Chapter 1587: Yellow Springs Gate!

Chapter 1587: The Gates of the Underworld!

Right at that very moment.

From the distance, two more beams of dim, yellow light streaked through the air, piercing straight into the churning clouds of the Underworld that roiled across the sky.

Under the combined assault of the four dim yellow beams, the mysterious entity concealed behind the twilight shroud finally unveiled its full, majestic form.

It was a colossal, amber gate, immense enough to blot out the sun and mask the heavens!

The design of this titanic portal was identical to that of the Gates of Hell.

Yet, while the Gates of Hell were a stark ash-gray, this gate bore a dim, yellowish hue, matching the exact shade of the Underworld clouds perfectly.

"Could this be... the precursor to the Gates of Hell—the Gates of the Underworld?"

Staring at the monolithic structure, Zhou Zhan sifted through the vast inheritances of the myriad racial lineages within his mind, until at last, nestled deep within the legacy of the Nether Race, he uncovered the true origin of this mammoth gate.

Legend had it.

In the very beginning, when the Great Chaotic Universe had just been born, before the Supreme Will and the Crimson Sovereign had turned against each other, the Chaotic Will remained their father.

At that time,

the Realm of the Underworld existed, yet its governance was exceedingly loose. Any being possessing extraordinary powers could freely travel between the mortal world and the realm of the dead. Ghosts could wander freely in and out.

This resulted in the mortal world being frequently harassed by spirits from the underworld. Incidents such as vengeful ghosts harming the living or spirits possessing corpses to reincarnate—acts that defied the fundamental laws of nature—occurred with alarming frequency.

The laws governing life and death were utterly chaotic. Few deities dared to tread upon this path.

At that time,

this matter had become an urgent necessity for the Great Chaotic Universe to resolve!

The Chaotic Will had noticed this issue and thus commanded the powerful beings from both the Yin and Yang realms—those willing to establish order and possessing virtue—to jointly formulate a set of laws for both worlds. The goal was to transform the Underworld into a place where spirits could undergo rebirth and reincarnation, while ensuring the mortal world remained free from ghostly disturbances, becoming instead a sanctuary for living beings.

Upon receiving this mission, these powerful beings swiftly drafted the laws governing both the Yin and Yang realms.

But they soon realized that mere laws were useless—what truly mattered was sealing the path between the two realms, preventing spirits from freely crossing between the worlds of the living and the dead.

Thus.

They decided to build a door.

A door capable of severing the passage between the realms of life and death—a world gate that would forever bar the uncontrolled movement between the living and the dead.

That was the origin of the first Yellow River Gate.

Yet, as the original version, it quickly proved flawed. So, after removing it, they studied and refined it into the second version—the Immortal Abyss Gate, the perfect barrier, which has been in use ever since.

As for the original Yellow River Gate, it vanished into obscurity, rarely mentioned even by the strongest among them.

Now, gazing upon this gate that bears a striking resemblance to the Abyssal Gate, Zhou Zhan finally realized: the original Yellow River Gate had fallen into the hands of the Yellow River Will, and was used to guard its lineage.

"Come."

"Let's go and see!"

Zhou Zhan issued his command.

Immediately, he led his twenty subordinates—three-stage, supreme deities—toward this great gate.

During their flight,

he also observed three streaks of light approaching the Gate of the Underworld.

As expected,

those three streaks were undoubtedly the forces of the Sun God Court and two of the Deluded Clans.

Zhou Zhan turned his gaze away, ignoring them, and continued forward.

Soon,

they arrived before the Gate of the Underworld, where they beheld the true forms of these three factions.

Among them, the fifth prince of the Sun God Court, Tian Yang Wu Zhu, stood out most prominently.

He was colossal, comparable to a small star.

Under Zhou Zhan's divine gaze, he saw that his true form was indeed a blazing star.

And this star bore a striking resemblance to the Sun Star, though at a much lower level—yet still possessing the essence of a near-superior will.

No wonder he is the offspring of the Sun Emperor.

Zhou Zhan thought to himself.

As for the other two forces of the Delusion Clan:

One of the Delusion Clan was entirely draped in crimson umbilical cords, its face marked by eye sockets devoid of black pupils, blood oozing from bone holes beneath the eyes, and a grotesque, ear-root-bent maw stretching below.

Its most striking feature was its enormous belly, appearing as that of a pregnant woman. From a great distance, Zhou Zhan could even hear the eerie heartbeat pulsing within its abdomen.

The other member of the Delusion Clan was far more ordinary in appearance beside this one.

Yet, he too bore wounds of all sizes, constantly bleeding, rendering his aura frail. Despite this weakness, Zhou Zhan sensed that this one posed a greater threat than the one with the swollen belly.

These two concepts radiate the aura of fourth-tier Supreme Deities.

Yet considering that they are Concept Deities within the cultivation system, their actual combat power might not fall short of a near-omnipotent will cultivator—indeed, they could even surpass such beings.

Zhou Zhan narrowed his eyes.

His heart did not feel fear; rather, a quiet anticipation stirred within him.

This was the first time he had ever faced the Wandering Race.

