Chapter 611: Reincarnation (4K)

Shi You stood to the side, his expression somewhat gloomy.

He was actually suppressed by this demon lord with just a glance.

Despite having previously followed the Empress Hou Tu, pounding his chest in assurance, promising that with his protection, Zhang Jian would certainly come to no harm.

Moreover, his arrival seemed a bit late as well.

It took a full three breaths for him to rush here from the secret realm deep within the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

He was still too overconfident.

"Emperor, this matter is due to my negligence; afterward, I will apologize to Empress Hou Tu and ask Her Majesty to replace my guard for you!"

Shi You thought for a moment, then stepped forward to apologize.

This scene drew sideways glances from many powerful beings of the Netherworld Underworld.

Many of them were aware of Shi You's identity.

He is the Guardian Deity before the Pingxin Hall, the Divine General before the Hall.

Listening to Shi You's words, it turns out he was assigned by Empress Hou Tu to serve as guard for this Nether Moon Emperor.

Even the esteemed Netherworld Daoist Monarch has become this emperor's guard.

Such favor caused other emperors and spirits to subtly change their expressions.

Zhang Jian gave a slight smile, stepped forward, supported Shi You, and said with a smile.

"Hall Marshal Shi You need not blame himself so severely; this matter is due to the demon lord's excessive cunning—who could have imagined that such a dignified demon lord would be so treacherous, disregarding status!"

Shi You shook his head and said.

"No matter what, a mistake is a mistake; I will proactively apologize to His Majesty!"

Seeing Shi You's solemn expression, Zhang Jian immediately ceased his persuasion.

Shi You indeed arrived too late.

A full three breaths.

Had it not been for his innate spiritual treasure protecting him, he would likely have died within a single breath at the hands of the Purple Still Demon Lord.

An old demon lord had been secretly plotting, lying in wait—truly perilous.

Recalling the recent sudden change, Zhang Jian also felt a chill in his heart.

At this moment, the figure of 'Qingxia Daoist Monarch' descended from the void; Shi You slightly bowed his hands, then instantly transformed into a dim light and fled.

'Qingxia Daoist Monarch' swept his gaze across Zhang Jian for a moment, a strange smile flickering in the depths of his eyes.

"To preserve your life under the premeditated assassination of an ancient demon lord—you also possess mighty fortune!"

Zhang Jian slightly bowed his hands and said.

"Had it not been for the Daoist Monarch's intervention, I fear I would hardly have escaped the demon lord's schemes!"

Zhang Jian spoke with double meaning.

'Qingxia Daoist Monarch' smiled without speaking, casually offered a few words of comfort to Zhang Jian, then immediately said.

"The Purple Still Demon Lord has already been suppressed by this seat; however, the Netherworld Underworld has always been a mix of dragons and snakes—you must still remain vigilant, lest other immortals and demons find an opportunity to kill you!"

After a brief pause, he immediately added.

"Moreover, you possess a supreme treasure and great fortune, protected by merit—killing you would also be difficult, unless you bring disaster upon yourself or truly encounter ill fortune, meeting a demon realm demon sovereign!"

'Qingxia Daoist Monarch' spoke with ease and a smile; Zhang Jian's mouth corner twitched slightly.

He felt his luck should not be this bad.

After sensing 'Qingxia Daoist Monarch's departure, other immortals and deities also came and went hurriedly.

Though merely the appearance of a demon lord in the Netherworld Underworld still alerted its deities; many powerful beings consciously strengthened patrols over their territories, and Fengdu City also dispatched envoys to offer condolences.

Besides condolences, Fengdu City also sent forth powerful beings to conduct a major search of the Netherworld Underworld.

This constitutes a formal official stance.

However, such a search is destined to find nothing.

Demonic path experts mostly excel at concealment, let alone the Netherworld Underworld's major factions, deeply entangled.

Zhang Jian had not even expected to gain any compensation from the Netherworld Underworld.

Nevertheless, with the excuse of colluding with demonic leaders, his handling of the Rakshasa Ghost Emperor and the Netherworld General Fa Yuan became all the more justified and righteous.

Colluding with demonic leaders, plotting to harm the Netherworld Emperor.

