In the northwest of the Underworld, amidst a ruin of palaces, lay scattered bones and wandering souls.
A black river flowed down from the far north, passing by the palace ruins and surging southward.
This Underworld River was a notorious forbidden zone in the Three Realms. Its waters were filled with death qi. Even a Saint, upon contact with even a little of the Underworld River's water, would be tainted by the death qi, and in severe cases, their souls would scatter!
The palace ruins by the banks of the Underworld River were once the imperial palace of Hades, the King of the Underworld. However, Hades was no longer present. The once luxurious and magnificent palace had become a ruin of broken walls.
No one knew what had happened here.
At this moment, a woman in green, carrying a guqin, emerged from the palace ruins. She placed the guqin by the Underworld River and washed her hands with its water.
When the green-clothed woman's hands came into contact with the Underworld River's water, the eternal death qi in the river did not corrode her. Instead, it was dispelled and purified by her.
The pitch-black river water instantly turned crystal clear.
The green-clothed woman looked up at the hazy sky, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes. She spoke in a low voice, "This filthy Underworld, filled with death qi everywhere, is truly unpleasant. I really want to purify this world completely..."
Saying this, the green-clothed woman, having finished washing her hands, picked up the guqin and began to play.
The melodious zither music spread outwards. Wherever the music passed, all wandering souls were annihilated, and the death qi filling the Underworld River dissipated completely. The black river became crystal clear.
The dim sky began to be illuminated by sunlight, and the land was lit up.
After purifying this area, the green-clothed woman nodded with satisfaction, stood up, and looked towards the southeast, murmuring, "I remember there's another area called the Underworld over there. I'll go and purify that place next..."
"This filthy world, and its filthy inhabitants, should not exist."
As the green-clothed woman finished speaking and was about to head towards the Underworld in the southeast, the sky suddenly tore open. The Sword of Chaos, wreathed in chaotic energy, ripped through space and shot towards the green-clothed woman at high speed!
Seeing the Sword of Chaos flying towards her, the green-clothed woman's expression changed slightly. She quickly played a green sonic blade with her guqin, deflecting the Sword of Chaos!
Clang!!!
The violent collision's aftermath surged outwards. The surrounding land shattered, the Underworld River, which stretched for thousands of miles, was abruptly cut off, and the entire world was thrown into chaos!
"Feng Shiyi?"
Seeing that the attacker was the Sword of Chaos, the green-clothed woman exclaimed. Before she could react, a massive barrier rose around her within a thousand-mile radius, enveloping her.
"What does this mean?" Seeing the barrier rise around her, the green-clothed woman suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. She quickly clutched her guqin defensively and looked up at the sky.
From the裂开的缝隙 (liè kāi de fèngxì - cracked opening) in the sky, Ye Ling emerged!
The Sword of Chaos, which had been deflected by the green-clothed woman, flew back to Ye Ling's side and hovered there.
Seeing that it was Ye Ling wielding the Sword of Chaos, the green-clothed woman's pupils constricted sharply, and a tempestuous wave surged in her heart: "This!!!"
Seeing this scene, she understood that Feng Shiyi was likely in grave danger.
Ye Ling landed on the Underworld River, glanced at the purified world around him, and sighed slightly. He said to the green-clothed woman, "Bai Qing, tell me, the Underworld was fine. It didn't provoke you, so why are you purifying it?"
As one of the Three Realms, the Underworld was an essential component supporting the existence of Earth, serving as the place where the souls of beings from the other two realms reincarnated after death.
Although the Underworld was filled with underworld qi and death qi, and its environment was gloomy, it was the foundation for the survival of countless souls. Bai Qing's purification of the Underworld was tantamount to the complete annihilation of all beings in the Underworld.
If the Underworld collapsed, the balance of the Three Realms would be lost, and beings in the other two realms would not be able to survive.
Bai Qing did not answer Ye Ling. She stared intently at the Sword of Chaos beside Ye Ling and asked in a deep voice, "Did you kill Feng Shiyi?"
Ye Ling smiled and said, "More or less. After all, you invaders from outside the domain are equivalent to pests. Keeping you around is of no benefit to the universe within the domain, so I have to hunt you down one by one."
"Feng Shiyi was the first, and you are the second."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Bai Qing's expression grew even more solemn. She continued to ask, "The Three Realms of Earth are currently shrouded in an illusion. How did you find me?"
"Of course, by relying on me."
At this moment, Yue Qingning's voice sounded from behind Bai Qing, causing Bai Qing to tremble violently.
Bai Qing turned around and saw Yue Qingning emerging from the palace ruins, holding a dying, long-haired man in opulent robes.
If any other souls in the Underworld saw the long-haired man in Yue Qingning's hand, they would undoubtedly recognize him as the ruler of this region, Hades, the King of the Underworld!
Yue Qingning teleported Hades to Ye Ling and said, "This is the guy you wanted me to find, right? He was lying under a pile of rubble, barely clinging to life. I rescued him."
Ye Ling took Hades, treated his injuries, and smiled at Yue Qingning, "Thank you... Hades is the King of the Underworld who governs this area. With him here, my task of restoring the Underworld will be much easier."
Yue Qingning waved her hand, "It's nothing, a small matter."
Seeing Yue Qingning and Ye Ling so familiar with each other, Bai Qing's forehead broke out in a fine sweat. She stared at Yue Qingning and said, "Yue Qingning, you actually betrayed us and are cooperating with Ye Ling?"
Yue Qingning calmly looked at Bai Qing and said lightly, "The nine of us never formed an alliance, and I never said I was building the illusion for your sake. How can you call it betrayal?"
Upon hearing Yue Qingning's words, Bai Qing instantly understood Yue Qingning's intentions and gritted her teeth, "Yue Qingning, you've been plotting against us from the beginning! Aren't you afraid that if others find out, they'll tear you to shreds?"
Yue Qingning smiled and said, "You're all going to die anyway. Before others find out, Ye Ling and I will have already seized your power. We grow stronger as we fight, and the others are no match for us."
"Yue Qingning, you despicable slut!"
Bai Qing cursed through gritted teeth. She then turned to Ye Ling and tried to sow discord, "Ye Ling, Yue Qingning entered the inner universe for your head too. She can betray us, and she can betray you. Aren't you afraid she'll stab you in the back?"
Although Bai Qing was a Great Dao Immortal Lord, her expertise lay in healing methods. Furthermore, her cultivation was suppressed by the cosmic barrier. The strength she could exert at present was merely supreme.
In her current state, Bai Qing was already struggling to deal with Yue Qingning alone. Now, with Ye Ling added to the mix, she saw no hope of victory!
More importantly, Feng Shiyi had already fallen at the hands of Ye Ling and Yue Qingning... This fact made Bai Qing extremely alarmed!
Ye Ling merely shook his head and smiled at Bai Qing's clumsy attempt at sowing discord, saying, "Whether Yue Qingning will betray me is not your concern."
"You should be worried about your own life right now!"
As Ye Ling finished speaking, he teleported the healed Hades outside the barrier and then instantly unleashed his Sword Domain of Chaos, engulfing Bai Qing within it!
The Sword of Chaos transformed into thousands, shooting towards Bai Qing like a torrential downpour!