Let him observe these Wandering Race beings—what truly made them so formidable that even Supreme Will and Heaven's Punishment God King found them troublesome?

"Hmm?"

At that moment,

he suddenly sensed a disturbance within his First Treasury.

On the surface, his expression remained unchanged, but his willpower immediately turned toward it.

Then He froze.

Because.

The first effect of the False Prophecy Holy Seal had actually manifested.

And its effect was incredibly powerful!

Powerful enough to leave Zhou Zhan momentarily bewildered.

He found himself glancing back again, checking once more.

[Item Name: False Prophecy Holy Seal (3/5)]

[Item Rarity: Unknown]

[Effect 1 – The False Death: Activate the power of the False Prophecy Holy Seal, granting its master the ability to slay all beings of falsehood. Every creature of the False Race slain by you shall be utterly severed from all connection with the living world, and thus vanish forever.]

[Effect 2: (Unactivated, requires collection of remaining fragments of the False Prophecy Holy Seal)]

[Treasure Description: Whoever possesses this seal shall become the Emperor of Illusion!]

Zhou Zhan couldn't help but widen his eyes.

This thing...

Could it truly eradicate the entire Illusion Clan?!!?

Is this real?

Didn't the Supreme Will itself declare that the Illusion Clan could never be killed?

For the Illusion Clan was born from the imaginations of ordinary beings in their world. As long as those beings remember the existence of the Clan, their imagination would never cease. And as long as imagination persists, the Illusion Clan would endure—immortal, unvanquished.

Only the conceptual power inherent to the Illusion Clan itself could ever destroy them.

And now, this fragment of the Sacred Seal of the Illusion Legend—could it slay the Illusion Clan without relying on their own conceptual power?

“No.”

"There's another possibility."

"Perhaps the delusionary holy seal I hold in my hands is itself a conceptual artifact."

"The death of delusion is a conceptual ability."

"Which is precisely why it can annihilate the Delusion Race."

"Still, even with that, the effect of this item is utterly absurd."

"I'm not even a member of the Delusion Race, yet I can use this conceptual artifact to wipe out the entire Delusion Race."

"When the Delusion Race learns of this, they will surely go mad with rage, hunting me down to reclaim the artifact—and either destroy it completely or seal it away forever."

"Otherwise, the mere existence of this item would pose an existential threat to the Delusion Race."

"It might even allow them to erase the entire race from existence."

Zhou Zhan instantly thought of many things.

His heart grew ever more precious toward this object.

At the same time,

Tianyang Wuzhu was also observing Zhou Zhan.

After watching for a while, he sneered, speaking with false sincerity:

"Besides looking appealing, there's nothing particularly special about it."

"I truly can't understand how the Supreme Will chose Him as the fourth reserve Supreme Lord."

"If it weren't for the Emperor's prohibition against our offspring participating in the competition for Supreme Lord status, how could such commoners even qualify for the reserve ranks?"

By his side, Wu Chancellor felt a bit helpless.

He stood beside Tianyang Wuzhu, though the latter tried hard to conceal it, the Chancellor still caught the unmistakable bitterness in his tone.

He couldn’t help but glance again at Zhou Zhan, his mind overflowing with admiration:

"Indeed, no wonder the Supreme Will’s chosen Fourth Reserve Supreme Lord."

"Not just in appearance and aura—every aspect is of the highest caliber."

"Especially in destiny."

"I may not fully comprehend the flow of destiny within him."

"But whenever I gaze upon him, I feel as though I’m seeing the young Sun Emperor of old."

"Remarkable. Truly remarkable."

"Even if this World Sovereign has not ascended to the rank of Supreme Lord Reserve, and has instead chosen a different path, his future must be boundless."

Then He turned his gaze toward the two fabled relics of the Delusion Clan.

"The Delusion Clan…"

Wu, the Chancellor, narrowed his eyes, a heavy weight settling in his heart.

He had once fought against the Clan of Illusion.

Yet even having witnessed countless members of that clan, in this very moment, he found himself struck by the sheer unlikelihood of these two—perhaps among the most formidable among the concept deities of the Illusion Clan.

"These two Illusion deities... even within the entire Clan of Illusion, they might well stand as the apex of those at the level of Supreme Will."

"The contest of the Yellow Springs Will? Not an easy one to win."

Wu murmured to himself, gazing at the Celestial Sovereign of the People. He thought, "Should I practice with the Celestial Sovereign of the People to face these two?"

Just as the thought formed, he glanced at Tianyang Wuzhu, then sighed inwardly.

"Fine, fine."

"Given the Master's temper, he would likely refuse to cooperate."

He shook his head, choosing not to think further.

At the same time.

The homeland of the Deluded Clan.

Two Concept Deities of the Fourth Rank, from the Deluded Clan, were whispering to one another in secret.

"Magical Fetus, is that the Celestial Sovereign of the People?"

Wu Shang stared at the Celestial Sovereign of the People and spoke to the nearby Magical Fetus.

"Yes, that is Him."

Magical Fetus grinned, his gaze upon the Celestial Sovereign of the People flickering with a hint of admiration.

"What a handsome young man."

