The search for the murderer at Chiyan Mountain continued with intense urgency, unaware that the murderer had already perished. The body had been blown away by the wind and devoured by beasts and birds. Even the two great warriors from Dafu had already gone to Zhouqing City to vent their frustrations.
Two hours passed, and the air seemed to ripple with an unusual disturbance, as a twenty-five or twenty-six-year-old woman in white suddenly fell from the sky. It was Xiang Miao, the White Jiao.
However, unlike before, her white clothes were mostly stained red with blood, and the tattered fabric barely covered her body, revealing several bloody wounds. The most horrifying one extended from the back of her neck to her waist, the flesh mangled beyond recognition.
Despite this, her expression remained calm, though her brows furrowed with deep concern.
She raised her right hand, pushing forward gently, as if sensing something.
"The Half-Bone Clan's soul... there are no remnants... it cannot become a demon spirit..." Her worry transformed into profound sorrow, her eyes turning void of life, as though she had lost all hope for the future.
"You should have discussed with me beforehand if you were going to sacrifice yourself for Tai Cang..." she whispered to herself as if in a trance.
"The Muluo grass on the wall will freeze to death soon. You should have moved it inside. The wall should be planted with the cold-resistant Xuechun grass. But without you, I can't move them alone."
Her thoughts were a tangled mess of memories, flooding her mind—the companionship over the past ten years, the precious memories left behind, now rushing back at this moment.
She pressed her hand to her chest. The deep wounds did not bring her pain, but the constant throbbing in her dragon's heart was unbearable.
"I originally wanted to kill the lowly human who sent you here, but then I remembered how often you praised him in front of me. I saw that in your letter, you said that your sacrifice to Tai Cang was your own decision, unrelated to him. So, I spared his life."
"As long as you're alive, Dafu will surely find some clues... So you intentionally revealed yourself and died, with no evidence left behind. Now, Tai Cang has no more concerns... You, who were always dull, actually thought of everything so thoroughly."
"But what should I do? I want all Tai Cang's human race to accompany you in death. No noble race in this world deserves you giving your life for them."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Dafu? Such a petty race, what right do they have to threaten you?"
Her once upright body collapsed to the ground. Tears dripped from her eyes as she murmured to herself. Unbearable sadness overwhelmed her heart.
After sitting in silence for a long time, she suddenly lifted her head as though having made a decision.
She slowly rose, and behind her, a white Jiao phantom emerged. The white dragon's illusory form coiled and twisted in the air, its scales shining with spiritual light, while dragon whiskers fluttered in the wind. The aura it exuded was dignified and powerful.
The phantom opened its mouth, and a string of complex syllables escaped. A strange gust of wind swept through Chiyan Mountain, engulfing the entire mountain range.
From the air, from the grass, from between the rocks, chunks of meat began to rise, flying toward the position of the white Jiao phantom.
Some beasts dropped dead from the force of the wind, while flying birds plummeted from the sky, releasing broken pieces of flesh, all heading toward the white Jiao phantom.
In just a few moments, countless fragments of flesh flew in from all directions, forming a neat mass suspended in front of Xiang Miao.
She gazed at the meat, tears mingling with the rain on her face, and whispered softly, "I will wake you, no matter the cost."
The white Jiao phantom opened its mouth once more, releasing a surge of spiritual energy. All the flesh in front of Xiang Miao dissolved, turning into droplets of blood that gathered together.
Gradually, they began to take shape, forming a human figure.
After a long while, the figure had taken on the full appearance of a human, no different from any other human race. The white Jiao phantom opened its claws, and twenty-four mysterious pearls appeared out of thin air. These snow-white pearls, etched with strange symbols, belonged to powerful dragon clans.
The twenty-four pearls flew into the air, embedding themselves into the blood-man shape, creating a strange sight. The pearls gradually merged into the human form.
Two became the eyes, two became the ears, two became the mouth and nose, four became the limbs, and four fused into bones. Six formed the skin, and the last four became the internal organs.
