GDK 384 – Comprehension in the netherworld
The vast netherworld, eternally a monotonous grey, various sorts and varieties of undead creatures engaged in never-ending combat, void of any signs of life.
In this place, there was no alternating day and night, no sense of time passing, only deathly stillness and bleak coldness. On the desolate earth under the grey sky, the undead creatures complied with ancient teachings, unceasingly scrambling for a more extensive territory. However, they were unaware of the reason for all of this.
Han Shuo followed the connection he had with the little skeleton, drifting like a spirit in the little skeleton’s direction. As there wasn’t a concept of time, Han Shuo didn’t know how long he had been in this world. As he headed toward the little skeleton, Han Shuo came across many different kinds of undead creatures.
Many of the undead creatures had extended their sharp claws toward Han Shuo, attempting to swallow Han Shuo who appeared weak. Facing Han Shuo’s Soul Tremor magic, the low ranked undead creatures were usually destroyed by the magic that directly attacked the soul.
As for higher ranked undead creatures, Han Shuo’s consciousness was able to sense the existence. By means of his sensing ability, Han Shuo was able to determine the strength of those undead creatures and actively avoid the ancient undead creatures, detouring around their territories as he continued in the direction of the little skeleton.
After what seemed to be quite some time, Han Shuo felt the distance between the little skeleton and him becoming closer and closer. Furthermore, with the connection between the two of them, he became aware that the little skeleton was currently rushing toward him. This made Han Shuo feel touched, moved that even without any orders, due to its worry for him, the little skeleton had travelled from far away just to find him.
In the netherworld where the death qi was incomparably rich, Han Shuo who was in the form of a ghost was constantly tempering his mental strength, attempting to manipulate this world’s death qi through his demonic powers. Gradually, Han Shuo even discovered some insights.
Demonic magic was famous for being able to live forever as long as their consciousness wasn’t completely destroyed. In the separate demon realm, cultivator’s souls would become consciousnesses, possessing many extraordinary uses. Even if a demonic practitioner’s corporeal body is destroyed, as long as the consciousness is strong enough to attach onto another physical body, the practitioner can use this new body to practice demonic magic once again. They would only require to spend a hundred years to regain their previous strength.
Being transported into this bizarre world, Han Shuo searched for a way to return to the Profound Continent, as well as using this strand of consciousness to seek a way to increase his own strength. Before he could find the method in returning to the Profound Continent, Han Shuo first needed to ensure he could survive in this foreign world.
Slowly, Han Shuo’s existing consciousness had a strange reaction to the death qi. As Han Shuo continued experimenting, he was now totally able to absorb and manipulate the omnipresent death qi in this world, so much so that he could even form weapons from the death qi to attack the undead creatures that had ill intentions.
At the start, Han Shuo could only condense the death qi into the form of arrows and control the arrows with his consciousness. This was only threatening toward the low ranked skeleton warriors and zombie warriors and wasn’t even comparable to the simple bone spear spell. As Han Shuo’s consciousness gradually understood the uses of the death qi, he could now completely utilise his consciousness to condense formidable attacks as long as he is given time. The strength of these attacks could even surpass Han Shuo’s Soul Tremor.
As a few days passed, Han Shuo’s consciousness could gradually condense the death qi to give rise to more clever uses. Han Shuo even experimented with a skeleton remains of excellent quality, condensing the death qi within the bones and forging a skeletal body for himself.
Contained within the pure white skeleton was the death qi condensed by Han Shuo’s consciousness. Under the reckless suppression of Han Shuo’s consciousness, the death qi became crystal-like spots hidden within the bones. However, the quality of the remains of an ordinary skeleton warrior wasn’t much. When Han Shuo tried to condense even more death qi within the bones, they weren’t able to withstand the death qi and thus exploded.
