Chapter Three: A Turtle in a Jar

"Defying the endless cycles of reincarnation, I have condensed a single immortal heart..."

"To reconstruct the Underworld, however, consumes far too much..."

"With my soul nearing true transcendence, I could easily seize control of the Heavenly Dao in countless worlds, and thus increase my cultivation..."

"But in the end, that would not truly be mine..."

"Transcendence..."

After King Chujiang departed, the Prince of the Underworld sat in silence upon the altar, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon, murmuring softly as his thoughts churned.

Though the method of endless reincarnation had succeeded, and his soul—most difficult to advance—was now near the threshold of transcendence, he had sacrificed all his cultivation in the process. Even when he had slain all those myriad races before, he had done so only by temporarily channeling the power of heaven and earth through his soul. But this could never be a lasting solution.

Fortunately, after this ordeal, he had comprehended the workings of fate. Though he lost his transcendent physical body, he had gained an almost invincible innate Dao body.

With the innate Dao body, as long as his cultivation was sufficient, his physical form could, under the impetus of the Dao, instantly synchronize with his cultivation level!

And his soul was already infinitely close to transcendence.

When both cultivation and body achieved transcendence together, they would surely resonate and draw his soul into transcendence as well!

When the three became one, he would step into that unprecedented realm of true transcendence!

To stand above the laws of heaven and earth, to stride freely through the universe!

"A hundred years... a thousand years..."

"At least, not yet..."

After pondering for a long while, the Prince of the Underworld shook his head with a faint smile, a profound light flickering in his eyes as he murmured again:

"The foundation of the Underworld has been severely damaged, and this place lacks the necessary yin energy for cultivation. The perfected Tome of Shadows, achieved during reincarnation, is useless for now."

"The filth of the Yellow Springs has already dissipated, transformed into the River of Oblivion... Soon it will fully merge with the Celestial Realm of Tianyuan, blossoming on the Other Shore... It will not affect the mortal world..."

"As for the Six Paths of Reincarnation, they have already collapsed... With no cultivation, it is impossible to manifest them..."

"Now, all that remains is this treasure—somewhat useless..."

As his low murmur faded, the Prince of the Underworld sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

He slowly raised his right hand, and three inches above his palm, an ancient tome exuding endless cold appeared, floating in midair.

The Register of Shadow Gods.

It could enshrine the souls of all realms as deities; those inscribed within would not enter reincarnation.

This was the supreme register of the Underworld’s shadow gods!

Though the tome appeared simple and its material difficult to discern, a dense aura of the Dao emanated from within.

Clearly, it was an ancient treasure of untold power!

Only those who had attained the throne of Emperor could infuse such a treasure with the essence of the Dao!

Once, it had recorded the endless shadow gods of the Underworld!

Those whose names were inscribed would not die while the Prince of the Underworld lived, nor would reincarnation erase them!

But now, with the Underworld annihilated and his own essence depleted, the shadow gods recorded within this tome could not be revived.

"By altering the structure of the Celestial Realm with my soul and forging the power of an Immortal Emperor, I can intimidate the myriad races for a time."

"For now, I must rely on the Yellow Springs and the boundless legacies of the Underworld to preserve myself..."

"So long as the killing continues, the myriad races will remain fearful; even the so-called Nine Heavens Divine Dynasty would not dare to confront me directly..."

After a while, a depth never before seen appeared in the Prince of the Underworld’s eyes. As he murmured, a terrifying murderous aura swirled around him.

Not until a long while later did he slowly close his eyes, the murderous intent gradually fading...

In his previous life, he had attained the rank of Immortal Emperor through the Dao of Slaughter, forging his own path and suppressing all realms.

In this life, he would once more use slaughter to prove the Dao of Transcendence!

With this thought, the Prince of the Underworld slowly shook his head, a calculating light flickering in his eyes. He slowly raised his left hand.

In his palm...

