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

This attack was as fast as a ghost, and its power far exceeded her claim of "not having recovered her strength." It had already reached a level that was enough to threaten Chen Yang!

She had clearly been hiding her strength, or rather, her recovery speed after her soul returned far exceeded expectations.

"Mysterious Yin Captures the Soul, Severing the Spirit and Seizing the Soul!"

Faced with this fierce attack, Chen Yang neither dodged nor evaded. He let out a low shout, and a powerful magical force, completely different from the Qingwei Yuanjiang Great Art, cold and murderous, and specifically designed to counter the soul, suddenly erupted from within his body! It was the "Mysterious Yin Soul-Seizing and Soul-Slaying Great Art" that he had inherited from the laws of the underworld!
At the same time, he waved his left hand, and a dark chain formed from pure Yin magic power—the "Soul-Locking Chain"—appeared like a venomous dragon emerging from its cave, striking first despite being behind, accompanied by the clanging sound of metal scraping and a soul-stealing eerie light, directly wrapping around Li Yue's wrist and body!

"what?!"

Li Yue's expression changed drastically. She felt that the spiritual power gathered on her claws melted away as quickly as ice and snow meeting boiling water when it came into contact with the Xuan Yin magic power emanating from the other party!
Even more terrifying was the aura emanating from that dark chain, which instilled an uncontrollable fear and trembling deep within her soul. It was a power specifically designed to target, suppress, and bind the very essence of her soul! Even though she now possessed a physical body, the essence of her soul remained unchanged, and it was still subject to immense suppression!

"puff!"

The power of Xuan Yin Soul Absorption struck Li Yue's outstretched claws first, and the black ghostly light instantly dissipated.

Immediately afterwards, the Soul-Locking Chain coiled upwards like a serpent, easily breaking through the protective aura that Li Yue had hastily set up, firmly locking her wrists, and then moving upwards to bind her entire body!
"what--!"

Li Yue let out a painful scream, not from physical pain, but from the excruciating pain of her soul being burned and imprisoned! Where the Soul-Locking Chains touched, her skin felt as if it had been branded with a hot iron, hissing blue smoke rising from it.

Furthermore, an icy, bone-chilling force penetrated her very soul, causing her spiritual energy to stagnate instantly, and the immense power she had just regained rapidly dissipated like a deflated balloon.

She struggled desperately, unleashing even stronger spiritual energy fluctuations from her body in an attempt to break free of the chains. But the Soul-Locking Chains were formed from the power of the Underworld, specifically designed to bind souls; how could they be so easily broken? Instead, they tightened further, the icy pain piercing straight to her very bones and soul.

"Lord Yin, spare me! My lord, spare me!"

Li Yue finally panicked completely, her arrogance and indifference replaced by boundless fear.

She knelt down with a thud, her previous arrogance completely gone, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded desperately.

"It was my fault for being blind and ignorant! I failed to recognize your greatness and offended you, General Yin! I beg you to have mercy and spare my life! I am willing to serve you as your slave! I know all the secrets of this Mysterious Netherworld Cave! I will tell you the location of all the treasures! I only ask that you spare me!"

Chen Yang held the other end of the Soul-Locking Chain, coldly looking down at Li Yue, who was kneeling and begging for mercy, as if looking at an ant struggling desperately.

"Now you know to beg for mercy? Too bad, it's too late. I won't believe a word you say, not even the punctuation."

His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable determination.

"Speak, what exactly is going on here? Who are you? If there is even the slightest falsehood, I won't hesitate to let you experience the pain of soul refinement."

Li Yue trembled, feeling an even more chilling and threatening aura emanating from the Soul-Locking Chains. Terrified, she cried out repeatedly.

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Lord Yin, spare my life! I… I am indeed a ‘resident’ of this place… but, I’m not the daughter of the city lord…”

She spoke haltingly, but under the threat of the Soul-Locking Chains, she finally began to reveal part of the truth.

"This core landmass, and those floating islands outside... are actually places used by an ancient powerful force called the 'Mysterious Netherworld Divine Sect' to... to 'cultivate' incense offerings and vows, and to nurture special 'resources'..."

"Captive breeding?"

Chen Yang frowned.

"Yes, it is."

Li Yue dared not hide it.

"The island cities outside are inhabited by mortals or descendants of low-level cultivators who have been relocated there."

As they live and multiply here, their faith, willpower, and even the essence of their souls are drawn by the great formation and gathered in this core land to supply the cultivation of the Xuan You Divine Sect's higher-ups, or to nurture certain special spiritual herbs and magical treasures...

