"Hold on, Master! That black pool beside the altar is the Corpse-Refining Pool. It contains a vast amount of corpse energy. If the Netherworld Yin Blade absorbs it, its power will increase dramatically!"
The Flying Sky Yin Monkey's Holy Son immediately warned Ye Yunfei the moment he descended underground.
"Good. Let the Netherworld Yin Blade absorb it on its own!"
Ye Yunfei nodded. With a wave of his hand, the Netherworld Yin Blade shot up from the ground and plunged straight into the black pool next to the altar.
The water in the black pool was dark as ink, unnervingly calm.
The blade sank into it without stirring a single ripple.
Ye Yunfei then continued his descent deeper underground. Since the Netherworld Yin Blade had been refined by him and bore his Soul Power imprint, he could control it remotely.
At the same time, outside the palace of the Number One Special Grade Corpse-Refining Cave atop the Nine Prisons Corpse Mountain, numerous figures descended. Corpse World Senior Elders and regular Elders kept arriving.
"That brat is already inside! After him!"
Someone shouted and took the lead charging into the palace.
Under normal circumstances, no one could casually enter the Number One Special Grade Corpse-Refining Cave. However, this was a special situation, and these high-ranking individuals could no longer afford such formalities. One after another, they rushed into the palace and charged down the slanted underground passage.
Moments later, these Corpse World high-ups arrived in the underground chamber beneath the palace—the true location of the Number One Special Grade Corpse-Refining Cave.
"It's not good! Elder Youyan has been killed!"
The Corpse World elders who charged into the underground chamber discovered the mangled remains of Elder Youyan, their faces twisting with shock and fury.
"How is this possible? Who is that kid? How could a nobody kill Elder Youyan? Elder Youyan was at the mid-stage Mind Star Realm! Among all the ordinary Elders, his cultivation realm and combat power were the strongest!"
Someone cried out in disbelief.
"No! Look! All the ancient corpses stored here are gone!"
Suddenly, an Elder yelled.
The walls of the underground chamber were completely bare, not a single coffin in sight.
Originally, over three hundred coffins containing ancient corpses were placed along these walls, but now they were all gone!
"Damn it! Those ancient corpses are one of the foundational resources of our Corpse World, precious legacies left by our ancestors, and they're all lost! The loss is too severe!"
Some Elders began to beat their chests and stamped their feet, wailing in despair. Those ancient corpses were extremely valuable; finding replacements on the outside would be near impossible.
"Roar... It's all that brat! We must tear him to pieces!"
Other Elders roared with murderous intent soaring skyward.
"Wait, where is that kid? Where did he flee to?"
However, there was no sign of any outsider within the underground chamber, leaving the Corpse World high-ups utterly puzzled.
"It seems... he escaped deeper underground."
A Senior Elder concentrated his perception for a moment, then his expression drastically changed as he pointed downwards.
"That's terrible! The location beneath the Nine Prisons Corpse Mountain houses a critical node of the Yin Vein within our Corpse World. It cannot be compromised!"
Another Senior Elder who looked somewhat aged suddenly exclaimed.
Hearing this, the faces of the other high-ups also underwent a violent change.
Within this Small World was a Yin Vein that traversed the entire land of the Corpse World. The area beneath the Nine Prisons Corpse Mountain was precisely the location of one of its key nodes.
It was because this key node existed here that such rich corpse energy constantly surged up from the ground year after year.
For the Corpse World, that Yin Vein was vitally important. It was no exaggeration to say that it was the very source of energy for the entire Corpse World! If that Yin Vein were damaged, the energy of this Small World would gradually deplete.
One of the main reasons the Corpse World chose this Small World as its headquarters, where they operated for untold ages and developed into a superpower, could be attributed to the Yin Vein beneath the earth.
All these Corpse World leaders were well aware of the Yin Vein's significance.
"That's right. I can sense someone burrowing down into the earth here as well. Esteemed Elders, the situation is becoming grave. Report immediately to the Realm Master and the Three Grand Elders! We must give chase underground!"
The aged Senior Elder said with a grim, heavy expression.
"The Realm Master and the Three Grand Elders are already aware that a powerful foe has broken into the Nine Prisons Corpse Mountain. However, they believed we could handle it, so they didn't come. Now that things have gotten this serious, we must notify them!"
Another Senior Elder said.
Immediately, a regular Elder rushed back up to the surface to notify the Realm Master and the Three Grand Elders using the fastest method available.
Meanwhile, deep underground beneath the Nine Prisons Corpse Mountain, at a depth of several thousand meters, Ye Yunfei finally caught sight of Lü Dandan's back.
He also saw, below him, a vast, inky-black underground river, as wide as a thousand meters, shimmering with a baleful, light-devouring darkness that seemed intent on swallowing one's very mind and soul.
This immense black river lay horizontal beneath the earth, its ends stretching beyond sight into infinity.
"Master, that is a Yin Vein, also known as the Nine Nether Dark River! The Nine Nether Dark River is formed through the prolonged condensation and accumulation of all kinds of Yin aura, malevolent energies, and dark-type energy. Now I understand why the Corpse World is filled with such concentrated corpse energy—it's because of this river.
Though, generally speaking, only within the confines of the netherworld are the conditions ripe for a Nine Nether Dark River to form. Why does this Small World have one?"
The Holy Son of the Flying Sky Yin Monkeys explained.
"Yin Vein? Nine Nether Dark River?"
Ye Yunfei was slightly stunned by this revelation.
At that exact moment—
*Boom!*
Lü Dandan suddenly transformed into a black phoenix and dove headfirst into the Nine Nether Dark River, sending splashes of black water flying.
*Splash... Splash...*
The pitch-black water of the dark river began to surge upward madly, pouring directly into the phoenix's body where it was refined and absorbed.
"Master, I understand now why Miss Lü descended underground and came here. She must have discovered this Nine Nether Dark River and came down to refine and absorb its energy. Miss Lü has already transformed into the legendary Wraith Phoenix Spirit. This Nine Nether Dark River contains precisely the energy she needs most! If she refines and absorbs this entire river, her strength will experience a terrifying increase. By then, I doubt anyone on the entire Primordial Continent could match her.
Master... by then, even you might not be her opponent..."
The Holy Son of the Flying Sky Yin Monkeys said, shocked by Lü Dandan's actions.
*Splash... Splash...*
The speed at which the black river water poured into the phoenix's body accelerated rapidly.
Simultaneously, the aura emanating from the black phoenix began to skyrocket at an alarming rate.
"Miss Lü!"
Ye Yunfei called out loudly.
He still could sense a faint thread of familiar presence within Lü Dandan's Soul Body, as if a trace of her former self remained trapped within.
However, Lü Dandan gave no response.
"I'll take her out first, then sort things out later. I have no idea what she might become if this continues."
Gritting his teeth, Ye Yunfei's figure flashed as he shot down toward the black underground river, intending to seize Lü Dandan by force.
*Rumble...*
The moment Ye Yunfei moved, the black phoenix immediately grew alert. Its two massive wings flapped violently, sending a torrent of black river water churning upwards like a dark whip lashing toward Ye Yunfei.
At the same time, the black phoenix darted forward, rushing along one end of the Nine Nether Dark River at a speed so astonishing it disappeared from sight in an instant.