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

It was a bead.

The bead has a translucent, chaotic color, and inside it seems that countless tiny stars are slowly rotating, being born and dying, flowing with a seven-colored, indescribable spiritual light.

It did not emit powerful spiritual energy fluctuations; instead, it gave people a sense of restraint, profundity, as if it contained endless space.

Holding it in his hand, Chen Yang could even vaguely feel an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible connection between himself and the land beneath his feet, and between himself and the floating islands outside!

Could it be... that this seemingly unremarkable bead is the treasure recorded in ancient texts—the Spirit Core—that can control this "Mysterious Netherworld"? Did Liyue go to such lengths to guide me here not only to revive me, but also with the intention of finding or utilizing this object?
Chen Yang looked at the bead in his palm that shimmered with a mysterious light and fell into deep thought.

At this moment, Uncle Li also put down the ancient book in his hand, came over, adjusted his reading glasses, and carefully examined the beads in Chen Yang's hand.

A thoughtful glint flashed in his eyes as he spoke slowly.

"Commander Chen, if the records in this ancient book are true, then the 'Spirit Core' stolen by the outer realm demones 'Liyue' has some similar characteristics... 'containing stars within, manifesting chaos on the outside, and feeling as if it were held in the palm of your hand.' This is very likely... the legendary Spirit of the World!"

Chen Yang nodded, but his brows remained furrowed.

"If it is truly a realm spirit, then it is indeed an immense opportunity. To control a blessed land... the temptation is too great. However, we possess the pearl but do not know how to control it. Apart from its mystical appearance and the faint connection it has with me, the pearl does not exhibit any other behavior, nor does it leave any method of control."

Gu Jinghui also came over, staring curiously at the bead, marveling at it.

"This is the treasure that can control this fairyland? It looks pretty mysterious. Chen Yang, you're really something, what kind of luck did you have to find this? Tell me, where did you get it?"

His face was full of envy and curiosity.

Chen Yang gave a wry smile, carefully held the bead in his palm, and explained.

"It wasn't just luck; I almost got scammed. I got this bead from a 'female ghost' in what appeared to be a luxurious palace."

"A female ghost?"

Gu Jinghui's eyes lit up.

"Is there a female ghost here? What does she look like? Is she fierce? How did you deal with her?"

He looked like he was about to gossip.

Chen Yang rolled his eyes at him, annoyed.

"She is stunningly beautiful, but her heart is more venomous than a snake. She is full of lies and used the illusion of the brocade box to deceive me completely, leading me all the way to the core main hall, almost making me a stepping stone for her resurrection. In the end, she even wanted to use me and then turn her back on me."

"Wow! That was so exciting! What happened next?"

Gu Jinghui pressed for more information.

"later?"

A cold glint flashed in Chen Yang's eyes.

"She thought she had me cornered, but she miscalculated. I've already subdued this female ghost, and she's now obediently 'reflecting' inside the banner. However, she didn't tell a single truth from beginning to end; she's incredibly cunning."

After listening, Uncle Li seemed to be deep in thought, and pointed to the simple illustration in the ancient book and asked.

"Chen Shuai, is the female ghost you're talking about the 'otherworldly demoness Li Yue' mentioned here, who instigated internal strife and stole the spirit of the realm?"

"That's right, it's most likely her."

Chen Yang affirmed.

"Her appearance matches, and her style of doing things matches too. She's a liar and adept at manipulating people's hearts. Ancient books say that after she was captured, her soul was scattered. It seems that she used some kind of secret method to fake her death and escape, sealing her remnant soul and physical body separately, and has been barely surviving until now."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinghui immediately had an idea and clapped his hands.

"Isn't that simple? Since this female ghost is the one who stole the World Spirit back then, she must know how to use this thing!"
"Chen Yang, you take her out of the banner, torture her severely—no, I mean 'amicably interrogate' her—and ask her how she controls the spirit world, isn't that enough? Her life is in your hands, do you think she'll refuse to talk?"

Chen Yang shook his head and sighed.

"It's not as simple as you think. This female ghost is extremely cunning, and... her current situation is a bit special."

"Special? What special method?"

Uncle Li asked with concern.

Chen Yang explained.

"When I subdued her before, she had already successfully returned to her well-preserved body, which can be considered a 'resurrection'. Although I forcibly seized her soul and suppressed it along with her body, her soul and body underwent some changes after reuniting, becoming exceptionally stable."

