The Legend of the Netherworld

Time flies, and four springs and winters have passed in the blink of an eye. Lin Xiao still lives an ordinary life in this small village, helping his grandparents with farm work. There has been no special change.

At this time, Lin Xiao was already eleven years old. He was much taller than before and his physique was stronger.

He still works diligently in the fields every day, as if he were an ordinary farm boy.

However, the Dinghai God who was far away in the sky - Taoist Xuanqing, finally woke up from his profound understanding of Taoism after being in seclusion for a full ten years.

As soon as he came out of seclusion, he immediately thought of the child who caused strange phenomena in heaven and earth when he was born - Lin Xiao.

Taoist Xuanqing summoned his chief disciple, Qin Liang, and asked in a serious tone, "How is Lin Xiao? What realm is he at now?"

Qin Liang knelt respectfully before his master and reported, "Master, Lin Xiao... failed the bone test."

"What?!" Taoist Xuanqing stood up suddenly in shock, a trace of disbelief in his eyes, "The bone test failed?"

Seeing his master's expression change drastically, Qin Liang quickly added, "Master, I dare not lie. I have arranged for a Taoist priest to retest him, and the results are the same. He is indeed a mortal being and is completely incapable of cultivation."

Taoist Xuanqing pondered for a moment, his brow furrowed. "Impossible! When he was born, it caused a strange phenomenon in heaven and earth. How could such a child of destiny be born mortal? It would be best if I could verify this matter myself."

After saying that, Taoist Xuanqing chanted a spell, and his figure flashed and disappeared in front of Qin Liang.

He arrived above Lin Xiao's house in an instant at the speed of the wind, standing in the clouds and overlooking this simple farmyard.

In the yard, Lin Xiao was busy in the kitchen, concentrating on preparing dinner for his family.

Taoist Xuanqing waved his hand gently, and a transparent force emanated, instantly enveloping Lin Xiao. Taoist Xuanqing was immediately shocked and whispered, "It's indeed impossible to cultivate. Otherwise, I must personally contact him and verify it."

With a little effort, he transformed into an old monk, dressed in tattered clothes, like an ascetic who had come all the way to beg for alms. He walked to the door of Lin Xiao's house, hunched over, and called out in a low voice: "Is anyone home? Can you give me a bowl of water?"

Lin Xiao was busy cooking when he heard the call from outside the door. He wiped his hands hurriedly, walked out of the kitchen, and saw an old monk standing at the door.

Seeing the old man's dusty and weather-beaten face, Lin Xiao felt pity for him and quickly stepped forward to greet him, "Master, please come in and have some water. I'll prepare some food for you."

Taoist Xuanqing waved his hand to refuse, and said kindly: "Don't bother so much, I only need a bowl of water."

After saying this, Taoist Xuanqing took out a bowl from his sleeve and handed it to Lin Xiao. Just as Lin Xiao was about to take the bowl, Taoist Xuanqing quietly used his secret technique to summon a gust of wind.

He pretended to be unable to withstand the wind and was blown to and fro, about to fall.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao hurried forward to support the old monk and asked with concern: "Master, be careful!"

Taoist Xuanqing took advantage of the situation and grasped Lin Xiao's wrist, secretly transmitting a weak force.

But to his astonishment and bewilderment, he really could not practice Lin Xiao's technique, and even his energy was completely rejected by Lin Xiao's physique!

Taoist Xuanqing felt a sinking feeling in his heart, but he remained expressionless. When the wind died down a little, he stood firm, withdrew his hand, and said thank you.

Lin Xiao took the bowl and went back inside to fetch some water. Taoist Xuanqing stood at the doorway, a complex mix of emotions swirling within him. "It's true that he can't cultivate... but the vision he saw back then clearly foretold that this child would achieve great things in the future. What went wrong?"

Just as he was thinking hard, Lin Xiao came out with water and two steamed buns. He also gave them to the old monk: "Master, you must have had a hard time on the road. Drink some water. You can also have these steamed buns."

Taoist Xuanqing took the water and steamed buns and looked at Lin Xiao with complicated eyes.

At this moment, if Lin Xiao knew that the old monk in front of him was Taoist Xuanqing, who had an irreconcilable feud with him, he might fight him to the death immediately.

However, Lin Xiao knew nothing about this and still treated the "old monk" with respect.

