Undying Life

Chapter 841: Frustrated Afu

In the Netherworld, Changjing!

Just like in the Yang Realm, the arrival of a Lesser Thousand World brings sudden changes to the heavens and earth.

Zhong Shan stood atop Changjing, gazing at the vast landscapes of this Greater Thousand World.

"Holy King, six major celestial dynasties have raised armies to invade!" Yi Yan reported.

"Six celestial dynasties' armies? Since they have come, none shall leave," Zhong Shan said coldly.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Holy King, the Netherworld is different from the Yang Realm. In the Yang Realm, there was a 'Heavenly Phenomenon' before the world opened, but the Netherworld had none. Therefore, there are no major powers here. According to information from an enemy general we captured, this invasion by the six celestial dynasties is likely orchestrated by the secondary branch of the Heavenly Family, the 'Heavenly Court,'" Yi Yan continued.

"Oh?"

"It's said that the Heavenly Court has two great immortals from the secondary branch of the Heavenly Family under its command!" Yi Yan added.

"Two great immortals?" A trace of disdain flashed in Zhong Shan's eyes.

In the Yang Realm, he had dealt with 231 great immortals. Why would he care about just two?

"Who among my ministers will deal with these two great immortals?" Zhong Shan asked his court.

"Holy King!" Suddenly, a figure stepped forward.

"Hmm?"

"This region is called the 'Wheel Domain,' and our dynasty is situated near the abandoned Wheel Hall. To the east of Wheel Hall lies the Five Defilements Land. I can use a feng shui array to draw the 'Foulness of Life' from the Five Defilements. Even great immortals cannot withstand it!" the Mud Buddha confidently declared.

The Mud Buddha was a Heavenly Immortal, but his confidence in dealing with great immortals showcased the unpredictable power of his feng shui techniques.

"Very well. Mud Buddha and Wang Ku will face the forces of the Heavenly Family. Capture them alive if possible," Zhong Shan ordered coldly.

"Yes!" Mud Buddha and Wang Ku immediately accepted the mission.

"Yi Yan, Xiao Wang, Zhao Suo Xiang, Yan Chong Zhi, you four will face the armies of the six celestial dynasties. Try to capture their generals if possible!" Zhong Shan commanded.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Go forth!" Zhong Shan then sat in the Immortal Hall, awaiting news from his ministers.

Before long, the boundless fortune atop Xuanjing began to tremble but did not diminish. This wave of tumultuous fortune originated from the Yang Realm's main body, announcing allegiance to the Taichu Holy Court.

The shadow body glanced at the sky. Without saying much, a flicker of malevolence flashed in its eyes.

Five days later, on the front lines, a battlefield suddenly filled with bizarre black qi. The black qi seemed to possess a mysterious power; anyone who touched it would immediately age and die. Mud Buddha and Wang Ku had drawn the 'Foulness of Life' to combat the forces of the Heavenly Family.

Ten days later, in front of the Immortal Hall.

A row of ten prisoners was lined up, including a great immortal from the Heavenly Court and eight generals.

"Holy King, one of the great immortals has died. These are the remaining captives," Mud Buddha reported solemnly.

Nodding, Zhong Shan looked at the group.

"Zhong Shan? Hmph, you had better release me, or when the forces of the Heavenly Family descend, I will ensure that your Great Zheng is reduced to ashes, never to rise again!" Heaven Court threatened hatefully.

Heaven Court couldn't fathom how his powerful group, including two great immortals, could suffer such a defeat. How could the people of Great Zheng manipulate the 'Foulness of Life'?

Ignoring Heaven Court, Zhong Shan said calmly, "Liu Wushuang!"

"I am here!" Liu Wushuang promptly stepped forward.

"You are the Chief Commander of the Great Zheng's Jinyiwei, and you are familiar with all the tortures under heaven. I am entrusting these ten prisoners to you. Extract all the techniques they know to enrich our treasury!" Zhong Shan commanded coldly.

"Extract techniques? Dream on! You think I'll talk? Never! I won't say a word," Heaven Court roared angrily.

"You are in the Great Zheng now, and nothing will be up to you anymore!" Zhong Shan said, flicking his sleeve dismissively.

Liu Wushuang immediately ordered the ten strong prisoners to be taken to the sky prison. As Zhong Shan had said, once imprisoned in the Great Zheng, it was no longer up to them. Extracting techniques to enrich the treasury? The Jinyiwei were experts in this regard, and Liu Wushuang, in particular, had a perverse love for torture, stemming from three years of torment by a pack of wolves in his youth.

"Rest assured, Holy King, I will not disappoint your expectations!" Liu Wushuang pledged.

In the Yang Realm, due to the pressing situation, the main body of Zhong Shan had no choice but to submit to the Taichu Holy Court. In the Netherworld, the Great Zheng carried an air of malevolence similar to Zhong Shan's own, conquering with ruthless abandon. Any invaders were met with slaughter.

For now, Zhong Shan had no intention of expanding further. Having just descended into the Greater Thousand World, dealing with the immediate threats was sufficient. Other powers were surely watching, and reckless expansion could bring about catastrophic disaster. The foundation of the Great Zheng was still too shallow, incomparable to the established Holy Courts of the Greater Thousand World. Currently, its strength was only on par with an ordinary celestial dynasty of the Greater Thousand World.

Everything had to start anew, but with the foundation of a Holy Court, things would progressively improve—

In the Yang Realm, the strong of the Taichu Holy Court flew toward the Qingqiu Holy Capital with Zhong Shan in tow.

