Chapter 128: The Seven Divine Waters – Netherworld True Water

Long before the primal chaos of the wilderness first parted, when the myriad paths of cultivation were in their decline, the Daoist Court ruled the world, and the Divine Emperors established the cosmic order.

Between heaven and earth, there came to be ten classes of True Fires and seven Great Divine Waters, born from the creation of clear heavens, refreshing earth, the essence of the sun, and the splendor of the moon.

They possessed boundless and immeasurable mighty powers capable of cleansing turbidity, serving as the origin of all things, and sheltering all living beings.

At their grandest, they filled the cosmos; at their minutest, they could be contained within a hair's breadth.

Governing the ten directions, their transcendent majesty was supreme, exceedingly rare to behold, and truly extraordinary!

The ten True Fires and seven Great Divine Waters of the world possessed wondrous forms, each following its own Dao of cultivation. The various profound secrets and crucial techniques concerning them had, ever since the sudden collapse of the Daoist Court, remained mastered by only a few prominent immortal sects and ancient clans, never leaking beyond their mountain gates.

The Yin-Eroding Red Water mentioned just now by Song Rupu was one of the three subsidiary waters of the Netherworld True Water.

And the Netherworld True Water—

Stood prominently among the aforementioned seven Great Divine Waters!

It was even faintly hailed as the foremost of the seven Great Divine Waters!

If a cultivator of this world were fortunate enough to gather the three subsidiary waters of the Netherworld True Water—the Yin-Eroding Red Water, the Luohan Black Water, and the Wangwang White Water—and refine them together to transform their form, returning to the root and restoring their destiny, they could cultivate the true Netherworld True Water.

This water contained boundless, unfathomable divine power, yearned for and coveted even by the True Men and True Monarchs of orthodox immortal Dao.

In the hands of one with formidable magical power, a single drop of Netherworld True Water was enough to manifest successive layers of netherworld realms, plunging immeasurable living beings of the heavens into terror and slaughter.

Although the Yin-Eroding Red Water was not the Netherworld True Water itself, it was still one of the three subsidiary waters, and possessed the greatest offensive and corrosive power among them, naturally holding extraordinary properties.

It was filthy and baleful, utterly yin and supremely wicked!

An ordinary cultivator who merely brushed against a trace of the Yin-Eroding Red Water would instantly meet the fate of rotting flesh and a disintegrated soul, rendering even talismanic artifacts utterly powerless to contend with it.

Even something as supreme among middle-grade talismanic artifacts as the Cyan-Code Sword, if struck by the Yin-Eroding Red Water, would see its spiritual light dim and its radiance drastically reduce.

Without special methods to nurture and protect the sword,

Within three days, it would be reduced to nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.

Although the Yin-Dou Rope in Miss Yue's possession also possessed corrupting properties, it was far inferior to the Yin-Eroding Red Water. Comparing the two was truly like a minor sorcerer meeting a great master.

Among the true waters of the world, the corrosive power of the Yin-Eroding Red Water was second only to the Yellow Springs True Water among the seven Great Divine Waters, boasting a ferocious and terrifying reputation!

However.

As extraordinary as the Yin-Eroding Red Water was, it was not easily obtained...

According to Song Rupu's earlier words, although that high master of the Zhongyi Sword Sect had cleaved a mountain into a pillar and carved the Dao of cultivating the Yin-Eroding Red Water upon it, it was truly meant as a trial.

One had to pass through numerous treacherous barriers before catching a glimpse of the true essence and successfully cultivating the divine technique.

The stone pillar inscribed with the Yin-Eroding Red Water stood roughly one hundred zhang tall, and only upon stepping within a hundred zhang of the pillar would golden characters appear upon it. However, these characters appeared in a fragmented and disorderly fashion, leaving no time for careful study, making it difficult even to remember the general outline.

Some extraneous scriptures were even mixed in among them, severely testing a cultivator's mastery of metaphysical principles and Daoist doctrines.

And if one lingered in place for more than three breaths without moving forward, a sword Qi would fly out from the stone pillar and behead the scripture reader on the spot.

This process was not only arduous and tortuous, but also offered no turning back.

There was only this one chance; one could only move forward and never retreat, with no other way out!

