Chapter 303: Chapter 23 Demon Realm, Nine Nether

“Seniors, do you recognize this object?” Zhou Heng asked.

The reaction of the Supreme and Heavenly Principle was so intense that it was clear they recognized the pitch-black finger, but their reaction seemed to even contain fear.

These were Celestial Men!

“You could say we recognize it, but this is probably just contaminated by it,” the Supreme said, somewhat calming his emotions, and then spoke solemnly, “Lord of Stars, where did you obtain this thing?”

“I just killed it,” Zhou Heng said.

“…” The Supreme was taken aback by the answer and after a while chuckled, “Lord of Stars’s strength is really extraordinary; this thing’s power probably already compares to that of a Sect Fifth Rank.”

He could tell that Zhou Heng had just recently broken through to the Secret Six Rank, but even with such a cultivation realm, he managed to kill a contaminant that could compare to a Sect Fifth Rank.

Such strength completely exceeded what a normal Secret Six Rank should possess.

“Originally, the destruction of Heavenly Principle’s and my physical bodies was because of this thing,” Heavenly Principle said, looking at the dozens of pitch-black fingers on the half skull, his face underneath the mask showing a complex expression.

“Ah?” Zhou Heng was astonished, questioning, “Weren’t the seniors’ physical bodies destroyed because of the great demon Cang Hua who came out from the West Wasteland forbidden land 1,600 years ago?”

“Cang Hua had an extremely powerful demon treasure, which was a section of pitch-black finger bone,” the Supreme sighed, continuing to explain, “Actually, at that time, Heavenly Principle and I had the chance to escape, but that demon treasure was powerful and directly suppressed both of us. Unable to escape, we met our great catastrophe.”

“Is it the finger bone that was sealed beneath Huangtong Mansion City?” Zhou Heng furrowed his brows, somewhat puzzled.

Because he had heard from Wu Zongshan before that the piece of pitch-black bone finger had no record in any Imperial Court documents and its origin was completely unknown.

This meant that the sealing of that finger bone must have occurred at least 3,000 years ago, possibly even during the Middle Ancient Era before the formation of the Central Dynasty.

However, now, according to the Supreme, Cang Hua had a finger bone 1,600 years ago.

“No, it’s not that one,” Heavenly Principle saw Zhou Heng’s confusion and shook his head to explain, “I’ve heard from Angle Lodger about the half bone finger sealed beneath the Huangtong Mansion.

“From the description, that finger bone should include the fingertip, unlike the piece Cang Hua had, which was from the base to the broken middle—there is a clear difference.

“However, I have always had a speculation that the finger bone sealed underground in Huangtong Mansion City might originate from the same finger as the one Cang Hua held.”

“1,600 years ago, Cang Hua, carrying that finger bone, raided into Da Qi territory from the West Wasteland forbidden land; perhaps it was in search of this piece of bone finger,” the Supreme said with a deep voice.

“That’s right, it’s possible,” Heavenly Principle nodded, saying, “With just half of it, its strength was astonishing. If it could obtain a complete bone finger, its power would surely increase greatly.”

“Let’s not talk about this for now,” the Supreme returned to the topic at hand, saying, “Lord of Stars, it looks like someone was contaminated by the demonic Qi, judging by the state of the half skull?”

“Correct, it’s the lord of Anhe Prefecture,” Zhou Heng nodded, saying, “I suspect it’s the residual effect of the half finger bone breaking its seal last time. Concerned that the Huangtong Mansion might also be affected, I came to ask the seniors what exactly this finger is, since its contaminating ability is so strong.”

“Tianyi, the Saint, once told us about the origin of this finger bone; he suspected it belonged to some Demon Lord,” the Supreme pondered a moment and then told Zhou Heng, “Given Angle Lodger’s previous explanation, the ban sealing the half finger bone under Huangtong Mansion City must have existed since the Middle Ancient Era or even earlier.”

“A finger suspected to belong to a Demon Lord…” Zhou Heng gasped in shock.

Demon Lord!

This being was on the same level as a Second Rank Tao Lord, a figure symbolizing the mastery of a major path, one who could comfortably assume the seat of Ancestor in many worlds.

But since it was suspected to be a Demon Lord’s finger, why was it not completely destroyed?

Whether in the Middle Ancient period or now, the world is never lacking Divine First Rank individuals.

Zhou Heng voiced his confusion.

