Chapter 144: The Ancient Shadow Clan

Far away, hundreds of thousands of miles distant from the perilous and desolate Swamp of Bone-Crushing and Ash-Scattering, Qingxu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He began to survey his surroundings and saw towering giant trees standing densely around him. Each was thick enough for three to five people to embrace, soaring hundreds of zhang high, with a monotonous, ghostly pale hue that sent chills down the spine. These were the trees of death belonging to the netherworld, with lush foliage and vines that swayed and whipped about as flexibly as serpents.

"Netherworld Blood-Siphoning Trees?" In the netherworld, such trees were considered lowly existences. After all, their utility and power were somewhat awkward; they specialized in devouring vital blood and primordial souls, which was almost entirely useless in the netherworld. Ghost cultivators and nether spirits belonged to the element of Yin, whereas blood Qi was a manifestation of Yang and vitality. The two mutually opposed one another. Aside from ghost cultivators and nether spirits, only certain fierce beasts and nether monsters possessed blood Qi, but most of them possessed formidable strength that far exceeded what the Netherworld Blood-Siphoning Trees could handle.

When Qingxu saw thousands of Netherworld Blood-Siphoning Trees surrounding him, a sense of foreboding rose in his heart. These plants, lowly and impractical in the netherworld, posed a significant trouble to him.

Little Kunlun was the artifact spirit of the Primordial Supreme Treasure, the Kunlun Mirror; it could be formless or tangible, and could gather or disperse, yet it lacked even a shred of blood Qi and Yang energy. As for Black and White Impermanence, needless to say, they were Taiyi Yin Immortals, and their Yang-repelling nature meant blood Qi conflicted with them. Thus, among the four of them, only Qingxu possessed a rich, robust foundation of blood Qi and Yang energy, instantly making him the primary target for the surrounding thousands of Netherworld Blood-Siphoning Trees.

As if a shark had caught the scent of blood, tens of thousands of bowl-thick, pale-white death-siphoning vines extended from the countless trees, darting toward Qingxu like agile serpents to bite him.

From all four directions, across the earth and up into the sky, it was a sea of pale-white siphoning vines, leaving Qingxu with nowhere to hide.

"What terrible luck have I run into! I finally managed to get past the bone-crushing swamp, and before this Daoist can even catch a breath, I'm hit with more trouble!" The power of these siphoning vines was roughly equivalent to the early stage of the Huashen realm, but their sheer numbers were overwhelming! One or two vines were nothing to Qingxu; even ten or a hundred would not pose a major problem. But now there were thousands upon tens of thousands, an onslaught that even Qingxu could not take lightly.

*Whoosh! Bang, crash!*...

Before the siphoning vines could reach Qingxu, Black and White Impermanence, under his command, brandished the Yin Nether Scepters. They unleashed radiant beams of pitch-black light interwoven with golden Dao patterns. Under the devastation of this brilliance from the Yin Nether Scepters, the tens of thousands of intercepting and encircling siphoning vines shattered like dry wood and decayed weeds. Within the span of a few blinks, they completely dissipated into nothingness, turning into dust between heaven and earth to nourish the ground.

"As expected of a meritorious spirit treasure with twenty-two postnatal prohibitions, its power is truly extraordinary. Moreover, Black and White Impermanence are both mid-stage Taiyi True Immortal powerhouses. With the two of them joining forces, these Netherworld Blood-Siphoning Trees are nothing more than illusions; their life and death are entirely within my control." At this moment, Qingxu could not help but marvel at his own fortune. Had he not subdued Black and White Impermanence earlier, he and Little Kunlun would have had to face these siphoning vines alone. Relying solely on their peak Earth Immortal cultivation, even with the aid of spirit treasures, they would not have had absolute certainty of victory. A moment of carelessness—while Little Kunlun might have fared alright—would have spelled grave peril for Qingxu!

