Transcending two realms to become an earth immortal

The night was deep and all was quiet.

The torch fell to the ground, still burning and crackling softly. The rest lay paralyzed on the ground, panting heavily, their faces still showing signs of terror.

However, when their gaze fell upon the figure in the arena, their eyes were no longer as dismissive as before; instead, they were filled with awe, admiration, and even a hint of indescribable fear.

"Young Master..."

After a while, Fang Bofang cautiously stepped forward and saw Fang Chen deep in thought, his expression solemn. He asked in a low voice:

"Has that demon been completely eradicated?"

Fang Chen then raised his head and glanced at him:

"It's alright. Carry the mountain demon's corpse back. After I remove its malevolent energy, its flesh and blood can be used as a great medicine, which will be of great benefit to martial arts cultivation."

After speaking, he flicked his finger, and the cloud-like hand suddenly dispersed, its essence and blood flowing back into the corpse, leaving only a huge demonic corpse with a blue face and fangs.

The servants were horrified at the sight and retreated hastily, but the governor's eyes lit up.

In his early years, he traveled outside the prefecture with his patriarch and even served in the army. He knew that the essence of such demonic beasts was a great tonic for martial artists. If combined with proper training methods, it could train a group of martial arts stewards and elite soldiers, which would be a tremendous help to the young master's cause!

He immediately gave a stern order, directing the villagers to move the corpse. Although the villagers were afraid, they dared not disobey when they saw Fang Bo's gloomy face, and could only work together to carry the demon corpse back to the village.

Fang Bo personally oversaw the matter, placing the body deep within the cellar, sealing it securely, and strictly forbidding anyone from revealing the events of the night before returning to report:

"Young master, this old servant has given the order that anyone in the manor who dares to speak out of turn will be severely punished."

"There's no need for such trouble." Fang Chen smiled calmly and said meaningfully, "When the rooster crows tomorrow, everyone except the two or three I've designated will forget what happened tonight and only know that the demonic calamity has been quelled. Even if some memories remain, they will simply ignore them."

"Young Master..." Fang Bo was taken aback upon hearing this, then immediately recalled the methods he had just used and understood.

"This old servant takes his leave."

"Wait a minute."

Fang Bo paused, turned around, and looked puzzled:

"Does the young master have any further instructions?"

Fang Chen was silent for a moment, then said:

"In your opinion, where did this demon come from?"

After a moment's thought, Fang Bo replied:

"Such demons are indeed rare in the dynasty. However, this prefecture is bordered by the Cloud Mist Mountains and the edge of Yin Mountain to the west, and the Black Rock Mountains to the south. This monster has appeared at the southern end of the estate... This old servant speculates that it must have come from the Black Rock Mountains."

"Black Rock Mountains?" Fang Chen searched his memory. "Is that the place where the mountains are entirely black, filled with malevolent energy, and where no vegetation can grow?"

"Indeed." A hint of apprehension flashed across Fang Bo's aged face. "This place is extremely strange and is a taboo in this prefecture. Over the past two hundred years, the major clans, government officials, and even the Taoist academies in the imperial court have all sent people to investigate. Innate martial artists, martial arts masters, thousands of soldiers, and even Yin Shen True Persons have accompanied them... but none of them have ever returned."

He took a deep breath and continued in a low voice:

"Therefore, the Black Rock Mountains have become a dead end, and this demon most likely comes from there."

Fang Chen remained silent for a moment, then said:

"I am aware of this matter. You may all leave now."

"Yes." Fang Bo bowed and withdrew.

After everyone left, Fang Chen returned to the secret room.

A physical body sat quietly within it; just now, his soul had left his body to slay demons with magical power.

With his soul returning to its place, Fang Chen slowly opened his eyes.

He then raised his right hand, his palm shrouded in mist, holding something.

It was a clump of soil, only the size of a fingertip, but it was a dark, murky yellow. It felt cold and piercing to the touch, with a faint aura of the underworld flowing through it, and its texture was neither real nor tangible.

"Why...did this thing appear in the mortal world?"

Fang Chen's face was ashen as he fell into deep thought.

He was aware of the nature of this corrupt and evil world, this treacherous human realm—

【The Dark Land】!

The land of the Nine Netherworlds, the soil of the underworld, the mud on the banks of the Yellow Springs River!

