Chapter 1921: Audience

Perhaps he could give it a try. But what exactly was he trying? Was it to test Hua Changdeng's true power? Or was it to prove that reaching this level of cultivation could indeed unlock the 'mysteries' of apotheosis and ancestral divinity? Whichever direction it took, a closer look revealed a terrifying prospect. After all, the Eight Venerables had amassed power to such an extent; it couldn't simply be all bark and no bite. He had even devoured the Triple Thunderclap!

The Five Domains didn't have much time to ponder; the sect masters had barely begun their explanations. The two figures in the arena, still moments ago, now moved like an unstoppable tide, a force beyond control. Holding Gui Youyou, Hua Changdeng stepped forward with deliberate pace, following closely behind the Eight Venerables, and spoke with clear, precise words.

"He commanded: The Underworld."

His voice was flat and devoid of any emotion, like a death knell. It was like a judge of the dead, casually issuing a new death sentence to the person standing before him. The Ghost-Buddha Realm, however, shuddered. The void grew dim, and the earth fractured, as if something of immense stature was about to be summoned.

"Cluck, cluck."

At the foot of Mount Lingyu, the Black Chicken squawked urgently. Yu Zhiwen's delicate body trembled, and she clutched Xu Xiaoshou's chicken even tighter. "Divine Court? What Divine Court?" Beside them, Moon Palace Slave, who had only been speculating, turned deathly pale upon hearing this and mumbled in a daze.

"The Ghost Ancestor's Divine Court... The Underworld..."

Yu Zhiwen and Liu Fuyu turned their heads, gazing. Moon Palace Slave stared intently at the figure in the distant sky, a figure she had longed for in countless days and nights, her eyes now filled with deep worry.

"A Realm, a Sacred Domain, a Divine Court — each step signifies a qualitative leap. Hua Changdeng commands the Ghost Ancestor's Divine Court, and it’s not a mere phantom or residual power, but a complete, perfect Ancestral Divine Court! The Underworld is the counterpart to the Mortal Realm, what ordinary people call 'Hell.' It's a world where the Way of the Soul reigns supreme, a realm of both tangible forms and spiritual essence."

"That's quite a mouthful."

Yu and Liu couldn't immediately grasp the meaning. Moon Palace Slave took a deep breath, her voice slightly trembling: "You can think of it as another Sacred Continent, except that it's inhabited solely by soul bodies. Only the Way of the Soul is revered there, and the hierarchy is rigidly defined!"

Before they could process this, a sensation of weightlessness enveloped them. Elsewhere on the Sacred Continent, no one felt anything; perceptive individuals could already discern that Hua Changdeng had withdrawn his hand. Yet, even so, the Ghost-Buddha Realm—a place of hyper-Dao transformation laws, reconstructed from the Ancient War God Platform, and seemingly perfectly suited for the Divine Court's summoning—appeared unable to withstand the compressed power of the Divine Court.

It suddenly fractured! It suddenly collapsed!

A deafening roar erupted in their ears. Along with the shattering of all physical reality, which disintegrated like flying shards of glass—snowflakes, mulberries, and even human bodies—screams pierced through the Ghost-Buddha Realm. Though everyone distinctly felt their feet still on the ground, their physical bodies had disintegrated. A profound sense of weightlessness overwhelmed them, as if they were plummeting into the Nine Nethers.

The golden beads in Hong Niang's hand turned illusory, becoming mere stand-ins for 'spirits.' In truth, nothing physical had truly vanished; rather, in the Underworld, the perspective of 'body' was no longer primary, replaced by the perspective of 'spirit.' Those not adept in the Way of the Soul naturally experienced the sensation of their physical bodies being absent. Hong Niang, unskilled in this path, felt her legs turn to jelly and her voice became a tremulous whisper.

"Brothers," she stammered, "it seems Hong Niang has truly arrived in... the Underworld?"

"Am I... am I now preaching in the Underworld?"

The world shifted, yin and yang transforming. Everyone within the Ghost-Buddha Realm felt their physical bodies vanish, their souls plummeting into profound darkness. Pure, unadulterated darkness! The deathly silent environment, coupled with the terror of the unknown, compelled everyone to suppress even their ragged breaths—daring not to speak aloud, lest they disturb those beneath the earth.

