The Legend of the Luohou Beast

Chapter 592: The Wind Rises Overseas; Luohou and the Great Jin Dynasty

“You call this the Netherworld Domain. Does this place have any connection to the legendary underworld realms of myth? What exactly is this place?” Han Li’s brow furrowed. He let out a long breath before continuing. “Our magical power has been sealed. Is there a way to restore it to its former state? Most importantly, I have no desire to remain here. I wish to return to the outside world. I beg the Elder to point me toward a clear path.”

“Return? If it were truly that easy, would all of us still be stuck here, living day by day in constant fear of our lives? Most of the people here were born in this Netherworld Domain. Only a rare few, like you and me, were pulled in by the strange mist. And the vast majority of outsiders are devoured by the Yin Beasts the moment they enter. Only the lucky ones survive for one reason or another and manage to escape to a village. All of my family and friends are still on the outside as well,” the old man said, shaking his head with a sigh.

Hearing this, Han Li fell silent.

“As for what this place really is and whether it has any connection to the underworld—who can truly say? But many of the seniors who arrived here long before us have speculated. One theory, similar to what you suggested, holds that this is a spatial tear where the underworld and the mortal realm meet. That would explain the dense Netherworld force here, though not powerful enough to birth truly formidable Netherworld Beasts.”

“The other theory holds that there is no such thing as an underworld realm at all—it is merely hearsay spread by cultivators. They believe this is the belly of a legendary demon beast—the Luohou. Only the Luohou, which legend says can devour the sun and moon and tear through space in an instant, could explain why the strange mist appears in different sea regions and why this place only connects to the outside world every few years. After all, the Luohou of legend is also said to prefer lurking in the deepest ocean trenches, surfacing to feed only after long intervals.”

“The Luohou demon beast? Impossible! That is even less reliable than the underworld theory. I refuse to believe such a creature actually exists in this realm.” Han Li’s expression shifted drastically at the old man’s hypothesis.

“Indeed. I was just as shocked when I first heard this theory. But I have to say, as absurd as it sounds, it does have some merit. If there were a true spatial rift, it should open at a fixed point in the outside world. Yet, every time the Netherworld Domain connects with the outside, the people it drags in come from several different sea regions. Many of them have never even heard of the others’ seas. Take me, for instance. I come from a small island in Wannan Prefecture, within the Great Jin Dynasty. Other cultivators hail from the Five Dragons Sea, the coast of the Heavenly Sand Continent, or even the Chaotic Star Sea. Before we came to know each other, most of us had no idea where the others’ sea regions even were,” the old man said calmly.

“The Great Jin Dynasty! Are you a cultivator from the Jin Kingdom?” Han Li asked, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. This was exactly the name of the super-empire he had heard of back in the Heavenly South.

“Are you from the Great Jin Dynasty as well?” The old man’s eyes lit up.

“No. But I have heard of it. I know it is an enormous nation. I have always wanted to visit, but never had the chance.” Han Li shook his head.

“I see. A pity. I truly wish I still had the chance to return,” the old man said, a hint of disappointment flashing across his face.

“Heh. If you ever visit our Great Jin, you would understand what a true cultivation world looks like. As far as I know, there are many other regions where cultivators roam, but none can compare to our Great Jin in scale and prosperity. It would not be an exaggeration to call our nation the holy land of cultivators in this realm.” The old man’s expression brightened as he spoke of his homeland.

Han Li rubbed his nose, a wry smile on his face, but the old man’s words did pique his interest.

“Ah, I am getting off track. You asked if there is a way to restore one’s magical power in this place. Let me be clear: as long as you remain in this Netherworld Domain, you can forget about ever getting your former abilities back. Besides the Netherworld force, there is also something we call the Spirit Void Eruption. It usually lies deep within the earth’s core, but it erupts from the depths at regular intervals, filling the entire space. Any cultivator caught within its influence will lose all magical power and supernatural abilities. There is no remedy. The reason you were pulled in this time was the unfortunate coincidence of the spatial rift opening and the Spirit Void Eruption occurring simultaneously,” the old man said with a faint smile.