We who live in the core land are... are considered 'higher-level resources' or 'managers,' better off than those outside who are purely domesticated, but essentially... we are also confined here, unable to truly escape.

Chen Yang was shocked. The methods of the Xuan You Divine Sect were so domineering and evil that they had completely turned this blessed land into their "breeding ground"!
"And then what happened? What became of the Xuanyou Divine Sect? And why have you become like this?"

Chen Yang pressed for an answer.

"The Xuanyou Divine Sect... seems to have encountered an unimaginable enemy or calamity in some era, and suddenly... declined, or even possibly perished. The great array controlling this place has lost its master's continuous maintenance and has gradually become disordered."

Li Yue continued, a look of fear on her face.

"At first, things were alright; we 'captive' people were secretly relieved. But as time went on, without anyone from the Divine Sect to manage and replenish supplies, resources began to dwindle, and morale began to crumble..."

In the struggle for remaining resources and cultivation grounds, various families and factions began to slaughter each other, engaging in endless internal strife... resulting in countless deaths and injuries.

"Then how did you survive? And what's the deal with this crystal coffin?"

Chen Yang pointed to the open crystal coffin.

A complex look flashed in Li Yue's eyes as she spoke softly.

“I… my family was once a mid-sized family in the core continent. When our home was destroyed and our family members were almost all killed or injured, my father used a family treasure—this ‘Soul-Nourishing Mystic Coffin’—which can nourish the body, seal off life force, and protect the soul from dissipation.”

He placed me, critically injured and on the verge of death, into a coffin, hoping to save me from calamity... At the same time, he separated part of my main soul and protected it with another secret treasure, the 'Dream Guiding Brocade Box,' the one you obtained, sir... He said that if a destined person opens the brocade box in the future, it may guide them here and help my soul return to my body..."

Her statement this time seems closer to the possible truth than her previous "revenge" lie, but Chen Yang remains highly vigilant.

This woman is such a liar.

"So, everything you said before was a lie, just to lure me here and help you resurrect?"

Chen Yang said coldly.

Li Yue flinched and whispered.

"Yes... I had no choice... I've been trapped here for millennia, all alone and helpless, and I only wish to be reborn... Please understand, sir..."

"Considerate?"

Chen Yang sneered.

"I think you've been sealed here, or perhaps you're some kind of 'guardian' or 'trap' left behind by the Xuanyou Divine Sect? Now that you've come this far, why don't you tell the truth?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yue's face turned deathly pale, her eyes flickering, and she immediately kowtowed. "No! No! My lord, please understand! I was truly placed in a coffin by my family for refuge! It's just... it's just that so much time has passed, and my memories are somewhat confused... but I would never dare to deceive you again!"

Chen Yang felt annoyed by her appearance.

This woman's words are a mix of truth and falsehood, making it difficult to discern the truth. Moreover, she is cunning and ruthless; keeping her around will only bring trouble.

He was too lazy to continue the interrogation. In any case, he had already obtained the main information. As for the details and the woman's true identity, he could use underworld methods to slowly interrogate her if needed in the future.

"Since you won't tell the truth, then there's no need to."

Chen Yang's tone turned cold, and with a thought, the Soul-Locking Chains tightened abruptly.

"No! Your Excellency, spare me! I..."

Li Yue was terrified and wanted to beg for mercy.

But Chen Yang no longer gave her a chance.

With a flick of his right hand, the ancient and majestic procession banner appeared in his hand. The banner moved without wind, emitting a powerful suction force that enveloped Liyue, who was firmly bound by the Soul-Locking Chains.

"receive!"

With a flash of eerie light, the procession banner shone, and before Li Yue could even scream, her entire figure was forcibly shrunk and pulled, transforming into a stream of light that disappeared into the procession banner, where she was completely suppressed and sealed away. In the empty hall, only the open crystal coffin and the faint echoes of spiritual energy remained.

Chen Yang put away the parade banner and the soul-locking chain, and let out a long breath.

This woman is a liar and malicious; taking her in is doing a service to the people, or rather, eliminating a potential problem. As for her true origins and the many secrets of this mysterious cave, we can explore them slowly after we leave, combining them with other clues.

After dealing with Liyue, Chen Yang did not immediately search the main hall—he didn't believe there were any "treasures" that could be easily obtained here, and there might even be traps.

He took out his phone and tried to contact Gu Jinghui. Within this core landmass, communication seemed to be somewhat disrupted, but not completely cut off.

The phone rang a few times before being answered.

"Hey Chen Yang? How's it going on your end? Any discoveries?"

Gu Jinghui's voice came through, tinged with excitement, as if he had also made some progress.

