From Five Animal Exercises to being hailed as a saint and ancestor

The night was deep and all was quiet.

In the deepest part of the "Guests Come Like Clouds" inn, candlelight flickers.

Shangguan Hong sat alone at the table, his fingertips tapping the surface unconsciously, his brows furrowed.

He repeatedly went over the rescue plan and the obstacles he might encounter in his mind.

The news Li Han brought back cast a dark cloud over his heart.

An opponent at the Purple Mansion Realm or even stronger is stationed in the Gold-Destroying Cave, just a mile away. Though seemingly close, it is extremely dangerous.

Suddenly, the candlelight in the room flickered very slightly.

It wasn't that it was being moved by the wind, but rather it was a sign that space was being slightly distorted by an invisible force.

Shangguan Hong's fingers, which were tapping the table, suddenly stopped.

His aura instantly surged to its peak, his Purple Mansion Realm power contained yet unleashed.

It had already enveloped the entire room, locking onto the two figures that had appeared out of nowhere.

The person who came did not deliberately conceal their presence completely, but they certainly did not enter through normal means.

It was as if they were part of the shadows, merely coalescing from nothingness.

The leader was a young man who looked quite young.

His face was deathly pale, with handsome features, but his eyes were like two bottomless ancient wells.

A sense of profound sadness permeated the air, along with... an unnatural emptiness and paranoia.

He was wearing a seemingly ordinary but actually exquisitely made black robe.

The cuffs and hem are embroidered with intricate spider lily patterns in dark silver thread, appearing and disappearing subtly.

He stood there, his aura blending seamlessly with the space around him, clearly indicating that he was also a cultivator at the Purple Mansion Realm!

But it gives the feeling of a block of ice soaked in sadness and despair.

Half a step behind him stood a giant man as thick as an iron tower.

He was nearly nine feet tall, with bulging muscles, and his coarse cloth martial arts uniform, embroidered with intricate patterns of spider lilies, was stretched taut.

His face was honest and simple, even with a touch of uncultured naiveté.

A pair of bright, piercing eyes were now curiously examining the room's furnishings, their gaze as pure as a child's.

However, the immense aura and soul pressure emanating from his body, like a primordial beast, made Shangguan Hong feel a pang of fear.

Primordial Spirit Realm!

This person's cultivation level was actually a whole realm higher than his!

Shangguan Hong noticed the two men, especially the unique dark spider lily pattern on their cuffs.

His eyes instantly became incredibly complex.

There was an undisguised wariness and disgust—everyone on the mainland knew that the 'Netherworld' was powerful and acted without restraint, comparable to demons.

The Heavenly Dao Sect even used the power of sacred artifacts to proclaim this to the world.

The evils of the "Netherworld" are too numerous to describe; its methods are cruel and inhumane.

Disregarding order and causing chaos among the people.

Our Heavenly Dao Sect, following the order of Heaven and upholding the heart of the Dao, has been established for ten thousand years, protecting the peace of this region.

However, the demons of the "Netherworld" used cunning tactics to destroy my branch's headquarters.

Of the more than a thousand fellow disciples stationed there, from white-haired elders to young apprentices, almost none escaped unscathed!

Blood soaked the rocks, and severed limbs were piled up like mountains. The scene was so gruesome that it was as if a hellish hell had been recreated on earth!

Therefore, our Heavenly Dao Sect, with the blood and tears of countless fellow disciples, sincerely invites heroes from all corners of the world. Heroes of all factions, righteous men from all directions, let us raise the banner of righteousness together and vanquish the Netherworld!

There was also a hint of an indescribable sigh.

He knew that most of the people in the underworld were pitiful people with tragic backgrounds who were toyed with by fate.

There were even quite a few people who once held a sense of justice in their hearts.

However, due to the injustice of fate, he suffered a great upheaval, his family was destroyed and he died, ultimately embarking on a path of confrontation with the overt order of the entire continent.

"The Seventh Lord of the Underworld, Luo Wuyai, the 'Sorrowful Soul Sword'."

Shangguan Hong's voice was cold and wary.

"And there is the Fifth Prison Lord, 'Mountain-Shaking Axe' Shi Mang."

"What rare guests you are to visit? What brings you two to the Qinglu Academy's residence so late at night?"

