"Of course, Brother Xu, your discerning eye is unmatched!" Qin Ye was rubbing his hands together with the most benevolent smile he could muster up etched on his face, and he was doing everything in his power to exude an aura of purity and friendliness. "May I ask why you've come back this time, Brother Xu?"

The second King Yanluo observed him for a while with a smile on his face, and several seconds later, he said, "You know, I really like seeing your shameless face."

Qin Ye: "..."

How could you say that? If you have nothing good to say, then keep your mouth shut!

Before Qin Ye had a chance to erupt into fury, the second King Yanluo continued, "The first King Yanluo and I put too much weight on keeping up appearances, and that was to the detriment of the Cathayan Underworld on the international stage, but that's enough of that. We haven't met each other in many years, and I don't like to waste time with idle chatter."

His smile faded as he put on a serious expression and asked, "I returned this time originally only for one purpose, which was to teach you your final lesson as King Yanluo. The three realms are all interconnected, and as the ruler of one of those realms, you have to manage not just the living beings of the entire underworld, you also have to work closely with Heaven. Do you recall how I told you that the Gate of Heaven would open on Kunlun Mountain in five years? Right now, there are only a year and two months left."

Qin Ye nodded in response. This wasn't something that he was overly concerned about. After learning that his status was on par with that of the Jade Emperor, he had lost all respect for this so-called Heaven.

For him, anything that didn't pose a threat to his life was not worthy of respect.

"How did you know that I reached the Yama-King level, Brother Xu?"

The second King Yanluo pointed at his robes and replied, "Because of the Yellow Emperor Protector Seal."

Qin Ye nodded in response as an enlightened look appeared on his face.

That seal was what had saved his life during the massive explosion set off by Qi Nü in Yingzhou.

"Did you know as soon as the seal was activated?"

"I did, which is why I came here." The second King Yanluo took a sip of tea before continuing in an indifferent voice. "This lesson has to be taught, but now isn't the right time. Having said that, I came back at just the right time to see General Zhao withstand the Ashmound explosion all on his own. His actions attracted the attention of the Heavenly Dao, and I was the one who saved him."

That wasn't included in the message carried by the messenger bird...

Qin Ye's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this. The Harken was together with Zhao Yun at the time, so did that mean that the Harken also knew about this? It most likely did, but it probably didn't know that it was the second King Yanluo who had saved Zhao Yun. The second King Yanluo clearly wasn't interested in a reunion with past acquaintances and had come here directly. At the same time, Qin Ye was taking care of very important business, and the Harken didn't want him to become distracted at this important juncture, so it hadn't informed him of this.

The second King Yanluo gently set down his teacup, and a cold smile appeared on his face as he continued, "I also just so happened to see something very interesting."

Qin Ye's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this. "Are you referring to the Peach Blossom Spring?"

"That's right... I must admit that the owner of the island is an exceptional talent to have come up with such an ingenious method," the second King Yanluo replied in a calm voice. "Back then, I always felt like there was a rift leading to another realm on the seabed, but I didn't search for it very carefully. Who would've thought that the rift really was hiding something extraordinary?"

He cast his gaze toward Qin Ye and asked, "What do you plan to do with him?"

A faint smile appeared on Qin Ye's face. "I'll search his soul, then toss him into the hungry ghost path of the six paths of reincarnation. There, his physical body will constantly be devoured by hungry ghosts, and he won't be able to last until he's resurrected. All he'll be able to do is suffer eternally in a limitless cycle of life and death."

"Very good." The second King Yanluo gave a pleased nod upon hearing this, and he looked directly into Qin Ye's eyes with a serious expression as he said, "Remember this: he's only an exceptional talent if we decide to use him. If we choose to discard him, then he's nothing more than a piece of trash. He established a nation right on the borders of our territorial sea and colluded with external powers to create a territory of his own. In addition to that, he was the mastermind behind the Ashmound explosion. All of his crimes are direct provocations against the authority of King Yanluo, and no punishment is too harsh for him! Remember this well: the ruler of a realm cannot tolerate provocation under any circumstances! Sun Wukong was sealed away for 500 years just for a minor offence of provocation against Heaven, and in contrast, Xu Fu's crimes are infinite times more severe." [1]

Qin Ye nodded in response. He knew that the second King Yanluo was looking out for him. The Cathayan Underworld was in the initial stages of its resurgence, and it had a bright future ahead, but the second King Yanluo was concerned that he would be tempted to keep Xu Fu for his talents, thereby compromising his authority, and the second King Yanluo was warning him against this.

