Chapter 504: Chapter 443 Heaven and Earth Xuan Sect, Xiao Mao True Monarch
On the Sun Jade Carriage.
Song Lin and Taihua discussed briefly, delving into the current structure of the world.
Actually, there’s still room for resistance. The Chu and Shu Countries, defending the southwest, could hold the line for a decade or more if war breaks out with the demons.
And just like Jiuxiao Demon Country, they likely cooperate with the demons. Even if the demons were to attack, it would be done through human proxies leading the assault.
The goal of this battle for the demons has been achieved—they want humanity to submit and continuously bleed, rather than exterminating them completely.
If rebellion rises, it will largely target these human traitors.
The demons may join the fight, but not with the overwhelming force seen before; after all, internal strife among the Human Clan is preferable to unity.
In summary, Song Lin surmised that the initial stage would be a struggle against these human traitors from within.
This is precisely what the demons hope to see. Only if there’s significant potential or signs of unifying the world will they send strong forces to interfere.
Upon returning, Song Lin convened the upper ranks for a three-day, three-night discussion.
Eventually, a plan was finalized...
On the following day, Donghua sent their men to escort Wu Yi, an imperial family member, to Lingzhou for his ascension to the throne.
The enthronement ceremony was grand, but it was mostly for show, with few attendees.
...
The story’s world.
At this point, new developments emerged.
Senior disciple Li Yuxu knocked on the door.
"What happened?"
asked Song Lin.
"Junior disciple Yuxuan was injured."
Li Yuxu explained the sequence of events.
While healing the sick in the mortal world, Yuxuan encountered something bizarre: young women vanished mysteriously in the local area. Further investigation led to a folk magician.
This magician used a technique to transform humans into animals, disguising himself as a shepherd to secretly transport and sell people to high-ranking nobles.
During the investigation, Yuxuan uncovered a shocking industry chain.
There wasn’t just one demon; there were many, intentionally cultivated and dispatched to various regions. The operation involved numerous high-ranking officials, including the son of the current Minister of Justice, Li Liang.
Yuxuan brought disciples to confront them, but the opposition, far from being intimidated by cultivators, began spewing brazen threats, claiming his grandfather was none other than a Judge from the underworld.
Naturally, the group didn’t believe it. Just as they prepared to kill Li Liang to give justice to the people, several Ghost Kings suddenly appeared and injured several disciples.
If not for Song Lin’s talisman providing a protective body, their souls might have been dragged to the underworld.
Song Lin frowned tightly and asked grimly, "Is Yuxuan okay?"
"He’s fine, currently recuperating in the cave mansion."
"Hmph, outrageous! Is the underworld truly so lawless?"
With a cold snort, Song Lin stood up.
"Jade Seal, come with me. I’m determined to see what tricks this Yama King of the underworld has up his sleeve."
Jinling City, top floor of Heavenly Fragrance House.
Li Liang was drinking merrily with high-ranking nobles, a beauty in his arms, enjoying himself immensely.
"Mr. Li, is that matter resolved?"
someone asked.
"Of course. I’ve got connections up above. What’s a mere Taoist? Even if their Grandmaster showed up, he’d have to tuck his tail and apologize."
Li Liang cruelly pinched the woman in his arms and laughed arrogantly.
The crowd showered him with compliments, most of them uneasy at heart—anyone who could ally themselves with ghosts and gods was not someone to offend lightly.
BANG!
The door burst open.
A white-robed Taoist stood in the doorway.
"Who’s Li Liang? I heard you injured my disciples?"
Song Lin’s gaze swept across the void, where two ghosts with green faces and sharp fangs floated, wielding tridents.
"Oh? Beating the juniors only to bring out the senior now?" Li Liang pushed aside the woman and stepped forward. "That’s right, it was..."
THUD!
Before he could finish his sentence, a flash of sword light severed his head.
"How dare you!"
The two ghosts lunged, only to be decapitated by another flash of sword light.
"Murder!"
The room was in chaos. Anyone with a trace of malice was struck dead by the sword.
BOOM BOOM BOOM...
Soldiers from the court quickly arrived to provide reinforcements.
Song Lin remained calm within the building, casually grabbing a survivor and demanding, "I ask you, who’s the mastermind?"
"The Seventh Prince and the Third Prince are involved."
"Excellent."
Song Lin proceeded to the Prince Mansion, and in the presence of witnesses, stabbed the prince to death with a single blow.
Throughout this process, Song Lin uncovered a horrifying reality: these high-ranking nobles didn’t just keep slaves for labor but degraded them as objects—spittoons, chamber pots, urinals, and the like.
Song Lin had read about such atrocities before but didn’t think he’d witness them firsthand today.
These weren’t isolated incidents; such practices were widespread, rumored to originate from the palace.
In Jinling City, there were also the infamous Zhao-Zhang wealth duels. Zhang Hao invited Zhao Shixian, lighting six thousand lanterns for the event, only for Zhao to outdo him by hosting with ten thousand lanterns.
Their lavish displays included beauty-toasts—if a guest refused to drink, the beauty would be killed. Zhang deliberately made things difficult, and Zhao slaughtered sixteen beauties straight until he relented and drank.
Their competitive extravagance highlighted the court’s corruption.
Song Lin ascended into the sky, accompanied by disciple Li Yuxu.
"Master! This world is truly vile!"
Li Yuxu said, brimming with righteous indignation.
