Chapter 1 The Silent Land

In the silent land, the two stared at the golden-orange spiritual phantom that appeared out of nowhere.

Han Xiao clutched the Resurrection Coin, sensing its vibration. He curiously asked,

"And what might you be?"

"I am the consciousness of the Underworld. Simply put, I am the caretaker of this sub-dimension. You may call me Oniseul."

So it's a dimensional consciousness... I thought that even if a dying sub-dimension like this had a consciousness, it would have already been extinguished... Han Xiao was secretly surprised.

Only a very few sub-dimensions would give birth to dimensional consciousness, equivalent to possessing life, transforming from an inanimate object to a living being. The gathering of the Arcane Energy was one example.

The level of a dimensional consciousness was even higher, representing that the sub-dimension had successfully ignited the spark of intelligence. In comparison, the gathering of Arcane Energy was just a beast.

This type of dimensional consciousness could coordinate and manipulate all the energy of the sub-dimension. In the eyes of some, it was similar to a god. Some religious sects treated the appearance of the dimensional consciousness as an idol for worship and reverence. This was one of the mainstream forms of gods in the main universe.

According to Han Xiao's understanding, the function of a dimensional consciousness was basically equivalent to a local deity. This explanation made it much simpler.

No wonder he couldn't sense the other party's existence. Although this was a decaying sub-dimension, it was still their territory. The dimensional consciousness was the space itself. If it didn't want to appear, others wouldn't be able to discover it.

"Then what is the Underworld?" Han Xiao had a vague guess in his mind.

Sure enough, the dimensional consciousness, who called herself Oniseul, looked down at the floating black island beneath her feet and calmly said, "As you see, this sub-dimension heading towards decay is the Underworld."

Han Xiao understood.

The Silent Land was what the void overlord Kirkmond called it. It seemed that Underworld was the official name of this sub-dimension.

He raised the Resurrection Coin in his hand, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "So, you discovered us long ago. Since you react to the energy within this coin, why did you only show yourself now?"

"Only to confirm your intentions," Oniseul's mental fluctuations were very gentle.

As soon as Han Xiao and the others entered the Underworld dimension, Oniseul discovered them and had been silently observing. Only after they helped her manage the internal environment did she confirm that they had no malicious intent and decided to appear.

On the other hand, Oniseul also needed to determine whether these two carrying the Resurrection Coin were friends or foes with the creator, which was very important to her.

Han Xiao wanted to ask more questions, but Oniseul interrupted him and slowly said,

"I know you have many questions, but I have already answered enough. Before you tell me your relationship with the maker of these two coins, I will not answer any more of your questions."

Hearing this, Han Xiao kept silent, secretly weighing the pros and cons.

The fact that Hela and Aurora had an energy connection with this sub-dimension was already strange enough, and now that this dimension had a consciousness, it was even more sensitive.

Because according to what Hela said, this dimension was the obstacle linking her and Aurora, constantly absorbing the energy they transmitted, so it was temporarily difficult to determine the other party's intentions. He didn't know if he should be completely honest.

But then again, since there was a dimensional consciousness, it must know the whole story. Hela didn't need to rack her brains. The only problem was to confirm that the other party was not lying.

Just as Han Xiao was pondering, Ames, who had been silently listening, suddenly spoke:

"She is my student."

Oniseul turned her head to look over. "Can you prove it?"

Ames looked at Han Xiao and signaled with her eyes.

Fine, you've already said it, so I don't need to consider it anymore... Han Xiao shook his head helplessly and used virtual technology to release some of Hela's data.

"As expected, the power of the dead..." Oniseul's mental fluctuations seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, revealing a kind smile. "She also has an older or younger sister who possesses life abilities, and they should be related by blood."

"...That's right." Han Xiao's eyes flashed, and he nodded.

Oniseul looked at the two of them deeply, clasped her hands together, and her tone became serious.

"I have a request. I hope you can bring them here as soon as possible... The Underworld needs a new heir!"

Heir?

Han Xiao and Ames exchanged glances, both revealing a look of confusion.

"What exactly is going on? Tell me everything you know, and I will pass it on to them. But if you don't say anything, I can only suspect your intentions and prevent them from coming here." Han Xiao said in a deep voice.

The title of heir sounded good, but Grand Technician Han was afraid that this was something similar to the Uh-Miya King. He was worried that Hela would be tricked, so he had to ask clearly.

