“It’s you?” The Harken’s paw faltered in mid-air as it looked on ahead with a stunned expression.
Most of the Lin Family Mansion had already collapsed in the face of the Harken’s power, revealing the charred black walls inside. There was an independent space formed between several walls.
The space was around 70 to 80 square meters in area, and the ground was littered with scraps of ruins. Amid the ruins, there was an eight immortal table and a taishi chair.
Surrounding them were several dozen paper dolls, and there was a person sitting in front of the eight immortal table. From the Harken’s perspective, he could see the figure’s side profile. This was a middle-aged man who was holding a pen as he carefully etched out the facial features of the paper dolls.
The man had a set of very ordinary facial features, and he was wearing a white lab coat. However, none of that was important. What was most important here was that the Harken had met this man before!
Not only that, but Qin Ye had also met him in the past!
At this point, the Harken had already adopted his true form as the God of Nine Energies, so it was standing at several dozen meters tall. Its giant golden eyes were fixed firmly on the man, and several seconds later, it heaved a forlorn sigh. “I see… So it’s you… You’re from the SRC, right? What was your name again?”
“Chang Shun,” the man replied calmly.
That’s right, it was Chang Shun…
Back when Qin Ye had been taken to visit the Exalted Father, Chang Shun had been his guide. [Refer back to chapters 85 and 86.]
Who could’ve imagined that he would be a pawn for the inner demon?
Hell was extremely powerful, and even with all of its unique properties, the inner demon didn’t dare to strike at Hell during the reigns of the first King Yanluo and the second King Yanluo. Even though there were no beings above the Yama-King level in Hell during the first King Yanluo’s reign, several dozen Yama-Kings and the Harken, which directly countered the inner demon, were still nothing to be scoffed at.
Both Qin Ye and the Harken had always wondered how the inner demon was able to confirm that Hell had fallen, thereby giving it the courage to finally lash out at the new Hell.
Was it due to the absence of Netherworld Operatives in the mortal realm?
Was it due to an inability to get into contact with Fengdu?
Was it due to the absence of the city gods and the lords of the land?
These were all observable signs, but it was only circumstantial evidence at best.
If the inner demon had made an error in judgment, then even with its immense powers, there would be no way it would be able to escape in the face of the Aurogon, the Harken, the Pixiu, the Sixfold Ghost Kings, the Yama-Kings of the 10 Palaces, and the three divine artifacts.
It would be an absolute joke if the Cathayan Underworld at the height of its powers were unable to deal with a single being above the Yama-King level. The three pillars clearly knew of Zhao Yun’s existence, yet they still did whatever they wanted, and that was because all of the four pillars had the power to deal with a being above the Yama-King level, so they had nothing to fear.
Given how cautious the inner demon had shown itself to be, there was no way that it wouldn’t be aware of this. Thus, this had always been a mystery, but it had finally been unraveled now.
The inner demon had gathered many pieces of circumstantial evidence hinting at the fall of Hell, but that wasn’t enough to instill it with the courage to strike.
That was until it discovered the Harken by chance.
The Harken was severely injured at the time, and it had fled from Hell to the mortal realm, which meant that a catastrophe had to have struck Hell.
Furthermore, the fact that it was so severely injured at the time meant that a massive explosion had to have taken place in Hell. This allowed the inner demon to confirm what he wanted to see, and thus, it set its sights on Hell. Finally, it decided to make its move during the trial of inner demons, directly placing it in opposition to the Cathayan Underworld.
The Harken was slowly making its way forward. Its body was formed by Yin energy, so it had no substance in the mortal realm. Its mountainous body was walking beside the inner demon in an extremely authoritative manner, and its long, white whiskers were dancing like white dragons in the night, while its golden scales were like bright, golden stars.
With each step that it took, the Yin energy on the ground became denser and denser. Several seconds later, the entire area has already been transformed into a Yin energy vortex that was thousands of meters in size. Amid the inky darkness, the atmosphere was becoming tenser and tenser, and one could almost hear the sound of clashing blades in the air.
However, the Harken continued to refrain from striking, and several seconds later, it heaved a faint sigh as it swiped its claw through the air in a dejected manner, upon which Chang Shun’s body toppled over like a rotten log.
“That’s not his true body,” it declared, and in the next instant, the Yin clouds overhead slowly parted, following which Zhao Yun descended from the heavens, wielding his Courage of Dragons Silver Spear, resembling a deity descending into the mortal realm.
“As we expected,” Zhao Yun said as he shook his head with a slightly disappointed expression.
Seeing as the inner demon had already realized that Hell had to have endured a catastrophe based on the Harken’s injuries, it would definitely have kept an eye on this place for a long period of time.
Thus, it had to have noticed that the Harken had disappeared.
Where had it gone?
The mortal realm wasn’t a very large place, not for a being above the Yama-King level, at the very least. Seeing as the Harken couldn’t be found in the mortal realm, then it could’ve only gone to Hell.
In fact, it could even determine the year that the new Hell was founded based on the time of the Harken’s disappearance.
It was also because of this that on this occasion, it was definitely going to defend against the possibility of a visit from the God of Nine Energies, which was the being that posed the greatest threat to it.
“According to Yanluo Qin, the information left behind by the inner demon points to the Lin Family Mansion, but its true body isn’t here. It most likely just wanted to see to what extent you’ve recovered,” Zhao Yun analyzed as he lowered his spear. “Yanluo Qin wanted to come here to negotiate with the inner demon.”
However, a negotiation didn’t mean that things couldn’t take a violent turn, and Qin Ye certainly wouldn’t be opposed to attacking the inner demon if the right opportunity were to arise.
However, prior to the emergence of such an opportunity, Hell wasn’t going to take the initiative to flip the tables. After all, Hell was still at a disadvantageous position at the moment. Thus, the inner demon would be unable to determine to what extent the Harken had recovered.
