Chapter 392: Request for Aid from the Depths of the Underworld

On the cliff top outside Feng Du Cheng, two figures lay crookedly on the rocks, their eyes gradually losing their brightness as the wind of the You Ming Realm blew through the soft manes on their headgear.

"Niu, how much do you have left?"

"Just a little bit left, Ma. Are we really not going to try Du Xian Men?"

Ma Mian sighed weakly, "Ah... The Great Witch Priest won't let us wander around the Ren Jiao Immortal Sects, and he said not to bother Lord Shui Shen unless necessary. Lord Shui Shen is busy with countless affairs—how can we go over without a proper reason?"

Niu Tou picked up the clay jar beside him, peered inside carefully, and sniffed it with his nose... The intoxicating aroma was already so faint. In front of them lay some delicious spirit beasts they had hunted from the mortal world, but they had no desire to start a fire.

"Ma, once us witches have tasted something stronger, it's impossible to settle for less."

"Niu, how about we go help Lord Shui Shen check if those witches are slacking off?"

"I'm afraid we won't even get to see him," Ma Mian said, grooming his dull mane. "It'd be better to keep an eye on Du Xian Men and see if any Qi Refiners are about to run out of lifespan. We could go do some proper work, like hooking a soul. Then, we could pay a visit to the creator of these seasonings, that Du Xian Men disciple, Li Chang Shou!"

"Well, we might have to wait a few hundred years for an immortal to die of old age! But, speaking of that..."

Niu Tou sat up and faced the horizon, muttering quietly, "Have you ever felt that Li Chang Shou from Du Xian Men, every time he shows up, has a scent that's kind of similar to Lord Shui Shen?"

Ma Mian rested his hands behind his head. "What scent?"

Niu Tou scratched his chin through the headgear and mumbled, "Hard to say, moo... It's not a human scent, and it's a bit similar."

"Not a human scent?" Ma Mian pondered. "Then what could it be? Li Chang Shou's Dao is similar to Lord Shui Shen's, but definitely not the same. We're witches, so we need to be wise and capable, not just rely on instincts, hee-haw."

Niu Tou scratched his horns and nodded in agreement. "Instincts really aren't that reliable..."

"Hiss—"

"Why are you sucking in air like that?"

Ma Mian stretched out his muscular long legs and said leisurely, "You've practically heated up the underworld with your breathing, hee-haw!"

"Ma, look over there! Is that Li Chang Shou from Du Xian Men flying toward us? Master! Moo!"

"Huh? It's really him! Quick, get the brothers ready! Give him the same treatment as Lord Shui Shen! Our seasonings are saved!"

A moment later...

Li Chang Shou arrived with You Qin Xuan Ya at the eastern stronghold of Feng Du Cheng. He couldn't help but raise his hand to his forehead, feeling a bit reluctant to go further.

You Qin Xuan Ya tilted her head curiously. Along the way, she had seen many Qi Refiners, and Li Chang Shou had already told her that the underworld's yin attendants were quite "adorable," but this scene...

Hundreds of underworld yin attendants lined up in two rows, holding high banners, while a few gentle figures scattered pale flower petals nearby. The sound of gongs and drums filled the air.

Niu Tou and Ma Mian stood straight on either side, their eyes behind the headgear gleaming with an eerie light!

As Li Chang Shou rode his cloud forward another ten or so zhang, there were two soft whooshing sounds, and Niu Tou and Ma Mian left trails of afterimages as they appeared directly in front of Li Chang Shou and You Qin Xuan Ya.

Their speed was so fast that even You Qin Xuan Ya, at the True Immortal realm, couldn't react in time...

When she came to her senses and turned her head, she saw the two legendary underworld soul hookers from the Hong Huang standing before her senior brother Li Chang Shou.

The one with the horse head was holding a stone comb and grooming his smooth mane, while the other had his arms crossed. Both bared their sharp white teeth and broke into...

A sly grin.

The Fire Scale Sword Box slid out a few inches, but Li Chang Shou quickly pressed it back.

Niu Tou asked, "Li Chang Shou, my friend, what brings you to the underworld? Moo!"

"I'd like to ask you two dao friends for a small favor," Li Chang Shou said with a narrowed-eyed smile, showing a touch of respect. He took two treasure pouches from his sleeve and handed one to each of them.

Li Chang Shou chuckled, "Please accept these as a token of my appreciation."

Their hearts raced with excitement, and their hands trembled!

Niu Tou and Ma Mian nearly burst into tears as they slowly took the pouches, opened them for a peek, and were overcome with immense gratitude.

"Master! Oh, no, dao friend, the underworld really needs talents like you, moo~!"

"No matter what it is, we'll handle it! Hee-haw!"

"It's like this," Li Chang Shou said, taking out two Soul Capturing Pearls. "Please take a look."

