Chapter 25: The Nine-Nether Soul-Refining Array

The silhouette of the valley to the northwest loomed in the grey mist. Lin Chuan stopped and squinted, confirming it was indeed terrain similar to the one he had encountered before.

He turned to call out to Zhang Lin and his two companions, only to find the space behind him empty.

"Hmm?"

Lin Chuan scanned his surroundings, finally spotting the trio about three hundred feet away. They were standing on a small earthen mound, with Zhang Lin still clutching that piece of yellow paper—the toilet paper Lin Chuan had casually swiped from the Tianyun Pavilion a few days ago.

The corner of Lin Chuan’s mouth twitched.

Those three had certainly learned their lesson, knowing to maintain a safe distance on their own. He shook his head and turned his attention back to the valley ahead.

"Fatty, it’s time to tell me your theory," Lin Chuan asked in his mind. "About these valleys and the cyan disks."

The Blood Spirit Ring grew slightly warm, and Fatty’s voice sounded with a hint of gravity: "Have you ever heard of the Nine Nether Soul-Refining Array?"

"No," Lin Chuan replied bluntly. "Doesn't sound like a good thing."

"It certainly isn't." Fatty’s tone turned uncharacteristically serious. "This is an evil formation created by an old lecherous ghost called the Lord of the Nine Nether Realm in the Tianyu Middle-Tier World."

Lin Chuan raised an eyebrow. "A Realm Lord? What level is that?"

"A powerhouse who dominates an entire Middle-Tier World," Fatty explained briefly. "Equivalent to someone capable of ruling over millions of inhabited planets."

Lin Chuan let out a silent whistle.

Although Lin Chuan knew that Fatty, at his peak, was even more powerful than this so-called Lord of the Nine Nether Realm, the concept of "ruling over millions of planets" still made his scalp tingle.

"This old pervert is different from other Realm Lords," Fatty continued, his tone filled with disdain. "Others rule a world to better acquire cultivation resources and reach higher realms. He, on the other hand, only thinks of hedonism and spends his time wandering from planet to planet to play with women."

"And then?" Lin Chuan became interested. "What does that have to do with the formation he created?"

"A Realm Lord’s lifespan is at most three hundred thousand years," Fatty explained. "This old pervert was unwilling to die, so he created the Nine Nether Soul-Refining Array to extend his life."

As Fatty spoke, a crazy and precise plan gradually became clear in Lin Chuan’s mind.

The Nine Nether Soul-Refining Array had nine focal points. The eight peripheral focal points were responsible for absorbing the power of dead souls to refine pure spiritual energy, while one core focal point stored the remnants of powerful souls.

The nine array disks shared the same origin. Once the peripheral disks absorbed enough power, they would automatically merge with the core disk to form the complete Nine Nether Soul-Refining Disk, allowing the stored soul remnants to resurrect and be reborn.

"So when this old pervert’s lifespan was about to end," Fatty sneered, "he would store one percent of his soul essence and memories into the core disk and then calmly go to his death. Once the array had run for enough time, he could be reborn with his memories from his previous life."

Lin Chuan gasped. "Damn... that’s even more mystical than cultivation itself!"

"It is indeed ingenious." Fatty rarely acknowledged the intelligence of an opponent. "Relying on this trick, he, a mere Realm Lord, lived longer than powerhouses two major realms above him."

Lin Chuan suddenly thought of something, and his expression changed. "Wait... are you saying that right now..."

"Exactly." Fatty’s voice held a hint of amusement. "We stumbled upon the resurrection point for this incarnation of the old Nine Nether pervert. Those cyan disks are the peripheral array disks, and the Cyan Underworld Grass is a byproduct of the array’s operation."

A chill surged from the soles of Lin Chuan’s feet to his scalp.

A Realm Lord! Even with only one percent of his peak strength, crushing Fatty and Lin Chuan would be no harder than crushing ants.

Silence spread between them. Lin Chuan’s brain raced, weighing every possibility.

Oppose the Lord of the Nine Nether Realm? That was no different from suicide.

Flee immediately? Never mind that they had already taken one of the nine disks and didn't know if they had caught the attention of the Lord of the Nine Nether Realm, the mere thought of abandoning the resources hidden by a Realm Lord made him unwilling to leave.

The Blood Spirit Ring suddenly grew hot, and Fatty’s voice broke the silence: "Chuan, you're thinking about how to kill the old Nine Nether pervert, aren't you?"

Lin Chuan was stunned, then laughed. This damn fatty truly understood him to the bone.

"Aren't you thinking the same thing?" Lin Chuan countered. "Otherwise, you would have dragged me away to save our lives already."

Fatty burst into laughter: "Those who know me best, it’s Chuan!"

Amidst the laughter, Fatty’s soul body drifted out of the Blood Spirit Ring, taking on the appearance of the chubby man from his Earth days.

The two exchanged a glance, grinned, and spoke in unison:

"Take the eight array disks!"

A sharp gleam flickered in Lin Chuan’s eyes: "For the old Nine Nether pervert to be reborn, having one percent of his soul essence and memories isn't enough; he also needs the soul power provided by the eight peripheral disks and the primordial creative power of the Nine Nether Soul-Refining Disk. If we snatch the eight peripheral disks..."

"He’ll be finished," Fatty finished, a cunning light shining in his small eyes. "And these disks will be of great use to me as well."