Utilizing this sparkling jade like skeletal remains, Han Shuo was able to intimidate many undead creatures that attempted to attack him. Even a few high ranked evil knights who saw Han Shuo’s huge skeleton that glittered with white light withdrew with dread.
The evil knights clearly took Han Shuo’s jade-like skeleton as a skeleton king which was at the peak of undead creatures. Skeleton kings as well as bone dragons were peak existences among undead creatures. A skeleton king’s body contained incomparably rich death qi and posses terrifying strength. Weak undead creatures were simply not its match.
However, Han Shuo knew that purely using death qi to condense a skeletal body would definitely pale in contrast to a skeleton king’s body and would even be much weaker than the bones on a bone demon. Yet, Han Shuo wasn’t discouraged, continuing to silently delve into the uses of his consciousness in this world as he searched for a way to return to the Profound Continent. He also felt that the distance between the little skeleton and himself was getting closer and closer.
As Han Shuo passed through an overgrown valley shrouded in rich death qi, his consciousness suddenly detected a few formidable auras. These auras were abnormally chaotic and unstable, as though currently engaged in a huge battle. In the surrounds were many low ranked undead creatures fighting against one another, clearly originating from different factions.
Looking at the overgrown valley from afar, Han Shuo noticed clouds of dense blue qi within the rich death qi. These blue qi rose in spirals, slowly diffusing from within the valley. Some of the low ranked undead creatures who were battling extended their necks to absorb the blue clouds of gas as though they were an exquisite feast.
In this desolate netherworld, there rarely appeared colors that weren’t monochrome. In the period of time that Han Shuo has been in this world, this was the first time he saw a blue color existing. This made Han Shuo feel astonished, as he look toward the magnificent battle. As he sensed the combat between the few auras inside the valley, Han Shuo had some suspicions of the scene within.
While Han Shuo was being puzzled, the dense blue qi had slowly spread to the area where Han Shuo was in. The wisps of blue qi entered Han Shuo’s consciousness, the mental energy that had been consumed seemed to be replenished, recovering little by little.
Han Shuo was incessantly surprised. Originally, he only allowed the dense blue qi that touched him to seep into his body. However, when Han Shuo felt the benefits the blue qi gave to the mental strength of his consciousness, he immediately started operating his consciousness, analyzing the blue qi within the valley and using the strength of his consciousness to slowly draw the blue qi towards himself.
This period of time, Han Shuo spent everyday researching how to utilise the strength of his consciousness to manipulate the rich death qi that was everywhere in this world. Toward this blue qi which was of a completely different nature, but yet had the same characteristics as the qi in the netherworld, Han Shuo very quickly found the trick in sucking in the blue qi.
When Han Shuo went all out in operating his consciousness, a large portion of death qi that diffused out from the heart of the valley was subjected to the pull from Han Shuo’s consciousness, slowly entering him. Han Shuo’s originally exhaused mental strength gradually recovered following the absorption of the blue qi.
The numerous undead creatures in the surroundings of the valley were still engaged in intense battle. The grey earth was covered in broken bones and rotting flesh. Under the orders of their respective masters, these low ranked undead creatures recklessly fought with each other, yet didn’t forget to avariciously absorb the strands of drifting dense blue qi.
With a moment of effort, Han Shuo utilised his consciousness to absorb large amounts of blue qi, recovering 80% of his mental strength. There was no longer any more blue qi spreading out from the heart of the valley and the blue qi that was further away were either absorbed by the numerous undead creatures or had vanished.
In the form of a pure white skeleton, Han Shuo stood in an area extremely far from the valley. After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly headed for the heart of the valley. At the same time, Han Shuo could sense that the little skeleton was getting nearer and nearer.
Han Shuo felt from the cloud of dense blue qi that permeated out that there must be a mysterious item in the heart of the valley. An item that could grow one’s mental strength was rarely heard of in the Profound Continent. Han Shuo never would have thought that in this foreign eternally desolate other world would actually have such an extraordinary item.
