First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1015 - The Golden Silkworm

Rumor had it that the Record of the Netherworld was born alongside the Netherworld’s source, and that it was carved with unknown, secret chaos markings. It was like the book of the heavens.

There were also rumors that the Record of the Netherworld was emblazoned with the heart’s blood of generations of Infernal Monarchs, and that it contained the supreme legacies of the Netherworld.

There were too many such rumors to count.

However, the Record of the Netherworld had existed only in fleeting rumors since the downfall of the Infernal Palace. It hadn’t appeared since.

Su Yi wouldn’t have thought that it had been in Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer’s hands this entire time!

“Why didn’t I know you had this treasure?” exclaimed Su Yi.

Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer sighed. “You didn’t know that I was the former ruler of the Netherworld, the Infernal Monarch, either.”

“.....” After a moment’s silence, Su Yi asked, “Why do you want to entrust these treasures to me?”

“Just in case.” Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer gazed at the Gate of Reincarnation. “We can’t predict what’ll happen after we go in, and we have to be prepared.”

He then stuffed both treasures into Su Yi’s hands. “Take them. It’s not like I’m giving them to you; I’m just having you look after them for me.”

Su Yi didn’t refuse. “What exactly is hidden within the Record of the Netherworld, anyway?”

He was quite interested, as there was no more famous treasure throughout the Netherworld, nor was there any other treasure with as much legendary flair.

Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer said impatiently, “Let’s talk about that later. For now, let’s hurry up and get started.”

After a moment’s thought, Su Yi put both treasures away and shot toward the gate without any further delays.

Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer followed immediately after.

Both of them disappeared as soon as they shot through the doorway.

……

“This is the Path of Samsara? Something’s not right here. Why don’t I see any supernatural beings or departed souls?”

This void-like, dim world had no ground and no sky. There was nothing but endless emptiness and silence.

There was no way to even differentiate between directions.

Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer was quite confused.

When they entered the Path of Samsara, he was incomparably cautious. Who’d have thought that ten minutes would pass without encountering the slightest danger?

“This place really is different from when I first arrived.” Su Yi was surprised too.

Back then, after he entered the Path of Samsara, he encountered a seemingly endless horde of supernatural entities, and he launched into an endless slaughter.

It was to the point that he had no choice but to devour and refine ghosts to replenish his spent energy.

Yet now that he’d returned to the Path of Samsara, there was no sign of life, let alone supernatural beings or departed souls.

All they encountered along the way was endless, deathly silence.

There was no doubt about it: something had happened to the Path of Reincarnation, clearing the path of departed souls. None of them remained!

Su Yi couldn’t help but take this seriously. “Be careful, and if anything happens, remember to protect me.”

Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer was stunned. “You want me to protect you?”

Su Yi said as if it were perfectly obvious, “I’m only in the early-stage Profound Illumination Realm right now. Don’t you think you ought to charge into the fray first should we run into danger?”

The corners of Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer’s lips twitched.

As they conversed, the two continued ahead. Su Yi calmed his heart and sensed their surroundings, and a full ten minutes passed before he caught a faint, nigh-imperceptible hint of mysterious energy fluctuations.

His spirits soared. “The Tree of the Ten Thousand Worlds of Samsara is still there!”

His footsteps then picked up speed as he shot toward the source of those mysterious energy fluctuations. Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer hurried after him.

Before long, a rumbling of the Grand Dao echoed through the air. The sound emanated from the distant void, breaking the deathly silence.

“Don’t tell me that’s the Netherworld’s source up ahead?” Finally, Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer saw a space permeated with a boundless sea of chaotic energy up ahead, and he couldn’t help but react.

“That’s right.” Su Yi nodded. Inwardly, he was excited too.

Back then, it was in front of the Tree of the Ten Thousand Worlds of Samsara that he had realized his goal of rebirth. It was also there, in the patch of chaos surrounding the Netherworld’s source, that he had absorbed and refined much of its source energies. This had brought his grasp of the profundities of reincarnation one step closer to perfection.

Alas, before he got the chance to refine even more of that chaotic energy, his qi inadvertently resonated with the Tree of the Ten Thousand Worlds of Samsara, and he reincarnated.

But now, he was back. The Netherworld’s source lay before him once more!

“And here I thought the Path of Samsara would be terrifying. Who’d have thought I’d just get all worked up over nothing…?” Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer muttered to himself.

They hadn’t encountered the slightest danger along the way. Even now, Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer found that a bit hard to believe.

“I actually rather hope we worried for nothing,” muttered Su Yi as he led the way toward the stretch of chaotic energy in the distance.

Boom!

The power of chaos surged. It was vast beyond limit, and it enveloped the entire area. Its surging power rumbled like the thunder of the Grand Dao, letting out a series of low booms.

Countless inscrutable, unfathomable powers of the Laws surged throughout the chaos like waves, and their auras were so mighty that they seemed like the majesty of the heavens. They were terrifying beyond measure.

The pressure on Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer increased many times over. His entire body tensed, and even his mental state was affected. It seemed he’d been overcome with astonishment.

