Chapter 622: First Encounter with an Underworld Powerhouse

The Ten Kings of the Underworld each have a dedicated palace, and the matters they are responsible for are not entirely the same! Looking at the cultivation level of this soul projection of Qin Guang Wang, Zhang Nuo guessed that his true body should have the strength of the Great Accomplishment Stage!

"So it is Qin Guang Wang; this Emperor has truly been impolite!"

Zhang Nuo said with a calm expression.

"Hehe, why must the Human Emperor be so courteous? Based on your advancement speed, stepping into the Great Accomplishment Stage is only a matter of time. This King thinks very highly of you!"

With a sinister smile, Qin Guang Wang let out a laugh and said.

"I wonder what the intention is behind Qin Guang Wang sending a subordinate to probe Zhang's true strength?"

The various realms will eventually have to fight the Underworld; the other party spying on him like this is truly ill-intentioned!

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, do not misunderstand. Back then, Fang Leihuo died at your hands, and you have since taken his place. So, can you also take over the matters he previously promised our Underworld?"

"Oh! What did Fang Leihuo promise you?"

Zhang Nuo asked despite knowing the answer, his face even revealing a look of confusion!

"We are both sensible people, why be like this? I think you surely understand the matter this King is speaking of!"

"I do not understand!"

Shaking his head, Zhang Nuo said noncommittally.

Letting out a long sigh, Qin Guang Wang sneered, then his expression sank and he said solemnly:

"To act as an undercover agent for our Underworld!"

"Oh! So it is this matter! This Emperor cannot do such a thing! This Emperor does not have enough confidence or thick skin to do something that would make thousands of people beat and curse me!"

"You..."

At this moment, Qin Guang Wang had the feeling of being played by someone; Zhang Nuo had gone in a big circle just to wait for him to speak the truth!

Discovering that Qin Guang Wang was enraged, Zhang Nuo instead burst into hearty laughter! A cold glint flashed in his eyes, revealing killing intent! But a moment later, Qin Guang Wang returned to calm and said in a level-headed manner once again:

"Fellow Daoist, you have refused me without even hearing the conditions?"

"That is true! Qin Guang Wang might as well say them for me to hear!"

Zhang Nuo seemed to have suddenly realized.

"If Fellow Daoist can help our Underworld do things, after the matter is accomplished, all the territories of the Immortal World will belong to you. Furthermore, the Underworld will provide you with the method to avoid reincarnation, so that even if you were unfortunately to fall, you could restore your physical body! This has many benefits for your future breakthrough to the Great Accomplishment Stage! Besides, do you not want to know what kind of realm lies beyond Great Accomplishment? True Immortals are also waiting for us to explore together!"

Zhang Nuo had only taken what Qin Guang Wang said earlier as a joke, but when he later mentioned True Immortals, his heart was truly moved. In the current Immortal World, everyone knows that once cultivation reaches Great Accomplishment, it is equivalent to reaching the peak. However, Great Accomplishment does not mean immortality, and one must still suffer the pain of the Heavenly Tribulation. As for how to become a True Immortal and no longer be bound by the laws of heaven and earth, it has become a mystery!

"True Immortal? Could it be that the Underworld has already mastered the method to seek a True Immortal?"

Seeing that Zhang Nuo finally had curiosity, Qin Guang Wang let out a loud laugh!

"Of course! If it were not for the sake of True Immortals, why would our Underworld go to such great lengths, making several realms eye the Underworld covetously!"

"Qin Guang Wang might as well tell me something about True Immortals; perhaps this Emperor will be moved?"

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Zhang Nuo asked tentatively.

"That will not do! You must agree to this King's conditions first. Otherwise, do not even think about hearing half a word regarding True Immortals!"

Qin Guang Wang's lips were sealed tight; he had no intention of revealing anything!

"Since you refuse to speak, on what grounds should this Emperor trust the Underworld?"

"On what grounds? Hehe, on the grounds that we can control the 'Chaos Insect King', and on the grounds that our Underworld has the Ten Kings, all of whom are existences at the Great Accomplishment Stage. Pray tell, in which other realm does anyone have such strength?"

Qin Guang Wang said with great arrogance.

Zhang Nuo's expression was uncertain; the other party was not wrong at all. If one speaks of strength, even if several realms were added together, they would not be much stronger than the Underworld! However, this matter still sounded somewhat illusory. After all, in the history of the Immortal World, there had been several cultivators who reached the Great Accomplishment Stage, but in the end, they all fell under the Heavenly Tribulation; it seemed no one could fathom the mystery beyond Great Accomplishment!

Could it be that the Great Accomplishment cultivators of the Immortal World's past were not as good as the current Ten Kings of the Underworld?

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Nuo suddenly stood straight and shook his head slightly at Qin Guang Wang:

"Qin Guang Wang, this Emperor still cannot agree to what you said. The matter of True Immortals is too illusory; without providing strong evidence, I still cannot believe it!"

Qin Guang Wang's expression sank. He had spoken so many words with Zhang Nuo merely to have him join the Underworld's forces. Since this could not be done, he had no choice but to remove this thorn in his side first!

Whether it was Zhang Nuo's performance in the Human Realm or everything that happened after he arrived in the Immortal World, Qin Guang Wang knew it like the back of his hand. If such a powerful cultivator were allowed to grow, he would definitely be a major threat to the Underworld in the future!

Thinking of this, without any warning, Qin Guang Wang shot a white light as thick as a hair from between his brows, piercing toward Zhang Nuo's body!

