Chapter 1617: Chapter 1612: Netherworld Severed (7)

Did you actually find an explanation?

Originally, it was just a defensive instinctual question, yet the revelation came without the slightest hesitation.

This development, once again breaking through imagination, finally left Professor Lisa a bit stunned.

Of course, the content of the explanation was even more shocking.

The Netherworld died?

Being a concept itself as the final destination for the deceased, how could it die?

"You’re not joking?"

Gazing at the "family of three," she couldn’t help but ask as soon as she came to her senses.

"In such a serious setting, you’re asking such an informal question?"

Without turning his head, Fu Qian drew silently closer to the family of three.

"...But how could the Netherworld die?"

This stance was truly impeccable, and while forcing herself to frantically ponder the reasoning behind it, Lisa was not stingy about seeking advice.

"If a belief, such an abstract concept, can die, why can’t the Netherworld?"

The next moment, Fu Qian finally turned around, pointing to his head.

"As a researcher, the most crucial thing is not to let inertia constrain your thinking."

"Do you still remember the reason you mentioned earlier, why you believed the Netherworld wouldn’t exist?"

"Uh... If it truly existed, the will of the Transcendents should have the power to break the barriers and clearly convey this message—"

After warming up, Lisa’s brain, already operating at full speed, quickly recalled a past conversation.

Before she even finished speaking, she seemed to realize what the other party wanted to say.

"Since the Transcendents can break the barriers, why couldn’t they directly destroy it... Is that what you mean?"

"Yes, you see, essentially there’s no difference between the two; it’s merely a matter of degree."

Fu Qian looked at her with approval.

"But certain cognitive inertia led you, even after no longer viewing the Netherworld as supreme, to subconsciously ignore the possibility of its complete destruction."

"To be worthy of wearing this attire, you need to rid yourself of this bad habit. Although it’s just a hypothesis, doesn’t the paradox seem to dissolve?"

Hypothesis...

She didn’t rush to respond, nor did she concern herself with whether the thing outside had moved away.

Repeating the word in her mind, Lisa’s gaze again fell upon the two people and the sheep, instinctively pondering what roles they played in that hypothesis.

In the eternal afterlife, dying again, the reunion in this basement completely dissolved into nothingness, forever frozen at this moment.

"Let me summarize your view: this is the real, legendary Netherworld."

Perhaps worried about disturbing the scene before her, Lisa took a deep breath and quickly organized the achievements from her journey.

"Lost Souls come here, without judgment or retribution, merely enjoying eternal tranquility in some abstract manner... and then there are beings like Stone Gargoyles guarding them?"

"That’s right."

Fu Qian nodded approvingly, indicating her to continue.

"Then one day, due to some incomprehensible reason, the Netherworld also declined and died, bringing everything within it along."

Lisa responded instantly.

"Lost Souls turned into mummies, Stone Gargoyles became real statues, and the afterlife ceased to exist?"

It’s actually not that hard to understand.

Nodding again, Fu Qian silently said a sentence in his heart.

It might sound abstract, but some things become much easier to understand once you make a comparison.

Concepts like the Netherworld and the Yellow Springs might be unfamiliar, but the dark symbol of the Unseen Hillock was something he had encountered more than once.

It’s also an unknown domain, where once you fully immerse yourself, you cannot leave.

And for the two targets sent there using the Ashen Ring, wasn’t he playing a role equivalent to the Guide of the Netherworld?

And in such a place, it had clearly previously been disturbed by the Mother of the Gospel, proving its state wasn’t eternal.

If it could eventually collapse or mutate, what fundamental difference would there be in the Withering of the Netherworld?

No matter what Professor Lisa thought, for Fu Qian, this was always a serious academic discussion.

And indeed, this was a thought he had regarding that paradox from the beginning.

Of course, for Fu Qian, this wasn’t a difficult breakthrough in a cognitive dilemma, as long before he accepted the warehouse invitation, he was widely praised for his virtue of lacking reverence.

And in his Transcendent state, benefiting from a higher level of perspective, he became even more excessive.

A transcendent, special place related to the Authority of Death could well define the Netherworld.

Not to mention, according to Ah Wei’s account, even the classic representative of this authority, the Death God, was in an unfavorable state.

"The world is impermanent, and affairs beyond may not escape the same fate."

As his thoughts flew, Fu Qian followed Lisa’s gaze, seemingly understanding her inner feelings.

"At least their small safety precautions spared their last reunion from disturbance, right?"

"Do you think they... the three of them, were originally doing?"

After hesitating, Professor Lisa temporarily accepted the classification of the two people and a sheep as the same category.

"Hard to say, I don’t think it’s a pot; it looks more like a brazier... perhaps they were originally warming themselves by a fire?"

Fu Qian pointed at the flat container on that small table, the only container, placed conspicuously closer to the small corpse.

...

Given the previous exchange with the statue, the concept of fire was evidently something that could provoke many thoughts.

"...Why do you think that thing seeks bodies?"

However, Lisa didn’t continue indulging in her sensibilities, instead forcefully turning her attention to the core issue.

"Although extremely subtle, these bodies seem to carry a trace of that Withering power’s remnants, which I guess is of some nutritional value to them."

"Was this not mentioned in the Linghui report? I believe that if you crushed it, even you could detect it."

Fu Qian casually shared his perceptive findings.

"Searching for food..."

Not at all dissatisfied with the other’s critique, mumbling to herself, Lisa seemed to acknowledge this notion and refrained from actually going forward to touch the mummies.

"I haven’t seen related content, they probably hadn’t found this place before; do we still need to track that thing?"

And the next moment, she shook her head, asking Fu Qian about the subsequent plan.

"Of course, we haven’t gathered the materials yet."

Even after reaching a major conjecture, Fu Qian still exemplified what it meant to stay true to the original intention.

"At the speed that thing moves, it shouldn’t have gone too far yet."

"Alright."

Without much surprise, Lisa didn’t hold back either.

And after carefully retreating the whole way, she finally took one last look at the three bodies, quickly and cautiously closing the hatch again.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.