Chapter 124: The Primordial Source

The land of Tianyuan, and the Tianyuan Winery. It all seemed a bit too coincidental. This was exactly why Li Changsheng had made this trip. Throughout the vast Chuling territory, despite the many hidden realms, only the Tianyuan Winery had managed to catch his attention.

The land of Tianyuan was intertwined with that ancient, cataclysmic disaster that had nearly destroyed the world. Furthermore, the lineage of the Demon Immortals, along with Chu Tian—the reincarnation of the Pill Demon—happened to be connected to that very ancient era. All these threads subtly gave Li Changsheng the feeling that he was trapped within a grand game of chess.

Although he possessed the System and the River of the Underworld, ensuring his safety for the time being, who could guarantee that the remnants of the ancient Qingling world did not harbor descendants of gods or monsters wielding heaven-defying arts? Anything related to gods made it hard for him to rest easy.

While Li Changsheng possessed terrifying talent, heaven-defying strength, and mastery over the River of the Underworld and the arts of causality, who could say there wasn't another being in this world with equally monstrous providence? Moreover, the Sons of Fortune were inherently favored by destiny; there must be countless others like Lin Hao who had obtained ancient legacies. If he remained ignorant of these ancient affairs, he would be unable to navigate the variables when he eventually encountered another chosen one. Should that happen, the consequences would be far more severe than merely losing his life. All of this had to be investigated, starting from the Chuling territory where he now stood.

Lost in thought, Li Changsheng had been flying for quite some time. As the clouds and mist dissipated before him, a sight emerged: a quiet, distinctive villa nestled among lush mountains and clear waters. The estate was vast, spanning tens of miles, filled with exquisite pavilions and verdant trees. A babbling brook circled the perimeter, enhancing the sense of peace and tranquility.

What struck Li Changsheng as odd, however, was the total absence of people in such a massive estate. This was highly unusual, even eerie. Only on a towering pavilion ahead did he spot an exquisite plaque with the characters "Tianyuan" written in a flowing, dragon-like calligraphy, shimmering with faint light. If not for the heavy fragrance of wine permeating the air, Li Changsheng would have certainly thought he had come to the wrong place.

*Dong... dong... dong...*

As Li Changsheng pondered, three heavy, resonant bell tolls echoed from deep within the estate. The sound was ancient and profound, exuding a sense of majestic power.

"The Tianyuan Bell has tolled; my master invites the honored guests to the Great Hall for a conversation."

Simultaneously, a crisp female voice rang out. Looking closely, a woman dressed in green robes stepped through the air toward them. She had a beautiful face, her eyes smiling with a perfectly measured grace.

"My master anticipated your arrival today and specifically instructed me to wait here. Please, follow me." The woman bowed to Li Changsheng and his companion, her eyes filled with a calculated degree of respect.

*Playing mysterious, are we?* Li Changsheng sneered inwardly. "Lead the way."

*Anticipated our arrival?* More likely, a trap laid long ago. This woman was clearly no ordinary soul; even if her cultivation wasn't overwhelming, her cunning was certainly profound and difficult to gauge. Living in Tianyuan, detached from worldly affairs? Li Changsheng wanted to see exactly what kind of entity she really was.

With a cold inner smile, the two followed the woman in green into the depths of the winery. Before long, they arrived at a magnificent pavilion. It stood sixty-six feet high and over a hundred feet wide, with exquisite carvings and decorations that spoke of grandeur. Li Changsheng did not hesitate; he gently held his companion’s waist and stepped inside. The woman in green followed behind.

*Whoosh...*

A flash of white light transformed the scene before them. While the exterior looked like a pavilion, the interior felt like a hidden realm. The sky was a hazy gray, the trees were dark, and a path paved with aged bluestone stretched out before them. Everything was permeated with an aura of decay, yet the spiritual energy in this realm was incredibly dense. It was all deeply unsettling.