Soon, within this impenetrable darkness, a single, eerie blue-green ghost flame ignited in the far distance, drawing every eye. Spirit Refiners near Mount Lingyu and Fusang City, those located elsewhere in the Ghost-Buddha Realm, and even the observers from the Five Domains watching from outside the Divine Court—all eyes, from every direction, converged on that single point of ghostly light.

Thump... Thump...

Heartbeats began to pound, one after another. This sound, impossible to suppress, grew increasingly rapid, becoming jarringly loud! The ghost fire flickered, then blazed like lightning once more. In that instant, the very concepts of space and time seemed to vanish, and everyone felt as though they had been transported onto a colossal disc. Looking around in an instant, with the flickering ghost fire at its center, the densely packed figures on the opposite side of the disc seemed to be distorted ghost faces, pressed tightly against each other, all deathly pale.

"Ghosts!"

Someone, unable to contain their terror, screamed aloud. And having lost all self-control in the darkness, instinctively recoiling backward, they stepped on something... Silence. Stepping forward again, desperate to escape, they bumped into something else... Stillness. But even if they stood still, the person—or perhaps a vengeful ghost?—beside them deliberately extended a pale, bony claw and placed it on their shoulder. It was incredibly light. Icy cold. The touch felt like ice-cold jelly, befitting a soul entity.

Terrified screams momentarily reverberated throughout the suffocating darkness. As the cries of terror intensified, the ghost fire flared up as if fueled, growing to a full zhang in size. It illuminated more, revealing a bloated, ghastly pale ghost face.

Gurgle...

A grotesque chuckle dripped saliva, thick and clinging, mirroring the chaotic blend of emotions that seized those who now truly faced a ghost. That ghost fire, it turned out, was the single eye of a monstrous, one-eyed wraith, dozens of zhang tall. Its vast, bloated face was larger than ten millstones stacked atop each other, yet its body was abnormally short, as if being crushed by some immense force, squeezing the ghost flame high out of its eyeball.

"Gulp."

A sound of drooling and swallowing echoed. The screams were once more stifled into dead silence. A moment later, a dozen more ghostly flames flickered to life erratically around the fat-faced wraith, followed by another ten or so points of spectral light. The flames cast their eerie glow upon each other. They revealed a jumble of ghosts, all twisted into grotesque forms, pressed tightly together. Surrounding them was a ring of 'flesh and sinew' lined with sharp, grinding teeth, as though they were being 'devoured' by something immense.

"I..."

Hong Niang's vision was already blurring from terror. The Golden Apricot actually possessed a night-vision function, but she doubted its efficacy in this oppressive darkness. But now, her fingertips were too numb to lift, and deep down, she didn't dare to illuminate this world. She feared revealing something even more terrifying!

But fear was useless. Another massive ghost flame spontaneously ignited above them. Now everyone saw clearly: what had swallowed over a dozen bloated wraith-energy bodies was a centipede-like monster, hundreds of zhang in length! From all directions, hundreds more ghost flames flickered into existence. Everyone's pupils constricted in shock, for similar 'centipede-wraiths' were densely packed all around, each pressing against the next, as if even larger specters lay beyond them.

Hong Niang's teeth chattered, and a chill ran down her spine. "Brothers," she whispered, "perhaps we shouldn't have come to the Ghost-Buddha Realm?"

No sooner had she spoken than countless ghost flames ignited in every direction. The entire dark world became a sky of grim stars, millions of ghost flames shimmering densely, each one the eye of a grotesque, deformed specter. The cultivators of the Five Domains, whether they were directly within the Divine Court's Underworld or observing through the Golden Apricot's view, gasped in collective horror at the sight. For there were simply too many ghosts!

The fat-faced wraiths were merely the smallest units. The 'reflection ghosts,' so stuffed with entities that they overflowed from their mouths, were merely stepping stones for the ox-headed and horse-faced demons above them. And even these beast-like specters were crushed against each other. Higher up, there were skeletal dragons with shadowy forms, reapers cloaked in black robes, and long-tongued monsters covered in boiling filth... These specters were already stacked thousands of zhang high, yet they too were being compressed. And above them, high-level wraith-energy beings, armed with blades and chains, were also being crushed, for even higher still, there was more!

