Chapter 1275 - 904: Return to the Mortal World

Facing Black Soul Hook’s threat, Zhang Chen only let out a light sigh: "You think you can threaten me? I, Zhang Chen, have never been threatened by anyone."

As he spoke, Zhang Chen extended his left hand: "Hand over the Book of Life and Death! This is your final choice!"

Hearing this, Black Soul Hook let out a cold laugh: "Stubborn fool!"

The next moment, a mysterious power flowed all around Black Soul Hook. He lightly traced across the Book of Life and Death, and a mysterious force flashed upon it. An invisible ripple flowed toward Zhang Chen, but as soon as it approached within three feet of him, it automatically dissipated into nothing.

"How can this be!" Black Soul Hook’s eyes widened, his gaze filled with disbelief.

"He’s all yours!" Zhang Chen said to Daoist Wen.

Daoist Wen let out a rasping, eerie laugh and lunged at Black Soul Hook. Black Soul Hook turned into a streak of flowing light and shot straight into the sky. He had already sensed that things were going badly and had no intention of staying to await death. But Zhang Chen only gave the chain in his hand a light tug, and Black Soul Hook was yanked back from afar, falling right in front of Zhang Chen.

Facing Zhang Chen’s Soul Hooking and Soul Stealing power, the other party had no ability to resist and was directly dragged back by Zhang Chen.

Black Soul Hook’s eyes were full of despair. How was he supposed to fight like this? He couldn’t even beat Daoist Wen to begin with, and now there was another guy at the side constantly disturbing and shaking his soul. He had no power to fight back at all; with just one exchange he was completely suppressed.

"Zhang Chen, I’m your ancestor—do you dare commit ancestor-slaying!" Black Soul Hook cried out, his voice filled with despair.

"Ancestor-slaying? Daoist Wen is the one killing you, what’s that got to do with me, Zhang Chen? Such a vile reputation is more than I can bear." Zhang Chen smiled lightly at his words, his laughter full of disdain:

"From the moment you stirred the Book of Life and Death and made a move against me, everything was already decided."

"There are many taboos in activating the Book of Life and Death. Without my guidance, you can forget about driving the Book! Keep me alive, I’m still useful!" Black Soul Hook pleaded repeatedly.

However, Zhang Chen simply stood where he was, quietly watching Black Soul Hook and Daoist Wen battle. After thirty exchanges, Black Soul Hook turned into a streak of black light and was directly swallowed by Daoist Wen, disappearing without a trace.

"A Daluo True Spirit is Immortal. Although I’ve devoured his True Spirit, I’ve only suppressed his Power of True Spirit. If I were truly to kill him, he might still have a chance to resurrect somewhere along the river of time in the future. So for an existence at the Daluo Realm, killing is not as good as keeping." Daoist Wen said, "Sealing is the best way to deal with them."

Zhang Chen neither agreed nor disagreed at these words. He ignored Daoist Wen and instead stretched out his hand to catch the Book of Life and Death that had fallen from the void. Then the Yama Authority automatically activated, and Zhang Chen became all-knowing and all-capable regarding the Book of Life and Death before him, gaining control over it.

"This item is rather tasteless—can only control the life and death of beings beneath the Immortal Dao. Hard to swallow, yet a pity to discard." Daoist Wen sidled over and commented.

"In the Ancient God-Demon Era this thing indeed had little use, but once the End of Dharma Era arrives, it will certainly become of great use." Light flashed in Zhang Chen’s hand and the Book of Life and Death vanished, sealed into his Celestial Eye, where he used the power of the Celestial Eye to refine it.

"Is there any treasure in this Underworld?" Zhang Chen asked.

"The aftershocks of the End of Dharma Era spread into the Underworld a bit later, but the entire Underworld has long since been affected. All Heavenly and Earthly Treasures have turned to withered wood; even the Sea of Blood has evaporated. What other treasures do you expect to find?" Daoist Wen said to Zhang Chen, "The only Heavenly and Earthly Treasure left in the Underworld might be the Wangchuan River beneath your feet."

The Yellow Spring Water is only a Tenth Tier water; for it to be preserved is nothing strange. After all, the power of the Heaven and Earth calamity has yet to affect the Twelfth Tier. Treasures of the Twelfth Tier and below can all be preserved.

"There are indeed some powerful old fellows hidden within the Underworld. After sensing the calamity between Heaven and Earth, they chose to seal themselves. Their Origin is a kind of treasure for you." Daoist Wen said to Zhang Chen.

"Old fellows? What cultivation?" Zhang Chen asked.

"Daluo!" Daoist Wen said, "If we join forces and can devour their Origin, we might hope to return to our peak state."

Zhang Chen shot the Great Freedom Celestial Demon a glare at those words. He merely wanted to seek treasures and Creation, not to court death. Let alone beings at the Daluo Realm—even if it were some old coots at the Golden Immortal level, he would avoid provoking them if he could.

He had yet to find the Five Directions Banner, and the Five Elements River might not be able to contend against a Golden Immortal. He had no wish to bring trouble upon himself.

A Daluo powerhouse could slap him to death with just one palm.

"I’m going back to the Mortal World. Your cultivation is only at the Twelfth Tier right now. Come with me, don’t stay in the Underworld." Zhang Chen said to Daoist Wen.

