Chapter 101: Contemplating the Underworld

After hearing this, Yan Mengdie released her control, and the snow globe enveloping Xu Cheng dissipated instantly, revealing his figure.

"What exactly was that treasure?" Yan Mengdie asked hurriedly.

"That bead was a magical artifact forged from an immortal's primordial spirit. I didn't expect it to still contain a lingering wisp of that spirit. If that spirit had been any stronger, I would have been completely finished," Xu Cheng explained.

"An immortal's lingering primordial spirit! No wonder the commotion was so massive!" Chrysanthemum exclaimed in awe.

"Thankfully, after surviving this ordeal, I feel my own primordial spirit has grown much stronger. I wonder if this counts as having entered the Realm of Materialization," Xu Cheng said, feeling the waves of warmth emanating from within his spirit.

"In the Realm of Materialization, one's primordial spirit can refine anything. Even a pebble can be forged into a powerful magical artifact. That is what it truly means to step into the Realm of Materialization," Chrysanthemum said. Having learned much by Yun Sheng's side, he had long since clarified the distinctions between the various realms.

Looking around, Xu Cheng truly wanted to test if he could refine an ordinary object into a magical artifact. He spotted a vase in the corner, about the length of an adult’s arm. Its surface was covered in colored glaze, beautifully painted with several peonies of different colors vying for splendor—a truly exquisite painting of peonies.

He picked it up and tried to envelop it entirely with the power of his primordial spirit, thinking that if he were to refine it, this was how it must be done. Yet, after a moment, he gave up. He could not refine the vase at all, which showed that he had not yet entered the Realm of Materialization; rather, the ordeal had merely tempered the essence of his primordial spirit, making his foundations exceptionally solid.

If he were to be glared at by that mysterious person again like before, his spirit would certainly not shatter. Though his realm had not improved, such a transformation was still enough to make him happy.

He placed the vase back in its original spot. For a fleeting moment, he considered sacrificing it to see if he could obtain any rewards. But then, he thought better of it. Sacrificing a vase would be like sacrificing all the ordinary residents of the town; the gains would be negligible. It would be far better to fulfill the wishes of the ghosts lingering in the human realm, as the merit gained from that was sometimes no less than what one would get from directly sacrificing a practitioner of the primordial spirit.

*Does the Yellow Springs actually have a concept of being "people-oriented"?* Xu Cheng wondered to himself.

"It's the middle of winter, and you aren't closing your doors and windows tight? Do you want to freeze to death?" The innkeeper passed by the doorway, saw the open windows, pulled his cotton-padded jacket tighter, and grumbled. "I was wondering where that cold draft was coming from. You aren't afraid of the cold, but I certainly am!"

The innkeeper noticed that even in the dead of winter, Xu Cheng and his two companions were still dressed in thin clothing. He shook his head to himself, entered the room, and shut the windows. As he did so, he muttered, "Young people these days are truly full of vigor. An old man like me can't compare!"

After finishing, the innkeeper left unhurriedly, closing the door to their room behind him.

Xu Cheng walked slowly to the window. Peering through a crack, he saw that the world outside was covered in white. It seemed the snow this year was much heavier than the last, though that could also be due to the region.

"The heavy snow will likely close the mountain passes again. Right Envoy, are we still going to pursue that mysterious person?" Chrysanthemum asked. In winter, he generally disliked moving at all; even taking a few extra steps made him feel exhausted, much like an animal needing to hibernate.

"Not for now. Even if we caught up, the three of us would have no way to deal with them. It is better to focus on cultivation and revisit this later," Xu Cheng replied.

"The Right Envoy's mindset seems to have changed quite a bit!" Chrysanthemum laughed.

"You don't have a fever, do you? Just the other day you were so furious!" Yan Mengdie said, reaching out to check the temperature of Xu Cheng’s forehead.

This was due to the Yellow Springs Immortal Arts. Having been constantly bathed in the aura of the Yellow Springs refined by these arts, Xu Cheng's temperament had become prone to irritability and emotional instability. Later, after being attacked by the mysterious person’s primordial spirit, he had calmed down significantly, and after being purified by Buddhist immortal arts, his state of mind was now so peaceful that he would not easily become emotional.

"Let's make the most of our time and cultivate while we can," Xu Cheng said. He sat cross-legged and began his practice.

Although the Yellow Springs Immortal Arts were his foundation, he knew little about them. He only knew one seal from the Yellow Springs Reincarnation Arts: the Nether Seal.

A single Great Radiant Immeasurable Wisdom Immortal Art had allowed Xu Cheng to comprehend the Great Radiance Seal, the Wisdom Seal, and the Primeval Past Seal. Yet, despite possessing three Yellow Springs Immortal Arts, he only knew one Nether Seal. He truly lacked the depth of comprehension.

In truth, the immortal arts themselves were static. Once a practitioner condensed the magical talisman and mastered the art, they would know the basic usage. The "seals" were merely more powerful methods of application that practitioners derived from their own deep realization of their arts.

Within his sea of consciousness, the three Yellow Springs Immortal Art patterns on Xu Cheng's primordial spirit converged, forming something like a heart-protecting mirror on his chest. The Heavenly Principles of Sacrifice, Reincarnation, and Hell emerged one after another. These three principles flowed between the patterns like blood through the veins of a living being.

With the three immortal arts working in unison, the aura of the Yellow Springs grew stronger. After a short while, a massive black dragon shadow emerged, representing the Nether Seal.

Feeling a flash of inspiration, Xu Cheng activated the Great Wisdom Seal to accelerate his comprehension. Moments later, images of the eighteen levels of hell—the Mountain of Blades, the Sea of Fire, the Tongue-Ripping Hell, and more—appeared before his eyes. With the aid of the Great Wisdom, Xu Cheng gained a glimmer of insight.

The second seal of the Yellow Springs Immortal Arts was the Hell Seal!

Aside from the exceptionally slow start, his progress became faster and faster.

The third was the Reincarnation Seal.
The fourth was the Six Paths Seal.
The fifth was the Six Paths Reincarnation Seal.

Having mastered four consecutive seals, Xu Cheng's strength improved significantly. The Six Paths Reincarnation Seal could suck a person directly into the cycle of reincarnation, though, of course, those with profound cultivation could escape its suction.

However, Xu Cheng could not sustain the activation of all five seals at once, as the Great Wisdom Seal consumed his magical power too quickly.

After recovering his strength, Xu Cheng opened his eyes abruptly. A beam of light manifested out of thin air, illuminating the room.

He did not know how long he had been cultivating. Yan Mengdie's original appearance had changed further; her body had become entirely like that of a golden-armored beast, and her features had shifted, becoming even uglier. In Xu Cheng's view, this shell alone was enough to block ordinary spells and martial attacks, and could even resist immortal arts with weak offensive power.

As for Chrysanthemum, he had fully mastered the Ghost Path Immortal Arts from the coffin. His skin was now a pale white tinged with blue, and the blue tinted with purple. If he were dressed up even a little, he might scare someone to death if he went out at night.

The only one who looked normal was Xu Cheng. Because the Minor Five Elements Creation Art allowed him to change his appearance at will, he remained in the guise of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth.

Though Yan Mengdie did not speak, she glared at Xu Cheng, her eyes seeming to say: "I don't like you looking like this!"