Chapter 328 - The Old Followers of the Azure Lord

Chen Shi walked outside, only to realize that night had fallen—the perfect time for the three corpse spirits to be active. Urgency overcame him, and with a forceful step, a breeze arose. The wind lifted him, allowing Chen Shi to travel with the wind, picking up speed rapidly. Heiguo followed closely from behind. Entering the Netherworld was like a fish taking to water for it; no matter how fast Chen Shi flew, he couldn't shake it off. As the night in Xiandu grew lively, the three corpse spirits of various Yuancheng Palaces came out to roam. Even the masters of Yuancheng Palaces couldn't resist the allure of these spirits, picking incense money from their treasure trees to indulge in a night of revelry. On the heavenly street, both humans and ghosts mingled, and the sky was abuzz with activity. Many ghost carts raced by at lightning speed. Some were drawn by skeletal dragons and phoenixes, others preceded by gigantic, flaming skulls, while some even used gigantic underworld insects as beasts of burden. The variety was dazzling and endless. Floating in the air were red bridal sedans, carried by specters whose feet trampled on paper coins as they traveled through the sky. There were also ghostly gods of convenience, commanding nether winds, dashing through the air in reckless abandon. Chen Shi and Heiguo swept through the skies with increasing rapidity, dodging ghostly carriages overhead. "Meng Banshan has been gone for some time now. With Xiandu being so complex, where could he be headed?" Chen Shi frowned slightly. He could only think to go to the Young Master's Yuancheng Palace. The Young Master Wei Yue would definitely not tolerate Meng Banshan and would surely order someone to eliminate him. "However, even if we rush there, I'm afraid the pursuers have already set out. Huh?" In a flurry of rapid motion, Chen Shi noticed several Heavenly Listeners flapping their ears, flying over the buildings of various Yuancheng Palaces. "The direction these Heavenly Listeners are heading in—could it be the direction Meng Banshan went?" He immediately altered course to pursue the Heavenly Listeners. Suddenly, one by one, the Heavenly Listeners vanished into thin air. "These Heavenly Listeners have gone to the Yang world! Heiguo!" Just as Chen Shi spoke, Heiguo rushed from behind, engulfing him in rolling demonic miasma. In the next moment, Chen Shi and Heiguo appeared above an expansive, boundless ice field. The north wind howled, swirling snow, painting the landscape silver and white. This was the Yang world, also at night, with a slanted moon hanging in the sky—a celestial eye watching from the heavens. In Xinxian, the moon was in the north, in the West Capital, in the northeast, but here in the northern icy fields, the moon appeared in the south. Though the ice field was night-bound, the snow reflected light, making it not too dark. The Heavenly Listeners flew over the ice field, and Chen Shi followed them, his eyes gleaming. "Heavenly Listeners record major events across regions, so the ambush and death of Netherworld Commander Meng Banshan will certainly be a significant event! These Heavenly Listeners seem to be pursuing this matter." Ahead, the sound of clinking and clanging could be heard. Turning his gaze, Chen Shi saw an elder by a fire in a quarry amidst the ice and snow, chopping stones with an axe and chisel. "Working so late at night?" With a glance, Chen Shi noted that the stones being extracted appeared to be for making gravestones, with several stone tablets standing nearby. He pressed on, chasing the Heavenly Listeners, flying for roughly half an hour before the listeners suddenly stopped, landing in the snow. They began to search the snow, gradually spreading out in an arc formation. Chen Shi was slightly stunned. He initially thought that these Heavenly Listeners entered the Yang world because the Netherworld was vast—thousands to tens of thousands times larger than the Yang world. However, these Heavenly Listeners did not return to the Netherworld! "The ghostly servants under the command of Young Master Wei Yue would certainly ambush Netherworld