The scene below startled Xi Lian.0 As a half-immortal fox, she had spent most of her cultivation years living a peaceful life deep in the mountains with Qinglin and Santong. 0 She had never feared the ghosts and spirits of the Small Nether Realm. However, she still found the scene at the end of the shaft, which was connected to all levels of Hell, truly bizarre.0 At the very bottom of the passage was a stone chamber about ten zhang wide. Around its edge, several dozen dried corpses stood in perfect formation. Half of them had peaceful expressions and still had faint traces of life. The other half had twisted limbs and vicious expressions, completely lifeless.0 The ones alive had weaker auras than earthworms, while the dead ones had died in so much torment that they looked more terrifying than fierce ghosts. They had clearly perished from primal qi depletion and endured unspeakable suffering.0 The cultivators all fell silent.0 From the perspective of the Hidden Earth Sect, these were criminals who had slaughtered their sect members, seized the Small Nether Realm, and plunged into the Eighteen Levels of Hell a thousand years ago to pursue the last remnants of primal qi. They were already considered devils and deserved execution.0 However, it seemed over twenty of them had survived. Their auras were faint, but their presence was calm and composed.0 They had broken into this shaft, but had not entered the Eighteen Levels of Hell. Instead, they waited here in silence for death.0 "How should we deal with them?" Qing Yanzi firmly asked. "With the Small Nether Realm unstable, we cannot afford delays. We only have one minute to decide."0 "Kill them and be done with it," Zhang Zikuang muttered. "Cut the root of future trouble. For all we know, they could have already turned into devils."0 "What if some of them come from our own Daoist heritages?" a Daoist master asked hesitantly. "What if they're the missing links in our lineages…"0 "Amitabha. Even ants struggle to live," reasoned the elderly monk. "Back then, they acted only to survive."0 From above, Wang Sheng countered, "Every Daoist heritage has its rules. If they hurt others to live, they've already gone astray."0 Several Daoist masters nodded. Xi Lian gave Wang Sheng a subtle thumbs-up, as if to say, "As expected of someone I've raised!"0 "I'm not part of any sect. Let me be the villain," Yan Zhengnan offered. "If any heritage wants someone to blame, they can blame me."0 "If you think they'll really go that far, then it's better to just seal the ancient cultivators and bring them back for judgment," Qian Cheng countered.0 Qing Yanzi interjected, "Time's up. Since we couldn't reach an agreement, I leave the decision to you, Hidden Earth Sect elders."0 His words were as good as a death sentence.0 Wang Sheng sighed in relief. He had always felt uneasy about the ancient cultivators. Since letting them go was too dangerous, it was better to let the Hidden Earth Sect take responsibility.0 However, the grand elder and second elder hesitated. They repeatedly clenched and unclenched their fists.0 After a moment, the second elder exclaimed, "Just killing them won't ease our grudge!"0 The grand elder explained, "Our ancestors once issued a decree. Back then, when primal qi disappeared, many were driven mad. The immortals left too hastily and didn't clean up properly, which led to some of our clan's suffering. We can't make this decision alone. We'll seal them and bring them out. Let the sect and the cultivation world decide. One person should be enough to escort them out as long as they're sealed tightly."0 "A Golden Core Realm cultivator has a lifespan of eight hundred years," Wang Sheng commented.0 "Little Sheng!" Qing Yanzi gave him a look, quieting Wang Sheng down.0 The twenty-some people still alive at the bottom had all entered the shaft over a thousand years ago. They had survived the ordeal of drastically shortened lifespans and then managed to live nearly a millennium in this place. They had definitely broken past the Golden Core Realm.0 If they were released and somehow found a way to recover, the consequences would be dire. The cultivation world could even be thrown into turmoil!0 Wang Sheng's stance was essentially the same as the two instructors'. He believed any future threat to the stable development of the cultivation world should be dealt with immediately.0 As the old saying goes, 'Hesitation leads to failure; decisiveness leads to nothing.'0 However, the elders of the Hidden Sect had already made their decision. As outsiders, the others were in no position to question them.0 "I'll handle it," Xi Lian calmly said. She descended to a height of thirty meters above the stone floor and began drawing runes in midair.0 Though the captives' auras were weak, she still used her strongest sealing techniques. Without the release incantation, no cultivator below the Rebirth Realm could break her intricate seal.0 The people below stood as still as stone, offering no resistance.0 After completing the seal, Xi Lian clutched her chest, breathing heavily. Several Daoist masters began reciting the Freedom Mantra, which made her roll her eyes. Her hair hadn't even changed color yet.0 Once she had recovered, she pulled out a chain artifact. She tied all the living survivors together and tossed the chain upward.0 The second elder caught it. "I'll take them out."0 He gave the chain a firm tug. The group of survivors was lifted toward the surface like a string of candied hawthorns. If any of them died along the way, no one could really blame the Hidden Earth Sect.0 Wang Sheng couldn't shake the bad feeling he had about it.0 On her lotus platform, Xi Lian flew over to Wang Sheng. She shrugged faintly at him and Mu Wanxuan, showing her slight frustration with this generation of cultivators. