Soul travels through the world of immortality

On the towering and misty Qingyun Mountain, Li Mingyang, Lin Yi and Su Wan were fully engaged in arduous cultivation. Day after day, their sweat covered every inch of the mountain, and their cultivation was improving day by day like young shoots breaking through the soil in spring.

However, despite their remarkable progress, the master and the elders knew that in order to become a truly powerful generation of warriors, it was far from enough to rely solely on training in the mountains. These young disciples needed to experience more trials and tribulations in the outside world and constantly hone their character and skills in actual combat. So, after careful consideration, the master and the elders made an important decision together - to send Li Mingyang, Lin Yi and Su Wan to the lower realm to complete a series of difficult and challenging tasks in order to fully test whether their abilities and wills were strong enough.

Before leaving, the master solemnly summoned Li Mingyang and the other three to his side. His eyes were like torches, as if he could see through everything, and he slowly said, "Children, the journey you are about to embark on is not smooth sailing, but a road full of thorns and bumps. The lower world you are going to is a mysterious place full of endless dangers and rare opportunities. There are countless unsolved mysteries waiting for you to explore; at the same time, there are also many powerful and ruthless enemies who are always coveting your lives. But the master believes that as long as you can always stay united and support each other, you will be able to overcome many difficulties with your own wisdom and courage and successfully complete the tasks assigned to you this time."

Hearing the master's earnest words, Li Mingyang, Lin Yi and Su Wan were shocked. They knew that this mission was so important that they could not afford to slack off. The three of them looked solemn, nodded to the master, and said in unison: "Master, please rest assured, we will do our best and live up to our mission!" After that, they turned and walked down the mountain, and their figures gradually disappeared in the vast sea of ​​clouds...

"This is the teleportation array that leads to the lower world. You just need to step into it and chant the corresponding spell, and you will be able to reach your destination smoothly." The master said earnestly, and handed a talisman that exuded a mysterious aura to Li Mingyang. On the talisman, there were dense and intricate runes drawn. These runes flickered with a faint light, like the stars in the night sky, dazzling.

"Disciple will obey Master's orders!" Li Mingyang respectfully took the talisman with both hands, and then turned around and walked side by side with Lin Yi and Su Wan, walking quickly towards the teleportation array. When they arrived in front of the teleportation array, they stopped, each found their own position, and then followed the master's previous instructions and began to recite the obscure spell in unison.

As the three chanted, the teleportation array suddenly burst into a dazzling light. This light was as hot as the sun, instantly illuminating the entire Qingyun Mountain as bright as day. In this strong light, the figures of Li Mingyang, Lin Yi, and Su Wan gradually became blurred, and finally disappeared completely.

In the blink of an eye, the three of them had successfully crossed the space barrier and arrived in a completely unfamiliar world - the underworld. As soon as they landed, they were shocked by the scene before them and were speechless.

The sky here was gloomy and gray, giving people a heavy and oppressive feeling; the ground under their feet was covered with deep cracks, as if it had been scratched by a huge monster with its claws. There was a thick layer of fog all around, making the already unclear vision even more hazy. Everywhere they looked, they saw a desolate and bleak scene, with no signs of life.

"This... is this the legendary underworld?" Li Mingyang widened his eyes, slowly turned his body, and looked around at the strange and dilapidated environment. An indescribable feeling of emotion surged in his heart.

"It looks like this place is not very peaceful." Lin Yi frowned slightly. With his keen perception, he quickly noticed a faint sense of oppression in the air, which made him feel very uneasy.

"We must first find a place to stay, and then slowly explore." Su Wan frowned and suggested softly. Her beautiful face looked a little solemn at the moment, and her eyes were firmly looking at the unknown road ahead.

The three of them walked cautiously along a narrow path that was only wide enough for one person to pass through. The path was overgrown with weeds and thorns, as if no one had stepped on it for a long time.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, they finally arrived at a village that looked rather dilapidated. The entire village was as quiet as if it had been asleep for a long time, and there was a smell of decay all around. There were almost no traces of living people in the village, and only a few dilapidated houses stood alone, with mottled and peeling walls and shaky roofs. The once fertile fields were now barren, with weeds growing wildly, covering up the vitality and prosperity of the past.

"It seems that no one has lived here for a long time." Li Mingyang frowned and gently pushed open the door of a house. With a creaking sound, a stale smell came to his face. He looked closely and found that the house was empty, except for the thick dust piled up on the ground.

"Let's take a break here first. We are all exhausted and need to recover our strength." Lin Yi said while panting. His handsome face looked a little haggard due to the long journey, but his eyes still shone with determination.

So the three of them searched around the village and finally found a relatively clean and tidy place to sit down. They closed their eyes, adjusted their breathing, and began to practice qigong to restore their exhausted physical and internal strength as quickly as possible.

However, just as they were immersed in regulating their breathing, suddenly, a very light sound of footsteps reached Li Mingyang's keen ears. He suddenly opened his eyes, became alert instantly, and signaled the other two to keep quiet. Then, he tiptoed to the door, quietly opened the door a crack, and looked out. He saw a ragged, skinny old man standing trembling at the door. The old man's face was full of wrinkles, his hair was gray and messy, and his eyes revealed a trace of fatigue and vigilance that was difficult to conceal.

