Nine Netherworld Demon Subduing Record

"this……"

Fu Qing stared blankly at the lock; the bolt opened and drooped crookedly to one side.

He looked around to make sure no one was watching, then placed his hand on the lock.

"Should we take a look? But what if there's some kind of anti-theft mechanism or something..."

After much deliberation, Fu Qing finally decided to take a look.

This is because, even at this point, the library still had almost no information about the Nine Netherworlds and Daoist masters.

It was as if someone was deliberately concealing these things, but Taoist masters were everywhere in the city, so what could the higher-ups be hiding? As for the Nine Netherworlds, apart from the book "Exploring the Netherworlds," Fu Qing found no other records about them.

Unless there's something they don't want ordinary people to know, or something they don't allow lower-class people to know.

After making up his mind, Fu Qing untied the lock and then slowly opened the box.

Fu Qing was somewhat surprised after just one glance.

Because those things were scrolls, he opened one and took a look, and found that it was a map of the Nine Netherworlds, just like the one Chen Xing'an had drawn that day, and the cloth used was exactly the same.

It records the features of the region, the general terrain, and formations and things that might resemble formations.

There are also records of some demons, their ranks, and specific characteristics, etc.

There are also records of some spiritual herbs and strange minerals. Officially, these herbs are collectively referred to as spiritual herbs, and the minerals are collectively referred to as spiritual stones.

Fu Qing couldn't understand the specific details. For example, there were things like Weihua Grass, Golden Bone Grass, Suspended Silk Stone, and Shadow Stone. Just by hearing the names, Fu Qing couldn't imagine what they were used for. However, their specific appearances were recorded. For example, Golden Bone Grass was semi-transparent with golden threads hanging inside, and Shadow Stone was jet black and its appearance was impossible to see.

However, he realized he couldn't understand the naming conventions of Chinese herbs. For example, when Fu Qing was a child, he really thought that placenta was some kind of windmill-like herb, until he grew up and saw its true form...

What is in front of me is clearly a copy; the handwriting style is consistent, and there is a rubbing at the bottom, with the imprint on top of the ink.

The mark was inscribed with the words "Exploring the Mysterious Pavilion".

"Exploring the Hidden Pavilion..." Fu Qing stroked the mark.

He pulled out the book that recorded the scenery of the Nine Netherworlds and found a faint mark on the last page, the same mark as on the map.

"So it seems that 'Exploring the Mysteries' is a book produced by this Exploring the Mysteries Pavilion. I just don't know why it appears on this floor, and why there's only one copy." Fu Qing wondered.

If they really wanted to hide it, then they wouldn't have allowed even this one book to be leaked.

As for what exactly this Tanyou Pavilion is, Fu Qing doesn't quite understand, but considering that the pavilion where the test was conducted that day was called the Wendao Pavilion, this Tanyou Pavilion is probably also located in the center of that lake.

He rummaged through the bottom of the box and found it full of maps. He casually unfolded a few and looked at them; they were all exploration reports of the Nine Nether Realm near Qingzhou.

"The Black-Faced Ghost that Teacher Xingluochen mentioned last time is in... the Shattered Heaven Netherworld?" Fu Qing searched for entries related to these words, but even after looking through them all, he couldn't find them.

"These are actually maps from a place called the Heart-Eroding Netherworld?" Fu Qing unfolded the maps one by one and discovered that they all came from the same place.

"The Heart-Eroding Netherworld..." Fu Qing pinched his chin. Judging from the name, the Heart-Eroding Netherworld should be related to something like bewitching the mind, just like the Shattered Heaven Netherworld where he woke up.

Fu Qing recalled the scene he saw inside: the earth was broken and tilted, which really did have a sense of "shattering the sky".

"Could it be that there are demons that confuse the mind? Or does this secluded realm itself have the effect of confusing the mind?"

Fu Qing broke out in a cold sweat after just one thought. If it was an illusion, Fu Qing had already fallen victim to Bai Yi's strange magic. But to be confused about one's mind, Fu Qing could only understand it as losing one's rationality or consciousness.

The maps were all marked with numbers. Fu Qing spread the maps out on the ground according to the numbers and pieced them together one by one. However, the piecing together was not very regular, because the route of the person who drew these maps was not fixed, and it was scattered here and there.

"It doesn't seem like it was made specifically for mapmaking, but rather like someone went into the Nine Netherworlds and 'incidentally' drew a map."

Furthermore, some areas on the map are marked as restricted zones, prohibiting anyone from entering.

Fu Qingyue was increasingly astonished as he looked at the map. He discovered that, according to the map below, the Nine Netherworld was extremely vast. The total area explored by all these maps was over a hundred miles in circumference.

Thinking back to the hundreds of miles of mountains he had seen in the Shattered Heaven Realm, Fu Qing felt that the Nine Netherworld was becoming increasingly strange.

Given its sheer size, if the Nine Netherworlds truly are the underworld as the name suggests, and are indeed located underground...

Fu Qing couldn't help but look down at the ground beneath his feet, feeling a surge of fear in his heart.

However, upon closer examination, the Nine Netherworlds might not be as he thought. If it were truly underground, then what was the arc of light he saw that day? Also, he saw specks of starlight in the crack, or perhaps, those weren't stars at all.

Fu Qing felt as if her brain was about to explode.

It was already late, so Fu Qing lit a candle and slowly began his investigation.

Seeing that he couldn't figure out anything from the map, Fu Qing scratched his head and put the scrolls away, because they were taking up too much space; the maps had covered half the hall.

He stuffed the maps into the box, and when he saw that no one was around, he locked it.

Although this lock did not require a key, and Fu Qing did not know how he had opened it before, it was locked just like an ordinary brass lock, and could be fastened directly.

At this moment, Fu Qing looked at the other lacquered boxes and had the idea of ​​spying on them.

Whether you watch one or two, it's all the same.

He picked up the lock and shook it from side to side. Remembering that he had used his own magical abilities before, he had another thought. He pinched the copper lock between his fingers and opened it slightly.

"Click."

As expected, this lock can only be opened by a Taoist master using their abilities.

"So it seems these lacquered boxes aren't for protecting against Taoist masters, but only against ordinary people? Why is that?"

Fu Qing found it quite strange, because these locks were completely useless to the Taoist master, and they were just placed in the library as rubbings. If the real purpose was to prevent anyone from entering, there was no need to do it like this; all that was needed was a key.

"Is it just to prevent ordinary people from entering the Netherworld?"

"But if an ordinary person sees this secluded place, shouldn't they think about avoiding getting involved with these things? What difference would it make whether they see it or not?"

Fu Qing thought for a moment and opened the second box. This time, however, the box contained not maps, but books with black covers.