Chapter 149: We Humble Servants Cordially Welcome the Great Emperor's Return

In the center of the Fire Ghost Hall lay a towering figure; it was not a beauty, but a hulking man with three horns on his head and a ferocious visage.

The Fire Ghost King was originally a human from the ancient age who perished when heavenly fire burned his body; after death he became a fire ghost, and, coveting the freedom of the Ghost Realm, refused to be reborn, remaining there for several thousand years.

He dug his nostrils while drowsily yawning.

These boring days have stretched for many years since he obtained the Fire Spirit Pearl, and now he is gradually growing weary of his current life.

"If it truly can't be helped, I'll hand the Fire Spirit Pearl over to Old Yanlu, and find another place to settle; I'm also fed up with staying in this Fire Ghost Hall."

Guarding the Fire Spirit Pearl and the Fire Ghost Hall day after day with constant fear, never straying a step, only made the Fire Ghost King more irate; he suddenly sprang to his feet, then rolled back down and resumed dozing.

Indeed, he has no desire to live the days, and likewise no desire to move.

While the Fire Ghost King was pondering how to pass the time, the temperature of the entire Fire Ghost Hall suddenly dropped, causing him to shiver sharply, his eyes flashing with incredulous light.

The Lava Hell actually cooled? "Could it be that staying here for too long is making my mind hallucinate?"

The Fire Ghost King muttered under his breath, and the next instant saw a surge of yellow river water rushing from afar, extinguishing much of the lava along its path.

"Mother! The Ghost Realm is flooding?!"

The Fire Ghost King stared in stunned disbelief until a yellow wave capsized him onto the ground.

The power within his body was rapidly diminishing.

"Bad! This water is strange, it resembles the Huangquan Water from the depths of the nether realm?"

The Fire Ghost King turned pale with shock; Huangquan Water has long been the bane of ghost beings—any ghost that contacts it suffers a severe loss of power, or even a soul‑shattering fate.

After countless years of never moving, the Fire Ghost King slid to his feet, seeing the situation turn dire and preparing to flee, still cursing, "Old Yanlu is truly despicable, using this method against me; I have no idea where he got so much Huangquan Water."

As the Fire Ghost King's front foot began to step away, his rear foot was blocked by a flying sword; the moment he saw the black flying sword, his whole body trembled.

"What treasure is this, exuding such dense, pure nether energy, as if it were birthed from the Nine Nether Realm."

"Throughout the Ghost Realm, aside from the long‑vanished Fengdu Great Emperor, who else could forge such a treasure?"

"The Fengdu Great Emperor has returned?!"

The Fire Ghost King halted, unwilling to move—partly out of reverence for the legendary Fengdu Great Emperor, and partly to see who the owner of the flying sword truly was.

Outside the Fire Ghost Hall, three figures appeared.

Xu Changqing shouted loudly, "If the Fire Ghost King wishes to leave, first leave the Fire Spirit Pearl behind; we will certainly not trouble you."

Fengdu spun a few circles in the air and swiftly flew back to Chu Yang's side.

The Fire Ghost King asked curiously, "Is this your sword?"

Chu Yang nodded.

The Fire Ghost King continued, "Where did you obtain this sword?"

Chu Yang frowned, "What does this have to do with you? I haven't struck you; I've already exercised considerable restraint."

If it weren't for the fact that the Fire Ghost King has spent thousands of years honestly staying in the Ghost Realm without ever harming a single person, Chu Yang wouldn't be spouting so much nonsense to him.

Fengdu possesses absolute suppressive power over ghost beings; not only the Fire Ghost King, even the Ghost Realm's ruler Yanlu King himself, Chu Yang does not fear.

"No!" the Fire Ghost King's gaze flickered, seeming a bit fearful, yet he shook his head and refused, "I scarcely obtained this thing; how could I hand it over so easily, unless…"

"If you insult Yanlu Kid in front of me a few times, then spit on his portrait and trample it a few steps, I'll consider giving you the Fire Spirit Pearl."

Li Xiaoyao, hot with impatience, could barely speak and just wanted to leave this dump; seeing the Fire Ghost King dawdling, he couldn't help shouting, "What the hell are you doing? Hand over the Fire Spirit Pearl at once; I have no intention of playing with you."

The Fire Ghost King said gravely, "Since you refuse and still try to snatch my Fire Spirit Pearl, you are followers of Yanlu Kid!"

As soon as the words finished, the Fire Ghost King launched an attack at Li Xiaoyao and Xu Changqing, but oddly his strikes always bypassed Chu Yang, as if he dared not hit him.

Chu Yang found it amusing, a smile curling his lips; he saw this as an opportunity to assess Li Xiaoyao's swordsmanship progress.

After several rounds, Li Xiaoyao felt something was off; after evading the Fire Ghost King's attack, he roared, "You've been chasing us for so long—there's still someone standing there, why aren't you hitting him?!"

The Fire Ghost King answered honestly, "I don't dare hit him."

Xu Changqing stared in surprise at the Fire Ghost King; the other had only just met his junior brother Chu Yang for the first time—why such fear? The Fire Ghost King's reaction didn't seem feigned.

