Chapter 518: A Reunion After Four Millennia
The Earthly Catastrophe.
The calamity from which the creatures of the Celestial Desolation Realm can never escape.
The ax of fate that has hung over the heads of the Celestial Desolation Realm creatures since their birth is finally about to fall.
Within the realm of cultivation, a gloomy atmosphere permeates, with numerous cultivators experiencing immense anguish and despair.
However, the Heavenly Court has sealed off the information, and those who are aware of this are mostly high-level cultivators, while the majority of cultivators remain ignorant and unaware. Therefore, the significant upheaval that typically occurs before the Earthly Catastrophe descends didn't happen this time.
The cultivators continue to immerse themselves in the mountains and rivers, silently cultivating and seeking enlightenment, traversing the mundane world with serene hearts, unaffected by the onslaught of despair and catastrophe.
As for the mortals, they remain ignorant, oblivious, and carefree.
In secret, the Heavenly Court has initiated the screening of candidates across the vast lands, selecting those cultivators who meet the criteria to seek refuge in the enigmatic world.
This tremendous workload keeps Gu Yan and the divine immortals of the Heavenly Court tirelessly occupied.
As for Lu Heng, he has long been absent but now returns to the realm of the netherworld, bearing the Requiem Seal, and reunites with You Yue and others.
The netherworld is the most peculiar and mystical place within the realm of the Celestial Desolation Realm.
Here, perhaps, is another refuge apart from the enigmatic world. However, the netherworld is suffused with a stifling gloom, making it a more perilous place for the living than even the enigmatic world.
Apart from Lu Heng, who possesses the Requiem Seal and can physically enter, ordinary cultivators can only reach this place in spirit form.
It is destined that the netherworld can only accommodate the deceased, and the living are unable to enter.
However, even so, the ghosts that permeate the vast desolate wilderness are still a formidable force that cannot be ignored by the Celestial Desolation Realm.
After all, the souls of the deceased in the Celestial Desolation Realm all reside here, and among them are not lacking some formidable cultivators who possessed remarkable strength and resilient spirits during their lifetimes.
If the horn of counterattack is sounded in the future, this netherworld will undoubtedly be an important military force that cannot be ignored.
And upon Lu Heng's return, You Yue and the others were immensely thrilled.
It has been over four thousand years since the enigmatic disappearance of Lu Heng.
During these over four thousand years, the Netherworld Reincarnation system planned by Lu Heng has already been successfully established by You Yue and other ghost cultivators. City God temples have been built in various countries around the world, and passages that can access the netherworld have been established in different regions and nations.
Wuyou and Wuyu siblings, have even transformed themselves into omnipresent entities throughout the world, touring the four corners of the earth through these City God temples, and virtually mastering every movement within the Celestial Desolation Realm.
The current netherworld world, compared to the desolation and bleakness when Lu Heng departed, is now vastly different.
Within the eerie atmosphere filled with a deathly stillness, majestic palaces and grand halls stretch endlessly. netherworld messengers and malevolent spirits chase and gallop through the desolate wilderness, while numerous hells, created to punish wicked ghosts, make the living tremble and the deceased wail in agony.
Amidst the endless wailing of countless malevolent spirits, the profound aura of death in the netherworld has grown exponentially stronger compared to previous years.
To the extent that even Lu Heng, endowed with the protective power of the Requiem Seal, felt a certain inability to withstand the impact of this formidable aura of death upon his initial entry.
How many wicked ghosts are imprisoned in this netherworld…
Lu Heng remained speechless for a while.
However, upon closer reflection, the vastness of the Celestial Desolation Realm itself makes it normal to house such a multitude of wicked spirits. After all, for the Celestial Desolation Realm, the complete netherworld is like the two sides of the Yin and Yang Taiji symbol. The number of deceased in the netherworld will not be lower than the living beings in the Celestial Desolation Realm.
Previously, one of the main reasons for the scarcity of wandering souls in the Celestial Desolation Realm, besides the absence of the netherworld system to guide and support those deceased spirits, is also due to the incessant devouring of the departed souls of the living beings in the Celestial Desolation Realm by the Earthly Behemoth lurking outside.
Now that the netherworld system has been established, all deceased spirits are guided and supported to the netherworld, and the Earthly Behemoth is no longer able to devour the wandering souls of the Celestial Desolation Realm. It can only consume the essence of the living beings. As a result, when Lu Heng returned this time, he felt that the Earthly Behemoth was much more agitated than before.
It must be the lack of soul nourishment that is driving it to madness.
However, for the Celestial Desolation Realm, this might actually be a blessing in disguise.
Due to the ferocious Earthly Behemoth, it poses an extremely thorny trouble for the adversaries of the seven realms. They will undoubtedly have to pay a greater price in order to safely bypass the Earthly Behemoth's hindrance and successfully embark on the catastrophic mission before entering the Celestial Desolation Realm.
After all, when it comes to the apocalypse, it requires cultivators from all seven realms to come together, not the previous kind of sneaky infiltration by a few individuals. Nowadays, a large number of cultivators wanting to enter the Celestial Desolation Realm under the watchful eyes of the Earthly Behemoth is definitely not an easy task.
After Lu Heng spent approximately half a month in the netherworld, taking a general tour and gaining an understanding of the current situation there, he departed.
During Lu Heng's absence, the Ten Yama Kings in the netherworld had already found suitable candidates, but they were lacking Lu Heng's appointment. These Yama Kings didn't possess corresponding divine authority and were merely holding empty titles. However, Lu Heng's return made them truly legitimate. After receiving the appointment of the Requiem Seal, these Ten Yama Kings finally obtained genuine ghost king powers.
