Chapter 381: The Yanluo Hall Is Now Open!

"Captain Qin, you sit idle at such a crucial moment. Do you really take us for useless old men you can easily deceive?"

In the curtained bedroom, the figure on the bed suddenly opened his eyes and sat up.

From the dark corner of the room, a shadowy phantasm with a trace of eerie aura slowly appeared, resembling a wandering spirit. It chuckled sharply.

Qin Yishen, dressed in dark-blue pajamas, gathered his thoughts. His expression grimmed. A sliver of sunlight slipped through the curtain and fell across his cheek, making him look even more menacing.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"First, I know my limits. Second, I am not your subordinate. We are solely working together. Third, you shouldn't have come here. Unless I contact you, none of you should approach me. That was the rule we agreed upon."

"Rule?" The phantasm sneered. It raised its head slightly to reveal a patch of gray beard. "Have you grown arrogant enough to think you can ignore us old things? You should know, if I wanted, this mere avatar could crush you here and now."

Qin Yishen closed his eyes, steadying his breath and calming his anger. With cool restraint, he replied, "I haven't forgotten about what I promised you. You just have to wait a little longer."

"Wait? Back then, you told us to wait because the barbarians outside would pressure the cultivation world, and the court would then be forced to invite us to leave our seclusion. Now, you tell us to wait again. Do you think we know nothing of the outside world because we're sealed in the deep mountains?

"Fei Yu, that sword cultivator, has already wiped out the foreign corrupt cultivators! With no pressure left outside, how long do you intend for us to keep waiting?"

"Not long." A trace of helplessness passed through Qin Yishen's eyes. "I just didn't expect those foreign cultivators to be so weak. Had they killed Wang Sheng and weakened the Daoist sects, I had already made all necessary preparations for you to take advantage of the situation and break free.

"But don't worry; I've already prepared another plan. At the critical moment, I will call upon you. What I promised, I will fulfill. In return, I expect you to carry out your end with equal precision."

"

Hah,

of course." The phantasm laughed coldly and drifted closer, circling Qin Yishen. "I'll give you three more years, at most. Qin Yishen, all we seek is dignity. In the past, the Celestial Master of the Longhu Mountains placed this seal upon us. Now, we demand that the current Celestial Master personally lift it. We will see the cultivation world kneel before us and respectfully call us Forefathers!

"We can break free any time we want; we just choose not to. Rest assured, we have no interest in the mundane world. Aid us in breaking this seal, and we will not interfere with your ideals, grand designs, and official rise in power."

High heels striking the floor echoed from outside the door. Qin Yishen immediately rose to his feet, while the phantasm swiftly faded back into the corner.

"Three years. I'm not waiting any longer than that."

Click.

The door unlocked, and a young woman in a

cheongsam

[1] walked in with a folder in her arms. She then froze for a moment.

"You're already awake, Captain?"

With his eyes closed, Qin Yishen exhaled slowly and sat back down. He then rubbed his face with both hands and beckoned toward the doorway.

The girl closed the door and walked in slowly, her slender waist swaying like a willow.

"Jiuqian, what time is it?"

"Two in the afternoon. You only slept for four hours."

The young and beautiful woman smiled alluringly at Qin Yishen, who was already old enough to be called middle-aged. She tossed the folder onto the bed. "Captain, would you like me to help you relax?"

Qin Yishen nodded. He truly had to ease some tension.

Moments later, muffled groans came from the room. The man had lain face down on the carpet, and his young secretary pressed her heels into his back and waist again and again.

"

Ah—ow, ow, ow!

Slower, Jiuqian! You'll break my back!"

"Captain, the Special Investigation Unit is about to begin the live broadcast of the Small Nether Realm. They say Fei Yu and Bu Yu will serve as acting judges. Should we make any moves?"

"We'll just watch; there's no need for us to interfere. Have you prepared the materials I requested?"

"They're all in the folder." Zhang Jiuqian stepped rhythmically on his spine. "The sect master of the Hidden Earth Sect is a slippery one, though, Captain. If we focus on him, I fear we may gain nothing."

Qin Yishen sneered coldly. Calmly, he replied, "Shen Sui'an is a merchant. Give him enough profit, and he will come to us himself. The Hidden Earth Sect is a critical link in our plan. Without its sect master's support, implementing our changes will be three to five times more difficult. Jiuqian, press that spot."

"Which spot?"

"The one you always step on... Yes, that's it.

Tsk! Aiyo—!

"

His pained cry rang out, and the scene inside the room grew all the more chaotic.

***

Before the Fifth Hall of Yanluo in the Small Nether Realm, more than a hundred Daoist figures soared through the air.

Returning once more to this place gave Wang Sheng a mix of emotions. He was not here as a tourist or to handle a crisis this time, though.