Those who went to read the scriptures either succeeded and withdrew with the cultivation method of the Yin-Eroding Red Water inscribed in their minds,

Or else, due to a moment of hesitation while reading, misstepped, and were struck down by the sword Qi within the stone pillar, suffering the destruction of both body and soul.

If someone attempted a clever shortcut, failing to discern the golden characters on the stone pillar yet walking straight ahead without stopping until they reached it,

They would then be required to recite the scripture orally. If it did not match the original true scripture of the Yin-Eroding Red Water—even by a single word—a sword Qi would likewise fly from the stone pillar, offering no escape from death.

Because of this reason.

Even though Song Rupu knew the precise location of the stone pillar and understood that the Yin-Eroding Red Water was a supreme divine power of extreme rarity,

He dared not risk his life to gamble on such fortune.

It was a situation of near-certain death with no hope of survival.

The Yin-Eroding Red Water was a creation of the world and a divine power of heaven and earth, belonging to no single mold of immortal Dao, ghost Dao, martial Dao, or divine Dao; any sentient being with affinity could learn it.

Over the years, he had lost count of how many ghosts, drawn by its fame, came wave after wave to the stone pillar, only to be slaughtered by the sword Qi without a single survivor.

Having witnessed these successive tragedies firsthand,

Whatever lingering thoughts Song Rupu might have originally harbored were now thoroughly extinguished, and he no longer dared to make a move...

"Having said so much, this brat should be terrified by now, right? If he still insists on going to read the Yin-Eroding Red Water, his own death would be a trivial matter, but if he implicates me, that would be completely unforgivable!"

At that moment,

Song Rupu muttered inwardly.

He raised his head to glance at Chen Heng's expressionless face, then quickly withdrew his gaze, rubbed his hands unnaturally, and chuckled dryly.

This fellow's emotions were written all over his face, yet he fancied himself adept at masking them, believing no one else could perceive the clues.

Seeing through Song Rupu's inner thoughts, Chen Heng chose not to expose him, but merely fell into a slight contemplation and pondered.

Without a doubt.

This fortune of the Yin-Eroding Red Water was something he had to try.

No matter how perilous Song Rupu made it sound, he could not back down!

Not to mention that he was currently mere rogue cultivator lacking sufficient combat means, lagging behind disciples of major sects.

High-level divine powers and techniques were naturally better the more one had!

Even disciples of prominent orthodox sects would grow covetous and restless at the prospect of the Yin-Eroding Red Water!

"With the 'True One Dharma Realm' in hand, and leveraging the rule of 'one day in the mortal world is ten days in the dharma realm,' I still retain a degree of confidence. Even if there is some danger, I cannot afford to hesitate. On the path of cultivation, where is there ever a journey completely free of wind and waves?"

Chen Heng's gaze sharpened as he thought to himself.

The Yin-Eroding Red Water alone was a major divine power; once mastered, his combat prowess would soar by an untold margin, marking yet another leap forward.

And if he had sufficient fortune in the future to find the methods for the Luohan Black Water and the Wangwang White Water, refining all three subsidiary waters into the Netherworld True Water,

That would be no different from acquiring a supreme method that even True Monarchs would covet!

He would be virtually unrivaled and invincible among peers of the same realm!

His mind now made up, Chen Heng proceeded to inquire about several finer details. Reading his intentions, Song Rupu's face instantly twisted in bitter agony!

Yet, helpless to refuse, he could only wear a mournful expression, give a dry cough, and answer them one by one.

"Rest assured, I won't drag you down to your death. When the time comes that things are truly beyond my control, I will release the dharma pact between us."

After listening, Chen Heng smiled and spoke to the utterly stiff Song Rupu.

Before Song Rupu could recover from his wild surge of joy,

Chen Heng continued in a calm tone:

"You mentioned that you once conversed with a high master of the Zhongyi Sword Sect, and that he personally revealed his origins to you?

Then I wonder why this high master came to the Nether Abyss—was it to cultivate some divine power using this boundless turbid yin? And why did he cleave a mountain into a pillar, purposely leaving behind the Dao of cultivation for the Yin-Eroding Red Water?"

"...I have no idea what divine power it might be. I merely crossed paths with that immortal senior by chance, and through sheer good fortune managed to exchange a few words with him. Had your little brother not been a Jing cultivator who consumes no flesh blood, possessing a pure yin aura unstained by bloody slaughter, I daresay I would have been casually slain by that senior on the spot."

