Immortal of the Nine Realms

Wang Xuanqing walked into the main hall, his hands clasped behind his back, followed by a group of subordinates from the Night Walker faction. Each of them emitted an aura of great strength, not small fry by any means.

Wang Xuanqing mocked, ”Trump cards? What trump card could someone venturing into the Underworld for the first time possibly have? The treasures of the Mortal Realm don’t work in the Underworld, and many of your techniques are ineffective here.”

”There are no Five Elements powers in the Underworld. To put it bluntly, even if five Dao Union Realm cultivators from the Mortal Realm came down, I could suppress them with one hand.”

Wang Xuanqing smiled, then looked at Fang Chen and said, ”I didn’t introduce myself earlier. I am Wang Xuanqing, the Night Walker Commander of the Nether Guards Division in the Unreturning City.”

Li Daoye and the others were puzzled. But they could tell from the title that that was an extraordinary position.

”Night Walker Commander? That sounds impressive...”

Qi Jian chuckled and shook his head. ”Daoist Wang, why bother talking to him? These concepts you speak of might as well be fairy tales to him. The rules of the Underworld, the various official titles....

He snicked. ”This guy might have distinguished status in the Mortal Realm and considerable skill. But here, he’s just another face among many in the Underworld.”

”Who told you I’m new to the Underworld?” Fang Chen looked at Wang Xuanqing with a smile. ”At the very least, I know that if you souls with official titles try to meddle in the affairs of the travelers of the Underworld, you’re violating many rules. Didn’t your superior tell you this?”

Wang Xuanqing chuckled and shook his head. ”Your ignorance is laughable.”

”I advise you to listen to Daoist Qi. I know him well. When he says he’ll let you go peacefully, then he will. He’s a man who keeps his word. You wouldn’t want to experience what it’s like to be cast into the Forgotten River.”

Fang Chen said, ”I’ve already sent my disciples to report this matter to the Nether Guards Division and the City Lord’s Manor. I’ll see if the Unreturning City is really so lawless.”

Li Daoye’s eyes instantly brightened. He scanned the crowd, and sure enough, he didn’t see Victorious Buddha, Tiger Mountain Lord, or Profound Green.

They had to have slipped away somehow under Fang Chen’s orders and gone ahead to report the matter.

Li Daoye couldn’t help but laugh. ”Hahaha... You thought you were being meticulous, but you didn’t even notice a few of our team members were missing?”

He complimented Fang Chen, ”You truly have great foresight, Young Master. While we were all kept in the dark by this old bastard, you already sensed something was off and made preparations in advance.”

Qi Jian and Wang Xuanqing’s expressions subtly changed. They looked at the crowd carefully and indeed noticed that three people were missing.

Although they hadn’t realized when they had left, they didn’t take it too seriously. Instead, their smiles became even more pronounced.

”Well, then I’ll wait for your report before discussing the next steps,” said Qi Jian.

He smiled and instructed the housekeeper to prepare the food. Then, he said, ”We have a little grudge between us. But since you all rarely visit, you can’t leave without this farewell meal. I won’t let you all go hungry. It’s the least I can do to give you some dignity.”

Li Daoye waved his hand. ”You don’t need to bother; we won’t—”

Fang Chen, however, smiled and cupped his hands. ”Thank you, Manor Lord Qi.”

The others were stunned.

Fang Chen said, ”Why not eat when there’s food? It doesn’t cost you any of your Yin Lifespan. Remember this the next time you venture into the Underworld; take advantage of these small benefits. Over time, accumulating a bit here and there, it becomes quite a sum of Yin Lifespan Coins.”

”Right, if you don’t take advantage of a bargain, you’re a fool.” Li Daoye nodded, immediately changing his tone. ”I’ll have to try the food in the underworld today and see if it’s any good.”

***

In the Nether Guards Division, Tiger Mountain Lord was stopped outside. After much pleading and revealing Qi Jian’s name, he was finally allowed in and brought to meet the head god of the Nether Guards Division of the Unreturning City.

Sitting high in his main seat, the figure of the Nether Guards Division glanced at Tiger Mountain Lord and indifferently asked, ”I heard you want to sue Qi Jian? What’s the charge?”

Tiger Mountain Lord bowed respectfully and cupped his hands. ”Report to the Lord, I want to accuse Qi Jian of colluding with the Nether Guards Division’s Night Walker General, attempting to ambush my master.”

The person in charge of the Nether Guards Division looked at Tiger Mountain Lord, then at the nearby subordinates. Suddenly, the room burst into laughter.

Tiger Mountain Lord frowned slightly. ”Why are you laughing, Lord?”

”Your master? Who is he, that he’s worth the attention of the Night Walker General?” The Nether Guards Division God shook his head with a smile. ”I thought you had some legitimate grievance, but it turns out you’ve come to amuse me. Guards, take him away and give him a hundred strokes of the board!”

Immediately, someone stepped forward and grabbed Tiger Mountain Lord, dragging him away for the punishment.

Tiger Mountain Lord, following Fang Chen’s instructions, made no attempt to resist.

Meanwhile, Profound Green arrived at the City Lord’s Manor in the Unreturning City. However, she had yet to see the city lord. No matter what she said, the soldiers at the gate would not let her in.

The middle-aged man, the City Lord of Unreturning City, narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze scrutinizing Profound Green. The amusement in his expression gradually faded.

”A mere Yin Walker dares to dictate what responsibilities I should bear?” He chuckled coldly. ”Your master expects quite a lot.”

Profound Green’s heart pounded, but she forced herself to remain calm. ”If the City Lord thinks so, then I have nothing more to say.”

The City Lord stared at her for a few moments before suddenly waving his hand. The oppressive aura that had been pressing down on Profound Green loosened slightly.

”Interesting... It’s been many years since someone dared to speak to me like this in the Unreturning City.” His tone was indifferent, but there was an underlying hint of intrigue. ”Fine, since your master insists I must know him, I’ll take a look at how capable he is.”

At that moment, a figure approached from the shadows and whispered a few words into the City Lord’s ear.

His expression flickered slightly. He suddenly turned to Profound Green and asked, ”Your master... Is he a swordsman?!”

The middle-aged man was about to speak when a sturdy man with a sallow complexion walked in. ”Wei Yuan, do you still remember me?”

Wei Yuan was shocked to see who had arrived.

The guards beside him, seeing someone intrude into the City Lord’s Manor without permission, immediately shouted and gathered their yin energy, ready to suppress the intruder.

”Hold it!” Wei Yuan suddenly shouted, stopping his subordinates. He then fixed his gaze on the newcomer, and a flicker of panic flashed in his eyes before he quickly stepped forward.

”Your subordinate greets Lord Liu!”

The visitor was none other than Liu Xuan, the Left Officer under Qi Tianran, the Monarch of the Underworld Official Division.

Though he was not the Monarch himself, his cultivation was no weaker than that of one.

”So, you still remember me. It must have been at least 2,000 or 3,000 years since we last met.” Liu Xuan spoke indifferently.

Wei Yuan nodded repeatedly. ”It has indeed been over three thousand years.”

Then, his expression turned somewhat peculiar. ”May I ask why Lord Liu has come today...?”

Ever since the Underworld Official Division fell from power and city gods were abolished, their positions had been restructured under the Judgment Division’s city lord system. As a result, Wei Yuan had not seen Liu Xuan for a very, very long time...

Liu Xuan chuckled and said, ”To save your miserable life.”