Chapter 1686: Red Child Komatsu

The young man stood under the starry sky. All the Yin soldiers halted. Though starlight dotted the sky, surges of nether energy also arose, as one person blocked the path of hundreds of thousands of troops.

Those behind were all shaken. He was a very handsome young man, still with a trace of youthful shyness, yet at this moment, he exuded an aura that inspired awe, as if suppressing the starry cosmos.

A Ghost Marshal in front waved his hand. Behind him, all the Yin soldiers, holding bronze halberds, pointed them forward. Their armor was chilling, and a freezing aura permeated the air.

"Who are you?" the Ghost Marshal's voice rasped, like two pieces of cold iron grating together. Devoid of warmth or humanity, it sent shivers down one's spine, causing goosebumps.

"I am Xiaosong," the young man said shyly. With bright eyes, long eyelashes, light, flowing hair, and a slender build, he seemed very delicate.

He gave off a contradictory impression. The young man looked adorable, but the powerful aura he imperceptibly emitted made many Yin soldiers and generals feel pressure.

"Xiaosong? Never heard of him," the Ghost Marshal murmured. The other powerful figures of similar rank beside him also shook their heads indifferently, indicating their ignorance.

"Do you know where we come from?" one of them asked chillingly.

"I don't know," the young man said, a little embarrassed. A blush appeared on his face, as he felt his knowledge was too limited.

All the Yin generals had cold expressions. One of them stated, "We are from the Underworld!"

"The Underworld..." the young man whispered. He didn't know where it was, nor did he know of such a cultivation sect. He answered truthfully yet somewhat reservedly, "I'm sorry, I don't know, I haven't heard of it."

Behind them, a group of Yin generals instantly felt a surge of anger and frustration. Each glared furiously; no one had ever dared to belittle them like this before!

Yang Xi, despite his arrogance and having killed one hundred and eight of their Yin generals, wouldn't dare claim he hadn't heard of the Underworld. Ye Tong, powerful enough to slay three Underworld Sons, still had to admit that this organization was extremely formidable. Yet, a young man even prettier than a girl spoke like this, disdaining them. This enraged every intelligent Yin general, who felt deeply insulted.

"You... haven't heard of us?" a Ghost Marshal said icily. His voice had changed slightly, his nether energy imbued with an aggressive sharpness.

"I'm sorry. I... truly haven't heard of it," the young man said, lowering his head, becoming even more embarrassed, his cheeks flushed.

A group of sages who had been fleeing all stopped, some stunned, others gasping. "Who is this young man? Is he truly Ye Fan's disciple?"

Was he presumptuous? Did he not hold the Underworld in his eyes? But it didn't quite seem so; that expression and tone weren't feigned. Was he truly a naive, unworldly youth?

Everyone was a little confused. Those who were fleeing stopped and remained still, watching silently.

Opposite them, many Ghost Generals of the Underworld felt their chests swell with malice. To them, that flushed face was the ultimate expression of contempt; he was intentionally provoking them.

"For countless years, the Underworld has held sway over the cosmos," the Ghost Marshal said, calmly and chillingly. "It caused the Heavenly Court to collapse, yet it has stood for eternity, leading to the demise of countless gods. Who dares to be disrespectful? Yet you, a mere youngster, are so arrogant as to insult my Underworld. Today, we shall see if you can defy the heavens."

"Uncle, I'm sorry, I really don't know," the young man explained, a little flustered.

Hearing this, the Ghost Marshal couldn't help but tremble. Uncle? This was utterly intolerable; he had never seen such a hateful, arrogant youth!

"This child... has character!"

"He's fearless. Has the Sacred Body Ye Fan arrived, or perhaps that big black dog, teaching him to speak like this?" All the sages couldn't help but smile. For the young man to dare act like this, he must have a fallback, something to withstand the Underworld's fury. Perhaps the Heavenly Court army had arrived, ready for a decisive battle.

As for the Underworld side, there was an awkward silence for a long time. It was too much; repeatedly humiliated, this young man truly showed no mercy.

"Kill!" The Ghost Marshal waved his hand, and the battle formation behind him took shape. Banners densely covered the area, formation platforms spread out, and runes lit up in vast swathes. This was the Underworld's killing array, orchestrated by a group of Yin generals.

Terrifying nether energy permeated and instantly swept across the starry sky. Normal people would shiver; it was a tremor originating from the soul, with death approaching.

The young Xiaosong's aura also changed abruptly. Although still shy, the aura he emitted became incredibly powerful, like an immortal divine mountain standing there.

Banners flew in, and formation platforms descended, pressing down on Xiaosong. All of them erupted with terrifying death energy. The formation patterns, like the veins of the cosmos, pulsed with dazzling light.

"Crack!" What was unexpected was that all the formation platforms and banners were useless. The moment they approached Xiaosong, they shattered. And the group of charging Ghost Generals were sent flying, coughing up blood incessantly.

The young man did not make a move. His body was merely enveloped by a purple divine ring. This instinctive defense alone repelled everyone.

"So strong!" People were shocked, their faces instantly paling.

The Ghost Marshal, with a gloomy face, personally entered the fray. He charged, wielding a quasi-emperor weapon: a black iron halberd, like a black dragon tearing through the cosmos, sinister and terrifying.

"Clang!" Unfortunately, the attack was still ineffective. The quasi-emperor weapon was sent flying by the divine ring, and the Ghost Marshal was flung sideways, his bones cracking, suffering severe injuries, almost turning into a pulp of flesh.

