From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 537 Old Dreams Beneath the Abyss

The voice seemed to come from all directions, yet it also seemed to resound directly in the depths of my soul, carrying a hint of mockery and a lofty longing. Every word turned into a cold iron needle, piercing into my mind, which had just been thrown into chaos by memories.

"Welcome home, my little apprentice."

Come back home?

I bit my lip hard, the sweet, metallic taste of blood filling my mouth, and the excruciating pain instantly cleared my chaotic thoughts.

This is not home; it is my burial place, the abyss into which I was pushed by the person I trusted most.

I looked up abruptly, and although there was nothing in front of me except the swirling black mist and the outline of the altar, my gaze seemed to pierce through the endless darkness and lock onto the source of the sound.

"This time, I won't let you succeed."

My voice wasn't loud, and it even trembled slightly from excitement, but the hatred and determination it contained startled even myself.

That was not the emotion of the mortal Xiao Yao, but a deep-seated feeling that had never faded even after reincarnation.

Wen Chen tightened his grip on my arm, took a half-step forward, shielding most of my body behind him. The tip of his longsword gleamed with a warm yet sharp light as he warily scanned the surroundings.

"Who are you? Why hide your identity?"

"Hehehe..." The voice laughed, the laughter echoing throughout the entire Netherworld Abyss, causing the surrounding mist to churn violently, as if this space itself was an extension of his emotions.

"The Wen family brat does have some guts. Unfortunately, you have no right to speak here. I'm catching up with my disciple; you ants should just watch quietly."

Before he could finish speaking, an invisible, immense force suddenly pressed down.

Wen Chen let out a muffled groan, his figure swayed slightly, and the light on his sword dimmed a bit.

Zi Ling, standing beside her, was deathly pale and could barely stand. She had to insert the magic weapon in her hand into the ground to support herself.

Only I and the ethereal immortal were unaffected.

I could feel that pressure deliberately bypassing me, as if demonstrating its control, or as a silent warning: your companions are no match for me.

“Master…” I squeezed out these two words through gritted teeth, each syllable like a poisoned knife, wounding myself first before thinking of stabbing others.

"So it was you. You personally cast your disciple into the Netherworld Abyss and then sealed his soul using the method of reincarnation. You have such ruthless methods."

The fragmented image in my mind became clearer.

The woman in white, who was me in my past life, was covered in blood, yet still stood tall and proud.

She looked at the man who had personally dressed her in a black robe, taught her cultivation, and led her to see all the wonders of the world, her eyes filled with incomprehension and indignation.

The man simply stood indifferently behind the attackers, as if watching a farce that had nothing to do with him.

It turns out that he wasn't just watching, but tacitly approving. In fact, he was the one who orchestrated the entire siege.

"Ruthless?" The voice carried a hint of amusement. "Little Yao'er, you're still so naive. If I hadn't shown mercy back then, do you think you would have had the chance to reincarnate and return here with these lowly henchmen? I just wanted you to have a good sleep and purify the impure thoughts that shouldn't be in your body. When you wake up, you will still be my most perfect masterpiece."

"A masterpiece?" I trembled with rage. "In your eyes, am I just an object that can be erased or reshaped at will?"

“You are the most special.” His voice suddenly softened, a kind of gentleness that sent chills down your spine. “You are the most unique ‘Dao Embryo’ in this world, the only ladder for me to reach the pinnacle. It’s just a pity that you have fallen in love with things you shouldn’t have, and have been tainted by the dust of the world, no longer pure. I am just helping you cleanse yourself of these impurities.”

"So, Wen Chen is also part of your plan?" I suddenly realized something and looked sharply at Wen Chen beside me.

If he knew that I possessed the "Dao Embryo," then was Wen Chen's approach and everything between us also a scheme?

This thought was like a bucket of ice water poured over my head, almost extinguishing the anger that had just ignited within me.

Wen Chen seemed to sense my doubts. Under immense pressure, he turned his head with difficulty and looked at me with a firm gaze: "Xiao Yao, I don't know anything about 'Dao Embryo'. I only know you. Whether in the past or now."

