Chapter 500: Fengdu Little Overlord

Qin Mu looked towards the sound, seeing a burly and tall man approaching, draped in a loose garment. The man seemed somewhat casual, and his clothes were rather disheveled, yet the loosely worn attire had a unique charm on him.

"Oh, it's Human Emperor Qi Kang."

Chi Xiu God-man hastily said, "I am merely following orders. Last time, Human Emperor Qin used Youdu magic to abduct someone, alarming even Yama. The entire Fengdu underworld was in a panic, fearing he might summon them to Youdu for eternal damnation. Therefore, Yama wants to apprehend him; it has nothing to do with me."

Human Emperor Qi Kang adjusted his draped garment and smiled, "I know you're just following orders, so I won't make things difficult for you. I'm taking Human Emperor Qin with me; just inform Yama."

Chi Xiu God-man shook his head. "That won't do. Yama intends to interrogate him personally soon. I cannot allow you to take him away..."

Just then, an aged voice suddenly called out: "Chi Xiu, I heard my disciple's grand-disciple has been arrested by you?"

Chi Xiu God-man's expression subtly changed. He saw a white-haired elder approaching, who was none other than Human Emperor Yi Shan, Qi Kang's master. He hastily explained, "Ah, Human Emperor Yi Shan. I can't make decisions regarding Human Emperor Qin's matter. Yama wishes to apprehend him and charge him with disrupting Fengdu. I am not in charge; please don't blame me, Human Emperor Yi Shan."

"What a trivial matter."

The short, white-haired elder, whose snow-white beard flared out on either side, laughed with a voice like a booming bell: "I know you can't make the decision, which is why I'm not asking you to. I'll make the decision. I'm taking Human Emperor Qin!"

"No!"

Chi Xiu God-man grew anxious, saying, "Yama himself intends to interrogate him. Even Human Emperor Yi Shan cannot override that..."

"Chi Xiu, I heard my grand-disciple's grand-disciple has been arrested by you?"

Another voice echoed, and Chi Xiu God-man secretly groaned. He saw a woman in a blue dress carrying a small bamboo basket approaching and hastily said, "Ah, Human Emperor Lan Po. About this matter..."

"Chi Xiu, I heard my grand-disciple's grand-disciple's disciple has been arrested by you?"

"Chi Xiu, I heard my grand-disciple..."

"Chi Xiu!"

More and more people gathered around Chi Xiu God-man, encircling him. Chi Xiu God-man felt his head was about to explode. He thought to himself, "Did I just stir up a hornet's nest? Are these Human Emperors from the Human Emperor's Palace all like hornets? Normally, you can't even see a ghost, but if you poke one, the whole swarm comes flying out!"

Feeling that he couldn't afford to offend them, and seeing more and more of these deceased Human Emperors arriving, he could only say, "Gentlemen, you are all esteemed figures, why make things difficult for me? Don't put me in a bind. I'll hand Human Emperor Qin over to you first, but he cannot leave Fengdu. I must deliver him to Yama..."

"Don't worry, don't worry, we won't make it difficult for you!" the crowd boisterously replied.

Qin Mu stared blankly at his surroundings and stammered, "Chi Xiu God-man, you just said I had people above me..."

"That's right!"

Chi Xiu God-man struggled to push his way out of the crowd, shouting angrily, "You Human Emperors from the Human Emperor's Palace are all ruffians and scoundrels of Fengdu, true overlords of Fengdu City! I can't afford to provoke you! Poking one of you is like poking a hornet's nest! I'll come find you later!"

He squeezed out of the crowd, flapped his wings, and flew away into the distance.

Qin Mu looked at the surrounding Human Emperors, feeling a bit overwhelmed. All of them were scrutinizing him with smiles on their faces. There were men and women, old and young, tall and short, fat and thin. Some were impeccably dressed, others appeared ferocious, some were burly and strong, while others seemed incapable of even tying a chicken.

Qin Mu scanned the crowd but did not see the Village Chief. He quickly cleared his throat, bowed to all, and said, "This humble junior, Qin Mu, the current Human Emperor, greets all Senior Grandmasters, Great Grandmasters, Great-Great Grandmasters, Great-Great-Great Grandmasters..."

"No need for all these formalities!"

The crowd swarmed him, sandwiching the small skeleton in the center, patting him so hard his bones rattled and he felt he was about to fall apart. They then ushered him towards the city, laughing, "It's rare for one of us to still be alive and come visit us! Today, we must have a good reunion and celebrate!"

