Chapter 15 Abode of Nine Glooms, Northwest of the Heavens

All was silent on the journey.

Gao and the other three mountain gods excused themselves after bringing Wei Yuan to what the secular world called the Nine Glooms. One of them retrieved the half-dead Que Jiu on the way, his body charred black, devoid of his previous arrogance, and carried him away to an unknown destination.

A woman dressed as an ancient priestess led the way, taking Wei Yuan deeper into this realm. The Nine Glooms were unlike the human world.

Buildings stretched downwards. Occasionally, agile figures carrying streamers of light soared past; these were the people of the Nine Glooms. Even the children possessed cultivation. In the distance, Wei Yuan could see a massive pit emanating a faint light, with luminous dust constantly overflowing, radiating an extremely vast and ancient aura.

"Those are fragments of the sky."

The woman leading the way, her face veiled, explained, "After the great god Gonggong shattered Buzhou Mountain, the sky collapsed. The Goddess Nüwa used five-colored stones to patch the hole, but it was too late. That cataclysm created the Nine Glooms. The piece of sky that collapsed fell into the deepest part of the Nine Glooms."

"It is now a forbidden area of the Nine Glooms."

"Esteemed guest, please come this way."

The woman smiled and led the way.

Wei Yuan withdrew his gaze. His attention was focused on the beings within this vast territory of the Nine Glooms—the people of the Nine Glooms. The Nine Glooms were an even older legend of the underworld than the Lord of Mount Tai. Because of their unique location, nourished by the aura of the sky, the inhabitants of the Nine Glooms possessed great individual power. Their souls and bodies were fused together.

And most of them harbored hostility towards humans.

Their numbers... were many, very many.

Sheltered by Zhu Jiuyin, they had multiplied and thrived for thousands of years. Wei Yuan wouldn't be surprised if the people of the Nine Glooms numbered in the hundreds of millions.

Wei Yuan withdrew his gaze and followed the woman into a quiet chamber.

"Please wait here for a while."

"The Venerable God will arrive soon."

The woman paused, her eyes flickering as she looked at Wei Yuan. She offered him a beverage similar to tea, as well as refreshments. The food emitted a faint spiritual energy. She initiated the conversation, saying, "I heard that you are a god of Chaoge City, a ghost god of the Yin-Shang dynasty?"

"No wonder you possess such strength, easily subduing Que Jiu."

Wei Yuan remained noncommittal.

The woman smiled and continued, "You are willing to fight for the people of Chaoge City, so there must be something you cherish and care about. And the people of Yin-Shang have not abandoned you. It is a pity that such good people of Yin-Shang were forced to leave the human realm and live here."

"And now, the descendants of King Zhou occupy the entire Divine Land."

"It fills one with emotion."

Wei Yuan's movements paused slightly, his expression unchanged, but waves surged within his heart.

King Zhou?

The Realm of Mountains and Seas was exiled during the era of King Yu. How could the higher echelons of the Nine Glooms know about the dynastic changes of the human race after that?

There was only one possibility.

The people of the Nine Glooms had also entered the human realm.

Furthermore, they had reached the point of understanding the civilization and history of the Divine Land.

Even if a Celestial Master was strong, he could only suppress the Dragon and Tiger Mountain area. But there were other 'small holes'. Why was the Divine Land like a sweet pastry to the creatures of the Mountains and Seas, with everyone wanting to drill through and take a bite?

He would see what else she had to say.

Wei Yuan appropriately displayed a hint of emotional fluctuation and said slowly, "King Zhou..."

The woman said, "Yes, the Son of Heaven of Zhou. The Zhou dynasty still exists in the human world, occupying the land that originally belonged to your Chaoge City. Just recently, the Son of Heaven of Zhou even cut off the sacrifices to your ancestors."

The Son of Heaven of Zhou?

Are you trying to fool a ghost?

Wei Yuan couldn't help but mutter inwardly, but his face remained somber and displeased. He changed the subject and asked, "How do you know about matters in the human world?"

