Chapter 514: We May Be Incompetent, But We Wish to Challenge the Human Emperor Jiang
“Then what connection does the newly born soul of Mortal World Celestial have with the Heavenly Dao?”
“I don’t know much about the affairs of the mortal realm. Tell me about Mortal World Celestial’s current condition.” The Underworld never concerned itself with mortal world matters, and most information came from the mouths of the deceased.
Only one person knew about Mortal World Celestial’s resurrection and subsequent arrival in the Underworld—the traitor of Red Dust Pure Land, Daoist Nun Xuan’ai.
Daoist Nun Xuan’ai hadn’t revealed anything about Mortal World Celestial’s situation.
Jiang Li provided a detailed description of Mortal World Celestial’s circumstances.
King Qinguang, who had just stored away a banner, remarked, “Fortunately you didn’t spread news of Mortal World Celestial’s resurrection, otherwise the Nine Provinces would certainly descend into chaos.”
“You wouldn’t believe it—when Mortal World Celestial died tens of thousands of years ago, numerous people arrived in the Underworld after death asking where she was, wanting to see her one last time to resolve their regrets. I heard this question five thousand times a day!”
“The true Mortal World Celestial returned to the Heavenly Dao after death and never came to the Underworld at all.”
At this point, the Female Ghost Official said, “According to the Human Sovereign’s account, the newly born Mortal World Celestial has no connection to the Heavenly Dao whatsoever. She should have developed sentience because her physical body was nourished by spiritual energy over a long period.”
“No connection is good.” Jiang Li breathed a slight sigh of relief. The Female Ghost Official’s explanation matched Immortal Elder Changcun’s assessment, so there shouldn’t be any issues.
Jiang Li conversed with the various Human Sovereigns for quite some time before bidding them farewell.
On the road, the Female Ghost Official looked at Jiang Li with keen interest: “I thought you would make requests like asking them to resurrect people.”
“Would the Underworld agree? Would Houtu Huangqi agree?”
The Female Ghost Official shook her head: “This isn’t a question of whether Houtu Huangqi would agree. Even if she consented, the rules of life, death, and reincarnation wouldn’t permit it.”
“Nothing in existence surpasses the importance of rules. The cycle of life and death represents an unalterable law. If the Human Sovereign forcibly resurrected someone, it would only disrupt the balance between life and death and cause the reincarnation rules to collapse.”
“The reincarnation rules collapse that easily?”
“…I suspect this isn’t about the rules being fragile.”
Jiang Li didn’t proceed to the Beast Reincarnation Path, going directly to hell instead.
“Hell divides into Eight Cold Hells, Eight Hot Hells, Avici Hell, and Solitary Hell. Each of these four major hells has a Yama King overseeing it.”
Jiang Li stood in a corner of the Eight Cold Hells, silently observing Venerable Sumeru Buddha undergoing punishment.
Venerable Sumeru Buddha, now an immortal soul, struggled desperately there. Ice spikes stood inverted across the frozen plain, and the barefooted venerable took step after step across the icy expanse, allowing the spikes to pierce through the soles of his feet.
The bitter wind howled fiercely, and without any clothing, the venerable could only endure the screaming gales. Here, the old Buddha differed not from any mortal.
The freezing winds covered the venerable’s body with blisters upon blisters until no part remained intact.
The old Buddha wept mournfully—not for himself, but for having implicated his master in the Beast Reincarnation Path cycle.
Perhaps at this very moment, his master was being slaughtered to satisfy some creature’s appetite.
Tears transformed into ice crystals that returned to pierce the venerable’s eyes, blinding him.
The venerable’s eyes healed, and he wept once more.
As the venerable journeyed farther, his immortal soul grew stiff until finally he froze into an ice block. The frozen plain suddenly cracked, and the venerable plummeted down a cliff, shattering into fragments.
Though frozen solid, the venerable still retained sensation—equivalent to being dashed to death directly.
The immortal soul automatically reassembled itself and returned to the frozen plain, where the venerable continued his trek.