"Old man, are you a resident here?" Li Mingyang asked with a smile on his face and a gentle tone. His eyes fell on the white-haired, wrinkled old man in front of him, and his eyes were full of curiosity and concern.

The old man raised his cloudy eyes, looked up and down at the three people in front of him, then nodded slightly, and replied in a slightly hoarse voice: "Yes, I am the last resident here. You came from up there, right?" After saying that, a hint of doubt flashed in his weather-beaten eyes.

Li Mingyang nodded quickly and explained to the old man: "That's right, old man. We are disciples from Qingyun Mountain. We came down the mountain this time under the order of our master to complete an important mission in this lower world."

Hearing the words "Qingyun Mountain", the old man's eyes suddenly flashed with surprise. He couldn't help but re-examine the three people in front of him, and seemed to be very surprised by their identities. After a moment, he recovered and said with emotion: "So you are disciples of Qingyun Mountain! That's great. No outsiders have come here for a long time."

Su Wan, who had been standing nearby and listening quietly, couldn't help but walk forward when she saw this and asked with concern: "Excuse me, what exactly happened here? Why did it become like this?" Her beautiful eyes were full of worry, and she was eager to know the answer.

The old man sighed heavily, a painful expression emerged on his face, and he said slowly: "Girl, this was originally a prosperous and lively village. Everyone lived and worked in peace and contentment, and life was ordinary but happy. However, just a few years ago, an evil force suddenly descended on this place. It was like a terrible nightmare, bringing us endless disasters. Many innocent villagers were killed and unfortunately died. The rest of the people were afraid of being implicated, so they fled this once beautiful home. And I... Alas, because I'm too old and in poor health, I really can't walk, so I can only choose to stay." At this point, the old man shook his head helplessly, with tears flashing in the corners of his eyes.

After hearing this, Li Mingyang and the others were instantly filled with sympathy. Li Mingyang asked with concern, "So what exactly is that evil force? Do you know its origin and background?"

The old man shook his head slowly and answered solemnly, "I only know that they are a group of people dressed in black. They call themselves the 'Netherworld Cult'. This sect seems to have a special liking for all kinds of rare treasures and rare animals with spiritual roots in the world, and has been searching for them by any means. These people are extremely cruel and will do anything to achieve their goals. It's outrageous!"

"The Netherworld Sect?" Hearing this strange and bizarre name, Li Mingyang could not help but frown. Although he had never heard of any information about this sect before, with the experience and intuition accumulated over many years of wandering around, he keenly realized that this was not just an ordinary cult organization.

Li Mingyang looked determined and promised the old man in a firm tone: "Old man, please rest assured that we will thoroughly investigate this matter and will not let go of any clues. We will also do our best to help you and other villagers get out of trouble."

Hearing this, the old man's eyes suddenly flashed with an unconcealable gratitude, and he responded with a slightly trembling voice: "Thank you so much! If you can really successfully drive away those extremely cruel villains, it will be a great blessing for our entire village!"

After the three of them waved goodbye to the mysterious old man, they set out on a journey to find the Netherworld Cult's lair without hesitation. According to the clues provided by the old man, the Netherworld Cult's lair was hidden in an ancient and abandoned city not far from here. So, they followed the route clearly pointed out by the old man and rushed forward non-stop. Not long after, the ancient city full of unknown and mysterious colors suddenly appeared in front of everyone, and its entrance was like a bloody mouth, waiting for prey to come to the door.

This ancient city may have once been glorious, but now it is in a state of decay. The originally tall and solid city walls have long since collapsed, and the dilapidated city gates are shaky like an old man in his twilight years. However, even so, waves of chilling cold air still waft out from the city, making people shudder. Li Mingyang, Lin Yi, and another companion looked at each other, took a deep breath, and then stepped into the city carefully.

As soon as you enter the city, you will see a desolate and dilapidated scene. Everywhere you look, you can see abandoned buildings that are standing crookedly, as if telling of the vicissitudes of the past years; and the trees that should have been lush and green have now dried up and withered, with branches twisted like ghost claws reaching towards the sky, making the whole scene even more eerie and terrifying.

"There really is an evil energy here!" Lin Yi muttered softly in a low voice, frowning at the same time, because he was keenly aware of the strong evil energy in the air around him. This energy was like an invisible shackle, weighing heavily on everyone's heart.

"Everyone, be careful. Let's split up and search every corner of the city carefully. Don't miss any clues!" Li Mingyang said solemnly. After that, the three of them quickly dispersed and started searching in different directions.

Li Mingyang was walking slowly along a narrow alley alone. Suddenly, he heard a low and unclear conversation coming from the front. His heart tightened, and he instantly became alert, and his steps became lighter. Then, he dodged into a dark corner beside him like a ghost, holding his breath and quietly approaching the direction where the sound came from.