Everyone's eyelids twitched. The stronger the attack, the greater the counterattack received. This was truly terrifying; a seemingly harmless young man was defying the heavens like this.

Even a quasi-emperor weapon could barely harm him, being automatically bounced back. How astonishing was that?

"Are you... all right?" The young man seemed flustered, as if he had never killed anyone before. Seeing people coughing blood and others lying motionless on the ground, he was very disturbed.

"Quasi-Emperor!" The Ghost Marshal struggled to stand, resetting his broken bones. He uttered these two words with a pale face, shaking everyone present.

A young man who looked so tender, was actually a Quasi-Emperor!

"Who exactly are you?" the people of the Underworld demanded.

"I am Xiaosong, the disciple of... the Sacred Body Ye Fan," the young man said, his voice quiet, a little flustered and reserved, as he looked at everyone.

The Underworld members instantly erupted. He was Ye Fan's disciple after all, clearly coming for them. Recalling the "humiliation" from earlier, the Ghost Generals grew even more indignant.

This young man was Ye Fan's disciple, meaning the two sides were absolute mortal enemies. Everything that just happened must have been intentional on his part. Every single one of them was filled with intense hostility.

"You're going too far, you're utterly overbearing!" the Ghost Marshal roared.

"Uncle, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry, I don't want to hurt anyone," Young Xiaosong explained. "But you want to trouble the Heavenly Court, and you attacked me, so I could only defend myself passively."

"The feud between the Underworld and the Heavenly Court is irreconcilable. Ye Tong must die, Ye Fan's blood will be shed, and you, as his disciple, must also be executed!" From behind, some Ghost Generals were already furious. The opponent's demeanor clearly seemed to be mocking them.

"The Heavenly Court lineage must be eradicated!" a group of Ghost Generals shouted.

"Why do you have to be like this? What you're doing is wrong," the young man said, refuting them earnestly and uneasily. He was a little agitated, and his face was somewhat flushed.

"I can't stand it, this is too much!" someone cried. "I've never seen anyone so arrogant, so utterly brazen! It's one thing to insult us once, but to keep going? Let's fight him!"

Someone activated a formation platform, using a quasi-emperor formation to blast the young man in front of them.

"This really isn't right. We can sit down and talk; war is truly bad," the young man called out, appearing very earnest.

The quasi-emperor formation revived, immensely powerful. Its aura shook the heavens and earth, making even spirits and gods retreat, far surpassing ordinary quasi-emperor formations. This was one of the contingencies prepared for breaking through the Heavenly Court.

A purple light flashed above the young man's head, and a nine-story tower shot up from within his crown. Its shape was peculiar, somewhat resembling a pine cone.

The moment this tower appeared, everyone was stunned. Its aura, its luster, its spiritual radiance—it was like a celestial treasure descending from the upper realms, dazzling and brilliant, its divine light astounding.

This was a purple Daoist pagoda, so crystal clear it seemed to drip. Its entire body was wreathed in purple light, with mists swirling. On each floor, an immortal venerate sat cross-legged, reciting scriptures and narrating the secrets of creation.

It was entirely forged from Divine Mark Purple Gold, without even a speck of impurity. Flawlessly brilliant, its immortal light was overwhelming. It contained the divine marks of the era of creation, making it a naturally occurring scripture.

"To actually refine it to this extent!" people exclaimed.

Every type of immortal metal has its unique value. If Divine Mark Purple Gold is refined to a level where it can communicate with spirits and immortals, it can capture the Dao runes of heaven and earth after merging with its owner's soul.

Especially when entering ancient ruins or exploring relics, having such an immortal treasure could potentially allow one to engrave various rune marks left by ancient cultivators who achieved enlightenment, offering endless wondrous uses.

Although such a claim existed, no one throughout history had ever been seen refining Divine Mark Purple Gold to such an astonishing degree, imbuing it with entirely new life, making it sentient and divine.

How did this young man achieve this? Legend has it that only those close to immortality could possess such divine abilities!

The nine-layered pine cone tower, forged from Divine Mark Purple Gold, had an immortal venerate sitting cross-legged on each layer—this was what people found most inexplicable. They were reciting different scriptures, their voices rumbling.

"He obtained many scriptures through this divine tower; even if they were incomplete, it's still astonishing!" Let alone the Underworld members, even the sages behind were almost dumbfounded.

In the world, there are two divine objects with such heaven-defying potential to capture the Dao patterns of heaven and earth: Divine Mark Purple Gold, refined to communicate with spirits and immortals, and the Immortal Exquisite Gem.

However, the latter is not practical. Legend has it that it can only be used after being nourished by immortal qi in the Immortal Realm, making it almost meaningless in this realm.

Divine Mark Purple Gold has been obtained by others, but refining it to this immortal-communicating degree is unique. It has nothing to do with cultivation level, but rather with the holder's inherent nature that is close to immortality.

How could Ye Fan have such a disciple? This truly could shake the world!

"Is there truly such a person in this world? Could he possibly become an immortal in the future?!" Everyone was stunned.

Such a display was breathtaking. It was even more formidable than Ye Tong's combat power, because no one knew what heights this shy young man would reach in the future.

"I understand now. He wasn't deliberately mocking us," the Ghost Marshal fully understood. "It's his nature, a heart of pure innocence, untouched by the mortal world, pure and flawless, which allows him to be close to immortality!"

After realizing this, he felt a deep sense of dread. He said, "Kill him!"