Chapter 426: Beginning to Close the Thread

The Ancient Spirit Sect, which moments ago had clear skies for miles, was suddenly caught in a drizzling autumn rain.

A misty white fog spread over the roof tiles. In the hazy atmosphere, Ning Changjiu, his three companions, and Baizang crossed the iron chain bridge over the lake and arrived at the Nine Nether Hall.

They stepped into the light screen, their figures dissolving into darkness. After their bodies and minds sank, they arrived in the Ancient Underworld Kingdom.

Ning Xiaoling was waiting for them at the entrance.

The Underworld Divine Palace was vast, thus appearing desolate. Bypassing the front hall, a serene moon shadow appeared in Ning Changjiu's eyes.

In this bedchamber of the Underworld Divine Palace, a faint, gossamer-like halo floated gently, giving one the illusion of being in the Guanghan Immortal Palace.

Ning Changjiu stopped after entering and looked into the room.

The bed was vast, appearing like a boundless expanse of white snow. Ye Changong was already sitting up in bed, leaning against the cotton cushions behind her. She appeared slender, like the moon at its most delicate phase.

Even so, the young woman possessed an ineffable beauty. Upon seeing her, one's heart could conceive of nothing beyond awe and pity for her beauty.

Ye Changong was awake. The Moon Branch lay beside her, still covered with a thin layer of frost, but the original solid ice had melted. The Golden Crow, having played a crucial role, stood beside her wrapped in a blanket, looking stunned and trembling. This was highly unusual for it, as it symbolized the sun.

Ning Changjiu extended his hand, and the Golden Crow immediately flew back, as if escaping, and burrowed into his Violet Palace.

“Disciple greets Master.”

Ning Changjiu bowed.

Beside him, Lu Jiajia and the others also bowed, while only Baizang held its head up proudly. Behind Baizang, Jiuyou also poked out her head, curiously gazing around. Her gaze then became fixed on the moon shadow, and she did not blink for a long time.

Ye Changong looked at them, then at her own small hands. She showed no surprise at her own transformation, nor was there any unusual expression in her eyes.

She took the Moon Branch, gently wiping away the thin frost on it, and thanked them.

Thus, the Underworld Divine Palace became a bit livelier. Everyone moved about, beginning to collectively attend to the Master's daily needs. However, Ye Changong, having been alone for so long, knew of their respect and love for her, but she was unaccustomed to being truly doted upon like a moon surrounded by stars.

Ye Changong declined their kind offer, propped up her weak body, and tried to get out of bed on her own.

She sat on the edge of the bed; her delicate, pale feet were quite a distance from the ground, so she hopped down when getting off the bed.

When Ye Changong's feet touched the ground, her legs and knees bent, and her hands braced on the floor. Her body swayed for a moment before she finally stood upright.

“Master... are you alright?” Lu Jiajia immediately went to support her.

Ye Changong calmly replied, “I’m fine. As long as the moon exists, I will not die.”

Her criterion for being 'fine' was simply being alive.

Sima looked at her feet on the ground, turned her head, and said, “Xiaoling, are there any spare clothes in the Underworld Hall? Please bring some for Master, lest she catches a cold.”

“Catches a cold?” The term was somewhat unfamiliar to Ye Changong. She swayed slightly, like a delicate flower, then softly said, “I am not of the mortal world; how could I catch a cold?”

As she spoke, she was holding the Moon Laurel in her arms.

Ning Changjiu recalled past memories. He already knew that his Master was the incarnation of the Moon Laurel; the Moon Laurel was the only divine tree formed by the Moon Prison, and she was an immortal lord born from its spirit. However, despite her divine body being immensely noble, at this moment, his Master looked entirely like a sickly person.

Sima's attitude was resolute. She quickly stepped forward and directly lifted Ye Changong's extremely light body. This scene had occurred many times when they traveled together, so Sima's movements were very practiced.

She held Ye Changong and felt her hands and legs. Her delicate skin felt like ice, chilling to the bone.

She frowned and immediately instructed Ning Xiaoling to find clothes.

Ye Changong still resembled a cold and beautiful woman, but she was now too weak to resist and could only truly allow the adults to do as they pleased, like a small girl.

Everyone was quite enthusiastic.