Niu Tou and Ma Mian instantly became serious, putting away their seasonings before furrowing their brows.

"Such strong karmic obstacles? And such weak souls..."

Niu Tou muttered, "Is this the ruler of a country in the South Continent?"

"That's right," Li Chang Shou smiled. "Is there any way to help?"

"This is tricky," Ma Mian said seriously. "We can't overlook karmic obstacles like this; merits can't offset them. The only option is to throw him into the Eighteen Levels of Hell to suffer and wear them down before he can reincarnate. Otherwise, we'd have to shatter the soul and let the true spirit reincarnate, completely cutting ties with the past life."

As he spoke, Ma Mian took out the treasure pouch he had just received and tried to hand it back to Li Chang Shou...

"Hey!"

Niu Tou waved his large hand to block it and laughed, "Actually, it's not impossible, but it would be quite troublesome..."

Li Chang Shou smiled with narrowed eyes and produced two more treasure pouches, handing one to each yin attendant.

"Then I'll have to trouble you both."

"Oh, no, we couldn't possibly... Ah! We couldn't, but, well, it's fine, it's fine."

Niu Tou took the pouch and stuffed the other one back into Ma Mian's arms before saying seriously, "But there's one thing—we can't skip the suffering of the Eighteen Levels of Hell, or the order of heaven and earth would be disrupted. We can only help him endure less and arrange for him to be in a corner of whichever level he's assigned to. What do you think, dao friend?"

Li Chang Shou glanced at You Qin Xuan Ya and saw her frowning in thought. She seemed resistant to this but didn't speak out directly to oppose it.

The toxicity in her had truly weakened!

Li Chang Shou felt a subtle sense of emotion and sent a voice transmission: "You Qin, my junior sister, let me handle this. Don't say anything more."

"Mm," You Qin Xuan Ya nodded in agreement.

Li Chang Shou stepped forward half a step and whispered with Niu Tou and Ma Mian, taking the opportunity to ask about the details of the Eighteen Levels of Hell and why they were hesitant to take this job.

These mortal kingdom rulers often lived extra centuries thanks to life-extending pills. When they died, they frequently had trusted Qi Refiners bring their souls to the underworld to try arranging their next life.

But whenever it involved these "emperors" of the mortal world, the underworld changed its usual polite and negotiable attitude, refusing firmly and seriously.

Niu Tou explained, "In the early years, there were cases like this, but it directly invited heavenly punishment. The bribed yin attendants and the judges who wrote the verdicts were all struck to pieces, with not even their true spirits left. These worldly kings carry lingering destiny; extending their lives defies the Heavenly Dao... So, he has to go into the Eighteen Levels of Hell. But we can make him suffer less, as long as it's within the Heavenly Dao's limits."

Li Chang Shou nodded slowly and asked You Qin Xuan Ya, "Junior sister, what do you think of this?"

"It's already putting the underworld's lords in a difficult position," You Qin Xuan Ya said, bowing with a fist salute. "Thank you, senior brother, and thank you, the two messengers."

"No need for such formality, hee-haw!"

Li Chang Shou looked at Niu Tou and Ma Mian again and said, "Though he's going into the Eighteen Levels of Hell, could we perhaps be allowed to watch from the side? That way, my junior sister can see her father off, sever her mortal ties, and fulfill her filial duties."

"Of course," Niu Tou agreed, then added a bit uneasily, "But that's all we can do, and we've taken so many gifts from you, dao friend... Please, don't mention this to Lord Shui Shen."

"Don't worry, you two dao friends," Li Chang Shou patted his chest. "I absolutely won't tell Lord Shui Shen about this!"

Only then did Niu Tou and Ma Mian relax, beaming with joy at the large batch of seasonings they had received. They led the two Du Xian Men disciples toward Feng Du Cheng.

Niu Tou and Ma Mian held a minor status among the Wu Clan, and in recent years, due to their close ties with the Heavenly Court’s Shui Shen, they had been highly favored in the underworld. For them to arrange for a mortal kingdom's ruler—and just to make him suffer less in the Eighteen Levels of Hell—was no big issue; it was just a matter of a word.

When Li Chang Shou summoned the souls of the several dozen guards from the other Soul Capturing Pearl...

Perhaps because they felt embarrassed after taking so many gifts, Niu Tou and Ma Mian were extra enthusiastic, almost overly so. They immediately called in a large group of yin attendants to arrange for these ordinary souls to reincarnate into good families.

Niu Tou even asked the guards warmly if they had any special requests, like if being a man in this life had been too tiring and they wanted to be women in the next, which could be noted in the Book of Life and Death.

True spirits are formless.

Li Chang Shou blinked, thinking that the Jade Emperor's future tribulations might have some new options!

He could come up with some fresh ideas for His Majesty the Jade Emperor.

Ahem, back to the main point.

The focus today was dealing with the old king's soul.

