Chapter 142: Crushing Bones and Scattering Ashes

As soon as Qingxu entered the entrance of the Scissors Hell, he felt as if heaven and earth had inverted. Before his eyes unfolded a bizarre, dazzling spectacle of myriad colors, his mind clouded and disoriented. Only after the flicker of a half-incense stick did he feel his feet firmly planted, and the discomfort throughout his body began to subside.

After all, this was the second layer of the Netherworld Hell. Both the blood moon’s radiance and the netherworld’s aura here were far stronger than those in the Tongue-Pulling Hell. Vegetation and signs of life gradually appeared on the ground; however, curiously, not a single yin spirit could be found. This was truly abnormal. Since this was the gateway to Tongue-Pulling Hell, there should have been at least some yin spirits guarding it, unlike the Forbidden Tower, which was heavily defended. Yet now, not one was in sight.

When Qingxu had been assigned to the Scissors Hell, he had estimated that there would be formidable guardians. Yet it was almost certain that they had been killed by those who arrived first. Just like inside and outside the Forbidden Tower of Tongue-Pulling Hell, spiritual essences were scattered everywhere. But now, looking around, not a single spirit essence was visible.

He briefly surveyed his surroundings and saw he stood upon an island in the middle of a muddy swamp stretching tens of thousands of miles. The island spanned over ten miles, sparsely covered with a few types of netherworld vegetation.

Countless black bubbles continuously rose from the pitch-black swamp, resembling boiling water, yet curiously evoking a deep, chilling sense of dread.

“Could this swamp be the protective force guarding the exit of Scissors Hell?” Qingxu thought, nearly certain of it. He sneered inwardly—who could be trapped by this swamp? Even low-level cultivators could fly with their instruments and pass over it effortlessly.

“Brother Daoist, there is something strange in this swamp!” Little Kunlun’s expression turned unusually grave. This was the first time Qingxu had seen her so serious, causing his heart to skip a beat with unease.

“Strange? What is strange about it?” Qingxu sensed that Little Kunlun had discovered something and hurriedly asked.

Hearing his eager inquiry, Little Kunlun frowned deeply, considering carefully before speaking slowly, “Kunlun doesn’t know exactly what it is, but there seems to be a strange... living being slumbering beneath this swamp. It’s as if this ‘being’ both exists and does not exist, yet it grants the swamp a terrifying power. Whether traveling in the sky or within the swamp, one must endure attacks from the mysterious power of the swamp.”

Little Kunlun’s seemingly nonsensical words left Qingxu half confused but not doubting their truth. Seeing her so resolute, there was little chance she was mistaken.

“What characteristics does this mysterious power have?” Qingxu’s only obstacle was this unknown force. If he could dispel it, he could easily fly over the swamp.

“I’m not sure either, but it’s quite chilling. It feels like standing inside the bloodthirsty jaws of a dormant prehistoric beast—one that makes you want to run away immediately.” As she spoke, Little Kunlun’s face was filled with fear. Were it not for Qingxu, she would have fled long ago.

Seeing Little Kunlun’s condition, Qingxu frowned deeply, shocked. Strictly speaking, her cultivation was by no means inferior to his own, and as the spirit of the innate treasure Kunlun Mirror, she controlled the power of space and time, capable of traversing hundreds of parallel spaces at will. Unless she suffered unimaginable injury, she could recover easily. Yet now, she feared this swamp so much that her only thought was to escape. This stirred Qingxu’s curiosity and profound astonishment.

“The Investiture System might be able to investigate; let’s try!” Qingxu recalled that the Investiture System possessed tracking and probing abilities, having demonstrated great power in the underground palace of Mount Bashan. Now, in need, he resolved to see if it could reveal the truth about this swamp.

The idea was appealing, but reality cruel. The Investiture System’s probing ability seemed ineffective; no matter what Qingxu tried, there was no response.

Disappointed by the system, Qingxu did not lose hope entirely. There was still a chance: the spirit essences he had collected inside and outside the Forbidden Tower of Tongue-Pulling Hell were not only composed of the two souls of heaven and earth but also contained life souls. Qingxu’s goal was to extract information about this swamp from the memories within those life souls. Through the messages conveyed by the Black and White Impermanence, he learned that Tongue-Pulling Hell and Scissors Hell had clashed many times. Among the powerful Da Luo Golden Immortals and Taiyi True Immortals involved, some must have ventured into Scissors Hell. It was inconceivable that they would not know about this swamp.

With this method in mind, Qingxu immediately retrieved a Da Luo Golden Immortal-level spirit essence from the small treasury of the Qingxu Tower.

In the Netherworld, a Da Luo Golden Immortal did not equate to the Da Luo masters of the Primordial World. First, they had not cultivated the Three Flowers Convergence technique; second, they were not free from the bonds of the River of Fate. Their souls merely reached the Da Luo Golden Immortal level. As for strength, it mainly depended on the purity and richness of their ghostly power.

Qingxu’s primordial spirit left his body and entered the Da Luo spirit essence, beginning to infiltrate the three souls within and gradually devouring the life soul.

The life soul sensed Qingxu’s malicious intent and fiercely resisted. Alas, no matter how powerful the life soul was, it was still just a life soul—no match for an immortal Daoist primordial spirit. The primordial spirit’s emanation of mysterious Daoist light could block the life soul’s attacks, rendering it unable to harm Qingxu. This situation favored Qingxu, allowing him to safely devour the life soul inside his primordial spirit. Under such natural conditions, he was invincible. It was only a matter of time.

