Chapter 96

In the depths of the Ghost Mansion on Mount Mang, a black, pitch-dark mist swirled, and a black city gate adorned with thousands of ghostly faces slowly opened.

A thick, viscous mist, carrying a strange glow, gushed out from the city gate. When Yin Xuege was hit by this ghostly mist, he felt his entire body and flesh freeze, and even his thoughts slowed down.

However, the evil ghost cultivators beside him seemed to have taken in elixirs and spiritual medicines, suddenly becoming vibrant and lively. Many of them opened their mouths and swallowed the black, ghostly mist in large gulps. As these ghost cultivators swallowed, their auras gradually grew stronger. Inhaling a few breaths of the ghostly mist here was more beneficial than their month-long cultivation in the outside world.

Yin Xuege couldn't help but be secretly alarmed. The Age of Decline had not yet completely passed, and just the opening of a small cave heaven had caused such a significant change for these Eastern cultivators. He really couldn't imagine what it was like before the Age of Decline, when divine immortals and buddhas flew around in the sky. Could a cultivator achieve the Golden Core at the age of ten and ascend after a hundred years?

Including Yin Xuege, 490 young cultivators who were allowed to enter the Small Netherworld Realm stood neatly in front of the black city gate.

Inside the city gate, it was pitch black, and the ghostly mist surged continuously. The Ten Thousand Evil Bone King, along with the eight elders of the Evil Bone Dao, stood in a line in front of the city gate, holding ghostly incense made from demon beast marrow and demon bird blood, dancing and kneeling to worship the ancestors of the Evil Bone Dao, as well as the ancient ghost immortal who had opened the Small Netherworld Realm and founded the Mang Mountain lineage.

After the worship ceremony, a group of Evil Bone Dao disciples cleared away the altar and incense.

The Ten Thousand Evil Bone King turned around and sneered at the young cultivators standing behind him: "I won't waste words here. You are all disciples of the Evil Bone Dao lineage, and you understand the rules of the Small Netherworld Realm."

With ghostly flames swirling in his eyes, the Ten Thousand Evil Bone King coldly said, "Except for Prince Xuege, who is my honored guest, you don't have to follow the rules of our sect.

The other disciples must hand over all their storage treasures and then go to the elders to receive the standard storage pouches. If anyone is found hiding storage treasures, their entire family will be exterminated!"

Yin Xuege looked at the Ten Thousand Evil Bone King in confusion. What rules were there for entering the Small Netherworld Realm?

Well, he was a specially invited guest and didn't have to follow these rules. But what did the other young evil cultivators need to prepare? In Yin Xuege's puzzled gaze, he saw the 400-plus evil cultivators step forward, spreading their arms to let the elders of the Evil Bone Dao use spells to detect them, and then they were given a palm-sized pouch embroidered with a ghostly face.

Among these young cultivators, Yin Xuege only knew Hu Jiaojiao and Hu Meimei.

When Hu Meimei returned with the pouch, Yin Xuege hurriedly approached her and whispered, "What rules did the Bone King talk about?"

Knowing that Yin Xuege was an extraordinary person, someone the Hu family could never provoke, Hu Meimei was very cautious and carefully lowered her head to say, "Sir, you are a guest of the Evil Bone Dao, so the Dharma King and the elders don't need to explain these useless words to you."

As Hu Meimei spoke, Yin Xuege gained a deeper understanding of the ghostly sect of the Evil Bone Dao.

According to the rules of the Evil Bone Dao, every time they entered the Small Netherworld Realm, all disciples had to hand over all their storage treasures and could only carry the specially made storage pouches of the Evil Bone Dao. After entering the Small Netherworld Realm, any gains they made had to be shared with the Evil Bone Dao.

If they obtained powerful cultivation techniques or scriptures, the Evil Bone Dao would take the original, but the finder could keep a copy. If they obtained various rare treasures, ghostly medicines, flying swords, or other cultivation resources, the direct disciples of the Evil Bone Dao had to hand over 70% to the sect, meaning they could only keep 30% for themselves.

"Seventy percent? That's too much!" Yin Xuege looked at Hu Meimei in shock. "What about you? You're not direct disciples of the Evil Bone Dao!"

Hu Meimei's red lips curled slightly, and she sighed helplessly.

The young cultivators from the small families and sects subordinate to the Evil Bone Dao had to hand over 90% of their gains in the Small Netherworld Realm, except for scriptures. This meant that no matter how many treasures they found, they could only take 10% with them.

And this 10% had to be mostly handed over to their sects and families, leaving them with only a tiny fraction. They had to risk their lives in dangerous places within the Small Netherworld Realm to gain even this small amount.

But even so, these young evil cultivators from small sects and families were eager to get a spot. If they didn't send their best young disciples to take the risk, they wouldn't have any income at all. And while the Small Netherworld Realm was dangerous, it also held great opportunities. Perhaps a young disciple might obtain a miraculous legacy and become a direct disciple of the Evil Bone Dao, rising to prominence!

This was the rule of the Small Netherworld Realm of the Evil Bone Dao, the law of the jungle in the world of evil and demonic cultivation!

