Yefutidaolu

Chapter 337 Repeating the same trick
Gao Jian crossed seven cities in a single day.

Each city was self-contained, possessing complete residential, commercial, and even entertainment areas. At the center or key nodes of each city, he sensed the deeply hidden aura of a disciple of the Netherworld, similar to that of the "fish ball stall owner."

Like precise gears, they keep this vast ranch running, ensuring the quality and stable supply of these crops.

Unlike the first disciple whose hidden ailment was exposed, the "shepherds" sensed later mostly possessed a calm, restrained aura, even exuding a cold sense of efficiency. They were clearly of higher cultivation level and had a more stable foundation, showing no signs of being on the verge of collapse due to the backlash of their cultivation techniques.

This only shows that Youmingdi has formed an extremely mature, stable and hierarchical system for this "raising" model! Lower-level disciples are responsible for the periphery or problem areas and bear a greater risk of backlash, while higher-level "shepherds" control the core and are in complete control.

“Seven cities…” Gao Jian murmured to himself, a chilling coldness rising up his spine. How many people would that require? Millions? Tens of millions? The number of creatures kept within the Netherworld was likely far greater than his initial estimate! This was no longer a simple matter of “domestication,” but rather the construction of a vast, self-sufficient, yet completely controlled human ecosystem within its gates! The methods employed were truly terrifying…

Finally, after passing through the gate of the seventh city, the scene before them suddenly changed.

The noisy voices, shop signs, and warm lights vanished in an instant, replaced by a desolate wasteland.

Beneath my feet lay the hard, cracked, dark red earth, barren of any vegetation. The air was unusually thick and cold, carrying a strong, metallic smell, like dried blood and the faint wails of vengeful spirits. Looking up, the gray sky seemed to press even lower, and the light even dimmer.

A pale, winding path, seemingly paved with countless skeletons, appeared before Gao Jian. On either side of the path were jagged, bizarre black boulders, their shapes twisted like frozen ghosts.

In the distance, a dense, ink-black forest, thick and impenetrable, lay silently on the horizon, exuding a chilling aura of resentment and death.

Gao Jian stopped, standing at the boundary between the wasteland and the bone path, his gaze fixed on the distant and oppressive outline of the black mountain range. An indescribable sense of spatial dislocation welled up in his heart.

Starting from the small house where he originally lived, he passed through seven cities of decent size, at least at the level of large county towns in the Divine Dynasty, each with a population of at least one million... Judging by his distance, he had already traveled at least a thousand miles!
And this 300 li only covers the outer perimeter? How much space does it occupy inside?
Just how big is the interior of this Netherworld's gate?!
This is no ordinary blessed land; it's more likely a genuine journey to the underworld.

The vast territory of the Netherworld Mountain Gate is probably comparable to a prefecture in the Divine Dynasty!
Gao Jian took a deep breath of the cold air, which was filled with the stench of blood and resentment, and suppressed the shock in his heart.

No matter how vast and eerie this place was, his goal remained unchanged: to go in. He lifted his foot and stepped onto the pale path paved with withered bones, the soles of his shoes rubbing against the bones with a teeth-grinding "crunch".

Without a doubt, the origin of these bones can be easily discerned from the previous cities.

Now, it's time to go up and meet the true disciples of the Netherworld, so that the old ancestor who is observing in the dark can see his own worth and strength.

As for the method... the method used at the Imperial Academy is simply to repeat the same old tricks.

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"Master~~~~"

A drawn-out call, full of grievance and coquettishness, broke the tranquility of the cave.

Xia Youdu, like a boneless cat, threw herself into the soft couch covered with thick ferret fur, burying her face in the sleeve of her master's plain white Taoist robe, which carried a faint scent of cold plum blossoms, and rubbing against it.

Her master, Qingxuan Zhenren, a woman who looked to be no more than thirty years old and whose temperament was as aloof as a plum blossom under the moon, was sitting cross-legged on a warm jade cushion, her fingertips twirling a black jade slip that shimmered with a faint light.

Hearing her beloved student's wails, she didn't even lift her eyelids; only a barely perceptible smile of helplessness curved her usually cold lips.

"What is it now?" Qingxuan Zhenren's voice was like an ice spring striking jade, clear and melodious, but without any warmth.