The answer given by The Supreme made Zhou Heng feel somewhat familiar—

Because demon entities of Upper Third Rank are immortal, not even a Tao Lord could completely kill a Celestial Man level grand demon, they could only suppress it. The indestructible nature of a Demon Lord level being was even stronger; not even a Divine First Rank could kill it.

Therefore, the only option was to divide the demon’s body into as many parts as possible and seal them in places far away from each other.

“Seniors, what exactly are demons? And what’s the deal with the West Wasteland forbidden land?” Zhou Heng asked gravely. “I have some understanding of ghosts and evil creatures, but I know almost nothing about these demon entities.”

“This…” The Supreme hesitated for a moment, then said, “Demon entities, like evil creatures, come from another world, which we call the Demon realm or Nine Nether.

“The difference is that evil creatures face many obstacles when they attempt to descend into our world, having to cross one world after another. Even if they succeed, their strength will be greatly weakened. But demon entities are different.

“The Nine Nether Demon realm is directly connected to our world, meaning that demon entities can enter our world simply by passing through the connecting interface.”

“This connecting interface is the West Wasteland forbidden land?” Zhou Heng asked.

“Correct,” The Supreme nodded gently, saying, “The West Wasteland forbidden land is directly connected to the Nine Nether Demon realm. If it weren’t for the Tao Lords and the Saint holding the front lines, we would have already faced countless demon disasters.”

“Even a grand demon like Cang Hua was just one that slipped through the net,” Tianyi spoke with some bitterness. “The crisis our world is facing is far more severe than it appears on the surface.”

“…” Zhou Heng fell silent.

He had thought that the many Evil Gods he saw outside this world through the power of the Purple Tenuity Palace were the only crisis facing this world. He didn’t expect there to be a lurking Nine Nether Demon realm as well.

That was a major world, and the demon entities within it were immortal, unkillable, and unstoppable; they could only be sealed and constantly guarded against in case they broke the seal.

No wonder the common members were not allowed to know these things; it was out of fear that the more they knew, the more they would despair.

“Then, regarding the information about the Nine Nether Demon realm…” Zhou Heng wanted to continue inquiring.

“Star Master, we actually advise you not to learn more,” The Supreme and Tianyi both spoke up at the same time to stop Zhou Heng’s further questions.

“Why?” Zhou Heng asked, puzzled.

He remembered that the rule of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officer was that those below Secret Six Rank should not learn about demon entities because the more one knew, the easier it was to become crazed.

But now he had reached this level.

Could there be other restrictions?

“Star Master, this is actually also due to recent changes in the world,” The Supreme quickly explained. “Previously, it wasn’t a big issue for someone of Secret Six Rank to learn about demon entities; it even facilitated the investigation of demon traces when completing tasks in other worlds.

“However, as you’ve heard at the gathering on January 18th, Tianyi and Azure Dragon have spoken about it; the Ninety-nine States Great Formation has suffered cracks and demon entities will sprout up in various places of the Central Plains.

“This means the chances of encountering demon entities have greatly increased, and the more information one knows when facing a demon entity, the more susceptible they are to mental corruption, the likelier they are to go insane.

“We are now doing our best to recall those who have learned about demon entities of Secret Six Rank and send them to complete tasks in other worlds to avoid encountering demon entities here and falling into madness.”

“So there’s such a matter…” Zhou Heng couldn’t help but click his tongue.

In that case, the threat of demon entities was much greater than that of evil creatures and ghosts.

“Please don’t misunderstand, Star Master; we are not deliberately concealing this,” Tianyi said seriously, his gaze earnest. “You are our hope now.”

“I understand,” Zhou Heng nodded slightly, saying, “Seniors, if my cultivation further progresses, can I learn more about it?”

“Of course, you can,” Tianli nodded.

“Actually, once you reach the Sect Fifth Rank, this influence will become negligible,” The Supreme added.

“It seems my cultivation realm is too low,” Zhou Heng said with a faint smile, then solemnly continued, “Seniors, I’m about to head to Huangtong Mansion City to investigate if anyone has been contaminated by that half of a finger bone. Is there anything in particular I should pay attention to?”

“The contamination by demon entities is extremely subtle. Those who have been contaminated may not be aware of it themselves and usually exhibit some unusual behaviors subconsciously,” Tianli said in a grave tone. “You will need to observe carefully to discover this.”

“Although the half finger bone has been sealed, the contamination could only stem from the imprint it left when it was in the world. Still, you mustn’t take it lightly,” The Supreme said seriously. “The contaminated might possess some powerful and aberrant tricks, so be cautious.”

“One more thing,” Tianli cautioned, “Make sure you do not become contaminated yourself.”

