Chapter 2165: Black and White Impermanence

Shang Liuyu was immediately conflicted. If it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, missing it would mean losing it forever.

Every generation of merfolk yearned to meet their Mermaid Progenitor, listen to her teachings, and receive her legacy.

Lately, her weak cultivation had made it difficult to assist against powerful enemies. Now, with a chance to change all that, why would she refuse?

However, when her gaze fell upon Zu An, who lay beside her with eyes closed and his life hanging in the balance, her expression became resolute. "No, I can't," she said firmly. "I must protect him."

"I told you, no monsters can approach him here, and I'm his friend; I'll help look after and protect him," the colossus said, a hint of exasperation in its voice. "From our brief interaction just now, I can infer he has many beautiful and capable female companions. If you're with him, can your current strength truly compete with those romantic rivals?"

Shang Liuyu's face flushed slightly. "What romantic rivals? He and I are just ordinary friends. He can like whoever he wants."

"An 'ordinary friend' would abandon such a rare opportunity to become stronger for his sake?" the colossus scoffed, seeing right through her lie.

Shang Liuyu was speechless.

"Don't worry, it won't take long to receive the inheritance. I'm here; nothing will happen," the colossus continued to persuade earnestly.

At that moment, Shang Liuyu's eyes suddenly sharpened. "Ever since you started, you've been trying to convince me to leave. Who are you, and what are your intentions?"

As she spoke, she secretly tightened her grip on the formation disk, ready to activate the power of the Human Emperor Seal at any moment.

Although they seemed to be on different power levels, the fact that the colossus used persuasion rather than force to make her leave implied it had a reason not to act directly.

Seeing her vigilance, the colossus snorted. "I merely didn't want you to miss such a great opportunity, out of consideration for you being his friend. I didn't expect to be misunderstood. Fine, fine, it's the merfolk's inheritance anyway; it has nothing to do with me. I won't persuade you anymore."

After speaking, it sat upright again, resuming its majestic, statue-like appearance.

Shang Liuyu, conversely, felt a pang of uncertainty. Had she really missed the Progenitor's inheritance?

She bit her lip but ultimately said nothing more.

Although the Progenitor's inheritance was important, Zu An's safety was paramount. She couldn't leave him when he was at his most vulnerable.

With this thought, her restless heart gradually calmed. She picked up the formation disk and continued to meticulously guard Zu An's physical body.

The colossus, looking through the aura of death, clearly saw Shang Liuyu sitting rigidly amidst the various formations. Its lips suddenly curved upwards slightly, and a strange smile appeared on its face.

Meanwhile, Zu An, having leaped into the pitch-black abyss, immediately felt enveloped by endless darkness. He could barely distinguish up from down, left from right, and had no idea how long he had been falling. It was as if time and space had lost all meaning here.

Zu An's heart tightened. Had the mysterious colossus tricked him? Being trapped indefinitely in such an environment would be terrifying.

Just then, he suddenly sensed a faint, subtle force subtly pulling him amidst the surrounding chaos. Though very slight, it was remarkably noticeable in such an undifferentiated place.

Zu An didn't know if it was a way out or a trap, but he followed the pull nonetheless. Staying in an environment where the sense of space and time was lost would surely drive a person mad.

Following this pull, Zu An journeyed through the chaos—though he wasn't sure if he was moving forward or backward, and sometimes even felt like he was ascending.

Suddenly, he felt his body lighten, the boundless oppressive feeling vanished, and he found himself standing on solid ground.

He looked back to see space ripped open not far behind him, revealing a dark, profound vortex that instinctively made one want to leap into it just by looking at it.

Zu An quickly composed himself and sprinted forward a distance, putting space between himself and the dark vortex.

He could tell that this vortex was the same as the dark abyss beneath the cliff. He had no desire to experience that sensation again.

It was then that he understood why the colossus had remained silent when Shang Liuyu asked how to return if the trial failed. Although he had arrived here through it, he clearly couldn't go back the same way.

In an environment where time and space lost all meaning, even with his exceptional cultivation, he wouldn't be able to find a way out.

He had arrived relying on a mysterious pull, likely meant to guide the deceased, so there wouldn't be a reverse pull to guide him back.

He looked around. Was this the legendary Underworld?

All around him was a chilling aura of ghosts. A faint mist permeated the air, appearing white, then sometimes blue, and at other times, if he looked closely, it seemed to turn black.

Enveloped by this mist, he felt a coldness that seemed to penetrate to his very soul.

However, Zu An, being well-traveled and experienced, felt no fear. On the contrary, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

He recalled the first secret realm he had entered, which featured the grand tomb sealing Mi Li, filled with countless ghostly soldiers. Since then, he had either been exploring tombs or on his way to them, encountering untold numbers of ghosts and monsters.

Furthermore, thanks to the Primordial Chaos Scripture, he particularly enjoyed encountering spectral enemies, as the scripture was their natural bane.

He instinctively tried to circulate his internal energy and found that, just as the colossus had said, the Primordial Chaos Scripture could not be activated here.

Fortunately, apart from the Primordial Chaos Scripture, his other skills seemed to function without issue.

His suspended heart finally settled. As long as his cultivation remained, he dared to venture forth even into the Underworld.

He gazed into the distance. Although the mist obscured his vision, making it hard to see more than a few yards ahead, he discerned a continuous mountain range on the horizon, seemingly connecting the earth and sky.

His expression subtly changed. He had traveled through countless worlds over the years and considered himself well-experienced, but this was the first time he had ever seen such a majestic mountain range.

He continued walking forward, but no matter how far he went, the mountain range remained a boundless expanse on the horizon, its end nowhere in sight.

Zu An withdrew his gaze. Although the mountain was extraordinary, it was too far away for him to investigate its secrets for now. He decided to focus on his mission first.

Speaking of which, the colossus kept claiming to be an old friend, yet it had sent him down here and then completely ignored him.

Where were the mission guidelines?

The mysterious voice?

How was he supposed to participate in the trial anyway?

He wandered aimlessly for a while. Fortunately, there seemed to be only one path before him, and he continued along it.

Faint wails and howls echoed in the air, as if all the wronged souls in the world had gathered nearby. The eerie sounds were enough to make most people tremble with fear, but Zu An found them somewhat familiar.

Speaking of which, Jing Teng was also a ghost king back then. Her majestic entrance and the surrounding chilly winds were quite similar to this place.

If she were to come here, would she feel like she was home?

While finding amusement in his predicament, Zu An's heart suddenly tensed. He sensed two presences rapidly approaching ahead.

He discreetly prepared himself. This was the Underworld; whoever was approaching was unlikely to be friendly.

Unfortunately, his divine sense was being eroded and obstructed by the mist, making it difficult to perceive anything beyond a short distance.

Not long after, the two presences appeared before him.

Upon seeing their attire, Zu An was taken aback.

One was dressed entirely in black robes, the other in white. Each wore a tall, pointed hat. On the black-robed figure's hat, the words "Coming to Get You" were written vertically, making them appear particularly menacing. On the white-robed figure's hat, the words "Here You Are" were inscribed, which looked oddly comical.

However, no one would likely find them amusing, as both figures had long tongues hanging out, dragging directly on the ground.