However, he already knew what he had to prioritize.

"I'll take care of this," the second King Yanluo said as he rose to his feet. "You're facing an advanced Yama-King, and General Zhao can't get involved, while the Harken is still recovering from its injuries. As for you... It's a real pity that we have to kill someone so outstandingly talented. He could've been destined for great things, but he chose the wrong path to pursue."

Hmm? Hold on, what was that about me? Why did you suddenly stop before you finished what you had to say about me? I feel oddly insulted somehow...

……………………………………………………

Xu Fu was staring intently at the surface of the sea. They had already passed Nippon, and it would only take them one more hour at most to reach Formosa, at which point they would've officially entered Cathay's territorial sea.

He was standing at the forefront at the port, and behind him were countless people, stretching all the way from the port into the city.

These people were led by soldiers that stretched as far as the eyes could see. These soldiers were all wearing ancient Cathayan armor and wielding spears, standing ramrod straight behind Xu Fu. To say that there were tens of thousands of these soldiers would be an understatement, there were at least 100,000 of them! Behind them were the countless residents of the Peach Blossom Spring, stretching along the city walls and filling all of the streets.

There were most likely several million of them in total!

However, all of the residents wore wooden expressions with deathly pale faces, looking as if they were inanimate statues. If one could approach them and observe them closely, then they would discover that these residents had no heartbeat, pulse, or breathing whatsoever!

These were millions of zombies!

During the past 2,000 years, all of the ships and boats that had passed through the high sea of the Pacific Ocean and passed by the Peach Blossom Spring had been intercepted by this city of sin. In addition to that were the countless bodies that had been delivered to the Peach Blossom Spring, amounting to an incredibly powerful undead army, and this was also Xu Fu's final trump card.

"It looks like there's no escape..." Xu Fu's hair was blowing wildly in the sea breeze, and he opened the hand fan that he was holding before gently fanning himself.

A thin man approached him from behind and extended a respectful bow before asking, "Your Excellency, are we really going to face off against Hell?"

Xu Fu didn't reply.

He had an army of 170,000 undead soldiers that were indefatigable killing machines, and they could be unleashed with just a single command from him!

If Hell were to fight fire with fire, they would definitely suffer significant casualties during the course of the battle. Furthermore, he didn't know what Hell's current condition was like, but judging from the intelligence that he had gathered, he knew that Hell was not in good shape. If Hell didn't want to suffer those losses, then there was still a chance that they would compromise and spare him.

This was his final fortress. There was no need for excessive emotion of hesitation. The story had already been written, all that was left was to reveal the conclusion.

Thus, the small island sped along rapidly amid this oppressive silence, and soon, the enormous Array of the Nine Gods was already within sight. Xu Fu closed his eyes as he heaved a long sigh.

I've finally returned to the place that I never wanted to return to again...

Ever since the era of the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, he had fled to the sea, and since then, he had never set foot on Cathayan soil again, but in the end, he was still unable to escape his own fate.

Whoosh... Everything up ahead suddenly blurred before turning transparent, while the sound of crashing waves continued to rumble incessantly. However, in the instant that they passed through the Array of the Nine Gods, Xu Fu abruptly raised his head and stared intently up ahead with an unblinking gaze.

Thump! Directly beside him, the thin man abruptly fell to his knees. Sweat was pouring down his face, and he opened his mouth to say something, but was unable to muster up even a single word. All he could do was slump to the ground and tremble uncontrollably like a cicada in the wind.

Xu Fu swept a bewildered gaze through his surroundings. They were still situated within the array, and Yin runes were all around them, glowing like shimmering stars. However, two people had appeared in front of the small island!

What terrifying power!

What felt like a jolt of electricity surged up from Xu Fu's tailbone all the way to the top of his head, and his legs gave out from under him as he also fell to his knees with a dull thump!