After selecting a date, he reported to the Fengdu Emperor, then, before the Nether Moon Eight Armies, executed the Rakshasa Ghost Emperor and Fa Yuan with extreme punishment—grinding bones and scattering ashes—to intimidate many spirits and deities, followed by the open reorganization of the Nether Moon Eight Armies.

All who resisted were suppressed by him with thunderous methods.

Perhaps it was killing a chicken to scare the monkeys, or because Zhang Jian revealed his formidable divine abilities during this assassination; the Gluttonous Ghost Emperor, the Ice Mountain Ghost Emperor, and the remaining two Netherworld generals all honestly cooperated with the reorganization.

Zhang Jian also smoothly grasped control of the Nether Moon Eight Armies.

The Nether Moon Eight Armies, each army comprising one hundred thousand elite ghost soldiers.

The eight armies thus represent eight hundred thousand elite ghost soldiers.

However, after firmly taking command of all the Nether Moon ghost troops, Zhang Jian carefully investigated their condition, and his mood was somewhat unpleasant.

The phenomenon of filling ranks with unqualified personnel in the Nether Moon Eight Armies was severe.

Moreover, there existed the private sale of Netherworld ghost soldiers, even extending to Netherworld military supplies, and even the populace of the Nether Moon Ghost State.

Of the eight hundred thousand elite ghost soldiers in the Nether Moon Eight Armies, at least four hundred thousand elite ghost soldiers were secretly sold by the ghost emperors and ghost kings within the Nether Moon armies.

Sold to other Netherworld ghost states, and even to immortals and deities in heterodox paths.

This discovery made Zhang Jian fly into a rage.

He vigorously reorganized the armies, conducting meticulous searches, inspections, and identifications in each unit; upon discovery, he immediately stripped the offending spirits and deities of their cultivation and cast them directly into the depths of the Eighteen Layers of Hell.

This included not a few mid-to-high level celestial officials.

He must ensure orders are carried out and prohibitions enforced.

Such a bad trend was gradually brought under control.

Next came the crackdown on the buying and selling of living people by the Nether Moon Ghost State.

Not only the Nether Moon Ghost State, but Zhang Jian also met multiple times with the other nine Netherworld Emperors to discuss.

They carried out multiple joint operations, severely cracking down on gods and ghosts who bought and sold souls.

Anyone who overstepped their bounds was dealt with strictly, cast into the Eighteen Levels of Hell, never to be reborn.

At the same time, Zhang Jian also reselected elite ghost soldiers in the Nether Moon Ghost State and the other directly governed Nine Netherworld Prefectures to replenish the Nether Moon Eight Armies.

However, having suffered the ravages of many ghost emperors, his Nether Moon Ghost State, and even his domain, were in a state of declining livelihood.

To select enough elite troops from among them remained extremely difficult.

Zhang Jian had few methods for this.

He could only slowly rebuild the Nether Moon Eight Armies.

As for restoring the establishment of the Nether Moon Fourteen Armies, it was unknown how long it would take.

……

Pingxin Hall, Zhang Jian sat cross-legged.

After handling the trifles of the Nether Moon Ghost State, Zhang Jian refocused his efforts on cultivation.

Having experienced this assassination attempt, he became clearer that only sufficient profound Dao cultivation could protect himself and avoid calamity.

No matter how strong other authorities were, they could only add flowers to brocade in peaceful times.

As he focused his mind, a circle of pure white moonlight appeared behind his head, slightly edged with a grayish-white floral pattern, and a vast Netherworld divine power emanated from his entire body—this was the complete state of the Nether Moon Emperor's authority.

The complete state of the Nether Moon Emperor's authority is indeed the true position of a Dao Lord.

Zhang Jian faintly sensed that its divine power was extraordinarily vast; as to which stage of Dao Lord it approached, he did not know for now.

After all, he had never stepped into the Dao Lord level, so he could not yet perceive this subtle distinction.

In his eyes, all Dao Lords were powerful and irresistible.

What Zhang Jian now needed to do was contemplate the divine position of the Nether Moon Emperor and the Nine Netherworlds' Lingling Emperor, grasp the divine marvels contained in their authorities, and fully integrate them into his own Netherworld-side authority.

He needed to achieve this so that even after abdicating, he could still fully control the profound mysteries of these two divine positions.

If he could achieve this, his Dao Lord status would then have a starting point.

Behind him, countless intricate patterns appeared.