Moreover, her resistance to the power of the underworld has increased considerably. Simply put, she is currently in a special state of 'half-life, half-death'. My soul-binding technique and patrol banner can trap her and cause her pain, but I cannot torture her like an ordinary ghost.

It would be extremely difficult to pry open her mouth easily, or even to directly search her soul to obtain her memories. A mishap could cause her soul to self-destruct, or trigger other restrictions that might exist deep within her body or soul.

He paused and added.

"This woman has lived for countless years and is very cunning. She must have a backup plan. If we coerce her, she might fight to the death or continue to fabricate lies to mislead us. Unless... we completely destroy her body and soul, ending it all."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinghui raised an eyebrow and said nonchalantly.

"Then just kill her! This kind of scourge will only cause trouble if left alive. According to ancient records, she caused great suffering to this place back then, and countless people died because of her. They deserved to die, and there's nothing to sympathize with. It's not worth risking keeping her alive just to obtain the method to control the spirit world."

Uncle Li, however, was more cautious, and he pondered for a moment.

"Gu Jinghui's words make sense, but this woman knows many ancient secrets, which may not only concern the spirit of the realm, but also other secrets of this Xuanyou Cave Heaven, and even the situation of the 'outer realm' from which she comes."

Kill her now, and the communication will be completely cut off. Chen Shuai's suppression of her was already a prudent move. However… we do need to be extra careful to prevent her from trying anything else.”

Chen Yang nodded.

"Uncle Li is right. Killing her is easy, but the information will be lost."

She's completely suppressed now; she can't cause any trouble, and she can't escape. Keeping her around might come in handy in certain situations in the future, or we can try to get her to talk when we're stronger and have more resources. For now, just maintain the highest level of vigilance towards her.

He turned his gaze back to the Spirit Bead in his palm, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Right now, the most practical thing is to figure out how to use this spirit. Do we really have to figure it out ourselves, or look for clues elsewhere?"

Seeing Chen Yang's helplessness with the beads, Gu Jinghui scratched his head and made a suggestion.

"If you ask me, since we don't understand it for now, let's just put it away! We've been out for quite a while and have already gained a lot. Let's take this bead back and study it slowly later."

"Doesn't the Qingwei School still have those old fogies like Master Huang? Maybe they've heard of the relevant legends or ancient records. At the very least, once the Special Administration Bureau makes some progress in their research, we can use our connections to get some access to their database."

Uncle Li agreed with the suggestion. "Xiao Hui is right. The treasure is good, but we can't force it."

There are quite a few ancient texts here, covering a wide range of topics. Perhaps among them are fragments of records about the Spirit Realm, which we haven't discovered yet. Why don't we take these texts with us and organize people to carefully organize and study them back home? Perhaps we can find something there.”

He pointed to the mountain of ancient books and bamboo slips piled up in the study.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Yang felt that this was the only way.

He carefully put the Spirit Bead back into a specially made jade box, then placed it in the deepest part of his storage bag. He then looked at the numerous books filling the room and said...

"Uncle Li is right. These books are invaluable intellectual treasures, with a longer-term value than many rare and precious materials. We'll take them all."

He changed the subject, his expression becoming serious.

"However, this means that our previously agreed-upon plan to notify the Qingwei faction and the Special Administration Bureau after we leave will probably have to be put on hold for now."

Gu Jinghui and Uncle Li were both taken aback when they heard this, but then they understood what Chen Yang meant.

Uncle Li lowered his voice.

"Is Chen Shuai worried that... the secrets of the Realm Spirit and this core cave heaven will be leaked?"

"Yes."

Chen Yang nodded, his gaze sweeping over the magnificent and tranquil fairyland outside the study window.

"If we can master the spirit of the realm and truly control this 'Mysterious Netherworld,' then this place will become our most hidden, safest, and resource-rich 'secret base' and 'rear area.'"

Its strategic value is immeasurable.

Such a place should be known to as few people as possible; absolute secrecy is essential. Before it is fully under our control, it must not be exposed to any other power, not even allies.

Gu Jinghui also put away his joking expression and said solemnly.

"Chen Yang is right! This place is too important. If the Special Administration Bureau finds out, even if they follow the rules, they might still have designs on it or leak the news."

The Qingwei Sect has many members and a lot of gossip, making complete secrecy even more difficult to guarantee. It must be kept strictly confidential! Until we have absolute control over this area, no one can be told!

Uncle Li also agreed.

"That's how it should be. To possess a treasure is a crime. The allure of this blessed land is too great. So, after we leave..."

Chen Yang replied.

