The Supreme Martial King Shocking All Realms Chapter 3217 - 3212: Gates of Life and Death_1

"Why didn't Senior inform me of this sooner?" Yang Chen was entirely clueless about these events; though he might have harbored suspicions, he never suspected Yan had set his sights on him so soon.

A cold shiver gripped his heart as he realized such a formidable foe was pursuing him.

"Yan is bound to strike at you, yet by then you'd already arrived in the Taiyuan Star System. I pondered it over and chose to hold off on mentioning it right away. Telling you prematurely, given your power back then, would have just sparked fear and anxiety, potentially harming your cultivation progress," Luo clarified, smiling gently.

Yang Chen nodded in understanding after hearing this. He trusted Luo had valid motives and didn't dwell on it further.

"Now that you've shared this with me, Senior, what do you expect me to do?" Yang Chen questioned. "If Yan's after me, he surely won't back down without a fight, will he?"

"Absolutely not. He's been fixated on you and likely knows you hold the Law of Life and Death. He'll have schemes lined up for you. Even in the Taiyuan Star System, safety isn't guaranteed. Plus, you can't remain there forever. You've got two paths: wait for his assault, or launch your own preemptive strike. Which appeals more to you?" Luo inquired.

Yang Chen answered without hesitation, "I'll go with the second option."

He'd never been one to passively await doom. Striking first against Yan beat letting the enemy dictate the battle.

"Still, despite my recent surge in power reaching the Heaven-separated Realm, I'm nowhere near ready to challenge Yan," Yang Chen admitted with a helpless sigh.

"At your current level, victory over Yan is impossible. Ages ago, during our clash, his cultivation had hit the Heavenly Extreme Realm, and now his might is even deeper and more unpredictable. Beating him isn't feasible," Luo replied, offering a bitter smile.

"So what now?" Yang Chen pressed.

"Yan may be mighty, but plenty of Heavenly Extreme Realm powers keep tabs on him closely. He avoids direct involvement out of caution. When he does move, it's through his followers, like the Seven Star Nether Lord and Sky Annihilation Ghost King he positioned earlier. To fight back, stripping away Yan's sharpest weapons counts as retaliation," Luo outlined.

Yang Chen frowned briefly before responding, "Senior, what's the use in just slaying a handful of ghost beings? It feels pointless."

"Naturally, doing so alone would lack direction. But with your present abilities, you could pull off something far bolder," Luo said, grinning.

Curiosity sparked in Yang Chen: "Bolder actions?"

"Indeed, wildly bold ones," Luo chuckled deeply. "The Netherworld keeps spawning Netherworld ghosts by snatching souls meant for reincarnation. This turns cultivators and alien races, fated for natural death, into Netherworld servants instead. It's an infinite well of strength, meant as Yama's tool to uphold reincarnation's balance, yet now it fuels Yan's grand schemes. Every Domain Interface Yan seizes gets a Gate of Life and Death installed."

Yang Chen queried, "Gate of Life and Death?"

"With a Gate of Life and Death in place, fallen cultivators from that domain flow straight to the Netherworld, becoming its controlled souls," Luo detailed.

Yang Chen had never heard Luo bring this up previously, but back then his weakness made such knowledge unnecessary.

"Yan has embedded Gates of Life and Death across innumerable Domain Interfaces. At minimum, near the Netherworld's heart, hundreds of them bear these gates, all folded into his dominion. This has dragged hundreds of Domain Interfaces—human ones and those of various alien races—under Netherworld sway. Essentially, those realms are now Netherworld marionettes," Luo expanded.

Yang Chen felt a jolt of surprise. "Why haven't human experts dealt with this?"

"It's beyond them. Do you grasp what that zone around the Netherworld, linking thousands of Domain Interfaces, is named?" Luo sighed. "They call it the Dark Flow Universe!"

"Universe?" Yang Chen echoed, mildly taken aback.

"Exactly, it's another name for the Cosmic Starry Sky—same concept. Over time, though, 'Cosmic' evolved to denote the vast cosmos, while 'Universe' refers to the seven major and minor universes inside the Cosmic Starry Sky!" Luo stated.

Yang Chen's eyes widened. "What exactly are these seven major and minor universes?"

"Humans and myriad alien races claim the two biggest; the Spirit God Race and Ruthless Beast Race, plus endless alien groups, hold three vast ones; the Netherworld claims one; and the final is the Origin Land. That's the seven. Prior to the Netherworld forging the Dark Flow Universe, only six grand universes existed," Luo described with regret.

Yang Chen drew in a sharp breath, utterly ignorant of this until now.

Little wonder the Divine Night Sect faced constant threats from invaders. The Cosmic Starry Sky hid endless mysteries.

"The Dark Flow Universe started under human and allied alien tribe control, but the Netherworld slowly encroached. Thanks to the Gates of Life and Death, it's become an unbreakable fortress. Human elites dispatched there achieved nothing. The fix is straightforward: shatter the Gates of Life and Death to free a Domain Interface. Yet demolishing those gates is no simple feat!" Luo shook his head gravely.

"Are you implying I should attempt destroying these Gates of Life and Death?" Yang Chen murmured, stroking his chin as he read Luo's intent from his face.

"Spot on," Luo laughed. "Shattering the Gates frees a Domain Interface and saps the Netherworld's power—it's the direct approach."

"But once destroyed, couldn't the Netherworld simply reinstall them?" Yang Chen wondered, confused.

"Replanting demands tens of thousands of years. Altering life and death laws isn't straightforward. Without Yama's ancient techniques, Yan couldn't have managed any of it," Luo noted.

Yang Chen pondered deeply. Moments later, he remarked, "Those Gates of Life and Death can't be simple to wreck. Since humans and alien races attempted it without success, heavy guards must surround them."

"Precisely, that's expected. Even minor ones are watched by Destiny Realm experts at World Embryo Stage and Life Stage. Key ones fall under Yan's loyal Heavenly Extreme Realm aides, or even Yan personally!" Luo clarified.

At those words, Yang Chen—who'd felt a stir of interest—shrank back slightly. "Senior, this sounds like madness. With such mighty guardians, I doubt I'd dent them even staking my life."