Spoiled by Eight Uncles (Lily)

Ivan’s heart felt as if it were constricting tightly, his heartbeat spiraling beyond his control, nearly catapulting out of his throat! puff” Ivan could not withstand the pressure, and a spray of blood burst forth from his lips, his complexion instantly paling to a sickly yellow hue.

Terror gripped him as he pondered whose heartbeat did that belong to? A mere heartbeat had inflicted such grave injury upon him.

How powerful was this being? Clenching his teeth, Ivan retrieved a fragment from the storage ring.

It was a fragment he acquired during a prior encounter. He remained clueless about its nature. It had not exhibited any fluctuations, and he had considered it mere scrap metal.

Yet, at this moment, an intuition guided him that taking it out could potentially save his life! He held the scrap iron before him, and with a resounding bang, the rust encasing it was expelled by the rhythmic pulse, unveiling a darkened core.

Amazement surged within Ivan as he witnessed the scrap iron transform into a malevolent artifact of unknown origin, rendering him invulnerable.

“Itis useful!” Ivan marveled.

Seemingly, this item could also be given to Lilly if she wanted to venture here in the future.

Leaning against the “scrap iron,” Ivan found that this seemingly mundane object possessed the keen edge of a blade, effortlessly slicing through the barrier sealing the gap. He stepped within.

From the age of seven, he had begun encountering the enigmatic mist. At eleven, he had crossed into the realm of the underworld.

Over the years, his fearless nature as a child remained, spurring him to confront danger head-on.

He had grown stronger incrementally, his journey punctuated by life-and-death experiences.

Countless scenarios had traversed Ivan’s mind, but the scene before him had eluded all imagination.

In a single glance, there was a single thought in his mind.

Can Gods die? Where do Gods go after death? Do Gods get buried in the underworld after death? Does Mount Cape serve as a resting place for Gods within the underworld? Ivan’s reaction was one of astonishment as he gazed upon an elevated heart being held aloft by a scepter.

Within the cave, a space only suited for one person's height, there was a vast expanse that initially resembled a dungeon.

However, a scepter stood prominently within this “city,” bearing nothing but the pulsating heart.

An indescribable, radiant illumination filled the dungeon, immediately invoking thoughts of a fallen God.

Ivan stood amidst the encircling mountain ranges encompassing the dungeon.

It took half a day for Ivan to go through the dungeon’s depths, revealing that the structures he had perceived as houses from a distance were successive tombs.

As the moments passed, an increasingly somber atmosphere settled in.

How could there be such a place in the underworld... Ivan thought to himself.

Indeed, the underworld was the domain of departed souls, where memorials might be erected in the world of the living but not within the confines of the underworld.

Curiosity piqued within Ivan and he desired to unveil the identities of those interred within these tombs and decipher any inscriptions upon them. Yet, the gravestones stood in silent vigil, bereft of any words.

They were blank gravestones.

Ivan’s brows furrowed, and with the utmost caution, he advanced toward the imposing scepter at the center.

The surrounding tombs adjacent to the scepter gradually ascended in stature, almost rivaling the dwellings of the living. If Ivan had not observed the design of these graves, he might have mistaken the present moment for an entrance into an ancient city, ensconced by “houses” that, in reality, were nothing but ghost houses.

Abruptly, Ivan halted his steps, fixating his gaze upon an opulently decorated building resembling an ancestral hall to his right.

He furrowed his brows, and observed the structure intently, his grip tightening around the “scrap iron” in his hand before he ventured into the ancestral hall.

The interior of the hall revealed emptiness, save for a solitary stone book.

Though the stone book appeared substantial in thickness, it seemed to be comprised of loose papers, implying that someone could have done something to it.

Ivan’s gaze settled upon the page of the book. From being entirely devoid of text, it had transformed into a canvas laden with words. This sight left him staring in astonishment.

The characters etched onto the page bore a semblance of a forgotten language, yet held nuances that hinted at a profound enigma. Ivan read through its contents for a long time, and it left him astounded.

There were enigmatic truths linked to the underworld in that book.

Notably, the first lines spoke of the five Gods of the underworld, differing from the Five Ghost Emperors and Emperor Prosper he had hitherto known.

Emperor Prosper was mentioned within its pages, but shockingly, he held only the fourth rank.

Until that moment, Ivan had always assumed Emperor Prosper to be the strongest being of the underworld...