Chapter 1631: Chatting

Chapter 1631: Chatting

"I won't go to hell; I want to reincarnate."

Ye Chen's howl echoed through the Ming Jie, causing even the lone souls and wild ghosts to lift their heads.

"What's all this about reincarnation?" Chu Jiang Wang snorted coldly, flipped his hand, and pressed Ye Chen into the ground, sending him straight to the eighteen layers of hell.

Now, the Ming Jie fell silent, and the entire world with it.

Meng Po crouched at the bridgehead, not daring to breathe, her aged body trembling uncontrollably, her face pale as a sheet.

The disruption of reincarnation meant she couldn't escape blame. If the higher-ups held her accountable, she would likely be thrown into hell to endure the flames of karma.

"Meng Po, have your eyes grown too dim with age?" Song Di Wang looked down from above, his voice like thunder, cold and authoritative, making the heavens themselves shudder.

"Drinking over a hundred bowls of Meng Po Tang—clearly something's wrong. As the guardian of the Nai He Qiao, how could you miss such obvious signs?"

"This subordinate knows her fault," Meng Po stammered, her voice shaking, cold sweat pouring down like rain, fearing the Yan Luo kings' wrath.

"Get it together," the Judge scolded. After all, Meng Po was under his command, and as the boss, he had to maintain some authority.

But as soon as he spoke, the nine Yan Luo kings glanced over: Your brain isn't any sharper than Meng Po's.

The Judge coughed awkwardly and quickly quieted down. It was better to stand there obediently; jumping in like that had been a poor move.

"Keep a close eye on hell and don't let any more chaos erupt." The Yan Luo of the ninth hall snorted coldly and faded into the void, each returning to their own residence.

Only after the Yan Luo had left did Meng Po and the Judge breathe a sigh of relief.

In the end, it was their negligence that had caused this mess.

But neither of them could figure out what Ye Chen was.

The Book of Life and Death judged him with just two words: scum; Meng Po Tang had no effect on him; and he could even disrupt reincarnation.

Such strange events were unprecedented, shrouding Ye Chen's identity in a veil of mystery—he was definitely no ordinary being.

As for Ye Chen, after being pressed into the ground, he plummeted downward.

He had no idea how long it took before he finally hit the surface.

When he got up, he saw a pitch-black expanse of underworld soil, with chilling winds howling, utter darkness, and the wails of fierce ghosts piercing the air.

The ground was riddled with bloody chasms, and flames occasionally erupted from below, with streams of lava crisscrossing the area but emitting a cold, yin yin qi.

The sky was equally turbulent, thick with dark clouds, flashing with lightning and booming thunder.

This was the Ming Fu's eighteen layers of hell, a prison for imprisoning the wicked, located 108,000 zhang below the surface and spanning 90,000 li in all directions.

In simple terms, it was a vast spatial realm, full of wonders.

Fortunately, Ye Chen had drunk over a hundred bowls of Meng Po Tang, making his soul power extremely pure and his spirit robust enough.

Otherwise, that fall from 108,000 zhang would have reduced him to ashes—no ghost in the Ming Jie could withstand it.

"Just a little more, just a bit more, damn it."

Ye Chen's forehead was lined with black veins, his face as dark as charcoal.

If he'd had a few more seconds, even three or five, he could have reincarnated—even into the animal realm, at least he could have gone back.

But now, he'd been thrown into hell, the eighteen layers no less. Who knew how many years or months it would take to get out.

At that moment, he regretted it a bit—he shouldn't have guzzled Meng Po Tang like a beast, causing such a disturbance to reincarnation.

"Oh, finally, someone's here to chat."

Just as Ye Chen was fuming, a cheerful laugh came from nearby.

"Who is it?" Ye Chen whipped around and looked behind him.

There, he saw a white-haired young man with eyes like stars and hair like a cascading waterfall—full of vigor and an air of grandeur.

The young man's soul power was just as pure as his own.

On his forehead was an ancient divine mark, its origin unclear and its meaning unknown.

But the way he walked was incredibly arrogant, swaggering and carefree, giving the first impression that he was no good sort.

"Who are you?" Ye Chen sized up the white-haired young man.

"Zhao Yun. Those who give me face call me Dragon Bro." The white-haired young man grinned, flashing his pearly white teeth.

"Changshan Zhao Zilong?" Ye Chen stroked his chin, pondering.

"What the heck is that title?" Zhao Yun poked Ye Chen.

"Ye Chen. Those who give me face call me Sixth Master."

"You're really taking advantage here." Zhao Yun pouted. We're just exchanging names, and you go and make yourself a generation above me.

"Don't sweat the small stuff." Ye Chen sat down cross-legged and looked at Zhao Yun with interest. "Come on, tell Sixth Master why the Ming Jie sent you to the eighteen layers of hell."

"What about you?" Zhao Yun sat down too, smiling at Ye Chen.

"I drank over a hundred bowls of Meng Po Tang, got sent to the animal realm, messed up reincarnation, got dragged out by the Yan Luo, and then tossed in here." Ye Chen grumbled.

"Over a hundred bowls—now that's something." Zhao Yun grinned.

"Your turn—what did you do to end up here?" Ye Chen asked with a laugh.

"Didn't mess with anyone. I arrived, and boom, they threw me in." Zhao Yun shrugged. "The big shots of the Ming Jie handled it personally. Didn't know you guys had such heavy hitters."

"What do you mean, 'you guys'?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "Where are you from?"