Taoist Xuanqing was in a state of turmoil. After drinking the water, he bowed deeply to Lin Xiao and then turned to leave. As he disappeared at the end of the village road, he glanced back at the busy Lin Xiao and thought to himself, "Child of Destiny... What on earth has hindered your destiny?"

Lin Xiao returned to the kitchen and continued preparing dinner for his family.

The old monk paced to the end of the village road, then raised his hand and waved it. He instantly transformed into the figure of Taoist Xuanqing, soared into the clouds, and quickly returned to the sky above Lin Xiao's house.

He looked down at Lin Xiao who was busy in the kitchen, and a hint of doubt and unwillingness flashed in his eyes.

Taoist Xuanqing closed his eyes slightly, used the Thousand Miles Sound Transmission, and said in a deep voice: "The plan may have changed. Come quickly."

In a moment, two rays of light suddenly appeared on the horizon, streaking across the sky at high speed. They grew closer and closer, and in an instant, they were beside Taoist Xuanqing. They were none other than Venerable Haoyue and the Queen Mother of the West.

At the same time, a shadow flashed and appeared beside Taoist Xuanqing. The shadow gradually solidified and it turned out to be the Queen Mother of the West.

The three Ding Hai gods gathered together. Taoist Xuan Qing slowly turned around, frowned, and asked, "Where are the Holy Emperor Haotian and Taoist Shenming?"

Queen Mother Xi chuckled and said, "Those two are probably battling it out somewhere again. Without a great opportunity, they wouldn't easily show up." She paused, frowning slightly, and asked, "Master, you called us here so urgently. Could something have happened?"

Taoist Xuanqing said solemnly, "The child who caused the strange phenomenon back then—Lin Xiao—was actually a mortal and incapable of cultivation."

This news was like thunder, causing the expressions of the three powerful men to change suddenly.

The Lady of the Nine Heavens frowned, her tone filled with confusion: "Master, are you serious? This matter is a huge variable." She looked down sharply, as if trying to find a clue from Lin Xiao's figure.

Taoist Xuanqing said in a deep voice, "It's absolutely true. I just went down there specifically to personally examine his bones and found that he is indeed a mortal with no potential for cultivation."

After hearing this, Venerable Haoyue's face turned cold and he sneered, "If that's the case, then what's the point of keeping him around?"

After he finished speaking, a fierce murderous aura emanated from his body. He moved his fingers slightly, and the sky and the earth suddenly changed color. Spiritual energy surged, and he was ready to cast a spell to kill Lin Xiao.

Seeing that Master Haoyue had already taken action, Taoist Xuanqing quickly spoke out to stop him: "Wait!"

He extended his hand to stop Venerable Haoyue's movements and explained, "He is only a mortal now. Killing him is like killing an ant. Instead of doing that, it is better to keep him for a while so that I can investigate him thoroughly."

Taoist Xuanqing continued, "This child attracted the four divine beasts upon his birth. He must be extraordinary. Once I find out what went wrong, I can kill him with a single slap without you having to do anything."

The Queen Mother of the West also nodded and said, "Master, your words make sense. How could someone who, at birth, could cause phenomena in heaven and earth and summon the four divine beasts, be unable to cultivate? There must be something strange going on, and it's worth investigating."

Taoist Xuanqing continued, "I need some time to investigate this matter. Don't worry, if he is truly worthless in the end, I will deal with him personally and will not leave any hidden dangers for him."

The Queen Mother of the West nodded slightly, with a cold light flashing in her eyes: "This matter is of no trivial importance, you should investigate it carefully." As soon as the voice fell, her figure instantly turned into a residual shadow and disappeared.

Upon seeing this, Venerable Haoyue chuckled and said, "I can do this too." He then performed the same technique, and his figure gradually dissipated on the spot, and finally turned into a wisp of afterimage and disappeared into the air.

The Queen Mother of the West sighed, shook her head, and cast the same spell. Her figure gradually disappeared, leaving only Taoist Xuanqing hanging in the air.

Taoist Xuanqing looked down at Lin Xiao with a deep gaze, thinking to himself, "What on earth is wrong with this boy? With such a great destiny bestowed upon him, he actually has a mortal body? This matter... is definitely not simple."

He stood in the clouds for a long time, continuing to observe Lin Xiao who was unaware of anything below.