"However..."

Song Rupu hesitated for a fraction of a breath before speaking:

"That senior seemed to have the intention of taking disciples? Even if not taking disciples, he acts like an elder who loves to teach others."

"Oh?"

Chen Heng was slightly startled, and asked:

"How so?"

"To tell you the truth, I once knew a Jing cultivator who also consumes no flesh blood; his name is Lou Fu!"

At this point,

Song Rupu slightly shrunk his neck, as if he had suffered at the hands of this ghost before, and said in a muffled voice:

"Although Lou Fu is a ghost, he possesses exquisite sword skills and has attained the realm of 'taking a life every ten steps.' Because of this, he was often summoned into the cave dwelling of that senior from the Zhongyi Sword Sect to listen to his lectures. I hear he has already reached the second realm of swordsmanship, called—"

"The second realm of swordsmanship: Sword Intent Manifestation."

Chen Heng said in a deep voice.

"Right! Right! Exactly Sword Intent Manifestation!"

Song Rupu sighed: "Nowadays, that brat struts around with supreme arrogance, looking down on all ghosts! Even when we cross paths and he sees me, his former senior, he doesn't even offer a greeting—completely outrageous!"

"And it's not just Lou Fu. Throughout the surrounding territory, any Jing cultivator with some talent in swordsmanship has listened to lectures on swordsmanship under that senior. It's just a pity that I am completely ignorant of swordsmanship, and have never had the honor of respectfully listening to the great metaphysical principles spoken by the senior..."

Song Rupu spread his hands:

"Seen in this light, doesn't that senior of the Zhongyi Sword Sect have the intention of taking disciples? As for the Yin-Eroding Blood Water, it must be another part of the trial."

He paused for a moment before adding.

"However, from what little brother has witnessed, no living being has ever managed to pass the scripture-reading phase and lay eyes upon that Yin-Eroding Blood Water..."

Listening to lectures...

Taking disciples?

"I'm afraid it's not about taking disciples."

After pondering for a moment, Chen Heng slowly shook his head inwardly.

Song Rupu was, after all, a ghost originating from the Nether Abyss. While he had some knowledge, his horizon was ultimately confined to a narrow corner.

Not to mention that the Zhongyi Sword Sect's criteria for accepting disciples were the strictest imaginable; failing to comprehend the first realm of swordsmanship—"taking a life every ten steps"—by age sixteen meant absolute exclusion from entering the sect.

Moreover, among all the eight major sects and six factions, whether orthodox or demonic, virtually all of them rejected demons, ghosts, and other heterodox entities from entering the Dao, with only a tiny handful breaking this rule.

Yet the Zhongyi Sword Sect was not among them.

From the very founding of this orthodox immortal sect, from top to bottom, it had consisted entirely of human cultivators, without a single heterodox being.

Though Lou Fu and other ghosts were Jing cultivators who did not consume flesh blood, seeking to apprentice and cultivate the Dao would be no different than seeking ice in fire...

"The matter of taking disciples is likely false; it should be that the senior grew bored in the Nether Abyss and thus took a fancy to teaching others?"

Thinking it over carefully for a moment, Chen Heng stopped dwelling on it.

He simply asked Song Rupu a few more casual questions, and realizing the fellow truly had nothing left in his belly, waved his hand to signal him to withdraw.

"Brother Song knows by now that I am a human cultivator, right?"

Before parting,

Chen Heng suddenly spoke.

"I... I know."

Having just crossed the threshold, Song Rupu was called back. Puzzled and startled, he quickly defended himself:

"Elder Brother! Little brother never eats flesh blood! I've been a vegetarian from the womb! I haven't eaten meat since childhood—let alone human flesh, I haven't even touched chicken, duck, beef, or mutton, otherwise that senior from the Zhongyi Sword Sect would have beheaded me long ago—"

"I say this not to suspect you, but since I am a human cultivator, how could I bear to watch my fellow humans caged in human pens like livestock, terrified day in and day out?"

Chen Heng said: "The various ghosts in this manor have already been consumed by me. I must trouble Your Excellency to take a trip to the human pens and deliver those people from bondage."

