You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

Although the array had stopped operating and the energy fluctuations were negligible, Chen Yang, with his keen eyesight, recognized it at a glance—it was a teleportation array! And a rather large one with a sophisticated structure.

"A teleportation array? What's the point of setting up a teleportation array here?"

Chen Yang was puzzled. Teleportation arrays are usually used to connect two distant locations, but where would one need a teleportation array on this hidden core landmass?
He did not land, but simply memorized the location and general structure of the formation before continuing onward.

Next, in another valley not too far away, beside a riverbank, and even on the top of a low mountain, he saw several similar abandoned teleportation array ruins.

These formations differ slightly in size and form, but their core construction principles are the same, and their distribution seems to... subtly follow a certain pattern, like a silent network covering part of the land.

As they flew over the fifth abandoned teleportation array, Chen Yang's doubts reached their peak.

He simply pressed the escape light and landed directly next to the formation located at the edge of an open grassland.

The formation was relatively well-preserved. Although the runes engraved on the stone slab were blurred, they were still somewhat legible. Chen Yang squatted down and reached out to touch the cold rune marks, carefully sensing the extremely faint spatial fluctuation attribute remaining within them.

"My lord, these are just abandoned old formations. They were set up when the Xuan You Palace was at its peak to facilitate disciples' travel between various herb gardens, mines, and secret cultivation sites. They have long since lost their spiritual source and pose no threat whatsoever. There is no need to worry about them."

Li Yue's voice came from the storage bag at just the right time, her tone calm and carrying a hint of explanation.

Chen Yang hummed in agreement, not asking further questions, but the suspicion in his eyes deepened. To facilitate the disciples' travel?
However, the distribution of these formations doesn't seem to entirely follow the principle of convenience; some locations appear quite remote. Furthermore, if they were truly for convenient internal transportation, why aren't there any similar teleportation arrays on the outer, solidified islands?

He didn't expose Li Yue's explanation, but instead memorized the details of the formation before taking to the air again and continuing his flight towards the Central Mountain Range. Along the way, he silently noted down the locations of three more teleportation arrays.

These formations, like silent coordinates, formed in his mind a vague potential network map covering parts of the core landmass.

Finally, the majestic Central Mountain Range came into view. The mountains were magnificent, shrouded in mist, and celestial birds fluttered about.

However, when Chen Yang's gaze fell on the massive complex of buildings built against the mountainside at the foot of the mountain, he couldn't help but be taken aback again.

This... is less like a traditional immortal sect or mountain gate, and more like a super-large "giant city-state" that blends immortal grandeur with human prosperity!
Indeed, there is a towering mountain gate archway, on which the ancient seal script characters "Xuan You" are faintly visible, exuding an extraordinary aura. Beyond the mountain gate, along the mountain slope, there are many caves carved into the cliff face, which are places for cultivators to cultivate in seclusion, consistent with the characteristics of a sect.

But at the same time, in the wider and flatter area inside the mountain gate, a large number of exquisite residences, gardens, pavilions and waterside terraces, and even the outline of market streets were built in a well-organized manner!

Although these buildings are also dusty and desolate, their style is closer to the grand mansions and official residences of secular dynasties, only the materials used are more exquisite, and there are faint traces of spiritual energy flowing through them. The cave dwellings and residences are intertwined, and the cultivation area and living area are mixed, forming a peculiar "half-immortal, half-worldly" layout.

"What exactly is the Xuanyou Palace?"

Chen Yang muttered to himself. Most cultivation sects, especially powerful ones that occupy such blessed lands, tend to focus more on quiet cultivation and prestige. Their disciples usually live in cave dwellings or elegant residences, and rarely build large-scale mansions like those of ordinary wealthy families.

"My lord, it is in the deepest part, in the main hall at the top of the mountain. The crystal coffin is there. Once you obtain it, the countless treasures and inheritances left in the core of this Xuanyou Palace, and even the key to controlling this grotto-heaven, may all be yours."

Liyue's voice rang out again, this time with obvious guidance and enticement, pointing to the black crystal and white jade main hall at the highest point of the mountain range, which shone brightly in the spiritual light.

Chen Yang did not respond to her, but his eyes grew even colder.

Without further hesitation, he transformed into a streak of lightning, sweeping past the peculiar "mixed immortal and secular" architectural complex below, ignoring the residences and pavilions that might contain items, and heading straight for the main hall on the mountaintop.

The main hall stands majestically, constructed entirely of unknown black crystal and warm white jade. Under the reflection of the seven-colored spiritual clouds, it shimmers with light and exudes a solemn and mysterious aura.