"No! I can’t go to the Mortal World! If I go to the Mortal World, I’ll die even faster!" Daoist Wen looked at Zhang Chen, his voice full of bitterness: "Don’t you know? Once you break through to the Dao Fruit Realm, even if your realm falls back down, your Origin Essence Qi will continue to drain away, until the Origin Essence Qi in your body is completely exhausted and you no longer have any Extraordinary Power."

"What? There’s such a thing? Why?" Zhang Chen was shocked at these words.

Once you break through to the Dao Fruit Realm, after your Origin Essence Qi begins to drain it doesn’t just stop at a realm collapse, but keeps draining?

"Because once a cultivator reaches the Dao Fruit Realm, the Magical Power in their body begins to transform and becomes tainted with the Power of Law. And as long as there is even a trace of the Power of Law in the body, its grade will be higher than the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi of the outside world, so the erosion of Origin will never stop. Otherwise, why do you think those old geezers choose to sleep and seal themselves instead of letting themselves dissipate along with the thinning Essence Qi between Heaven and Earth? It’s because once the erosion of Magical Power starts, it never stops!" The Innate Mosquito said.

"So you’re basically useless now? You mean you have absolutely no use to me?" Zhang Chen’s face instantly darkened at those words.

The Innate Mosquito gave a bitter smile at that: "I’m already like this, what use can I possibly have? I’m still counting on you to protect me."

"How am I supposed to protect you?" Zhang Chen said irritably, "I don’t even know who I’m supposed to look for to protect me."

"You’re different, you really can protect me!" Daoist Wen said. "You have the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu. As long as the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu grows up, it’ll be enough to support the breaths of several Primordial Saints. By then, even if your Origin erodes, you’ll have the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu as supply, and you’ll still have a chance to retain Extraordinary Power."

"So in the future, the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu is very likely to be my final trump card?" Zhang Chen said.

"That’s right! Exactly!" Daoist Wen said.

Hearing this, Zhang Chen fell silent. He had never imagined the situation would be this dire, far beyond his expectations.

"What exactly happened back in the Ancient Times?" Zhang Chen asked.

"Don’t ask me, I don’t know!" Daoist Wen shook his head repeatedly.

"Aren’t you an Innate aberrant species? How could you not know?" Zhang Chen didn’t quite believe him.

Daoist Wen said, "In the past I suffered a terrifying great enemy and had my Origin wounded. I lost my memories of the Ancient Times."

Hearing this, Zhang Chen felt a bit disappointed; his plan to probe for ancient secrets had fallen through.

"Then what will you do? Should I keep you in the Underworld?" Zhang Chen sized up Daoist Wen. What a fine tool character, a natural enforcer, but sadly he was shackled inside the Underworld.

"The Underworld is about to be affected as well. That residual wave of the End of the Dharma has already begun to ripple through the Underworld; the Underworld is no longer safe." Daoist Wen’s voice carried a trace of bitterness; he could hardly protect himself now. "Perhaps the next time you see me, I’ll have turned into just an ordinary, common mosquito."

Zhang Chen was stunned at that, never having thought things had gotten this bad. For a moment he didn’t even know what to say.

"I actually have a place in mind, maybe I can teach you how to dodge the tribulation." Zhang Chen said to Daoist Wen.

"You have a place that can avoid the tribulation? Impossible, right? Under the End of Dharma Tribulation, everything living is covered. How can you possibly avoid it?" The Innate Mosquito was stunned, his voice full of disbelief.

Zhang Chen smiled, then opened up the Ice Hell: "What do you think?"

"That is... that is... that’s Profound Nether’s aura... that’s the Queen Mother of the West’s aura... you actually dug up Profound Nether’s grave and ripped out the Queen Mother of the West’s Feng Shui Grand Array!" Daoist Wen was so frightened his body was trembling.

"After they enter my Ice Hell, they can avoid the aura of the End of Dharma Tribulation between Heaven and Earth. If you go in as well, you should also be able to dodge the tribulation, right?" Zhang Chen looked at Daoist Wen. No matter how high this guy’s cultivation was, it couldn’t possibly surpass the Queen Mother of the West, could it?

"I... I’ll be in there together with them..." Daoist Wen’s eyes showed a trace of hesitation, but when he thought of the coming End of Dharma Tribulation, he gritted his teeth and said, "I’ll go in! Just place me a bit farther away from Profound Nether. That guy specifically counters me—I really can’t afford to provoke him."

"Profound Nether? Which one is Profound Nether?" Zhang Chen asked.

Daoist Wen pointed with a finger. Zhang Chen looked at the sealed palm and a thoughtful look flashed across his eyes: "So this great deity is called Profound Nether."

Profound Nether was the Divine Spirit of winter, master of the Law of Ice.

Creatures like mosquitoes feared the cruel winter most.

"Got it, you can go in." Zhang Chen began herding the Innate Mosquito, stowing this guy away; he might be of great use in the future.

Even if he wasn’t useful, Zhang Chen still had to keep him close if possible; after all, this fellow was truly dangerous.

"If you run into some major trouble in the future, you can release me to lend a hand. But you’ll have to pay me. Every time I make a move, you must let me absorb the Innate Qi from the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu for three days." Right before entering the Ice Hell, Daoist Wen started bargaining with Zhang Chen, doing business.

"Oh? You can even turn this into a business?" Zhang Chen was dumbfounded.

"Innate Qi is exceedingly important to Innate Spirits like me; it’s a supreme tonic, a life-saving medicine." The Innate Mosquito was clearly coveting Zhang Chen’s Innate Qi.