“After we get out, we need to clean up the traces of our entry. Gu Jinghui’s suggestion to seal the cave entrance with stones is one way, but it’s not enough. I need to set up some concealed and protective arrays at the entrance to ensure that it can’t be easily discovered or opened.”

Gu Jinghui immediately patted his chest in assurance.

"No problem! Leave the heavy lifting of moving stones to block the cave entrance to me and Uncle Li! You focus on setting up the formation!"

Uncle Li nodded as well.

"it is good.

"There's no time to lose. Let's tidy up here and leave as soon as possible. We've lingered here long enough, and the situation outside is unclear; it's time to go back."

The three reached a consensus. With a wave of his hand, Chen Yang collected all the valuable books, documents, bamboo slips, and animal skin scrolls in the study, regardless of their contents, into his storage bag. Gu Jinghui and Uncle Li also helped, collecting any potentially useful small items they found in the other rooms.

Having done all this, the three of them left without hesitation and immediately set off, quickly returning along the route they had come from.

They passed through the magnificent yet eerie "celestial and secular" architectural complex above the core landmass, swept past the silent, abandoned teleportation arrays below, and once again traversed the invisible "void illusion barrier," returning to the silent space where the outer floating islands were located.

They sped along, passing islands that were either solidified or dilapidated, and finally returned to the valley they had first entered, where they saw the stone gate that Chen Yang had cleaved open with his Xuan Sword.

The three of them passed through the stone gate one by one and returned to the deep, sloping passage.

Shortly after they stepped onto the stone steps of the passage and began their ascent, their figures gradually being swallowed by the darkness of the passage...

The ancient patterns on the stone door, which Chen Yang had cleaved with his Xuan Sword, suddenly lit up slightly, emanating a faint, almost imperceptible spiritual light.

Then, something amazing happened.

At the broken edge of the stone gate, the stone seemed to come alive and began to slowly wriggle and grow. As if time had reversed, the broken pieces of stone automatically flew back to their original positions, the cracks healed, and the sword marks smoothed out...

In just a few dozen breaths, the stone door that had been damaged was restored to its original state, standing perfectly intact as if it had never been opened or damaged! Even the distribution of dust on the door seemed to have returned to its original state.

Inside the passage, Chen Yang, who was hurrying along with his head down, suddenly paused slightly, his brows furrowing involuntarily. Just a moment ago, a faint, inexplicable tremor had swept through his heart, as if something behind him had changed.

He subconsciously turned around and looked into the darkness deep inside the passage. His sharp eyes were working, but the distance was too far and the light too dim, so he couldn't see anything clearly.

"What's wrong, Chen Yang?"

Gu Jinghui, who was walking ahead, noticed his pause and turned around to ask.

"...It's nothing, probably just my imagination. Let's go, we're almost there."

Chen Yang shook his head, suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, and continued to walk upwards. Perhaps it was just some residual aura in this eerie place interfering, or perhaps it was due to the exhaustion from excessive mental exertion.

The three of them quickened their pace without lingering. Soon, light appeared ahead, and they returned to the exit of the cave located halfway up the mountain from which they had initially entered.

Standing at the cave entrance, gazing at the familiar scenery of the mountain range where the mountain god temple is located, and breathing in the fresh air that is completely different from that inside the cave, the three of them felt as if they had been transported to another world.

Gu Jinghui took a deep breath, pointed to the dark cave entrance, and said to Chen Yang and Uncle Li.

"Alright, this is the place. Let's get right to it and seal it off immediately, so we can get rid of this problem once and for all and prevent any future trouble!"

Uncle Li nodded in agreement.

"It would be best to seal it off completely. Commander Chen, you set up the formation, and we'll go find a suitable large rock."

Chen Yang responded and walked to the cave entrance, his expression becoming serious.

He first used his keen eyes to carefully survey the terrain, rock structure, and distribution of spiritual energy around the cave entrance, searching for the most suitable node for setting up the formation. Then, he took out some high-quality spirit stones from his storage bag, as well as several rare spiritual materials suitable for setting up the formation that he had previously collected in the Mysterious Netherworld Cave.

He formed hand seals, and the Pure Essence Descent Technique circulated within his body. Strands of pure spiritual energy mixed with his divine sense began to inscribe complex runes on these spirit stones and materials.

Some of these runes were inherited from the Qingwei Sect, some he had seen in the Immortal Mansion ruins of the Special Administration Bureau, and others were simplified applications he figured out on his own after combining his Fiery Eyes of Truth to see through the essence of energy flow. (End of Chapter)