"Since I decided to show myself, I didn't plan to hide anything from you."

Oniseul shared a piece of memory through mental fluctuations, revealing a "Let Mom tell you a story" atmosphere:

"The story begins in the Exploration Era. During the long war, the first batch of Beyond Grade As were born, historically known as the Primogenitors. Among the Primogenitors, there was a pair of sisters who were not related by blood but whose abilities complemented each other perfectly. They were 'The One Who Controls Death', Nigers, and 'Mother of All Things', Eros. They used their abilities to create this Underworld dimension..."

"Initially, the Underworld dimension was just a prison used to confine the souls bound by Nigers and to house the followers subdued by Eros. But as the abilities of the two founders continued to grow, the Underworld dimension gained a new function, which was to serve as a resting place for souls, providing a world where the consciousness of the deceased could live on forever.

"Since you are a Mechanic, in your words, you can understand it as people who have died physically, turning their memories and spirit into data and uploading it to a virtual world to achieve another kind of eternal life. The Underworld dimension is like a server, storing the souls of countless living beings. Many strong individuals from the Exploration Era chose the Underworld, resting here after their death... Therefore, Nigers and Eros created me to manage the Underworld and become the guardian of the Underworld."

"The two founders were amazingly talented and never stopped growing. Nigers's ability prevented souls in the Underworld from decaying, while Eros used her ability to create temporary physical containers, allowing souls to regain a body. Then, using the special energy from both, they could briefly restore the target to their combat power before death until their life force was exhausted. Even if the physical container died again, their souls could still return to the Underworld. The two of them used this ability to build a powerful army... The Underworld dimension was also a huge barracks for them!"

Listening to Oniseul's explanation, the corners of Han Xiao's mouth twitched, and a strong sense of déjà vu surged.

Holy crap, is this Impure World Reincarnation + Valhalla?!

These two ladies know how to play!

Ames had mentioned before that the abilities of Hela and Aurora were quite similar to those of these two Primogenitors, so Han Xiao had also looked up their information before. He knew that the Mother of All Things was not as weak as Aurora. She possessed a large number of followers and had summoning skills. Now, it was the first time Han Xiao had learned the details of their abilities.

So, the Underworld stores the souls of countless powerful individuals. Through life energy, death energy, and the fusion of the two to create revival energy, they can perform "Impure World Reincarnation" and transform them into a powerful army. According to this dimensional consciousness, Hela and Aurora can become the heirs of the Underworld...

Wouldn't that mean they would receive the legacy of the two Primogenitors? Free money falling from the sky?!

—Hanging out with Fording will really bring good things.

Just as he was pleasantly surprised, Oniseul changed the subject, and her tone became sorrowful:

"Unfortunately, after the death of the two founders, the Underworld dimension lost its energy supply and gradually withered. All souls fell silent, and even I fell into a long slumber."

"How did they die?"

Han Xiao was curious. The information didn't mention the cause of their deaths, only that they had disappeared without a trace.

A bunch of conspiracy theories popped into his mind, but Oniseul's answer was unexpected.

"They committed suicide."

Han Xiao was slightly stunned. "This... They were living well, why?"

Oniseul sighed. "They constantly developed their abilities, and one day, they suddenly had an epiphany. All along, they had considered themselves to be the manipulators of life and death, but they had never truly experienced what true death and rebirth were. In their eyes, only by walking this path could their abilities reach a higher level. So they decided to actively embrace oblivion and seek the true meaning of life and death..."

"Before their deaths, they told me not to be sad, that destruction was only the beginning of new life, that it was their final destination... On that day, I watched as they left behind their physical remains, their natural essence soared into the sky, and they ended their lives."

Han Xiao had a look of utter confusion on his face.

Wait, people who are dead, can still comprehend something?

Could it be that these two were extreme seekers of the Tao, and went for the "If I hear the Tao in the morning, I can die in the evening" kind of thing?

Perhaps only with this kind of mentality can one become one of the first beings in the entire universe to break through the Beyond Grade A realm. Maybe this is the meaning of the Primogenitors.

As if understanding Han Xiao's expression, Oniseul shook her head and said softly,

"I know your doubts. Before their consciousness completely dissipated, they were in a state of superposition between life and death for a brief moment. It was then that I received the last message they left behind. They said they had finally found the true meaning of life and death."

"What is it?" Han Xiao's curiosity was piqued again.

