Chapter 27: The Awakening of the Nine Netherworlds

At the center of the fourth valley, Lin Chuan withdrew his hand from the hovering cyan disc. As the fourth outer formation plate was absorbed into the Blood Spirit Ring, an unprecedented wave of energy surged within the ring.

“Got it!”

Lin Chuan exhaled deeply; after four days of relentless effort, there was finally a result.

No sooner had he spoken than the entire Azure Realm suddenly began to tremble violently.

This tremor was stronger than any before. The ground undulated like waves, distant cliffs crumbled with a thunderous roar, and dust billowed into the sky.

Lin Chuan had to kneel halfway, steadying himself with both hands on the shaking ground to maintain balance.

“It’s coming!” Fatty’s voice exploded in Lin Chuan’s mind.

“That old lecher is fully awake!”

The shaking lasted a full thirty breaths, the entire secret realm swaying like a small boat in a storm.

From afar came the terrified roars of unknown beasts, while storm clouds gathered overhead, lightning flashing and thunder roaring.

Suppressing dizziness, Lin Chuan urgently asked in his mind, “What do we do now?”

“Let those three go first,” Fatty’s voice was calm and resolute. “This next scene is not for them to be involved in.”

Without hesitation, Lin Chuan rose and dashed towards Zhang Lin and the others outside the valley.

The three were huddled together, pale-faced, staring at the earth-shattering chaos around them.

“Brother Wang!” Lin Chuan shouted, his voice nearly drowned out by the rumble of the ground. “You must immediately retreat the way you came and leave the Soul Devouring Abyss!”

Wang Tiezhu’s eyes widened. “Brother Lin, what about you...?”

“I have other matters!” Lin Chuan interrupted firmly, leaving no room for argument. “Remember, never tell anyone you’ve been to the Soul Devouring Abyss!”

Li Yu seemed about to say something, but a stronger tremor caused her to stagger.

Zhang Lin steadied her, his gaze towards Lin Chuan filled with complex emotions—shock, confusion, and a faint understanding.

“Brother Lin... take care.”

Wang Tiezhu could only say that before the three turned and fled outside the abyss.

Lin Chuan watched their backs, feeling a stir in his heart. Though their strength was limited, their sincerity towards him was genuine.

Only after their figures vanished into the gray mist did the Blood Spirit Ring blaze with a brilliant blue light.

Fatty’s soul form floated out, now vastly different from before—solid and lifelike, with flowing blue hair, handsome features, and an aura so oppressive it was suffocating.

“Peak Imperial Martial Realm...” Fatty stretched his body, his voice carrying a long-lost strength. “Give me a little more time, and I can break through to the Saint Martial Realm.”

Lin Chuan appraised Fatty’s new appearance and whistled, “With that look, you could charm a whole crowd of ladies.”

Fatty smugly tossed his hair. “Naturally. Back in the day, I was...”

“Enough!” Lin Chuan made a stop gesture. “Let’s handle the immediate trouble before bragging.”

Fatty pouted, flipping his palm to reveal the fourth cyan formation plate hovering above his hand.

The plate slowly rotated, emitting pure soul energy that Fatty absorbed bit by bit.

“I could have taken this fourth plate half a day ago,” Fatty explained while absorbing. “But I needed time to digest the first three; rushing the fourth could have caused an overload.”

Lin Chuan nodded, then remembered, “What about Zhang Lin and the others...?”

“Should I send a soul fragment to deal with them?” Fatty’s tone was as casual as discussing dinner plans. “In this universe, I only trust you.”

Lin Chuan’s heart tightened.

Fatty’s words held no hint of killing intent, yet carried a chilling resolve. Betrayed by disciples thirty thousand years ago, he trusted no one but Lin Chuan.

“No need,” Lin Chuan shook his head. “They truly care for me; there’s no need to preemptively strike for possible betrayal.”

Fatty raised an eyebrow. “Woman’s mercy.”

“That’s loyalty,” Lin Chuan retorted, then added, “But... if your soul fragment could secretly follow them, just in case...”

Fatty smiled knowingly, and a strand of blue light flew silently from his fingertip, vanishing into the gray mist.

That soul fragment possessed Supreme Martial Realm strength—enough to instantly deal with Zhang Lin’s group if they acted suspiciously.

As they conversed, a dazzling purple pillar of light suddenly erupted from the core of the Soul Devouring Abyss!

Over a hundred feet wide, it shot straight into the clouds, tinting the sky of the secret realm an eerie purple.

“It’s begun!”

Fatty narrowed his eyes.

After several breaths, four thinner cyan pillars rose from the edges of the core, echoing the purple pillar.

Lin Chuan recognized these as the locations of the remaining four outer formation plates.

The fourth plate in Fatty’s hand suddenly trembled violently, its blue light surging wildly as if it wanted to break free and join the distant pillars.

Fatty snorted coldly, gripping the plate tightly to suppress its restlessness.

“Trying to run?” he sneered. “Once it’s in my pocket, it’s mine!”