"Something is wrong..." Li Changsheng’s eyes narrowed. He realized that the thick spiritual energy of this realm was tainted with a faint, lingering scent of death—and not the kind that came from the decay of mortal remains. To him, it felt more like the aura emitted by a corpse that had begun to cultivate.

"Your master has rather unique tastes," Li Changsheng remarked coldly, scanning the withered landscape as he walked deeper into the realm with Zhao Wan'er. After passing through a stretch of dead trees, a massive black altar appeared before them. It was over a dozen feet wide, covered in strange, intricate patterns.

Sitting cross-legged on the altar was a young man in white, looking as gentle as jade. Before him lay a game of chess, seemingly unfinished. The youth was deep in thought, head slightly bowed, gazing at the board as if lost in contemplation. Several large wine jars sat beside him.

For some reason, the moment Li Changsheng saw this man, a strange sensation arose in his heart—as if the man’s life and death were entirely within his control. The source of this feeling, it seemed, was the River of the Underworld. Despite his hesitation, Li Changsheng remained calm, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

The woman in green walked up to the youth and stood respectfully to the side, waiting. The youth, however, acted as if they didn't exist, remaining deep in thought.

*Open the attribute panel and inspect this person.*

Seeing the youth ignore them, a dark glint flashed in Li Changsheng’s eyes. *A servant of the Underworld? Quite the ego, then...*

Upon reading the System’s display, a chill crept into Li Changsheng’s heart. He sneered, then shifted his gaze to the woman beside the youth. *Interesting...*

Comparing their fates, Li Changsheng’s eyes flashed with icy killing intent, and a ghostly, phantom river surged into existence behind him!

"A mere servant of the Underworld, and yet you dare to act so grandly? This is quite a surprise." Li Changsheng’s voice was frigid. As a piercing chill radiated from him, the flow of the Underworld River accelerated! The sky above the realm darkened abruptly! A fierce, howling wind rose from nowhere, accompanied by the sound of flowing water that seemed to originate from the dawn of creation and the end of all things. The feeling that Bu Yuzi’s life and death were in his hands grew even stronger.

"This... no... this is impossible!" Bu Yuzi’s expression changed violently, his eyes filled with intense shock, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "The time has not yet come; how could you have already mastered the River of the Underworld?!"

Bu Yuzi’s heart was filled with unimaginable horror; the gentle, jade-like demeanor he had maintained could no longer be held. Having served the previous Master of the Underworld, his mastery of deduction was formidable. Decades of experience had only deepened his understanding of the dao. He had dared to invite this man only because he was certain the man had not yet sensed the River of the Underworld. Only under such circumstances could his schemes unfold. Yet, the scene before him was shattering. Had something gone wrong? Or had the previous Master never trusted him at all?

As a thousand thoughts raced through his mind, a dark, sinister light flickered deep in Bu Yuzi’s eyes. A murderous intent began to brew. Beside him, Qing Li grew tense, her eyes showing a flicker of hesitation before she quickly calmed herself, standing respectfully with her head bowed.

"Thinking of killing me?" Li Changsheng raised an eyebrow, his heart filled with disdain. With a flash of cold light in his eyes, he flicked his finger toward Bu Yuzi, forming a seal! The River of the Underworld behind him erupted with endless threads of causality, and a powerful, chilling force surged forth, engulfing Bu Yuzi!

There was nowhere to hide; the strike arrived in an instant!

"Ah!!"

"This is impossible!!"

"Even if you could commune with the River, how could you have mastered it so thoroughly without hundreds of years of practice?!"

Bu Yuzi’s face contorted, a shrill, incredulous scream escaping his lips. As he felt his vitality and cultivation rapidly draining away, his panic reached its peak. This was the absolute control the River held over its servants! Whether it was cultivation, vitality, blood essence, or even the soul—absolute control! With a single thought, one could strip away cultivation, crush vitality, and shatter the soul!

"Master! Master!!"