Much like an ordinary mortal upon witnessing a god or immortal, or a cultivator beneath the will of the heavens.

The aura emanating from within the chaos was enough to make Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer feel suffocated. He felt as if all the qi throughout his body were being suppressed beneath the weight of a primordial divine mountain, and each step forward was arduous.

His expression shifted dramatically, and he breathed in great big gasps. Even when he circulated the entirety of his cultivation base, he felt as if he were about to be crushed into nothingness. He wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.

Kcch!action

Up ahead, Su Yi’s hands formed a seal, and a flame manifested of the profundities of reincarnation gathered in his palm, much like a torch.

Wherever its light shone, the chaotic aura mellowed.

Practically simultaneously, Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer felt as if that primordial divine mountain had lifted from his shoulders, and his whole body relaxed.

His expression was grave, and it seemed he’d been thoroughly shocked. He muttered, “The Netherworld’s source is far too terrifying. Its aura alone practically ground me into dust! If the Netherworld’s source bore down on me directly, I’m afraid I’d be dead in an instant…”

“The chaotic energy here is the Netherworld’s source. Resisting it is like fighting the Laws of the entirety of the Netherworld. No one would be able to withstand them,” Su Yi said casually. “But so long as you control the profundities of reincarnation, you can neutralize the threat and assimilate into the chaos.”

“Assimilate?”

“That’s right. Like a stream flowing into the Sea, or ten thousand Daos returning to their source. Only then can you avoid being crushed into powder.” As Su Yi spoke, he led the way into that boundless stretch of chaos. Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer followed hot on his heels.

Su Yi held his “torch” aloft the entire time, and the light of the mysteries of reincarnation enveloped both him and Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer.

When they entered that chaotic stretch, they were indeed like water flowing into the sea, and they faced no danger.

Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer gradually calmed down.

“In a bit, you must be careful. Don’t try to sense the Tree of the Ten Thousand Worlds of Samsara’s aura. If you do, it’s highly likely that you’ll undergo reincarnation,” said Su Yi.

That was certainly not the worst of fates, but Su Yi knew full well that if they reincarnated, the cultivation bases they’d acquired through painstaking efforts would dissipate, and they’d have to restart from the beginning. Furthermore, there was no way of knowing which plane of existence they’d wind up in…

Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer nodded. He was naturally well aware of the risks.

Whoosh!

As they walked through the chaos, the source energies churned like waves. All manner of the most primordial energies of the Laws surged within the chaos. It almost seemed as if this were the origin of the Grand Dao.

Suddenly, Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer’s pupils dilated. There, off in the distant chaos, he saw an incredibly wondrous, enormous tree.

It was like a divine mountain, and its trunk was as enormous as a coiled dragon. Its dense branches extended into the chaos like mountain ranges, and even its leaves were each the size of a house. Colorful light flowed around them, and misty radiance surged.

The churning power of chaos fell from the tree like a waterfall.

From a distance, it was like the sacred tree of the nine heavens. Its tip extended beyond the dome of heaven, while its roots stretched past the nine serenities of the earth. It was an astonishing sight.

“The Tree of the Ten Thousand Worlds of Samsara… It’s really here…” Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer’s mouth opened and closed. Fervent excitement was written all over his face.

As the last Infernal Monarch of the Netherworld, this was still his first time visiting the Netherworld’s source and seeing this sacred tree that practically only existed in legend.

They proceeded a little further, and Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer could clearly see the worlds reflected on the tree’s massive leaves: strange scenes of all types.

Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer was well aware that all of these worlds really existed, and that they could use the tree to enter them via rebirth!

“We can’t get any closer,” said Su Yi. He stopped in his tracks. “We should stop here.”

He could already sense the power of the Laws spreading from the distant tree. They were as boundless and immeasurable as the ocean, and they were terrifying.

Should they try to resist them, it was highly likely that they’d be swept into the tree’s power and forced to undergo rebirth.

Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer nodded.

He’d come to the Netherworld’s source to contemplate and master the profundities of reincarnation. He wanted to see whether or not he could bring this power out with him and use it to restore the fragmented natural order of the Reincarnation Grounds.

“Hm? Old Monster Su, look! There’s something strange about that leaf!” Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer suddenly cried out.

Su Yi followed his gaze and saw a house-sized leaf on one of the Tree of the Ten Thousand Worlds of Samsara’s branches. It was flowing with colorful light, displaying the resplendent outline of another world.

However, upon closer inspection, the leaf was trembling slightly.

A distinctive, golden light was surging along the leaf’s veins. Upon closer inspection, a roughly foot-long golden silkworm was gnawing away at the leaf!

A golden silkworm was eating the leaves of the Tree of the Ten Thousand Worlds of Samsara!

This tree grew atop the power of the Netherworld’s source, and it was the manifestation of numerous Laws, Laws strong enough to shatter even an expert like Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer with ease.

Yet a silkworm was eating its leaves. This was unquestionably unbelievable!

“What kind of divine lifeform is that?” Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer’s heart swelled with curiosity.