Chapter Five: Legends of the Underworld

Wan Yi felt as if his soul were a mother clutching her child in despair, wailing, "I am speechless to death!"

He had been on guard against everything, yet in the end, he had still been outmaneuvered by the old man before him. His temples throbbed, his blood pressure soared, and he had a burning desire to tear into the old codger. But having just performed the master-disciple initiation ceremony, he could not bring himself to commit such an act of betrayal against his mentor. After all, this was the world of cultivation, where everything was governed by karma and retribution.

Helpless, he rolled his eyes at his "cheap" master and said with a sarcastic sneer, "You certainly think highly of me, tasking a lowly Qi-Refining weakling like me to hunt down Emperor-level powerhouses! Aren't you afraid your precious disciple will perish before he even gets a chance to make his mark?!"

Seeing Wan Yi’s expression—as if he had just lost his biological father—the old man couldn't help but chuckle sheepishly. "My dear disciple, I didn't say you had to go right now. It won't be too late to take down those Emperor-level cultivators once your cultivation improves. Besides, didn't I tell you? Below the Emperor level, you rely on your own speed; if you can't win, just run! I didn't say that for nothing. While passing on my techniques, I also embedded the Heavenly-grade movement art, 'Cloud Sea Soar,' into your consciousness. As long as you practice diligently, I believe you will surely achieve greatness."

Hearing that he had been granted a Heavenly-grade movement art, Wan Yi’s mood improved slightly. Watching the old man’s figure grow increasingly translucent, Wan Yi knew the moment of his dissipation was near. Reflecting on the old man’s past—his heart for the world, his righteous demeanor, and the debt of gratitude for his tutelage—Wan Yi felt a complex mixture of emotions. He stopped dwelling on the fact that he had been tricked and shifted the topic. "Master, those later-generation Emperor-level cultivators are not necessarily all evil. Is it really necessary to wipe them all out?"

The old man shook his head and sighed, "I know you possess a kind heart, but those who wish to achieve great things must not be hampered by womanly mercy! Naturally, there is a distinction between good and evil among the later-generation Emperor-level cultivators; you may eliminate the wicked first. However, you must spare no effort to hunt down and eradicate every one of the first and second-generation Emperor-level cultivators who survived the Dark Era. They have been gnawing at the bones and marrow of this world for too long; none of them are innocent! As for the kind-hearted among the later-generation, you may spare them for now. If, in your lifetime, you find a way to reopen the Path to Immortality, let them leave. But if you cannot find that path, you must promise me that before your lifespan ends, you will wipe them all out to restore vitality to this world."

The old man’s grand declaration left Wan Yi completely speechless. After a long silence, he slowly asked, "Master, do you really have such confidence in me?"

The old man, knowing what was weighing on his mind, shook his head helplessly. "My dear disciple, it is not that I have confidence in you. It is because the 'Emperor-Slaying Art' was not so much created by me as it was by the Heavenly Dao. Since you have entered my sect and learned this technique, you are now bound to the Heavenly Dao. Everything is predestined; if you do not follow the will of Heaven, you will surely face the backlash of the Heavenly Dao in the future! Therefore, everything I have said is for your own good. I know you hold resentment, but as things stand, whether for the sake of the world’s living beings or for yourself, I hope you will follow the path of the Heavenly Dao. Do not blame your master for being heartless."

Hearing that the old man had even brought up the backlash of the Heavenly Dao, Wan Yi completely gave up. As it stood, he was well and truly trapped by this old man, and escaping would not be easy. Yet, the thought of hunting down Emperors everywhere made his skin crawl. In a moment of desperate inspiration, he asked, "Master, besides the survivors, surely you are not the only one in the world who knows the secret of the Emperor level? Is there no one else who has stepped forward?"

The old man shook his head with a bitter smile. "People are inherently selfish. Even if others learned the secret, what of it? Who would step forward to cut off their own path to longevity? Attaining the Emperor level, while precluding ascension to immortality, allows one to exist as long as this world itself. What a temptation that is!"

Wan Yi’s face fell. *It’s over,* he thought. *My hope of finding allies has gone down the drain.*

Just then, the old man added, "Tens of thousands of years ago, the ghost cultivators of the Underworld did come to the mortal realm to hunt down Emperor-level experts. However, they failed and suffered heavy losses."

Wan Yi’s interest piqued, and he asked with excitement, "Master, tell me about that! What happened?"

The old man raised his arm, looked at his fading form, and smiled at Wan Yi. "Very well, I shall tell you. The Underworld’s Yin Bureau governs the life, death, and reincarnation of all living things; even cultivators cannot escape their fate. There are countless cultivators in the world, but how many can ascend to the Immortal Realm? Those who cannot ascend cannot escape the suffering of reincarnation. Mediocre cultivators and those who die young are everywhere. After they die, if their souls do not dissipate, they must enter the Underworld to be judged. Even those remnants who linger in the mortal realm as ghost cultivators are eventually hunted down by the agents of the Yin Bureau.

"However, the emergence of the Emperor level broke this balance. Some Tribulation-stage cultivators, whose lifespans were meant to end according to the Underworld’s Ledger of Life and Death, suddenly gained such immense power that they not only escaped the constraints of the Heavenly Dao but also had their names erased from the Ledger. How could the Underworld sit idly by? Thus, the Yin Bureau organized a group of experts to descend to the mortal realm, attempting to eradicate those Emperors whose time had supposedly come. But they underestimated the power of the Emperors and were ultimately defeated and forced to retreat in shame."

Wan Yi had never known such history. Just as he was listening intently, the old man’s voice grew weak. "My dear disciple, my time has come. You must walk the path ahead on your own. Remember my words: those who achieve great things must not show womanly mercy!"

As the words faded, the old man’s translucent figure flickered weakly, and finally, with a soft *poof*, he dissipated into thin air.

Seeing this, Wan Yi knelt and bowed three times toward the spot where the old man had vanished, saying earnestly, "This disciple will remember your teachings, Master!"

The moment he spoke, his vision blurred, and he lost consciousness. When he opened his eyes again, he found his consciousness had returned to his physical body, which was now sprawled on the floor of the thatched hut. The jade slip for transmitting the technique had long since turned to dust. Everything he had experienced felt like a dream, leaving him in a daze.

He moved his stiff limbs, stood up slowly, and brushed the dust off his body. Just then, a vast amount of memories that were not his own flooded into his mind: the "Emperor-Slaying Art" (Heavenly Dao-grade technique), the "Cloud Sea Soar" (Heavenly-grade movement art), methods of circulation, combat techniques, how to execute them...

To be continued...