Jiuyou had a rich collection of clothing styles, and everyone began to choose together.

Ning Changjiu had little say in the matter, so he sat by the bed with Ye Changong and quietly spoke of recent events.

“Well, that’s largely how it is… The Golden Crow Divine Kingdom has been established, and I have taken control of it, but I haven't obtained Di Jun’s 'Eternal Brightness' authority from back then. I don’t know what else I’m missing,” Ning Changjiu said. “And I generally understand Master's painstaking efforts when she tried to kill me back then.”

“Painstaking efforts…” Ye Changong murmured softly.

Ning Changjiu asked curiously, “Master doesn’t know why you tried to kill me either?”

Ye Changong replied, “That was me eight years from now. How could my current self know my future thoughts?”

Although she said that, she gently added, “But I will never kill you.”

Ning Changjiu said, “I believe Master.”

Ye Changong sat on the edge of the bed, her straight swan-like neck appearing exquisitely delicate. She slightly lowered her head, thought for a moment, and said, “The reason you haven't obtained the Eternal Brightness authority is very likely because you are not yet complete.”

“Not complete?”

This concept was somewhat vague, and Ning Changjiu couldn't find a starting point.

“You may need to complete your destiny,” Ye Changong explained. “In a sense, you do not belong to this world. If the world consists of countless threads, you might have already jumped between them, and these threads… should perhaps converge into one at a certain point.”

Threads of the world?

Ning Changjiu couldn't understand this explanation and asked, “Where will that point appear?”

Ye Changong said, “I don't know either, but I have a premonition that when you obtain your own bow, your destiny will be completed.”

Obtaining his own bow…

Regarding the so-called bow, Ning Changjiu only had a vague intuition.

Ning Changjiu said, “By the way, during the decisive battle with the Sword Saint, I caught a glimpse of the Dark Lord.”

Ye Changong looked at him and asked, “What did you perceive?”

Ning Changjiu tried to deconstruct his feelings at the time with a few words: “Pitch-black, viscous, terrifying, countless swirling eyes, an boundless colossal entity.”

Ye Changong listened quietly, and only spoke softly when he finished.

“Actually, quite a few cultivators have tried to perceive it in the past,” Ye Changong said. “Most of them believed the Dark Lord was a ghost.”

Ning Changjiu agreed with this view, but still wondered, “But how could there be such a massive ghost in the universe?”

Ye Changong raised her head, looked at the dome of the Underworld Hall, and said, “There are many things in this world where, even with abundant evidence before them, people are still blinded by their own intuition.”

Ning Changjiu was puzzled.

Ye Changong looked at him and asked, “Where do you think this Underworld Hall, where we currently are, is located?”

Ning Changjiu frowned and said, “Naturally, it’s at the bottom of the Nine Nether Hall, within the underground netherworld ley lines.”

Ye Changong extended a delicate finger, pointed to the back hall, and said, “Then what does this hall door connect to?”

Ning Changjiu replied, “The Sea of Reincarnation… which is also the Sea of Ruins.”

Ye Changong asked, “Where is the Sea of Ruins?”

Ning Changjiu realized something was wrong. “In the sky.”

Ye Changong asked, “Why would a divine palace buried deep underground have a door connected to the sky?”

Ning Changjiu had simply assumed it was a peculiar spatial construct, but upon closer thought, how far apart were heaven and earth? Even an ancient dragon possessing spatial authority couldn't create a permanent door connecting two realms, could it?

In the past, when he considered it, he subconsciously avoided the most direct possibility.

“Do you mean that this Underworld Divine Palace is actually located in a space adjacent to the Sea of Ruins?” Ning Changjiu suddenly realized.

Ye Changong nodded gently.

After they entered the light screen, their senses were imperceptibly inverted. What they perceived as falling was actually rising. Thus, they were essentially standing upside down in the sky. This posture seemed incredibly strange, but those within it were completely unaware.

Ning Changjiu composed himself from his surprise and asked, “How does this relate to the ghosts in the universe?”

Ye Changong remained silent for a long time before speaking. If what she said was true, then what she revealed could be considered a heavenly secret. “Beyond the sky, many stars have given birth to powerful deities. If they can give birth to deities, how can you be sure that stars don't have lingering spirits of the dead?”