The palace doors were tightly closed, but there were no restrictions blocking them—or rather, the original restrictions seemed to have not been fully activated for some reason.

Chen Yang easily pushed open the heavy palace door and stepped inside. The palace was vast, with a high dome and colossal pillars that required several people to encircle to support the sky. The floor was paved with shiny black spirit jade, and the surrounding walls were inlaid with countless luminous pearls and faintly glowing gemstones.

Even as time passed, the hall was still illuminated as if it were daytime, resplendent in gold and extremely luxurious, far surpassing any palace he had ever seen before, fully demonstrating the immense power and wealth of the Xuanyou Palace during its heyday.

His gaze was immediately drawn to what was on the high platform at the very center of the deepest part of the hall.

There, a crystal coffin sat quietly.

The coffin was completely transparent, as if carved from the purest crystal, with a faint, milky-white spiritual light flowing inside. The coffin lid was tightly closed, and through the crystal-clear walls, one could clearly see a person lying inside.

A beautiful young girl dressed in magnificent palace attire.

The moment Chen Yang saw the girl's face clearly, his pupils suddenly contracted!
That face... was exactly the same as the remnant soul of "Liyue" residing in the jade comb box! Absolutely identical!

The girl lay quietly in the coffin, her eyes closed, her face rosy, her skin delicate and smooth, and her chest even rising and falling very slightly, as if she had simply fallen into a deep sleep rather than passed away.

It's incredible that this body has survived for so many long years and is still so well-preserved, with no signs of life!

"That's it! My lord, quick! Open it for me! Once you get it, you can take any of the treasures here!"

Li Yue's voice suddenly rose, filled with unprecedented excitement, urgency, and even a hint of barely concealed fanaticism and greed, emanating from the storage bag and causing a slight echo in the empty hall.

Chen Yang stood still, without moving.

His gaze swept back and forth between the crystal coffin and the storage bag, a cold smile curving his lips. At this point, what was there left to misunderstand?
This is neither the coffin of an "enemy's daughter" nor a seal core that needs to be destroyed.

This crystal coffin, this perfectly preserved body, is clearly Liyue's own!

All her claims—that her family was abandoned, that the entire city was buried with her, and that she was seeking revenge against the daughter of the Lord of Xuanyou Palace—were meticulously crafted lies!

Her true purpose from the beginning was to guide herself, the "destined one," to this place, to open the crystal coffin that sealed or protected her own body, so that her wisp of soul, which had been wandering outside for ten thousand years, could return to her original body and truly "resurrect"!
"So that's how it is... What a timeless deception."

A chill ran through Chen Yang's heart, and at the same time, a surge of anger at being fooled rose within him.

This woman's deep thoughts and superb acting skills are truly astonishing.

In that brief moment when Chen Yang saw through the truth and his mind raced, a sudden change occurred! A flash of light appeared at the opening of the storage bag, and the Soul-Binding Jade Comb flew out on its own! On the jade comb, the pale blue phantom of Li Yue's remnant soul suddenly appeared. She no longer concealed it, her face filled with a triumphant, almost ferocious, ecstatic joy. With astonishing speed, she transformed into a stream of light and shot straight at the crystal coffin!
"not good!"

Chen Yang reacted extremely quickly, almost at the same time the jade comb flew out, he shouted in his heart.

"Hunting!"

Invisible chains instantly materialized behind him, shooting towards the pale blue light like lightning, attempting to intercept and capture it.

However, they were still a step too slow! Or rather, the remnant soul of Liyue had been preparing for this moment, using all its remaining soul power for this final sprint.

Her speed was extraordinary, and she seemed to have been prepared for Chen Yang's Soul-Binding Technique. Her soul vibrated at a strange frequency, and at the last second, she caused the Soul-Binding Chains to make an extremely slight deviation in their capture!

"laugh!"

The pale blue light glided through the gaps in the chains like a swimming fish, disappearing directly into the transparent crystal coffin and instantly merging with the lifelike body inside!
"Om-!"

The crystal coffin suddenly burst forth with a dazzling milky-white light, and the lid clicked open automatically!

A powerful aura, a mixture of strong vitality and ancient majesty, erupted from the coffin like a dormant volcano, instantly engulfing the entire hall! A howling wind caused Chen Yang's robes to flutter, and the gemstones inlaid in the hall flickered with light.

The light gradually faded, and the gale subsided slightly.