"What else could it be!" Xia Youdu raised her delicate face, blessed by God, her brows furrowed, her red lips slightly pouting, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice. "That guy named Gao Jian! The one that the Ancestor captured! You don't know, when I went to pick him up, I was almost scared to death!"

She patted her chest dramatically: "Guess what? That guy looked like a demon who had just crawled out of the eighteenth level of hell! He was filthy and stinky, and his eyes were fierce and cold, like I owed him money. He wasn't even wearing any clothes, and my eyes were disgusted! My disciple kindly took him to the Cold Pool Cottage, and he didn't even say thank you, just coldly said 'You can leave now'! Humph! What kind of attitude is that! Even being a laborer wouldn't be this humiliating!"

Xia Youdu grew angrier as she spoke, her little face puffing up: "He's just a sixth-realm martial artist! He looks like a barbarian, all stiff and uninteresting! So what if he's a student of the Imperial Academy? Our Youming Land is full of hidden talents. Any of our true disciples are a hundred times stronger than him! Why did the Ancestor capture him and make his disciple serve him? It's so unlucky!" She pouted, her face full of disdain.

Master Qingxuan finally put down the jade slip in her hand. Her clear and cold eyes looked at her disciple, who was rubbing against her sleeve like a cat with its fur standing on end. Her voice was calm and unwavering: "The Ancestor's actions have their own profound meaning. This person is no ordinary person, as he was personally brought back by the Ancestor. The sixth realm cultivators who can be noticed by the Ancestor are probably more dangerous than all your true disciples combined."

"Master~ You're scaring me again!" Xia Youdu didn't believe it. She sat up, playing with a strand of hair hanging down her chest, and said in a coquettish voice, "How powerful can he be? Can he beat those monster senior brothers? I think he just got lucky, or he has some little gadget that the ancestor is interested in. What's there to care about a martial arts barbarian!"

Master Qingxuan looked at her disciple's coquettish yet subtly arrogant demeanor and sighed softly: "You've been spoiled by your wealthy upbringing and your master's influence. How could you possibly fathom the thoughts of the Ancestor? I'm sending you out to observe more so you can learn something, to see what makes someone so extraordinary that the Ancestor treats them this way. Better safe than sorry."

"Oh, I know, I know!" Xia Youdu hated her master's lecturing the most, so she immediately used the technique of changing the subject. Her eyes rolled, and she became affectionate again, hugging Qingxuan Zhenren's arm and shaking it: "Master~ Look how haggard you look lately from handling sect affairs! Your disciple feels sorry for you! How about... your disciple goes to the ranch to find you two good souls to replenish your energy? I heard that a new ranch has opened, and the medicine there is very effective!"

Unable to resist her shaking, Master Qingxuan could only pull out a finger and tap her smooth forehead: "Don't give me that. That newly opened ranch belongs to your senior brother. If you dare to touch it, he'll skin you alive."

"That ice-cold face of Senior Brother!" Xia Youdu stuck out her tongue. "He always has that stern look on his face, like someone owes him money. By the way, Master, has Senior Brother returned from his training trip yet? He still hasn't given me the Phosphorescent Butterfly specimen he promised to bring back! Is he trying to renege on his promise...?"

The master and apprentice chatted casually about everyday things, and the scene was somewhat... heartwarming.
However, if Gao Jian were present, he probably wouldn't have been able to sense this warmth from their conversation. Xia Youdu complained about how flashy a certain senior sister's new magical artifact was, and gossiped about which elder had taken on a handsome little disciple. Qingxuan Zhenren occasionally chimed in, but mostly just listened, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the black jade slip.

The soft glow emanating from the warm jade, the soft touch of the sable fur, and the familiar scent of cold plum blossoms emanating from her master made Xia Youdu so comfortable that she almost dozed off.

What profound insights, what barbarians—she had long since cast them to the winds. In her eyes, the profound foundation of this Youming Land, and its powerful teachers and senior brothers, were the guarantee that she could forever enjoy this immense wealth without any worries.

A sixth-realm martial artist from outside? He's just a little bug that the ancestor caught on a whim.

However, this leisurely and pleasant tranquility was abruptly shattered by a series of hurried footsteps and a panicked announcement!
"Senior Aunt Qingxuan! Senior Sister Youdu! Something terrible has happened!" A disciple on duty scrambled into the Cold Marrow Abode, his face ashen and his breathing disordered, as if he had witnessed something extremely terrifying.