Controlling Black and White Impermanence like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, in less than half a quarter of an hour, they completely eradicated and shattered the surrounding thousands of towering Netherworld Blood-Siphoning Trees. Looking out once more, the tens of thousands of miles of forest had been reduced to a desolate, barren land where not a single blade of grass grew.

Having dealt with all the Netherworld Blood-Siphoning Trees, Qingxu felt no sense of waste. Although he did have a hobby of collecting and hoarding treasures, he was not indiscriminate. He had no desire to collect vegetation like the Netherworld Blood-Siphoning Trees; these things were far too malevolent. Whether transplanted into his "Daoist Sanctuary" or his "Immortal Kingdom in the Palm," neither was feasible, as their blood-siphoning nature would inevitably cause varying degrees of damage.

What on earth is going on here?! A shadow is merely the refraction of light; once the reference point is gone, how can it possibly still exist? This damn thing defies all science!" he muttered in complaint. Yet Qingxu also knew that talking about science in the primordial world was nothing short of a joke; nothing here could be judged by conventional logic.

"Junior, hand over the Primordial Source of the Shadow Emperor and obediently submit. Perhaps this deity can show some mercy and spare your true spirit from destruction." The shadow of the giant tree suddenly spoke in a gloomy tone. Accompanied by this threat, it gradually stood upright from the ground. Then, the hundred-zhang giant tree-shaped black shadow wriggled and shrank, transforming into a three-zhang-tall, robust humanoid figure. Its entire body was pitch black, with only the seven orifices of the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth sunken inward.

"What is this thing?" Even Qingxu felt a chill in his heart and terror grip him upon seeing this eerie sight. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, his teeth chattered, and he could no longer speak coherently.

"Hmph! This deity is not a 'thing'; I am a member of the most noble Shadow Clan in heaven and earth," the shadow proudly declared.

Taken aback by the shadow's words, this was the first time Qingxu had ever heard someone bluntly state they were not a "thing." He wanted to laugh, but no matter what, he could not force a laugh out; his mind was entirely occupied by the two words: *Shadow Clan*.

No matter how hard Qingxu racked his brains, he could find no trace of information regarding the Shadow Clan. In both his past and present lives, he was certain this was the first time he had ever heard the term.

"Shadow Clan? What kind of clan is this? A clan of shadows? There doesn't seem to be any such thing in the Primordial World!" he muttered to himself while frowning in deep thought. His voice was very soft, but the shadow standing a dozen or so zhang away was also at the peak of the Taiyi True Immortal realm—how could it possibly fail to hear him?

"Ignorant and ill-informed! Even in the Ancient Era, the Shadow Clan was renowned far and wide. Under the rule of Lord Shadow Fiend, which race in the Primordial World did not tremble in fear?" the shadow said, sounding somewhat exasperated.

"Shadow Fiend? One of the Nine Great Demon Kings under the command of Demon Ancestor Luohu? He ruled the Shadow Clan?" In other words, during the Great War of Dao and Demon, Qingxu still knew a few ancient secrets. In the late Ancient Era, the tribulation evolved to its peak, and Dao Ancestor Hongjun fought with Demon Ancestor Luohu for the supreme position of spokesperson for the Heavenly Dao. All living beings in the Primordial World were dragged into it, divided into the righteous and evil factions. It was said that Luohu ultimately fell, and those who aided the tyrant met no better fate; those who were killed perished, and those whose clans were wiped out were utterly eradicated.

Hearing the shadow claim to be a survivor of the ancient Shadow Clan, Qingxu's curiosity was piqued. This "antique" living being, which should have been buried in the dust of history, could now be considered a "protected species of the Primordial World"! It was truly fate that he had the opportunity to run into one this time.

"Fellow Daoist Shadow, what did you just say? The Primordial Source of the Shadow Emperor? When has this poor Daoist ever possessed such a thing?"

Qingxu's form of address seemed to inflict a great humiliation upon the shadow, which immediately rebuked him angrily: "Audacious junior! You are merely a lowly creature, yet how dare you address this deity as a fellow Daoist? Aren't you afraid of squandering your blessings and lifespan? Kneel down and kowtow in apology, or else I will have your body and soul obliterated!"

