"Won't Xuan'er be in danger?" Wang Lan Ying asked Li Jun, looking worried as Li Xuan departed.
After Li Xuan left the Ice Palace, he returned to the Li Residence in the Central Domain. After a brief explanation of the situation, he sent the three women, Yue Fu Yao, back to the Vast Continent.
Li Jun was silent for a moment before replying, "Although I don't know why the Underworld took Li Yao, or how strong their power truly is, I trust Xuan'er. After all these years, when has Xuan'er ever disappointed us?"
In a certain deep mountain within the Great Thousand World.
After making some simple arrangements, Li Xuan immediately entered the Prison Suppression. Li Xuan had not returned to the Xuan Sect. He did not wish for more people to know about Li Yao being taken by the Underworld. Moreover, returning to the Xuan Sect would inevitably trouble Xuan Yi Xian and the others.
Inside the Prison Suppression, divine swords were scattered all around Li Xuan's body. Even the Sacred Sword was inserted into his dantian, five of them in total. All the spirit stones Li Xuan possessed had been used to purchase spirit swords.
Li Xuan now had only one thought: to quickly break through to the Realm Creation realm and enter the Underworld.
Time quietly slipped away, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed in the outside world.
Boom!
On this day, a thunderous roar exploded. In the next moment, the world instantly darkened.
"Begone!"
As a tribulation lightning bolt descended, Li Xuan calmly floated upwards. With a punch, the heavens and earth instantly returned to clarity.
"What a powerful aura, could someone have broken through to the Realm Creation realm again?"
At the same time, various powerful figures in the Great Thousand World sensed this and looked in Li Xuan's direction.
But soon, a portal barrier appeared before Li Xuan. Li Xuan's gaze flickered, and he took a step into it, disappearing.
The Underworld.
"No..." As Li Xuan appeared, a horrified voice immediately reached his ears.
Li Xuan frowned, and his expression turned cold as he looked at the scene below.
The village below had been razed to the ground, with more than ten corpses lying in pools of blood. At this moment, a man was ferociously beating a middle-aged woman to death.
Even in death, the middle-aged woman was still tightly protecting a child of only three or four years old in her arms.
"Take all these children back." The man glanced at the crying child next to the middle-aged woman and said with a wave of his hand.
In the next moment, over ten men in black robes grabbed the children by their collars, preparing to leave.
"A bunch of beasts."
A fierce glint flashed in Li Xuan's eyes. He moved instantly and unleashed a sword strike.
Boom!
Terrifying sword energy raged, instantly sweeping towards all the black-robed men as if guided.
In just a moment, only the man from before remained on the scene.
"You... Who are you!" Ming Luo was greatly alarmed by this, and his hand holding the child involuntarily loosened.
Li Xuan moved instantly and appeared before Ming Luo, then grabbed him by the neck with one hand and lifted him into the air.
"I ask, you answer. If you utter a single unnecessary word, you can die," Li Xuan said coldly.
Ming Luo nodded frantically, his eyes filled with terror.
"Are you from the Nine Nether clan?" Li Xuan asked after releasing his grip.
"I am Ming Luo, a member of the Nine Nether clan," Ming Luo hastily nodded.
"Speak, how is Li Yao now?"
As soon as Li Xuan finished speaking, Ming Luo's expression changed drastically again. Seeing this, Li Xuan's heart tightened, and he became excited. Judging by Ming Luo's expression, Li Yao was indeed in the Underworld.
"Who exactly are you? Since you know our Saintess, why do you still slaughter our Nine Nether clan people?" Under Li Xuan's gaze, feeling the aura of death enveloping him, Ming Luo had no choice but to speak.
Li Xuan was taken aback. "Saintess? When did Yao'er become the Saintess of your Nine Nether clan?"
"Are you the Saintess's elder brother? If so, then we are family."
Ming Luo was overjoyed. Since the man before him was Li Yao's brother, his life was saved.
Although those ten or so people were annihilated by the man before him, it was enough that he was still alive.
Thinking this, Ming Luo began to flatter Li Xuan and tell him about Li Yao.
"It seems Yao'er is truly in your Nine Nether clan. Tell me, tell me everything you know about Yao'er. If I am satisfied, perhaps I will spare your life."
Seeing this, Li Xuan became even more certain that Li Yao was in the Nine Nether clan, but he still needed to inquire about her situation.
Ming Luo shivered. He had initially thought he could get close to Li Xuan through Li Yao, but he hadn't expected Li Xuan to be so unfeeling. Worried for his safety, Ming Luo began to recount the story.
As Li Xuan listened to Ming Luo's account, the cold light in his eyes grew sharper.
It turned out that the one who had taken Li Yao from the Ice Palace was the Ming Luo before him. From Ming Luo's narration, Li Xuan also gained a general understanding of the Nine Nether clan's situation.
The Underworld was vast, even exceeding the Great Thousand World.
The patriarch of the Nine Nether clan had deduced that Li Yao would be his future direct disciple. Orders were passed down, and finally, Ming Luo was sent to the Fifth Dimension to abduct Li Yao.
This was not due to shirking responsibility, but because powerful beings from higher dimensions faced numerous restrictions when descending to lower dimensions. Otherwise, any strong individual could easily annihilate a continent in a lower world.
Although Ming Luo only possessed the strength of the early stage of the Dao Integration realm, he could move freely in the Fifth Dimension.
"Little Brush, why was I unaffected when I returned to the Vast Continent and the Fifth Dimension?" Li Xuan asked with some confusion.
The Heavenly Dao Brush replied speechlessly, "Young Master, I fear you misunderstand the concept of ignoring rules."
Li Xuan: "..."
Seeing Li Xuan's somewhat complicated expression, Ming Luo said, "Since Your Excellency is the Saintess's elder brother, you are naturally also the Saint Son of our Nine Nether clan. Why doesn't Your Excellency return to the Nine Nether clan with me, so you can reunite with the Saintess soon?"
"Saint Son, you may not know, but although the Saintess is in the Underworld Pagoda, it is akin to being imprisoned. If the Saint Son were to go there, the Saintess would surely be much happier."
Li Xuan's expression suddenly became serious. Li Yao, who had always lived a life of freedom, could she possibly endure a life of imprisonment? Even though she was the Saintess of the Nine Nether clan, being in the Underworld Pagoda every day was no different from being in jail.
Thinking this, Li Xuan made up his mind to retrieve Li Yao from the Nine Nether clan!
"The Underworld Pagoda, how does one enter?" Li Xuan asked Ming Luo, having made up his mind.
Seeing that Li Xuan's expression had softened considerably, Ming Luo's fear lessened. He replied somewhat subserviently, "The blood of our Nine Nether clan members is used as a guide, and a token serves as the path to enter."
"I didn't expect keeping you to be beneficial; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to go to the Underworld Pagoda," Li Xuan said. With that, he picked up Ming Luo and flew towards Youdu.
The Underworld Pagoda was located in Youdu.