Chapter 455 - 454: Transmigrator
In just a moment, Little Phoenix finished eating the Netherworld Fire she had been given. She opened her mouth and said to Yi Tianyun, "Daddy, I want more!"
’Finished so quickly...’ Yi Tianyun was taken aback. He had given her a considerable amount, and she had never eaten that fast before. Now, she had devoured it all in a flash, before he even had a moment to think.
He then pointed to the large hole and said, "Alright then, let’s both eat the flames here. Eat as much as you can, but don’t overdo it. Understand?"
"Got it, Daddy!" Little Phoenix’s eyes lit up as she watched the Netherworld Fire endlessly pouring out of the large hole. Opening her mouth, she inhaled a plume of the flame, caught it with her small hands, and began to eat it bite by bite, just like a piece of fruit.
Truly worthy of the Phoenix Race. Their fire resistance was incredibly formidable, and they could even grow by devouring flames.
In a single leap, she had rocketed from the Spirit Refining Stage all the way to the Core Formation Stage! Her growth rate was astounding—even more so than his own cultivation speed. But it was all thanks to the Netherworld Fire that she was able to break through so quickly.
’If I were to convert this into experience points while my own cultivation level was still relatively low, I would also level up just as fast. The Netherworld Fire here is high-grade. Absorbing it is like having a massive amount of experience pour in. How could leveling up not be fast?’
It was the same for Little Phoenix; that was how she was able to break through so rapidly.
Seeing that Little Phoenix was fine, Yi Tianyun also began devouring the fire alongside her. The Netherworld Fire in the large hole seemed endless, allowing them to absorb it freely. Using their full power, the two of them began to frantically consume the Netherworld Fire, their speed increasing until they were absorbing it faster than it could well up.
Soon, the flames started to run out, only managing to trickle up toward them. At this rate, their absorption speed slowed considerably, which was becoming a waste of time.
’I don’t have anything else to do right now, but that doesn’t mean I can just sit here twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the fire to slowly rise up for me to absorb.’
"Daddy, the fire’s gone..." The pace of Little Phoenix’s breakthroughs dropped sharply, but she still felt hungry, unable to get her fill.
"Okay, then let’s go straight down!" Yi Tianyun immediately decided to take Little Phoenix and fly down. Descending to absorb the fire was the best solution, and it would also give him a chance to see what was below.
He soon jumped into the large hole, holding Little Phoenix in his arms. After falling for some distance, they saw the Netherworld Fire again. They immediately began to devour it, each faster than the last, greedily absorbing it as if they had been parched for ages.
But soon, it was all gone, and they continued their descent. In any case, flying wasn’t restricted in this place, so he wasn’t worried about being unable to get back up.
As they rapidly moved downward, they absorbed more and more Netherworld Fire, until they finally landed in a wide-open space. The moment they touched down, Yi Tianyun was utterly stunned by the scene before him. His first move, however, was to grab Little Phoenix’s head and press it into his chest. "Don’t look! Do not look over here without my permission, you hear me!"
His tone was severe. Little Phoenix, who was normally a bit mischievous, immediately settled down and buried her small head in his chest, not daring to turn and look.
Yi Tianyun hovered in the air, the Netherworld Treasure Pearl in his hand continuously devouring the surrounding Netherworld Fire. But his heart had turned completely cold, devoid of any excitement. Before his eyes was a massive pile of skeletons! An endless sea of bones—it was impossible to tell how many were piled up here, forming a veritable mountain.
The Netherworld Fire was erupting from here, constantly surging upward to supply the flames they had been absorbing.
’So this is where the Netherworld Fire comes from.’ He finally understood. It was born from innumerable corpses! Netherworld Fire originates in places of extreme cold and yin, but it appears most readily from burning corpses—much like Vengeful Souls drifting out from the bodies they once inhabited.
This mountain of bones, piled high, was without a doubt the work of the Netherworld Emperor. He had people capture droves of Cultivators, toss them into this great pit to serve as fuel for the Netherworld Fire, and then use that very fire for his people’s cultivation!
He thought of the Netherworld Prison, and everything suddenly clicked into place. The two locations served a complementary purpose. They would continuously capture people, and anyone who resisted would be thrown in here to become nourishment for the Netherworld Fire.
’How utterly ruthless.’ He thought grimly. ’Truly, an Empire built upon a mountain of corpses!’
Other than the pile of bones, there was nothing else here. All that remained was the Netherworld Fire. With no fresh corpses being added, the fire’s generation rate had slowed, which was why their absorption speed had far surpassed it.
Now, it seemed the Netherworld Fire was almost completely gone, with only a small fraction remaining.
"Rest in peace, everyone..."
Yi Tianyun took a deep breath. A phantom projection materialized behind him—a larger version of himself. As he thrust out his palm, the enormous projection mirrored the movement, striking as well. A giant palm imprint slammed into the cavern wall. With a loud BOOM, the hard rock collapsed, burying the mountain of skeletons.
He didn’t care what treasures might be buried beneath the bones. After absorbing the last of the Netherworld Fire, his plan was to destroy this place, to let the earth cover it and serve as a tomb so these souls could finally rest in peace.
Upon discovering the truth, he had lost all interest in absorbing the Netherworld Fire. But if he didn’t, the flame would be difficult to extinguish and would simply continue to burn, which was not an outcome he was willing to accept.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Palm strike after palm strike smashed against the hard rock walls. Though they were sturdy, they still crumbled under his ferocious power. Soon, the surrounding walls had all collapsed, burying the skeletons. Yi Tianyun quickly flew out and continued to blast the passageway, causing the downward tunnel to cave in completely.
As he flew back to the top, he sent one last vicious palm strike downward, causing the entire place to cave in. Once he was out, he proceeded to collapse the secret chamber above it, having no intention of leaving anything intact.
When he returned to the surface, several guards were staring in his direction, shocked. The ground had been shaking violently for a while, and they had no idea what was happening. Most importantly, why had their Mansion Master returned with a little girl?
Yi Tianyun didn’t answer them. Instead, he retrieved a stone slab from nearby and carved a line of words onto it: Tomb of the Innocent!
And on the side, he added another smaller line: The Netherworld Empire has been destroyed. May you rest in peace. With respect, Celestial Cloud!
"Ding! Congratulations, Player, you have completed the achievement ’Exorcising Vengeful Souls’ and obtained the title ’Transmigrator’!" the system’s voice announced at that moment.