The sound of water crashing rang out.
Gu Fangchen's vision blurred, and in the next instant, the scene before him changed from his own room to a boundless sea of blood.
And he was right in the middle of it.
This "middle" did not mean he was floating on the surface of the blood sea, able to swim freely, it meant that in every direction, up, down, and all around, there was no end to be seen.
In that instant, Gu Fangchen's body was subjected to a pressure akin to being plunged a thousand meters beneath the ocean, enduring the crushing force of the abyss.
This was the "Bottom of the Yellow Springs."
The Nine Nether Yellow Springs was the world of wicked spirits and fierce ghosts.
Although called the "Nine Nether Yellow Springs," it was in fact the Yellow Springs first, and the Nine Nether after.
Countless souls of the dead, after death, first pass through the Intermediate Underworld, the transitional region between the two, and also the area where General Qianmo had set up the "Between the Weft and Warp" formation, before reaching the Sea of Blood of the Yellow Springs.
The pressure of the Yellow Springs Sea of Blood directly crushes most ordinary souls.
Here, they are shattered and re-enter the cycle of Heaven and Earth, to be reincarnated.
Only a small number of stronger souls, as well as the souls of cultivators, continue to fall deeper, entering the true "Nine Nether."
Below, there were no Yama Kings presiding over judgment, only the countless souls who, for millennia, refused to be crushed by the Heavenly cycle.
In truth, the "Nine Nether" was nothing more than a massive hydraulic press, a mechanism of Heaven and Earth designed to process souls in batches and then restructure them anew.
This mechanism manifested as the harsh and torturous environments within the "Nine Nether."
In the east lay the Nether Abyss, in the south the Nether Shade, in the west the Nether Night, in the north the Nether Feng, northeast the Nether Capital, southeast the Nether Forge, southwest the Nether Pass, northwest the Nether Court, and in the center, the Nether Prison.
These nine realms together formed the "Nine Nether."
But some cultivators' souls were too powerful, so powerful that they retained fragments of consciousness and survived within this mechanism, plotting to return to the living world.
The only chance was when the boundary between the "Nine Nether" and reality became unstable, through a crack, one could escape.
But such cracks were rare and narrow, allowing only one or two souls to pass through, so the spirits trapped within began to fight each other.
In such an already crushing environment, they had to guard against betrayal by their own kind. Weaker souls clung to stronger ones, forming factions.
In a sense, it was no wonder that cultivators were often said to "defy the Heavens."
To the Heavenly Dao, such beings were no more than bugs clogging the system.
These souls evaded the crushing purgatories and sought every chance to return to life.
Under such prolonged torment, they survived by devouring other souls, but as countless souls merged, their consciousness blurred, their thoughts twisted.
Even if they returned to the mortal world, most became fierce ghosts or took over the bodies of other creatures, becoming demons.
Only the rarest of souls retained their original consciousness, those were the stories of lingering human ghosts that defied oblivion.
Most, however, were exterminated by cultivators the moment they escaped.
And even those few who survived were not one in ten thousand within the vast "Nine Nether Yellow Springs."
...
Gu Fangchen had already anticipated such a situation. He closed his eyes, instinctively holding his breath, switching to internal respiration.
That meant he now breathed through his organs and skin, using the circulation of spiritual power in place of air, while simultaneously shielding his physical body.
The "Nine Nether Yellow Springs" might sound mystical, but it was still part of this world, it did not transcend its laws.
The only difference was that its inhabitants were no longer human, but demons and monstrosities.
The waters of the Yellow Springs carried countless curses and debuffs, so toxic that it made the "Heart-Poison Mark" on his body seem gentle by comparison, multiplied by 675.894659 times.
In a game, this stuff would make a player's poison bar explode in three seconds flat, draining health in massive percentages until death.
Five percent per tick, every two seconds, instant death, basically.
Anyone who saw it would be terrified out of their wits.