The five pillars intertwined above the secret realm, forming a magnificent yet eerie spectacle.

The purple pillar stood in the center, surrounded by the four cyan pillars like ministers paying homage to their king. More astonishingly, the cyan pillars began slowly moving towards the purple one, their speed accelerating!

“They’re merging!” Lin Chuan exclaimed.

Fatty, however, smiled confidently. “Let’s go meet that old lecher.”

Grabbing Lin Chuan’s shoulder, they leapt into the air, flying toward the core.

This was Lin Chuan’s first experience of flight—since Fatty had regained his Imperial Martial Realm strength, his soul had solidified to be indistinguishable from flesh and blood, now capable of carrying others in flight.

The wind howled past their ears; the ground rapidly receded.

Looking down, Lin Chuan saw the landscape of the Soul Devouring Abyss undergoing astonishing changes—the perennial gray mist was driven away by the pillars of light, revealing a complex network of trenches and valleys beneath.

Even more chilling were the countless bones densely piled in the ravines—human and various monstrous beasts alike.

“These are...” Lin Chuan’s voice tightened.

“Devoured lives,” Fatty’s tone turned icy. “The Nine Nether Soul Refining Formation has been consuming life for tens of thousands of years; the victims number in the millions.”

Approaching the core, the oppressive aura of the purple pillar grew stronger.

Lin Chuan felt his chest tighten, breath growing difficult. Seeing this, Fatty emitted a strand of blue light that enveloped Lin Chuan, shielding him from most of the pressure.

“Look!”

Fatty suddenly pointed downward.

Following his finger, Lin Chuan saw a massive circular platform at the core, intricately carved with complex runes.

The purple pillar rose from the center of the platform, while the four cyan pillars had already reached the edges, slowly merging with the purple one.

“That’s where the core formation plate is,” Fatty lowered their altitude. “The old lecher of the Nine Nether is waiting for us there.”

They landed on a high ground about a hundred feet from the platform.

From here, the intersection of the five pillars revealed a vague humanoid figure gradually taking shape.

“He’s reconstructing his body,” Fatty analyzed, “but slowly. The remnant soul state is clearly limiting his power.”

Lin Chuan observed the figure carefully.

As energy from the pillars infused it, the humanoid became clearer—a tall man with flowing purple hair, handsome yet sinister features, and an aura so suffocating it stifled the air.

“That’s the Lord of the Nine Nether Realm?” Lin Chuan whispered.

Fatty nodded, then wore a strange expression. “Strange...”

“What’s wrong?”

“His aura... is only late Imperial Martial Realm,” Fatty frowned. “Weaker than I expected.”

Lin Chuan’s eyes brightened. “Isn’t that easier to handle?”

Fatty shook his head. “Something’s off. By my calculations, fusing five formation plates should at least grant early Saint Martial Realm strength...”

Before he finished, the purple pillar on the platform flickered violently, and the humanoid let out an enraged roar: “Who?! Who stole my formation plates?!”

The thunderous voice pained Lin Chuan’s eardrums. The Lord of the Nine Nether Realm—or rather, his remnant soul—had clearly noticed the loss of four outer formation plates.

Fatty laughed heartily, grabbing Lin Chuan as they leapt directly above the platform.

“Old lecher, your plates are right here!”

With a palm flip, the fourth cyan plate hovered in his hand, radiating dazzling light.

The Lord of the Nine Nether Realm’s remnant soul suddenly turned, his purple eyes blazing with murderous intent.

“Ants!” he roared. “How dare you tamper with my formation!”

Fatty sneered in disdain. “Tamper? No, I’m devouring it.”

With that, he clenched his palm, and the fourth plate instantly shattered into countless points of light, swallowed whole by Fatty’s mouth.

A terrifying soul wave burst from Fatty’s body, blue light soaring into the sky, tearing a rift in the purple canopy above.

His aura climbed relentlessly, breaking through barriers in the blink of an eye, reaching an entirely new realm!

“Saint Martial Realm!” Lin Chuan shouted in delight.

Fatty stretched, every inch of his skin glowing with a blue halo.

He looked at the Lord of the Nine Nether Realm, a dangerous smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

“Old lecher, now we can have a proper chat.”

The remnant soul’s face darkened like still water.

He had planned to fuse all nine formation plates for a perfect rebirth, but now only five remained—and one had just been devoured outright by this blue-haired youth.

Worse still, the youth’s aura had already reached the Saint Martial Realm, far surpassing his own late Imperial Martial Realm strength!

“No matter who you are,” the Lord of the Nine Nether Realm hissed icily, “daring to ruin my plans, you have only one path—death!”

He suddenly spread his arms wide, the remaining four cyan pillars hastening their fusion with the purple pillar.

The runes on the platform lit up one by one, exuding an ancient and perilous aura.

Fatty, however, was unfazed, turning to Lin Chuan with a wink.

“Chuan’er, watch closely. Today I’ll show you what true—Saint Martial power—looks like!”