Lingering spirits…

The lingering spirits of stars?

They were already accustomed to residual souls or vengeful spirits after a person's death, but could colossal entities like stars also have lingering spirits after they died?

This was a vast concept he had never considered.

Ye Changong seemed disinclined to continue on this topic. She suddenly said, “The Sword Saint should not be dead.”

Ning Changjiu said, “His body has been corrupted by the Dark Lord and was reduced to skin and bones by my sword. Even if he lives, he should be a flickering candle in the wind.”

Ye Changong gently shook her head. “Never underestimate our enemies.”

Ning Changjiu hummed in acknowledgment and then told Ye Changong about the issue they had just discussed.

Previously, when Ning Changjiu encountered the mysterious old man in the temple, the Unobservable, far beyond the heavens, had clearly witnessed this event. They had discussed it, but reached no conclusion.

Because even she couldn't peer into what was happening within the Luo Book across an entire world.

“Is that so…”

Ye Changong also felt a hint of surprise.

Historical figures from within the Luo Book ascending from it to the outside world—this was truly an unheard-of event.

During their conversation, everyone had already chosen warm clothes to help her change into. Of course, these clothes also reflected their own aesthetics.

Ning Changjiu was sent to the side, turned his back, sealed his authority, and was forbidden from peeking.

He behaved himself, sitting quietly and listening to the conversations behind him.

“Master is a Moon Palace fairy; how can she wear a black dress just like yours?” Lu Jiajia questioned.

“Black dresses absorb heat best, and Master's body is cold, so it should be this way,” Sima said, imparting knowledge of the rules of heaven and earth to Jiajia.

“I also think black dresses look good,” Jiuyou weakly added.

“What about the sash?”

“Of course, a sash is needed! And a big bow tied at the back of the waist—that’s where the soul is!”

“Master’s feet are so cold,” Ning Xiaoling said worriedly.

“Here are some white cotton long socks. Hmm… they come right up to the knee!”

“This… isn’t it inappropriate?” It seemed to be Master’s voice of protest.

But Ye Changong’s voice was weak, and she had clearly fallen to the point of being at their mercy. The rustling sounds of clothes being undone filled the air. Then, as if the women had seen the most beautiful thing in the world, gasps of awe and sharp intakes of breath sounded almost simultaneously.

“So Master is also…” Shao Xiaoli exclaimed.

“What’s so surprising? A goddess should be flawless,” Sima said indifferently.

“Who says?!” Lu Jiajia and Ning Xiaoling retorted in unison.

The others drew out their "ohs," as if they had just learned something new.

“Hmph…” Ye Changong’s expression turned slightly cold, and she let out a soft snort, saying, “You… hurry up.”

“Hmm, it seems Master can’t wait,” Sima said with a smile.

“When Master recovers, you’ll be the first one she catches,” Lu Jiajia said coldly.

“Putting this here would look better…” Shao Xiaoli was the most focused, as if tending to a flower she was cultivating.

By the time Ning Changjiu turned around, they had finished everything. Ye Changong was still sitting on the edge of the bed, but her attire was no longer plain.

She wore a black dress covered with white gauze, with a dark red sash tied in a large bow at her back. Her long hair was neatly combed, adorned with silver crown-like decorations. Her slender calves wore snow-white cotton socks that clung to her skin, revealing their soft texture.

She no longer looked like a goddess from the Moon Palace, but rather an elf from the starry sky.

Everyone looked at Ye Changong and only came back to their senses after a long time.

Ye Changong wasn't particularly concerned about her new attire. She looked at Ning Changjiu and said calmly:

“Continue telling me the story of the old man in the ruined temple. I want to know more details. I feel this matter will be very important.”

After the relaxed atmosphere, everyone's expressions turned serious. Lu Jiajia and Sima recounted the scene together.

Ye Changong listened quietly.

They hadn't seen much, so their description was brief.

“Didn’t the Sage say not to ascend back then? All ascendants, such as the Dragon Breeders, failed. Why was he able to miraculously leave the Luo Book?” The more Sima thought about it, the more something felt wrong.

The people in the Luo Book were not true historical figures; they were merely countless book spirits, born from dense spiritual energy, playing roles and enacting history.