And as Lu Heng finally departed, a decision he made left the ghostly attendants astounded.
Because he directly abandoned the Requiem Seal, relinquishing the powers of the Lord of the Nether, and bestowed it upon the Ghost Queen You Yue, appointing her as the Lord of the Nether.
This decision left the multitude of ghost cultivators bewildered, exchanging perplexed glances with one another.
Although they were well aware of the Wolf God's broad-mindedness and indifference towards fame and fortune, the fact that the Requiem Seal, such a divine artifact, could be entrusted to it, left them incredulous. After all, if roles were reversed, it is doubtful that anyone would willingly relinquish such a precious and influential treasure.
The Requiem Seal, not only possesses supreme divine power, but also symbolizes the very ruler of the entire Netherworld!
However, for Lu Heng, the so-called ruler of the Netherworld meant little to him.
He was not enthusiastic about power, initially only intending to help find a suitable master for the Requiem Seal. Now, You Yue is an appropriate candidate.
Having established a comprehensive cycle of reincarnation within a mere four thousand years, consolidating numerous ghost cultivators and constructing the netherworld to such impeccable perfection, whether it be in terms of ability, character, or cultivation, she deserves to be the Lord of the Nether.
Having forsaken the Requiem Seal, Lu Heng is now free from external influence, enabling him to wholeheartedly embark on the process of refining the divine fruits of the All Souls Ancestral Root, thereby repeating his past cultivation.
Otherwise, until an appropriate candidate is found for this item, Lu Heng's unfulfilled oath from years past will leave a lingering worry in his heart, creating a void in his state of mind, making it impossible to speak of any breakthrough.
After departing from the netherworld, Lu Heng didn't return to the Heavenly Court, nor did he embark on cultivation in the enigmatic realm.
He once again transformed into a massive white wolf, stepping out from the gates of Hanyu Mountain, following the path that he had once descended with Xiao Ai, heading southward.
After four thousand years have passed, the topography and roads within the territory of Fire Pass Country have changed significantly from what they were originally.
Amidst the shifting of river courses and undulating mountains, everything that the colossal white wolf beheld appeared so unfamiliar. Yet, faintly discernible, traces of the past could be glimpsed.
In the broad daylight, it roamed alone along the desolate wilderness road.
During the night, it lodged at the inn along the road, closing its eyes to rejuvenate its spirit, silently calming its breath, and reminiscing about its past journey in a different manner.
The current Lu Heng only needs to refine the divine fruits to improve his strength.
However, a subtle hindrance in his state of mind was impeding him. He desired to take one last journey across this vast land, bidding farewell to the past and all living beings with such reminiscence.
Only by doing so can one dispel the subtle obstacles in his heart.
Unfortunately, Xiao Ai was not by his side this time…
However, just a few days after Lu Heng voiced such emotions, he heard the thunderous sound of war drums echoing amidst the wind and rain at the inn.
The sound of those war drums sounded so peculiar, yet so familiar.
The enormous white wolf lifted its head in astonishment, and amidst the wind and rain outside the door, a figure on horseback emerged, bravely braving the downpour. The rider had a sword in hand, white hair flowing, and a handsome countenance.
It was none other than Huo Feng, standing in all his glory.
As Huo Feng's Bo horse caught sight of the enormous white wolf crouching in the inn, it was taken aback and exclaimed, "The Wolf God?!"
The Bo horse was dumbstruck, not expecting to see Lu Heng here.
On the back of the Bo horse, Huo Feng, with his white hair, still exuding an undiminished elegance, looked at the enormous white wolf inside the inn with astonishment. The two locked eyes in a moment of mutual bewilderment.
"That…," Huo Feng scratched his head and said, "Have I traveled through time and space?"
The scene before his eyes gave Huo Feng an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.
On that rainy night over four thousand years ago, he rode on a white horse, traversing through the pitch-black night and raging storm. In his prime, he encountered the enormous white wolf crouched by the bonfire in the inn.
If it weren't for the presence of a small girl with silver-haired beast ears accompanying the white wolf, Huo Feng would almost believe that he had returned to the past.
Inside the inn, the enormous white wolf couldn't help but burst into laughter upon seeing the expression on Huo Feng's face.
He said, "Brother Huo, I hope all is well with you."
Huo Feng smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "I never expected to encounter the Wolf God in this place… Truly, it is a fateful encounter."
Speaking thus, he promptly dismounted, taking hold of this exceptionally majestic Bo horse, and entered the inn.
After a conversation, Lu Heng came to understand that Huo Feng, too, was bidding farewell to this world in his own way, through reminiscing about the past.
Because everyone was aware that once they departed from the Celestial Desolation Realm and ventured into the enigmatic dimension, the world before their eyes upon their eventual return would cease to be their own.
Huo Feng, desiring to make further progress in the way of the sword, knew that he must achieve a breakthrough in his state of mind.
And for him, the greatest turning point in life was undoubtedly the period of time in his youth when he encountered and journeyed alongside the Wolf God.
Therefore, before departing, he, just like in the past, donned the ordinary attire of a disciple of the Yun sect, and rode the Bo horse with the intention of retracing the path of those bygone days. However, little did he anticipate the remarkable coincidence of encountering the Wolf God, who harbored the same intentions, within the inn.
To think that both the man and the wolf would cross paths once again in such a manner, within the desolate inn, truly brought forth laughter and tears, stirring up a myriad of emotions.
Four thousand years ago, time appeared both distant and fleeting, wouldn't you agree?
The scenes that unfolded within the inn back in those years, it seems as if they are still vivid before my eyes.
