Lu Yuan was filled with bewilderment, utterly unable to understand why such a phenomenon would appear in a place like Shennongjia. Beneath the abyss lay another world entirely, complete with its own firmament and even a blood-red moon.
Thus, a single question weighed on Lu Yuan's mind: what in the world was this place?
After a brief hesitation, he stepped forward into the plaza.
In truth, it was a vast open expanse. All around stood many collapsed ruins, so ancient that their era was impossible to discern, though at an initial estimate, they dated back to an age immensely distant from the present.
Moreover, after careful observation, Lu Yuan was startled to find that the architectural style of these ruins seemed somewhat familiar.
"It seems rather similar to the ones on Mount Tai." He remembered the ruins on Mount Tai. Whether in their style or their aura of age-old antiquity, they seemed virtually identical.
He knew very well that the structures on Mount Tai were suspected to belong to the ancient Heavenly Court. Then what was this place?
Lu Yuan could not tell, but the atmosphere here felt profoundly oppressive. Not only did a blood-red moon hang in the sky, but even more terrifyingly, the lightning flashing overhead was a vivid purple.
If the architecture atop Mount Tai was magnificent, grand, and imposing, then this place was filled with an oppressive, eerie gloom that made one deeply uneasy.
*If Mount Tai held the Heavenly Court, and the aura here is its exact opposite, could this be the legendary Netherworld?* Lu Yuan’s thoughts raced. Back in the Mount Kunlun Mystic Realm, he had also seen a so-called Netherworld, but that had looked like a mere imitation.
Yet the eerie aura before him now surpassed that of Kunlun. It truly resembled the Netherworld of legend.
Still, all of this was merely his conjecture.
Shaking his head, Lu Yuan pushed the thought aside and concentrated on tracking the aura radiating from the Nine Cauldrons.
After all, that was his original objective. It had simply been delayed by so many unexpected developments along the way.
Now, Lu Yuan knew he could afford no further delay, having already lost far too much time. As he pressed on with his search, he sensed that he was drawing closer and closer to the cauldron.
At last, he spotted an altar directly ahead. Beneath it lay earth of nine distinct colors.
"The Nine-Color Altar once again." Lu Yuan's eyes flickered at the sight. This was not the first time he had encountered one, and he had noticed that every time he entered a strange, anomalous place, he would come across such an altar. And generally speaking, one of the Nine Cauldrons would appear atop it.
Right now, Lu Yuan could clearly sense that one of the Nine Cauldrons lay beneath the altar.
Of course, retrieving it would not be simple. Moreover, he could not be certain of the Nine-Color Altar's precise function.
If he damaged it directly, unpredictable variables might arise, for he knew that this thing was intricately linked to the Extraterrestrial Demons.
Without hesitation, he brought out the mysterious small green copper cauldron once more.
Even now, Lu Yuan did not know the true origins of this small cauldron. He had asked Jiang Ningxian before, but she had not given a direct answer, so he had simply stopped asking. Yet it did not matter; all he needed to know was that this object was of immense help to him.
Pausing briefly, he cut open his palm and began the ritual once again.
*Buzz, buzz, buzz—*
In an instant, streams of radiant light surged incessantly from the small cauldron.
These beams fused with the Nine-Color Altar, both radiating brilliant lusters that intertwined. As time ticked by, powerful waves of aura surged from the altar. Within the pillar of light, a cauldron with three legs and two ears slowly materialized.
"It really is here." A smile appeared on Lu Yuan's face upon seeing the cauldron.
However, the cauldron before him seemed somewhat abnormal. Chips and gouges scarred many places across its body, and it bore deep marks from sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, alongside blackened, dried bloodstains—so much so that it was impossible to tell which of the cauldrons it was.
*I'll examine it after I return.*
For some reason, Lu Yuan felt an eerie dread about this place, sensing that it was unwise to linger.
Thus, having secured the cauldron, he hesitated no further and chose to head back. After all, Jiang Ningxian and the others were still waiting above; if he dallied any longer, they would likely grow anxious.
Yet on his way back, he noticed a section of ruins that remained relatively well-preserved.
At the same time, a broken black plaque lay on the ground, incomplete. Even so, the characters inscribed upon it could still be roughly made out.
In fact, Lu Yuan found that the characters were even older than oracle bone script. An ordinary person would never have recognized them, but for reasons unknown, he could read them. There were two characters: "Fengdu."
*Fengdu? Isn't that the Netherworld?*
*Could my guess really have been correct?*
*Rumble!*
Just as Lu Yuan fell into thought, a deafening roar echoed from above. The vast, empty land began to tremble, and wisps of an enigmatic aura surged forth.
A disturbance in this place!
Sensing this, Lu Yuan's expression shifted slightly. At present, he possessed only his physical body, unable to mobilize the energy within him at all.
If something unexpected truly occurred, it could prove troublesome.
"I should get back to the surface first."
Without hesitation, Lu Yuan leaped, crossing over a hundred meters in a single bound. It was worth noting that his physique had already surpassed the Saint Realm.
If he wished, relying solely on this physical body, he could soar into the heavens or plunge into the earth, capable of virtually anything. Yet Shennongjia was unique, after all; who knew what might happen? With Lu Yuan's cautious nature, he would never become complacent.
He moved with immense speed. In just half an hour, he reached the abyss where he had initially descended. Although it was ten thousand meters deep, such a height was practically nothing to him.
Without hesitation, Lu Yuan bent his knees slightly. Then, like an artillery shell, his entire body shot upward.
What he did not know, however, was that shortly after his departure, a crack suddenly split across the Nine-Color Altar. From within that fissure, wisps of black qi welled up unceasingly—an energy that did not belong to this world.
On the other side, Lu Yuan leaped straight out of the abyss.
"He's out, he's out!" Jiang Haokong had been keeping a close eye on the abyss. The moment he saw Lu Yuan appear, his eyes lit up.
As for Jiang Ningxian, a smile crept onto her solemn face. Even though she had anticipated this outcome, she only truly felt at ease upon seeing him return safe and sound.
"How did it go? Did you get it?" Jiang Ningxian stepped forward and asked.
"Yes, it's in hand," Lu Yuan replied, and then recounted everything that had transpired below, including the Nine-Color Altar and the ruins of Fengdu.
"Another Netherworld?" the Spirit Monkey asked in astonishment. It had seen one back at Kunlun as well, so discovering another one filled it with great wonder.
One had to remember that in mythology, it was known as the resting place of souls, the gateway into the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
In other words, the Fengdu Netherworld was even more mysterious than the Heavenly Court.
Chapter 329