Earth, fire, wind, water, thunder, prisons, blood mist—an endless array of terrifying visions unfolded...

...

In the Celestial Realm of Tianyuan, far south of Longevity Valley, lay endless verdant forests.

There, amidst countless mortal cities, were also innumerable sects of cultivation.

Foremost among them were the Twelve Sacred Lands.

The masters of these sacred lands were formidable, most having reached the status of Quasi-Emperor.

Within each sacred land lay hidden powers on par with true Emperors.

At this moment, in the main hall atop the main peak of Azure Moon Sacred Land, twelve figures sat in silence, none speaking.

The atmosphere was deathly still, oppressive.

"Gentlemen..."

"In three days, do you truly intend to await your deaths?"

Suddenly, at the head of the hall, a thin, almost skeletal elder with a ghostly glint in his eyes swept his gaze over those gathered, his voice hoarse as it echoed slowly.

"Master Yue, if you have a suggestion, do speak it plainly," came the cold retort of a man in his early thirties with sword-shaped brows and starry eyes. "All of us here have cultivated for millennia and ruled our respective domains. To say we would willingly await death is absurd."

At this, all eyes turned to the master of Azure Moon Sacred Land—the withered old man.

"In my humble opinion," the elder began, his eyes glinting as his hoarse voice filled the hall, "the Prince of the Underworld’s massacre of the myriad races today was achieved only by borrowing the will of the Celestial Realm of Tianyuan, and the Yellow Springs as well."

The crowd remained silent, their eyes deep in thought.

"The Yellow Springs are broken, long since lost their former power. Now merged into this realm, they fall under the domain of this world’s will, and can no longer be freely commanded by the Prince of the Underworld."

"We need only gather ten Emperor Weapons and use their Dao aura to form a formation, thus disrupting his control over the will of the Celestial Realm!"

"Without the Yellow Springs, what does the Prince of the Underworld have left?"

The old man’s words echoed slowly through the hall, and the others’ eyes glimmered with contemplation and growing certainty.

If King Chujiang were at his peak, they would not dare harbor any designs against the Prince of the Underworld.

But with the Underworld shattered, the Ten Courts of Yama rendered void, and the divine thrones reduced to empty shells, what power remained?

Now, King Chujiang at his strongest was but a Quasi-Emperor. Though his methods were extraordinary, who among them had become a Quasi-Emperor by fortune alone?

As for the Prince of the Underworld, perhaps his soul was strange and he had some arrangements within the Celestial Realm of Tianyuan. But once suppressed by ten Emperor Weapons, what could a reincarnated cultivator possibly do?

He would be nothing but a lamb awaiting slaughter.

With these thoughts, their hearts grew resolute.

"Since all are resolved, then three days hence, we shall gather beyond the Eastern Domain and bring the Prince of the Underworld to justice!"

The skeletal elder swept his gaze over the assembly once more, an icy glint in his eyes as his hoarse voice rang out, a murderous intent soaring from his form.

"We shall follow Master Yue’s plan!"

The crowd rose in unison, saluted with clasped fists, exchanged glances, and then departed to make their preparations.

What none of them realized was this:

At that very moment, deep within Longevity Valley, atop an ancient altar, a youth of natural, refined features and unmatched elegance stood calmly, gazing into the vision within his palm.

In that vision...

The grand hall, the twelve sacred masters, murderous intent rising...

"A swarm of ants..."

Only when the scene showed the others departing did the youth slowly shake his head with a dismissive smile.

With another wave of his hand, the image swiftly dissipated, replaced by a majestic new vision.

The sound of water—at once the beginning and end of all things—rose, as an illusory river filled the entire scene in his palm.

Though the river flowed without end, within its illusory depths, one could faintly make out a land of immortal grandeur...

It seemed the entire land was shrouded within the river...

If one looked closely, they would recognize that continent—it was remarkably similar to...

The Celestial Realm of Tianyuan...

"The Yellow Springs entering this world is beyond your comprehension..."