted to do.

Perhaps I can rely on the contract I signed with the "Abscessed Hand" to find it; it and the rest of its body are essentially one, and there is a mystical connection. The contract I signed with it is, to a certain extent, equivalent to signing one with the rest of its body... Lu Mian quickly had a train of thought and said in a cold, hoarse voice:

"'Knight of Swords', have you entered as well?"

"Yes." "Knight of Swords" Malic's voice became a bit more ethereal.

He paused and added:

"One of my companions has also entered."

Lu Mian nodded:

"Why don't you come out?

"You are currently in the state of vengeful spirits; you don't need to worry about dying instantly in the Netherworld."

You're already considered undead creatures, so what are you afraid of regarding the special nature of the Netherworld?

"Knight of Swords" responded:

"But we are essentially still living creatures. If we stay in the Netherworld in the state of vengeful spirits for too long, we won't be able to turn back into humans and will exist forever in the form of vengeful spirits and evil spirits.

"And with the help of your body, we can temporarily avoid the influence of the Netherworld and come out at a critical moment."

"Is that so..." Lu Mian looked up at the pale, dim sky. "I also can't wear this Aigris family mask for too long; we probably only have three hours."

While speaking, Lu Mian attempted to activate without using the black mark on his right shoulder; that was the "Spirit World Travel" from the "Abscessed Hand."

With the help of this mark, he vaguely felt that something was calling to him at the end of the wilderness on the right.

That is that part of the "Abscessed Hand" body in the Netherworld? Lu Mian had just flashed this thought when he saw a figure emerge in front of him.

That was a young woman with very refined features but an exceptionally pale complexion; her eyes were azure and profound, without any emotional fluctuation; her light golden long hair was tied into a slightly serious bun, on which she wore a soft hat with a fine black veil hanging down, and she wore a complex and refined black Gothic court dress.

This is the Temperance Faction demigod who possessed me earlier? Lu Mian recalled the two blurry figures he had seen with the help of the crystalline frost.

One of them was exactly the same as the lady in front of him!

That Temperance Faction demigod floated in mid-air, slowly turned a circle, then pointed in a direction and nodded at Lu Mian.

The place she pointed to was precisely the end of the wilderness on the right.

"Do you mean that Oseto's prematurely born rotting child is probably over there?" Lu Mian asked for confirmation.

The lady wearing the black soft hat nodded slightly, indicating affirmation.

She then disappeared into mid-air, and Lu Mian felt another cluster of chill in his body.

They are all in that direction... A coincidence? No, not a coincidence; it's more likely that there is something in that direction that attracted them over... Lu Mian turned his body to the side, immediately wanting to "teleport" to the edge of his line of sight.

His figure had just become transparent when suddenly, pale palms from nowhere pressed onto his body surface, grabbing his arms.

Lu Mian experienced the feeling of paralysis throughout his body again, and his soul seemed to be torn by an invisible force.

This time, the faint light emitted by the golden mask didn't play a role.

Lu Mian attempted to ignite scorching white flames to dispel the cold, stiffness, and paralysis, but his entire person was suppressed by an invisible terror, shivering, unable to make an effective response.

By the time he regained clarity and reason, he discovered that he was still standing in the same place, but all the white, bone-like skeletons in the surrounding area had stood up, circling him layer after layer, as if protecting him.

At the same time, Lu Mian heard the voice of "Knight of Swords" Malic:

"After you put on the Aigris family mask and become a pure undead creature, you will also possess all the traits of an undead creature, and one of those traits is being suppressed by high-ranking beings of the 'Death' pathway, making it difficult to generate thoughts of resistance, and both body and mind are willing to accept enslavement.

"By comparison, we 'vengeful spirits' who are not considered pure and can freely switch states are much less affected."

This is the reason I couldn't resist just now? I wonder if the "Sword of Courage" can offset this influence; theoretically, it should be able to... Lu Mian realized and said:

"You saved me just now?"

"Knight of Swords" didn't continue this topic, instead reminding Lu Mian:

"It seems that in the Netherworld, one can 'teleport' but cannot 'teleport'; that seems to be regarded as a blasphemy against 'Death', which will attract punishment from the Netherworld."

According to the mystical knowledge mentioned by Ms. "Magician", the Netherworld comes from the Spirit Realm, so it's normal to be able to "teleport", but to consider "teleporting" blasphemy against "Death" is too, too strictly hierarchical, isn't it? This does conform to the suppression of low-sequence beings by high-ranking beings of the "Death" pathway... Lu Mian considered for a few seconds and bent his waist and back slightly.

A scorching white, brilliant flame spear shot out immediately, illuminating the pale, dim mid-air and throwing itself toward the end of the wilderness.

As the scorching white trail with red faded inch by inch, Lu Mian, transformed into a flame spear, threw himself continuously, rushing on his way at the fastest speed he could currently achieve.

During this process, he noticed that the wilderness had a downward angle, and the destination for him, "Knight of Swords", and the Temperance Faction demigod was at the bottom of the "hillside".

After a while, the scorching white firelight scattered in all directions, and Lu Mian's figure, wearing a thick jacket, fell toward the ground.

In front of him was an illusory, pitch-black river so wide he couldn't see the opposite side.

The river came from the edge of the sky and flowed toward the end of the sky, silent and exceptionally quiet.

"Is this the River of the Netherworld?" Lu Mian asked the Temperance Faction demigod within his body.

The one answering him was still "Knight of Swords" Malic:

"It should be; it runs through every layer of the Netherworld. Crossing it is equivalent to entering the depths of the Netherworld.

"If you hadn't stopped just now and had flown above it, you would have fallen directly into the river, and no one would have been able to save you."

It's a good thing the "teleportation" encounter just now gave me a reminder; when encountering an environment that might be problematic, stop first... Lu Mian looked left and right, seeing the wilderness covered in withered blood-colored flowers, and hidden among the blood flowers were many corpses, skeletons, and shadows.

"How should we cross the river?" Lu Mian felt that the part of the "Abscessed Hand" body he had lost was on the other side of the River of the Netherworld.

Just as his words fell, before "Knight of Swords" could make a response, a tattered, exceptionally gloomy pitch-black small boat appeared abruptly on the illusory, pitch-black river.

Standing on the small boat was a figure hanging with many fragments; it rowed with a long oar, letting the small boat sail to Lu Mian's side and front, stopping at the edge of the river.

Lu Mian focused his gaze and saw that the "ferryman" was a highly rotten male corpse; its body was exposed in many places, and its eyes seemed to have been dug out by someone, leaving only empty sockets wrapped in thick blood vessels and flowing with yellowish pus.

"Take this boat across?" Lu Mian asked the Temperance Faction members within his body in a suppressed voice.

"Knight of Swords" Malic's voice answered, ethereal but slightly solemn:

"This is the only way.

"But you must be careful of the 'ferryman'; the Netherworld has undergone a mutation, and it might also have problems."

PS: Extra update for first place in April monthly votes~

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 770 =====