Hearing this, Han Li felt a surge of bitterness. If not for this stroke of bad luck, he would never have been dragged here by that accursed ghost mist. He would have been long gone, wherever he pleased.

“Is there truly no way out of this place? I find that hard to believe.” Han Li fell silent for a moment, then spoke, unwilling to accept it.

“That is not entirely true. The method for leaving is plainly laid out. But one must actually be capable of accomplishing it.” The old man stroked his beard, speaking unhurriedly.

“What method?” A spark of hope lit in Han Li’s heart, and he pressed forward.

Mei Ning, who had been standing to the side, her expression fluctuating between pale and flushed at the old man’s earlier words, also perked up at this.

“Well…” The old man did not answer immediately, but instead hesitated, lost in thought.

“Is there a problem, Daoist?” Han Li’s expression flickered slightly.

“Do not misunderstand. There is nothing to hide. I certainly hope the village can gain one or two more cultivators, but I would not deliberately make things difficult for you. I am merely afraid that, in your eagerness to leave, you might throw your lives away recklessly,” the old man said, his eyes narrowing meaningfully as he saw the expressions on Han Li and Mei Ning’s faces.

Hearing this, Han Li was taken aback, but then let out a soft laugh.

“Rest assured. Though I may appear young, I am a cultivator who has trained for many years. I will not act rashly. If the matter is truly impossible, I will not foolishly throw my life away. But I would still like to hear this method of escape you mentioned and see just where the difficulty lies.” Han Li’s smile faded, and he asked seriously.

“Since you insist, I will not withhold it.” After a moment’s thought, the fat old man agreed.

…

A long while later, Han Li walked out of the hall with an expressionless face. He stood at the entrance, gazing into the distance, as if lost in thought.

“Brother Han, what are we going to do? Are you really planning to climb that Stormwind Mountain?” Mei Ning stood behind Han Li, biting her lip as she asked. Her face was deathly pale.

She had completely despaired at the escape method the old man had described, believing it to be utterly impossible.

“I haven’t decided yet. But I must at least try.” Han Li stared at the sky, speaking flatly.

Mei Ning’s expression shifted. She was about to say something else when the sound of footsteps approached them.

A dark-skinned youth of about fifteen or sixteen walked over, looking at them with curiosity.

“You two are the newcomers, right? The Elder has ordered me to take you to your lodging. Since you are new, your food will be provided free for the first three days. After that, you will need to take on tasks. Otherwise, you will have to leave the village and fend for yourselves.” The youth spoke with practiced ease, his dark eyes fixed on them.

“Very well. Lead the way.” Han Li said noncommittally.

The youth nodded and, without further ado, led them toward a corner of the village.

After a short while, the youth brought them to a reasonably clean stone house.

When Mei Ning saw that there was only one stone bed inside, barely big enough for two people, her face flushed bright red.

“How is there only one bed here?” the woman asked the youth hesitantly.

“A man and a woman together—aren’t you supposed to share a bed?” The youth blinked, answering with a puzzled tone.

At this, Mei Ning’s face grew even redder. She wanted to explain but found herself unable to speak.

“We will sleep separately. Bring another stone bed,” Han Li said, having finished his inspection of the room. He turned to the youth and spoke indifferently.

The youth curled his lip, looking reluctant, but he agreed and left.

“Rest for now. I’m going to look around the rest of the village.” As soon as the youth was gone, Han Li spoke to the woman in a tone that brooked no refusal.

Mei Ning’s face showed a hint of surprise, but she nodded silently, saying nothing.

Without further hesitation, Han Li strode out of the house. He glanced around briefly, then headed directly for the tall stone platform in the center of the village.

He was rather interested in the method of controlling Netherworld force.

No one was guarding the platform, so Han Li approached it with ease.

Because the platform was extremely tall, the stairs built along its side were terrifyingly steep.

After circling the platform a few times, Han Li effortlessly climbed to the top.