Xia Youdu was startled and muttered in annoyance, "What's all the noise about! Is the sky falling down? Speak slowly!"

The disciple was panting heavily, his voice trembling: "It's...it's that ancestor who captured Gao Jian! He...he ran off to the Thousand Caves Cave!"

Qingxuan Zhenren's eyes narrowed, and she sat up straight: "And then?"

The disciple swallowed hard, his eyes filled with disbelief and horror: "He...he blocked the Sharpening Platform, declaring he wanted to see the true skills of the Netherworld's disciples! And then...and then..."

"And then what? Tell me quickly!" Xia Youdu's curiosity was also piqued, and she sat up and urged him.

"Then... starting with Senior Brother Zhao, Senior Sister Sun, Senior Brother Li, Senior Brother Qian... all the way to... Senior Brother Zhou! A total of nine! Nine true disciples took turns going up to fight him!" The disciple was so excited that he was gesturing wildly. "And... and they all lost! And... and they lost cleanly and decisively! The fastest, Senior Brother Zhao, only lasted... lasted three moves! The strongest, Senior Brother Zhou, fought a hundred moves, but he was also defeated by him with a single finger, his internal energy became disordered, and he almost fell off the stage! Now... now the entire Sharpening Edge Stage is in an uproar!"

"What?!" Xia Youdu suddenly jumped up from the soft couch, her beautiful eyes wide open and her mouth agape.

That... that Gao Jian, whose cultivation was only at the sixth realm, defeated nine true disciples of the Netherworld?! Including the infamous Senior Brother Zhou?! That's a genuine seventh realm cultivator! Top-tier among the true disciples!

"Impossible!" Xia Youdu screamed instinctively, her voice trembling. "You must have seen wrong! Is someone impersonating him? Or did he use some kind of evil trick?"

“It’s absolutely true, Senior Sister! Many of my fellow disciples saw it with their own eyes! That person was wearing the ordinary black robe we gave him, and he was unarmed! He didn’t even use the knife at his waist. The moves he used... looked ordinary, but they were unstoppable! It’s incredibly strange!” The disciple on duty swore an oath.

Xia Youdu was taken aback.

She felt her understanding had been shocked like never before, and her mind was buzzing.

Master Qingxuan slowly stood up, her usually cold face revealing an extremely solemn expression for the first time. She looked at her stunned disciple, her voice low and meaningful:
"Now, do you still think he's just a 'barbarian not worth paying attention to'? The person the Ancestor personally captured... is indeed not simple."

Xia Youdu subconsciously swallowed, the languidness and coquettishness on her pretty face vanished without a trace, replaced by a mixture of shock, lingering fear, and... an intense, uncontrollable curiosity!
That guy named Takami... who exactly is he?!
She stood there, stunned, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes wide open, her rosy lips slightly parted, her mind blank, with only those few words echoing wildly in her mind:

Nine consecutive losses!

Defeat Senior Brother Zhao in three moves!

A hundred moves to defeat Senior Brother Zhou!

Block the gate challenge! Sharpening the Edge Platform!

Every word was like a thunderbolt, striking her hard and leaving her scorched inside and out.

The disciple on duty, his deathly pale face and panicked tone, along with the deathly silence around him, all silently told her—it was real! That Gao Jian, whom she had despised as "dirty and smelly," "cold and hard," that person she called "just a sixth-realm martial artist," had actually... had actually done such a shocking thing?!
"Impossible... This is absolutely impossible!" A voice inside Xia Youdu was still stubbornly screaming.

The true disciples of the Netherworld! They are geniuses selected from among ten thousand, even one in a hundred thousand! Each one is a ruthless character who climbed up by stepping over the corpses of countless fellow disciples! Even the sect elders are full of praise for them!

These people... were all defeated?! And defeated by a prisoner who appeared to be only at the sixth realm, captured by the patriarch?! And using such ordinary techniques?!
"Huh?" Xia Youdu's mind didn't quite catch on for a moment.

But she quickly came to her senses.

“Master is right… Ancestor captured him for a reason! And his scheme is far-reaching!” Xia Youdu finally understood his master’s previous instructions.

How could someone who could be captured by the patriarch himself and who could defeat nine true disciples in a row in a place like the Netherworld be a simple character?
After the shock and shame, an even stronger emotion, like a wildfire spreading, instantly filled Xia Youdu's heart—

curious!

(End of this chapter)