The Small Nether Realm had grown steadily more stable over the years. Lady Meng sat in meditation within the Hall of Reincarnation, taking no direct action. Yet every mechanism of the realm opened or closed with but a thought from her.

The majestic Yanluo Hall itself was empty, but the restrictions outside had been lifted, allowing cultivators to enter freely. Most of those present now were members of the Hidden Earth Sect. They temporarily played the role of ghost wardens, judging souls and taking on the other duties of underworld officials.

The Daoist heritages had sent around thirty to forty people to observe, including elders, sect masters, and disciples. Moreover, the Special Warfare Unit had deployed a filming crew composed of a dozen instructors.

Xi Lian had chosen to remain at home, wary of the Small Nether Realm's yin qi affecting her devilish seed. Wang Xiaomiao, too, had returned to her normal routine of study and cultivation under Xi Lian's care.

Wang Sheng, who was in a cyan Daoist robe, brimmed with pride. It was as though wherever he went, flowers bloomed and spring followed at his heels.

The focus of the day, however, was his senior sister. She was dressed in a pure white gown, had a golden-purple cloak draped over her shoulders, and wore light makeup that set off her crimson lips. The arch of her eyebrows made her look naturally authoritative.

Qing Yanzi directed the live broadcast, and Shen Sui'an served as technical advisor.

After going over the procedure once more, Qing Yanzi stood before the hall and called out, "Fairy Hua Qing, enter the hall!"

Mu Wanxuan bowed slightly to her master, then walked forward gracefully. Her cloak trailed across the mist as she stepped into the great hall.

Wang Sheng, who had been standing at the side, stared dazedly at his beautiful senior sister. Qing Yanzi quickly used voice transmission to scold him sharply.

"Go with her! Are you waiting for me to announce 'the assistant of Fairy Hua Qing,' too?"

Wang Sheng smiled sheepishly. Holding Spiritless at his side, he followed behind his senior sister, keeping his eyes lowered.

Within the great hall, divine statues emitted shifting light. Hearty laughter also seemed to be echoing from the walls. The ghost wardens' menacing laughter; the wails of great and weak spirits crying out their grievances; and the solemn, low roar of the Yanluo King all seemed to cross countless ages and rush in at once.

Mu Wanxuan remained unaffected. She walked straight to the center of the hall and climbed the steps with her skirts lifted.

Wang Sheng steadied his mind. He knew the hall itself possessed spirits. Lowering his head, he followed until his senior sister took the main seat. He then stood by her side. Sensing the identity of the sword-bearing young man, the disturbing cries suddenly fell silent.

Outside, Qing Yanzi announced, "Successors of the Small Nether Realm, temporary officers of the underworld, enter the hall!"

The members of the Hidden Earth Sect, who had rehearsed many times, shouted out chants in unison.

"Hoo!"

"Ha!"

They widened their eyes and bared their teeth, making them look fearsome. Some rested their hands upon their swords, while others lifted their black wooden staves high. In two neat lines, they filed in one after another. Afterward, they all knelt and bowed before Mu Wanxuan.

"Rise."

Thankfully, Mu Wanxuan had long since overcome her timidness. She had once struggled to utter even a word at a time, but now, she could at least manage short commands without hesitation. Otherwise, Wang Sheng would've had to pinch his throat and issue orders in her stead.

Qing Yanzi then proclaimed, "Today, Fairy Hua Qing acts in Yanlou's place. Bring out the Judge's Brush."

All around the hall, radiance flickered. Strands of golden light and gray mist gathered above, condensing into a massive brush over a meter long. As it slowly descended before Mu Wanxuan, she extended her delicate hand. The brush shrank until she could easily hold it.

At that moment, Wang Sheng saw faint flowing runes drifting around it. They seemed like arrays, yet they weren't actually arrays.

On second thought, they're probably the characters for the word "laws."

The Small Nether Realm was only a fragment, not the true Nether Realm, but it still had laws of its own. The procedure that Qing Yanzi and Shen Sui'an had arranged recreated the most common scene of the Nether Realm in ancient times while also aligning it perfectly with these laws.

Any soul brought for judgment would be bound by these rules. Should they resist, the realm's power itself would suppress them.

"The judge is seated, and the Judge's Brush has been handed over!" Qing Yanzi shouted again in the ancient tone. "Ghost wardens of the four directions, bring forth the condemned!"

"As you command!" four members of the Hidden Earth Sect answered in unison.

With swords in hand, they marched out of the hall. Outside, the Daoist masters waited, each holding a jade bottle containing the souls of corrupt cultivators from foreign lands. The four ghost wardens each took a bottle and then turned to enter the hall, where seven to eight fixed cameras were already recording.

1. A traditional Chinese dress. ☜