During this brief interval, Qingxu had basically figured out the shadow's arrogance. In its view, the Shadow Clan was the supreme race of the Primordial World, while all other living beings were inherently inferior—though perhaps the other clans under Demon Ancestor Luohu's command were exceptions!

"Hmph! This Daoist is the primary disciple under the Hunyuan Pangu Yuqing Saint; how could my status ever be compared to a stray dog like you? Calling you a fellow Daoist is giving you face, so don't be ungrateful. Do you still think this is the Ancient Era? Luohu has already fallen, and the Dao of Demons has vanished into thin air. Kneel down and kowtow a few times in apology, and this Daoist won't hold your previous loose-tongued arrogance against you; otherwise, retribution is sure to find you." If someone treated Qingxu with an inch of respect, he would return a foot; but if someone brought him a drop of malice, he would repay it with a gushing spring. This was his code of conduct.

"Primary disciple of a Hunyuan Saint? Who are you trying to fool? Even Lord Luohu himself was only at the peak Quasi-Sage realm; when has there ever been a Hunyuan Saint in the Primordial World? You little junior cannot deceive this deity. Lord Luohu himself once said that it is impossible for any living being in the Primordial World to cultivate to the Hunyuan Saint realm, as this world simply cannot bear it." Hearing that Qingxu was a disciple of a saint, the shadow was initially startled, but then it grew calm and let out a disdainful, mocking laugh, making no effort to conceal its contempt as if ridiculing Qingxu's shallowness and ignorance.

The shadow's words felt utterly absurd to Qingxu. As everyone knew, leaving aside Dao Ancestor Hongjun whose cultivation was unfathomable, even the Hunyuan Saints were immeasurable, and there were currently six Hunyuan Saints alone. Yet the Primordial World remained completely unaffected! It couldn't bear it? For a moment, Qingxu's respect for Demon Ancestor Luohu plummeted; to be able to utter such ignorant words, no wonder he couldn't defeat Hongjun.

After this period of banter, Qingxu deduced that the "Primordial Source of the Shadow Emperor" the shadow spoke of was most likely that mass of pitch-black light and shadow he had previously extracted from the Swamp of Bone-Crushing and Ash-Scattering.

"Well then, Shadow, this Daoist has matters to attend to. As for this so-called Primordial Source of the Shadow Emperor, I shall return it to its original owner, and you and I can part ways here!" After all, the entity before him was a peak Taiyi True Immortal and a bizarre ancient creature; Qingxu had no desire to make an enemy of it lightly, so he conceded and took a step back.

"What? Are you afraid? Let me tell you, it's too late! This deity is very angry right now, and the consequences are extremely grave. Simply taking back the Primordial Source of the Shadow Emperor won't cut it—I want your life as well! Didn't you claim to be a disciple of a saint? Once this deity slays you, let's see if your so-called saint master will come to help you avenge yourself and be reborn!" With a sinister laugh, a powerful coercive pressure erupted from the shadow's entire body. Although it was only at the peak Taiyi True Immortal level, it was exceedingly eerie and unpredictable.

Having already conceded, the other party remained unforgiving and relentless. Anger flared in Qingxu's heart as well; did they really think he was made of clay?

Against a peak Taiyi True Immortal enemy, Qingxu still had the confidence to fight. After all, Black and White Impermanence were mid-stage Taiyi True Immortal powerhouses, and there were also himself and Little Kunlun, coupled with quite a few formidable spirit treasures and the Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram which possessed the power of a Da Luo Jinxian. It was entirely possible they could hold their own in a battle against a peak Taiyi True Immortal!

"Since you are courting death yourself, this Daoist will just have to fulfill your wish," Qingxu thought, his expression turning stern.

Black and White Impermanence jointly emitted a terrifying oppressive force, clashing directly with the shadow's pressure. Though they were at a slight disadvantage, they did not collapse even for a moment.