Most of these intricate patterns were innate runes transformed from his authority; these were his own insights, and even if the authority departed, having comprehended the foundation of these authorities, he could still integrate them completely.

Countless purple patterns flowed, while on the other side were numerous earth-yellow runes.

Those earth-yellow runes were primarily of earth attribute, soil attribute, and turbid qi attribute.

Purple and yellow immortal light flowed, resembling the Yin-Yang Taiji diagram, perfectly harmonized and appearing behind him.

The Central Earth Lord's position glowed with purple-yellow radiance; in this comprehension, it gradually became perfectly round, and Zhang Jian felt his primordial spirit and Dao heart growing slowly during this tedious process.

The vast Nether Moon hanging high above the Netherworld Underworld continuously poured forth vast Nether Moon essence into the depths of Zhang Jian's forehead.

His cultivation increased day by day.

……

During this period, Youyu was punished in Pingxin Hall and had not appeared for thousands of years.

Six thousand years later.

Nether Moon Emperor's mansion, Zhang Jian finished a round of cultivation.

At this time, within the Nether Moon Emperor's mansion, a familiar person arrived.

Zhanmo Zhenjun.

This master's arrival naturally required Zhang Jian to personally come out of seclusion to welcome him.

However, Zhanmo Zhenjun's visit this time had another matter to attend to.

At this time, Zhanmo Zhenjun's expression was somewhat solemn.

"A Yu, this matter can only be handled by you, Master!"

Immediately, Zhanmo Zhenjun clarified the purpose of this journey one by one.

Originally, she came this time for the sake of Tiexin Daoist.

In the Zhou Mountain Realm, Tiexin Daoist, since attaining true immortal status, had made no progress at all; after tens of thousands of years, the true immortal tribulation became increasingly severe, Tiexin Daoist felt it harder and harder, so after communicating with many ancestral masters of the heavenly realm, he decided to reincarnate for one life to re-cultivate the Great Dao.

Actually, seeing many senior members of his sect, his martial sisters, brothers, and even nephews and grand-nephews successively achieve celestial immortality, and even with the aid of the heavenly realm's great fortune step into the Taiyi realm, Tiexin Daoist ultimately could not bear the pressure.

Coincidentally, this heavenly tribulation damaged his immortal body, and upon hearing that Zhang Jian had become one of the Ten Netherworld Emperors in the Netherworld Underworld, he decided to reincarnate.

After hearing this, Zhang Jian laughed and said.

"Master, this is a small matter; later I will write a letter to Yama, my royal brother, and surely enable Tiexin Shushu to be reborn!"

Tiexin Daoist is an immortal of the Zhanmo lineage, well-regarded within the sect, and Zhang Jian naturally wished to help him.

After reincarnation, even without mentioning a Dao body, having excellent aptitude is not difficult.

Zhanmo Zhenjun, hearing this, slightly relaxed her breath, but gazing upon this magnificent Nether Moon Emperor's divine hall, she still felt some emotion.

"As your master, I truly did not expect you to attain such cultivation today!"

"In the Tongshan Dao lineage, my lineage has also greatly benefited because of you!"

Zhang Jian becoming one of the Ten Netherworld Emperors of the Netherworld Underworld has also elevated the status of the Zhanmo lineage within the Tongshan Dao lineage, like water raising the boat.

Moreover, there is no need to mention the immense fortune returned to the sect, which has caused the cultivation of many immortals and gods of the Zhanmo lineage to advance rapidly.

If not for this, she could not have reached the edge of the Taiyi realm in cultivation within merely tens of thousands of years.

One must know that the two old ancestors, Qingyuan and Zidian, remained in the Zhou Mountain Realm for hundreds of thousands of years before finally succeeding in entering the Taiyi realm.

Zhang Jian thought for a moment and then said.

"Master, since you have come, I will also give you a benefit!"

"Now that my Nether Moon Emperor's residence has just been reorganized, there are many vacant celestial official positions under my command. The Slaying Demon lineage, or if there are suitable candidates within the Tongshan Sect, Master may also recommend a few to enter the Netherworld Underworld as officials!"

"Although celestial officials in the Netherworld Underworld are not as prestigious as those in the Central Heavenly Realm, they are still celestial officials!"

The Slaying Demon True Lord nodded slightly.

