The male supporting character was actually myself.

Since the matter was of great importance, Yan Xuzi didn't waste time with pleasantries and gave him a brief introduction to the humanities of the lower realm before preparing to open a teleportation channel to send him down to investigate the truth.

"Sect Master, there is one more thing I need to report." Jiang Chen was about to leave when he suddenly remembered Feng Li'er and hurriedly replied, "I have agreed to take the demon princess Feng Li'er as my disciple and teach her the art of alchemy."

"If my journey to the mortal realm takes too long and Feng Li'er comes to the sect, I beg the sect leader to leave her there until my return. Under no circumstances should Lin Xucheng be allowed to contact Feng Li'er, lest she, with her cunning, bewitch the innocent young girl."

Yan Xuzi nodded to indicate that he understood. "That little girl, I sensed her arrival as soon as she arrived at your alchemy room. Later, seeing that you were getting along well and she wasn't throwing a tantrum, I didn't interfere."

"If she can truly become your disciple and a member of the Free and Unfettered Sect, it would be excellent to establish this relationship between our sect and the demon race."

Having a great teammate is great, and Jiang Chen didn't waste much time before heading to the lower realm.

"Don't worry, host! With me, the assassin cat, keeping a close eye on that big bastard Lin Xucheng!" The fluffy little cat perched on Yan Xuzi's shoulder, waving its little paws vigorously and shouting to its host, "Host, be careful when you go on missions! Use the tools when necessary and don't let yourself suffer!"

"The spiritual energy in the lower realm is scarce. Don't be stingy with the spirit stones I gave you; use them as needed. Make sure you are safe," Yan Xuzi patiently instructed as he manipulated the formation to open the path to the lower realm.

Actually, he wasn't too worried. After all, those cultivators in the lower realms were as fragile as ants and could hardly pose any real threat to Golden Core Realm experts in the cultivation world.

Once a cultivator from the upper realm descends, they will be too busy currying favor and serving him to dare to harbor any disloyal thoughts.

Moreover, although the luck surrounding Liu Jiangchen is not as good as Lin Xucheng's, it is still extremely rare. With strong luck protecting her, she can naturally turn misfortune into good fortune and avert disaster.

The mission's world setting makes ascension to the lower realm very difficult, and descending from the cultivation world to the lower realm is also not easy.

As soon as Jiang Chen stepped into the tunnel, which resembled a teleportation array, he felt a strong sense of rejection. This was a shackle that the laws of Heaven had specially added to protect cultivators in the upper realm.

So as to prevent certain people in the upper realm from treating the lower realm as mere ants and plundering and slaughtering them at will.

He tried it out. The original owner, who was at the Golden Core stage, could only use three-tenths of his strength in the lower realm. Fortunately, the soul weapon was not affected by anything. As long as he didn't flaunt it and attract covetous people, there shouldn't be too much danger.

"Hoohoo!"

The howling wind forced Jiang Chen to squint as he struggled to maintain his balance and fly towards the deep lower realm.

"Whoosh!"

Like a shooting star streaking across the sky, a powerful pressure spread out from the horizon.

"This terrifying aura? It's like a god descending to earth!"

"Oh no, oh no, could it be that terrifying guy?"

"He has only been ascended to heaven for a short time, there is no reason for him to return to the lower realm so quickly."

"Perhaps... he was expelled from the sect and forced to leave!"

"Hey, you old folks are really getting worse with age. You can't even tell the difference between their auras anymore? This god is completely different from that guy."

"Who else cultivates a unique technique like yours, with such a powerful and oppressive aura that we dare not easily covet..."

…………

Across the vast continent, the once tranquil world comes alive at dawn.

Sensing the arrival of a supreme deity, all the lower realm cultivators who had successfully condensed their inner cores were tense and excited, each hoping to gain some opportunity; while the old monsters who were just one step away from ascension had solemn expressions, wondering what the visitor's purpose was and whether it was a blessing or a curse.

"This is Lin Xucheng's hometown." Jiang Chen flew on his sword, carefully examining the so-called lower realm, Yonghe Continent.

Aside from the extremely thin spiritual energy, the other scenery is quite nice.

In his view were towering mountains and vast plains. He didn't see any large cities nearby. He used his divine sense to scan the area and instantly sensed that some cultivators with very weak auras were gathered in a large village not far away. It was obviously a small cultivation family.

In the mission world setting, there are many such Netherworlds.

Because of the scarcity of spiritual energy, it is a thousand times more difficult for cultivators living in such an environment to embark on the path of cultivation than for the native inhabitants of the cultivation world. Ascending to immortality like Lin Xucheng is even more difficult.

However, the specific details are only briefly mentioned in the protagonist's background, focusing on how glorious he was after successfully ascending to heaven and the Chaos Bell rang nine times, without going into detail about the mortal realm.