"Inheritance," Oniseul said gently. "They said that passing on the torch is the true unending cycle of life, forming a complete cycle in the vast system of life."

Han Xiao was speechless. Isn't this a well-known truth? You guys sought death and comprehended this? What a waste of death!

Although he wanted to complain, he also understood that knowing the truth was one thing, experiencing it firsthand was another.

Many times, the key to reaching a higher level is that sudden flash of inspiration, like unblocking the Ren and Du meridians. This is the origin of enlightenment, especially the stronger one is, the more important this feeling is.

Oniseul continued, "Their deaths were not in vain. They passed on this deepest understanding to the next generation."

Han Xiao was shocked and couldn't believe it. "Could it be that Hela and Aurora are really reincarnations of those two Primogenitors?"

Hearing this, Ames also looked surprised.

However, Oniseul shook her head.

"Reincarnation? It's not like that. They are already dead, completely dead. Their souls have dissipated, and their physical remains were also decomposed by me and used to replenish the source energy of the dimension. Other than this Underworld, nothing is left. They left all their experience in their abilities. It is the abilities that are being inherited."

"I still don't understand..." Ames was puzzled.

Oniseul patiently explained, "After their deaths, they left behind the seeds of life and death abilities. These are neither material entities nor energy bodies, but higher-dimensional information states. I don't know why this happened, but I know that if I keep them, no one in the entire universe will ever awaken the life and death abilities again.

"So, in order to fulfill the wishes of the two founders and to save myself, I sent these two seeds with entangled information back to the main universe. I knew that one day in the future, they would bloom and bear fruit in two new living beings..."

Speaking of this, Oniseul paused and smiled:

"The appearance of a pair of biological sisters with life and death abilities in the entire universe. Do you really think it's a coincidence?"

Hearing this secret, Grand Technician Han felt his young heart being shocked.

In other words, Hela and Aurora have no direct relationship with the Primogenitor sisters. They were merely chosen by the information-state ability seeds to become the new generation of life and death ability users.

The Primogenitor sisters integrated their insights into the information-state ability seeds, so future awakeners will be subtly influenced by the inheritance of experience and memories, which is equivalent to indirectly improving the talents of the younger generation.

—No wonder Hela is so easy to learn new skills and specialties. The predecessors planted the trees, and the descendants enjoy the shade. This ability comes with a development guide!

What kind of ability seed is this? This is the source!

"Information state..." Han Xiao couldn't help but have more associations.

He remembered that during one of his species sublimations, there was an evolutionary option for [Multi-Dimensional Shadow], which seemed to be related to the information state.

Before he could ponder further, Oniseul spoke again, lowering her voice:

"This is everything I know. After the deaths of the two founders, the Underworld gradually withered, unable to maintain its isolation from the outside world. The area is shrinking, the spatial walls are breaking, one soul after another falls into slumber. I can only store them all in the core of the dimension to prevent them from perishing, but I am also becoming weaker and weaker, and I am also falling asleep. When the Underworld completely disappears, these souls will disappear with it."

"The source energy of the Underworld is the energy of life and death abilities. Not long ago, I finally received a replenishment and unconsciously absorbed the energy of this generation of sisters, barely allowing me to wake up from my long slumber. Then I proactively stopped absorbing it."

Han Xiao thought to himself:

'Not long ago, it should be when Hela and Aurora developed their life connection. No wonder the energy they transmitted was absorbed. This matches up. So, the Underworld dimension is actually the medium for the two sisters' life connection, transferring their energy...'

At this time, Oniseul shook her head and said calmly:

"The remains of the two Primogenitors supported me for a long time, but they have long been used up. The Underworld urgently needs a long-term and stable source of energy. Please bring them here as soon as possible. I don't know how long I can last."

As soon as she finished speaking, Han Xiao received a quest notification.

[You have triggered the quest [Heir of the Underworld]!]

[Quest Description: The Underworld is the legacy of the previous generation of life and death ability users. The dimensional consciousness Oniseul senses that she is dying and hopes that Hela and Aurora will become the new heirs.]

[Quest Objective: Help Hela and Aurora inherit the Underworld dimension]

[Reward: 50,000,000 experience, Oniseul's favor +20, Character Summon Card x1]

[Additional Quest Objective: Restore the Underworld dimension to its former glory]

[Additional Reward: Oniseul's favor +40, [Underworld Imprint]]
Qi Pei jia
Hu Die Lan