Dressed in a spotless white sacrificial robe, Jiang Ke’er walked with the villagers of Sandao Village to the village square.
The ground of the square was inscribed with a blood-red Blood Array, with four Jade Tokens placed at the four corners of the array.
One of them was precisely the Jade Token Key previously used to open the Refuge.
As the sky gradually darkened, Ming Ling looked up and saw dark clouds gathering overhead.
She frowned and shouted sternly, “Messenger of the Underworld at work, begone!”
It was as if the clouds heard Ming Ling’s words—they instantly scattered, fleeing the sky and revealing a vast, clear starry expanse!
No wonder she was once the Death God—even in decline, her presence is undeniable—Jiang Ke’er couldn’t help but feel admiration.
Starlight sparkled as the sunset faded away, and the white moon rose. A cold wind gathered within the formation.
Jiang Ke’er and the others knelt at the edge of the array, while Ming Ling stood at its center, clad in a Priestess’s robe of a different style, holding the Staff of Bells in her hand.
Sandao Village was the heart of the array, and Ming Ling was the main Priestess, presiding over the sacrificial ritual.
“Ding-ling-ling~”
The bells suddenly chimed of their own accord, their crisp sound announcing the start.
Ming Ling closed her eyes and began in a soft voice, “At the dawn of ancient times, who passed on the Dao?”
As Ming Ling spoke, the light from the formation gradually brightened.
“When above and below were yet unformed, who can examine their origins?”
Buzz—
A violent tremor swept through space, and the scene before Jiang Ke’er’s eyes changed!
A blood-yellow river flowed silently, and she stood upon a small bridge crossing it.
Corpses and vengeful souls drifted in the river, while a boundary marker stood at the head of the bridge.
[River of Forgetfulness]
The river was called the River of Forgetfulness, so naturally, the bridge was the Bridge of Helplessness.
But this bridge was broken.
Its body split cleanly in two by some unknown force, the jagged wood seemed to tell the tale of its catastrophic destruction.
All around, amidst crumbling ruins, weeds and lush vegetation thrived. Untended, the Other Shore Flower ran wild like common grass.
Misty fog shrouded the distant world. Jiang Ke’er could vaguely hear the unwilling wails of Lost Souls and Wild Ghosts within the fog.
“Yin and yang in triple harmony, what is their origin and transformation?”
“Heaven’s circle of ninefold layers, who measures and determines them?”
Another tremor shook space.
Mist rushed swiftly towards Jiang Ke’er on the bridge, the vengeful souls and wild ghosts blocked at the bridge’s edge.
Yet the purest Divine Sense and Spirit Energy within the mist surged into Jiang Ke’er, entering her brow and rapidly strengthening her soul.
Jiang Ke’er could clearly sense her perception of the surroundings was rapidly improving, her control over strength and detail greatly enhanced.
Jiang Ke’er closed her eyes. At her ear, Ming Ling was still reciting the sacrificial prayer; from her tone, the prayer was almost at its end.
In just these few minutes, Jiang Keer’s Divine Sense strength grew dozens of times over! Now, just in terms of Divine Sense, she was likely on par with a Qiyao Realm powerhouse!
Divine Sense energy continued to pour in, and Jiang Ke’er joyfully accepted it all.
When Ming Ling finished her prayer, and the villagers who had likewise received the Sacrificial Blessing left one by one, Jiang Ke’er prepared herself to leave as well.
Hmm? Why hasn’t it ended for me?
The others had already received their Divine Sense blessing and left this daunting Underworld, so what was going on with her? Was there some kind of delay?
As confusion rose in her mind, the Underworld Province Cauldron suddenly flew from her inventory on its own!
The small cauldron enlarged instantly, soon bigger than the entire Bridge of Helplessness, spanning both banks of the River of Forgetfulness!
Jiang Ke’er’s body was also lifted uncontrollably, floating into the mouth of the cauldron, and forcibly seated cross-legged within!
What’s happening?!
After finishing the prayer, Ming Ling was stunned.
Where was Jiang Ke’er?
Logically, after the prayer ended, all Souls within the array should have returned from the Bridge of Helplessness to their original bodies.
Everyone else was normal, but Jiang Ke’er still sat there dazed, her body empty as if her Soul had left her.
This had never happened before!
Ming Ling quickly closed her eyes, and while the formation was still active, plunged her soul into the Underworld Province Remnants.
?!
There, a colossal black cauldron stood at the sacrificial site, light shooting skyward from its mouth! All the Spirit Energy in the Underworld Province Remnants surged madly into the cauldron, being refined and compressed, forcefully gathered into a single point—Jiang Ke’er!
“This cauldron! Could it be…” Ming Ling’s eyes widened, “The cauldron is engraved on all sides with Fengdu, the River of Forgetfulness, Buzhou Mountain, Path of Reincarnation—this… this is the Underworld Province Cauldron! The legendary Underworld Province Cauldron!”
Ming Ling hurriedly exited the Underworld Province Remnants.
She gripped her staff, clenched her teeth, and decisively began chanting the prayer once more.
This was a prayer that existed only in legend. She’d only heard of it, never used it, and never imagined she’d ever have to.
In all the long history of Underworld Province, it had only been used four times.
Ming Ling raised both arms and cried out to the heavens—
“Lord of the Earth’s Nine Oaths, its horns stand proud!”
“Soul, return!”
The elders participating in the ritual nearly fainted with fright at the words of Ming Ling’s prayer.
“Ming Ling, are you mad?”
“That’s the Enthronement Oath of Lord of the Earth!”
But Ming Ling paid them no heed, eyes closed, reciting on and on.
In the sky, moon and stars vanished, not daring to show a sliver of light, while an immense and boundless majesty erupted from Jiang Ke’er!
Let alone those in the beginning realm—even the entire Divine Palace on heaven and the vast land of Shenzhou trembled at this moment!
In that instant, every living thing felt a shudder from the depths of their Soul—a primal fear of death!
“To the greatest, Mother Earth!” Yet even after finishing the prayer once, Ming Ling did not stop. She shouted again, so forcefully that the elders collapsed where they stood.
If there had been any room for turning back after the first prayer, the words “To the greatest, Mother Earth!” cut off all retreat.
Mother Earth, the Queen of the Earth, the prayer of succession for the position of Lord of the Earth.
The very first Lord of the Earth who created the world of Underworld Province was called Queen of the Earth—a title of utmost supremacy, which no subsequent Lord of the Earth dared touch.
This prayer was originally used to honor the first Lord of the Earth, and could, in times of crisis, be used in a ritual for the current Lord to inherit the name and power of Queen of the Earth to save Underworld Province… But because Underworld Province perished so suddenly, the prayer had never been used.
Now, after thousands of years, following Underworld Province’s fall, a young girl, oblivious to the weight of heaven and earth, recited it aloud.
In that moment, the entire Tribulation Immortal Hall fell into utter silence.
This wave, surpassing all Souls, was felt by every being present.
“Lord of the Earth—no… Queen of the Earth—why would a Queen of the Earth be born?!” Someone stammered out in terror.
That was the core of all life, the destination of all things—death and Reincarnation… The ultimate ruler of the Underworld!
It had vanished for countless years, becoming a thing of legend, like a fox spirit.