"The Gate of the Yellow Springs?!"
The Demon God's fierce, beast-like crimson eyes suddenly narrowed to slits. Black malevolent energy surged outwards, his voice a piercing shriek like a tidal wave.
At this moment, the ordinary yet mysterious, tall "black gate" seemed to break free from its cocoon. Ripples distorted the water, gradually revealing its true form beneath.
With a rustling sound, old, rusted, ancient patterns fell away. A ferocious shudder, sharp dark glints – the masterfully crafted gateframe now bore intricate carvings. The lines flowed, deep and continuous, without a single discernible turn.
Majestic eaves and bracket systems interlaced, resembling the solidity and splendor of the Nine-Ridge Eaves of the Golden Imperial Palace. Carved pillars stood in parallel, depicting evil spirits and asuras, grand architectures, and ingenious craftsmanship. This gate, with no other notable features, suddenly, before everyone's eyes, appeared reborn.
Those with even a modicum of knowledge and understanding jolted upon seeing the intricate carvings.
These were unmistakably the blood-red Manjusaka flowers by the River Sanzu, and the pillars beneath the eaves depicted scenes of the Asura Hell. Every scene, every detail, was rendered with lifelike precision, as if ready to erupt forth at any moment, emanating fierce malevolence.
"No wonder, no wonder..."
"No wonder what?"
"No wonder the phenomenon of eternal night appeared. Once the Yellow Springs emerge, evil spirits cannot escape. No ghostly entity can flee the dark abyss of the netherworld. Once the netherworld releases its death energy and leads the way, all spirits will answer the call."
"All spirits..."
"You all, look quickly!"
As the "Gate of the Yellow Springs" opened wide, the resentful, gloomy energy enveloping the twenty-eight heavens above began to riot uncontrollably.
"Yellow Springs, Yellow Springs, Yellow Springs—Ah—"
Piercing, frenzied screams coalesced into a deafening sonic wave, rushing from afar. The dense tide of Yin and ghostly energy nearly overturned and upended the entire realm.
Lost and suffering souls, brutally slain, controlled by external forces, wreaked havoc and caused cataclysm. They should have lost all reason, but now, like birds returning to their nests, they rushed towards the Gate of the Yellow Springs with all their might.
Even more distant souls were drawn by this call, all flying towards this direction.
Seeing this, the Demon God trembled, flickering in and out of existence. With crackling sounds like lightning and thunder, he was on the verge of an explosive outburst.
"Stop for me! If I do not permit it, who dares to move!"
At this moment, time and space seemed to freeze. The resentful spirits and tormented souls, rushing like pilgrims, were petrified in place, terrified, daring not to move. The dark red ghostly qi rolling across the sky like a black curtain contracted and expanded, beating with the rhythmic pulse of a human heart.
Want… want… want… want…
No, they will be killed, they will definitely be killed—
So fragrant, so fragrant, so fragrant, so fragrant, so fragrant—
*Thump—* *Thump—* *Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump—*
*Roar—*
The explosion born from enduring to the limit is a terrifying backlash. These specters and monsters, originally driven solely by fear and instinct, now no longer obeyed the Demon God.
They would rather suffer complete annihilation than resist the allure of the netherworld, rushing towards it desperately, as if it were their longed-for homeland.
Torn black and red wisps, the howling, struggling souls yearning to rush into the "Gate of the Yellow Springs"—all of this was a symbol of their defiance against the Demon God and the shattering of his authority.
"You cannot stop it."
Gu Junshi smiled subtly, her raised brow an act of naked provocation towards the Demon God.
"Do not think that by a stroke of luck you have obtained the Gate of the Yellow Springs you can resist me, this Demon God. A mere realm gate, I do not deem it worthy of my notice!"
The Demon God was not one to wait for his doom. He knew that without the unrest caused by Yin spirits, the spiritual energy of this realm would feed back and suppress his power. Though he did not fear this, who would willingly watch as trouble escalated?
His body, which had been gradually solidifying, suddenly split into a true demonic form, distinguished by colors: red, blue, green, purple, and cyan. The purple represented the highest rank, red the second, blue the third, green the fourth, and cyan the fifth.
Though these five were mere avatars, their combined pressure was no less than that of the Demon God's true form.
Five streaks of cold light shot out from the darkness, their target naturally the "Gate of the Yellow Springs." Gu Junshi, standing before the gate, did not dodge or retreat. She raised both her arms, and from the void behind her, the space churned like ten thousand waves crashing against a rocky shore, or like a thunderous, resounding string. A swirling vortex was stirred up by the immense, turbulent force.
From the boundless, deep spiral, over a dozen black iron chains suddenly flew out.
These chains were not smooth and intertwined like ordinary ones. They were like the serrated teeth of a tiger shark, or the sinister pincers of a venomous scorpion, covered in barbs and sharp blades. Once entangled, escape was impossible, and severance unthinkable.
When these more than ten black iron chains ensnared the Demon God's five avatars, they were still somewhat stunned.
Initially, they had not taken these black iron chains seriously, even though they looked deadly and possessed an aura of absolute sharpness.
Those with exceptionally keen eyesight easily evaded them, moving with effortless grace. But in the next second, they were stunned. The black iron chains had vanished into the air, merging with the black curtain. They could traverse the void, twisting around them from another angle.
Those who tried to counterattack found that these black iron chains ignored all their attacks, like intangible illusions. Only when they were upon them did they turn pale with horror.
The Demon God's avatars represented the materialization of his power. Though they lacked consciousness and thought, they possessed simple reactive minds. But clearly, these impromptu responses ultimately ended in failure.
They sparred with Gu Junshi and were defeated in a single encounter, being torn to shreds.
Chains of Judgment, the Nether King's innate immortal artifact.
At this point, the Demon God could no longer fail to understand Gu Junshi's reliance, or he would have truly been a Demon God, having lived through millions of years in vain.
The Demon God's mind gradually pieced together the entire sequence of events.
But this came at the cost of his constant weakening, his deception, calculation, and manipulation by Gu Junshi.
No one dared to fool a dignified Demon God like this. Who did she, Gu Junshi, think she was? A mere individual who had stumbled upon a great opportunity, a sinister schemer who had risen to power!
Soaring demonic energy and rage shattered the entire realm. All living beings were infected by this terrifying aura, their scalps tingling, their bodies trembling.
"I admit, I underestimated you. You managed, through meticulous planning, to sacrifice your immortal body and, in return, gain the recognition of the Heavenly Dao and the primordial gods, your soul entering the netherworld to truly become the new master of the netherworld."
But alas.
The Demon God's red eyes were utterly demonic, his hoarse, low growl like a snowstorm mixed with rolling thunder, shaking heaven and earth.
"But Gu Junshi, though you wield the power of the netherworld as your own, your body suffused with unending death energy, allowing you to revive infinitely, you have never become a god. Even as the master of the netherworld, you are merely the Nether King, not the Nether God. You cannot pass judgment on a High God!"
Let alone have the ability to slay a High God!
Although the Demon God did not finish speaking, he believed that Gu Junshi and everyone who heard him understood his meaning.
Gu Junshi, with the power of the netherworld alone, could arbitrate the fate of anyone in this world, except for gods.
She… could not harm him.
Conversely, in this life-and-death battlefield duel, she was ultimately the one who would lose.
"You are not the first Nether King I have killed, nor will you be the last, Hahahaha—"