Chapter Six: Gathering the Wellspring of Shadows, Transforming the Sea of Suffering
“King, all the traitors have been executed.”
Having completed all this, the ethereal youth dropped to one knee and bowed respectfully before the King of River Chu.
“The Son of Heaven has departed for the snowy northern frontier. That place holds great significance.”
Glancing at the deferential youth at his side, a profound light flickered in the King of River Chu’s eyes as his deep voice rolled forth:
“Go and assist the Son of Heaven. The day the Underworld reopens is not far off.”
“Mo Yuan obeys the King’s command.”
The illusory youth bowed once more, acknowledged the order with respect, and did not hesitate further.
Slowly rising, he took a single step—the next instant, his figure vanished!
“The snowbound northern frontier, source of the underworld’s energies…”
“The Son of Heaven’s stratagem, set in motion tens of thousands of years ago, now at last approaches its revelation…”
Long after Mo Yuan’s departure, a glimmer of anticipation flickered in the depths of the King of River Chu’s gaze. He murmured softly, then shook his head with a gentle sigh.
With a single step, his figure too disappeared.
…
Meanwhile, in the farthest reaches of the north, amid a range of endless mountains, a young man clad in a black and gold-embroidered robe moved forward at an unhurried pace.
Because of the perennial snow and wind, these mountains had long since been sealed under a thick layer of ice, the air biting cold. Together with the ceaseless howling of the wind and snow, this land’s climate was unspeakably harsh.
Yet the youth walked as though treading through an empty world, at ease and untroubled.
If one observed carefully, one could notice that in the swirl of wind and snow, the boundless chill and darkness were being rapidly siphoned away, stripped clean.
At a rate that defied terror, this power surged into the youth’s body.
He was the Underworld Heir.
“What was once considered a flaw in the underworld’s source has, unexpectedly, become the pivotal piece in this arrangement…”
“Truly, fate toys with all…”
Gazing at the swirling snow, a trace of nostalgia surfaced in the Underworld Heir’s eyes as he spoke softly to himself.
“On the distant shore of the River of Forgetfulness, a new existence stirs…”
“The day draws near…”
After a pause, the Underworld Heir shook his head with a faint smile and continued onward through the endless snowy mountains.
Time slipped quietly by. In the blink of an eye, two hours had passed.
In the Underworld Heir’s eyes, an immeasurably vast expanse of ice plain now appeared.
“I’ve arrived.”
A smile touched his lips as he gazed upon the boundless plain. With a single step, his figure vanished in an instant!
When he reappeared, he stood at the very center of the ice field.
Wasting no time, as a faint aura of the Dao shimmered about him, his left hand pressed slowly against the ice and, with a sudden force—
Boom!
With a deep, thunderous sound, the entire frozen plain shuddered!
Crack… crack… crack…
The sound of breaking ice reverberated as the layers that had lain sealed for tens of millennia began to splinter, inch by inch, from beneath the Underworld Heir’s palm.
Fissures spread rapidly into the distance!
The vast and mighty ice field began to shift, and as it did, vast quantities of chilling energy surged forth!
The temperature plummeted, and the snowstorm grew even fiercer!
“Draw!”
With a single utterance, depth swirled in the Underworld Heir’s eyes as his divine sense plunged into the endless depths of the frozen sea.
A summoning will swept across the entire sea in an instant!
“Within the underworld, spirits are born; nine imperial coffins are buried here, sealing the source of the dark…”
“Come forth…”
His low voice, carrying an endless cadence, echoed throughout the sea.
Sitting cross-legged atop a drifting ice floe, the Underworld Heir’s spirit enveloped the entire sea, sending out his call again and again.
Boom…
Soon, the boundless sea began to tremble, surging waves rising, while an even denser cold radiated up from the depths.
“With such force of cold, the foundation should be set…”
Sensing the drop in temperature, the Underworld Heir’s eyes flickered with contemplation. Without delay, he quietly circulated the Underworld Canon and began to refine the energy.
From all directions, the endless chill decomposed at a terrifying rate, yielding the purest strand of underworld force, which flowed into his dantian!
In no time, a single drop of pure underworld essence condensed and floated within his core.
An aura of ultimate cold emanated, accompanied by waves of annihilation and slaughter, radiating from his entire being!
“The source of the underworld gathers into the bitter sea. Within the sea, the foundation of the Dao is erected.”
Feeling the ultimate, chilling power within, a flash of brilliance shone deep in the Underworld Heir’s eyes. As he murmured to himself, the summoning force from his soul intensified!
The icy waters of the underworld roiled and churned, the temperature plunging ever further!
It was a sight both eerie and uncanny—the cold here had reached unimaginable extremes, yet the sea seemed to boil, refusing to freeze!
“Condense!”
Without pause, the Underworld Heir’s voice rang out again. The boundless, icy force of the sea was rapidly decomposed, yielding an abundance of underworld energy!
Immediately, at a terrifying speed, this power surged into his dantian!
Before long, one drop… ten drops… a hundred drops…
In just a few breaths, a chilling, inky lake had formed in the Underworld Heir’s core!
“It’s not enough.”
Sensing the nascent strength coursing through his body, the Underworld Heir slowly shook his head. With a single thought, the sea trembled once more!
A faint hum resonated from every direction as the waves grew more turbulent.
From below, nine terrifying currents of cold shot skyward, accompanied by a domineering might that threatened to shatter all shackles!
Closer now!
From the abyss, those nine frigid powers surged swiftly toward the surface—he could feel them clearly.
“Nine is the utmost; nine coffins seal the source of darkness…”
“Today, with the power of these nine coffins, I shall open the bitter sea and lay my Dao foundation…”
Sensing the nine icy powers racing upward at his summons, the Underworld Heir murmured again, and the force with which he absorbed the underworld’s energy surged to its peak!
He was fully driving the Underworld Canon, absorbing the source of darkness to the utmost.
Soon, another hundred drops… a thousand… even ten thousand!
The underworld lake within his core grew ever larger, waves rising, showing signs of transforming into a vast sea!
Thunder rumbled!
Just then, nine colossal waves erupted upon the endless surface of the sea where the Underworld Heir sat!
A chilling, domineering power radiated forth as nine immense, ashen coffins emerged, each one exuding a terrifying aura.
“The time has come.”
Sensing the endless chilling power issuing from the nine coffins, a smile curved the Underworld Heir’s lips. With a swift succession of gestures, the nine coffins shuddered!
An infinite surge of chilling underworld energy rushed toward the Underworld Heir!
Boom…
Boom…
Within his dantian, the lake of darkness erupted in a storm of waves, echoing with thunderous roars as torrents of underworld essence poured in, its size swelling dramatically!
A low humming grew as the entire world seemed to vibrate. In his dantian, a vast, pitch-black sea suddenly took shape!
“The nine coffins become the Dao, and the foundation is born.”
With a final gesture, the Underworld Heir watched as the nine coffins shattered, releasing a power beyond words—an overwhelming, chilling force that surged into him!
Visibly, above the endless inky sea within his core, an altar inscribed with countless, intricate, and eerie patterns rapidly condensed!