His gaze was sharp as a knife, sweeping over Luo Wuyai's empty and sorrowful eyes, and Shi Mang's seemingly simple-minded but actually terrifyingly powerful body.

Luo Wuyai was not angered by Shangguan Hong's attitude.

He merely nodded slightly, his voice like a gentle breeze echoing through a secluded valley, carrying a lingering sorrow.

"Dean Shangguan, we apologize for disturbing you. We have come here because of the missing young talents, and we wish to cooperate with the academy to break this deadlock."

"cooperate?"

Shangguan Hong's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"To cooperate with your Underworld? The most notorious evil force on the continent?"

"They were suppressed by the Heavenly Dao Sect and turned into rats in the gutter, only daring to move in the shadows."

"How could I, Shangguan Hong, trust you? How could I dare to cooperate with you?"

His words were extremely impolite, almost a direct slap in the face.

This is indeed the image of the underworld in the eyes of the world.

Mysterious, evil, and ruthless.

It is the dark side that is in stark opposition to the Heavenly Dao Sect, which represents "orthodoxy" and "order," and is the target of all-out efforts to eradicate it.

However, only a very few who stand at the pinnacle of the continent and know certain secrets are aware of the "evil" of the Underworld.

It stemmed from their resistance against the Heavenly Dao Sect and the order it established.

They opposed the hypocrisy and dictatorship of the Heavenly Dao Sect and took in those who had been driven to desperation by the Heavenly Dao Sect and its henchmen.

While their actions may be extreme, their core is not purely evil.

Of course, Shangguan Hong, who was only at the fifth realm, was unaware of this.

Hearing words like "evil forces" or "rats in the gutter" is unpleasant.

Shi Mang let out a low, muffled murmur, like a muffled thunderclap.

He seemed somewhat unhappy, and an invisible pressure permeated the air.

But Luo Wuyai gently raised his hand to stop him.

Luo Wuyai's sorrowful and empty eyes remained completely unmoved.

It seems they've long been accustomed to such misunderstandings and insults.

He said slowly, "How Dean Shangguan views the Underworld is your business."

"But the underworld operates according to its own rules. Abducting innocent children and committing such vile and despicable acts is not something we would do, and it is something we despise."

"Whatever the purpose of the mastermind behind this, they have crossed the line."

He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through the wall, looking towards the direction of the den of iniquity, his voice growing increasingly low.

"Moreover... since the events here are somewhat related to the 'Heavenly Dao Sect,' my 'Netherworld Prison' will naturally not stand idly by."

Shangguan Hong's eyes narrowed slightly; he knew that what Luo Wuyai said was true.

"Netherworld" does indeed act strangely, leaving people baffled.

However, as far as "Netherworld Prison" is concerned, as long as something is even slightly related to "Heavenly Dao Sect", they will definitely interfere.

This is also why the "Heavenly Dao Sect" despises the Underworld so much.

After a long silence, Shangguan Hongcai let out a long sigh, a sigh filled with helplessness and a sense of resolve.

The sarcasm and coldness on his face slowly faded, replaced by a complex seriousness.

He looked at Luo Wuyai and said in a deep voice.

"If it weren't for the dean's instructions before he left... I would never have cooperated with you under any circumstances."

Before he finished speaking, Luo Wuyai and Shi Mang's eyes both showed subtle changes when they heard the word "Dean"!

A glimmer of light, like a spark, flashed across Luo Wuyai's usually calm and sorrowful eyes.

It was a glimmer of hope, a glimmer of camaraderie, but it vanished in an instant.

On Shi Mang's honest face, an undisguised silly grin appeared.

It was as if I heard the name of my elder.

This subtle reaction did not escape Shangguan Hong's notice, which dispelled most of his doubts.

It seems there is indeed some unknown connection between the Dean and the Underworld!

No wonder Li Hanshan appeared at Qinglu Academy.

"If any accidents occur on the road, the people of the Underworld can be trusted."

Shangguan Hong recalled what the dean had said half a month ago.

He sat up straight again, his gaze becoming sharp and pragmatic as he looked at Luo Wuyai.

"Seven Lords of Hell, tell me, what do you know? And... how can we rescue all my disciples who are imprisoned?"

"Now, can we discuss the specific action plan?"

The candlelight in the room seemed to flicker brighter because of that question.

A temporary alliance from seemingly opposing sides quietly formed in the still of the night.