"You haven't burned any paper money for us these past years! If that little rascal Su hadn't also died and ended up in Fengdu, we would have almost thought the Human Emperor's Palace lineage was extinct!"

"Why haven't you visited our graves? If you had, we would have known that the lineage had continued. We even left some treasures for you at the Human Emperor's Palace."

With too many questions, Qin Mu could only honestly reply, "I haven't been to the Human Emperor's Palace yet. The Village Chief never told me where it was..."

Human Emperor Qi Kang erupted in anger: "Is that how that little rascal Su does things? He didn't even tell you to go to the Human Emperor's Palace! That scoundrel! When he gets back, I'll teach him a severe lesson!"

Human Emperor Yi Shan gave Human Emperor Qi Kang a hard kick in the rear, bristling his beard and glaring. He bellowed, "How do you educate your disciples? You'll never get a good disciple by beating them! It's because of your kind of education that Human Emperor Qin hasn't visited our graves!"

As Human Emperor Yi Shan delivered the kick, his head immediately took a punch from Human Emperor Lan Po, and he quickly covered it. Human Emperor Lan Po reprimanded him angrily, "Yi Shan, is that how I taught you? And you have the nerve to criticize Qi Kang? How do *you* educate your disciples?"

"Lan Po, how can a girl be so rough? You're disgracing me, Kong Xian!"

"Kong Xian, you dare to hit my grand-disciple? You've got a death wish, boy!"

The group of old folks immediately started fighting in the city, an uncontrollable brawl. Qin Mu instantly noticed something odd: previous Human Emperors would help their grand-disciples beat up their own disciples, and grand-disciples would gang up with their grandmasters to assault their masters.

It seemed every disciple harbored some unfriendliness towards their master.

Nevertheless, the abilities of the successive Human Emperors were astonishingly powerful; nearly all of them had cultivated to the Dao Realm. Yet, oddly, they each excelled in different areas. The disciple and master's specializations were distinct. Human Emperor Qi Kang was the Village Chief's master, and while the Village Chief was renowned as a "Sword God" skilled in swordsmanship, Human Emperor Qi Kang specialized in fist and seal techniques.

His seal techniques were formidable and domineering, his seal incantations even more terrifying than the fist arts of Great Thunderclap Temple.

Human Emperor Yi Shan, Human Emperor Qi Kang's master, specialized in divine abilities. Human Emperor Lan Po, Human Emperor Yi Shan's master, specialized in spirit weapons. As for Human Emperor Kong Xian, he excelled in the divine ability of 'Words Become Law'.

This situation suggested a strong dislike for their masters, as if they stubbornly refused to follow their masters' old paths and insisted on forging their own.

Qin Mu blinked and looked around. These brawling Human Emperors had leveled several streets, demolished a few temples, and torn down countless houses in a matter of breaths before finally ceasing their fight.

The gods and devils within the city were utterly silent, not one daring to make a sound, all stopping their work to watch.

Some whose temples had been destroyed didn't speak, only showing aggrieved expressions. Many little ghosts came forward to help repair the temples.

"Chi Xiu God-man said our Human Emperor's Palace was the overlord of Fengdu," Qin Mu mused, "it seems he wasn't wrong at all."

Qin Mu thought to himself, "No one dared question the previous Human Emperors after they demolished several streets. The Village Chief must be very happy here, able to swagger around as if he's the 'Little Overlord of Fengdu'. But where is the Village Chief?"

Human Emperor Qi Kang, bruised and swollen, crawled out from under Human Emperor Yi Shan's feet, wiped away his nosebleed, and chuckled, "You absolutely must go to the Human Emperor's Palace. Every Human Emperor throughout history has left their unique techniques there, hoping future generations can achieve breakthroughs and forge their own paths. And, you must visit our graves! During festivals and holidays, you need to burn us some good stuff."

Yi Shan chuckled, "You can burn some defeated enemies for us to play with. Everything in Fengdu is great, except there's nothing to play with. Ahead is the Five Yang Divine Palace of the First Ancestor; let's go there!"

"First Ancestor?"

Qin Mu's heart stirred. The First Ancestor was the very first Human Emperor, a true deity who established the Human Emperor's Palace lineage and possessed vast divine powers. He yearned to meet this venerable predecessor!

Qin Mu had seen a stone statue of the First Human Emperor in Little Jade Capital, and Qingyou Mountain Man had said that the First Ancestor Human Emperor had transformed into a statue out of utter despair. He hadn't expected to be able to see him here.