"However, I don't want to become a direct disciple of the Evil Bone Dao!" Hu Meimei, looking at the thoughtful Yin Xuege, suddenly lowered her voice and said something that would make her family elders furious: "If I become a direct disciple, I have to cultivate the Evil Bone Ghost Scripture, and my flesh and blood will turn into nothing, becoming just a skeleton! I don't want to look like that!"

Hearing Hu Meimei's somewhat heretical words, Yin Xuege couldn't help but roll his eyes. He carefully examined Hu Meimei's delicate and beautiful face and nodded in agreement.

Although he was young and didn't understand the ways of men and women, he still thought that Hu Meimei looked much prettier than the skeletons of the Evil Bone Dao.

Glancing at the Ten Thousand Evil Bone King standing at the entrance of the Small Netherworld Realm, Yin Xuege cast a strange look at his lower body and then shook his head. Skeletons were really ugly, and even if they became immortals, what was there to envy about a skeleton immortal?

All 489 young ghost cultivators under the age of 36 had received their pouches. The Ten Thousand Evil Bone King clapped his hands and shouted loudly.

"You are all elite disciples of the Evil Bone Dao! That's why you have the资格 to enter the Small Netherworld Realm! You are the hope for the future rise of the Evil Bone Dao, the hope for our standing in the Eastern cultivation world!"

"But the Evil Bone Dao is a sect of ghostly evil cultivators, and we don't do things like putting on a show. Let me be clear: before the Age of Decline, every time the Small Netherworld Realm opened, some unlucky disciples would perish inside. In certain years, more than 70% of the disciples would be annihilated."

"So, think carefully if you really want to go in! For thousands of years during the Age of Decline, the Small Netherworld Realm hasn't opened, and we old folks are too old to enter, so we don't know what it's like inside. You might perish as soon as you enter, and that's a possibility!"

"Think carefully! I'm not lying to you or forcing you! If you enter, you might rise to prominence and become an immortal or a sage, but you might also be annihilated and never be reborn! If you want to back out, do it now, and I can still choose others!"

The entire crowd was silent, and no one spoke.

Whether it was the 490 young cultivators, the tens of thousands of disciples of the Evil Bone Dao, or the members of the subordinate sects and families, everyone stared straight at the Ten Thousand Evil Bone King.

His teeth clattered, and the Ten Thousand Evil Bone King clapped his hands forcefully. "Alright, all of you, go in! By the way, no private fighting or revenge inside. If anyone is found, not only will they suffer, but their teachers and relatives will suffer too!"

Chanting a spell, the Ten Thousand Evil Bone King marked Yin Xuege with a twisted ghostly shadow, giving him an evil mark. He cackled, "This Prince Xuege is my honored guest. Hehe, anyone who attacks him will be marked by my power and will die!"

A young ghost cultivator who had been acting as Hu Jiaojiao's protector and had lost 30% of his essence blood to Yin Xuege's flying knife screamed in anger, "Dharma King, this is unfair! We can't attack him, but he can attack us. Isn't that a disadvantage?"

"Disadvantage?" The Ten Thousand Evil Bone King glanced at the young ghost cultivator and suddenly laughed fiercely. "You're afraid of a disadvantage? Little brat!"

With a casual finger, a black bone spear shot out, piercing the young ghost cultivator's forehead before he could even say "Oh no," shattering his head and annihilating his soul. The Ten Thousand Evil Bone King sneered, "Whose brat is this? Exterminate the family! All of them! How dare you negotiate with me? You're getting more and more out of line!"

A few ghost cultivators in the crowd, their faces pale, didn't have time to beg for mercy before several generals of the Evil Bone Dao, their bodies wrapped in ghostly flames and bones bronze-colored, charged over, hacking the ghost cultivators to pieces. The souls of the ghost cultivators, glowing green, tried to escape with the ghostly wind, but the generals grabbed them and stuffed them into their mouths.

Chewing the souls of the unfortunate ghost cultivators, the generals of the Evil Bone Dao glared at the countless ghost cultivators who were now as silent as cicadas in winter.

"I'm very reasonable!" the Ten Thousand Evil Bone King shouted. "Is there anyone else who thinks I'm being unfair?"

No one spoke, and all the ghost cultivators lowered their heads, showing a submissive and fearful demeanor. The Ten Thousand Evil Bone King nodded in satisfaction. He beckoned to Yin Xuege and said, "Prince Xuege, you can go in. No Evil Bone Dao disciple will attack you. This is a promise I made to Emperor Yin Xue, and I will keep it."

He paused, his face turning a bit grim. "But the Arhat relic you took from that little monk, don't release it inside the Small Netherworld Realm. I don't know what might happen! Remember, this is a Golden Immortal's training ground, and a mere Arhat relic could only bring disaster!"

Yin Xuege smiled and bowed to the Ten Thousand Evil Bone King, his gaze sweeping over Hu Jiaojiao and her protectors. Hu Jiaojiao and the others turned pale, lowering their heads and not daring to look at Yin Xuege.