Commander Meng Banshan in the Netherworld. Why would these Heavenly Listeners remain here in the Yang world to eavesdrop? Did I follow the wrong group, and they're not here for this matter?" Just as he was about to have Heiguo take him back to the Netherworld, he sensed something. Aside from him and Heiguo, and the Heavenly Listeners on this ice field, there were other presences. Chen Shi had been honing the Three Luminescent Righteous Qi Technique since childhood, and his mental fortitude surpassed his peers. Now, having practiced the Xiaolang Imperial Chapter Technique, his spirit was unyielding. At this moment, his spirit emanated, clearly imaging everything within a ten-mile radius in his mind's eye. Forty-two figures and twelve "voids" stood hidden in the snow. That's right, voids. His spirit skimmed over those spots, feeling nothing, as if his senses were lost. It felt like a barren space—completely empty, hence voids! Such feelings only arose in the presence of beings vastly stronger than himself! "I can sense those forty-two individuals, but it doesn't mean they're weaker than me—they could be far stronger. I can sense them because they don't exceed my comprehension. We've all cultivated to Yuan Shen (Primordial Spirit); even those at the Refining Void and Unity stages, having severed the three corpses, cultivated pure Yang, and reached a hundred zhang of spiritual prowess, are within my comprehensible range. Only beings beyond the realm of refining spirit remain incomprehensible. Those persons are void." Chen Shi pondered silently, "There are twelve voids on this ice field, indicating at least twelve Void Returning realm existences." These twelve exceptional masters, alongside the forty-two individuals, remained motionless. Clearly, they were lying in wait. They'd set an ambush, waiting for prey to enter their lair. This skirmish was small— a ten-mile radius was negligible for cultivators and only a stone's throw for transforming spiritual realm cultivators. For Void Returning beings, ten miles was non-existent. Chen Shi's eyes flickered, retreating quietly. Within the ten-mile ambush, an elder donned in white robes sat patiently in the blizzard, seemingly waiting. "Uncle Six, the Heavenly Listeners have arrived!" A middle-aged man approached quickly, speaking softly, "There’s also a Yaoguai nearby, accompanied by a black dog." The white-robed elder, immobile and puzzled, queried, "A dog and a Yaoguai?" As a Void Returning being, employing any supernatural power would expose an ambush by splitting the nether and Yang worlds, rendering him incapable of perceiving Chen Shi and Heiguo's presence, relying on the middle-aged man’s remark. The middle-aged man relayed, "That black dog belongs to the Chen family. By association, the Yaoguai is likely Chen Shi. What should we do?" "Chen Shi?" Frowning, the white-robed elder muttered, "Do we have grievances with Chen Shi? Why does he always appear when we act? We overlooked him at the West Capital, but not here!" Just as he was about to issue an order, the middle-aged man interjected, "The Yaoguai and dog are retreating." Breathing an obscured sigh of relief, the elder avoided an unnecessary confrontation with Chen Shi. Chen Shi wasn't formidable; any one among them could vanquish him. The problem was, if Chen Shi were killed, the demons lurking within him would emerge, causing chaos. That would be grievous. “As long as he doesn’t provoke us, let him be,” the white-robed elder decreed. Exiting a few miles beyond the range of these experts, Chen Shi discovered his safety after they didn't directly strike. A wave of relief swept over him. “This battle is critical to them; they cannot be easily stirred. I didn't enter their ambush scope, hence they let me go,” he pondered. But even retreating a few miles felt insecure. Chen Shi continued his withdrawal, moving two or three dozen miles away from the ambush zone. That distance was unsafe, even within the Netherworld. A Void Returning expert's technique could directly reach the Netherworld. He needed to traverse further for complete safety. "This should be sufficient. Heiguo, let's depart!" "Whoosh—" A gust of