dmims Chapter 67, Second Mark: The Divine Preservation in the Purple Mansion, The Netherworld's Decre
Chapter 67, Second Mark: The Divine Preservation in the Purple Mansion, The Netherworld's Decre
The [Purple Mansion Condensing Spirit Talisman] is divided into two parts: first, opening up the Purple Mansion, and second, condensing the spirit talisman within the Purple Mansion.
Although the upper dantian is also called the Purple Mansion, it is not the same as the Purple Mansion in this technique.
The two should not be confused, but they can be combined.
Therefore, Mo Di used the upper dantian as a foundation and, with the help of the [Purple Mansion Condensing Spirit Register], expanded the upper dantian into the Purple Mansion.
His soul occupied the core of the Purple Mansion and grew much stronger.
"The Purple Mansion has greatly enhanced my mental defenses. If I can refine my mental domain into it, I might not only obtain the second mark, but also a different space of mental nature."
Modi was in high spirits.
The next step is to bring the spiritual realm into the Purple Mansion and condense it into a divine talisman.
The spiritual consciousness permeated Tupa's authority, reaching the very core of the spiritual realm.
With the Purple Mansion, the core information erosion could not shake Mo Di in the slightest.
The condensation of the divine talisman has begun.
The spiritual realm gradually shrinks, but through the portal provided by the authority of thought, it is gradually integrated into the Purple Palace and then condensed into a divine talisman.
Mysterious patterns climbed up the Purple Palace, forming talismans of unknown efficacy; these are what are known as divine talismans.
With each additional divine talisman added, the Purple Palace expands by one unit.
Next, he only needs to follow the steps of the [Purple Mansion Concentration Talisman] step by step.
The sun rises and sets again.
After this was repeated seven times, the figure sitting cross-legged in the town center finally moved.
He took one last look at his dantian before getting up.
The Purple Mansion was now completely different. It was not only much larger than before, but it had also become a different space with spiritual properties.
Divine inscriptions were engraved on his Purple Mansion; these were his second mark.
Influenced by the deathly aura of the Styx, the second mark, though originating from the spiritual realm, inevitably acquired a trace of evil.
It was eerie and unsettling, like the underworld.
Therefore, he called the second mark "the Netherworld".
Shaking off the snow, Modi straightened his clothes and looked up at the sky where fine snow was falling.
The traces left by the ice dragon still remain, and the strong influence of [Frost] lingers.
The town's ruins will likely be shrouded in perpetual cold.
Combined with the active evil forces and the souls of the dead here, over time, a series of [Frost] type monsters will likely emerge.
For example, Wendigo, Ice Ghost, and Frost Ghoul.
If Modi leaves it unchecked, the filth here will soon spread and grow.
When a bunch of reckless people come to explore the town someday, we'll be able to make another horror movie.
"Letting them grow wildly is really not a good idea; let's just treat it as a test of the second mark."
In the Purple Palace, divine talismans shone brightly.
Unconsciously, an invisible space overlaps with the material world.
The deathly aura of the Styx seeped out from the earth, sweeping away the souls imprisoned by the influence of [Frost].
"There were a total of 632. Even if only their souls remained, Tupa's poison still lingered in their souls."
These souls erupted in raging fury the moment they saw him.
They chanted Tupa's name, behaving like fanatics.
Some people also try to sense the spiritual world and attempt to recreate a Tupa through the illusionary art.
They were destined to be disappointed, because the spiritual world had disappeared, replaced by Modi's [Netherworld].
"Six hundred and thirty-two fanatics are a bit troublesome to deal with, but it's not impossible."
With a thought, the death energy of the Styx gathered, transforming into a mighty river that swept up all the souls.
The second mark, [Netherworld], begins to exert its power.
Washed by the cursed waters of the River Styx, their memories, beliefs, and personalities dissolved, leaving only their pure souls.
"With the first and second marks working together, my River Styx can also exert the effect of the River of Oblivion."
Given time, he might be able to establish his own underworld.
Modi reached out, pinched one end of the Styx River, and applied slight pressure.
In an instant, the River Styx disintegrated into countless strands of Styx death energy, all of which he absorbed into his body.
The remaining 632 soul flames.
These soul flames were absorbed by the Netherworld Mark and disappeared completely.
"Six hundred and thirty-two soul flames can be implanted into memories, forged into ghost soldiers, and also... let me have some soul flame absorption fun."
But he decided against it; he had other uses for these souls, such as substitution spells.
"I remember I had a voodoo doll; the wizard spirit inside should know quite a bit."
Perhaps we can get some useful information from the questions.
"Let's get this done on the way. We've already been dragging this out for seven days; it's time to head to the Black Forest."
If this dragged on any longer, he feared that the gates of hell might actually be opened inside.
......
On the way to the Black Forest.
Mordy sat in the passenger seat of the car, with David driving next to him.
