Chapter 180: Red-Clothed City Lord

There are many conflicting accounts of the origins of the Youming Jie, but it is worth mentioning that in every legend, the Youming Jie is an existence of the underworld.

Two pallid figures flew over the crowded long bridge below, passed through a sea of flowers, and arrived before a huge city.

The city is filled with countless souls, but this is not a benevolent place; rather, it is a crucial transit hub of the entire Youming Jie.

My lord, my lord, something terrible has happened!!!

What has you so panicked?!

Two underworld constables' figures trembled as they rushed into a government office inside the city, immediately shouting: 'My lord, we have discovered a space-rift stone!'

What? Where is it, and has it been sealed in time?! A figure in a red hooded robe, whose face could not be seen, exclaimed.

My lord, it's like this. That space-rift stone was brought in by a mortal realm cultivator! Now he has activated the space-rift stone, and we don't know where it has transported him to.

A mortal realm cultivator?!!

The red-clothed figure pondered for a moment and asked: 'What is his cultivation level?'

It seems he is only at the Lianqi Phase.

Impossible! How could a Lianqi Phase cultivator enter the Youming Jie except by death?!

It's true, my lord; we also found a fellow constable's mark on him. Please hurry and summon him for investigation!

The red-clothed figure nodded: 'Summon all the underworld constables here!'

Yes!

The red-clothed figure paced inside the government office, looking extremely anxious.

How could a space-rift stone suddenly appear? The largest space-rift stone mine had already separated from the Youming Jie ten thousand years ago with its collapse; unless the underworld's previous purge was insufficient, someone secretly hid a few space-rift stones!!!

The red-clothed figure spoke in a chilling tone; the space-rift stone is extremely hazardous. This spiritual material containing highly unstable space power is difficult for even great cultivators above the Nascent Soul Phase to use properly.

This also caused the Youming Jie cultivators who first discovered the space-rift stone, under such immense power, to have their minds bewildered; they naively believed the space power contained within the stone was enough for them to open a passage to the mortal realm or other domains.

The consequences are easy to imagine: apart from a portion of the Youming Jie's native spirit beasts entering the mortal realm back then, countless Youming Jie cultivators met a gruesome death amidst the unstable fissures erupting from the space-rift stone, their bodies and Dao destroyed!

Thus, that plan which caused the Youming Jie to lose two-thirds of its land also threw the entire underworld into chaos; the Ten Yama Kings perished, and great numbers of high-level cultivators died instantly, nearly causing a rupture in the cultivation world!

Although the underworld has not ceased researching the function of the space-rift stone to this day, even the remaining few Dao Lords jointly studying that unstable space rift have produced no results.

Helplessly, aside from gathering the present Youming Jie's space-rift stones to ensure its stability, the only recourse was to issue an edict: anyone who privately hoards a space-rift stone will be cast into the Eighteen Levels of Hell, never to be reborn!

But now, a mortal realm cultivator has actually brought a space-rift stone into the Youming Jie—what on earth is going on?

We must investigate this thoroughly and report immediately; space-rift stones cannot be controlled; that mortal realm cultivator seeking his own death is bad enough, yet he had to bring it into the Youming Jie!!!" The red-clothed figure gritted his teeth and spoke furiously.

The greatest trouble with this space-rift stone is that if it suddenly erupts, the unstable fissures it produces cannot be sealed!

Even now, several deadly zones still exist in the Youming Jie due to the presence of unstable fissures; even he dare not approach within a thousand li, and it is those few Dao Lords who jointly sealed the interior and exterior of those zones to prevent further expansion.

If that mortal realm cultivator were to run here and the space-rift stone suddenly erupted....

The red-clothed figure dare not even think; if this happened, what fate would befall him should Reincarnation City be destroyed in an instant?

Soon, a large number of underworld constables gathered inside the manor; upon seeing the red-clothed figure, they immediately saluted:

Greetings, City Lord!

Rise, which two underworld constables placed the mark on that mortal realm cultivator?!" The red-clothed figure suppressed his anger.

Although he likely thought it impossible that his own underworld constables had any collusion with the mortal realm cultivator, and even if there were collusion it would be impossible to send a Lianqi Phase cultivator to his death, yet since there had been contact, failing to detect the space-rift stone's presence earlier was already a grave oversight!

The two underworld constables searched here for a while, then their eyes lit up: 'It's him!'

The underworld constable who had slapped Yan Buji earlier came over trembling, knelt before the red-clothed figure, and cried: 'My lord, I know my guilt, spare my life!!!'

The red-clothed figure: 'Do you know what a grave mistake you have committed?!'

The underworld constable trembled, swallowed nervously: 'My my my... lord, we still don't know why you summoned us. If it was about before, I indeed planted a mark on the soul of a mortal realm cultivator; isn't that what you said—due to a lack of manpower, we would wait for him to die and then recruit him as labor?'

Then why didn't you detect the space-rift stone on him?!!

Huh?!

The surrounding underworld constables were startled.

How is this again involving the space-rift stone?!

The red-clothed figure waved his hand: 'Other underworld constables, if even a hint of this leaks within the city, you can wait to go to the Eighteen Levels of Hell! Now, all underworld constables must move out immediately; leave a portion to guard the order of the Bridge of Helplessness, and the rest go find him—I must capture him before any other city lords discover him!!!'

Yes!!

The underworld constables jumped in fright and hurriedly mobilized.

The underworld constable kneeling on the ground wanted to leave, but seeing the red-clothed figure, he dared not move.

The mortal realm cultivator you saw earlier—are you certain he was only at the Lianqi Phase?

Yes yes yes, at that time his soul was almost crushed by the Youming Jie's qi; he definitely wasn't a formidable figure.

But he now entered the Youming Jie with his fleshly body and even escaped from the hands of those two underworld constables." The red-clothed figure said lightly.

The underworld constable on the ground stared, then exclaimed in terror: 'My lord, I truly am not lying to you; back then he was merely a soul, and I had a fellow constable beside me who also saw him.'

The red-clothed figure waved his hand, squinting: 'I didn't say you were lying.'

Then what do you mean, my lord....

Could this mortal realm cultivator have mastered a passage into the Youming Jie? But since he is only at the Lianqi Phase, it would be impossible for him to enter this place bodily; yet he possesses a space-rift stone......

The red-clothed figure shuddered all over: 'Could he possibly be controlling the power of the space-rift stone?!'

If that is truly the case, perhaps an enormous fortune will soon arrive before him!

No, I will personally take action!" The red-clothed figure clenched his fists, his restless heart unable to be restrained.