This is no ordinary dust of the underworld, but soil from the deeper realms of the Nine Netherworlds, even from the shores of the Yellow Springs. Only a True Person of the Day, tempered by the True Fire of the Great Sun, or even a powerful being of the Yang God level, who has ventured to the extremes of the underworld and touched the Nine Netherworlds and the Yellow Springs, can obtain it.

Fang Chen stared at the Netherworld Soil in his palm and suddenly understood.

No wonder this demon can wreak havoc on a region without suffering any harm. The dragon energy of humanity is also formed by the convergence of heaven, earth, and humanity, and this "earth" naturally includes the land of the underworld.

This demon possesses the yin energy of the earth and has forcibly bound a living soul within its body, stealing the spirit of humans. Since two of the three elements (heaven, earth, and man) have already secretly aligned, the dragon energy, when uncontrolled, will only suppress it, not actively destroy it.

However, the origin of this item is truly mysterious. Although Fang Chen is not very familiar with the structure of this world of the dead, according to the ancient books of his original world, returning from that world of the dead is by no means an easy task.

People say that when a person dies, their soul returns to the underworld, but the world of the dead is also divided into different levels.

Ordinary beings who perish do not fall directly into the Netherworld, but rather into the [Underworld], a realm formed by the combined essence of human offerings, the earth's energy, and the yin energy of the Yellow Springs. This is the place where cultivators and immortals traverse between Yin and Yang, and where underground ancestral halls and underworld dragon courts are located.

Because its ties to the mortal world are not severed, these ties become an anchor for upward movement, preventing the ghosts from falling. Thus, it becomes a relatively stable "underworld," and also a gateway for cultivators to travel between the yin and yang realms.

However, if the incense offerings in the mortal world cease and the anchor point in the human world collapses, then whether it is the wandering souls of ordinary people or the dragon court in the underworld, they will inevitably sink downwards, following the mainstream of the Yellow Springs, and fall into the deeper nine netherworlds of the underworld.

There, the mountains are barren, the peaks don't reach the sky, the ridges are impassable, the caves don't hold clouds, and the streams don't flow. Monsters lurk on the banks, and gods and demons abound below the ridges. Wild ghosts dwell in the caves, and evil spirits hide at the bottom of the ravines… It is truly a desolate and deathly place, the final resting place ordained by heaven and earth, and also the legendary location of the underworld!

At this point, it becomes as difficult as ascending to heaven for cultivators and Taoists to return to the mortal world.

One must cultivate a yang essence to withstand the erosion of the Netherworld's energy. Furthermore, one must have a connection to the underworld below, receiving its protection. One must also possess a "map" for returning home; otherwise, one will be forever lost in the realm of the dead.

Even if all conditions are met, each time one returns from the Netherworld, it is as if one has violated the ironclad law of Yin and Yang, life and death, which will inevitably damage one's fortune or even shorten one's lifespan.

Therefore, those who can return from the Nine Netherworlds are all powerful beings who can slightly defy the order of Yin and Yang!

The [Nether Soil] in his hand is the soil of the Nine Netherworlds, located beneath the Netherworld and near the Yellow Springs River, still bearing a trace of Yellow Springs moisture.

"That mountain demon is nothing more than a spirit or monster, and has no ability to enter or leave the Netherworld. It should not have touched this thing... But things have turned out differently." Fang Chen frowned slightly.

Could it be that a tributary of the Yellow Springs is hidden within the Black Rock Mountains?

If that were truly the case, it should have long ago transformed into a ghost realm in the mortal world…

Moreover, if a tributary of the Yellow Springs truly appeared in the world, would the Netherworld sit idly by and let it overflow, even to the point of being tainted by a demon?

And why does this thing feel strangely familiar to me?

A myriad of thoughts rose and fell like the tide, but Fang Chen eventually suppressed them.

Although the world is intact in this world, it is unpredictable and perhaps even more dangerous than the world of the fallen heavens where my original body resided. Being too curious is not a good thing.

The key right now is that this [Netherworld Soil] itself is also an opportunity. Although it is the soil of the underworld, it is essentially a spiritual object of the earth, which can help him condense the true seal of the earth and increase his cultivation.

With his mind made up, Fang Chen flicked his sleeve, grabbed the patch of dark soil, and refined it in an instant!