Blocked by the Nether Envoys

Adrian squatted next to the dead bug for ages, then asked, "If I remember right, this thing’s called a Demon Bug, isn’t it?"

"That’s right," Lily Bai said. "It’s a mutated venomous insect born from a Bloodsucker Hell‑Leech crossed with another poisonous bug, ranked number one among the Three Venomous Insects."

"Bloodsucker Hell‑Leech?" Sean Shaw knew about that one: "It’s a demonic bug that lives in wormhole space, with the power to cross dimensions. My mother’s race loves eating them."

Lily Bai nodded. "The Demon Bug inherited some of the Hell‑Leech’s spatial-jumping ability, so it could slip into a sealed pearl. But it’s not that strong—otherwise, I couldn’t have killed it. Its poison is way deadlier than the Hell‑Leech’s. One bite and you’re dead, no cure."

Adrian clutched his chest. "I just randomly picked up two pearls, and they turn out to be... this deadly? Is it just... a coincidence? Or something else?"

Suddenly Lily Bai asked Sean, "Did you just say the Hell‑Leech is your mother’s race’s favorite food?"

Sean nodded. "You could call them a natural enemy."

"Back when I was gathering herbs in the Wildlands, I saw Demon Bugs in a valley," Lily Bai said, looking at Adrian. "Adrian, come with me—we’re going to catch two of them."

Adrian’s eyes widened. "For what?"

"To bite Sean."

Sean shot her a sideways look.

...

On the road leaving Drake Abyss, Adrian kept asking, "That Demon Bug’s poison is insane, and it can space-jump—how are we supposed to catch it?"

"Just grab it by brute force."

Adrian shuddered. "By brute force?"

"What else?"

"But... what if we get bitten!"

"If you get bitten, you die! What else can you do?"

Adrian: "Crown Princess! You can’t be so casual about people’s lives!"

Lily Bai laughed. "Alright, alright! Look at you, so scared! I’ve got a method—I’ll do the catching, you just have to help out."

"What method?"

"I know what they’re afraid of," Lily Bai said. "Come on, first stop—the Nine-bend Nether River."

"There’s something in the Nether River that scares them?"

"Yep," Lily Bai said. "Have you ever read about the Giant Salamander?"

"Nope."

"The earliest records of the Giant Salamander say it was actually Sean’s grandfather—or grandmother, the text doesn’t say. Also called the Undying Giant Salamander, it was locked up at the bottom of the Nether River by the dragon ancestors for thousands of years."

"Really? Is it still there?"

"No, it went back to the Otherworld later," Lily Bai said. "But near its old prison, a special grass started growing—supposedly born from its blood. That’s what we’re going to harvest."

"Oh... okay." Adrian relaxed.

Lily Bai had been to the Underworld before, so she knew her way. Once they arrived, she approached the Nether Envoys and stated their identities: Crown Princess Lily Bai and Young Lord Adrian Drake, requesting entry.

But to their surprise, their status didn’t work!

The Nether Envoy replied respectfully, "Do you have a written decree from His Majesty the Celestial Emperor? By Underworld rules, only those with His Majesty’s decree may enter."

"The Celestial Emperor isn’t here right now—you know that, right?" Adrian protested. "We’re here on the Crown Prince’s orders."

"Sorry, we only accept the Celestial Emperor’s decree."

"Hey, are you guys rebelling or what?" Adrian fumed. "Just wait—I’ll summon King Hades to set you straight!"

He whipped out a Messenger Charm, trying to call King Hades.

But the charm didn’t respond at all.