Lin Chuan nodded, saying no more.

Man and soul turned to face the valley, their eyes filled with eagerness. Stealing from the tiger's mouth? That was their favorite thing to do.

After walking a few steps, Lin Chuan suddenly remembered something: "Wait, what about that Cyan Underworld Grass..."

"Just a byproduct," Fatty waved his hand. "It’s dispensable to the array’s operation; taking it won't affect anything."

Only then did Lin Chuan feel relieved, and he strode toward the valley.

As they drew closer, the surrounding vegetation grew sparse, and the Yin energy permeating the air became heavier. Occasionally, wandering evil spirits would emerge from the ground, but they were all dealt with by Fatty with a casual wave.

Reaching the valley entrance, Lin Chuan paused to observe the terrain.

This valley was almost identical to the previous one: a bowl-shaped landscape, with a ten-foot area in the center where nothing grew, and a small cyan-purple blade of grass swaying faintly in the wind.

"Same plan?" Lin Chuan asked.

Fatty shook his head: "No need to be so troublesome this time."

With that, Fatty’s soul body suddenly expanded, turning into a blue light shield that completely enveloped Lin Chuan. Complex patterns flowed across the shield, emitting a heart-stopping fluctuation.

"Go!"

At Fatty’s command, Lin Chuan stepped into the valley.

As soon as he entered, countless evil spirits swarmed toward him like sharks smelling blood, but the moment they touched the blue light shield, they let out shrill screams and dissipated into cyan smoke.

"Hahaha! Satisfying!" Fatty laughed, the patterns on the shield glowing even brighter.

Lin Chuan also felt a sense of exhilaration. He strode toward the center of the valley, and wherever he passed, the evil spirits retreated as if in fear.

As they went deeper, Lin Chuan noticed that the density of the evil spirits was constantly increasing, yet they still could not break through Fatty’s defense.

When they arrived at the desolate death zone in the center, the number of evil spirits had formed a tangible grey mist, yet they still could not get close.

"The Cyan Underworld Grass is right ahead."

Lin Chuan squinted, seeing the lonely little plant through the grey mist.

Fatty spoke: "It’s starting..."

Before the words had faded, the evil spirits throughout the entire valley suddenly froze, then, as if summoned by something, began to swarm toward the center.

The scene was exactly the same as before: countless evil spirits formed a dark cloud above, then one by one, they annihilated, turning into cyan smoke.

"It’s starting!"

Lin Chuan whispered, his eyes fixed on the shifting dark cloud.

A hundred breaths later, the dark cloud dissipated completely, revealing a cyan disk suspended in mid-air—another peripheral array disk. Unlike the previous one, this disk was complete and undamaged, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.

"Quick, take it!" Fatty urged.

Lin Chuan immediately released his soul power to envelop the disk.

Just as he was about to pull it into the Blood Spirit Ring, the disk suddenly shook violently, and the intricate patterns on its surface burst forth with blinding cyan light!

"Careful!"

Fatty shouted, and the blue light shield suddenly thickened.

A column of cyan light shot out from the center of the disk, piercing the sky! Countless runes could be seen flowing within the light, emitting terrifying fluctuations. At the same time, Lin Chuan felt the first incomplete disk inside the Blood Spirit Ring begin to heat up.

"It’s summoning the other disks!" Fatty said urgently. "Cut the connection, quick!"

Lin Chuan gritted his teeth, exerting all his soul power to suppress the disk.

Fatty joined in as well, the blue light shield transforming into countless fine threads that coiled around the disk. The strength of the two of them and the struggle of the disk turned into a tug-of-war, deadlocked for a time.

"Hold on!" Fatty’s voice sounded strained. "It’s resisting, but with no one controlling it, its strength is limited!"

Cold sweat beaded on Lin Chuan’s forehead as his soul power surged out like a tide.

Just as he felt he was about to collapse from exhaustion, the disk suddenly let out a crisp sound, and the cyan light on its surface dimmed abruptly. Seizing this opportunity, Lin Chuan yanked it into the Blood Spirit Ring.

The light column vanished instantly, and the valley returned to peace. Lin Chuan collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

The few seconds of confrontation had been more exhausting than a full-scale battle.

"Did... did we succeed?" he asked between breaths.

Fatty’s soul body also appeared somewhat dim, but his tone was filled with excitement: "We succeeded! And what's more..."

Before he could finish, Lin Chuan suddenly felt a strange fluctuation coming from the Blood Spirit Ring.

Looking inward, he was astonished to find that the two disks were slowly moving toward each other in the space of the Blood Spirit Ring, connected by a thread of cyan light.

"Are they merging?" Lin Chuan asked in surprise.

Fatty nodded: "They share the same origin, so they will naturally attract each other. However, six more are missing, so the fusion is incomplete."

Lin Chuan stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes: "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go find the next one!"

He turned and walked toward the valley exit, intending to regroup with Zhang Lin and the others to continue the search.

As soon as he took a few steps, he suddenly felt the ground beneath him shake, and then the entire valley began to sway slightly!

"What’s going on?" Lin Chuan scanned his surroundings vigilantly.

Fatty’s expression grew grave: "We’ve taken two array disks in a row, and we’ve disturbed the core..."

The tremor stopped after a dozen breaths, but both Lin Chuan and Fatty felt a trace of unease.

It seemed that some ancient existence had been lightly disturbed in its slumber...