That Blood River Repentance Formation that the Green Barbarian Tiansa had set up to trap Xiao Yinghao was nothing more than a crude imitation of this place.
Even so, that formation had still contained air.
Because the [Yama's Notice] skill had transported him to the bottom of the Yellow Springs, he would soon exit its range. The instant-death threat only applied to weaker or unprepared entities.
Especially since the Yellow Springs mainly targeted the spirit.
Gu Fangchen's physical body entering it was, in fact, an advantage.
With his current strength, short-term survival posed no problem, so long as he blocked contact with the water, resisted the pressure, and maintained oxygen balance.
But as he did so, he paused, realizing something strange, he was already at the peak of the Sixth Rank, not the Fifth.
In theory, only at the Fifth Rank, the Refined-Heart Realm, could one establish full internal circulation.
The body becoming a self-contained system, independent of Heaven and Earth, that was the peak state called "Flawless Golden Body."
Reaching that level marked the beginning of transcendence, the realm of the "Grandmaster."
To achieve this, one must form the "Twin Wheels of Sun and Moon."
The Sun Wheel in the chest, blazing like the noonday sun, formed of vigorous blood and heartfire.
The Moon Wheel in the mind, luminous and calm, forged of clarity and will.
Together they reflect upon one another, forming a crystalline heart as pure as snow.
The first step toward circulation is "internal respiration."
Only by turning the flow of spiritual power inward, from Heaven and Earth into oneself, can one condense and focus essence and spirit.
In his moment of crisis, Gu Fangchen had instinctively believed he could do it, and he did.
Bubbles rose.
As he sank deeper, feeling the seamless rhythm of his internal breathing, his expression turned strange.
Could it be... that I have always underestimated myself? Am I actually a once-in-a-millennium martial prodigy?
The blood sea roiled again.
Moments later, Gu Fangchen broke through the Yellow Springs, snapping his eyes open.
Yet his expression stayed grave, he dared not breathe.
Because now came the real test.
The "Nine Nether Yellow Springs" was nothing like the "Grand Dao Sword Palace." It was a late-game dungeon, one of the most dangerous in existence!
The creatures here weren't just high-level, they dealt devastating debuffs, and the environment itself was lethal. Poisonous pools covered the ground.
He had no intention of attempting a cross-tier challenge. There were no shortcuts here, only death.
His sole mission was to stay alive.
Everything else depended on that Green Barbarian Tiansa... if the man was unlucky, two or three hits would be enough to trigger instant death.
That was exactly why Gu Fangchen had chosen him.
Too strong, and the instant-death chance wouldn't trigger fast enough, leaving Gu Fangchen trapped too long.
A Third Rank opponent was perfect.
And since he had sabotaged their alliance with Gu Yuye, that man would surely reach out to them again.
Especially since a prince of the Four Great Tribes had died by his hand.
The Green Barbarians were already thirsting for vengeance.
Better to strike first.
Gu Fangchen lifted his head.
He had clearly been sinking before, but now, as he rose, gravity flipped, and he was floating upward.
The "bottom" of the Yellow Springs was also its "top."
A boundless sea of blood stretched before him, thick fog swirling above. Souls drifted upward from the sea.
Most could not endure, their forms flickered and dissolved into mist.
Some, desperate, flailed toward faint lights glimmering within the fog.
Gu Fangchen narrowed his eyes, focusing on the wavering lights.
Surrounded by fog and blood, the terrified souls naturally swam toward that single source of light.
But he did not follow. He drew nearer only slightly, then hid in silence.
He looked at the expanded details of his profession.
Now it was time for the second skill to take effect.
[Skill Two: Flight of Time (Passive)]
[Description: "See the great roc soaring through the clouds, it will not fly until Heaven itself challenges it." Depending on the time of day, different enhancements are gained.]
[Enhancements include the following:]
[Morning: You sense Heaven and Earth; restoration speed greatly increases.]
