Secular world: My destiny has no taboos

Chapter 582-592: A Simple Exchange
"In my eyes, if someone deserves to die, then they should die. Repentance and repentance are things that Heaven should do, and my responsibility is to send them to meet Heaven."

Yin Hu spoke with a firm tone, seemingly already harboring deep dissatisfaction with those cowardly individuals.

"However, there is one thing I really admire about the Lord of the Underworld: he led the entire Underworld to block a world behind the gate, giving the mortal world a few hundred years to breathe. If it were me, I probably couldn't do it."

"To sacrifice oneself for others is truly a noble virtue."

As Lin Beixuan gradually learned about the inside story of that year, he had to admit that the former Lord of the Underworld was very dedicated.

Yin Hu looked at Lin Beixuan and said calmly, "We've arrived. I won't go in the rest. After all, those are not part of my legacy."

"inherited?"

Lin Beixuan was taken aback. He hadn't expected that he would receive an extra reward for coming to rescue the sealed Yin Hu.

Yin Hu nodded: "That's right, the inheritance of the underworld."

"Although the Underworld has declined and is now just ruins, its essence has not been lost. Otherwise, why do you think Chenlong sealed me here? It's to keep an eye on things for him."

"Then why give it to me?" Lin Beixuan frowned in confusion.

“You are different. You are the most important piece in this game, the key to our fight against the extraterrestrial evil spirits.”

Seeing the displeasure on Lin Beixuan's face, Yin Hu smiled and said, "Don't even mention you. Even I am just a piece in Chenlong's game. Chenlong is the smartest person I have ever met. All living beings are on his chessboard."

Upon hearing Lian Yinhu say that he was just a pawn on the chessboard, Lin Beixuan shrugged: "What does that have to do with me? Not everyone likes being a pawn to be manipulated like you do."

Faced with Lin Beixuan's blunt words, Lin Beixuan's face darkened, and he hurriedly urged, "Hurry up and go in. I don't want to stay in this place for even a moment longer."

Lin Beixuan slowly walked towards the depths of the underworld, while Yin Hu watched his back, lost in thought.

There was a wind blowing in the darkness, but it was unclear where it was coming from.

Lin Beixuan realized that he had walked into a riverbed that was high on both sides and low in the middle.

"This place used to be where the River of Oblivion flowed, but it has dried up now."

Looking ahead, in the center of the riverbed stands an ancient altar, its surface dark blue-green and covered with grooves eroded by time.

"The legacy of the underworld can't possibly be this altar, can it?"

As Lin Beixuan stepped onto the altar, a notification immediately appeared on the panel in his mind.

[You have entered a special area - the Underworld Altar.]

[The Yin-Yang Altar (Gold): A furnace connecting the Yin and Yang realms, based on the impure soil of the Nine Netherworlds and forged from millennia-old cold iron, dedicated to the refining of living souls.]

[Within the dark altar, the souls of the kind-hearted will be repaired, while the souls of the wicked will be forged.]

Although it is an altar, it is a building belonging to the underworld, just like the original Reincarnation Pool.

However, Lin Beixuan's attention was not on the Yinming altar at this moment, but on the thick stone pillar in the center of the altar that was locked with iron chains.

The stone pillar is inserted straight into the groove in the center of the altar, and when viewed from below, the top is the hair of a writing brush.

This is a pen!

Lin Beixuan was startled, not understanding why this thing was locked here.

"Could this be the lineage of the underworld that Yin Hu mentioned?"

He had just confirmed that the Yinming Altar was merely a Yin-Yang structure and had no possibility of being passed down through generations. So, what remained was the enormous stone pen in front of him.

"It's probably not as simple as it looks," Lin Beixuan murmured.

He placed his hand on the stone pen, and the power of life and death reincarnation within the incense temple in his body was instantly activated, involuntarily surging towards the stone pen.

In an instant, cracks appeared on the outer shell of the stone pen, and countless faint lights shone through the cracks, emitting a chilling glow.

【Name: Soul-Hooking Brush (God) (Incomplete) (1/2)】

[Introduction: The Nine Netherworld Soul-Catching Pen, bestowed by Xuanji, the Lord of the Underworld, can determine life and death with a single stroke, even if it's just a pen that can extend the lifespan of an ordinary person. It is one of the symbols of the Underworld's authority.]

[Because you have gained control over the cycle of life and death, the Soul-Hooking Pen has proactively granted you partial access to certain laws.]

[Power One: Book of Longevity (Gold)]

[The Book of Longevity: The brushstrokes have long since captured the essence of heaven and earth, the ink stains life and death, writing of the dust of the world. All that is written by this soul-capturing brush is a judgment of good and evil, the ink of one's own blood, defying fate and changing destiny. A certain price can be paid to forcibly extend the lifespan of the dying; the more lifespan extended, the greater the price.]

[Second Authority: Reduction of Blessings (Gold)]

[The Record of Shaving Fortune: Holding this pen can determine life and death, reduce fortune and prosperity, forcibly alter the other person's destiny, diminish their luck, cause their fortune to collapse, turn benefactors against them, turn windfall into misfortune, and bring evil to an auspicious dwelling.]