The woman's eyes flashed with a pale purple light, and she said straightforwardly, "Just as you suspect, we naturally have ways to enter the human realm."

"Emperor Zhuanxu and Gonggong caused us to be relegated to the Nine Glooms, never seeing the light of day. King Zhou destroyed your kingdom. Why don't we join forces to reclaim the human world and divide the land to rule? You are different from ordinary mountain gods. You are a god of a human city. I believe we have common interests in this matter."

Reclaim the human world?

Wei Yuan was shocked. Recalling what he had just seen, the people of the Nine Glooms, most of whom possessed cultivation, if this group really formed a battle formation and entered the human world, even if the Divine Land could suppress them, it would pay an extremely heavy price. And the people of the Nine Glooms would also have to pay a sufficient price.

The other party probably knew this as well, which was why they chose to win over Chaoge.

Wei Yuan's thoughts raced as he considered how to explain this matter to Zhang Ruosu.

His expression remained unchanged, and he said slowly, "Very well, I, this seat, will consider it."

The woman revealed a hint of a smile and said gently, "I believe you will choose the best path for your people. To thank you for your answer, I can tell you another piece of news. It seems that the Divine Land has already detected the path from this realm to the Divine Land. An organization in the imperial court called Sili is blocking the entrance in the human world."

"Their leader is called Wohu (Crouching Tiger), and his methods are quite ruthless and vicious."

"It is best not to let the tribesmen try to cross the two realms in the near future."

"..."

Wei Yuan was silent for a moment, then said, "Thank you... for your good intentions."

...

The woman did not linger and left soon after the brief conversation.

Wei Yuan silently drank his tea, his brow furrowed. The matter of the Realm of Mountains and Seas approaching the human world was far more serious than he had anticipated. Ordinary ferocious beasts were certainly a threat, but they were far less dangerous than those races that had grudges against the human race.

The people of the Nine Glooms, buried in the Nine Glooms because of the human race's struggle for supremacy.

The people of Fangfeng, whose leader was killed by King Yu in Tushan as a warning to others.

He rubbed his temples and organized his thoughts.

The talisman formation of Chaoge City, modeled after the Heavenly Court, was of great use.

The pace of progress needed to be accelerated.

Collect the jade books, perfect the talisman Heavenly Court as much as possible, and then connect with the Heavenly Court system of the human world.

In addition, he had to win over countries like Yumin, which had good relations with the human race and had once allied with the Tushan clan and King Yu. If possible, he would re-sign the Tushan Alliance. Of course, the most important thing was to popularize transcendent cultivation and strive for time for complete transcendence.

A civilization with universal transcendent cultivation was far more terrifying than modern humanity in terms of overall quality.

This was a fundamental difference.

Wei Yuan thought of the corner of the Nine Glooms he had seen when he came, and his heart sank slightly.

The sky outside was still bright, which meant that Zhu Jiuyin was awake at this moment. Suddenly, the light outside seemed to flicker slightly, becoming slightly dimmer. Wei Yuan heard deliberate footsteps. His movements and thoughts paused slightly, and he turned his head.

A man with an ancient and simple face, his pupils almost transparent.

Wei Yuan's pupils constricted slightly.

He whispered in his heart—

Zhu Jiuyin.

Zhu Jiuyin calmly walked to the opposite side of the table. Wei Yuan put down the teacup in his hand and took the initiative to nod and say, "Mountain God of Chaoge City, Wei."

"The Venerable God's name is like thunder in my ears."

The man with the ancient face sat down and took a sip of tea. "Wei..."

He raised his eyes and looked at Wei Yuan, saying plainly, "Isn't it called Yuan?"

...

"Yu's historian, friend, potter, and..."

"That cook."

ps: Today's second update... Two thousand two hundred words, a slightly shorter chapter, a buffer chapter, controlling my schedule, going to bed, going to bed.