“That’s why it left behind a puppet in the Lin Family Mansion and a decoy at the Oriental Pearl Television Tower. It used the decoy to welcome Yanluo Qin, thereby creating an opportunity for itself, and we had no choice but to take the bait. Even though he knew that the chances are very slim, he had to send someone here to take a look, and you’re undoubtedly the perfect candidate for this task. However, the inner demon has missed something.”
An inquisitive look appeared in the Harken’s eyes upon hearing this.
Zhao Yun continued, “I’m guessing that it may still be unaware that I’ve transcended beyond the Yama-King level. Up to this point, the inner demon has entered the underworld five times, causing a riot on each occasion, and all of the origin sites of those riots were rural areas. However, it hasn’t once set foot in the major cities, including the capital cities of the provinces, nor the likes of Everburn and Ashmound.”
The Harken’s eyes instantly lit up upon hearing this.
“In those rural areas, information is very slow to circulate, so it’s most likely the case that only the citizens of Everburn are aware that you’ve transcended beyond the Yama-King level! You’ve always been referred to as Ghost King Zhao, so it’s never been revealed that you’re above the Yama-King level!”
The inner demon had only struck at rural areas of the Cathayan Underworld, and it had always left in a hurry, so there really was a very good chance that it didn’t know that a being above the Yama-King level had already emerged in Hell!
In fact, that was perhaps what had given him the confidence to provoke Hell!
“But you were so close to the inner demon just now, surely…” The Harken’s voice trailed off before it finished that thought.
Indeed, if the inner demon’s true body were here, then it would definitely be able to identify Zhao Yun’s cultivation rank. However, as a precautionary measure against the Harken, it had chosen to send its minions and a puppet here instead.
There was no way that the 73 immortals would’ve been able to sense Zhao Yun’s Yin energy at all!
Zhao Yun’s scarlet cape was flapping behind him, and a burst of cold killing intent was slowly permeating from his entire body.
His gaze was as sharp as daggers, and even the Harken couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated. It knew that Zhao Yun really was preparing to carry out a hit job.
Killing intent was radiating from his entire body, but his expression was as calm as ever as he continued, “According to Yanluo Qin’s analysis, the inner demon also wants to negotiate with Hell. In a negotiation like that, the 73 immortals wouldn’t be able to play any role at all. In the face of King Yanluo, they don’t have the right to speak. As for using a puppet, that wouldn’t be able to completely convey the inner demon’s wishes or demands. In that case, what do you think the inner demon will do?”
The Harken’s eyes instantly lit up as it replied, “It would split its own soul!”
“That’s right.” Zhao Yun sat down with his legs crossed, then closed his eyes. “Killing a fragment of one’s soul would be a blow to anyone. It’s not a major blow, but I’m guessing that the inner demon wouldn’t be willing to suffer a blow like that. On top of that, the soul fragment will automatically travel toward where the main soul is!”
This was an understandable thought process.
In the face of a group of Yama-Kings, why would the inner demon be willing to sacrifice a fragment of its soul? In its mind, no one from Hell would be able to trap it anyway.
However, if it were unaware that Zhao Yun had already transcended beyond the Yama-King level, then there really would be a chance to trap it!
In terms of playing with souls, Hell was the undisputed world leader. With this soul fragment, Hell would be able to instantly find the location of the inner demon’s true body!
Spiritual tracking was a technique that had been around since the first era of Hell, and no matter where a Yin spirit fled to, they would inevitably be hunted down. This was one of Hell’s signature abilities.
Thus, both the Harken and Zhao Yun fell silent.
The Harken stood beside Zhao Yun, using its Yin energy to completely encompass his body.
All they could do now was wait, waiting for the mistake that the inner demon could potentially make.
……………………………………
The door of the elevator slowly opened, and Qin Ye stepped into the revolving diner at the top of the Oriental Pearl Television Tower. The lighting in the diner was very gentle, and the night scenery was gorgeous. Standing in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window was a man wearing a Mao suit with his back facing Qin Ye.
On the table beside the man, a bottle of red wine had already been opened, and two glasses of wine had been poured. They were like perfectly cut rubies, reflecting the radiance of the night.
“Ye Xianguo? Or should I call you Ye Xianzu?” Qin Ye made his way directly over to the table before taking a seat.
The man turned around, and he was wearing a detestable smile. His appearance remained completely unchanged compared to a century ago.
“Long time no see,” Qin Ye said as he took a sip of wine. “You were the one who invited me here, yet you’re greeting me with a puppet controlled by a fragment of your soul. Isn’t that a little too disrespectful to myself and Hell?”
Ye Xianguo raised his wineglass and swirled its contents around, peering into the rich, red liquid as he did so. “I didn’t invite you here. In fact, even now, I’m still wondering whether this meeting is a good idea.”
A smile appeared on Qin Ye’s face.
Indeed, no direct invitation had been extended, it was clear that the inner demon had intentionally planted a lead in the form of Liu Qing. Was it really necessary to deny such a blatant, unspoken invitation?
“As for disrespect toward Hell, it was certainly not my intention to display any,” Ye Xianguo continued. “During the past several thousand years, I haven’t dared to set foot even once in Hell. If that’s not a gesture of respect, then I don’t know what is. I haven’t come here in person because I’m not foolish enough to face the God of Nine Energies.”
He leaned back in his chair, then continued, “In all things, there must be both give and take in order to ensure balance. My abilities make me virtually invincible, but there are still some things that can pose a threat to me.”
“I’m not here to chat with you.” Qin Ye set down his wineglass as he cast a cold gaze toward Ye Xianguo. “I’m here for an answer. Do you want war, or do you want peace?”