The original owner, Liu Jiangchen, was a lucky one who was born into a privileged life and was directly admitted to the Xiaoyao Sect with his extraordinary talent. Naturally, he would not take the initiative to learn about the hardships of the lower realm. Therefore, Jiangchen could not find any useful information from his memories.

The only way to learn about the settings here is through this trip.

His immediate priority was to find the place where Lin Xucheng had lived.

I suppose a cultivator who can ascend from the lower realm should be quite famous and not too hard to find, right?

"May I ask what brings you here, senior?" An elderly man with white eyebrows, white beard, white hair, and a youthful face stepped forward, bowed respectfully as a disciple, and said, "I am honored to have met you, Daoist Ruishi, and to pay my respects to the Supreme God."

Jiang Chen sensed the other party's attempt to approach.

However, just as the sect leader had said, the cultivators from the lower realm were too weak to pose any threat. He wanted to gather information as soon as possible, so he concealed his aura to avoid intimidating them into not daring to approach.

At this moment, Master Ruishi's heart was pounding.

He didn't know whether it would be a blessing or a curse to bite the bullet and go forward to chat. After all, the arrival of a god would be an absolute crushing force, and if the other party had a bad temper, he could be reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye.

But such opportunities are rare, and he knew the principle that fortune favors the bold.

If you bet right, the gods might be so pleased that they could bestow any gift upon your family and make them richer!

"Is this the Eternal Continent? What dynasty is this place?"

"What the High God says is very true. This world is the Eternal Continent. This place is the Lin Dynasty in the northwest of the continent." Daoist Ruishi replied respectfully, his anxious heart relaxing slightly.

Judging from the other party's words, he should be a refined deity who wouldn't lose his temper for no reason.

"The Lin Dynasty?" Jiang Chen frowned slightly. The sect leader didn't know much about the lower realm, only that Linxu City came from the Yonghe Continent. As for which dynasty it was, he would have to ask himself.

"Have you heard of the name Lin Xucheng? He ascended from the lower realm three years ago. Cultivators on the Yonghe Continent should all know him, right?"

It was that guy!

Master Ruishi was at a loss for words. Should he say that he knew her or not?

Damn it, could it be that Lin Xucheng offended some big shot after his ascension and brought about his death, which will implicate the entire Yonghe Continent?

Sensing the violent fluctuations of the mottled spiritual energy within the other party's body, clearly feeling immense pressure from the name "Lin Xucheng," Jiang Chen tried to reassure him in a gentle tone, "Don't worry, I have no ill intentions in descending to the mortal realm."

He casually took out a blood-replenishing pill from his storage ring—the easiest to refine, yielding hundreds in a single batch—and flicked it over, saying, "I'm just here to travel and relax, and I happen to need a guide. If you're willing, you'll naturally receive plenty of benefits."

Since ancient times, wealth has been a powerful motivator, and the Taoist Ruishi was overjoyed to have acquired a rare elixir.

This is a legendary, genuine elixir from the celestial realm!

It is a million times better than the pills made by those arrogant pharmacists. It contains pure and abundant spiritual energy that invigorates the spirit upon smelling it!

As expected of a supreme deity, he is so generous with his gifts.

"I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse!" Daoist Ruishi bowed deeply and replied, "The Linxu City that the High God mentioned is a cultivator from the Great Rock Dynasty."

However, the Great Rock Dynasty had long since perished, and its territory had been completely divided up and vanished from the Eternal Continent by surrounding dynasties.

Extinct?

Jiang Chen was taken aback, a bad feeling creeping into his heart—could it be related to Lin Xucheng's ascension?

"Back in the day, the Great Yan Dynasty was a formidable force on the Yonghe Continent, with a strong national power, vast territory, and abundant resources." Daoist Ruishi carefully chose his words as he recounted what he knew. "But later, for some reason, it declined rapidly in a short period of time. According to a wise observer, the Great Yan Dynasty's fortunes had run out."

Not long after the complete annihilation of the Great Rock Dynasty, Lin Xucheng successfully transcended his tribulation and ascended to the Upper Realm, shocking the world.

It's such a pity that such a brilliant and talented ascensionist couldn't continue the dynasty's fortune. Logically speaking, with such a powerful cultivator protecting the country, even if its fortune ran out, it shouldn't have been so easily divided up…

The old Taoist priest clearly felt it was a pity, and shook his head with a long sigh.

Jiang Chen frowned slightly, a chill running through his heart.

Ah, it's probably because of Linxu City that this perfectly good dynasty began its demise!

In the original storyline, Lin Xucheng forcibly seized the array eye, the Spirit Ice Crystal, and after absorbing it, he simply left, causing the entire city to perish. His skill in doing so suggests that he has done his fair share of murder, robbery, and theft of fortune.

