Xiao Mu was indifferent, and after the strike, he once again let go of the slight control he had over He Meng.

He Meng opened his mouth but said nothing in the end. The anger on his face could not be hidden, as if he had an intense hatred for Xiao Mu.

"Let's go!"

Xiao Mu urged, unconcerned about He Meng's anger.

Grinding his teeth, He Meng activated his techniques and continued forward.

Xiao Mu followed behind.

About fifteen minutes later, the two reached a desolate area.

It was called a desolate area, but in fact, it was not always so.

The land here was filled with strong Netherworld Qi. The ground, the air, and all nearby things were affected, making the ordinary terrain look like the Underworld and Infernal Courts. Every plant, every bamboo, every stone conveyed a chilling sensation.

"Greetings to the Domain Master!"

Two men and two women approached, all appearing to be at the Early Stage of the Fifth Realm, and paid their respects to He Meng.

These four were the guards of the Netherworld Passage, preventing anyone from recklessly entering and losing their life.

"You all may leave!"

He Meng struggled somewhat, as if he wanted to command the four guards to attack Xiao Mu, but ultimately did not.

The four guards were merely Mutated Beings at the Early Stage of the Fifth Realm. Even with a joined attack, they stood no chance against Xiao Mu.

"Yes, Domain Master."

The four guards cast doubtful glances at both He Meng and Xiao Mu before eventually leaving.

Xiao Mu and He Meng continued forward and soon saw a round opening resembling a deep well.

The circular opening wasn't very large, only about a meter and a half in diameter. Glancing into it, one could see that it was bottomless, as if leading directly to the Underworld and Infernal Courts.

From within the hole, streams of strong Netherworld Qi kept releasing, resembling black smoke rising from a chimney.

However, the Netherworld Qi differed from black smoke. Once it emerged from the hole, it rose straight up, unaffected even by the wind, like a pitch-black, tall, and straight Sky-reaching Pillar.

The nearby temperature had become extremely low, not due to a decrease in temperature but because the Yin Qi was overwhelming, causing the nearby things to slowly decay.

"Is this the Netherworld Passage?"

Xiao Mu turned to ask He Meng.

"That's right, this is the Netherworld Passage. If you're not afraid of death, feel free to give it a try," He Meng said, his face wearing a sneer that carried a mocking tone.

The Netherworld Passage seemed extremely dangerous, and one could easily destroy their body by carelessly getting too close.

He did not believe Xiao Mu had the ability to enter the Netherworld Passage.

Xiao Mu looked at the Netherworld Passage, frowning slightly.

The Netherworld Passage was indeed extraordinarily dangerous. Even from the outside, he could feel his body continuously being eroded by the Netherworld Qi.

The Netherworld Qi at the bottom of the passage was a hundred times, a thousand times denser than on the periphery. Recklessly entering could result in immediate body disintegration in the intense Netherworld Qi at the base of the hole.

Even though Xiao Mu cultivated the Two Forces of Life and Death, once he lost his body, what followed would be death.

He was different from the Yin Spirits who had attained Dao because they cultivated the soul directly, while Xiao Mu cultivated the body.

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Mu walked around the Netherworld Passage.

After making a circle, he stopped, staring at the Netherworld Passage with a grey-black light shining from both eyes.

This light represented a Chaos-like Power emanating from his gaze.

The grey-black Chaos-like gaze, sharp as a sword, pierced through the Netherworld Qi and aimed straight for the bottom of the Netherworld Passage.

He Meng's eyes widened in shock, staring at Xiao Mu in disbelief.

He could not fathom the nature of the power Xiao Mu was using that could penetrate the Netherworld Qi.

After a moment, Xiao Mu withdrew his gaze, his expression turning somewhat somber.

He initially suspected that He Meng had tampered with the passage, but he now had a change of thought.

With He Meng's abilities, it seemed unlikely that he could tamper with the Netherworld Passage, let alone control the outbreak of Netherworld Qi.

The changes in the Netherworld Passage must have been coincidental, caused by some sudden mishap within.

"Haha!"

He Meng sneered, "Xiao Mu, if you're to blame, it's your bad luck. Last night, the Netherworld Passage suddenly erupted, making it ten times more dangerous. Maybe you're destined not to complete your task."

"Are you mocking me?"

Xiao Mu turned, glanced at He Meng, and grew a bit annoyed before suddenly recalling something, "I had forgotten, I warned you just now that unless I ask, you cannot speak. For every extra word, you must slap yourself. You spoke four times just now, that makes four slaps!"