How could this be? He desperately tried to raise his own head, yet it was as if his entire body were being crushed under a mountain. He was only able to raise his neck by the most minute of degrees before it was forced back down again, and immediately thereafter, he gave a muffled groan as he was entirely flattened to the ground, forced into a posture of reverence and resignation.

"What... What on earth is this?" Sweat began to pour down his forehead. Even as he passed through the array, he hadn't lost his composure in the slightest, but in this instant, his calm and carefree disposition had completely vanished, and he was lying face down on the ground like a defeated dog as a horrified look appeared on his face for the first time.

"What is this power? Is it Yin energy? No... True energy? That's not it, either! This is just... pure power! Who could possess such fearsome power? Is it someone from Hell? But that's impossible!"

He didn't want to believe this.

He had thought that both sides had already revealed their trump cards, yet it turned out that Hell had one final trump card up its sleeve all along, and in contrast with this trump card, his supposed final trump card was nothing more than a joke.

This type of power had already gone beyond the limits of what he could withstand! It had already transcended beyond this entire world!

In this instant, all of the undead soldiers and residents of the entire Peach Blossom Spring also fell to their knees before laying their foreheads flat against the ground. Even without an order from Xu Fu, this unmatched power had triggered what remained of their instincts and forced them to their knees.

All of them were trembling incessantly as if they were revering and worshipping a deity.

Right at this moment, an antiquated golden boot appeared in front of Xu Fu, and a voice that he had heard before rang out. "We finally meet, Mr. Xu."

This voice belongs to that Yama-King of Hell, but this power doesn't come from him! He's very powerful, but not as powerful as myself. This power...

He turned to the side with all his might, yet he was only able to catch a glimpse of the hem of a robe with black dragon patterns embroidered onto it.

Just a single glance was enough to make Xu Fu's entire soul shriek with horror, as if he were an evil ghost that had encountered an Emissary of Hell of the same cultivation rank.

Don't look! Stop!

The voice was screaming in his mind, and he shuddered as he withdrew his gaze. For the very first time, he pressed his head forcefully against the ground to kowtow in a gesture of utmost respect.

"Xu Fu pays his respects to the Yama-Kings of Cathay."

"We're not just Yama-Kings, we are the King Yanluos of Cathay." The calm voice of another young man rang out in response. "I heard that you two have met once in the past."

In that instant, Xu Fu figured out everything.

The current state of the Cathayan Underworld was definitely even worse than he had imagined. Otherwise, there was no way they would've assigned the role of King Yanluo to a member of the living dead! At such close quarters, he could already detect that Qin Ye was also a member of the living dead like himself.

There was no precedent for this in the history of Hell!

Furthermore, there were no other Yama-Kings here to apprehend him, but what good did this knowledge do him now?

"Yes..."

Qin Ye glanced at Xu Fu, then raised his head to look at the countless undead soldiers and residents behind him. "These are all of the people in the entire Peach Blossom Spring, right? What were you planning to do by getting all of them to come out, Mr. Xu? Were you planning to oppose Hell to test Hell's determination to conquer the Peach Blossom Spring? Alternatively, perhaps you were hoping that Hell wouldn't be willing to engage in a battle and suffer casualties, so there might be a chance that you would be spared?"

Xu Fu's heart was full of despair. All of his arrangements were nothing more than a joke in the face of absolute power, and at this point, any shred of resistance in his heart had already completely vanished, leaving him completely broken and resigned to his fate.

"No..." he replied through gritted teeth. "I know that my crimes are unforgivable, and I've prepared myself for execution. These are all of the forces that the Peach Blossom Spring has gathered during the past 2,000 years, and I'm offering them all up to Hell now. I know this is nowhere near enough to make amends, but all I ask is that my actions can grant me a swift and painless death!"

On this day, the Yama-King that had lived for over 2,000 years finally reached the end of the road.

[1] [Sun Wukong is the Monkey King in the renowned Chinese novel "Journey to the West". This refers to a part of the story where Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in heaven, and as punishment, he was trapped under a mountain by Buddha for 500 years.]