Chapter 517: Three Lifetimes United, Equal to Heavenly Dao
The Ten Yama Kings were all renowned giants of the immortal path during their lifetimes, with cultivation at the mid to late Golden Immortal stage, objects of worship for countless immortals. Sometimes they even dared to defy the Immortal Emperor’s commands, let alone after they died and mastered the Dao of life and death reincarnation, their combat power surpassing their living days.
If the Underworld could interfere with the mortal realm, and the Ten Yama Kings could battle the Immortal Realm, their combined power would rival a Primordial Chaos and Limitless Immortal!
Yet facing Jiang Li, they were like helpless children confronting a primordial vicious beast—what occurred between them couldn’t even be called a fight.
King Zhuanlun no longer dared to fight Jiang Li, keeping his distance as he dug King Chujiang out from the ground, while King Chujiang extinguished the Netherworld Ghost Fire burning on King Song Diwang.
The remaining seven Yama Kings didn’t fare any better.
King of the Five Offices attacked, stripping Jiang Li of his five senses—making him unable to see, hear, smell, taste, or feel.
King of the Five Offices governed the Solitary Hell, and stripping away the five senses could plunge people into the most despairing isolation.
Just as King of the Five Offices was feeling smug, Jiang Li threw a punch that rearranged the king’s facial features beyond recognition.
King Yama, King Pingdeng, King Biancheng… six Yama Kings fell in succession, so quickly it seemed they’d failed simultaneously.
Their flashy techniques couldn’t withstand a single punch from Jiang Li.
The Ten Yama Kings refused to admit defeat, wanting to continue challenging Jiang Li.
“Still not conceding?” Jiang Li thought these ten were truly determined.
King Chujiang revealed his less-than-half remaining teeth: “We don’t know if you’re stronger than the Dao Ancestor, but you hit much lighter than him. The Dao Ancestor knocked out half my teeth—you only took two.”
With King Chujiang’s cultivation level, regrowing teeth was simplicity itself. He’d never restored them because he wanted proof that he’d once battled the Dao Ancestor.
Fighting the Dao Ancestor was an honor even in defeat.
Jiang Li silently raised his fist, preparing to deliver a charged strike.
The Ten Yama Kings shuddered in terror, quickly scrambling behind the Female Ghost Official for protection.
Jiang Li smiled: “Houtu Huangqi, or should I call you Lady Houtu?”
Hearing this, the Female Ghost Official dropped her act, revealing her true form—Houtu Huangqi wearing dark immortal robes, perpetually maintaining her gentle smile.
“Lady Houtu will do. Did Human Sovereign Jiang recognize me?”
“Your Ladyship wasn’t really trying to disguise yourself, were you?”
“I hope the Human Sovereign will forgive me. The Ten Yama Kings’ attack wasn’t their own idea—I instructed them from behind the scenes.” Houtu Huangqi apologized, leading Jiang Li to the Nether Capital while the Ten Yama Kings followed limping behind.
Houtu Huangqi glared: “Why are you all following? Shouldn’t you be working?”
“Considering how badly injured we are, give us a few days off.”
King Chujiang pitifully displayed his wounds, King Song Diwang covered in burns looked even worse, King of the Five Offices with his randomly arranged features wasn’t any better off…
Houtu Huangqi sighed: “Fine then, rest for three days. Find some reliable subordinates to temporarily cover your positions.”
The Ten Yama Kings cheered, their injuries instantly healed as they clocked out and went home.
Jiang Li had held back significantly.
Houtu Huangqi facepalmed, naturally able to tell these guys were faking. She was just finding an excuse to let them rest.
After all, they hadn’t taken a break in several centuries.
“The Dao Ancestor once said that after he died, he met someone who came from the future, unfathomably powerful, far surpassing the Heavenly Dao, arguably the greatest throughout history.”
“I thought you might be the person the Dao Ancestor mentioned, so I had the Ten Yama Kings test your depths.”
“Did Your Ladyship discover anything?”
Houtu Huangqi shook her head, pursing her lips in a helpless smile: “No, you’re too powerful. You weren’t using your full strength in that fight just now, were you? I watched the entire battle but never saw your limits.”
“Would Your Ladyship like to try?”
“How much strength did you use just now?”
“I haven’t even warmed up properly yet.”
That level of fighting and he still wasn’t trying?
Houtu Huangqi shook her head: “Then I won’t test you. No wonder the Dao Ancestor said you could surpass the Heavenly Dao. You’re too powerful—I know I can’t beat you, no need to embarrass myself.”
“Probably only the Heavenly Dao could give you a proper warm-up.”
“Not necessarily the Heavenly Dao. I previously encountered two versions of myself from parallel worlds. I fought them—they were decent warm-up partners.”
“Parallel worlds truly exist?” Houtu Huangqi knew the theory of parallel worlds but had never met anyone who’d actually visited one.
Jiang Li recounted his experiences meeting the First Emperor and the Idle One in dreams.
“In that case, it must indeed be parallel worlds. The Buddha once said some things possess uncertainty—for example, he might have attained enlightenment under a Bodhi Tree, or he might have attained enlightenment under a banana tree. Attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree produced the current him, while attaining enlightenment under a banana tree would create a parallel world version of him.”
“The Buddha said this was a hypothesis when he comprehended the spatial Dao, not necessarily true. But hearing your account now, it seems parallel worlds do exist.”
“What did King Zhuanlun mean about me having no past or future lives?”
Houtu Huangqi thought for a moment, then said: “I heard from the Dao Ancestor that he had been pursuing a state—cultivating only the present life, unifying the three lifetimes, existing independently beyond the myriad heavens and worlds, eliminating karma, becoming an immortal who equals the Heavenly Dao.”
“Three lifetimes unified doesn’t mean you lack past lives—it means only you yourself know your past lives, while outsiders cannot investigate them.”
“And there won’t be future lives either, because this realm already represents the peak—indestructible through myriad calamities, deathless and undying, unable to commit suicide even if desired.”
“He tried many methods, even mastering the most difficult three corpses cultivation technique, yet only reached three corpses unification, not three lifetimes unification.”
Houtu Huangqi looked at Jiang Li with complex emotions: “You should have reached this stage. No, you’ve certainly gone further. If you’d only achieved three lifetimes unification, the Dao Ancestor would have been able to discern it.”
“The Dao Ancestor couldn’t see through you, which means you’ve traveled to distances beyond his reach.”
Houtu Huangqi recalled once asking the Dao Ancestor how powerful the person from the future truly was.
The Dao Ancestor’s response was: Time to test your imagination.
Jiang Li understood, realizing why the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal couldn’t see his karma—he had already reached the three lifetimes unification realm, eliminating his own karma.
“Does Your Ladyship know of a place called Blue Star?”
Houtu Huangqi countered: “Do you know what world that planet belongs to?”
Jiang Li shook his head.
Houtu Huangqi said regretfully: “Then I can’t help. We reincarnate by world units, not considering whether it’s Blue Star or Red Star, nor do we have the habit of observing individual planets.”
“If the Human Sovereign wants coordinates for the myriad heavens and worlds, I can provide them.”
“That generous?”
Houtu Huangqi smiled: “The Human Sovereign saving worlds benefits us greatly—it’s mutually advantageous. The more worlds you save, the more prosperous they become, the more new life emerges, and the less pressure on our Underworld. This is win-win.”
Jiang Li accepted the soul jade pendant Houtu Huangqi offered—it contained all coordinates for the myriad heavens and worlds.
Houtu Huangqi had prepared the jade pendant long ago, waiting for Jiang Li to agree.