"Why don't you dare hit him?"

"He could be the reincarnation of the Fengdu Great Emperor."

"Who is the Fengdu Great Emperor?"

"The Ghost Realm was originally under the jurisdiction of the Fengdu Great Emperor; he and the Three Emperors were gods born at the same time, but after the Fengdu Great Emperor vanished, the ruler of the Ghost Realm became Yanlu Kid."

"On what basis do you think he is the Fengdu Great Emperor's reincarnation?"

"Because his treasure could only be forged by the Fengdu Great Emperor."

The Fire Ghost King suddenly erupted, "How can Yanlu Kid become the ruler of the Ghost Realm? I won't accept it! The Ghost Realm's master can only be the Fengdu Great Emperor!"

Li Xiaoyao and Xu Changqing exchanged glances, then pointed at Chu Yang in unison, "Exactly, he is the Fengdu Great Emperor!"

Chu Yang: "???"

The Fire Ghost King fell silent at once.

Li Xiaoyao cleared his throat and said, "Fire Ghost King, the Fengdu Great Emperor wants the Fire Spirit Pearl you hold—will you give it?"

The Fire Ghost King nodded without hesitation, "If it's the Fengdu Great Emperor, I can give it to him."

He produced the Fire Spirit Pearl from an unknown place and, with utmost reverence, presented it before Chu Yang, his demeanor deeply devout.

The Fengdu Great Emperor's name is quite handy, almost rivaling Jing Tian's "Flying Peng General".

Chu Yang took the Fire Spirit Pearl, his gaze signaling Xu Changqing and Li Xiaoyao to leave; the two silently stepped back, preparing to exit the Fire Ghost Hall.

But the next second, a terrifying surge of spiritual energy erupted behind them, forcing them to halt.

Xu Changqing turned around, and before his eyes stood the furious Mo Zun Zhong Lou.

"Did I offend him in any way?"

"Give me back what isn't yours!"

Mo Zun Zhong Lou thrust a single palm sideways, a burst of red demonic light crashing toward Xu Changqing, causing the entire Fire Ghost Hall to quake from the blow.

Li Xiaoyao and Xu Changqing combined their strength to block the strike.

Chong Lou still wanted to continue attacking.

Chu Yang flashed to block in front of the two, angrily saying: "As a Demon Venerable, you actually don't keep your word!"

Chong Lou gave a cold sneer, looking at Chu Yang with disdain.

"How can anything compare to you?"

"Fengdu Great Emperor!"

Chu Yang: "???" "No, you seem to have misunderstood something; let me explain."

Originally I just wanted to trick the Fire Ghost King, but who fell for it was actually Chong Lou; seeing Chong Lou blazing with anger, Chu Yang felt something was wrong.

At that moment, the Fire Ghost King suddenly stepped in front of them.

"Don't be rude to the Fengdu Great Emperor!"

The silly Fire Ghost King looked incredibly cute in Chu Yang's eyes right now.

"Courting death!"

Chong Lou turned his hand into a blade and slashed through the air.

The slash, emitting red demonic light, seemed to transcend time and space, striking the Fire Ghost King with unstoppable force, and the hall instantly collapsed halfway.

The power of that strike was terrifying.

Chu Yang's expression grew solemn; today the Demon Venerable's killing intent was heavy, completely different from before in Leizhou.

How did this come about out of nowhere? Recalling what Chong Lou just said, Chu Yang suddenly thought: Chong Lou is so furious because of the Holy Spirit Pearl.

He looks down on Xu Changqing, and is even more furious that Zi Xuan paid an unbearable price to save Xu Changqing.

"Please calm your anger, Demon Venerable; if you came for the Holy Spirit Pearl, I still have a remedial method—no need for a major conflict."

Chong Lou's fearsome aura suddenly waned, but he still coldly stared at Chu Yang, as if waiting for his next words.

"The Five Spirit Pearls and the Holy Spirit Pearl are interconnected; as long as you gather the former, you can repair the latter."

"We already have three Spirit Pearls; gathering the Five Spirit Pearls is imminent—what do you think, Demon Venerable?"

Chu Yang wore a faint smile, appearing confident.

Chong Lou fell silent for a moment; rather than meaninglessly venting anger, repairing the Holy Spirit Pearl properly is the most important thing.

"Then I'll spare him for now." Chong Lou said coldly: "If the Holy Spirit Pearl isn't repaired properly, everyone will pay the price, including you, Fengdu Great Emperor!"

"Brother, everyone says you're mistaken! Why do you keep calling me the Fengdu Great Emperor!" Chu Yang glanced at the severely injured, unconscious Fire Ghost King, made sure no one was around, then explained: "Demon Venerable, you really misunderstood—I'm not the Fengdu Great Emperor; that Fire Ghost King mistook the person."

Chong Lou said expressionlessly: "If you aren't the reincarnation of the Fengdu Great Emperor, how can you travel the Ghost Realm with your mortal body? Or are you, like me, actually a demon?"

Xu Changqing and Li Xiaoyao looked at Chu Yang with suspicion.