【Power Three: The Severing of Ties (Gold)】

【The Severing Karmic Ties Spell: When the karmic thread is severed, it's as if we were strangers in a past life. Anyone cursed by the Severing Karmic Ties Spell immediately enters the judgment stage; if the judgment is positive, the karmic thread is severed, and one can curse future severing karmic ties in life or death; if the judgment is negative, resentment arises a thousand hairs, and one can curse past severing karmic ties in life or death.】

[Note: You currently possess the Book of Life and Death (1/2). The Book of Life and Death and the Soul-Hooking Pen are mutually reinforcing artifacts of law. Writing in the Book of Life and Death with the Soul-Hooking Pen will trigger a special effect - the Law of Life and Death, increasing the power effect by 50%.]

……

"The Soul-Snatching Brush!"

Lin Beixuan never expected that, besides the Book of Life and Death, he would obtain another divine artifact representing the authority of the Underworld.

Although he had long known that since there was such a thing as the Book of Life and Death, there would definitely be a corresponding magical pen-like artifact, he just didn't expect it to appear in front of him so quickly.

"Although it's only half, just like the Book of Life and Death, it's more than enough for me now. Too much would be harmful."

With Lin Beixuan's current strength, he can only barely unleash the power of half of the Book of Life and Death. If he were to get the complete Soul-Hooking Brush, he probably wouldn't even dare to use it.

This soul-capturing pen, now with only half its power, is just right.

"This must be the true lineage of the underworld, right?"

After the outer shell of the stone pen fell off, the original appearance of the Soul-Hooking Pen was revealed. It was a pen with a black and gold color and a jade-like material.

At this moment, Lin Beixuan stood in front of the thick Soul-Hooking Brush, and his face was even reflected on the brush.

With a thought, the power of reincarnation easily covered the Soul-Hooking Brush, and the originally huge brush gradually shrank back to the size of a normal calligraphy brush.

Lin Beixuan held the Soul-Hooking Brush in his hand, and the other half of the Book of Life and Death appeared in his left hand. There was no need to use ink; he simply made a slight stroke in the air, and it was as if viscous ink had been applied to the tip of the brush.

Lin Beixuan turned a page of the Book of Life and Death and found Yang Guang's name. He picked up his pen to write it down, but suddenly a powerful resistance slowed down his writing speed.

The pressure was immense; a vast, inexplicable force had appeared in the space, sweeping around Lin Beixuan like a storm. Not far away, Yin Hu suddenly raised his head, frowning as he looked in Lin Beixuan's direction.

"Purple Star Dragon Qi? What is he doing? How did he cause such a commotion?"

Although Yin Hu was somewhat worried, he did not move an inch, because he knew that nothing in this underworld could harm Lin Beixuan.

Lin Beixuan, standing at the center of the storm, held the Soul-Hooking Pen in one hand and the Book of Life and Death in the other, his expression completely calm.

Meanwhile, far away in the imperial palace of the past dynasties in Jingzhou, Yang Guang was sitting cross-legged on the large dragon bed.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he raised his head in shock, his whole body stiff as if struck by lightning.

In a daze, he saw a pair of huge and illusory hands in the void, one holding a pen and the other holding a book. The aura of life and death and reincarnation flowed endlessly, and the vast divine power was like an abyss or a prison.

Just as the other person's pen was about to land on the book, Yang Guang felt a sharp pain in his brain, and a thought that his death was imminent suddenly rose in his mind.

Beads of sweat the size of soybeans began to appear on his forehead, rolling down his high nose and temples. The feeling that he was about to die drove him almost insane.

"I am the restorer of the Great Li Dynasty, the Purple Star True Dragon. Who dares to curse me to death? Who dares to cut off my life!" Yang Guang roared.

His body was brimming with true dragon purple energy as if it were free, transforming into a five-clawed golden dragon that blotted out the sky.

"You scoundrel, how dare you harm me!"

Yang Guang's aura surged like boiling water, rapidly ascending through the stages of the Opening Mansion Realm, the Invocation of Gods Realm, and the Human Immortal Realm... His boiling aura only finally stopped when he reached the Great Luo Realm. Dense purple energy surrounded him, soaring into the sky as the five-clawed golden dragon lunged at the giant hand in the void.

"boom!!"

The giant hand collided with the purple aura, and a deafening roar exploded simultaneously in both the Yin and Yang realms.

On the Yinming altar, Lin Beixuan felt a violent tremor in his wrist, and the Soul-Hooking Brush almost flew out of his hand, the ink-colored halo on the brush tip shaking violently.

The five-clawed golden dragon, formed from the Qi of the Purple Star, was incredibly fierce. Its claws tore through the void, as if piercing the barrier between the Yin and Yang realms, causing the bronze chains on the edge of the altar to tremble wildly.

Lin Beixuan merely frowned slightly, remaining silent. With a sudden rustling of the pages of the Book of Life and Death in his left hand, countless phantom images of the destinies of living beings flowed between the pages.

