Chapter 1030: Chapter 69: Reunion with Old Friends
This time, Qin Chuan finally did not refuse and agreed very straightforwardly.
“No problem at all! Immortal, please wait a moment, I will arrange for someone to handle this matter right away, surely allowing the Immortal to reunite with old friends as soon as possible!” King Yan appeared very brisk, immediately issuing a series of commands.
The efficiency of this Yama Hall, when it’s needed to be high, is indeed astonishingly high. In less than an hour, there was a ghost official coming to report back, bringing good news.
“To report to Your Majesty, Immortal Suifeng, most of your friends have been brought, and they are waiting in the side hall. Please, Immortal, proceed to the ‘Soul Welcoming Hall,’ and I will guide you.”
Xiao Jie’s heart filled with excitement and joy; it finally succeeded! He suppressed his excitement, clasped his hands toward King Yan, and said, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great assistance!”
“No need for such courtesy, Immortal. Hurry and meet your old friends.” King Yan smiled warmly.
Xiao Jie said nothing more, following the ghost official out of the noisy main hall quickly.
When Xiao Jie’s figure completely disappeared beyond the hall doors, King Yan Qin Chuan’s smile slowly faded, raising his hand with a gentle wave.
Instantly, the celestial music and dances in the hall came to an abrupt halt. Those ghost generals, judges, and civil servants, who were drinking and laughing, also stopped their actions, put down their cups, and all eyes looked towards the throne above, toward the master of the Netherworld, with no laughter on their faces, only solemnity and gravity.
“My beloved officials,” King Yan’s voice regained the authority and calmness of an emperor, “What do you all think of the three strategic proposals offered by Immortal Suifeng just now?”
A ghost general, clad in black armor with a ferocious appearance, spoke first in a muffled tone: “Your Majesty, I believe the strategy of ‘driving the tiger to swallow the wolf’ might be worth a try! Anyway, we have long been fishing out relatively strong wandering souls from the Nether River to replenish the army; now we just expand the range to include the entire Sea of Reincarnation!”
“Those wandering souls and wild ghosts, though their combat strength is average and spiritual wisdom low, can at least serve as decent cannon fodder to consume the rebel forces’ arrows and mana. If they get killed in battle on the frontlines, their souls shatter and dissipate, reducing some of the pressure on reincarnation. If by sheer luck, they manage to take down a few elite rebels, that’s an unexpected delight!”
“Exactly!” Another ghost judge, who looked like a civil officer, chimed in, “The brilliance of this strategy lies in almost no actual cost, yet we can miraculously gain a large army!”
Another ghost minister, holding a Judge’s Pen, cautiously asked: “Your Majesty, should the ‘quench thirst by looking at plums’ lottery strategy also be implemented? It might better appease the Sea of Reincarnation…”
King Yan Qin Chuan shook his head without hesitation, a hint of a cruel smile at the corner of his mouth: “No need. Since there is the ‘drive the tiger to swallow the wolf’ tactic available, why waste precious reincarnation slots on ‘quenching thirst by looking at plums’? If those wandering souls and wild ghosts truly have the heart for reincarnation, they are welcome to fight bravely and earn it with military merit! If they lack even the courage to fight desperately and achieve something significant, they naturally lack the guts and worth to escape the Sea of Reincarnation and join the pseudo emperor in rebellion! Waste should stay where waste belongs!”
“Your Majesty is wise!” The ministers voiced in unison.
At this moment, an old and cunning-looking ghost minister spoke slowly, with a trace of hesitation in his tone: “Your Majesty, this Immortal said he would go to Gu Yun State to seek reinforcements… isn’t this too unlikely? The immortals of Gu Yun State have been secluded for ages; why would they easily act for our Netherworld affairs? Can this really be trusted?”
Upon hearing this, King Yan Qin Chuan chuckled, his laughter carrying a hint of confidence that everything was under control: “Hehe, beloved officials worry too much. Immortals do not confine themselves to the three realms nor the Five Elements; they fear nothing but being entangled in ’cause and effect,’ leading to a backlash from the Heavenly Dao. Since he made a promise to this king and took on the task in person, he has already formed a cause and effect bond with our Netherworld. To avoid suffering from the aftermath of failing this mission, he will certainly do his best! As for how many helpers he can find… that depends on his ability and fortune.”
He stood up, his gaze sweeping over the ministers in the hall, his voice suddenly becoming impassioned: “My beloved officials, let’s move immediately! According to the Immortal’s strategy, proceed to the Sea of Reincarnation to recruit the ‘Merit Army’! Tell them, if they desire the next life, they must exchange it with the heads of the rebels! Prepare the army, accumulate grain and military supplies! The decisive battle is approaching!”
“That pseudo emperor believes himself mighty, rampant and arrogant. I have previously deliberately shown weakness to the enemy, continuously abandoning thirteen ghost cities to indulge his ambition and weaken his defenses. Now, it is time for us to mobilize our elite forces and launch a thunderous counterattack! By the time reinforcements from Gu Yun State arrive and the Merit Army gathers, we will surely sweep away the vile, restoring the Netherland to its former glory!”
Instantly, the ghost ministers in the hall became excited, all rising and bowing in respect, exclaiming in unison:
“Your Majesty is wise, strategizing from a distance and commanding a thousand miles!”