This white light was extremely fast, almost instantly reaching right in front of Zhang Nuo! Back in the main hall of the Zhou Mansion, that purple-robed cultivator had died precisely under this move!

Caught off guard, Zhang Nuo almost fell for the trick! His thoughts turned rapidly, and the white light passed through his body; subsequently, only three red beetles were seen falling to the ground!

"What a sinister move; it seems you have developed killing intent toward this Emperor!"

At the critical moment, Zhang Nuo had transformed the attacked area into 'Hidden Wing Blood-Eating Insects', which allowed him to escape!

Qin Guang Wang was slightly startled. Although this figure of his was only a soul projection and could not use any Magic Treasure, that strange strike just now was launched through soul power—silent and soundless, very few cultivators could escape it!

However, this method did have one weakness: it consumed too much soul power. After launching one strike, one had to recuperate for a month before being able to use it a second time!

At this moment, Zhang Nuo's figure lunged forward, and as his ten fingers flicked in succession, several streaks of Sword Qi flashed out. The scorching Sword Qi tore through the sky and, in a flash, slashed toward Qin Guang Wang!

Seeing that Zhang Nuo was playing for real, Qin Guang Wang, in his soul projection form, dared not take it head-on! Immediately, his figure submerged toward the ground!

Boom!

Several streaks of Sword Qi slashed onto the ground, sending dust and smoke rising everywhere!

"Want to leave! It is not that easy! Come out for this Emperor!"

Since he had already discovered Qin Guang Wang, Zhang Nuo would not let him escape. With a sudden flip of his hand, his ten fingers immediately turned into ten tender green branches and plunged straight into the ground!

With a swish, the fingers transformed into the Divine Tree entered beneath the ground. Immediately following, a series of cracking sounds of tree nodes echoed out. Centered on Zhang Nuo's palm, things like tree roots grew rapidly underground. In just the span of a single breath, the area within a hundred miles was completely enveloped by the roots of the Purifying Underworld Divine Tree!

The soul projection of Qin Guang Wang, located underground, was fleeing at high speed when he suddenly felt as if he had been bound by something! In great alarm, he used all his strength, wanting to escape!

But at this very moment, a cold snort issued from Zhang Nuo's mouth. A spot on the ground several hundred feet away moved, and a thick tree root drilled out from the ground, with the soul projection of Qin Guang Wang bound upon it!

Seeing this, Zhang Nuo was overjoyed. He pulled his hand from the ground, and in a flash, he arrived before him!

"Hmph! Since you have come, do not leave!"

Looking at Zhang Nuo, who was approaching him like a fierce god, Qin Guang Wang felt a chill in his heart. He had not expected that after hiding in the Immortal World for so many years, he would actually be caught by a Golden Core Middle Stage cultivator!

"Hehe! This is only a wisp of this King's soul projection; what can you do to it?"

Relying on his unique body, Qin Guang Wang said dismissively.

"How about that? Although I cannot completely annihilate you, sealing you is something Emperor can still do!"

As he spoke, Zhang Nuo suddenly flipped one hand, and a cyan gourd appeared in his palm!

"Green Wood Gourd! This... how is this possible! Didn't it perish along with Qingmu Yaowang?"

Looking at the Gourd Magic Treasure in Zhang Nuo's hand, the calm expression on Qin Guang Wang's face vanished completely!

"In this world, there is nothing that cannot be done, only things one cannot imagine! This Magic Treasure of Qingmu Yaowang inadvertently fell into the hands of a human cultivator, but he did not know its value and only used it as an ordinary Magic Treasure! Emperor only recently learned of its wondrous uses!"

Zhang Nuo sneered; this statement was truly from his heart! Before merging with the Two-Headed Wolf King, he had also considered the Green Wood Gourd to be an offensive Magic Treasure, but from some of the Wolf King's memory fragments, Zhang Nuo had discovered some secrets regarding the Green Wood Gourd!

It turned out that this Gourd Magic Treasure was a treasure specifically used for sealing; back in the day, Qingmu Yaowang had used this treasure to seal who knows how many powerful experts!

Aiming the mouth of the gourd at the bound soul-clone of Qin Guang Wang, Zhang Nuo reached out and cast a spell, which sank into the Green Wood Gourd! A flash of cyan light appeared at the mouth of the gourd, and the soul-clone of Qin Guang Wang opposite him instantly turned into a streak of black light and was sucked into the interior of the gourd!

Because Zhang Nuo had previously collected the sea of fire of Fang Leihuo inside the Green Wood Gourd, as soon as Qin Guang Wang's soul-clone entered, wails began to ring out!

Zhang Nuo ignored him, sealed the mouth of the gourd with a Restriction, and then flipped his hand again, causing the Green Wood Gourd to disappear from sight!

He took another look at his surroundings and, finding nothing unusual, transformed into a streak of light and shot away toward the distant sky!

Just as Zhang Nuo was collecting Qin Guang Wang's soul-clone, in a grand hall far away in the Underworld, a man wearing a black brocade robe let out a long howl; this man's appearance was exactly the same as the soul-clone that had been taken away, so it was likely the true body of Qin Guang Wang!

"Zhang Nuo! Return my soul-clone! This King will never rest until you are dead!"

Roaring hysterically, Qin Guang Wang was so angry that the yin energy all over his body surged violently, and a terrifying pressure from the Great Accomplishment Stage enveloped the entire hall!