Chapter 23: Appeal from Yinghuo Shangzun

Luo Hou sat in the Underworld for a while, then left.

As he stepped out of the Ghost Gate, three peaches fell from the Divine Peach Tree.

They landed precisely in Luo Hou’s arms.

“Underworld specialty, miraculous for healing souls.”

Shen Shu and Yu Lei stood on either side of the Ghost Gate, staring straight ahead, utterly professional.

“The Divine Peach does not show itself to outsiders; it falls naturally only when a destined soul passes by.”

“Since the Divine Peach fell into your arms, it means fate has chosen you.”

Luo Hou regarded the two divine generals with a faint smile.

He accepted the three Divine Peaches, then turned and departed.

The God of the Wangchuan River beneath the Naihe Bridge stared, dumbfounded.

You can just give gifts like this?

Learned it! Learned it!

Qifei Heaven Palace.

Before leaving, Luo Hou left behind the black lotus imbued with the Dao of Devouring.

Xiang Xuanqing sat alone in the hall, lifting part of the seal.

BOOM—

A violent force of devouring erupted within.

Law and principle surged, Dao clashed with Dao.

To Xiang Xuanqing’s right stood a high dais, one zhang tall, upon which a bright mirror hung.

When the lotus leaked a wisp of its aura, the mirror trembled violently—within it, Xiang Xuanqing’s reflection stretched rapidly, twisting into a mass of malevolent energy.

As if a colossal entity had awakened from darkness, the entire Heaven Palace shuddered!

“If I can’t beat Luo Hou, can’t I beat you?!”

“Try me?”

A calm voice echoed through Qifei Heaven Palace.

Moments later, the palace fell still.

Xiang Xuanqing sat quietly in the hall.

The black lotus remained the same black lotus.

Only the mirror in the Niejingtai now carried a few more layers of Dao resonance.

“Burp~~”

Kunlun Xu, atop Yushan.

The Nine Shangsu gathered.

Twelve goddesses stood high in the heavens, seemingly in deliberation.

Langxiao Goddess said: “Reliable reports indicate the Qilin Clan beneath Bu Zhou Mountain is brewing a grand plan.”

“Supposedly, the plan’s core consists of only eight characters.”

“Which eight characters?” asked Shenxiao Goddess.

Langxiao Goddess spoke slowly, syllable by syllable:

“Carry Heaven, Bear Earth, Thirty-Six Emperors!”

“What’s the specific plan?” Meng Wuyou pressed.

Such boldness alone could encompass countless possibilities.

Could the Qilin Clan be plotting to seize dominion over the Earth?

Meng Wuyou had once heard Xiang Xuanqing mention a five-yuan-society development outline for the Underworld’s future.

Short name: One-Five Plan.

The plan’s central theme: Build Nine You’s soil, make all spirits find their rest.

If the Qilin Clan truly begins scheming for dominion over the Earth, it may unleash unpredictable shocks upon the Underworld.

Yet upon hearing Meng Wuyou’s inquiry, the goddess who brought this news shook her head.

“The specific plan is still under investigation; if I gain new progress, I’ll update you.”

Qingshao Goddess paused, then spoke:

“I have a confirmed piece of news—about Shen Ni.”

“Shen Ni?”

All the goddesses turned their heads.

“Yes!”

Qingshao Goddess faithfully conveyed Xiang Xuanqing’s words: “Shen Ni is the number-one terrorist of the Honghuang.”

“...”

“Jidu, are you there? I’ve run into a little trouble...”

“Yinghuo?”

Inside Qifei Heaven Palace, Xiang Xuanqing, tinkering with the Niejing , stirred slightly.

Remembering how “little trouble” from Yinghuo Shangzun had always turned into disasters, he did not go himself. “Send a Dao body to check.”

BOOM BOOM BOOM~~~

In the Nameless Sea, a colossal mountain descended from the heavens, shaking time and space with a thunderous crash.

A ray of aurora shot from chaos, striking the sky above the Nameless Sea.

“Hey, friend, what big problem did you stir up this time?”

Yinghuo Shangzun stood less than a foot from the mountain.

Seeing Xiang Xuanqing arrive, the previously bewildered Yinghuo Shangzun’s eyes instantly cleared.

He shouted: “Jidu, I’ve brought you a big one!”

“Oh? A big one?”