[Day: Your blood and energy flourish; physical strength greatly increases.]
[Dusk: Inspiration strikes; comprehension greatly increases.]
[Night: You merge with dust and light; presence greatly decreases.]
And now was night.
Gu Fangchen's presence dropped sharply, so much that even as a living man in the Nine Nether, he went unnoticed.
The ghosts here barely survived by devouring spirits.
A living human's flesh and blood were the ultimate delicacy, a rare feast beyond compare.
Gu Fangchen waited patiently.
Weaker souls soon failed to endure, perishing before reaching the light.
By then, the Yellow Springs water had already corroded his clothes.
He could do nothing about it.
Using pills would release too much spiritual fluctuation, drawing attention instantly. He could only endure.
The most efficient approach was to minimize his spiritual shield, leaving a thin layer to protect his body, nothing more.
It saved energy and reduced exposure.
As for clothing, irrelevant.
They were all ghosts here. Who would see him anyway?
Embarrassment? He could overcome that.
Besides, the thick, roiling blood covered everything well enough...
"This is taking too long..."
Finally, just as sweat began to bead on his brow, a slightly stronger soul appeared, a Divine Path cultivator, most likely.
He had survived the crushing blood sea and was swimming toward the light.
But when he reached it, he realized, the light was no lamp, but a thin, emaciated ghostly hand holding a tattered lantern.
As he drew close, countless eyes opened across that hand.
The blood sea erupted.
A massive figure surged up from below, a monstrous, anglerfish-like abomination. In the terrified cultivator's gaze, it opened its gaping maw and swallowed him whole.
Indeed, there was no ferryman in the Yellow Springs, only predators.
That light was nothing but bait.
The creature crunched contentedly, gnawing bones, then drifted lazily away.
Gu Fangchen exhaled softly, pressing himself tightly against its body, blending among its many grotesque ghost-hands.
While its attention had been on its prey, he had slipped behind and latched onto its back.
Its aura now cloaked him completely.
For the time being, he could rest.
...
Meanwhile, far to the north, beyond the Northern Frontier, lay the Green Barbarian lands.
Unlike Great Wei, the Green Barbarians were a people of the plains and snow mountains, a nomadic culture through and through.
They had no cities. Their world revolved around the Great Khan's golden tent, from which radiated twenty-four tribes.
Among these, four great tribes were strongest. Their chieftains were crowned kings by the Khan.
Each tribe followed the will of its Tiansa, who divined the guidance of Heaven for their harvests, wars, marriages, and deaths.
The one who guided them all was the sole Great Tiansa, the "Buddha Child and Holy Master" who had once shattered Ding Xingfeng's Dao Heart, Maha Wuliang.
Agaro, whose necklace of tooth-bones Gu Fangchen had taken, was the prince of the Kotuga Tribe, one of the Four Great Tribes.
At this moment, inside the golden tent, the Great Khan sat tall and mighty, armored in furs, a figure of absolute authority.
The Green Barbarians believed,
He possessed eyes so majestic that any he gazed upon must kneel,
and arms so strong that they could lift both the Sacred Snow Mountain and the endless sky.
Before him knelt the Kotuga chieftain, weeping bitterly.
"Despicable, shameless Central Plains men! They stole my son's amulet, the blessing of Heaven itself! That is why he fell in battle, slain by their hands!"
A Tiansa beside him said:
"Khan! To show his sincerity, Gu Yuye has sent us a new defense map. He swears the plan's exposure was not his doing. The Central Plains cultivator who aided Xiao Yinghao is named Gu Fangchen, cunning and deceitful! We must kill him first!"
Before the Khan could reply, his pupils constricted. He stared past the Tiansa's shoulder.
The Tiansa, sensing a chill down his spine, turned around,
A crack had opened in midair.
From within, blood-red gazes blinked, confused at first, then they caught sight of the Tiansa's flesh.
Rage surged.
With a roar, the bloody maws lunged forth from the rift!