"That sounds nice." The voice rang out again, full of disdain. "Love is nothing but the greatest obstacle on the path of cultivation. Little Yao'er, you see, it is precisely because of these trivial emotions that you have become weak and foolish. But it doesn't matter, come back to your master's side, and your master will help you cut off all of this."

"Shut up!" I snapped, interrupting him. "My affairs are none of your business! What exactly do you want to do by sealing me here?"

"What am I doing?" he chuckled. "Of course, I'm waiting for you to come back. This Oath of Reincarnation is both the lock that seals you and the key that calls you back. When you step onto the stele with the karma of this life, the moment your old and new souls merge will be the moment the seal is broken. Now, the time has come, and it's time for your master to take back what belongs to me."

The ethereal immortal, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. His voice was as hollow as ever, but it carried an unprecedented solemnity: "So that's how it is... The Netherworld Abyss is not just a dead end, but your domain. You are trapped here, which is why you need her to come back and break the true shackles for you."

"Oh? Finally, someone who's not so stupid." The voice seemed somewhat surprised. "That's right. Back then, I paid a considerable price to seal her away, and was bound to this place by the Heavenly Dao. But as long as she returns, using her 'Dao Embryo' as a guide, her soul can return to its rightful place, and I can use that to break free, and even... go further."

I finally understand completely.

He didn't not want to kill me, he just couldn't.

He needs me to live, needs me to return here with a new soul, to actively touch the stone tablet, and to complete some kind of ritual.

He schemed against my reincarnation, my return, and perhaps even against everyone around me.

As we step into the Abyss of the Underworld, we are actually stepping into a trap that he has meticulously laid out over thousands of years.

From beginning to end, I was just a pawn.

A deep sense of powerlessness welled up inside me, but it was quickly replaced by an even more intense anger.

Why?

Why should he be the one to write my life story?

Why should my fate become his ladder to heaven?

In my past life, I was perhaps truly innocent and carefree, with my heart set solely on my master and spiritual practice.

But now I am Xiao Yao.

I grew up in Qingyun Town. I had adoptive parents who treated me like their own child, friends who played and laughed with me, and Wen Chen and Zi Ling who were willing to stand up for me.

My life belongs to me!

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

Fear and anger will not solve any problems; they will only make him more smug.

"You want your things back?" I asked coldly, my tone eerily calm. "Then let's see if you have the ability."

My gaze swept over Wen Chen and Zi Ling. Although they were struggling to hold on, there was no sign of retreat in their eyes.

I looked at the ethereal immortal again, and he nodded slightly at me, as if to say, "Go ahead and do it."

We may be insignificant, perhaps like ants, but even ants have the determination to shake a tree.

"Hahaha...Good, good! That's more like my disciple!" The voice roared with laughter, and the entire Netherworld Abyss trembled even more violently.

The stone steps beneath our feet shone with a brilliant red light, as if the light had come alive. Like fresh blood, it spread upwards along the cracks in the stone steps, quickly staining the dilapidated altar beneath our feet.

In the distance, the deep tolling of the bells rang out once more.

thump—

This time, the sound of the bells was no longer distant, but seemed to be right beside our ears, beneath our feet, and in every beat of our hearts.

The altar began to shake violently, and countless ancient runes flowed endlessly on the "Oath of Reincarnation" stele in the center, emitting a piercing buzz.

"The game begins." The deep voice announced, with a hint of cruel excitement. "Little Yao'er, your master has prepared the way home for you. Come down and stand before me."

The moment I finished speaking, the altar beneath my feet suddenly sank.

An indescribable chilling aura surged forth from the bottomless darkness directly beneath the altar.

It wasn't just low temperature; it was a deathly stillness that could freeze the soul.

We all instinctively took a step back, staring intently at the area below the center of the altar.

The darkness there was no longer still; it began to surge, twist, and swirl, like an ancient behemoth awakened, slowly opening its eyes.

A deep vortex formed in the darkness, emitting a teeth-grinding grinding sound, as if tearing apart the barriers of space and connecting to a place completely unknown to us.

That familiar, chilling sense of calling returned, stronger than ever before.

My body and my soul are being pulled apart by that darkness.