Xiang Xuanqing turned to gaze at the mountain that had appeared out of nowhere in the Nameless Sea—and suddenly froze. “So flat!”

The mountain was immensely tall, but to a primordial deity, that was nothing remarkable.

What startled Xiang Xuanqing was the cliff face on its side.

The nearly vertical cliff was perfectly smooth and level—a flawless cut, as if a blade had sliced downward, shearing off part of the mountain.

“This cut looks familiar... I’ve seen it before.” Xiang Xuanqing pondered briefly, his expression growing grave.

He now recognized what he was looking at.

“Wait, it really is a big one?”

Xiang Xuanqing glanced coolly at Yinghuo Shangzun: “You summoned it—you don’t know what it is?”

Yinghuo Shangzun chuckled awkwardly.

He’d created too many things; many were beyond his understanding.

“Fall back!”

Sensing the mountain was about to change, Xiang Xuanqing raised his hand, revealing a massive black seal. He stepped back, pulling Yinghuo Shangzun with him.

“So serious?” Yinghuo Shangzun had asked Xiang Xuanqing for help many times—never before had he seen him so cautious.

“Looks like I accidentally summoned something extraordinary.” Yinghuo Shangzun felt a flicker of anticipation, rubbing his hands.

Meanwhile, Xiang Xuanqing pointed toward the heavens, his voice like a divine decree:

“I have a vessel—capable of crushing mountains, subduing peaks, subduing demons, slaying gods!”

ROAR—

A vast, primal roar echoed from distant time and space—a formless, colossal figure approached, moving slowly yet swiftly toward the Nameless Sea’s timeline.

Mountains shook, seas trembled; a cataclysmic pressure surged along the timeline.

“Holy shit! What the hell is that?!” Yinghuo Shangzun, echoing Xiang Xuanqing’s past exclamations, stared in shock at the center of the Nameless Sea.

The terrifying aura made his scalp tingle.

Xiang Xuanqing stood in empty space, giving a “friendly” gesture toward the end of the timeline.

“This era doesn’t belong to you—go back and take your punishment!”

“—Vessel, come!”

At that cry, across the boundless heavens, a tiny boat drifting in the river of time slowly turned, colliding with the formless entity.

CRACK!

Above the Nameless Sea, wind and clouds churned, lightning and thunder erupted, brilliant divine light blazed, and the ten directions of space collapsed rapidly.

Boundless chaos and darkness surged forth, swallowing the entire timeline the entity had traversed within moments.

The thing that had appeared out of nowhere in the Nameless Sea was never a mountain.

It was a head!

The head of a Chaos Demon God!

The head was incomplete, missing nearly half—its terrifying cut extended from the crown to the left ear.

Seeing the true form of the mountain, Yinghuo Shangzun was stunned: “I was just practicing a technique—how did I summon a demon god to my home?!”

“You didn’t just summon a demon god—you summoned a living one.” Xiang Xuanqing stared intently at the smooth cut atop the head.

Hmm. This powerful aura, this familiar craftsmanship—it was definitely carved by Pangu’s axe. No mistake.

“Alive?!” Yinghuo Shangzun felt a chill run down his spine—could a Mo Shen whose head had been split open by Pangu still be alive?

“To be precise, alive in the past,” Xiang Xuanqing thought carefully and gave this reply.

Upon hearing this, Yinghuo Shangzun immediately exhaled in relief: “Then what do I have to fear?”

Xiang Xuanqing smiled: “Aren’t you afraid He might still be hopping around right now?”

“That shouldn’t be possible, right?” Yinghuo Shangzun sucked in a sharp breath, and ice instantly formed across the surface of the Nameless Sea.

“Just a moment ago there was still some hope—now there isn’t.” Xiang Xuanqing arrived at the center of the Nameless Sea and picked up the little boat.

Flickering flames, chaotic illusions.

One stir, and you force him to unleash his ultimate move—no wonder it’s you, Yinghuo!

——

Note: Bearing Heaven, Supporting Earth.

Han Dynasty, Liu An, Huainanzi: Yuan Dao Xun: “The Dao covers Heaven and supports Earth; it expands to the four directions and splits open the eight extremities.”

As he read this, he suddenly had an inspiration—it fit the Qilin Clan perfectly, and he’d just found the perfect use for it, hehe.

(End of Chapter)