"This servant was wrong! Please forgive me, Master!!"

"Master! Master!!"

"Spare my life, Master!!"

Bu Yuzi had lost all composure. Under the crushing power of the River, his strength, vitality, and soul were being stripped away. His eyes were filled with terror as he trembled, begging frantically for mercy. The sound of his head hitting the altar rang out repeatedly, his eyes filled with extreme remorse. If only he had known...

"Lay out your entire scheme, or be erased from existence," Li Changsheng said, his voice cold and indifferent. A sacred, transcendent aura emerged from him, as if he were a god sitting in judgment. Nearby, Qing Li was so captivated by this aura that she stood frozen. Even Zhao Wan'er seemed entranced, her eyes flickering with a hazy light.

*Ding! Host has shocked those present. Reward: 500 Fate Points.*

A mere trace of his domain’s aura was enough to achieve this. His talent was truly sublime! As the System’s voice echoed, Li Changsheng smiled faintly, though his expression remained unreadable as he watched the bloodied, trembling Bu Yuzi.

"Yes... yes, Master..." Bu Yuzi, stripped of any remaining defiance, began kowtowing frantically, his body trembling, his voice filled with newfound subservience. "This Chuling land is located at the center of the Qingling chess game; it is the land of Tianyuan. Beneath it lies a tomb, and within the coffin... is a Demon Immortal!"

"In the ancient era, that Demon Immortal was one of the greatest players in the Qingling game. I calculated that the Demon Immortal’s successor would eventually sense their presence and come here to investigate. I knew that successor would inevitably become your greatest enemy, Master. That is why I opened this winery, waiting for the right moment to seize their body..."

Bu Yuzi spoke with total reverence, showing no sign of resistance, appearing as if he were planning entirely for Li Changsheng’s benefit. But Li Changsheng saw through it, his eyes cold. *Seize the body of the successor? I’m sure you had that thought for me, too, didn't you?* A traitor at heart—how could he be allowed to live?

"Shatter!"

With a single word, the power of the River of the Underworld surged! Li Changsheng’s expression remained indifferent, his gaze as deep as an abyss.

"Master, you..."

As the word left his lips, Bu Yuzi’s expression changed instantly! Before he could say another word, the power of the River struck! In the blink of an eye, Bu Yuzi exploded into endless specks of light, transformed into a stream of pure energy that flowed into the River of the Underworld.

Zhao Wan'er watched everything with a calm expression. To her, whatever Li Changsheng did must be for a reason. She only needed to watch and support him. Qing Li, however, was struck with awe. To her, Bu Yuzi had been a mountain of a figure, an existence as mighty as the heavens. Yet, even such a man had no chance to resist before this noble and terrifying individual.

"Your potential is not bad. Are you willing to serve me as my servant?" Li Changsheng noticed their reactions, paused for a moment, and looked toward Qing Li with a calm gaze.

"This servant is willing! Thank you, my Lord!!" Qing Li was in disbelief. After a brief shock, a wave of ecstasy surged within her! She knelt and bowed deeply, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Open your mind."

Li Changsheng spoke calmly, a ghostly, dark aura emerging around him as he formed a complex seal. A profound, ancient-looking rune materialized in the air—it was pitch black and looked incredibly eerie. Sensing the malevolent power within the rune, Qing Li’s body trembled, and though fear filled her eyes, she quickly suppressed it.

"Qing Li is willing to be your servant, my Lord. From this day on, I shall never harbor a single thought of betrayal."

She bowed with deep, pious reverence. She knew her own worth; the Lord’s words were merely polite. In truth, it was likely that some capability of hers had caught his eye, granting her the qualification to follow him. Otherwise, he would have erased her existence with a wave of his hand. Realizing this, her submission became even more absolute.

*Cunning, and intelligent enough to boot.* Noticing the subtle change in her demeanor, Li Changsheng curled his lip in a knowing smile and flicked his finger toward her.