Journey to the Netherworld: Ancient Ghosts and Skeletal Remains

Thanks to "One Copper Coin" for the Supreme God certification! Boss, you're too generous!

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After helping Huo Feng regain her confidence,

Qin Luo tossed her a black card, but she refused it.

Her reason was that she wanted to earn her rewards through battle merits.

Hearing this, Su Muwan felt a warmth in her heart.

Sigh.

Thinking about it, it made sense.

After constantly running into eccentric "Chosen Ones," finally encountering someone relatively normal was a rare blessing.

In her delight, Su Muwan decided to promote Huo Feng significantly.

She appointed her as the deputy general of the Netherfrost Sacred Domain.

Though, admittedly, the Netherfrost Sacred Domain didn’t have many capable fighters to begin with.

Qin Luo calculated the time and deduced that the joint assault from the Eastern Celestial Realm was still some time away.

So, he turned to Su Muwan, who was still busy devouring her meal, and said, "Miss, I’m heading out for a bit. You stay here and eat, then take Huo Feng around to explore while you wait for me to return."

"Got it?"

Su Muwan, mouth full of food, glared up at Qin Luo while chewing: "Got it (munch munch), got it (munch munch). Qin Luo, do you (munch munch) think I’m some kind of child?"

Qin Luo chuckled softly at the sight. "Alright, alright, Miss."

Moments later.

Netherghost Domain.

Gurgle—

Amidst a surge of shadows,

Qin Luo’s figure materialized in the area.

He glanced around. True to its name,

the ground beneath him was pitch-black like ink, and the air was thick with oppressive ghostly energy.

A bone-chilling cold crept up his spine, making even his breath feel icy.

Uuu…

A low, guttural rumbling rose from the earth, as if countless tormented souls writhed beneath the surface.

"Truly worthy of being called the Ghost Domain."

He smirked and strode forward.

The place was saturated with yin energy, but due to his unique constitution, none of the sinister forces could approach him.

His reason for coming here was simple:

to uncover the "secret" the Ghost Nether King had tried to bargain with before his demise.

The other party had begged for mercy with this secret, but...

Qin Luo curled his lips. As if he couldn’t figure it out himself.

Perhaps because the minor world Su Muwan came from was exceptionally unique,

the divination techniques he learned there remained effective even in the greater cosmos.

Qin Luo suspected it was because Su Muwan herself was absurdly overpowered,

so the protagonists of her world had to be equally broken, and their techniques even more outrageous.

As a result, all these absurdly powerful skills ended up concentrated in Qin Luo.

With that thought, his eyes sharpened.

[Heavenly Eye—Activate!]

Hum!

His pupils instantly radiated a golden light, revealing a thick trail of yin energy stretching deep into the domain ahead.

Found it.

Qin Luo smiled faintly and followed the dark guiding line forward.

Soon after,

Qin Luo laid eyes on the "secret" the Ghost Nether King had spoken of—

the very reason he had reached the Half-Step Dominator realm and could have advanced further to full Dominator status.

It was... the colossal skeleton of an unknown creature.

The skeleton lay sprawled in the deepest part of the Netherghost Domain, its massive frame towering like a mountain, bones stained a deep brown.

Its skull hung low, hollow eye sockets flickering with eerie green ghostfire.

At its chest was a gaping hole, its edges encrusted with yin-energy-infused ice crystals.

Judging by the appearance, it looked like someone had punched straight through it.

"So this is the Ghost Nether King’s secret?"

Qin Luo narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the skeleton.

He could sense an overwhelming concentration of yin energy within it—far denser than that of the entire Netherghost Domain.

"No wonder the Ghost Nether King reached Half-Step Dominator..."

Qin Luo murmured to himself.

This skeleton was likely the remains of some ancient powerhouse,

discovered and exploited by the Ghost Nether King as a source of power.

Qin Luo reached out and touched the skeleton’s surface, his fingertips stinging with cold.

For some reason, the chill felt eerily familiar.

BOOM—!!

Suddenly, the ghostfire in the skeleton’s eye sockets flared violently.

A hoarse, grating voice echoed in Qin Luo’s mind:

[Hate... I hate that woman...]

[She shattered my path to the Great Dao...]

?

Qin Luo raised an eyebrow, his lips curling in amusement. "Oh? A lingering soul?"

The voice continued:

[I am an ancient Nethergod, fallen here, my soul unable to disperse due to external interference...]

[Ant... if you know what’s good for you... I can grant you the power of yin to tread the Great Dao...]

[All you need... is to find devotees to worship me...]

"Ancient Nethergod?"

"Devotees?"

Qin Luo chuckled.

So, this skeleton was likely the corpse of a deity from the primordial era?

Damn, after all this time, it still had consciousness?

Just how strong was this thing in its prime?

And who the hell managed to reduce it to this state?

It said it hated "that woman"?

Who was she?

Surely it couldn’t be Su Muwan again.

Qin Luo shook his head with a wry laugh.

What was he thinking? Not everything had to be connected to Su Muwan.

But whatever.

Qin Luo sensed the demonic energy attempting to corrode his mind.

Seemed like the Ghost Nether King had been manipulated into becoming its puppet too.

Well then...

Qin Luo smirked coldly at the skeleton. "A mere remnant dares to act arrogantly before me?"

"You call yourself a god? As if I’m not one myself?"

Before the voice could react, shadows surged from his palm, forming a massive dark hand that seized the skeleton’s skull.

As if he didn’t have his own worshippers.

Though...

That was back in his dream.

"You... you resist my corruption?!"

The remnant’s voice trembled with fury and fear. "No!!! Your power... it carries traces of faith energy!!!"

"Impossible!! Without a divine spark, how can you absorb faith— gahk!"

SLAP!!

"Shut it."

Qin Luo backhanded the voice mid-sentence.

Then—

CRUNCH!

The dark hand clenched, and the skeleton’s skull shattered instantly, its ghostfire devoured by the shadows.

CRACK—

As the skull collapsed, a torrent of yin energy erupted from the hole in the skeleton’s chest, now unrestrained.

Qin Luo flicked his wrist, unfurling the Ten Thousand Demon Banner to absorb all the escaping energy.

Once done, he waved again, and the skeleton itself was sucked into the banner.

"This skeleton is an unexpected windfall."

Qin Luo gazed at the Ten Thousand Demon Banner, a faint smile playing on his lips.

The banner housed countless vengeful spirits, and this place was brimming with yin energy.

So...

Qin Luo had an idea.

Little mutt.

Open the Shadow Synthesis Manual.

If he fused this skeleton with the yin energy, what kind of abomination would result?

Except...

[Lackey System is currently upgrading... Please wait...]

Ah.

Qin Luo remembered now.

After the fight with Huo Feng, the mutt had scurried off to upgrade.

Guess the fusion would have to wait.

Still...

Qin Luo couldn't help but feel like complaining.

Did he really have two systems now?

One was the Lackey System, and the other was called the Bond System?

He thought the two systems had completely merged, but turns out they were still operating independently?

Never mind.

Qin Luo shook his head—it was time to find the next helper.