"We ran into a bit of trouble, but we've resolved it. Where are you? Did you find anything?"

Chen Yang asked.

"We're on an island in the outer region, the one with the town I mentioned to you before!"

Gu Jinghui said.

"This seems to be an old settlement, preserving many documents and ancient books! It was found in the study of a wealthy family! Uncle Li is looking at it now; it seems to record a lot about this place!"

Chen Yang's heart stirred.

"Tell me the exact location, and I'll go take a look."

Gu Jinghui immediately gave a general location, which was quite a distance from the Central Mountain Range where Chen Yang was currently located, but at Chen Yang's speed, it wouldn't take long to get there.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yang took one last look at the luxurious yet empty main hall and the open crystal coffin. Finding nothing else of value or danger, he turned and flew out of the hall, following the directions given by Gu Jinghui, transforming into a streak of light and speeding away.

He quickly found the island Gu Jinghui had mentioned. The island wasn't large, but it had a well-organized town with mostly brick and wood structures in a rustic style. In a relatively spacious courtyard in the center of the town, Chen Yang found Gu Jinghui and Uncle Li.

The two were gathered in a spacious study, where numerous thread-bound ancient books, bamboo slips, and even some animal skin scrolls were spread out on the floor and table. Uncle Li, wearing reading glasses, was engrossed in reading a yellowed ancient book. Gu Jinghui, on the other hand, was flipping through another book.

"Chen Yang, come quick! Look what we found!"

Gu Jinghui greeted him.

Chen Yang walked over, picked up a document that looked like a local chronicle and quickly began to read it.

Although the language used in these ancient books is archaic, it is still generally understandable.

The initial records were mostly trivial matters such as local customs, products, climate, and sect activities, which confirmed that this place was once a place controlled by the "Xuanyou Divine Sect" and inhabited by a large number of "subordinate" people.

But when he turned to some parts that were clearly later additions or unofficial historical records, Chen Yang's gaze froze.

One of the pages, written in hasty and indignant handwriting, records a "strange tale".

"...There was a bewitching woman from another realm who called herself 'Fairy of Liyue.' She possessed unparalleled beauty and was skilled in flattery, moving among the deacons of various families and sects. At first, she offered rare treasures and taught secret techniques, attracting many admirers."

However, this woman was cunning and scheming, sowing discord and spreading rumors, causing three families and five clans within my 'Cloudy Realm' to turn against each other, their alliances to break down, resulting in continuous bloodshed and countless deaths and injuries... Later, there were even rumors that this woman stole my realm's most precious treasure, the 'Core of the Realm Spirit,' and fled...

Enraged, all forces joined together to capture the demoness, but the 'Core of the Realm Spirit' remained missing... The demoness was executed, her soul scattered... Alas, after this calamity, the land was severely weakened, and the people were scattered..."

On the next page, there was a simple illustration of a woman dressed in palace attire, graceful and ethereal. Although the drawing was crude, the outline of her eyebrows and eyes was exactly the same as that of Li Yue, whom Chen Yang had just subdued!
Chen Yang closed the document, a cold glint in his eyes. Sure enough! All of that woman's claims were lies! The abandonment of her family, the entire city's demise, revenge… it was all fabricated to gain sympathy and conceal her true nature and purpose!

She was actually an "alien sorceress" who infiltrated this place in ancient times. She used her schemes and tricks to stir up internal strife and stole the crucial "Core of the Realm Spirit". In the end, she was attacked by the people of this place and captured and brought to justice.

It's just that no one knows what secret method she used to preserve a trace of her remnant soul and physical body, which has been lying dormant until now, until I, the "destined one," appeared, and then this grand resurrection drama was staged.

"What a femme fatale, what a timeless monster!"

Chen Yang sneered inwardly. Fortunately, he was vigilant enough and had the Yin General's methods to restrain her; otherwise, if she had truly resurrected and regained her strength, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"The Core of the Spirit Realm..."

Chen Yang pondered the word. Ancient texts said this item was the "treasure of this realm," stolen by Liyue and its whereabouts unknown. Controlling a realm…could it be?
A thought flashed through Chen Yang's mind like lightning! He suddenly remembered that in the brocade box, besides the jade comb and the illusionary dust powder, there seemed to be something else!
He immediately took out the dark purple "Dream-Guiding Brocade Box" from his storage bag and opened it again. Pushing aside the greatly diminished pinkish-purple illusory dust on top, he reached his fingers to the bottom of the box.

My fingertips touched a cool, round object, about the size of a pigeon egg.

He carefully took it out. (End of Chapter)