Hell Emperor.

Chapter 556 Shen Qingge - Guidance
"What? You actually dare to ask for the Divine General's Six Harmonies Mirror?"

Upon hearing the name "Six Harmonies Treasure Mirror," General Jia Chen immediately became alert, his eyes revealing a hint of anger at being offended. To dare to ask a general for the Six Harmonies Treasure Mirror, which symbolized their status, was truly audacious.

"What? Are you scared? Otherwise, you can kowtow to me and admit your mistake." Ye Jie smiled calmly, his tone revealing a hint of contempt, which further stung Jia Chen's nerves.

"You think you're afraid? You, a mere fourth-rank ghost immortal, dare to frighten me? If you can extract the blood of the Xuanwu, why shouldn't I give you the Six Harmonies Mirror? However, I have one more condition: if you lose, you must serve me as a celestial servant for a hundred years without any complaints! I guarantee this with the name of a divine general, and with so many immortals from the Northern Darkness Sword Sect as witnesses, do you dare to accept?"

Jia Chen spoke up angrily, not hesitating to use his identity as a divine general, certain that Ye Jie was just putting on an act and would not dare to accept the bet.

Unexpectedly, Ye Jie chuckled after hearing this: "With the Divine General's promise, I am relieved. Time is of the essence, so I will go to the depths of the sword mark now to retrieve the Xuanwu blood. I hope the Divine General will prepare the Six Harmonies Mirror and hand it to me directly upon my return."

After saying that, Ye Jie ignored Jia Chen, whose face was turning purple with anger, and instead flew to the edge of the sword mark on the peak with the Guiming Sword.

Li Feie was somewhat anxious, recalling the bet they had just made, and couldn't help but worry about Ye Jie:

"Why did you agree to the bet proposed by the Divine General? We don't even know what's going on deep within the sword scar. What will we do if we fail to retrieve the Xuanwu blood?"

In response, Ye Jie simply replied, "It's rare to encounter another divine general, so of course I must find a way to obtain the Six Harmonies Mirror from him. If I can get this mirror, my Heavenly Gang Armor will be strengthened once again, so I certainly can't miss this opportunity."

After a pause, Ye Jie added, "Besides, I don't like him. It wouldn't be bad to take this opportunity to make him lose the treasure mirror and suffer a great blow."

Li Feie raised her eyebrows, as if she understood Ye Jie's meaning, and covered her mouth with a smug look, saying, "Is it because of me? It must be because of me, right? Could it be that what he just said made you jealous and unhappy, so you made a bet?"

Ye Jie rubbed his forehead: "What are you talking about? It's clearly because he also contains a dragon aura within him, and he must have mastered some kind of dragon transformation method, which conflicts with the Divine Dragon Transformation on my body, that's why I can't stand him."

Li Feie pouted, clearly dissatisfied with Ye Jie's answer.

Shen Qingge, watching the interaction between the two, couldn't help but purse her lips slightly. She had clearly seen the admiration and trust that flashed in Li Feie's eyes when she looked at Ye Jie, and a strange feeling arose in her heart. There was a sense of loss, a bittersweet feeling, and a hint of envy hidden deep inside.

In her youth, she experienced the tragedy of a master and disciple killing each other, which made her independent personality reveal a detachment that few ordinary people could approach, and destined her to be unable to speak her mind like Li Feie.

Moreover, as her master, she also had to maintain her image and authority in front of Li Feie, which meant she was destined to be unable to lower herself and could only endure it alone.

Withdrawing her gaze, Shen Qingge activated the power of the Xuan Nu Scripture, her eyes turned cold, and the chaotic thoughts in her mind disappeared. The supreme mental cultivation method of the Xuan Nu Sect brought her only complete calmness. No external strife could disturb her clear and bright mind, and she silently made a decision in her heart.

As they approached the summit, the surrounding sword pressure grew stronger and stronger. That pressure, almost tangible, could easily crush the bodies of ordinary immortals, and even Ye Jie felt somewhat strained.
"The power of this sword mark is indeed extraordinary. I now understand why so many people in the Sword Sect could not extract the Xuanwu blood hidden deep within. It seems we still have to rely on the power of the Guiming Sword."

With the Guiming Sword in hand, the surrounding sword pressure was pushed away by an invisible force, making Ye Jie and the others feel much better.

With the help of the Guiming Sword, the path ahead was unobstructed, but some pressure remained. If they continued to go deeper, the pressure would continue to increase until they could no longer move forward.

