CHAPTER 26: CHAPTER 18: NINE NETHERWORLD HELL

Sang Que glanced briefly and immediately withdrew her gaze, continuing to pretend she hadn’t seen anything.

Does her ability to see Yan Daozi’s evil spirits mean that her position in the Nine Netherworld is already deeper than that of Yan Daozi and his spirits?

"It seems the summoning was successful. Well done, very courageous."

Yan Daozi focused on carving the bone flute in his hand, not asking about last night’s events.

Seeing this, Sang Que had no choice but to speak up.

"Last night, I... I think I saw... saw you." Sang Que deliberately stammered, speaking unclearly.

Yan Daozi didn’t lift his head, "Oh? I was cultivating indoors all night and didn’t go out. It must have been an illusion during the summoning."

Sang Que: ......

Alright, let’s get to the point; she didn’t want to wait any longer.

"Last night, I also... also dreamed of an abyss and... and a stone staircase..."

As soon as she finished speaking, the knife in Yan Daozi’s hand almost cut his finger. He looked up in astonishment, squinting as he scrutinized Sang Que.

"You opened the Ghost Gate and descended into the Nine Netherworld? Only passed the Yin once?! Did you see numbers on the stairs?"

Yan Daozi questioned repeatedly, while Sang Que maintained her role as an illiterate and dull person, scratching her head in recollection, then extending one finger, turned horizontally, to indicate ’one’.

"One level! You opened the Ghost Gate and directly reached the Nine Netherworld’s staircase? And you went down one level?"

Yan Daozi couldn’t believe it. Ming Zhang, considered a top-notch talent he’d encountered, took three days to open the Ghost Gate and then about two months to find the staircase to the Lower Nine Netherworld.

The Nine Netherworld consists of nine levels on the first layer, ninety-nine levels on the second layer, and nine hundred and ninety-nine levels on the third layer.

He had been cultivating in the Taoist Sect for more than ten years, and it took him five years to reach the ninety-fifth level of the second layer from when he started descending into the Nine Netherworld!

What kind of prodigy is this girl?

Yan Daozi looked at Sang Que, his eyes complex, filled with jealousy, envy, and a touch of worry.

What he didn’t know was that Sang Que saw a three-digit number, one-zero-eight, a number that only appears on the third layer of the Nine Netherworld.

At this moment, Sang Que intended to reveal her superior talent compared to Ming Zhang and her desire for apprenticeship, hoping Yan Daozi would teach her some real skills sooner.

Even if Yan Daozi underestimated her literacy, handing her a book to learn on her own would be better than wasting time here.

In such a dangerous world, Yan Daozi definitely needed a trailblazer.

Sang Que took a deep breath, determined to set aside some dignity for the chance to go home sooner, for the sake of herself and her mother.

Sang Que suddenly knelt heavily and bowed, "Master Daoist, I... I want to learn... learn skills from you!"

Yan Daozi remained silent, his fingers tapping the table. He had taken in Ming Zhang in Wangshan City to cultivate a companion for himself.

In this strange world, too many unknowns exist, making long survival very difficult. Even though he was a talisman-receiving Daoist with talismans and magic artifacts and had the protection of the Daoist Lord, he couldn’t guarantee a peaceful life.

Often, things require a Pathfinding Stone to test danger and the rules of evil spirits.

After becoming a Yin Walker, it was even more so; each use of the spirit’s power came with a great price. The more it was used, the shorter the lifespan, and he couldn’t act arbitrarily unless his life was in danger.

Therefore, the importance of a Pathfinding Stone is self-evident, and many people do it this way.

However, this companion must not be too weak, or they would die too easily, nor too strong, as it would be difficult to control.

This balance needs to be well grasped.

After Ming Zhang’s death, he had been troubled about where to find a quickly cultivable companion.

Yet this girl’s background was unclear... what if she was really who they were after...

After a moment of silence, Yan Daozi’s tapping finger paused, then, thinking of something, a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"Very well, your performance far exceeded my expectations. Since you opened the Ghost Gate and have already descended to the first level of the Nine Netherworld, I’ll first teach you some basic knowledge of cultivation today. Stand up."

Sang Que did not immediately rise; she continued to kneel on the ground, looking up at Yan Daozi with eyes full of longing.

Yan Daozi took a sip of tea, stroked his goat beard, and began to speak leisurely.

"The so-called Nine Netherworld is the Nine Netherworld Hell within the Taoist Sect, different from the Buddhist Hell Eighteen Layers. Our Taoist Hell has nine layers, and worldly evil spirits are also graded according to the Nine Netherworld. Similarly, the Nine Netherworld is the source of power for ghosts, monsters, and evil spirits in this world."

"The upper three layers of the Nine Netherworld are: the Netherworld, Wind and Thunder Prison, nine levels deep. Second, You Yin, Fire Shadow Prison, ninety-nine levels deep. Third, You Ye, Vajra Prison, nine hundred and ninety-nine levels deep."