What initially seemed a few isolated cases revealed that the entire upper echelon, including some demon officials, was part of this interconnected web of corruption.
The root cause was Emperor Chen, who, during his thirty-year reign, hadn’t attended court for thirty years. Official positions remained vacant, either left empty or occupied by demons.
This man focused solely on indulgence, leaving the people to suffer.
"Heh, if that’s the case, then let everything perish and begin anew."
Song Lin radiated golden light, illuminating the foul world like the sun itself.
Holding the Pure Yang Golden Fire Lamp, he spread golden light across several provinces of the Chen Dynasty Capital.
Wherever the light touched, anyone bearing demon energy or allied with demons was annihilated.
In an instant, various regional officials, governors, and county magistrates revealed their true forms and turned to dust.
In the mortal realm, every ghost, underworld messenger, existent or not, was killed without exception.
Kill kill kill kill kill! Millions of impurities wiped away! Rivers of blood!
Song Lin realized this world had completely decayed, corrupted by the Six Heavenly Old Qi, with the upper ranks turned demonic.
Why bother reforming them? Killing them all and starting fresh was simpler.
Song Lin didn’t kill indiscriminately, only those carrying demon energy or steeped in heavy grievances, ensuring justice was served.
Simultaneously, he sent an avatar to the Imperial Palace. Protected by arrays, the palace demanded further investigation.
Inside the palace.
Strangely, the residence of an incompetent emperor should be extravagantly decorated, yet this place was a humble Taoist temple, where a forty-something Taoist elder sat cross-legged on a mat, incense curling beside him.
Behind him wasn’t a statue of divinities but a three-headed Ghost King. Its heads were black, blue, and red.
The ten-zhang-tall statue’s right hand gripped chains binding a golden gate.
The gate was coated in layers of thick blood.
BOOM!
Song Lin soared in through the palace.
The elder Taoist opened his eyes, gazing at the white-robed Taoist who entered.
"Who dares enter without kneeling before me?"
"You’re the useless emperor?"
Song Lin’s words were razor-sharp. His eyes skimmed over the emperor’s back, landing on the statue.
Indeed, it was the Heaven and Earth Xuan Sect Gate!
"Insolence!"
The emperor roared, sending ten Purple Mansion Ghost Kings from the void.
In an instant, flames, poison gas, smoke, and water dragons came rushing forth.
BANG BANG BANG!
The spells hit Song Lin’s Vajra dharma body, completely ineffective.
Uninterested in exchanging blows, Song Lin released divine lamp light from his Spirit Platform. A single turn of the glow shattered the souls of all ten Ghost Kings.
"Help, save your king!"
The emperor scrambled outside, terrified.
Song Lin didn’t stop him, his gaze fixed on the dark hole above the statue. Ghost Kings had emerged from it earlier. With a light kick, a broken wood beam shot across hundreds of meters, impaling the scoundrel emperor through the chest.
The hole exuded copious yin energy as though connected to the Netherworld.
The Netherworld?
Interesting. Today required raging through this realm.
Beside the statue hung the Heaven and Earth Xuan Sect Gate; it suggested that this artifact might exist in the Netherworld. If he obtained it, opposing the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master would be much simpler.
The Sanmao World might be crucial for his current stage.
The Spirit Treasure Celestial Master was only at the Primordial Spirit Peak stage, relying entirely on the Heaven and Earth Xuan Sect Gate for their cultivation. If he mastered its technique in this realm, could he overcome the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master?
If so, the Taoist Alliance Celestial Master position would be his in an instant.
Swoosh!
With that thought, Song Lin entered the Netherworld through the hole.
Foggy skies, overcast clouds.
The realm was perpetually shrouded in darkness, with a heroic city below, teeming with countless ghosts and gods.
Flying in the sky, swimming in the water, burrowing through the earth—all manner of beings were present.
At the city’s center stood a five-thousand-zhang-tall Three-headed Ghost King Dharma Form.
Its eyes were closed, right palm hovering. Above it floated the Heaven and Earth Xuan Sect Gate, encased in heavy chains, through which gold light barely managed to seep.
Song Lin’s arrival awoke countless demons.
His immensely powerful physique was like a blazing iron orb dropped into ice water, causing instant chaos.
Millions of ghostly creatures surged toward him.
Song Lin’s focus locked on a shadow inside the golden gate.
"Xiao Mao True Monarch? Mao Zhong?"
No wonder the mortal realm was in such turmoil—the Grandmaster was trapped here.
With endless fiends rushing in from all directions, their overwhelming numbers were impossible to measure.
Ten Direction Ghost Kings, Ghost Generals, Yakshas, Asuras, Mountain Spirits, Water Monsters—their ranks included everything imaginable.
Even their cultivation levels weren’t ordinary; there were over twenty Tribulation Crossing Ghost Kings alone.
The countless smaller ghosts could bury a person under sheer weight.
For Song Lin, this was his first time facing so many enemies.
He felt the imperative to uncover the secrets of the Heaven and Earth Xuan Sect Gate and the truth behind the Taoist Alliance. This might be the only opportunity to enter the Netherworld.
"One against millions?"
The Spirit Platform unleashed its Golden Flower Light; twenty-four supplemented by three Cloud Seals illuminated the cosmos. The Twelve Yuan Chen emerged.
"Let’s give it a shot!"
BOOM!
Golden light flooded the Ten Directions.
The sun rose!