Beside the crystal coffin, a figure slowly sat up, and then stepped out of the coffin.

It was the palace-dressed girl in the coffin, Li Yue!
At this moment, she was completely different from her illusory, remnant soul. Her skin was radiant, her eyes sparkled, her red lips were luscious, and she exuded a real, vibrant aura of flesh and blood, along with a powerful spiritual pressure!
Although the pressure seemed somewhat unstable, fluctuating in intensity, it was indeed a "living" entity with a physical form! There was no longer any sense of the fragility of a soul.

She stretched her neck and arms slightly, a long-lost, dreamy expression appearing on her face, and took a deep breath. Then, she slowly turned around and looked at Chen Yang not far away.

Those beautiful eyes, which had once been filled with sorrow and then pleading in the illusion, were now only cold and indifferent, with a hint of condescending, cat-and-mouse mockery.

"Ants."

Her voice was clear and melodious, yet cold and devoid of any emotion, completely different from before.

"Having seen my true form, why don't you kneel down?"

Faced with this sudden change and the shift in the other party's aura, Chen Yang showed little panic, but rather a sense of relief, as if to say, "Just as I expected."

He scoffed, his eyes sharp as knives.

"I brought you all the way here and helped your soul return to its original form. Is this how you 'repay' me? You're quite adept at discarding someone after they've served their purpose and then abandoning them after they've served their purpose."

Upon hearing this, Li Yue's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Repayment? Just now in the illusion, didn't you want to use your authority as a ghost messenger to arrest this 'poor remnant soul' of mine? I'm just giving you a taste of your own medicine."

Now that I have regained my true form, although my power has not yet recovered even a fraction, crushing you, this little insect who luckily intruded, is still a piece of cake. Hand over your storage artifact, and perhaps, in my good mood, I might spare your corpse."

She clearly regarded Chen Yang as an ordinary intruder whom she could manipulate at will, believing that the previous talk of "ghost messengers" was nothing but bluff.

Chen Yang shook his head, a strange smile appearing on his face, a smile that seemed to be both pity and mockery.

"Do you think that my previous identity as a ghost messenger was just to scare you?"

Li Yue narrowed her phoenix eyes and sneered.

"The path between Yin and Yang has been severed for a long time, order has collapsed, and the Underworld no longer exists. Even if you have some fortuitous encounters and obtained some minor Underworld artifacts or inheritances, how could you possibly be a true deity of the Underworld? Let alone... a Underworld Marshal?"

She emphasized the last two words, her tone full of disdain.

"Oh? It seems you know quite a bit."

Chen Yang remained calm and composed. With a flick of his right hand, a seal—neither gold nor jade, of ancient design, radiating a faint, ghostly light and a heavy, majestic aura—appeared out of thin air in his palm. On the seal, an ancient, intaglio script bore the chilling character "帅" (shuai, meaning "commander").

"Then take a look at this 'stolen' seal of the Underworld Commander. Is it real or fake?"

Chen Yang held the seal in his palm, and the aura belonging to a high-ranking deity of the underworld, which had absolute suppression over all souls and ghosts, emanated without reservation. Although its full power could not be displayed due to the restrictions of the rules of the mortal world, its essential rank and pressure were undeniable!

Li Yue's cold smile froze instantly!
She stared intently at the seal, feeling the aura that made even her very soul feel pain and submission. For the first time, disbelief and horror appeared in her eyes!
"Impossible! This aura... how is this possible?! The path between Yin and Yang is severed, how can the Yin Commander remain in the mortal realm and still retain his seal and authority?!"

She cried out, her voice slightly distorted by extreme shock and a hint of barely perceptible fear.

"How can you possibly know everything about the world?"

Chen Yang put away the seal, his eyes turning cold.

“I gave you a chance, but you didn’t cherish it. Now, it’s time to settle accounts for your deception and exploitation of me.”

"Arrogant! So what if you have the seal of the Underworld General? This place is the core of the Mysterious Netherworld Cave, protected by an ancient formation, isolating Yin and Yang! How much of the Underworld power can you, in your mortal body, wield? Die!"

Liyue was filled with shock and anger, but more than that, she was furious at having her trump card exposed and the possibility that her plans might go awry.

She absolutely did not believe that a living person could unleash the true power of a Yin Marshal in the blessed land of the living.

Before she finished speaking, her figure blurred, her slender, jade-like fingers curling into claws, the tips emitting a sharp, incomparably fierce black light, accompanied by a piercing shriek that seemed to tear through space, aimed straight for Chen Yang's face! (End of Chapter)