Celestial official positions have always been in high demand with few openings.

Especially within the Tongshan Dao lineage, many immortals specialize in water cultivation.

Water cultivation connects to the netherworld!

These immortals will have some skill in netherworld arts.

Introducing fellow disciples to become officials in the Underworld is clearly a desirable position.

The Slaying Demon True Lord sighed somewhat, in the Zhou Mountain Realm, she was protecting this disciple.

But now it is completely reversed.

Zhang Jian now protects her, even to the extent of sect power.

The Slaying Demon True Lord pondered, then spoke again.

"A Yu, there is one more matter!"

"News has come from the Three Emperors Heavenly Realm: the Pure Gang Emperor has gradually gained control of the Golden Spring Underworld situation. It is feared that within a thousand years, this rebellion will be completely quelled!"

Zhang Jian, upon hearing this, was slightly surprised.

This Pure Gang Emperor merely used six or seven thousand years to complete the pacification of the rebellion—truly, his cultivation and fortune are extraordinary!

He may become a formidable rival in the future.

Zhang Jian silently noted this matter.

After their discussion, the Slaying Demon True Lord performed a ritual to summon the true immortal primordial spirit of the Iron Heart Daoist.

The descent of a true immortal-level primordial spirit was as if a true deity had descended into the Netherworld Underworld.

But this is the Netherworld Underworld, not an ordinary Nine Netherworld Mansion. Here, the number of ghosts and spirits numbers in the tens of millions; the descent of a single true immortal primordial spirit is nothing remarkable.

Upon seeing Zhang Jian, the Iron Heart Daoist also felt a sense of emotion.

Never did I expect to see Zhang Jian again after nearly ten or twenty thousand years—here, in the Netherworld Underworld.

Moreover, he has become the Ten Kings Netherworld Heavenly Son.

Although we often hear the princes and grandsons of the Great Xia Dynasty of the Zhou Mountain Realm mention him, nothing compares to seeing him in person.

"Iron Heart Martial Uncle, do not worry. Later, I will directly bestow upon you an Emperor's Seal. After reincarnation, you will quickly regain your memories and resume cultivation!"

"This Emperor's Seal of mine should be able to withstand three washings of Meng Po's Soup!"

Seeing this, the Slaying Demon True Lord spoke.

"That is to say, your junior martial brother will have three lifetimes to re-cultivate the Great Dao!"

Zhang Jian nodded and said.

"My Emperor's Seal contains immense authority and power; it cannot be touched too deeply. Three lifetimes are roughly the limit for Iron Heart Martial Uncle. Exceeding three lifetimes will inevitably corrupt the path with imperial authority, affecting cultivation!"

The Iron Heart Daoist's primordial spirit listened silently. Upon hearing this, he immediately bowed with clasped hands.

"Your kindness, Junior Nephew, Iron Heart will never forget for eternity!"

Zhang Jian said: "May Martial Uncle attain the Dao in this lifetime!"

The Iron Heart Daoist also showed a hint of hope in his expression.

But he is fortunate, able to receive an Emperor's Seal from a Netherworld Emperor, granting him three opportunities.

The master and disciple then proceeded directly to the Naihe Bridge. After obtaining the rebirth documents from the Fifth Palace, they received the Reincarnation Seal within the Reincarnation Holy Hall, and finally arrived at the location of the Six Paths Reincarnation Wheel.

Along the way, out of respect for Zhang Jian, the Nether Moon Emperor, the two Netherworld Emperors did not make things difficult for the Iron Heart Daoist. They opened the green light, allowing him one chance to choose his identity—he may reincarnate into those cultivation clans, or into a secular dynasty with magnificent fortune, becoming their descendants.

Before the Six Paths Reincarnation, in the gaze of the Slaying Demon True Lord and Zhang Jian's master and disciple, the Iron Heart Daoist stepped slowly onto the golden bridge. In an instant, he entered reincarnation and vanished from sight.

Seeing the Iron Heart Daoist off, the Slaying Demon True Lord returned to the Three Emperors Heavenly Realm.

Zhang Jian then prepared to continue his secluded cultivation.

The return of the Pure Gang Emperor also placed considerable pressure on him.

This time, he prepares not to complete Dao attainment and see my cultivation, nor to easily leave the Pingxin Hall.