Li Chang Shou followed Niu Tou and Ma Mian with You Qin Xuan Ya, sneaking into one of the Yan Luo Halls. Soon, You Qin Xuan Ya's father's soul was brought before a great judge...

Niu Tou and Ma Mian quickly whispered to the judge, who glanced at Li Chang Shou in the corner and nodded calmly.

"Since a disciple of the Ren Jiao Immortal Sect and a junior favored by Shui Shen has requested it, we can skip the three frights and five shocks."

The judge gently lowered the sounding block that had been raised high and toned down his oppressive aura, declaring, "All ghosts and spirits, step back. The king of Hong Lin Kingdom below, raise your head. Left and right, verify his true identity..."

The trial proceeded smoothly. The judge soon received a scroll and began listing the sins of the kneeling old man in royal robes...

Before long, You Qin Xuan Ya pursed her lips and frowned, gazing at her father with only helplessness and shame in her eyes.

This king had committed every possible karmic sin that a ruler could.

Li Chang Shou listened for a while and shook his head, his immortal sense continuing to scan the surroundings.

He wasn't here solely for You Qin Xuan Ya's father; after all, he was a Ren Jiao disciple.

Nowadays, whenever he visited the underworld as the Shui Shen, he couldn't see the various issues in Feng Du Cheng anymore. The yin attendants would clear the streets as soon as he appeared, as if they were hiding problems from a superior inspection.

And these hidden details were crucial for Li Chang Shou's upcoming "underworld reform" plans.

He deduced that a great merit must exist in the underworld, but it was different from the Dragon Clan's situation. The latter had pledged loyalty to the Heavenly Court despite great resistance, much like Pan Jin Lian being married to Wu Da Lang. But the underworld's relationship with the Heavenly Court was more like Pan Jin Lian throwing a stick at Xi Men Qing passing below...

Full of initiative.

After much thought and calculation, Li Chang Shou realized that the underworld's merit lay hidden in its existing problems. He needed a keen eye for spotting issues, turning small problems into big ones.

On another note, Elder Zhao had been gone for a while—who knew how his discussion with Jin Guang Sheng Mu was going?

Li Chang Shou set that aside in his mind, leaving a paper effigy waiting in the Sea God Temple's back hall so it wouldn't delay Elder Zhao's matters.

Perhaps Gong Ming and Jin Guang, upon talking about breaking up, would remember each other's good points and decide to try again...

That was possible.

The judge finished listing You Qin Xuan Ya's father's sins and sentenced him according to standard procedure: to be thrown into the Eighteen Levels of Hell to suffer for three thousand years before being allowed to reincarnate.

Then, the ghost guards escorted the old king's soul toward the Wheel of Reincarnation Island. Niu Tou and Ma Mian followed at a distance with Li Chang Shou and You Qin Xuan Ya.

They didn't go to the Six Paths of Reincarnation disk but stopped at the edge of the island, by a dark red cliff.

Two beams of black light shot up from the cliff below, turning into two pitch-black chains. The ghost guards grabbed the chains and locked them around the old king of Hong Lin Kingdom's wrists, then looked toward Niu Tou and Ma Mian.

"Moo!"

Niu Tou said, "Say a few words."

"Thank you," You Qin Xuan Ya whispered, kneeling before the old king without a word.

The old king made a few trembling sounds in his throat. Only then did he notice Li Chang Shou and You Qin Xuan Ya following behind. He instinctively wanted to ask for help but didn't speak, instead nodding at Li Chang Shou and turning around on his own, arms outstretched.

The chains slowly slid down with a harsh scraping noise, pulling the old king's figure into the endless abyss.

Below, bursts of shrill cries echoed, as if a door had opened and quickly shut, and the cliffside fell silent again.

The low wind carried distant sobs as Li Chang Shou stood with his hands behind his back beside the kneeling You Qin Xuan Ya, who remained silent.

After a moment, Li Chang Shou spoke:

"You Qin, let's go back..."

A clear wind bell rang in his ears, and Li Chang Shou suddenly felt a daze. In his mind, an image appeared:

A smooth, mirror-like lake surrounded by swirling white mist. A woman in a black gauze skirt lay on the lake's surface. Her fair skin gleamed like white jade, but her ankles, wrists, neck, and waist were bound by thin silver chains.

She wept with her eyes closed, tears sliding from the corners of her eyes, murmuring something unintelligible to Li Chang Shou...

A wave of inexplicable sorrow swirled in his heart. His paper effigy was unaffected, but his true body, hidden in a corner of Du Xian Men, had moist eyes and faintly heard a weak, hoarse voice.

'Save me.'

"Senior brother, let's go back."

You Qin Xuan Ya's voice sounded beside him, and Li Chang Shou snapped back to reality. The vision vanished, but the lingering sadness in his heart refused to fade.