Chapter 701: 冥都天王与阴天子

The three of them, along with Dragon Qilin, sat in the small boat. The boat turned and sailed into the endless darkness.

“Brother Tian also has the title of Heavenly King?” Dragon Qilin asked, curious.

Tian Shu grunted, looking around nervously, but said nothing.

Qi Jiuyi was now completely sober. He sat between Dragon Qilin and Tian Shu, restless and as nervous as a young bride awaiting her groom on her wedding night. He said, “Not many people know the title of Left Vice-Assistant of the Founding Emperor Divine Dynasty, but when you mention the title ‘Underworld Heavenly King,’ many more people will know it.”

Qin Mu also grew curious. “What is the origin of the title ‘Underworld Heavenly King’? Does it have a connection with the Black Emperor of the Underworld?”

Qi Jiuyi’s expression flickered. He glanced at Tian Shu, who was cowering and trembling in the boat, seemingly even more timid than himself. Feeling reassured, he said, “I once heard the Red Emperor mention the title ‘Underworld Heavenly King.’ At that time, the Red Emperor told me to go to the Underworld to find a master and learn its arts, and he told me many taboos of the Underworld, especially not to mention the name ‘Underworld Heavenly King’.”

Qin Mu glanced at Tian Shu, surprised. “Why is that?”

“The Black Emperor and the Underworld Heavenly King are enemies.”

Qi Jiuyi calmed down. “The title ‘Underworld Heavenly King’ was actually bestowed by Earth Count. I heard the Red Emperor say that Brother Tian’s mastery of soul arts is exceptionally high. He could freely enter and exit Youdu and made quite a name for himself there, which led to Earth Count valuing him and bestowing upon him the title of Underworld Heavenly King. The Red Emperor said that Earth Count actually had ulterior motives; his intention was to instigate conflict between the Underworld Heavenly King and the Black Emperor, to make them fight each other.”

The old underworld official said, “Don’t think so poorly of Earth Count. Earth Count merely thought that he, like the Black Emperor, was a grand master of the Youdu divine arts system, and that his future achievements would not be weaker than the Black Emperor’s. Of course, there was also a little bit of instigation involved.”

Qi Jiuyi continued, “Then the Black Emperor’s disciples went to trouble the Underworld Heavenly King, and many of them were killed by Brother Tian.”

Tian Shu couldn’t hide his smugness, chuckling, “After all, I’m a Heavenly King, an existence on par with the Black Emperor. How could I be inferior to his disciples?”

Qin Mu’s expression was peculiar. He looked at Tian Shu, unable to believe that this inveterate drunkard could be so famous, on par with the Son of Hades, the Black Emperor.

“The Black Emperor’s disciples were almost wiped out by him; even his chief disciple died at the hands of the Underworld Heavenly King. So the Black Emperor personally came seeking him.”

Qi Jiuyi hesitated, then said, “The Red Emperor said that Brother Tian lost, but the Black Emperor failed to kill him, and he managed to escape.”

Tian Shu was all smiles, chuckling, “Although I couldn’t defeat him, I am still a Heavenly King. It’s not that easy for him to kill me.”

“However, after that, Brother Tian fell out with Earth Count,” Qi Jiuyi continued.

Tian Shu’s face turned ashen. He slumped onto the small boat, his face twisted in despair, saying, “What could I do? The Founding Emperor sent the Emperor’s Sword to me and told me to hack Earth Count. How dared I? The Founding Emperor then gave me a lot of fine wine. The wine was indeed very good. After drinking it, let alone hacking Earth Count, I would have dared to hack the Founding Emperor! So I excitedly took the sword and went to Youdu. I only sobered up when Earth Count caught me…”

Qin Mu’s expression was strange.

Tian Shu seemed very timid, yet he was extremely fond of alcohol. Normally a coward, he became incredibly bold after drinking. He was like a field mouse before drinking, but as fierce as a tiger afterward — that was his true portrayal.