Further up were tiger-skin lanterns spewing magma, inverted black bats with fleshy wings, and long, hairless segmented worms coated in viscous black soil... As the ghost flames illuminated the profound darkness, the Spirit Refiners witnessing this scene couldn't help but gasp collectively. Hong Niang nearly vomited her last meal, bile rising in her throat. Then, in a startling instant, her perception sharpened; she felt herself expanding, while the world around her seemed to shrink.

She was lifted from a first-person perspective, soaring high into the sky, from where she could gaze down in a bird's-eye view. What she saw was anything but fine! She nearly fainted on the spot. The entire dark world, it turned out, was carpeted with writhing insects and grotesque specters. Even the soft, viscous 'earth' beneath her feet was composed of them. Amidst this, the Spirit Refiners were reduced to mere specks of dust.

Yet, these specters were merely piled upon each other, forming a 'wall of spectral flesh' that stretched for countless miles and rose to an immeasurable height. Vengeful ghosts formed the wall, its inner face soaring to the heavens. Her gaze lifted higher, revealing yet another layer. Hong Niang could no longer bear to look directly. She held up the Golden Apricot, allowing her brave companions to look for her, while her own eyes squinted into narrow slits.

Yet, to her dismay, she still caught sight of it... Similar walls of flesh truly filled the entire 'Underworld Hell.' Winding and twisting, they roughly delineated ten distinct worlds of flesh. Each of these realms was nearly the size of one of the Five Domains on the Sacred Continent; yet in the Underworld, each realm was merely a single city. At the heart of each of these ten great ghost cities stood a magnificent Ghost Hall. Around the Ghost Halls, the spectral armies stood in solemn ranks. Hundreds of zhang tall, they held their spears aloft. These were the only 'ghosts' in the Underworld truly considered normal, granted official positions, and permitted free movement.

The Ten Halls were truly majestic. As a murmur of awe rose, towering 'giants' clad in armor ascended from each of the Ten Halls, reaching skyward. Hong Niang nearly swooned, her consciousness plummeting into a dizzying abyss. Countless Spirit Refiners like her, along with the cultivators from the Five Domains watching this scene unfold in the Ghost-Buddha Realm, were similarly overwhelmed.

Xiao Kongtang himself was within this very Divine Court, his consciousness likewise elevated to the heavens. When he saw these ten giants, a sense of familiarity washed over him. He then realized that it was these ten entities, along with a Conceptual Sword, that had defeated him. And it dawned on him that the 'Ten Hall Masters' he had encountered when attacked by Hua Changdeng were merely individual manifestations of their respective powers faintly manifested in the mortal realm. Only in the netherworld, in the Underworld, here, could the true power and stature of the 'Ten Hall Masters' be fully revealed.

Was this the ultimate power?

After the Ten Hall Masters appeared, they too dared not speak loudly. Instead, they knelt on one knee, offering a reverent welcome to whatever was above them. The sky of the dark world then fully illuminated. Two illusory figures, one black and one white, emerged from the void. Their massive, intertwined hook-hammers latched onto the door knocker, prying open the shadowed Gate of the Underworld Capital.

Moon Palace Slave's thoughts froze, her face turning ashen as she realized something profound. The walls of spectral flesh and the cities of the ten realms they had just witnessed were not the entirety of the Divine Court's Underworld; they were merely its outermost perimeter! The gate opened by the Black and White Impermanence was the true entrance to the inner Underworld Capital—the Gate of the Underworld Capital itself! The heavy, ancient bronze gate was slowly, deliberately pushed open.

The unwavering conviction of the Five Domains' cultivators in their respective Great Dao began to crumble, bit by bit. Shock was no longer sufficient to describe the inner turmoil of those who witnessed this sight; perhaps utter despair was the more fitting word. Half-Saint, Saint Emperor, Ancestral God... Seemingly just three steps away, yet in reality, as insurmountable as ascending to the heavens. Perhaps the very existence of the Five Domains as a 'cage,' with its inherent limitations on thought, served as the ultimate protection for low-level Spirit Refiners?

