The Legend of the Netherworld

Lin Xiao finally woke up after sleeping for two days and one night.

He slowly opened his eyes, and suddenly a flood of unfamiliar moves and spells flooded his mind—"Overlord Divine Power," "Sword Pointing to the Universe," and "Phantom Body Technique." These techniques were all from the Dirty Taoist priests. How could they appear in his mind? An ominous premonition washed over Lin Xiao, and he suddenly realized something was amiss.

He hurried out of bed, but because he had slept too long, his body had not yet fully recovered. As a result, he missed a step and almost fell to the ground. Lin Xiao quickly got up and ran towards the cave, trying to find the dirty Taoist priest. However, the cave was empty.

Lin Xiao frowned and immediately ran out of the cave, returning to the thatched hut next to his own to continue searching. Still no one was there. He began to shout anxiously, "Dirty Taoist! Dirty Taoist!" However, only the sound of the wind responded to his shouts.

Lin Xiao, unwilling to give up, went to the vegetable patch and the stream where he fetched water, but there was still no sign of the dirty Taoist priest. Lin Xiao felt even more uneasy, knowing that things might not be going well. So, he rushed down the mountain and headed straight for the Feng Shui Academy to find the headmaster. He ran all the way to a fork in the road and ran into Lin Jiao. Lin Xiao anxiously asked, "Lin Jiao, where is the headmaster? Take me to him!"

Seeing Lin Xiao so anxious, Lin Jiao had a trace of worry on her face and said, "The Sect Leader is waiting for you in the main hall. The Sect Leader just asked me to go to the back mountain to find you. What happened?" Lin Xiao replied a little anxiously, "Take me to see the Sect Leader. The dirty Taoist priest has disappeared, and I have a bad feeling." After that, he grabbed Lin Jiao's hand and ran quickly towards the main hall.

Along the way, Lin Jiao asked as they ran, "Disappeared? What happened?" Lin Xiao answered as he ran, "Yes, I searched the back mountain but couldn't find him. The dirty Taoist priest never left the back mountain before. When I woke up today, he disappeared, and... he also taught me martial arts." Lin Jiao was a little surprised: "That's indeed a bit outrageous." The two ran all the way and finally arrived at the main hall.

The main hall door was open. Lin Xiao and Lin Jiao walked in and found the headmaster sitting cross-legged in meditation. At the sound of their footsteps, the headmaster opened his eyes, slowly stood up, and walked towards them. Lin Xiao and Lin Jiao bowed respectfully to the headmaster. Just as Lin Xiao was about to speak about the dirty Taoist priest, the headmaster interrupted him.

The headmaster said calmly, "I know everything about Senior Brother Xuankong." He then took out a token from his bosom and handed it to Lin Xiao. The token was simple and solemn, with three characters engraved on it: "Xuankong Hall."

The headmaster continued, "This is what Senior Brother Xuankong asked me to give you. I've kept this token with me for thirty years. From now on, you can use this token to enter the top floor of the Sutra Repository Pagoda, where you'll find something he left for you. But I remind you, you can only use the token to reach the top floor after you reach the Jiaxu Realm. Otherwise, you won't be able to go up even with the token."

Lin Xiao took the token, his face filled with confusion and uneasiness. He then asked, "Master, where did the dirty Taoist go?"

The headmaster sighed and said, "He must have gone into the Ancient Forest. Before leaving, he only said to me, 'Something has come to an end,' and then he left."

Lin Xiao frowned and asked, "What's the matter?" The Sect Leader glanced at Lin Xiao, then turned to Lin Jiao and asked, "You didn't tell him?"

Lin Jiao was a little embarrassed, and she leaned close to Lin Xiao and whispered, "Brother Lin Xiao, I wanted to tell you this when I first went to the back mountain to find you, but when I met the dirty Taoist priest, we got into a fight, and then I forgot about it."

Lin Xiao shook his head helplessly and said to the Sect Leader, "I really don't know."

The headmaster sighed, "Thirty years ago, Senior Brother Xuankong led his disciples into the ancient forest, seeking an opportunity. Unexpectedly, they encountered the newly-breakthrough Monkey King, and were completely annihilated. Senior Brother Xuankong himself was also seriously injured, and has since lived in seclusion in the mountains, away from the world."

After hearing this, Lin Xiao's heart sank. No wonder the Dirty Taoist priest wouldn't let him enter the Ancient Forest. He continued, "So, the Dirty Taoist priest is now seeking revenge on the Monkey King? Master, what's the difference in strength between the Dirty Taoist priest and the Monkey King?"

The headmaster replied, "Thirty years ago, the Monkey King had just broken through to the Demonic Core Realm, which is the Jiachen Realm of humans. At that time, Senior Brother Xuankong was still at the peak of the Jiayin Realm. I think Senior Brother Xuankong has also broken through to the Jiachen Realm in recent years. As for their victory or defeat, it can only be said that life and death are unpredictable."

Lin Xiao said hurriedly: "Then let's go stop him now, or ask the master for help!"

The headmaster shook his head and said solemnly, "I know my brother's character well. Even if he were to die, he wouldn't want others to interfere in his affairs. Now that things have come to this, you can all withdraw."

