After leaving him with the jade slip, the white fox guard transformed into a beam of light and flew back into the depths of the mountain.
Ye Zichen clearly sensed the power contained within the jade slip. Vast divine power flowed within. He was certain that so long as he released the contained energy, it would definitely form a tunnel to the Lower Three Realms.
“They were so fierce earlier. Why did they suddenly agree?” Ye Zichen couldn’t help but frown down at the jade slip, but still, it was good that he’d obtained it. There was no need to worry.
As for Su Wan’s final message for Emperor Hades….
Emperor Hades was currently in his low ebb. Who knew when he’d leave seclusion? Besides, Ye Zichen had no desire to worry about their private grudges. Right now, he just needed to descend to the Lower Three Realms.
Whenever he recalled his former home, Ye Zichen’s heart thudded in his chest.
The Three Realms were like a second home country to him.
It was there that he’d fought against the demons with brains and brawn. He’d gained and lost so much. Countless images of the past filled his mind, forming a web of memories he’d never, ever forget.
“Are you guys doing well down there?” Ye Zichen muttered to himself. He felt a throbbing deep within his soul.
He clutched the jade strip. He could no longer resist the urge to go back. Although he’d only been away for a few years…. Who didn’t get homesick?
WIthout any hesitation, Ye Zichen crushed the jade slip between his fingers. The slip’s concentrated divine power burst forth. Countless streaks of divine power intercrossed, forming an awe-inspiring array of heavenly phenomena.
An instant later, the divine power gathered in front of Ye Zichen. About half a meter in front of him, it condensed into a blue, crystalline formation.
Ye Zichen stepped inside, and its base lit up. Just like that, it burst forth as a streak of golden like and pierced right through the dome of the sky.
Meanwhile, deep with the mountain’s bamboo thicket, Su Wan noted the beam of light. She glanced at it indifferently, but watched it until it disappeared from few. Only then did she withdraw her gaze, drum her fingers against the stone table, and open her mouth.
“Liu’er, come see me.”
……
In an instant, the stars shifted overhead.
Ye Zichen disappeared from the Yao Realm and found that he hadn’t entered the Lower Three Realms directly. Rather, he’d stopped in a pitch-black, yet luminous corridor.
He now stood at one end. Behind him was nothing but the void of space and an endless sea of stars.
“What’s going on?” Ye Zichen examined his surroundings in befuddlement.
He stepped towards the sea of stars, but found that everything past that point was nothing but primordial chaos. This pitch-black, seemingly endless corridor was the only building in sight.
Ye Zichen still didn’t quite get what was going on. He circled within the sea of stars a few times. To his horror, despite making absolutely sure to note which direction he’d come from, he found himself lost within the sea of stars after just a few hundred meters.
Just as he was about to panic, the corridor reappeared in front of him.
There was clearly something strange about it.
But perhaps this was the only path to the Lower Realms.
Despite his hesitation, Ye Zichen set aside his intentions to traverse the Milky Way on foot. He was truly worried he’d get lost if he tried.
He stepped back into the corridor. It was about two meters across, and roughly the same height.
Even though it wwas clearly dark as night, it was also clear and well lit.
“What’s this here for? Does everyone come here when they descend?” Ye Zichen walked down the corridor so long, even he lost track. It seemed endless; no matter how far he walked, he couldn’t leave.
He gradually grew a bit flustered, but just as he wanted to turn back, a fireball lit up behind him.
More importantly, when Ye Zichen sensed the heat from behind, it lit up the walls of the corridor, and he saw a person reflected on their surfaces.
Ye Zichen whipped around and indeed, a campfire had appeared just half a meter away.
It blazed, spitting tongues of flame that almost licked his face. A figure in dark robes, like a witch, sat beside the fire. Beneath their hood, it was impossible to tell whether they were male or female. The figure stretched out their hands, as if to warm them with the fire.
Before Ye Zichen could recover from his surprise, the witchlike figure raised their head, but they weren’t looking at him. Rather, they were looking across from them.
They spoke in a voice as raspy as a crow’s caw, “Welcome to the Time Corridor.”
“Are you talking to me?” Ye ZIchen asked in surprise, but the witchlike figure ignored him, instead looking directly across the fire. The next moment, Ye ZIchen saw a figure appear within the flames. At the sight of this new arrival, Ye Zichen froze as if he’d been turned to stone.
Meanwhile, outside the Time Corridor, in Maple City….
“I heard that the demons we left here fell at the hands of the man depicted in that statue?” Several swarthy men with exposed upper bodies floated above Maple City. The speaker’s eyes flashed with disdaised as he looked down on the statue of Ye Zichen.
“Yes, Supreme Demon Lord,” said the human youth accompanying the demons. He was clad in green, and judging from the waves of energy he emanated, he was already an immortal king.
In the immortal region, he already stood at the pinnacle of strength. No one could make him bow, scrape, or otherwise debase himself.
However, the people standing beside him were different. They….
They were all supremes!
In the face of supremes, the youth had to tuck his tail between his legs and behave himself, even if he was an immortal king. He smiled obsequiously and said, “Indeed, he was the one who interfered with your occupation of these lands. He has long since perished, but the faction he left behind still exists within Maple City.”
“Hmph. If the Four Directions Palace’s Bi’an hadn’t interfered and prevented us from descending, this would have become our territory long ago.” One of the demon supremes snorted coldly, then grinned at his companions. “But this is perfect timing; the divine artifact has yet to appear. How about we have some fun?”
“We probably shouldn’t. People have come from the God and Yao Realms as well. If we act recklessly….”
“What are you afraid of?” The demon laughed derisively at the companion who’d tried to stop him. “Do they dare cross blows with us?”