The Ten Thousand Evil Bone King nodded in satisfaction and casually pointed to a disciple of the Evil Bone Dao, a man whose muscles were mostly rotten, exposing most of his white bones. The disciple ran out happily, kowtowing to the Ten Thousand Evil Bone King. Then he stood up proudly, picking up the pouch of the slain young ghost cultivator and standing confidently in the crowd.

Hu Meimei, her eyes wide with fear, looked at the young cultivator whose flesh was mostly rotten, exposing large patches of white bones. Her beautiful face turned a sickly green, and in the ghostly mist and flames, she looked like a ghost.

"Go in, go in, be careful!" the Ten Thousand Evil Bone King said solemnly. "Remember, be greedy. If you see something good, even if it's risky, take it. The more good things you bring back, the better your prospects in the sect will be! So, boys, be greedy, don't be afraid of death. Most of you have already died once, so don't be afraid."

His ghostly eyes glared at Yin Xuege. "Prince Xuege, don't be too complacent! Safety first, don't be too careless! Those Netherworld stones, Netherworld trees, and Netherworld grass are useless to you. Just focus on finding materials that can enhance your soul and physical strength, and don't touch anything else!"

Yin Xuege smiled and bowed to the Ten Thousand Evil Bone King, then flapped his innate bat wings, vanishing into the huge city gate of the Small Netherworld Realm. A dense black mist enveloped his body, and Yin Xuege felt the surroundings darken and spin. Soon, he found himself in a wondrous world that made his soul feel incredibly relaxed and peaceful.

This was the Small Netherworld Realm, the training ground left by an ancient ghostly Golden Immortal!

Here, like the outside world, there were mountains and water, and the mountains were strangely shaped, the water long and winding. Just by the appearance of the mountains and water, it was a blessed land.

But the sky here was pitch black, with a greenish glow shining through thick clouds, casting a greenish hue over the entire world. The mountains were a ghastly white, the water a strange dark green, and the plants and trees on the mountains were a cold, dark green, deep blue, black, and purplish red, colors not seen in the outside world.

The dense ghostly mist formed a visible black wind, and the ghostly mist was extremely cold. Even with his blood demon body, Yin Xuege felt his body shiver, making it hard to move.

But soon, something that delighted Yin Xuege happened. A faint silver glow spread from his chest, and the silver jade cicada released a gentle force that enveloped his body, quickly dispelling the discomfort caused by the ghostly mist.

A warm current slowly flowed from his abdomen, and in the next moment, something that surprised and frightened Yin Xuege occurred—sensing the substantial ghostly mist outside, an invisible vortex appeared in his abdomen, swallowing the dense ghostly mist. The warm current grew stronger, rapidly flowing through his body, and Yin Xuege could feel his strength increasing rapidly!

By the grace of heaven, although Yin Xuege had a blood demon body, blood demons were still living beings, a type of demon!

And ghostly mist could only be absorbed by ghosts! Although Yin Xuege could absorb moonlight essence and innate yin energy, both of which were essential for demons,

But ghostly mist was different! Yin Xuege was a living being, not a zombie or ghost, and he should not be able to absorb ghostly mist!

But something inexplicable was happening. An abyss seemed to be forming in his abdomen, voraciously swallowing the dense, substantial ghostly mist. And his body was converting the ghostly mist into energy his body needed in a way he couldn't understand or control.

His physical strength was slowly increasing, and the energy in his blood was also growing.

A faint blood mist gradually enveloped Yin Xuege's body, becoming denser and eventually forming a blood flame around him.

"Alright, I'm a monster, a freak, I can absorb the essence blood of living beings, and I can also absorb ghostly mist!" Yin Xuege, holding the hilt of the Blood Spirit Sword, wanted to hit himself on the head with the hilt. He had no idea what was happening inside his body. Ghostly mist, was this something a living being should be able to absorb?

After pondering for a while, Yin Xuege couldn't find an answer, so he gave up on trying to understand this clearly unreasonable phenomenon.

The most important thing now was to find useful heavenly treasures in the Small Netherworld Realm. Everything else was a minor issue.

Each time the Small Netherworld Realm opened, according to the records of the Evil Bone Dao over countless years, the duration was uncertain. Perhaps the Small Netherworld Realm itself had its own consciousness, and the duration of each opening depended on its mood.

In ancient times, some disciples of the Evil Bone Dao were unlucky, being thrown out after only three to five days in the Small Netherworld Realm for dozens of consecutive openings. But there were also those who were very lucky, staying inside the Small Netherworld Realm for three full cycles of sixty years, during which the Small Netherworld Realm did not open again.

When the disciple emerged from the Small Netherworld Realm after three cycles, he had already become a great cultivator, just one step away from ascending to immortality!

So no one could predict how long the Small Netherworld Realm would remain open each time. Yin Xuege might stay for a long time, or he might be kicked out after just a few days. Therefore, he had to make the most of his time and find as many useful things as possible!

Whether it was the Blackheart Soul Lotus or the Blood Soul Juice, Yin Xuege hoped to find them, and the more, the better!

Spreading his innate bat wings, Yin Xuege followed a long wind of ghostly mist, flying deeper into the Small Netherworld Realm.

In front of him, a black stone tower stood behind a high mountain, its surface faintly phosphorescent, and a low, ghostly howl echoed continuously.