The old underworld official did not steer the small boat towards the Palace of King Ren Sheng of Heaven Qí within Earth Count’s horn. Instead, he steered straight down, directly towards Earth Count’s true body beneath the Nine-Bend Horn.

Tian Shu’s face was pale, and he kept looking at Qin Mu in panic.

Qin Mu stammered, “Perhaps we’re going to see Earth Count’s true body. Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…”

Gradually, they could see Earth Count’s enormous eyes. The closer they flew, the larger those three eyes became. As for Earth Count’s full form, it was impossible to see clearly.

Qin Mu also saw countless ghosts dwelling on Earth Count’s skin, like innumerable continents where countless spirits lived, building magnificent cities. In some areas, wars were still raging, causing the ground to crack and the heavens to collapse on Earth Count’s body, yet they couldn’t harm him in the slightest.

He also saw many enormous monstrous creatures carrying palaces on their backs, the palaces chained to their bodies. They moved with difficulty, inching across Earth Count’s massive form.

“Those great halls house powerful divine primordial spirits. The monsters are subjugated by them and used as mounts,” Tian Shu explained. “Anyone with a bit of status in Youdu would keep one or two monstrous creatures, using them as mounts. When visiting friends and relatives, they would have these monsters carry their palaces, looking magnificent and imposing. I used to be that grand when I was wandering around Youdu.”

The old underworld official chuckled, “Heavenly King, after you’ve seen Earth Count, you can continue to be that grand.”

Tian Shu wore a mournful expression and stopped speaking.

Qin Mu comforted him, “Don’t worry, he’s just scaring you. Earth Count is very magnanimous; he won’t do anything to you.”

The old underworld official sneered, “You’re no different. Don’t think Earth Count doesn’t know. Wasn’t it you who stole Earth Count’s power recently? Earth Count is keeping a record of your misdeeds.”

Qin Mu chuckled, “My Lord, I was also trying to rescue the Heavenly Yin Goddess. The Heavenly Yin Goddess governs the souls of the dead. If a soul is shattered, it falls under her care; if not, it falls under Earth Count’s care. I thought I couldn’t let the goddess simply perish like that, so I took without asking, borrowing a little power from Earth Count and Heavenly Duke. Heavenly Duke even said I did a good job, that I did the right thing.”

“Did Heavenly Duke say that?” the old underworld official asked curiously.

Qin Mu said earnestly, “Of course! Heavenly Duke is wise and greatly supported my actions. Heavenly Duke also said that Earth Count would understand and approve of my actions. You say Earth Count is keeping a record of my faults, but you must be mistaken. I’d rather not disturb Earth Count on my return to Youdu. How about you send us back first?”

“We’re already here.”

The old underworld official remained calm and composed, ignoring Qin Mu’s innocent expression. The small boat leisurely sailed towards Earth Count’s third eye. Gradually, they could no longer see the eye, only an endless expanse of red light.

The small boat sailed into the red light. Qin Mu looked back and couldn’t help but tremble slightly. Through Earth Count’s eye, he saw countless worlds, and the souls of countless beings within those countless worlds, all reflected in his vision!

“Truly immense divine power…”

Deep within the red light, there was a circular platform hundreds of zhang in circumference, with a palace on it. The small boat sailed onto the platform and stopped.

Qin Mu and the others disembarked. Tian Shu almost collapsed onto the ground. Just then, a gentle voice chuckled, “Earth Count has guests. In that case, I won’t intrude. I’ll visit another day. Stay put.”

Qin Mu heard the voice and was slightly startled, finding it very familiar.

The old underworld official moored the boat and said, “Let’s go in after the guest comes out.”

A moment later, Qin Mu saw a tall, slender man walk out of the palace. The man was handsome, possessing an indescribable aura that made one feel refreshed and warm, instinctively taking a liking to him.

Qin Mu once imagined that if the Village Chief of Disabled Elderly Village still had his original appearance, he would have looked just as handsome.

Tian Shu’s expression subtly changed, and he let out a cold snort.

The tall, handsome man approached them and bowed to the old underworld official: “My Lord.”

The old underworld official returned the bow but said nothing.