Of course, some of these book spirits had glimpsed the truth of the world, but most remained unaware.

Just as humans longed to become immortals, the book spirits also yearned to leave the sky of the Luo Book and go to the outside world.

But they only enacted their predetermined historical destinies.

Their historical counterparts were already destined to fail.

Only the old man from Silent Ear Mountain was an exception. Could it be that, five hundred years ago, such an old man truly ascended successfully? Was his success a coincidence? And where did he go?

Lu Jiajia said, “The Sage also said that ascension is a deception. Does that mean he saw through the deception?”

Ning Changjiu listened to their description, but shook his head and said, “The old man went mad during his ascension. He felt that his favored theory didn't align with the world's rules. Between the two Heavenly Tablets—one ugly but correct, the other beautiful but wrong—he should have chosen the latter, intending to die for his convictions, but…”

Ye Changong interjected, “But heaven and earth acknowledged his Heavenly Tablet.”

This sentence seemed ordinary, but after careful thought, their seas of consciousness felt as if they had been struck by successive bolts of lightning.

The old man's suicidal ascension had actually succeeded.

That meant his Heavenly Tablet was correct.

But if the Heavenly Tablet was correct, didn't that mean the world's laws were wrong?

The world maintained its harmonious operation through the accumulation of one law after another, and the Heavenly Tablets were profound interpretations of these laws.

If the laws were wrong, then it meant the entire world was wrong.

If the world had no meaning, then what were they, these living beings?

This thought was too terrifying; they even hoped they had misunderstood.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Ye Changong gently stepped down from the bed to the floor, her snow-white cotton socks slipping into exquisite embroidered shoes. The black skirt swayed softly, the large bow exaggerating the curve of her waist.

She said nothing more, only, “I want to go see the Sea of Reincarnation.”

Ning Xiaoling said worriedly, “There are many spirit-eaters in the Sea of Reincarnation, and Master's current state…”

Ye Changong gently shook her head and said, “Don’t worry about me. I know my limits.”

Xiaoling nodded.

Ye Changong slowly walked over to Ning Changjiu's side.

Although she was upright and elegant, she always appeared to be fragile and delicate.

She extended her hand and said, “Lend me the Golden Crow for a moment.”

Ning Changjiu knew she was still cold, so he summoned the well-rested Golden Crow and let it fly into Ye Changong's arms.

Ye Changong held the Golden Crow as if it were a bronze sparrow hand-warmer, and her slightly trembling body became a little more stable.

“You should come with me too,” Ye Changong said softly.

Ning Changjiu hummed in assent.

Lu Jiajia and Sima both expressed concern and wanted to accompany her.

Ye Changong gently said, “I just want to confirm some things. I’ll be back soon.”

Since Master insisted, they no longer pressed the matter.

Ning Xiaoling opened the door to the back hall. Under the cover of sunlight and moonlight, Ning Changjiu and Ye Changong went into the Sea of Reincarnation.

This was Ning Changjiu’s first time being alone with his Master.

Although she was his wife in his previous life, she had, after all, been his Master for two lifetimes, and he always held deep respect for Ye Changong.

Ye Changong, however, did not put on any airs. Petite in stature, holding the Golden Crow, she looked like a young girl who had run away from home with her plush doll.

“What does Master wish to confirm here?” Ning Changjiu asked.

“I want to see the spirit-eaters,” Ye Changong said.

“Spirit-eaters…”

When Ning Changjiu was unconscious, his consciousness had involuntarily drifted into the Sea of Reincarnation, and he had attempted to communicate with many spirit-eaters.

“Does Master want to ask them something?” Ning Changjiu asked.

Ye Changong closed her eyes, gently shook her head, and said, “Just to observe them. I want to know why they exist.”

Ning Changjiu had discussed this issue with Lu Jiajia before. His view at the time was that demon bodies were much tougher than human bodies, making it difficult for the Heavenly Dao to obliterate them, so they were cast into the Sea of Ruins to fend for themselves.

He shared this view with Ye Changong.

Ye Changong, however, gently shook her head and said, “I don’t think so.”

Ning Changjiu asked for her opinion.

Ye Changong said, “You are still underestimating the Dark Lord’s power. While the physical difference between humans and demons is vast for us, for the Dark Lord, it’s merely the difference between us crushing an ant and a beetle—there isn’t much difference.”