All twenty-four pearls had been fully utilized, giving birth to a robust body in front of Xiang Miao.
Her eyes finally revealed a glimmer of joy. "You always said you wanted to be part of the human race in the next life. Now, your wish is fulfilled."
Xiang Miao quietly gazed at the new body for a while, then her gaze turned to the sky.
Suddenly, two purple flames ignited in the sky, seemingly rising from the distant horizon. The flames separated, and layers of white bones appeared in the middle.
These bones were of various shapes—some were humanoid skeletons, some were enormous beast skeletons, radiating terrifying spiritual pressure. Some bones had wings, twisting in an eerie way, and others had three heads, each different from the other.
Countless bones paved a path, leading to the edge of the void. Xiang Miao listened carefully, hearing countless agonized cries and sorrowful howls that seemed to reverberate in the air.
"Pain! Pain! Pain!"
"Destroy my soul, let me never be reborn, don't make me suffer like this!"
"Emperor! I am willing to endure eternal suppression, just let me out!"
These soul-wrenching cries made Xiang Miao's forehead bead with sweat. She pressed her trembling right hand against her body, staring at the end of the bone path.
At the end of the path, a carriage slowly approached.
The carriage was an eerie sight. From afar, it appeared to be built from the flat skeleton of a massive creature. The carriage was pulled by six beings enveloped in smoke, their faces indistinguishable, only pairs of terrifying, abyss-like eyes visible in the mist.
At the bottom of the carriage, there were no wheels.
Instead, there were numerous arms—twelve groups of arms, densely packed, growing from the carriage's underframe. The arms, still with flesh and blood, gripped the white bones below and pulled the carriage forward.
The arms, covered in fingers, bled profusely from the strain, their flesh tearing under the immense pressure.
Yet despite this, the carriage continued its inexorable approach toward Xiang Miao. In the blink of an eye, the terrifying vehicle had crossed what seemed like an immense distance, reaching above her.
A dark figure, whose face was obscured, appeared atop the carriage. The voice slowly came, "I sensed your presence and set out to find you. I did not expect the first purple flame chain to be broken by you."
Xiang Miao took a deep breath and bowed, "I greet Lord of the Underworld Prison."
The shadow nodded and asked, "You've come out? Have you made your decision?"
Xiang Miao bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before replying, "Xiang Miao's cultivation is insufficient, and I fear I am not worthy of your esteemed expectations, Lord."
The black shadow's tone suddenly turned cold: "You are cursed by that existence. Whether you wish it or not, whether you are capable or not, you must enter my Netherworld and take a journey there."
Xiang Miao trembled slightly at the mention of the curse, lowered her eyes, and murmured, "I know I am but a pawn in the games of the great figures. I have had no choice but to survive for over a thousand years under the protection of the Great Emperor and Domain Spirits. That is enough."
She straightened her body and bowed deeply to the black shadow on the terrifying carriage. She continued, "May I ask, Lord, for one favor? I am left with only one obsession in this boundless wasteland. If you grant me this, I will gladly enter your Netherworld."
The Lord of the Underworld Prison paused for a moment, then asked, "What favor?"
Xiang Miao's mind turned, and the newly created body slowly floated toward the Lord of the Underworld Prison. "Please, summon his soul. He died less than three hours ago, and I have used the pearls to reconstruct his body... With your great power, there must be a way..."
The Lord of the Underworld Prison looked at the body carefully, a flash of surprise crossing his features. "You have embedded the twenty-four Domain Dragon King Pearls into this crude body?"
Xiang Miao did not respond, her gaze full of hope.
The Lord of the Underworld Prison thought for a moment, then said, "Very well. You bear the great karma of the Xiang Dragon. Since you are willing to enter my Netherworld, it will save much trouble."
Xiang Miao, hearing that the Lord had finally agreed, felt a flicker of joy in her eyes, but before she could express it, the Lord continued, "However, summoning the soul is easy for me.