"Take me to see the old site of the Great Rock Dynasty."

"Yes!" Daoist Ruishi bowed respectfully.

At the same time, he quickly considered whether there were any beautiful girls among his descendants that he could bring along to serve as maids to the god. If they could catch the eye of this young master, he could take them with him when he returned to the upper realm in the future...

As Daoist Ruishi led the way, he pondered in secret, when suddenly he heard the High God ask, "The spiritual energy here is thin, and the aura within each cultivator's body is mixed and mottled. The path of cultivation must be very arduous, right?"

Jiang Chen was indeed very curious about the settings of the lower realm. These people seemed to have various levels such as Foundation Establishment and Golden Core, but they could not be compared with those in the upper realm. They were more like a low-end version.

"Your Majesty, the Eternal Continent has always been far less rich in spiritual energy than the Upper Realm." The old Taoist sighed and said quietly, "And that is why there are fewer and fewer people who can possess the physique for cultivation."

To cultivate here, one must first refine the body.

Once the body is forged to the point where it can withstand the erosion of impure spiritual energy, one can cultivate mental techniques and attempt to establish a foundation.

Successfully establishing the foundation is considered taking the first step in cultivation. After that, one must cultivate, absorb and store enough spiritual energy to try to condense the Golden Core.

Then, one must condense the Nascent Soul; after passing through the Tribulation Transcending Realm and the Dao Integration Realm, one can undergo a Heavenly Tribulation at the peak of the Dao Integration Realm to refine and purify one's mottled spiritual energy to a certain degree. One's body will also be forged and cleansed by the lightning tribulation until it is completely immaculate, at which point one can ascend.

He pointed ahead and explained, "That's where the disciples live. It's simple but clean. Would you like to rest for a while and have a simple meal, Your Majesty? This place is quite far from the old site of the Great Rock Dynasty. Flying on a sword would be too tiring."

"It would be better to wait until the disciples have prepared the immortal boat and go together; that would save time and be more comfortable."

Chapter Thirteen: The Lower Realm

"Oh? Is it far away?" Jiang Chen naturally understood what the other party was planning.

Having finally encountered a cultivator from the upper realm, they were unwilling to let such a golden opportunity slip by.

Generally, the following plot tends to go to extremes: either they fawn over and grovel to death, wishing they could throw all the pretty girls in the family into their beds and make them desperately try to please them so as to use their power to strengthen the family's prestige;

Or they'll recklessly court death, setting up all sorts of mindless traps to kill themselves and steal their treasure.

The former is a typical example of "beauties in prosperous times serving as a foil, beauties in chaotic times taking the blame," as if, apart from allowing women to use their beauty to force and control men, all the men in the clan are dead, just waiting to sit back and enjoy the benefits.

They might even arrange for a beloved woman to be forced by her family to serve a god, while the chosen one roars in anger, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't underestimate the poor young," and slaps down the supporting characters to rise to power in a melodramatic soap opera.

The latter is even more brainless, not even considering whether they can withstand the wrath of the other sect.

Jiang Chen sighed inwardly, hoping that the script wouldn't get him into a mess during this period of updates, giving Lin Xucheng an opportunity to take advantage of him!

"Please look, Your Majesty." Daoist Ruishi hurriedly took out a map from his storage bag, respectfully presented it with both hands, and explained: "You are currently located in Tianshui Town of the Lin Dynasty at the top of the northwest corner. The former site of the Great Yan Dynasty, which has long been destroyed and divided, is located in the center of the continent, slightly southwest. There is a Misty Sea in between, so it is really far away."

In addition, the spiritual energy here is thin compared to the upper realm, so it would probably take at least half a month to arrive by flying on a sword.

Traveling by celestial vessel fueled by spirit stones would be much faster. If the High God is in a hurry, his disciple will immediately contact the major sects of the Lin Dynasty for assistance, guaranteeing that they will arrive at the former site of the Great Rock Dynasty within three days!

Holding the animal hide map, Jiang Chen finally saw the entire Yonghe Continent.

In terms of scale, it is only about one-tenth the size of the cultivation world, but it is still quite large compared to other mission worlds.

After all, the script team created a cultivation-themed world based on certain novels, where a single city in the upper realm easily has hundreds of millions of people. Converted, the entire cultivation world would need to be dozens of Earths in size to accommodate the protagonist freely changing maps and roaming around.

The Yonghe Continent is home to hundreds of dynasties of varying sizes, with the Lin Dynasty being of medium size.

To reach the Great Rock Dynasty, which has already been divided up, one must first traverse seven dynasties and cross the entire Misty Sea. At the speed of flying on a sword, it would indeed take ten days to half a month.