The Treasury of the Underworld

Gu Qingfeng took Luo Li and hid in a secluded spot before swiftly retreating into the Palm World.

Now, it was time for the thrilling interrogation.

Inside the Palm World, Gu Qingfeng casually waved his hand, and countless ropes descended from the void, swiftly wrapping around Luo Li’s delicate body, suspending her in a humiliating position.

"Where is the Netherworld’s treasury? Not talking? Then don’t blame me for resorting to torture."

Gu Qingfeng spoke rapidly, giving Luo Li no time to react. His demonic claws reached out, gripping the collar of her robes, ready to tear them apart.

"At the northwest corner, beneath the River of Forgetfulness!" Luo Li blurted out in panic.

Huh...

Gu Qingfeng’s claws froze mid-air, unsure whether to proceed or retreat.

After a brief hesitation—

Rip!

"Ah! What are you doing?! I already told you!" Luo Li’s face flushed with anger and shame.

"Humph. An answer given without torture is surely a lie. For all I know, the place you mentioned is a trap meant to deceive me. Better let me interrogate you properly first."

Rip!

"Ah! I’m not lying! Every word I said is true! The Netherworld Sovereign murdered my birth mother, ruined my childhood—I never had a single friend growing up. Every day was nothing but endless cultivation, and the only ones I could talk to were vengeful spirits and ghosts.

So I hate him! You’re an enemy of the Netherworld, right? Mmph—... Wait!

I want to destroy the Netherworld even more than you do, so I would never deceive you!!"

Luo Li spoke frantically, her last words nearly a shout, revealing her desperation.

Yet Gu Qingfeng remained unmoved.

"The more beautiful a woman, the better she lies. I won’t take your word for it."

"You—!!"

"I swear it! I swear to the Heavenly Dao—if even a single word I’ve spoken is false, may I be struck down by heaven, cast into the cycle of reincarnation, and never be reborn!!"

Luo Li, in her urgency, directly invoked a Heavenly Oath.

Gu Qingfeng reluctantly withdrew his claws, sniffing the lingering fragrance on his fingertips.

With a dissatisfied tone, he muttered, "Fine, I’ll believe you this once."

Only then did Luo Li let out a sigh of relief, feeling a chill on her exposed skin.

Gu Qingfeng was a man who got things done. Seeing that his "interrogation" had yielded results, he wasted no time and immediately left the Palm World, heading straight for the River of Forgetfulness.

By now, the Netherworld was in chaos. The commotion from their earlier battle had drawn attention.

Numerous Heavenly Venerates—even Heavenly Supremes—had been alerted. Streaks of light darted across the sky as they searched.

"The Little Princess is missing! Find her! Now!"

"That earlier burst of aura carried the might of an Emperor’s weapon! The intruder came armed—capture him at all costs!"

Gu Qingfeng, transformed into a speck of dust, swaggered right under the noses of these Heavenly Venerates and Supremes, slipping through their encirclements with ease as he made his way to the River of Forgetfulness.

The River of Forgetfulness stretched endlessly, its waters eerily still, like a mirror, with not a single ripple. The far end seemed to lead straight into the depths of the underworld, exuding an ominous, sinister aura.

A cold, ghostly wind blew, and a few leaves from a nearby gnarled tree drifted onto the river’s surface—only to dissolve instantly.

Faced with such an eerie sight, Gu Qingfeng showed no hesitation. He plunged straight into the water.

The sensation was like sinking into thick, viscous sludge. Countless ghostly hands seemed to drag at his body, pulling him deeper with relentless force, all while a powerful corrosive energy gnawed at him.

But with a flash of his Primordial Chaos Qi, the resistance vanished.

Gu Qingfeng dove straight down, descending nearly ten thousand meters before finally reaching the riverbed.

He activated his Golden Eye of Truth to locate the treasury. After a brief search, he found it.

No matter how well-hidden the Netherworld’s treasury was, under the gaze of the Golden Eye of Truth, it was laid bare.

In the end, it was all thanks to his old pal, the Heavenly Demon!

Once he located the treasury, he ignored the seals and directly activated the Heavenly Teleportation Array, instantly appearing inside.

The moment he entered, the dazzling radiance of countless treasures nearly blinded him.

Though not as extravagant as the Heavenly Court’s hoard, it was close.

Dragon tendons, Phoenix jade, Golden Immortal Branches, Enlightenment Fruits, Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cores, Divine Nine Heavens Iron, Blood of Ten Thousand Spirits, Nine Heavens Dragon Soul Halberd, Purgatory Demon Blade...

"Heh heh heh... Mine! All mine!"

With a sweep of his hand, rows upon rows of heavenly treasures vanished into his Palm World.

Despite his speed, the sheer volume of treasures made the task time-consuming.

Both the Heavenly Court and the Netherworld were among the most supreme factions in existence, their accumulated wealth beyond imagination. And it wasn’t just treasures—their strength was equally terrifying. Each housed at least one, if not several, Quasi-Emperors.

So why hadn’t any Quasi-Emperors stepped in to stop Gu Qingfeng’s theft?

Simple—they were all in deep slumber.

Only by forging one’s own Dao could one become a Quasi-Emperor. But under normal circumstances, achieving this required the advent of a Great Contention Era.

During such an era, the Heavenly Dao’s laws manifested clearly, making it the perfect time for breakthroughs—the age when Quasi-Emperors and even true Emperors emerged.

At other times, with the laws obscured, how could one hope to comprehend them?

Thus, outside of a Great Contention Era, Quasi-Emperors were virtually unseen.

The current Great Contention Era had only just begun, and no one had yet ascended to Quasi-Emperor status. The Quasi-Emperors in factions like the Heavenly Court and Netherworld were ancient monsters who had survived from the previous era.

Even for Quasi-Emperors, surviving an entire era was nearly impossible. To endure until the next Great Contention Era, they had no choice but to seal themselves away—effectively becoming living corpses in deep slumber.

This was why Gu Qingfeng could wreak havoc in the Heavenly Court and Netherworld with impunity.

The Quasi-Emperors wouldn’t awaken. Their lifespans were already at their limits—waking prematurely would only waste their remaining vitality and power. They would only stir when the Path to Emperorhood opened.

Then, they would pour the last of their strength into the struggle, fighting to become true Emperors and live a second life!

So even if a Quasi-Emperor sensed their treasury being plundered, they wouldn’t act. What mattered more—a treasury, or the chance to become an Emperor?

Once an Emperor, what treasures couldn’t they obtain?

The answer was obvious.

Of course, exceptions existed. If someone tried to annihilate the Heavenly Court or Netherworld entirely, the Quasi-Emperors would have no choice but to awaken prematurely to protect their legacy.

Gu Qingfeng understood this well, which was why he limited himself to theft rather than outright destruction.

Besides, even without the Quasi-Emperors, the Heavenly Court and Netherworld still had plenty of Supremes. Causing large-scale damage would be difficult.

Just as Gu Qingfeng was merrily looting the Netherworld’s accumulated wealth of hundreds of thousands of years—

The Netherworld Sovereign returned!

Having witnessed the devastation at the Heavenly Court, the Netherworld Sovereign hadn’t dared to delay. He had used teleportation spells repeatedly to rush back to his domain.

Yet the moment he arrived and saw the entire Netherworld under lockdown, his expression darkened instantly.