He gripped the Soul-Snatching Brush tightly in his right hand, and the ink at the tip of the brush suddenly became as thick as lacquer.

He wanted to see whether the Book of Life and Death with its Soul-Hooking Pen was more powerful, or Yang Guang's True Dragon Purple Aura was more powerful.

Before he finished speaking, he flipped his wrist, and the Soul-Hooking Brush drew an arc in the air.

This time, it's not about taking Yang Guang's life, but about using the power of the Soul-Hooking Pen to erase the records of fortune, harming not people, but only fate.

In an instant, Yang Guang, far away in the imperial palace in Jingzhou, felt his purple aura suddenly stagnate. The five-clawed golden dragon that blotted out the sky seemed to have its bones and muscles removed, and dense cracks appeared on its scales.

"puff--"

Yang Guang spat out a mouthful of golden blood, and his aura instantly dropped by half a level from the Great Luo Realm.

He was horrified to discover that the true dragon purple energy surging within his body was diminishing at a visible rate, and the auspicious clouds surrounding him, symbolizing imperial fortune, were shattering inch by inch, turning into a sky full of starlight.

He could feel his imperial aura disappearing at an alarming rate, but he was powerless to stop it and could only watch helplessly.

However, just as he was feeling resentful, Yang Guang suddenly discovered that his dissipated luck stagnated and then rose back at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The rich purple aura returned to his body, and the auspicious imperial clouds re-condensed around him, as if nothing had happened.

This should have been a good thing for Yang Guang, but there was no smile on his face. Instead, his expression was extremely gloomy, his teeth were clenched, and the anger in his eyes seemed about to burst out.

"Are you kidding me?!"

His eyes were wide open in anger, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and a five-clawed golden dragon coiled around his sides as he glared at the hands in the void.

But no one responded to him in the void; they simply vanished slowly, as if they had never existed.

Inside the ruins of the Underworld.

Lin Beixuan put away the Soul-Hooking Pen and let out a long sigh of relief.

He withdrew his power in the end, but did not truly diminish Yang Guang's luck.

"Now is not the time to make a move against him." Lin Beixuan said softly, as the Soul-Hooking Pen and the Book of Life and Death disappeared from his hands at the same time.

"Those things behind the door are eyeing us covetously. Yang Guang is not exactly an incompetent man. If the other half of China loses its master, the world will only descend into chaos even faster."

Of course, the main reason is that with the current strength of the Beiming Army, it simply does not have the ability to quickly take over the lands of previous dynasties after Yang Guang lost his luck.

The Northern Underworld Army now controls six provinces, surpassing the imperial court and becoming the largest force in the history of dynasties.

However, all of this happened too quickly, so quickly that the Northern Underworld Army had not yet developed and simply did not have the capacity to take over such a large area of ​​land.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that the population in the territory of the Evil Spirit True Lord and the Purple Maiden Goddess is too small.

These places have been ravaged by the two men, with only one in ten people remaining, making it impossible for them to survive. Strictly speaking, the area that Lin Beixuan actually controls is still in Liang and Luo states.

Yin Hu had already strolled to the edge of the altar at some point, his tiger claws making a dull sound as they stepped on the spirit stone.

"I didn't expect you to stop in the end."

He stared at Lin Beixuan, his pupils, like the yin-yang fish, filled with admiration.

Lin Beixuan turned and walked down the altar: "I have some doubts. Why are the names of those things behind the door not on the Book of Life and Death?"

“Those guys don’t belong to the mortal world, so naturally their names can’t appear in the Book of Life and Death.”

Lin Beixuan sighed upon hearing this, his plan to use the Book of Life and Death and the Soul-Hooking Pen to directly erase the remains behind the door and Wu Chi fell through.

Yin Hu seemed to have seen through this, and shook his head with a smile: "Even if you have the Book of Life and Death and the Soul-Hooking Brush, they are only products under the Heavenly Dao rules of the mortal world. These two divine artifacts are very powerful, but they are somewhat weak when it comes to the things in the world behind the gate."

"Where are you going?" Yin Hu asked, puzzled, as Lin Beixuan walked away from him without saying a word.

"Do you know where the other mortal masters are?" Lin Beixuan turned slightly.

"I've been sealed in this place for so long, how could I possibly know the whereabouts of the other mortals? You might want to ask Mao Tu about that; she should know."

Seeing that Lin Beixuan was about to leave after hearing what he said, Yin Hu sighed: "Boy, if you don't become a Great Luo, you will ultimately not be able to play a decisive role in this war that concerns the fate of the two worlds. Even if you become a Great Luo, it is not the end point that the human race calls it."

"Improving your own strength is the most important thing. Now that I have escaped, I will guard the gates of Changxuan and the other two prefectures for you. But if the gates of the Divine Abyss outside the realm descend, even I may not be able to withstand it."

"If you want to advance to the Great Luo realm as soon as possible, why not go and find another of Chenlong's amulets?"

(End of this chapter)