The Underworld! After witnessing such a Divine Court, few could possibly imagine how mere mortal strength, even across thousands of lifespans, could possibly cultivate such a supreme realm or construct such a magnificent city of ghosts! As the Gate of the Underworld Capital swung open, boundless black energy surged forth—a torrent of death's power, ancestral origin power. Only then did those who understood truly grasp the meaning of a genuine Divine Court, the immense power of an Ancestral God, and why the Ancient War God Platform was required to delineate the Ghost-Buddha Realm as a battleground. For a single wisp of power casually leaking from within that gate, unleashed upon the Five Domains, could shatter multiple realms!

The spectral legions emerged, their honor guard imposing. Gongs thundered and drums roared, firecrackers exploded in unison. Following the long, serpentine procession of spectral soldiers, a surge of gray mist finally billowed forth, and everyone realized that something truly momentous was about to emerge. In a sweeping glance, eight nine-zhang tall, six-armed netherworld warriors, paired up, formed a circular array as they emerged from the Gate of the Underworld Capital, bearing a sedan chair. The sedan chair was jet black and of standard size. Yet, a phantom hovered above it, colossal enough to obscure the sky.

Perhaps the one who would soon awaken within that sedan chair was the true master, capable of issuing absolute commands over this Underworld Capital? Meaning... countless minds reeled, Adam's apples bobbed, as they all realized something profound: "Hua... Hua Changdeng?"

Only at this very moment did everyone truly grasp the meaning behind Saint Emperor Hua's earlier statement, "Perhaps he could give it a try." The Eight Venerables had absorbed the Sword Sea, renowned swords, the Triple Trembling Cloud, and the Willow Locks of the Dao Chain, their power reaching an illusory ancestral transformation. The Five Domains could not fathom such immense power; who could withstand a single strike from him? Yet, with the Divine Court Underworld now manifested, even all the techniques displayed by the Eighth Sword Immortal earlier seemed reduced to the might of a mere projectile, the glow of an ant.

Millions of years of accumulated time, piled up over several eras. How could the complete Divine Court left by the 'Ten Ancestors,' truly recognized by the Great Dao, possibly be matched by a mere 'illusory ancestral transformation'?

"It's over... It's truly over..."

"It's truly over, Ancient Sword Dao!"

The ancient sword cultivators of the Five Domains reeled in shock, only then comprehending why the Ancient Sword Dao had declined, why the era of sword cultivation had ended, and why the era of Spirit Refiners had begun. And while the Sword Ancestor underwent reincarnation, the Medicine Ancestor and Ghost Ancestor each had two representatives who stood among the Ten Ancestors and survived to this day. The Divine Court alone was already this magnificent. It was clear that when Hua Changdeng emerged from that sedan chair, the Divine Court's Underworld would undoubtedly become the burial ground of the Eight Venerables.

Xiao Kongtang's fist clenched, his face as deathly pale as the bloated specters embedded in the wall of flesh. Even he could not see a single shred of hope for his teacher's victory. Yet, just moments ago, he had been certain of victory, convinced that Hua Changdeng wouldn't withstand a single blow.

"Open the sedan chair!"

Before the Gate of the Underworld Capital, a resounding cry from a netherworld warrior echoed through the Underworld, jolting everyone awake. With wide eyes, they all turned to look. But as the sedan chair's panels were forcefully pushed open, the figure that rose from within appeared utterly inhuman. It was a monstrous creature with an enormously swollen body. It wore a crown, clearly signifying its extraordinary status. Yet, even its crown was askew. It had a bloated head, massive ears, and a huge golden ring through its nose—neither human nor ghost, a grotesque sight.

"This... this was Saint Emperor Hua's true form in the Underworld Capital? Wasn't he the Lord of the Underworld Capital? And wasn't he the only one entitled to ride in such a 'sedan chair,' a conveyance symbolizing supreme status in the netherworld?"

Everyone was stunned, and a flicker of hope reignited in their hearts. If Saint Emperor Hua's true form in the Underworld was indeed such a grotesque image, then perhaps the Eighth Sword Immortal still had a chance at victory?

However, the cultivators of the Five Domains soon despaired. They watched as the grotesque, bloated monster retrieved a scroll imbued with Ancestral God power from its layers of chest fat, and then heard a high-pitched, piercing, effeminate shriek:

"Proclaim: The Eight Venerables shall appear!"