Currently, Qingxu’s three souls numbered his life soul at peak Earth Immortal level, and the other two souls of heaven and earth at least at early Celestial Immortal level. Yet compared to a Da Luo Golden Immortal-level life soul, the gap was vast as heaven and earth. Even with all three souls combined, Qingxu’s efficiency was low. Fully devouring one Da Luo Golden Immortal life soul would take years.

“The Da Luo Golden Immortal life soul is too strong. Better to devour a Taiyi True Immortal-level one instead!” Not willing to waste so much time, Qingxu gave up on the Da Luo spirit essence and chose a Taiyi True Immortal-level spirit essence, which was much easier. With the help of Black and White Impermanence, he began to carefully extract, devour, and digest it, fragments of memories and images gradually appearing in his mind.

Unlike the two souls of heaven and earth, which could fuse and improve, the life soul was unique and could not merge with others. At most, it could help consolidate and refine one’s own life soul. However, the memories of other life souls could be copied into one’s own.

Using the terrifying life soul of the Taiyi True Immortal, Qingxu slowly solidified and refined his own life soul, stealthily stealing its memories. No matter how much the Taiyi True Immortal life soul struggled, it was futile. Hidden inside the primordial spirit, Qingxu’s three souls and seven spirits were immune to harm unless his primordial spirit was shattered.

Through the fragmented memories obtained, Qingxu discovered that most information pertained to Tongue-Pulling Hell, with little about Scissors Hell, but there was indeed a description of the swamp.

The Taiyi True Immortal whose life soul Qingxu had devoured had participated multiple times in campaigns against Scissors Hell—three times in total. Regarding the swamp around this exit island, at first, the yin spirits of Tongue-Pulling Hell’s expeditions paid little attention. Yet terrifying events occurred: once crossing beyond the island into the swamp, whether on land or flying in the sky, all would immediately suffer the calamity of bone-crushing ash scattering, obliterating both body and soul. Only Da Luo Golden Immortal-level experts could withstand it, and even then, not for long.

The Bone-Crushing Ash Swamp—that was the true name of the terrifying swamp before Qingxu, its mysterious veil now lifted. It was famed as one of the ten ultimate perilous grounds of Scissors Hell. For those below Da Luo Golden Immortal cultivation, it was a forbidden zone. Whether flesh-and-blood beings or yin spirits, once entering the swamp’s range, survival was nearly impossible.

“Bone-Crushing Ash Swamp? One of the ten ultimate perilous grounds indeed lives up to its reputation. I wonder what the other nine are like? Ah, at this point, do I have the mood to ponder that? Better to consider how to cross this tens-of-thousands-of-miles swamp!” Qingxu pondered long and hard but found no solution. This forbidden zone below Da Luo level blocked his path like a steel wire mesh charged with millions of volts—touch it, and death was immediate.

“Kunlun, is it possible to teleport directly beyond the swamp?” Qingxu’s only current idea was Little Kunlun’s spatial teleportation—to bypass the swamp by overlapping the spatial lines between the island and the area beyond the swamp.

Little Kunlun shook her head with a bitter expression. “Because of the strange being slumbering in this swamp, the spatial and temporal powers are imprisoned. With my current cultivation, I cannot break through it. Perhaps if I reach the Celestial Immortal level, I might try.”

Celestial Immortal?

Little Kunlun was now at peak Earth Immortal level, seemingly just a step away, yet the gap was as vast as a chasm.

Earth Immortal to Celestial Immortal was a great hurdle. Cultivators who crossed it not only improved their magical powers and Daoist cultivation but also had to survive the Celestial Immortal tribulation. As a spirit of a treasure, Little Kunlun did not need to endure this tribulation, but without it, her cultivation efficiency was much lower.

“Celestial Immortal? Who knows when that will come! What if even then it’s no use? Would I have to become a Mysterious Immortal instead?” The potential of a spirit was limited. Though it could borrow the power of its treasure, its own cultivation rarely surpassed the Mysterious Immortal level, with Celestial Immortal peak being the highest it could reach.

Qingxu felt nearly hopeless. The Bone-Crushing Ash Swamp was monstrously formidable. Perhaps if Little Kunlun’s cultivation advanced to Celestial Immortal, there might be hope. But for now, passage was impossible. At this moment, he understood why Scissors Hell had neglected such an important gateway to Tongue-Pulling Hell. With this deadly swamp as its guard, any ambush on Tongue-Pulling Hell required at least Da Luo Golden Immortal-level strength. Even those top-tier figures would not demean themselves by attacking mere spirits. Moreover, Scissors Hell, as the second layer of the Netherworld, had more Da Luo Golden Immortal-level experts than Tongue-Pulling Hell. An isolated foray would spell death for any careless intruder.

“It’s simply a matter of insufficient cultivation! If I were as strong as those who arrived first, how could this swamp ever be a concern?” Qingxu sighed. Memories of the three campaigns from the Taiyi life soul floated through his mind—no Mysterious Immortal ghost kings participated, and those below Mysterious Immortal were out of the question. Only the Taiyi True Immortal, aided by Da Luo Golden Immortals, could safely traverse the Bone-Crushing Ash Swamp.