"When I drain his flesh, spirit, and essence, and give birth to a Magical Fetus from it, it will surely be the most potent one ever born!"

He said it with bright eyes.

"This one is the Fourth Reserve of the Supreme Lord—same lineage as the Heavenly Punisher God King of the Dusk Battlefield."

"He's not easy to kill."

Wu Shang shook his head.

"So what?"

The Magus cracked a grin. "This one may have a decent level, but at the end of the day, he's just a newly promoted Reserve Supreme Lord, barely stepped into the ranks. He hasn't even fought in the Dusk Battlefield wars—only dabbled in minor skirmishes within the Supreme Cosmic Realm."

"A rookie like that? I could take ten of them in battle without breaking a sweat."

"You're so confident—then take the lead yourself."

Wu Shang said.

"I'll take the lead. I'll take the lead."

The demon fetus licked its crimson lips. "But let me make this clear beforehand: since I am leading the charge, his demonic fetus will have absolutely nothing to do with you. Don't even think about taking advantage of it when the time comes."

Wushang’s mouth twitched twice.

Only you would treat a demonic fetus like some precious treasure.

Then he looked toward the Emperor of Common Mortality, licking his crimson lips once more.

Treating a reserve Supreme Lord as a source of nourishment for a demon fetus?

It sounded rather exhilarating.

He only wondered what kind of expressions would cross the faces of the Supreme Will and the God-King of Heavenly Punishment when they beheld the fourth reserve Supreme Lord, sucked entirely dry into a withered husk?

It would surely be highly amusing, wouldn't it?

As his thoughts drifted to that delightful image, a bloody, macabre smile surfaced on his face.

Just at that moment.

He suddenly noticed the Celestial Sovereign of the Common People turning his gaze toward himself.

Wu Shang stiffened, then smiled.

Such sharp perception—detecting my gaze from so far away.

Instead of retreating, he only grew more brazen, offering a mocking smile to the Celestial Sovereign.

Yet, in response to his bold grin, the Celestial Sovereign displayed a strangely peculiar expression—like one who had finally found his target, satisfied beyond measure.

"How dare he seem so unafraid?"

A sudden thought flashed through Wu Shang's mind.

His expression darkened slightly.

A mere Fourth Reserve of a Supreme Lord—how utterly arrogant, how ignorant of the vastness of the heavens.

So it is.

Later, he would thoroughly discipline this junior, making sure they understood what true reverence for the powerful entailed.

"Uh?!?"

At that very moment,

He and the demonic embryo suddenly sensed something, turning their gaze upward toward the Yellow Springs Gate above.

At the same time,

Zhou Zhan and Tianyang Wuzhu, among the deities, also perceived something, turning their eyes toward the Yellow Springs Gate.

There, the Yellow Springs Gate summoned by the four Yellow Springs Edicts was now trembling slightly. After a long while, a series of dim yellow laws began to float upon its surface.

Zhou Zhan gazed upon these characters and read aloud:

[To open the Yellow Springs Gate, one must collect the Yellow Springs Imperial Sword and the Yellow Springs Stone Plaque.]

[Only those who hold the Yellow Springs Imperial Sword and the Yellow Springs Stone Plaque may open the gate to the Yellow Springs, and enter the realm of inheritance of the Yellow Springs Will!]

"Yellow Springs Imperial Sword?"

"Yellow Springs Stone Plaque?"

The deities present immediately turned their gaze toward these two artifacts.

"I feel it."

Zhou Zhan narrowed his eyes, scanning both directions, then sighed in quiet awe. "At last, these two relics have emerged."

Long before, the True Self had known that to inherit the Will of the Yellow Springs, one must first obtain both the Will of the Yellow Springs and the Yellow Springs Stone Plaque.

To facilitate future actions, the True Self had long inquired of Bodhi Master where the Yellow Springs Imperial Sword and the Yellow Springs Stone Plaque were located—intending to seize them in advance, preparing for the eventual contest over the inheritance of the Yellow Springs Will.

Yet Bodhi Master had only replied that at present, neither the Imperial Sword nor the Stone Plaque had appeared, and asking him was of no use.

Only when both sacred artifacts finally emerged could he determine their whereabouts.

Even Bodhi Master did not know where these two items were located, and thus, upon hearing this, the True Form had no choice but to abandon the plan.

Now that the inheritance of the Yellow Springs Will has been awakened, these two divine artifacts have finally emerged into the world.

Yet He did not immediately set off, but instead chose to observe what the forces of the Illusory Clan and the Solar Divine Court would do next.

And what He saw was astonishing—both factions, using some unknown method, swiftly determined their directions and immediately took flight toward the locations of their respective artifacts.

The demonic embryo alone flew toward the direction of the Yellow Springs Imperial Sword.

Meanwhile, the forces of the Solar Divine Court, along with Wusang, took flight toward the direction of the Yellow Springs Stone Tablet.

"Still thought I could claim them all to myself."

"Indeed, one cannot underestimate the world at large."

Zhou Zhan shook his head, unsurprised by this turn of events.

Then, without hesitation, He followed the path of the demonic embryo.