His right hand moved the Yin-Yang Diagram, pulling on the Yin Yang Lines to control He Meng.

"Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!"

He Meng swung his arms out of control, slapping himself across the face four times in a row.

"You~"

He Meng glared at Xiao Mu with fury. The force Xiao Mu controlled him to use wasn't heavy and did not cause him any harm, but it severely humiliated him, making him feel insulted.

"Hahaha!"

He Meng laughed wildly in anger, as if he had completely given up. He shouted, "Xiao Mu, I know why you're humiliating me, it's because you can't complete your task."

He wore a gloating expression, staring at Xiao Mu, his face smeared with intense mockery. "I've heard that you snatched this task from someone else. If you fail, you'll be sealed in the ancient coffin for three years."

"Just wait to be sealed in the ancient coffin for three years. By the time you come out..., no, there's no chance for you to come out. You haven't entered the True Realm. Being sealed in the ancient coffin for three years, you're bound to die."

"How noisy!"

Xiao Mu sneered coldly, looking at He Meng with contempt, "Do you really think I can't enter because the Netherworld Passage suddenly erupted?"

He Meng curled his lips disdainfully, "Considering the current intensity of the Netherworld Qi in the passage, even True Realm powerhouses will die if they enter, let alone you? Ridiculous!"

Xiao Mu's expression, however, calmed down, staring at He Meng for a moment. "You're right, I indeed cannot enter directly from the entrance of the Netherworld Passage, but that doesn't mean I have no way to get in. Seal of the Heavenly Emperor, appear! Order Edict, appear!"

Xiao Mu suddenly let out a low shout. The Seal of the Heavenly Emperor spun and flew out, while the Order Edict soared into the sky.

Infinite Emperor's Might descended from heaven, covering the ground ahead.

Then, Xiao Mu stretched out his hand and pointed towards the ground, "Open the road!"

Buzz!

The Great Decree landed, shooting out beams of golden light, issuing the command. The two golden characters for 'open road' transformed into power, striking the earth.

With a crack, the ground split open, revealing another deep passage that led to the unfathomable depths below.

"You... you... what is this technique?"

He Meng stared dumbfounded, disbelievingly fixing his gaze on the Seal of the Heavenly Emperor and the Order Edict that danced above Xiao Mu's head.

As Xiao Mu's strength increased, the power of the Seal of the Heavenly Emperor and the Order Edict also grew step by step, continuously exhibiting more amazing abilities.

"Domain Master He, please go ahead!"

Xiao Mu did not answer He Meng's question but simply extended his hand, motioning for He Meng to enter the passage first.

"You're letting me go in with you?"

He Meng's face changed once again.

To go into the Netherworld Passage, even if not through the correct entrance, was equally dangerous.

With his strength, the chance of coming out alive was less than one percent.

"You are the Domain Master of Cuiyun Mountain Region, you should go in."

Xiao Mu's face darkened, his tone threatening, "Domain Master He, don't make me force you!"

"If I die inside, you won't be able to escape the responsibility either!"

He Meng knew he couldn't resist Xiao Mu. If he didn't enter, he would be controlled and forced in. He bitterly threatened Xiao Mu before stepping into the passage first.

As soon as he entered the passage, his body rapidly sank.

Fortunately, this place was not the real Netherworld Passage but a road opened by Xiao Mu, where the Netherworld Qi was sparse and did not cause much harm to He Meng's body.

Seeing that He Meng had entered the passage, Xiao Mu also took a step forward, entering the passage. With the Life-Death Step unfolded, he went straight down into the depths.

The two continued to descend, and it took half an hour before they set foot on solid ground, landing at the bottom.

This was a narrow space, and a not-so-wide corridor led to the distance.

The space was extremely cold, yet there was light.

But this light was different from normal light—it was Yin Light, opposite to sunlight.

"So cold!"

Even with He Meng's strength, he couldn't help but shiver.

The Yin Qi was too strong here; one could not rid themselves of its influence without reaching the True Realm.

"What place is this?"

Unlike He Meng, Xiao Mu began to examine his surroundings as soon as he landed.

First, he saw a divine figure whose head had been chopped off.

A deity made of mud, which somehow still bled.

But the blood had dried up a long time ago.

Nevertheless, it was divine blood; though dried up, it did not disappear, remaining vivid and eye-catching.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.