"Not from the same universe as you." Zhao Yun shrugged again. "At least, that's what I think now."

"A different universe?" Ye Chen was completely baffled.

"Since we're on the topic, I'll explain." Zhao Yun pulled out a ball and a brick, placing them in front of Ye Chen.

Ye Chen looked puzzled and turned to Zhao Yun.

"For example, your universe is this ball, and mine is this brick." Zhao Yun said, suspending the ball in the air. "The ball's on top, the brick's below—your universe and mine aren't on the same cosmic plane."

"It's like different realms not being on the same level, right?"

"Exactly." Zhao Yun laughed. "That makes sense."

"Then I'm impressed—you actually crossed universes to die here. Impressive!" Ye Chen grinned.

"Don't blame me; blame your universe." Zhao Yun waved it off. "Your side's lost its power balance, causing your universe to expand and brush against ours. I wasn't paying attention and ended up dying over here."

"Hold on, let me wrap my head around this." Ye Chen stroked his chin, his eyes darting around as he muttered to himself.

From Zhao Yun's expression, it didn't seem like he was joking—Ye Chen, with his expert eye, could tell.

But this was all too bizarre. Crossing universes was something he'd never heard of; it was beyond his reach.

After thinking for a while, Ye Chen looked at Zhao Yun tentatively. "Are you sure you're not from our universe?"

"No time for jokes." Zhao Yun stretched his neck. "Our origin souls are the best proof. Between universes, origin souls distinguish things most clearly."

Hearing that, Ye Chen examined Zhao Yun's soul.

Zhao Yun's origin soul was indeed different from his— not only incompatible but mutually repelling.

He started to believe Zhao Yun's words—he really wasn't from this universe; he'd died over from another one.

"No wonder, no wonder the supreme beings of the Ming Jie stepped in personally to lock him in hell. They must have noticed something off."

Ye Chen murmured to himself, couldn't help but sigh in amazement. Crossing universes severely violated the laws and order.

"Your place is no simple matter." Zhao Yun spoke up again. "Just take the big shots of the Ming Jie—for us, only legendary gods could stand shoulder to shoulder with them."

"Of course." Ye Chen straightened his collar, full of pride. The big shots of the Ming Jie really brought honor to their side.

"Your universe has lost its power balance and is expanding nonstop—this is a sign of impending catastrophe."

"Catastrophe?" Ye Chen frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Though Zhao Yun's words were vague, he believed some of it.

Their universe did seem to have issues—it was expanding, and once it hit the critical point, a massive explosion would follow.

It would be like a body self-destructing, wiping out all life in the universe and plunging everything into a dark era.

But why the power imbalance, and what caused it—he couldn't figure it out. With his knowledge, it was impossible to grasp.

"When can I go home? There's still a bunch of enemies I haven't killed."

As Ye Chen pondered, Zhao Yun sighed, sitting cross-legged with his hands under his chin, head drooping.

Vaguely, Zhao Yun's eyes showed a look of nostalgia, a genuine longing for home that couldn't be faked.

Ye Chen fell silent. He could see Zhao Yun was a man with a story, his soul body carrying a deep sense of weariness.

It was similar to him—young in age but with a lot of experiences, trudging through the dust of life against the river of time.

"When can I go home? There's still a bunch of wives I haven't... you know."

Ye Chen propped up his chin and lowered his head, sighing repeatedly. He missed home, missed his family.

The eighteen layers of hell fell into stillness once more, with only the wails of fierce ghosts and the thunderclaps echoing endlessly.

There was no day or night here—it was perpetually dark, with flames erupting from the ground providing the only light.

The two sat side by side in silence, both looking dejected, yearning for home and hating this wretched place.

Perhaps out of boredom, the two grabbed sticks—one drawing circles on the ground, the other making X's.

"Hey, let's brag a bit." Zhao Yun nudged Ye Chen.

"Brag about what? Any cows around?" Ye Chen looked up and scanned around.

"Nah, I'll go first." Zhao Yun rolled up his sleeves. "Dragon Bro here has never lost a fight at the same level."

"What a coincidence—I haven't either." Ye Chen scratched his ear.

"I sent a coffin to my enemy on their birthday."

"What a coincidence—I did the same." Ye Chen flicked away some earwax.

" Wherever I go, things get lively, and the commotion gets bigger each time."

"What a coincidence—I do too." Ye Chen nodded smugly.

"Hey." Zhao Yun wasn't having it. "Come on, your turn first."

"I've kidnapped an ex-girlfriend, slept with my master, taken my wife to a brothel, fed my disciples tiger penis, drugged my brothers, and rolled around in bed with guys to help my sister-in-law..."

Ye Chen went on and on, leaving Zhao Yun twitching at the corners of his mouth.

Was this bragging? This was just a contest of shamelessness!

No wonder you were sent to the animal realm—you belong there. The human world can't handle a deity like you.

Trying to outbrag you? I'd have to be out of my mind. With your level, you'd win even in death.

Ye Chen smoothed his hair, looking profoundly serious.

In terms of style, you're miles away from matching me.

Zhao Yun said nothing more, just gave Ye Chen a thumbs-up. In the art of shamelessness, Dragon Bro concedes defeat.

Boredom—it was all from boredom. Two grown men, bored out of their minds, up to all sorts of nonsense, like this bragging.

The eighteen layers of hell sank into quiet again.

The two hung their heads once more—one drawing circles, the other making X's.

Sometime later, Zhao Yun pushed Ye Chen and jumped up. "Hurry, hurry—something good's coming."