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it.0 I'll just let them do as they please. This has nothing to do with me, a mere half-immortal fox.0 Once the second elder had flown away with the "living dead," Qing Yanzi launched a palm strike downward. The remaining twenty or so horrifying corpses instantly turned to ash.0 "Grand Elder, how do we unlock the seal below?" he asked. 0 "I have a spell. Please wait a moment," the grand elder of the Hidden Earth Sect replied. He looked away from the shaft above them and slowly descended.0 Everyone followed him, finding the area below now completely empty and void of anything frightening. The green light all around them had also softened.0 As they drew closer, it became clear that the bottom stone chamber of the passage was quite a simple structure. The stone floor was inscribed with intricate seals that the immortals had left behind.0 As the grand elder chanted an ancient incantation, the vertical stone walls brightly glowed green. The carvings across the floor gradually began to light up as well.0 The entire team grew nervous. They were about to pass through the Eighteen Levels of Hell and enter an unknown region below. No one knew what awaited them.0 Would it be the female corpse battling some monstrous creature? Would they find her on the verge of complete collapse, her uncontrollable immortal power raging out of control? Perhaps they would come across something else entirely…0 Two minutes later, all the patterns on the floor had lit up. A crack appeared in the center of the stone plate, slowly widening as the passage trembled. However, just as the gap grew from the width of a hair to a toothpick, the stone plate suddenly jammed. No matter how bright the green light became, it refused to budge. 0 "This thing can break, too?" Zhang Zikuang frowned. "So much for immortal craftsmanship."0 "Hell's constant tremors probably derailed it," Yan Zhengnan said. "Let's try to pry it open, Zikuang."0 "Alright!" Zhang Zikuang responded. The two instructors leaped from their lotus platforms and stood on either side of the crack.0 "How do we do this?" the grand elder asked.0 "Just use force," Zhang Zikuang replied. He and Yan Zhengnan sank into horse stances, enchanted power flooding from their feet and anchoring them to the surface like suction cups.0 "Watch your strength. I'm not as sturdy as you," Yan Zhengnan reminded.0 Zhang Zikuang grinned smugly and rolled up his sleeves. "Let's do this."0 Pushing their thick arms against the plate, they began to pull on the crack.0 Veins bulged on their foreheads and arms. Their formidable enchanted power clashed, turning the atmosphere intense and fervent.0 "It opened a little more! Keep going!"0 "Everyone, come help out!" Qing Yanzi ordered. 0 Five other Daoist masters and monks known for close combat dropped down. They copied the instructors' stance, pressing their feet to the stone and unleashing enchanted power.0 "By the infinite gods above! Even a poor Daoist like me can get this worked up! Ha!"0 Off to the side, the grand elder continued chanting. The stone plate visibly opened wider with each passing moment.0 Those still above them stared intently at the widening crack. Through the gap, they saw what appeared to be… a forest.0 It was indeed a sea of trees. Verdant and lush, brimming with vitality.0 No one could have expected that a vast forest awaited them at the bottom of Hell.0 The stone plate had opened about half a chi, which was wide enough for the slimmer Golden Core Realm cultivators to squeeze through. Below, the eight pushing together felt a breeze rising from the depths. It carried pure primal qi, making them momentarily believe that they had reached the Immortal Realm.0 "What is this place?"0 "Go! Now!" Mu Wanxuan suddenly shouted, stunning everyone. "Move!"0 Looking panicked, she pointed to her chest and then her ear. 0 Wang Sheng's expression changed. He shouted, "The female immortal is warning us!"0 From beneath the stone plate, a sweeping wave of powerful primal qi surged forth. The forest below stirred with a violent gust.0 The Eighteen Levels of Hell began trembling. Dazzling, multicolored immortal light erupted from the side, instantly flooding the crack in the stone plate.0 Qing Yanzi suddenly stomped hard. A blast of Pure Yang Enchanted Power exploded onto the plate, blasting the nine people standing on it into the air.0 "It's immortal light!" he urgently shouted.0