The handsome man caught sight of Tian Shu, paused slightly, and chuckled, “Well, if it isn’t the Heavenly King. You’re still alive.”

Tian Shu, abandoning his previous weakness and incompetence, stood up straight, his goat horns emanating a chilling divine light. He said coldly, “Thanks to your blessing, I can’t die!”

The handsome man looked around with a smile. “Yan Shaoqing trapped you in the Emperor’s Sword. It’s quite impressive that you managed to escape. However, you cut off Earth Count’s horn, so it’s hard to say if you’ll survive. Oh, by the way, I knew you liked wine, so I told Yan Shaoqing to bring you some fine wine. How did you like it?”

Tian Shu’s goatee bristled with uncontrollable rage.

The handsome man smiled faintly, “This is Youdu, don’t be presumptuous. Oh, wait, you’ve already been presumptuous once. Jiuyi, why are you here too?”

Qi Jiuyi’s expression shifted slightly. He stepped out from behind Dragon Qilin and bowed, saying, “Greetings, Master!”

The handsome man scrutinized him, frowning. “You only have your primordial spirit left. Where is your physical body?”

Qi Jiuyi looked ashamed. “I was sucked into the Emperor’s Sword, and my physical body was left in the Great Ruins of the lower realm.”

Qin Mu’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately knew who this handsome man was.

“The Black Emperor of the Underworld, also known as the Son of Hades!”

His aura fluctuated slightly, but he quickly suppressed it, remaining outwardly calm. He thought, “Why has the Son of Hades come to Youdu to see Earth Count? Could it be about the Heavenly Yin Goddess’s resurrection? My act of stealing Earth Count’s power to revive the Heavenly Yin Goddess surely couldn’t have escaped his notice.”

The Son of Hades seemed to sense the slight fluctuation in his aura and looked at him, praising, “A stable primordial spirit. Truly a good young man. Heavenly King, is this your disciple?”

Tian Shu chuckled, “None of your business.”

The Son of Hades looked at Qin Mu with a gentle smile. “There’s no future in following this rebellious traitor. If you have the chance, you can come to the Underworld and pledge allegiance to me. I admire young people like you very much.”

Qin Mu was filled with trepidation. He looked at Tian Shu, then at the Son of Hades, feeling somewhat at a loss.

The Son of Hades strode away, chuckling, “Jiuyi, since Earth Count wants to see you, I won’t forcibly take you away. After you’ve settled things here, return to the mortal realm to retrieve your physical body and leave that place as soon as possible. Several of your senior brothers have already begun to unleash tribulations. I came here this time to discuss with Earth Count how to handle the souls of the billions of people who suddenly died in the lower realm.”

“Yes,” Qi Jiuyi bowed and only looked up after he had disappeared.

Qin Mu squinted his eyes. The Son of Hades had a powerful aura; his imposing presence consistently outmatched Tian Shu from beginning to end. He was indeed an extremely formidable figure.

Qi Jiuyi glanced at him and said, “My Master didn’t recognize you.”

“Thank you,” Qin Mu bowed.

Qi Jiuyi opened his mouth, then suddenly sighed, “We were supposed to be rivals, but I somehow ended up becoming sworn brothers. It’s hard to betray you. How did this happen?”

His gaze was bewildered.

Tian Shu asked curiously, “Qin Mu, what have you done? Why can’t you reveal your identity in front of the Black Emperor?”

Qin Mu sighed, “It’s a long story.”

Tian Shu’s eyes widened, his curiosity piqued even further.

The old underworld official stepped forward and said indifferently, “Go in now. Don’t make Earth Count wait too long.”

Tian Shu immediately slumped, like a goat monster that had suddenly died, lying on the ground unable to move. Qin Mu grabbed his goat horns and dragged him along until they finally entered the grand hall.

Earth Count was before them, likely an avatar. He was wreathed in flames, with a tiger head, ox horns, and a human body, currently poring over a thick stack of documents.

“My Lord,” Earth Count asked, without lifting his head, “did you add the matter of him stealing my power?”