Chapter 1191: 1190: Netherworld Realm, Masked Man

Chapter 1191: Chapter 1190: Netherworld Realm, Masked Man

“Enough. This farce should end here,” the voice of Thousand Calamities Doomsday echoed again.

“If there is nothing else, then leave.

In honor of the former Demon Lord, I will break the rules of the Ghost God Realm for you this once.”

“One day, this gate will no longer stop me,” Xu Zimei said calmly.

“When you reach my heights, we will naturally have the chance for an equal dialogue,” Thousand Calamities Doomsday responded.

“But for now, I look forward to seeing the limits of your growth.”

As his voice faded, the surrounding dark mist began to dissipate.

The massive gate disappeared into the far end of Xu Zimei’s vision.

Xu Zimei looked up, staring at the firmament as still as stagnant water.

“The sky… has brightened, yet it remains dark.”

“Master,” Bai Meng and the others approached and asked.

“I’m fine,” Xu Zimei waved a hand, signaling Bai Meng and the others to return to the Divine Continent.

For now, they were not suitable to reveal themselves.

The Spotted Stone glowed, and only then did Lai Canyin cautiously step out of the room.

She kept a certain distance from Xu Zimei, asking warily, “You… you’re alright?”

Xu Zimei turned his head to glance at her, replying calmly, “Go prepare a map.”

“You’re really alright?” Lai Canyin asked in shock.

“After so many years, someone has actually come out of the night alive.”

“Do I look like someone who’s not alright?” Xu Zimei retorted.

“What did you see in that gray fog?” Lai Canyin asked curiously.

“Are you sure you want to know?” Xu Zimei asked.

Lai Canyin fell silent for a moment before muttering, “I’ll go prepare the map for you.”

Inwardly, she understood that Xu Zimei’s silence was likely for her own good.

Such things were better left unknown.

After all, matters concerning great horrors and great secrets were often riddled with taboos.

Watching Lai Canyin’s departing figure, Xie Changliu also stepped forward from the shadows.

“Changliu,” Xu Zimei addressed him.

“It seems I must accompany you to the Netherworld Realm.”

“What’s the matter?” Xie Changliu asked with surprise.

“All for a woman, alas,” Xu Zimei patted his shoulder with a faint smile.

Xie Changliu couldn’t quite make sense of it but still followed behind Xu Zimei.

The once pitch-black night where hands couldn’t be seen in front of one’s face was gradually brightening.

The two walked out of the courtyard of the venerable mother’s residence.

Just as they stepped outside, Xu Zimei sensed something was amiss.

A desolate killing intent struck without warning.

Their feet crunched on the ground as withered ghost tree leaves were carried by the wind, spiraling in mid-air.

A single leaf fluttered toward them, slicing through the void, swift and lethal.

Xu Zimei tilted his body slightly, avoiding the falling leaf.

The leaf passed the nearby ancient tree, slicing it cleanly in half.

“Which friend is it that dares hide in the shadows?” Xie Changliu called out firmly.

“It’s a formation,” Xu Zimei reminded him.

“You deserve to die,” a voice echoed from all around.

The voice was erratic and fleeting, and soon a figure wearing a white mask emerged into view.

In his left hand, he clutched a longsword dragging along the ground, the earth cracking beneath its edge as boundless Sword Intent spilled forth.

His own being radiated an even greater imperial might, endlessly cycling through him.

The overwhelming power fractured the void surrounding him.

“If you’ve come to kill us, why hide behind a mask? Such behavior reminds me of that cowardly turtle,” Xu Zimei sneered.

“The Black Tortoise, Xuan Min, correct?”

As his words landed, the masked man exuded an even thicker killing intent, almost solid in form.

His Sword Intent surged wildly. Though not necessarily stronger than Xie Changliu’s, his greater cultivation made it appear far more vast and imposing.

“What is your relationship to Xuan Min?” Xu Zimei asked.

The masked man gave no reply, only quickening his stride with the longsword until he was eventually charging forward.

His figure flickered before Xu Zimei, the longsword’s edge arcing upward in a semi-circle.

An icy glint shimmered at its tip.

Xu Zimei stepped backward, dodging the strike, and kicked upward with his right foot.

His kick struck the man’s sword-wielding hand heavily.

At the same time, Xie Changliu unsheathed his sword in a flash, launching a piercing Sword Intent toward the masked man.

Steel clashed with steel, a deafening “bang” ringing out as sparks flew and countless cracks tore through the void.

Yet the masked man held the upper hand.

Xie Changliu staggered back several steps, but the masked man gave him no respite, closing in once more.

A single slash shattered skies upon skies. Xie Changliu, struggling to defend, was starting to feel overwhelmed.

The masked man extended a foot, ruthlessly kicking him away.

His target wasn’t Xie Changliu. Slowly, he turned his gaze to Xu Zimei.

An immensely powerful aura gathered above his head.

Eventually, it formed into the shape of a Black Tortoise, though this one was distinctive—pristine white and surrounded by delicate snowflakes.

This was an Ice Black Tortoise.

The masked man pointed his sword toward the Black Tortoise, drawing its power toward his blade.

As his sword swung, snowflakes fell incessantly.

“Snowstorm of the Nine Heavens,” the masked man called out softly.

The blade froze the land for miles, surging straight toward Xu Zimei.

Xu Zimei’s hands glowed with the Fire Profound Meaning, flames enveloping Tyrant Shadow as the blade reddened from the heat.

Ice and fire clashed in the void.

As blades crossed, their eyes locked. A bolt of lightning shot out from the masked man’s gaze.

Xu Zimei dodged sideways, but the man’s voice echoed again.

“The river sky is filled with snow and clouds,

A thousand snows and mountains leave no tracks,

At dusk, ten thousand swords of snow cleave the cold heavens.”

Countless Sword Intent laced with ice and snow swirled around him.

Looking up, a boundless snowstorm descended from the northern winds.

It seemed as if this technique could alter the seasons.

In an instant, autumn shifted to winter as thick snow coated the ground.

Amidst the snowstorm, the masked man became a solitary figure in the bleak landscape.

He danced with his sword in the falling snow, the world around him turning white in its entirety.

“Snowfall Heaven-Shattering Slash.”

The snow’s Profound Meaning grew ever stronger, engulfing half the sky, tearing through the dawn’s light, and descending directly atop Xu Zimei.

The massive sword radiance dominated half the heavens, leaving Xu Zimei no room to escape.

Xu Zimei formed seals with both hands, the Swastika swiftly materializing before him, unleashing a powerful aura.

The snowfall collided with the Swastika, erupting in a cataclysmic explosion.

The explosion’s shockwave violently separated the two, shattering the mask into fragments.

Underneath the mask was a youthful, doll-like face.

The figure seemed panicked by the loss of his mask and hurriedly raised his right hand, hiding his face behind wide sleeves.

“Don’t look at me, don’t look at me,” he exclaimed in panic.

“Still so concerned about appearances, aren’t you?” Xu Zimei chuckled softly.

The masked man dared not meet Xu Zimei’s gaze. With a wave of his hand, the surrounding scene shifted.

The snowfall disappeared, the formation disbanded, and he fled into the distance in a frenzy.

“What’s this? Coming and going as you please?” Xu Zimei’s eyes narrowed as the Blade Intent slashed toward the fleeing figure.