Ning Changjiu frowned, and his curiosity about the purpose of the spirit-eaters' existence was rekindled.

“But they can’t communicate at all. How can we figure it out?” Ning Changjiu asked.

“No need for communication,” Ye Changong said. “Do you know how humans first understood animals?”

“How did they understand?” Ning Changjiu asked.

“By dissecting their bodies,” Ye Changong said.

She paused, then added, “And you will do the dissecting.”

As the closed-door disciple, Ning Changjiu naturally couldn’t let his Master do such dirty and arduous work.

The two swam around for a while but saw no trace of spirit-eaters.

“The Sea of Reincarnation is too vast; finding spirit-eaters also requires luck,” Ning Changjiu said.

“Then just lure one over,” Ye Changong said.

“How do I lure it?” Ning Changjiu asked.

“Hmm?” Ye Changong rarely smiled, and her smile was pure and childlike. “I heard Lu Jiajia say you're good at fishing, aren’t you?”

Ning Changjiu recalled the events in the Imperial City back then and gave a self-deprecating smile.

Compared to fishing, he was perhaps more suited to be bait.

He cast out the "bait."

The bait was spiritual energy.

Spiritual energy flowed out like water. Soon, a monstrous demon with a ghostly face and four horns on its forehead drifted over. These spirit-eaters had suffered a significant drop in cultivation compared to their former selves and had no power to resist in Ning Changjiu's hands.

Ning Changjiu cleaved through its ferocious face.

The spirit-eater's demonic body split in two, its ghostly face twisting apart, making its ferocious expression appear comical.

Ye Changong held the Golden Crow, observing the spirit-eater split in two. Her pupils gradually softened to a moonlight-like hue as she observed all the internal structures of the spirit-eater, and her brow involuntarily furrowed slightly.

Ning Changjiu continued dissecting the spirit-eater according to Ye Changong’s instructions.

Soon, the spirit-eater’s original appearance was no longer discernible.

“Almost all of their internal organs have been destroyed, leaving only one internal organ,” Ye Changong said.

Ning Changjiu also noticed that the organ looked like a shriveled ball.

He identified it by its location.

“Is this the Qi Sea?” Ning Changjiu asked.

Ye Changong nodded, acknowledging his observation. “This should be a demon’s Qi Sea, but it seems… to have been modified.”

Although the spirit-eater’s Qi Sea was shriveled, if it were to become full, it might occupy the entire internal space.

“Who modified this? The Dark Lord?” Ning Changjiu asked.

“Perhaps.”

“What was the purpose?”

“The purpose…” Ye Changong mused for a moment, as if asking herself, “What are they called?”

“They’re… spirit-eaters?” Ning Changjiu murmured to himself.

“Indeed.”

Without needing more words, Ning Changjiu understood her meaning: Spirit-eaters, as the name implied, devoured spiritual energy.

Back in the Imperial City of Zhao, on the Nine Spirits Platform, Zhao Xianger had formed her acquired spirit. At that time, spiritual energy from all directions converged in the center, so dense that it eventually dissipated only after several days of spiritual energy rain. This also attracted the spirit-eaters.

The spirit-eaters' minds were already blurred, and spiritual energy was their sole craving.

There were also some records from the past stating that when cultivators were breaking through their tribulations, heavenly lightning weakened the barrier between two worlds, allowing spirit-eaters to break free from the Sea of Ruins and directly devour the cultivators undergoing tribulation.

They were demonic creatures that specifically devoured spiritual energy, which was the origin of their name.

However, it was clear that spirit-eaters naturally craved spiritual energy, but did not live solely by it. The barrier of the Sea of Ruins was only breached by chance, and records of cultivators being devoured were extremely rare. Ning Changjiu's current dissection of the spirit-eater showed not a single trace of spiritual energy within it.

“They are more like containers,” Ye Changong concluded. “Containers for spiritual energy.”

“Containers…”

The Sea of Reincarnation was incredibly vast, and after years of accumulation, the spirit-eaters were countless.

So many containers…

A slight chill ran through Ning Changjiu's heart. He looked up at the sky, as if staring at some terrifying entity behind the celestial curtain.

“What exactly does it want to do?”