"......Such trivial matters, how could I trouble Elder Brother to remember them? Little brother understands!"

Realizing it was not a post-facto reckoning, Song Rupu finally set his mind at ease and spoke up:

"However, the turbid yin in the Nether Abyss is exceptionally heavy after all, making it wholly unsuitable for the living to reside here. Even if Elder Brother rescues them, I fear they cannot last long."

"I carry some Minor White-Sun Pills with me, which should sustain them for a few days, but I am afraid that having been locked in the human pens for years, their bodies are frail and their blood weak—they might no longer even withstand the medicinal potency of such pills."

At this point,

Chen Heng could not help but frown.

The living humans locked in the human pens were quite numerous, and he had no idea how Miss Yue had managed to gather so many living people in a place of extreme gloom like Zhoujue Yin.

Furthermore, the "Luoxian Lead Boat" that could take them out of the Nether Abyss would not arrive from the outside world to pick them up until half a year later.

Though he had prepared quite a few Minor White-Sun Pills, they could not withstand such heavy consumption...

"Elder Brother, little brother has a plan."

Seeing this, Song Rupu gave a chuckle and said:

"After entering the Nether Abyss, that senior of the Zhongyi Sword Sect used his own strength to slaughter countless yin spirits of the zhao cultivators, saving numerous living people. Afterward, he specially created a technique; anyone who cultivates this technique can engender a wisp of living yang qi within their body, guarding against the harm of yin qi entering the frame."

"There is actually such a method?"

Surprised, Chen Heng cupped his hands and said:

"Please elaborate further, Your Excellency."

"This matter is not strange at all. After wiping out the multitude of zhao cultivator yin spirits, although that senior has been quietly cultivating in his cave dwelling and rarely ventures out, he did pass that technique down to the Jing cultivators who listened to lectures under his sect, ordering them to continue the work of saving the living and slaying the zhao cultivators."

Song Rupu hurriedly said:

"Lou Fu has listened to lectures under that senior, so he must know that technique! Little brother can write a letter and transmit it to him. Once the truth is explained, Lou Fu will surely disclose that technique truthfully!

Moreover, as for the living people in this human pens, he will personally come forward to receive them and find a suitable place to settle them, sparing Elder Brother the trouble!"

"Is that so? It seems that senior is indeed a high master of the orthodox sect. Educating heterodox beings and saving countless living people—he truly possesses the legacy of the ancient sages."

Chen Heng looked deeply at Song Rupu and said:

"I must thank Your Excellency for telling the truth; this truly relieves a major worry in my heart."

"How dare you, how dare you, it's only my duty! Just my duty!"

Meeting this gaze, Song Rupu felt a slight panic in his heart and hurriedly waved his hands.

Although he was a Jing cultivator who did not consume flesh blood and had met that senior of the Zhongyi Sword Sect once, he had never listened to lectures under his sect, and thus harbored no great enthusiasm for the act of saving people and doing good deeds...

Otherwise, he would not have been struck by a whim out of boredom to come over to the zhao cultivator's place for a cup of plain wine.

At present, however, he had merely been forced by Chen Heng to swear a dharma pact, holding his life and death in his hands.

To curry favor with this person, he racked his brains to offer advice...

"How long will it take for that Lou Fu to arrive here?"

Chen Heng pondered for a moment and spoke.

He did not yet possess the ability of an inner-scene grotto-heaven, and the human pens held nearly a thousand people—truly not a small number, impossible to conceal.

If that Lou Fu could find a proper place to settle them, it would indeed be for the best.

"As for that technique to dispel yin qi, little brother can obtain it as soon as I transmit a message to Lou Fu. As for Lou Fu himself..."

Song Rupu thought for a moment and said, "At the shortest three to five days, and at the longest six or seven days, he can rush here."

"Very well, then I shall wait for him a few days."

Chen Heng nodded upon hearing this.

After Song Rupu cupped his fists in farewell and headed toward the human pens,

Chen Heng flicked his sleeves and turned out of the main hall. Passing through several buildings, he finally found the back kitchen in a secluded small courtyard.

Pointing with his finger, a gust of fierce wind surged up, smashing the human-head-sized iron room lock to pieces and instantly splitting open the door.

"Found it."

Stepping inside.

At the sight of the interior scene, Chen Heng murmured inwardly.