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

"Why didn't you mention this sooner, Senior?" Yang Chen was completely in the dark about all this; sure, he might have had some suspicions, but he never imagined Yan was already set on pursuing him.

The realization that someone like Yan was gunning for him sent a shiver straight through his core.

"Yan is bound to strike at you sooner or later, though by then you'd already reached the Taiyuan Star System. I mulled it over and chose to hold off on saying anything right away. Telling you too soon, given how weak you were back then, would've just filled you with dread and anxiety, which could've harmed your cultivation progress," Luo said, smiling lightly.

Yang Chen nodded after listening, understanding that Luo surely had good motives and not dwelling on it further.

"Now that you've shared this, what exactly do you expect me to do, Senior?" Yang Chen questioned. "If Yan's after me, he probably 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's got schemes lined up for you for sure. Even hiding out in the Taiyuan Star System doesn't guarantee your safety. Plus, you can't hole up there forever. You've got two paths ahead: one, sit tight until he attacks; two, hit him before he can. Which way are you leaning?" Luo inquired.

Yang Chen answered without a second thought, "I pick the second option."

He wasn't one to passively await doom. Striking preemptively against Yan beat waiting for the inevitable assault.

"That said, my power has surged ahead to the Heaven-separated Realm, yet I'm still nowhere near strong enough to challenge Yan," Yang Chen admitted with a sigh.

"At your level now, beating Yan is out of the question. Ages ago, when we clashed, his cultivation was already at the Heavenly Extreme Realm, and today he's even more of an enigma. Victory against him is impossible," Luo replied, giving a bitter grin.

"So what's my next move?" 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, you could target his sharpest weapons; that counts as striking him where it hurts," Luo clarified.

Yang Chen frowned briefly before responding, "Senior, what good does offing a handful of ghost beings do? It feels pretty pointless."

"Sure, doing it that way would just scatter your efforts. But with your present might, you could pull off something far bolder," Luo said, grinning.

Curiosity sparked in Yang Chen: "Bolder moves?"

"Exactly, wildly bold ones," Luo chuckled deeply. "The Netherworld keeps churning out Netherworld ghosts by snatching souls meant for reincarnation. This turns cultivators and foreign races, who should've passed on normally, into Netherworld servants instead. It's a never-ending power supply, meant originally as Yama's tool to uphold reincarnation's balance, but now it fuels Yan's mad schemes. Every Domain Interface Yan seizes gets a Gate of Life and Death installed."

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

"With a Gate of Life and Death set up, any cultivator dying in that domain heads straight to the Netherworld, turning into a controlled soul there," Luo detailed.

Luo had never brought this up to Yang Chen previously, but back then Yang Chen was too feeble for such heavy truths.

"Yan's scattered Gates of Life and Death across endless Domain Interfaces. Near the Netherworld's heart, at minimum, hundreds of them bear these gates, all folded into his domain now. That's dragged hundreds of Domain Interfaces—human ones and those of various foreign races—under Netherworld sway. Essentially, they've all turned into Netherworld marionettes," Luo continued.

A jolt hit Yang Chen: "How come human experts haven't crushed this?"

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

"Universe?" Yang Chen showed mild shock.

"Right, it's just another name for the Cosmic Starry Sky—they're interchangeable. Over time, though, 'Cosmic' shifted to mean the whole vast expanse, while 'Universe' now points to the seven major and minor universes inside the Cosmic Starry Sky!" Luo stated.

Yang Chen blinked in surprise: "And what makes up these seven major and minor universes?"

"Humans plus loads of foreign races claim the two biggest; the Spirit God Race and Ruthless Beast Race, with swarms of other foreign tribes, hold three big ones; the Netherworld claims one spot; and the final is the Origin Land. That's your seven. Prior to the Netherworld forging the Dark Flow Universe, only six major ones existed," Luo described with regret.

Yang Chen drew in a sharp breath, utterly clueless about this until now.

It made sense why the Divine Night Sect constantly fended off invaders. The Cosmic Starry Sky hid endless mysteries.

"The Dark Flow Universe started under human and select foreign race control, but the Netherworld slowly gnawed it away. Those Gates of Life and Death make it a fortress. Human elites have charged in repeatedly, all for nothing. The fix is straightforward: shatter the Gates of Life and Death to free a Domain Interface. But wrecking those gates? That's no simple feat!" Luo shook his head gravely.

"Are you hinting I should go after destroying these Gates of Life and Death?" Yang Chen murmured, stroking his chin as Luo's face revealed hints of his plan.

"Spot on," Luo chuckled. "Smashing the Gates frees a Domain Interface and saps the Netherworld's power; it's the direct route."

"Once they're gone, couldn't the Netherworld just reinstall them?" Yang Chen wondered, confused.

"Replanting demands tens of thousands of years. Altering life and death laws isn't child's play. Without Yama's old techniques, Yan couldn't have pulled any of it off," Luo noted.

Yang Chen pondered deeply for moments, then spoke: "Those Gates of Life and Death can't be simple to demolish. Humans and foreign races have attempted it and flopped, so heavy guards must surround them."

"Indeed, that's a given. Even the minor ones get protected by Destiny Realm World Embryo Stage and Life Stage experts. The key spots fall to Yan's loyal Heavenly Extreme Realm aides, or even Yan in person!" Luo outlined.

Hearing that, Yang Chen—who'd felt a spark of interest—shrank back slightly: "Senior, isn't this suicidal? With all those powerhouses on watch, I doubt I could touch it even throwing my life away."