“We shall obey Your Majesty’s decree wholeheartedly, to crush and wipe out the rebellion!”
“The legitimacy of the Netherworld, shall prosper for thousands of generations! Your Majesty’s divine power is vast, sure to cleanse the demon miasma, and redefine the universe of reincarnation!”
At this moment, Xiao Jie, guided by the Ghost Official, arrived at the side hall—”Soul Welcoming Hall.”
The hall was arranged relatively simple and quiet, contrasting with the opulence and bustle of the main hall. Xiao Jie was quite anxious, pacing back and forth. Was he finally about to succeed? He couldn’t help but recall the tragic scenes of his companions’ deaths. Time had passed, those memories were like yellowed, old pages, but the impending reunion rendered them vividly clear, as if they had occurred just yesterday.
At this moment, a Ghost Judge dressed as a scholar holding a dossier walked in, respectfully saluting Xiao Jie.
“Immortal, most of your friends on the list have had their soul locations verified, and they are being brought here. However, their circumstances vary, and under orders, I’m here to explain them to you in advance to avoid any confusion when you meet them.”
Xiao Jie calmed his excitement, took a deep breath, and asked, “Oh? What are the differences? Please share.”
“Among the names provided by you, most are people recently deceased within half a month. Their time in the Nether River is short, so their spiritual wisdom and memory preservation are relatively intact. We have smoothly located them, and they are being guided here for a soon meeting with you.”
“Among them, there are two particularly notable cases. One is named ‘Ye Luo.’ Before death, this woman seemed to have ties with the Netherworld, bearing special duties or a destiny. After her demise, her soul was directly received by the Yellow Springs Law instead of falling into the Nether River, employed by the Yellow Springs Guardian Department. She is now a Huangquan Envoy.”
“Another person, named ‘I Want to Be Immortal,’ had remarkable cultivation during life, having condensed the Yang God. After death, he had pure Incense Fire Wish Power continuing to protect his body, and thus was favored by Lord Yama, specially appointed to the position of Divine General, currently serving in the army. These two individuals have been urgently recalled and are now waiting outside the hall.”
The Ghost Judge flipped through the dossier and continued, “Moreover, there is a soul named ‘Dida La,’ whose soul body was severely damaged by a powerful ‘Separation Fire,’ and is quite confused in wisdom. However, since he is a friend of the Immortal, Lord Yama granted special approval for us to use precious ‘Soul-soothing Saliva’ to nourish his soul body. Presumably, given time, he should recover his intellect without major issues.”
The Ghost Judge’s tone paused slightly, lowering his voice, “Additionally, some friends of the Immortal have been deceased for a long time, immersed and washed repeatedly in the Nether River, causing their soul memories to become somewhat fragmented. Especially for ‘Feng Tian,’ ‘Ting Yu,’ and ‘Han Luo,’ the situation is the most serious, with significant memory loss, nearly reduced to only instincts and fragmented impressions… When you see them, Immortal, please… be discerning and prepared mentally.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jie felt a surge of mixed emotions, with strong feelings of sorrow and relief interweaving within his heart. Relief because, after enduring hardships, he was finally about to reunite with old friends, fulfilling the original promise; sorrow because he learned of memory impairments, even if they are resurrected, it may be difficult to restore the complete kinship and shared memories of the past. It seems that even after becoming an Immortal, possessing the power to move mountains and overturn seas, it is still challenging to make everything perfect, and there will always be irreparable regrets.
Fortunately, after becoming an Immortal, his mind has become more resilient and open-minded. He soon adjusted his attitude, hiding that trace of melancholy deep within, nodding lightly.
“Thank you, Lord Judge, for the arrangements. As such, please first bring Ye Luo and I Want to Be Immortal inside. I would like to meet them first.”
“Immortal, please wait a moment, I will immediately invite the two in!”
The Ghost Judge turned and walked towards the door of the hall. Soon the door opened again, and two figures entered one after the other.
The one walking in front was dressed in an ancient-style black Netherworld Official Robe embroidered with gold, with a long sword hanging at the waist.
Her face was cold as the moon, her complexion fair to near transparency, with deep eyes like a cold pool, exuding a hint of aloofness and an unapproachable air.
Though she was a Ghost Official, she retained the unparalleled beauty of her living self, with an added touch of the Netherworld’s majesty and mystery between her brows.
The one following closely behind presented a completely different image. He was clad in a Nether Iron Soul Armor, immensely heavy with plates thick and casting a cold gleam, with joints adorned with terrifying ghost heads.
He wore a comprehensive Soul Suppressing Helmet, hiding his face entirely, revealing only two slit-like openings at the eyes, where cold Nether Flames danced. His massive physique nearly reached the door frame, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly, emanating a pressure as heavy as a mountain.
Upon seeing these familiar yet altered figures, Xiao Je felt a wave of complex emotions, indeed, it was Ye Luo and I Want to Be Immortal.
Reuniting with old friends, although separated by life and death, and transformation in identity and appearance, Xiao Jie instantly confirmed their identities.
Countless words in his heart finally condensed into a single, complex, and poignant greeting:
“Ye Luo… Immortal… it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”