netherwind blew through, and Heiguo carried Chen Shi into the Netherworld. As they descended from the sky, he noticed Heiguo's body swelling rapidly, transforming into a monstrous being as vast as a mountain range. This sight stirred him, prompting him to look skyward. "The ambush in the Yang world encompasses roughly ten miles. That scope in the Netherworld represents extreme vastness, perhaps a hundred or a thousand miles! Their target isn't someone from the Yang realm; it's a ghostly deity from the Netherworld! Could these be Yan Family's experts?" Heiguo's feet blazed with magic as it sped toward Xiandu, and Chen Shi's eyes flickered. Could the Yan Family harbor so many Void Returning beings? Twelve Void Returning beings seemed far too abundant! "Are they ambushing Netherworld Commander Meng Banshan? Something's amiss. If they're from the Yan Family, how would they know for sure Meng Banshan would take this route? How could they be sure he’d pass here?" As he ruminated, a gust of spectral wind swirled, throwing paper money—a barrage of paper cut-outs shaped as copper coins and ingots—into the wind, weaving a swath before them. A chariot drawn by two massive-headed yet small-bodied fire bulls emerged from the distance. It traversed this paper-money path, racing by in the air. Each bovine beast smoked at its nostrils, eyes flashing like lightning, majestic beyond measure. Now and then, they bellowed with thunderous roars. Their pace was dazzling as if coursing with lightning. Atop the chariot stood a canopy under which sat a god figure, devoid of azure faces and tusks, merely human-form amidst swirling incense, standing beside four ghostly entities—Bullhead and Horseface dark envoys. Hanging on the chariot was a banner inscribed with "Meng"! "Netherworld Commander Meng Banshan!" Chen Shi opened his mouth to shout but held back. Netherworld Commander Meng Banshan, seated within the chariot, turned his head toward Heiguo, surprise flitting across his gaze. Yet the chariot did not halt, ensconced in paper money hurtling into the distance. Abruptly, a gigantic blade-like disk spun frenetically, slicing through bull and chariot with a "whosh"! As the blade sliced the fire-bulled treasure chariot, Meng Banshan and the four envoys sprang aloft, eluding the disk's path. The blade-like disk spanned four to five acres, akin to a disk of polished silver, but bladed around the edges with razor-sharp teeth whirling within. The disk whisked past Chen Shi, landing amid swirling dark clouds. These murky clouds raced from the rear, a long river rolling behind them, with boats flowing downstream. Standing upon them, surging with murderous intent, were Horseface ghostly envoys bent on hunting Netherworld Commander Meng Banshan! One among them wielded a fantastic implement, the blade-like disk affixed to its pole. As they lunged with the fantastic implement, the river surged through the air, careening at Meng Banshan head-on. Boats coasted atop the river, the foremost envoy swinging the blade-disk towards Meng Banshan and the envoys! Six or seven other envoys simultaneously maneuvered Spirit Child Heavenly Lamps. Illuminating them, freezing their Primordial Spirits—ensnaring them. "You dare to kill even me, utterly lawless!" Meng Banshan bellowed, unleashing a surging, extraordinary power, blocking the spinning blade to shield his companions, escaping the encirclement of the river, sneering, "Where's Wei Yue? Do you think killing me will stifle the tongues of all ghostly deities?" His combat strength was formidable, flicking fingers, sending the blade spiraling back, jolting the lead envoy's boat backwards into another ship. Presently, two Netherworld Commanders, cackling, attacked from angles, joining forces against Meng Banshan, chortling, "Meng Banshan, you cannot see sense. Surrender the Netherworld Commander token and let someone obedient take your place!" Wounded, Meng Banshan struggled under their assault, clashing back and forth, hurtling toward the ambush zone. Heiguo gazed at Chen Shi, who remained indifferent, whispering, "Hold, I have a hunch there's more to this." Suddenly, a Bullhead envoy took the brunt of a