Upon the dark crimson earth, a stone book hovered within Li Ming’s palm, his spirited vital essence continuously infused into it.
As the vital essence surged in, even more profound mysteries about the stone book poured into his heart.
Life and death, yin and yang...
Mysterious insights kept flooding into his heart, and more information about this place constantly appeared in his mind.
After the cosmic upheaval, what changed was not just the world’s surface but also its inner workings.
This place, it could be understood as the world’s shadow, its silhouette.
In other words, what is referred to in legends as the Netherworld.
Yet, this world didn’t exist before the cosmic upheaval; after the upheaval, streams of mystic yin force and deathly aura converged, forming another world beneath the surface of this one.
In so ways, this world complents the various demons and monsters on the world’s surface.
And under the cataclysm, the strength of demons and monsters grew imnsely. With this connection, a pathway opened between the Netherworld and the surface world. Through this link, the mysteries of the Netherworld’s terrain intertwined with the profound paths of the surface world, thus giving birth to this supre treasure.
The Emperor’s Scripture possessing the power of life and death, the Book of Life and Death!
"Netherworld..."
With the miraculous supre treasure in his grasp, Li Ming’s gaze was deep as he looked towards the furthest reaches of the blood-red ground.
There, a hole resembling a black hole erged, and following this dark abyss, he seed to glimpse a world filled with darkness and blood.
In the legends, the Netherworld has ten Yama Kings, ox-headed and horse-faced enforcers, Black and White Impermanence, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, ghost kings, ghost soldiers, and evil spirits.
But now, there was nothing, barren and devoid of any life forms beyond the fundantal elents that constituted this world!
"Is this the current state of the Netherworld, empty and desolate? In such a state, everything like the ten Yama Kings, ghost kings, and ghost soldiers simply doesn’t exist."
Li Ming’s eyes shimred. In this situation, whoever holds more of the Netherworld’s supre treasures will be able to wield the power over the Netherworld and beco the true master of the entire Netherworld!
Just like the Book of Life and Death before his eyes.
It holds the power of life and death, and whoever can master it gains control of the Underworld’s registry of souls’ lifespans, possessing a portion of the Underworld’s authority.
And like this supre treasure, there are more than one within the Netherworld.
Take the Sorrow-Ending Herb, for example, not the commonly known herb, but a peculiar plant from the Underworld that restores mories but can be deadly. Once ingested, the user is destined to die violently within three days, be it an enlightened immortal or a saint of this era, none can escape it.
It’s said that Shennong once found this herb at the border between the human world and the Underworld. With Shennong’s great strength and immunity to hundreds of poisons from tasting countless herbs, he still t his end shortly after consuming the Sorrow-Ending Herb, hence the na. However, the poison of the Sorrow-Ending Herb is not incurable; the antidote is the leaves of the accompanying vine.
As a divine object of the Underworld, whoever gains control over the propagation and governance of the Sorrow-Ending Herb, naturally obtains a portion of the Netherworld’s power.
There’s also the Other Shore Flower, also called the Demon’s Gentle Caress. Legend has it that it voluntarily descended into hell, was sent back by the demons, but still loitered on the Naihe Bridge. Out of pity, the demons agreed to let it bloom on this path, providing guidance and solace to the wronged souls leaving the human realm.
White and blood-red Other Shore Flowers together symbolize death. It’s rumored that mandala flowers bloom on the roads to heaven, while manjushaka flowers cover the paths to hell. Both signify death, one leaning towards a different interpretation of death: rebirth; the other towards the wandering and hesitation of pain and remorse: downfall.
The Other Shore Flower also has its flower deity, and taking control of it ans gaining the deity’s roles related to its propagation, thereby obtaining a part of the Netherworld’s power.
There’s also the Netherworld Dragon, a supposed offshoot of the mythic Zhulong. The existence of the Netherworld Dragon might be little known, but many are aware of the Dragon’s Tendril Grass born from it at the mont of its death.
rely the Dragon’s Tendril Grass, born from the Netherworld Dragon’s dying strength, can prevent the dying from death, and although it cannot resurrect, this power to combat life and death is still imnsely precious.
Legend has it that Dragon’s Tendril Grass is indistinguishable from common wild grass when it grows, but to bestow it with magical properties requires strict conditions: it must be sprinkled with dragon saliva; a precious substance equivalent to a dragon’s essence, usually only excreted by a dying old dragon. As supre divine creatures, old dragons typically seek a hidden place within the Underworld to die, making the grass particularly elusive and rare.
The Dragon’s Tendril Grass in the Underworld cos from the Netherworld Dragon’s dragon saliva.
And if just one herb can produce a divine plant that rivals the life and death power of the Book of Life and Death, then you should know that to contend with one force, one must wield another force of the sa calibre. Since the Dragon’s Tendril Grass can prevent the dying from death, it indicates that the power contained within it is on the sa level as the Book of Life and Death, which holds the power over life and death.
Reviews
All reviews (0)