After Orlando was reduced to ruins, he had nowhere to go, so he volunteered to be Mordy's driver.
"I don't know much about the Black Forest, but one thing is certain: people who get lost in there almost never get out."
He habitually picked up a cigarette, but before he could light it, Mo Di next to him slapped it away.
"I hate secondhand smoke."
David gave an awkward smile and continued his story:
"Ahem, headquarters sent people to investigate this forest and found that negative elements and evil forces are extremely active here."
The dark, shadowless environment of the Black Forest naturally made it suitable for some kind of mystical ritual, turning it into a labyrinth controlled by supernatural forces.
The Black Forest is a natural ceremonial site.
Moreover, it occupies a huge area and is even more special than the sanctuary of Frostmourne.
This dark labyrinth contains an open area where the town of Korwick is located.
This is a sparsely populated town with only a little over a hundred residents.
As seen on the map, Korwick is located in the heart of the Black Forest, with only one road running through the entire forest and leading to the town.
There is no other way.
Various factors have created a closed and backward town. It is said that even today, very few houses in Korwick have access to running water and electricity.
"What's the atmosphere like in Korwick? Is it as xenophobic as Orlando?" Mordy asked.
"It's more accurate to say that Orlando's xenophobia is a legacy of Kwek."
The ancestors of the people of Orlando were originally Korwick people. It is said that a disaster broke out in Korwick, which led them to leave their homeland and flee to the Black Forest to establish the town of Orlando.
The xenophobic atmosphere in Orlando was passed down by them.
"Later, the disaster somehow subsided, and the surviving Kwak people stayed in their homeland. They would occasionally send people out to buy supplies from Orlando."
The two towns have a long-standing tradition of exchanging goods and services.
But what can the closed and backward Kerwick offer Orlando?
By activating the Netherworld Mark, Modi obtained the answer from the memories washed away by those 632 souls.
"Orlando received much ancient and evil knowledge from Kerwick."
Combining the illusionary techniques they obtained from the outside world, Orlando eventually created Tupa.
It can be said that the formation of Tupa is inextricably linked to Kowicz, or the Black Forest.
Do you think this forest was formed naturally?
Modi asked again.
The Black Forest was now in sight, and they would take the only road to Korwick.
"I think so?" David wasn't sure either.
The road, which is not wide, is lined with tall and dense fir trees.
The branches and leaves blocked the sunlight, making the forest dark.
To be honest, he was a little nervous driving on this kind of road.
Modi didn't seem to feel anything; he was just constantly thinking.
A naturally formed forest could never contain such a strong concentration of negative elements; it could only be created by humans.
What kind of being could create a forest filled with evil power?
What is the connection between the town of Korwick and the Black Forest, and the factors that made it exist?
......
The sky was getting dark.
The townspeople of Korwick went home early, closing their windows and locking their doors.
There were hardly any people left on the street, and the remaining people were hurrying home.
A car drove up from a distance and stopped next to a townsman.
The car door opened, and a middle-aged man raised his hand to stop the townspeople.
"Hello, we're from Orlando. Do you know where the Green family mansion is?"
Upon hearing the term "Green family," the young man, who was rushing about, became alert.
"Outsiders?" He made no attempt to hide his repulsion and disgust. "What are you doing in Korwick?"
"Inherit the family business."
Modi got out of the car and waved the letter he had received from a distant relative.
"A relative of mine, I think his name is Randy Green, asked me to come here to inherit his old house."
The young man immediately concealed the disgust in his eyes, and his tone became much warmer.
"So you're the heir to the Green family. The Green family mansion is just behind the town. Just follow this road straight and you'll soon see a large house."
He pointed in a direction and added:
"After Mr. Randy passed away, the mansion was locked. The key is with the mayor. You can visit the mayor first; his house is..."
He looked up at the sky, a look of anxiety appearing on his face.
"I need to get home quickly. If you need anything, ask the mayor. Oh, and it's best not to go out at night."
After saying that, the young man walked past David and left in a hurry.
"It seems that the tradition in Kerwick is similar to that in Orlando, where people don't go out at night."
David shrugged and got back into the driver's seat.
"Shall we go to the mayor's next?" he asked.
Modi replied, "No, let's go straight to the old house."
"But the key..."
"Climbing through windows, prying open doors, or even tearing doors down—as an investigator, you surely know these things, right?"
Modi gave him a strange look and explained:
"We're here to investigate the Gates of Hell. If such a thing really exists, the townspeople might have already been secretly corrupted, just like in Orlando."
Before they can react, let's check out the old house first.
David thought it made sense and realized that he had fallen into a fixed mindset.
No wonder others are Level 5 investigators while he's only Level 2.
The car started and drove toward Green's old house.
The young man wasn't lying to them; they could reach their destination by simply following the road.
Looking at the mansion, which was surrounded by walls and completely shrouded in darkness, Mordy felt a strange sensation.
"This house... really looks like a tombstone."