Jiang Li sighed deeply but showed no intention of speaking with Venerable Sumeru Buddha.
As Jiang Li traversed hell, witnessing all beings suffering there, he experienced mixed emotions. The Female Ghost Official followed silently behind without uttering a word.
Jiang Li also saw how some lost souls had grown numb from prolonged stays in hell, their movements stiff and senses dulled. Ghost Officials would approach these souls and administer specially prepared Granny Meng’s Soup, making them forget their endured sufferings so they could experience the pain anew.
“If they knew then what they know now, why would they have done it?” The Female Ghost Official sighed with heartfelt emotion.
If these lost souls had known about the punishments awaiting after death, they wouldn’t have committed those deeds initially.
Jiang Li asked curiously: “Why not make the Underworld’s affairs public throughout all realms? Then people would fear hell and refrain from evil deeds.”
“Human Sovereign, if we informed the world about the Underworld’s workings, how would that differ from the Underworld ruling the mortal realm?”
Jiang Li nodded, understanding the Female Ghost Official’s meaning, and spoke no more.
In the Eight Hot Hells, Jiang Li encountered the only Tribulation Transcendence Stage cultivator from Tongu World who had attempted to establish an immortal dynasty—the Heavenly Sovereign.
His crimes exceeded even Venerable Sumeru Buddha’s, and he endured various torments.
The Heavenly Sovereign raged, roared, kowtowed, begged for mercy… all to no avail. He still had to cleanse his karmic debts in hell.
Not just the Heavenly Sovereign—most cultivators from Tongu World were here as well.
After walking some distance, Jiang Li suddenly asked: “I notice most lost souls in hell are cultivators. Why is that?”
The Female Ghost Official pointed at the cultivators below being scorched by fierce flames, nearing collapse: “Because cultivators possess far greater capacity for evil than ordinary people.”
“The wickedness of mortals typically affects only a few individuals, rarely reaching levels requiring Underworld punishment—mere reincarnation through the Beast Path suffices as penalty.”
“But cultivators differ. They wield the great power of heaven and earth, holding power over life and death, able to casually take others’ lives. Often, a single cultivator’s rise accompanies countless deaths.”
“Every cultivation world follows this pattern—the Immortal Realm, the former Nine Provinces, all alike. Human Sovereign, do you realize how extraordinary the current Nine Provinces truly are?”
Jiang Li arrived at Solitary Hell.
Solitary Hell lived up to its name—containing nothing here. No sounds, no objects, only endless whiteness stretching as far as the eye could see.
Many lost souls couldn’t endure this isolation and began tearing at their own souls. Unfortunately, this method proved useless. In Solitary Hell, lost souls experienced no sensations—they lacked even the qualification to feel pain.
In Solitary Hell, Jiang Li encountered Jiang Yixing tearing at his own soul.
Jiang Yixing also spotted Jiang Li. Overjoyed, he wanted Jiang Li to rescue him. He ran desperately but found the distance between them growing until Jiang Li finally disappeared from his sight.
Jiang Li shook his head: “Let’s go. Time to visit the reincarnation sector.”
Just as the Female Ghost Official prepared to escort Jiang Li away, four Yama Kings blocked their path, their faces fierce, cracking their knuckles, and releasing Golden Immortal auras.
“We’ve heard Human Sovereign Jiang possesses strength surpassing the heavens. King Chujiang couldn’t withstand a single move against you. Though lacking in talent, we wish to test ourselves against you.”
The Female Ghost Official dutifully introduced them to Jiang Li: “These four are the Yama Kings governing the four hells: King of the Five Offices, King Biancheng, King Taishan, and King of the Capital City…”
For each introduction the Female Ghost Official made, Jiang Li defeated one Yama King. By the time she finished introducing them, all four Yama Kings lay on the ground, unable to rise.
What perfect timing.
“Fighting four indeed proves more challenging than fighting one—required four punches from me.”
Jiang Li shook his hand, feeling he hadn’t even properly warmed up: “Now we can proceed to the reincarnation sector.”