"There's trouble in the court. Sima Zongheng, you are responsible for bringing Zhong Shan to Qingqiu Holy Capital. Everyone else, return to the court with me immediately!" the Taichu Holy King commanded suddenly.

"Yes!" the ministers responded promptly.

Trouble in the court? What kind of trouble?

No one asked how the Holy King knew; they just solemnly followed his instructions.

In an instant, the Taichu Holy King and fifteen of his subordinates vanished before Zhong Shan's eyes at the speed of a stream of light.

Zhong Shan remained expressionless. In such a vulnerable position, knowing too much was futile.

Sima Zongheng looked at Zhong Shan and asked, "What was that ferocious beast in your capital?"

"Which ferocious beast?" Zhong Shan asked, puzzled.

"Don't play dumb with me. I mean the eight-tailed beast. Where is it?" Sima Zongheng demanded.

"I don't know. That beast comes and goes mysteriously. No one knows where it will appear next!"

"Are you trying to play tricks on me? You killed my cousin, and even if you die a thousand times, it won't be enough. Don't try to fool me!" Sima Zongheng threatened.

"Are you talking about Sima Ce?"

"Did you really kill him?"

"I didn't kill him. The one who killed him just left; his name is Emperor Xuan Sha. If you have the guts, go stop the Supreme Sacred Realm people?" Zhong Shan sneered at Sima Zongheng.

Sima Zongheng's pupils contracted. Stop the Supreme Sacred Realm people? That would be suicide!

"He killed Sima Ce, but you're definitely involved. If you had agreed to Sima Ce's demands, he wouldn't have died. When we reach Qingqiu, the Sima family will deal with you slowly. Now, I'll ask you one more time, where is that ferocious beast?" Sima Zongheng's voice turned icy.

"Do you think a Heavenly Immortal like me could hide such a gigantic beast right under your 'Great Immortal' noses?" Zhong Shan retorted with a mocking smile.

This was undoubtedly sarcasm. Zhong Shan was only a Heavenly Immortal, and yet a Great Immortal couldn't find the beast and had to ask him? At this moment, Zhong Shan wasn't afraid of offending Sima Zongheng. After all, he was representing a Holy Court as a hostage, and Sima Zongheng wouldn't dare kill him.

"Hmph! Keeping your cultivation will only bring disaster as a hostage in Taichu!" Sima Zongheng said coldly.

As he spoke, he waved his right hand, and countless spider web-like patterns appeared in the void. These patterns suddenly wrapped around Zhong Shan, binding him tightly with laws of the universe.

"Seal!" Sima Zongheng commanded sharply.

Zhong Shan's expression changed as he looked at his own body in surprise.

"I have sealed all your cultivation. Now, you are no different from a mortal. This is how a hostage emperor should be! Hahaha!" Sima Zongheng laughed heartily.

In the Qingqiu Holy Court, there was a heavily guarded area with numerous palaces. One towering hall had a single character inscribed on it: "Prison." In front of this hall stood four or five guards, casually chatting.

"Have you heard? A Holy Court has become a vassal to our dynasty!"

"Is it the Great Zheng Holy Court? I heard they are coming in the next few days!"

"A Holy King choosing to become a vassal? We've only had celestial emperors submit before, but this is the first time for a Holy King!"

"Not just in our dynasty, but in the entire Fengzhong Domain! A Holy King vassalizing? How weak must this Holy King be?"

"I think his name is Zhong Shan."

"I really want to see what he looks like!"

As the guards talked, four people flew over from the distance.

Leading them was a slightly chubby man in an elegant yellow robe, with fair skin and a face full of distress. Three others followed him, all in armor. Two were clearly soldiers, while the other was dressed as a general.

"Young Master Afu, we've arrived," the general said.

"Brother Hongxiao, tell me, is there really such a heartless grandfather in the world? Just because I snored in my sleep, he sent me to the eighteenth level of hell?" the man in the yellow robe complained.

"You were not just sleeping anywhere; it was a military council meeting room, a very serious place!" Hongxiao replied, exasperated.

"But I am the only heir of the Su family. If something happens to me in the eighteenth level of hell, how will he answer to our ancestors?" Young Master Afu said with a face full of grievances.

Hongxiao's face twitched as he replied, "If I remember correctly, this is the sixteenth time you've been sent to the eighteenth level of hell, right?"

The implication was clear: if you've survived it sixteen times, what could possibly happen now?

"You don't understand. I can't go to the eighteenth level of hell now."

"Why not?"

"Don't you know? That unlucky vassal Holy King, Zhong Shan, is coming to Qingqiu soon. What a grand event! How could I miss such an interesting thing and lose my freedom now?"

Hongxiao: "...!"

"How about this: let me see that unlucky Zhong Shan first, then I'll go to the eighteenth level of hell," Afu said eagerly, his eyes shining with anticipation.

"No way. Marshal Su's orders are absolute. Young Master Afu, you should stop talking about it. We'll discuss it after you come out of the eighteenth level of hell in half a month," Hongxiao said sternly.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Afu could only droop his head and walk towards the grand hall.

In front of the hall, the guards were still talking about Zhong Shan. As soon as they saw someone approaching, they stopped their conversation. Recognizing Afu immediately, some quickly left, while two came forward to greet him.

"Liu Ding (Liu Jia), we greet Young Master Afu. Young Master Afu has been sent to the eighteenth level of hell again? We will immediately prepare a place for you, making sure you stay comfortably and safely," the two guards fawned over him non-stop.

Everyone knew that Young Master Afu would only stay in the harshest part of hell for a short time. He was a notorious playboy of Qingqiu.

Afu glanced at them disdainfully, his eyes flashing with displeasure. "Get lost and prepare quickly!"