Qi Kang said, "The First Ancestor left Fengdu some time ago, saying he had a very important matter to attend to. Your master went to look for him and hasn't returned yet. Your master is very peculiar; it seems he hasn't fully 'died' yet, so he can leave Fengdu, whereas we are completely 'dead'."

The group swarmed in, startling the two massive beasts guarding the Five Yang Divine Palace. The human-faced, bird-bodied beast on the left hastily said, "Esteemed Human Emperors, are you here to freeload off master's supplies again? Master's house has almost been emptied by you all. Why don't you go to the Second Ancestor's house?"

"Shut up!"

The successive Human Emperors roared in unison, "The Second Ancestor's house was emptied long ago, and the Third Ancestor's house too! Among all the Human Emperors throughout history, only your master's house still has any property left!"

The human-faced, bird-bodied beast quickly shut its mouth, pretended not to see them, and let them barge in.

Qin Mu instructed Dragon Qilin and Taotie to wait outside the palace, saying, "You two stay here. I'll go inside and talk with the patriarchs for a while."

Dragon Qilin remained outside, observing the two giant beasts. He suddenly asked, "Have you seen the Patriarch of the Heavenly Saint Cult? He looks like a young man, very handsome."

The human-faced, bird-bodied beast was more amiable and replied, "The Patriarch of the Heavenly Saint Cult? You should go to the Heavenly Saint Cult's stronghold. All the past Cult Masters of the Heavenly Saint Cult reside there, but most of them are demons and fierce evil spirits, very difficult to deal with."

Dragon Qilin was overjoyed and hastily said, "May I trouble you two sirs to show me the way?"

Inside the Five Yang Divine Palace, Qin Mu couldn't help but sigh with emotion. These Human Emperors were like bandits entering a village, never treating themselves as outsiders. Before they even had a chance to sit down, Human Emperor Lan Po immediately summoned some little ghosts and ordered, "Human Emperor Qin from the living world has arrived! Quickly prepare some good dishes to entertain him!"

One of the green-skinned little ghosts bravely said, "Esteemed sirs, living people cannot eat the food of Fengdu. Look, Human Emperor Qin is just a skeleton; he has no flesh, blood, or digestive organs, so he can't eat anything."

The Second Ancestor Human Emperor roared, "Nonsense! Of course, it's not for him to eat, it's for *us*! I'm the First Ancestor's disciple; can't I eat? Go prepare it quickly!"

Many green-skinned little ghosts with blue faces and tusks scrambled away, clutching their heads, to prepare the meal. Qin Mu observed these green-skinned little ghosts, wondering in his heart if they resembled the Ghost Kings of Qin Wang's Palace. They didn't look like creatures from the living world; could they be from Youdu?

"No one has offered sacrifices to us these past years; we're practically starved into ghosts! Take your seats!"

The Second Ancestor cast several seal techniques, and instantly, lotus flowers bloomed from the void within the Five Yang Divine Palace. They grew taller and larger, lifting them up.

The little ghosts brought up the prepared dishes. The successive Human Emperors disregarded their manners, eating and drinking ravenously, sweeping away the food like a storm, only then feeling satisfied.

Qin Mu watched dumbfounded. These Human Emperors seemed to have been starved for centuries; where was their lofty demeanor as Human Emperors?

The food in front of him remained untouched, as he was merely a skeleton and utterly unable to eat.

"If Human Emperor Qin hadn't come, we wouldn't have had a full meal. Your master must hold a grudge against me; that's why he never visits our graves, starving me for centuries."

Human Emperor Qi Kang sighed, then looked at Qin Mu and said, "That little rascal Su praised you to the heavens, saying his disciple is more promising than mine. Since you've made such a rare visit today, let me see how his disciple is more promising than mine?"

Qin Mu was torn between laughter and tears: "Isn't Grandmaster Qi Kang's disciple the Village Chief?"

The other Human Emperors instantly became interested, saying one after another, "Old rules, first, a fight!"

Qin Mu stood up, bowed in all directions, and said, "Esteemed Grandmasters and Patriarchs, this junior is only at the Seven Stars Realm. Perhaps we don't need to compete?"

Qi Kang laughed, "Don't worry, we won't bully you. Of course, we'll fight you at the same realm. We won't hurt you either; we just want to see your progress in cultivation and offer guidance."

Qin Mu showed a difficult expression: "Then perhaps it's better not to compete. I wouldn't want to bully any of you Grandmasters or Patriarchs; injuring you would be quite bad. To be frank, most of your cultivation techniques and divine abilities are probably outdated..."

A profound silence fell over the surroundings.

"I suddenly want to beat this brat to death..." Human Emperor Yi Shan muttered softly.