The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 984

Chapter 984: Chapter 981: Entering the Netherworld Chapter 984: Chapter 981: Entering the Netherworld When Shen Luo wanted to land another punch to completely annihilate the Black Mountain Old Demon, a roaring sound came from behind him.

He had no time to think more, using Slanting Moon Steps to dodge swiftly without looking back, and immediately executed the Thousand-mile Wing Flapping Technique, appearing above the yellow vortex in the center of the lake.

At this moment, Qing Lu was surrounded by thousands of souls in the middle of the vortex, vigorously waving at him.

Shen Luo dived headfirst, and the moment he fell into the Netherworld, he felt a lightness in his body and was immediately horrified.

His divine soul started to separate from his flesh the instant it hit the Netherworld, with his body plummeting deeper into the vortex, while his soul floated on the water.

Just when he thought Qing Lu had set him up, he heard him shouting loudly,

“Celestial Immortal, the Netherworld cleanses the soul and does not carry the flesh. Hurry, let your soul return to your body and grab onto me. As we sink together, we will be able to reach the Hell Maze below.”

Shen Luo, not caring whether it was true or false, immediately attracted his divine soul, repelled the waters of the Netherworld with the Water Control Technique, grabbed Qing Lu, and began to fall. The instant he caught up with his body, they merged.

Just then, a thick black light fell from the sky above, slamming heavily into the Netherworld.

With a “boom”, the black light exploded, causing the Netherworld to churn, and in an instant, the thousands of souls floating on the water were swept away, completely annihilated, their souls scattered.

Beneath the Netherworld, the figures of Shen Luo and Qing Lu had already disappeared.

By the lake's edge, the figure of Nine Netherworlds slowly descended, glancing at the cracked pit next to him; the Black Mountain Old Demon's shattered body was slowly healing itself, with a particularly sinister look in his eyes.

“Someone…” Nine Netherworlds gave a low shout.

“My lord.” Seven or eight silhouettes arrived belatedly, prostrating themselves before him.

“Lock down all the exits of the maze. The moment you detect those guys, report it immediately,” Nine Netherworlds ordered.

Upon hearing this, they all replied in unison, “Understood.”

Elsewhere, Shen Luo, with Qing Lu in tow, kept falling, as if through a long and dark passageway, until they finally fell out of the Netherworld.

The place where they landed was a barren plain, surrounded by red soil for thousands of miles, not a blade of grass in sight.

Shen Luo looked up at the sky and saw a spiral vortex in the void above slowly disappearing, with the aura of the Netherworld dissipating bit by bit.

He glanced at Qing Lu, pale-faced beside him, took out the Hell Labyrinth Map, and began to examine it.

The map's divided areas were many, and the terrain was very complex, with mountains, trenches, canyons, and swamps, resembling a continent.

Shen Luo studied it for a while but could not identify their current location.

At this time, Qing Lu also leaned in, looking at the map with a grave face for a long time before pointing to a small area in the lower right corner and saying, “Celestial Immortal, we might be here.”

Hearing this, Shen Luo looked and saw that the red area was no larger than a fingernail. He agreed with Qing Lu's theory.

The size of the scroll was limited; it did not depict the entire expanse of red soil, meaning they had not actually entered the maze yet.

“Let's go, we'll head to the Swamp of Desire and see,” Shen Luo put away the map and, grabbing Qing Lu once more, rose into the air and flew toward a swamp next to the red soil area.

Soon, the two flew to the edge of the red soil region, but before they could see the swamp, they first came upon a grey cloud wall towering tens of thousands of feet high, standing in front of them.

Shen Luo's mind stirred, and his Divine Sense immediately probed towards the cloud wall, and, as expected, it was repelled.

He brought Qing Lu to the edge of the cloud wall and descended, his eyes focused and a golden light ignited, using the Golden Fire Eyes divine ability to scrutinize the inside once more. This time, he wasn't completely blocked and managed to see an area of about thirty feet in radius.

The ground within was obscured by black water, with large quantities of green-black water plants floating on the surface. Every so often, there was a black floating island, but they too were covered with black mud.

“Celestial Immortal, it's said that the Swamp of Desire is permeated with a poisonous miasma that can bewitch the spirit and soul, causing one to experience illusions of desire. This matter is unrelated to realm, but connected solely to the strength of the divine soul. Even some Taoyi Immortals find it difficult to withstand,” Qing Lu cautiously reminded him.

Shen Luo had some confidence in the strength of his divine soul and, having the Golden Fire Eyes divine ability, felt no worries. He took the lead and stepped into the swamp, and Qing Lu had no choice but to steel himself and follow.

The grey cloud wall seemed to soar into the clouds, yet it wasn't very thick. Shen Luo walked only about a dozen yards before passing through it.

Upon entering the swamp, the view suddenly became clear, free from any shrouding mist, and the area hundreds of miles ahead was fully revealed, identical to what they had seen from the outside.

“It doesn't seem to have any special features…” After entering, Qing Lu also showed a puzzled face.

No sooner had he spoken than a strange look flashed in his eyes, and immediately, he began to walk forward as if his soul had left his body, step by step towards the front.

“Has he been hit by it already?” Seeing this, Shen Luo knitted his brow slightly.

His divine soul immediately spread out and, in the instant it enveloped Qing Lu, the scenery before his own eyes suddenly changed.

It appeared as if a layer of white light had spread around, and the once desolate swamp was replaced by a bustling market street.

“Crack-crackle”

A series of firecrackers exploded, instantly turning the previously silent scene lively with cheers and applause resounding all around, and the streets on both sides swarmed with crowds.

At the end of the alley, a grand mansion stood with dozens of men and women, old and young, in front, all beaming with joy. And now, Qing Lu was no longer in a green shirt, but in a red robe, riding a Black Horse, even sporting a silk red Safflower on his chest.

People were clearing the way for him, ringing gongs and loudly announcing, “The top scholar returns home, clothed in glory and honor.”

Shen Luo was taken aback, was Qing Lu once a scholarly laureate?

But he quickly realized that this scene of the laureate returning home was nothing more than his fantasy, his obsession.

In reality, Qing Lu was indeed a scholar but after a decade of taking exams and repeatedly failing, he ended up embittered. He drowned himself in the Jing River outside Chang'an City, becoming a water ghost.

Shen Luo watched for a moment and was about to awaken Qing Lu when someone suddenly grasped his arm, and his arm also bumped into something soft.

He focused his gaze and immediately turned his head to look, but couldn't help but pause.

“Cousin, where shall we go today?” The person snuggling against his side, smiling beautifully, was none other than Nie Caizhu.

“Cai Zhu, how could you…” Shen Luo's heart trembled.

“What are you startled at? Are you envious of someone else's successful examination?” Nie Caizhu asked with a laugh.

At her words, Shen Luo looked ahead once more, only to see that nothing had changed there; the noise was as loud as ever, with Qing Lu having already reached the mansion's gate, dismounting from the horse, and kowtowing to his parents.

He knew very well that the scene before him must be an illusion, yet couldn't understand why he was also affected?

As he was pondering, Qing Lu stood up and by chance glanced in his direction, a trace of confusion crossing his face.