Lin Xiao wanted to say something, but the headmaster had already closed his eyes and entered a meditative state again. Seeing this, Lin Jiao took Lin Xiao's hand and whispered, "Let's go."

After Lin Xiao and Lin Jiao exited the main hall, they walked to the steps in front of it and sat down. Lin Xiao looked up into the distance, his brow furrowed, his worry evident. He glanced at Lin Jiao beside him and whispered, "Lin Jiao, take me to the Ancient Forest. The dirty Taoist priest is in great danger this time. I can't just sit back and watch."

Lin Jiao frowned slightly, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "How about I tell you about the situation in the Ancient Forest first? This place is not simple."

Lin Xiao nodded: "Okay, tell me."

Lin Jiao gathered her thoughts and spoke slowly, "The Ancient Forest. Although we call it a forest, it's actually as vast as a giant feng shui academy. When we say 'enter the Ancient Forest to seek opportunities,' it simply means going in to hunt those monsters. After their death, there's a chance they'll turn into treasures, but some will just be corpses.

If you're lucky enough, you might even find some priceless jade, which would be very beneficial for your cultivation. However, in the eyes of the demons, this is also a law of survival: the strong prey on the weak. Some demons are even eager for us to enter, believing that we will bring them new opportunities."

Lin Jiao continued, "The demon race can cultivate both Qi and body, so they are divided into the Spiritual Awakening Realm, the Transformation Realm, the Demon Pill Realm, the Divine Power Realm, the Heavenly Demon Realm, and the Demon God Realm. Spiritual Awakening corresponds to our Ding Chou or Jia Zi, Transformation corresponds to our Ding Mao and Jia Yin, Demon Pill corresponds to our Ding Si and Jia Chen, and so on."

Lin Xiao listened intently and asked, "How dangerous is the Ancient Forest?"

Lin Jiao went on to explain, "The Ancient Forest is divided into three layers. The concentration of spiritual energy in each layer decreases gradually from the outside to the inside, and the monsters become stronger the further you go. Furthermore, the entrance to each layer is guarded by a 'Cobalt Guardian'. You must defeat him before you can enter the next layer. Every time someone defeats a Cobalt Guardian, he will immediately reappear at the entrance.

The existence of these cobalt guards is actually to prevent weak cultivators from entering the Ancient Forest and causing unnecessary trouble for the demon kings. The outermost cobalt guard is at the fifth level of spiritual enlightenment, corresponding to the fifth level of Jiazi in humans. Only by reaching this level can one challenge him, and after defeating him, one can enter the outer reaches of the Ancient Forest.

Lin Xiao raised his eyebrows and asked, "So, when you told me before that one must be at least at the Jiazi Fifth Realm to enter the Ancient Forest, was that what you were referring to?"

Lin Jiao nodded. "That's right. The outer region is ruled by two demon kings: the Shadow Wolf King and the Jade Water Snake Queen. They command the outer demon tribes and are the strongest beings in the outer region. In the middle region, there are two even more powerful demon kings: the Green Forest Flower Demon and the Ancient Tree Spirit Lord."

The core layer of Baiyou Valley is the territory of the Thunder Tiger King and the Shadow Monkey King. It was this Shadow Monkey King who crossed into the middle layer thirty years ago and killed the disciples of the Dirty Taoist.

Hearing this, Lin Xiao's expression darkened. He clenched his fists and whispered, "So, the Dirty Taoist Priest is seeking revenge on the Shadow Monkey King this time."

Lin Jiao nodded and continued, "However, in addition to these demon kings, there are many small demons on each level. Although their realms are not as high as the demon kings, they are huge in number. Many human cultivators are often trapped by these small demons when they go deep into the ancient forest. In addition, the dream of these small demons is to practice hard, then defeat the demon king and become the new demon king themselves.

Especially in the middle level, although the demons there are not at a high level, there are too many of them. Sometimes the more you fight, the more they appear, and you can't escape at all."

Lin Xiao pondered for a moment and asked, "Then how do human cultivators who enter the Ancient Forest usually act?"

"We usually work in teams," Lin Jiao explained, "especially in the outer and middle layers. We all hunt demons together, looking for adventures and opportunities, and consolidating our own realms. However, almost no one dares to enter the core layer easily. The demons there are at a very high level, and it's too dangerous."

Lin Xiao nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "What about the bounty mission you mentioned earlier?"

Lin Jiao smiled and replied, "The Hundred Herb Garden often issues quests, requiring practitioners to slay old medicinal monsters. These monsters often hide rare herbs. Chan Yi Tang and San Yuan Palace like to purchase the blood and flesh of monsters, which they say can be used to temper their disciples' bodies. Some other sects also issue bounties for treasures."

After listening to Lin Jiao's introduction, Lin Xiao stood up, took a deep breath, and said, "No matter what, I must go to the Ancient Forest. The dirty Taoist priest has done me a favor, and I can't watch him take risks alone."

Lin Jiao also stood up and patted his shoulder: "I'll go with you. But we still need to be prepared. The Ancient Forest is no joke."

Lin Xiao said, "Shall we set off tomorrow morning?"

Lin Jiao replied: "Okay."