lethal blow for Meng Banshan, snapping and crashing before Chen Shi's feet. "Woof!" Heiguo barked at Chen Shi. Chen Shi replied, "Hold still, I suspect there's a hidden element here…" Before he could finish, a blade disk cleaved across the Bullhead envoy's neck, decapitating it. "Bark! Bark!" Heiguo growled furiously. Chen Shi hesitated, voicing, "I believed the ambush in the Yang world wasn't targeting Meng Banshan… Am I being doubtful?" Meanwhile, as Meng Banshan and the Horseface envoy battled retreat, closing on the encirclement, he followed at a measured pace, only spectating from afar. They combated a thousand miles, losing two more envoys while defending Meng Banshan. The remaining Horseface envoy bore scars, nearing death, and Meng Banshan, suffering myriad wounds, seemed spent. Heiguo's gaze weighed heavily on Chen Shi, who muttered, "Could I have misjudged? I can't let him stumble into their trap…" Awakening from misery, a powerful force approached, and a robust voice boomed, "Meng brother, fear not, Soul-Chasing Judge Wang Fu arrives to save the righteous!" Gleaming with spirit, Chen Shi signaled Heiguo. Three eddying deities racing fiercely approached, led by a crimson-robed one. Another excited voice chimed, "Wang brother, I thought you perished. I was the last remnant of King Yanluo's retinue—never expected you'd remain alive! Excellent, truly excellent!" Four deities gathered around a green-robed one, advancing fiercely. That green-robed deity called, "Meng warrior, fret not, Sin-Karma Judge Jia Yuan comes to aid!" Soul-Chasing Judge Wang Fu lit up with joy, acknowledging another voice's hearty laugh, "Brothers, who'd think post-catastrophe, we'd meet again! Meng warrior, Blade Mountain Judge Zhu Shun hastens to help!" Spurred by three judges, those besieging Meng Banshan halted. The trio of judges reunited, beaming at old friends made anew, their spirits bolstered. Soul-Chasing Judge Wang Fu declared, "When Azure Lord foresaw trouble, he urged us into hiding for the right moment. Under a new identity, I learned of judges dead, missing, or vanished, remaining eager with worry. To find you brothers now is a gift!" Pursuing them step by step, Sin-Karma Judge Jia Yuan laughed, "Learning of Netherworld Commander Meng’s plight spurred me out of seclusion. Commander Meng's righteousness compelled me to act against vile men!" Blade Mountain Judge Zhu Shun laughed, "Today we'll rescue Netherworld Commander Meng, and toast wild revelry after!" In that moment, laughter rang, "Should you advance further, you'll enter their ambush zone. Say farewell to revelry and prepare for eternal rest!" Jia Yuan's face changed, turning towards the voice, seeing a giant Yaoguai perched atop an enormous dog head. That Yaoguai was an unrecognized visage. "Brother, your words carry what meaning?" Jia Yuan asked tolerantly. The giant Yaoguai was Chen Shi, smirking, "Why not inquire with Netherworld Commander Meng?" The judges fixed on Meng Banshan; Wang Fu asked urgently, "Meng brother, do you harbor grievances? Speak freely!" Meng Banshan gasped, "Brothers, heed me not! Preserve strength for Azure Lord’s revival!" Impetuous, Wang Fu charged, shouting, "Fearlessly, I'll save you!" Jia Yuan grabbed his arm swiftly, grinning, "Take heed of this Yaoguai brother's insight." Chen Shi mocked, "Don’t listen to me—why not hear your good brother Meng?" Meng Banshan yelled, "Flee, now!" Judges Jia Yuan and Zhu Shun moved not an inch. Wang Fu surged to rescue but was held rigid by Jia Yuan. Meng Banshan screamed, "Leave me! For Azure Lord, I’ll face blazing trials… haha haha! No use fooling them!" Suddenly, Meng Banshan laughed uproariously, the gripping three Netherworld Commanders releasing him, laughing alongside. "We baited three King Yanluo remnants! If you weren't removed, how could Lord Wei ascend as the new King Yanluo safely?" Meng Banshan straightened, holding Chen Shi's gaze. "You're Chen Shi? Believing that if they didn’t enter, the ambush zone would not close around them?" Chen Shi blanched, racing, "Heiguo, run!" At that moment, twelve voids of immense power split nether and Yang worlds, surrounding them wholly. ------