“If needed, you can ask for help from your companions,” The Supreme said. “Zhou Tian Boundary Officer is an organization, and there’s no need for you to fight alone.”

“Thank you both,” Zhou Heng bowed in gratitude, smiling, “I will first go to assess the situation. If there is indeed a need, I’ll come back for assistance.”

…

Traveling via the Starlight Bridge of the Purple Tenuity Palace, Zhou Heng descended to the nearest entrance to Huangtong Mansion City.

Mounted on a jujube-red horse, he quickly reached this city that he was most familiar with.

In April, the Huangtong Mansion City had already experienced a spell of spring, and the leaves of the Huangtong trees planted on the streets were turning yellow.

These were very peculiar trees that kept their leaves all year round, but during autumn and winter, the leaves would be green, and they would turn yellow come spring.

The complete opposite of normal trees.

Since Zhou Heng had become quite famous in Huangtong Mansion City, his appearance immediately attracted many people who wanted to see what he looked like now.

Although there were many people around, Zhou Heng didn’t feel it was bustling because everyone’s voices were very low.

It seemed as if everyone was speaking without vigor.

Zhou Heng’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as his gaze swept over these people, and his Divine Sense also probed them.

Before long, he discovered that most of them were enshrouded in something similar to a sickness’ force, as if it were eroding their lives.

Roughly seventy percent of them had this problem.

“What’s going on?” he wondered.

At the moment, there must have been at least three thousand people gathered around, and seventy percent of them—that is, over two thousand people—had a sickness-like force entangled around them.

Who did this?

Plague Emperor Sect?

Or is there someone else?

Or could it be that someone has already become contaminated?

Zhou Heng speculated inwardly.

However, now was not the time for thorough questioning.

He could only wait to return to the Martial Arts Hall and ask Yu He and the others about the situation.

Yes, and he also needed to check on their condition.

…

Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall had now been set on the right track and had become the largest martial arts hall in Huangtong Mansion City.

Although no student from the hall had been formally recruited by the Pure Yang Palace yet, everyone held onto hope, knowing they had a bright future.

As the head of the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall and the widely known Purple Lightning Sword Immortal, Zhou Heng had now even stepped into the Secret Six Rank and had become a person of high status. His return naturally caused quite a stir within the hall.

Many apprentices wished to come into close contact with him.

Zhou Heng did not dislike this. In fact, he rather enjoyed seeing his martial arts students so vibrant and energetic.

Moreover, he also met Xie Chong.

The lad was progressing fast and had now become a Ninth Rank Warrior.

The gatekeeper, Jiang Er, was also there. Zhou Heng greeted him, and the old man nodded back in acknowledgment.

“Ha ha! Zhou Heng, you’re back!” A hearty laugh rang out. It was Yu He who had heard of Zhou Heng’s return and hurried over, his face beaming with joy.

“Yo, Manager Yu, you seem to have grown even more prosperous,” Zhou Heng, seeing Yu He, couldn’t help but laugh. Ever since taking charge of the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall, Yu He had completely put aside his martial arts practice, and his figure had quickly filled out.

“Hey, hey, come with me, don’t waste words. Big brother is going to take you out for a drink!” Yu He came over, chuckling. “Our own tavern, with plenty of good wine and food, to wash away the dust of your journey.”

“Then I shall gracefully accept your kindness,” Zhou Heng replied with a smile. He hadn’t detected any sign of the sickness on either Yu He or the Martial Arts Hall, which set his mind at ease.

As for the other matters, he intended to inquire further over the dinner table.

…

Yu He had prepared a feast to welcome Zhou Heng back, and of course, he wasn’t the only one present. Lin Cang and Lei Xiuyan were there, too.

In total, there were four people, which pretty much comprised the “founding team” of Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall.

After the third round of drinks.

Zhou Heng broached the main topic, asking, “Manager Yu, Master Lin, Principal, have you noticed any unusual incidents or individuals recently?”

“Unusual?”

“What kind of unusual?”

“Is there?”

The three men looked at each other, puzzled. They pondered for a moment before all three shook their heads, indicating they hadn’t noticed anything.

“When I entered the city, I noticed that many people were sick,” Zhou Heng said gravely. “They seemed to be quite weak, and over two thousand people had sickness entwined within them. That’s not normal.”

“Ah, you’re talking about that?” Yu He seemed to have an epiphany and laughed, “Actually, that has something to do with that old man Jiang Er, who guards our Martial Arts Hall.”

“What?” Zhou Heng was astonished.