Chapter 121: The Emergence of the Underworld, the Return of the Son of Heaven

Upon hearing my explanation, Peng Li fell silent for several seconds. He was no fool and his mind worked with remarkable speed. Within those few seconds, he grasped the gravity of my words. His tone immediately shifted to one of urgency, and he hurried to ask where I was, what had happened, and if I was injured.

I replied, "Brother Peng, I don't even know exactly where I am. Track my location immediately. I am not badly hurt, but I fear Bai Ruoshuang cannot hold on much longer."

Peng Li said "Understood" at once and asked if he should summon an ambulance.

I pondered for a moment before saying, "No, just drive over here. Give it everything you’ve got—drive as fast as you possibly can."

After hanging up, I endured the searing pain and exhaustion to crawl toward Bai Ruoshuang. Seeing the girl lying there, eyes shut tight and face deathly pale, felt like needles piercing my heart. I quickly checked her pulse; fortunately, she was still breathing.

I sighed, "You foolish girl, why did you have to be so gluttonous?"

Less than twenty minutes later, Peng Li’s car pulled up in front of us. I had no idea how he managed to navigate the muddy, treacherous path.

Peng Li was the first to step out, followed by two members of the Paranormal Investigation Team. Upon seeing the blood-drenched scene inside the house, both men frowned deeply.

"What on earth happened here?" Peng Li rushed toward us, reaching out to help me up. I quickly said, "Don't mind me, get Bai Ruoshuang into the car first. As for what happened here, just take a look in the kitchen."

One of the investigators headed straight for the kitchen at my direction. Soon, a cry of shock erupted, followed by the sound of him retching violently.

Before long, Peng Li had placed Bai Ruoshuang in the vehicle, and the other investigator helped me inside as well. Peng Li instructed his men to secure the site and call for a cleanup crew before taking the driver’s seat. He asked where we were headed and if he should take Bai Ruoshuang to a hospital.

I deliberated for a moment before shaking my head. "A hospital won't do. We must take her to the Sanhua Profound Pavilion immediately."

Without asking why, Peng Li drove straight toward the pavilion.

We arrived quickly. Qin Yu was startled by Bai Ruoshuang’s condition and rushed over to ask what had occurred. I lay in the car, gasping for air, only regaining enough strength after a long while to say, "Sister Yu, don't ask anything. Just check on Ruoshuang—she’s been poisoned by a corpse-gu!"

Qin Yu’s expression changed instantly. "Did you run into a Corpse Matriarch?"

It was no surprise that Qin Yu, a descendant of Maoshan, knew of the Corpse Matriarch. I nodded and said, "Yes, and we were nearly done in by that old hag."

Qin Yu immediately had Peng Li help carry Bai Ruoshuang into the Sanhua Profound Pavilion as she strode toward the upper floors.

About ten minutes later, I was lying on the sofa in the lobby. Qin Yu returned from upstairs carrying a bowl of black, enchanted water. Without hesitation, she pinched Bai Ruoshuang’s philtrum, and as the girl gasped, she forced the majority of the liquid down her throat.

Bai Ruoshuang choked, and after a bout of violent coughing, her eyes snapped open. Upon seeing Qin Yu forcing the foul-tasting water into her mouth, she shoved Qin Yu’s hand away and complained indignantly, "Sister Yu, what is this stuff? It’s disgusting!"

Seeing her awake, I let out a long breath of relief. Watching the girl’s disgusted expression, I couldn't help but chuckle. This little glutton; she loved to eat so much, and now that she’d tasted the Corpse Matriarch’s "rice noodles," I wondered if she would ever be so reckless again.

A wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I drifted into a deep sleep right there on the sofa.

I don’t know if I was dreaming or if it was the heightened sixth sense that came with my Nine Yin Absolute Veins, but as I slept, my soul seemed to roam across the vast mountains and earth. I witnessed things beyond imagination.

In the deepest depths of the underworld, within an unnamed city, sat a colossal palace. Upon its magnificent throne sat a massive, hulking man clad in a black dragon robe and an imperial crown, resting with his eyes closed. Beside him, two peerless beauties—barely reaching his knees—fanned him with enormous palm-leaf fans, while others offered fresh fruit and wine.

Suddenly, the man’s eyes flew open, sparks of electricity seemingly flashing within them. His sword-like brows knit together in a cold, sharp line. It was as if he had been jolted awake by a nightmare or had sensed something profound. He let out a sudden roar, causing the beauties below to drop the fruit in terror.

They knelt as if they had committed a grave sin, but the man ignored them. After a long, brooding silence, he uttered two words in a booming, tyrannical voice: "Yellow Springs!"

The scene shifted. I found myself atop a mountain in northern China. Amidst a field of ruins stood a hill shaped like a tomb, crowned by a massive, ancient tree whose canopy blotted out the sky. Suddenly, the hill began to tremble, and stones rolled down in all directions. A bolt of black lightning struck from the clear sky, splitting the giant tree in two.

In that instant, a hand covered in thick, dragon-like veins burst from the soil where the tree had been split. The palm opened, then clenched into a fist, and the entire hill was torn asunder.

From deep beneath the earth, a roar like that of a demon from the nine nether hells echoed: "Yellow Springs!"

Finally, the vision shifted again. I saw a sprawling villa complex in Tokyo, Japan, guarded by armed men in black suits. At its heart sat a small, two-story building that looked utterly out of place. It was overgrown with weeds and ivy, reminiscent of an old, dilapidated structure from the 1970s.

In a basement within that building sat an elderly man with white hair, dressed in the garb of an ancient wandering mystic. Before him lay a complex, tiered compass used for geomancy and divination. As he turned the rings, his expression grew increasingly heavy.

Suddenly, the compass emitted a loud *bang*, and two beams of golden light shot into the air. Golden characters floated and swirled within the light. The old man recoiled, nearly toppling over, and stared at the floating words in disbelief, his voice trembling: "The Yellow Springs have manifested; the Son of Heaven returns!"