"Junior brother, we're just messing around, right? Why are you actually doing it for real!"

Only then did Chu Yang realize why Chong Lou so easily believed the Fire Ghost King's words.

Ordinary people entering the Ghost Realm have their bodies linger in the Yang realm, but he can move unrestricted; in Chong Lou's eyes, this is the best proof.

The reason Chu Yang differs from ordinary people is that he also has a death god's identity; he does not cross the Ghost Realm in his flesh, but becomes a spirit form.

But others fundamentally cannot distinguish this state, which is why the misunderstanding arises.

Seeing Chu Yang unable to explain, Chong Lou's displeased face said: "A real man should own up—why hide and refuse to admit? Are you afraid I won't acknowledge our prior agreement?"

"About that, you can rest assured; to me, losing is losing, it has nothing to do with who you are, and I won't kill Xu Changqing either—I'll just take the residual Holy Spirit Pearl power left in his body."

"Your earlier look of wanting to eat someone wasn't a joke!"

"Now you say you don't kill people? Brother, you're selectively forgetting!"

Chu Yang couldn't help but roll his eyes, nodding in a thoroughly resigned tone: "Fine, fine, fine—I'm the reincarnation of the Fengdu Great Emperor, so what? Just like last time, if you disagree, let's fight again."

Chong Lou nodded satisfied: "Good, this attitude of yours is what qualifies you to be my opponent!"

"This guy really is sick!"

"He won't listen to reason, only feeling comfortable when others give him a cold stare—no wonder Zi Xuan looks down on him; isn't this pure perversion?"

"The ancients never deceive me; every single demon is abnormal."

Just as Chu Yang openly "admitted" he was the reincarnation of the Fengdu Great Emperor, an even more absurd situation occurred.

Yanluo King and Lu Judge, leading a horde of ghost officials, rushed along the lava road where the Yellow Spring Water had dried up to the Fire Ghost Hall, just in time to see Chu Yang and Demon Venerable Chong Lou facing off.

In their view, it was Demon Venerable Chong Lou who actively exposed Chu Yang's identity, and Chu Yang rather helplessly admitted he was the Fengdu Great Emperor.

Moreover, the constantly swirling 【Fengdu】 above Chu Yang's head...

The fact that Chu Yang is the reincarnation of the Fengdu Great Emperor seemed to become an ironclad truth.

Yanluo King's scalp went numb; the person before him was extremely likely to be his former superior, the true master of the entire Ghost Realm and even the netherworld! Zhong Judge and the other ghost officials noticed Yanluo King's fluctuating expression, their hearts jolted, and they silently lowered their heads, afraid to speak.

This is a matter between the old and new masters of the Ghost Realm; these little shrimp soldiers and crab generals dare not interfere.

"The Ghost Realm has changed hands many years; your return as a reincarnation now will inevitably bring some trouble. How about this: we swap the contents of our agreement—I'll help you cleanse the Ghost Realm and assist you in reclaiming the throne of realm master."

"That way, while Fei Peng is away, you can spar with me every day."

His icy words exuded killing intent; Chong Lou utterly disregarded Yanluo King's face, opening and closing his mouth only to say he would help Chu Yang regain the Ghost Realm's mastery.

Chu Yang only felt his head ache; he wasn't the Fengdu Great Emperor's reincarnation—if he really agreed to Chong Lou and beheaded Yanluo King, it would be strange for the Ghost Realm not to descend into chaos.

If the Six Paths of Reincarnation fall into disorder, the Divine Realm will surely react; then, by luring the Heavenly Emperor over, Chu Yang could basically declare the game over.

Just as Chu Yang was about to refuse Chong Lou's "kindness," Yanluo King stepped forward, bowed, and said: "Your subjects respectfully welcome the Emperor's return to the Ghost Realm."

Chu Yang's expression stiffened.

"What mischief are you stirring up again?"

Yanluo King furtively wiped a bead of sweat from his face.

He didn't know what agreement Chu Yang and Chong Lou had, but he knew that if he failed to show any action, the consequences would be severe.

Demon Venerable Chong Lou, who looks down upon the Six Realms, is not just talking.

The Fengdu Great Emperor could still match him, but a mere Yanluo King, together with those ghost officials behind him, is obviously no match for Chong Lou.

「Boring! 」

Chonglou saw them easily give in, his expression displeased, and he immediately prepared to leave.

Before departing, he said to Chu Yang: "The Wind Spirit Pearl is in the Divine Realm; you can have them go fetch it, but one must pass through the God-Demon Well to reach it."

"I can open a passage for you, but I have a condition: you cannot accompany them; they must rely on their own strength to obtain this pearl, which is my test for Feipeng."

Chu Yang frowned slightly.

Currently there is no second way to reach the God-Demon Well; agreeing to Chonglou's condition seems to be the only option.

The Divine Realm is still manageable, after all the title "General Feipeng" remains, able to block most of the trouble for Xu Changqing and the others.

The difficulty lies in the God-Demon Well, which not only accumulates countless miasma but also harbors some strange creatures, neither demon nor not, extremely dangerous.

(End of chapter)