What made Han Shuo more apprehensive was that when Han Shuo absorbed the dense blue qi, there was actually an indistinct familiar feeling. At the start, Han Shuo didn’t react, only reacting he stopped absorbing after the dense blue qi no longer spread from within the valley.
Apparently when he was previously beneath the Cemetery of Death, Han Shuo had absorbed some kind of special energy which made his mental strength grow substantially. The feeling he had when he absorbed that energy was similar to when he was absorbing the dense blue qi. However, previous that energy was boundless, directly allowing Han Shuo to possess the mental strength of a grand magus. When he had just absorbed the dense blue qi, it fell way short of that energy but it definitely had a similar aura.
“Who knows what item is within the valley that is actually able to give off such a mysterious blue qi!”
It was precisely this suspicion that led Han Shuo to still decide to go into the valley and investigate, even though he sensed a few undead creatures that could threaten his existence.
The jade-like white skeletal body was larger than ordinary skeleton warriors. At approximately 1.8m tall, it currently headed toward the source of the battle. Along the way, many low ranked skeleton and zombie warriors immediately divided a portion of their forces to attack Han Shuo’s condensed body when they noticed another enemy faction approaching.
En route, Han Shuo’s consciousness started manipulating death qi. When the skeleton warriors and zombie warriors have crowded around, a crescent shaped greyish-white light beam condensed purely from death qi suddenly shot out from the front of his large skeletal body.
The more than ten skeleton warriors and zombie warriors that were the first to crowd around were struck by the condensed light beam, their frail souls were unable to bear the power, collapsing in succession and dissipating. With a wave of cracking sounds, the bones of the skeleton warriors fell apart, the zombie warriors had also become heaps of rotting flesh and falling over.
A light beam condensed from death qi flashed past, more than ten skeleton warriors and zombie warriors collapsed. Another group of skeleton warriors and zombie warriors which had intended to come over paused for a moment. Under the powerful strength that Han Shuo deliberately released, they realised this skeleton warrior was much larger, its bones were more sparkly and translucent different from their own bodies.
Of these low ranked undead creatures, many of them had never seen a skeleton king. However, from the moment they were born, there was an imprint of this high ranked undead creature on their soul. When they examined the body Han Shuo condensed carefully, they mistook Han Shuo as the skeleton king at the peak of all undead creatures.
A path suddenly appeared voluntarily. These undead creatures still fought with each other, but not one undead creature dared to intercept Han Shuo anymore, as though ignoring Han Shuo’s existence.
However, Han Shuo knew this was their instinctive reaction toward high ranked undead creatures. The voluntarily formed path directly lead to the depths of the valley. These low ranked undead creatures knew Han Shuo’s objective was the depths of the valley. They expectedly provided a clear passage.
“Clang… Clang…”
Han Shuo’s consciousness controlled this condensed skeletal body, heading toward the valley a step at a time. The surrounding undead creatures still fought furiously, but not one undead creature got in Han Shuo’s way.
At the center of the valley, the few formidable undead creatures still fought against each other. Han Shuo was able to sense their vast strength. As he entered deep into the valley, Han Shuo gradually slowed his steps, starting to cautiously size up the situation all around, preparing to immediately depart in an unfavourable situation.
The surroundings were filled with even more undead creatures that incessantly fought. As there were many hate warriors and a few evil knights mixed within the undead creatures here, Han Shuo knew that he was already approaching his target. Han Shuo deliberately released an unyielding posture as he passed through these higher ranked undead creatures, finally entering the heart of the valley. A clear, pitch-black spring immediately entered Han Shuo’s sight, a sinister looking plant floating on the spring. It had many branches that were spread out, appearing menacing yet devilishly beautiful like a man-eating flower. Its branches and leaves appeared like countless withered hands, propping a cloud of blue smoke. Within the blue smoke, there was an eyeball sized teardrop similar to a sapphire, shooting out resplendent, bizarre light.