Immortals with profound cultivation can rely on their own strength to resist the surrounding pressure and travel further into the depths of the sword mark, but there is still a limit. According to the Supreme Elder, no one from the Northern Dark Sword Sect has ever been able to reach the deepest part of the sword mark in all these years, which is enough to show the power of the sword pressure.

Li Feie sensed it for a moment and was puzzled: "Didn't the elder say before that the range that Guiming Sword could cover was only enough for three people to pass through? How come it looks like there are far more than three people? Such a large range is probably enough for ten people to fly side by side, right?"

Shen Qingge, with her keen insight, spoke in a cold voice: "Our current position is only at the edge of the sword mark. As we continue to go deeper, the surrounding space will also shrink under the extreme sword pressure. The Supreme Elder did not lie to us. Perhaps in the end, it really can only accommodate three people."

Ye Jie nodded, sharing the same thought: "How to get in is one thing, but the key is how to get out. If too many people come in, and the safe space gets smaller and smaller, those on the outer edge will likely be crushed to pieces once they leave the range of the Guiming Sword."

Li Fei'e swallowed hard. The thought of being crushed by the sword sent a chill down her spine. Every opportunity comes with its own danger, and this was the best example of that. If she was not careful, there would be no chance to regret it. She immediately shrank back and stayed close to Ye Jie.

As the group moved forward, what appeared to be an empty mountain peak from the outside became increasingly dim as they arrived. Even the light and shadow were distorted under the immense pressure of the sword, and the space itself no longer seemed real.

The invisible pressure, transmitted through the Guiming Sword, directly affected the immortal bodies of everyone present. Even with the Guiming Sword left behind by the sword immortal Beichen, they were unable to move freely in this place.

"This pressure... indeed, retrieving the blood of Xuanwu is not an easy task."

Ye Jie took a deep breath, an invisible pressure falling on his shoulders. If he failed, it wouldn't just be a matter of returning empty-handed; he would also lose the bet and become a celestial servant, which would be a huge problem.

Li Feie also sensed the trouble they would face on this trip and anxiously said, "Damn it... judging by the increasing pressure of the sword, we won't be able to reach the depths of the sword mark at all."

With Li Feie's peak sixth-level cultivation, reaching the depths of the sword mark with the help of the Guiming Sword was already no easy task, let alone with Ye Jie and Shen Qingge by her side. If she forced her way forward, Li Feie might be able to withstand it, but the other two would probably be crushed to pieces by the sword pressure before they even arrived.

"What should we do now? You need to think of something quickly."

Left with no other choice, Li Feie turned her pleading gaze to Ye Jie. Despite it being Ye Jie who made the bet with the Divine General, she appeared even more anxious than Ye Jie himself.

Ye Jie gazed into the distance: "There is a way, of course... With the help of the Merit Records, I can not only modify my personal file, but also the historical file. If the modification is done properly, I may be able to erase the record of the battle between Bei Chen and Xuan Wu. At that time, both the sword mark and the blood of Xuan Wu will disappear... However, doing so may cause all sorts of unknown consequences. If there are other options, it is best not to try it."

Ye Jie looked thoughtful. Such a major event as Bei Chen's duel with Xuanwu should have been recorded in the Heavenly Craftsmanship Documents.

Hearing this, Li Feie breathed a sigh of relief. She knew Ye Jie wouldn't rashly accept the bet; he must have something to rely on. However, he wouldn't easily try until the very last step. As the two chatted, neither noticed that Shen Qingge suddenly felt a tremor in her heart and stared straight into the distance.

To the right of the sword mark, a graceful figure darted past, seemingly composed of specks of light. Though its form was indistinct, it immediately drew Shen Qingge's attention. From that figure, she felt a distinct attraction and call, as if something deep within the sword mark was beckoning her.

"what is that?"

Shen Qingge took a deep breath and quickly reminded Ye Jie and the other person beside her.

Following Shen Qingge's direction, Ye Jie also looked in the direction of Qianying and couldn't help but wonder, "Did you find something? That's not the direction we should go; instead, we'll gradually move away from the sword marks."

Li Feie was also puzzled: "Master, what are you talking about? There's clearly nothing there."

Shen Qingge opened her mouth, a hint of surprise flashing across her cold eyes. She knew that Ye Jie and Li Feie wouldn't lie to her at this time. The only possibility was that they couldn't see the beautiful figure formed by the light spot at all, and only Shen Qingge herself could see it.

"It's nothing... I probably just misread it."

Shen Qingge said no more. Approaching that beautiful figure rashly might cause trouble, so it was best to observe for the time being.

As they continued deeper, the beautiful figure remained behind, gazing at Shen Qingge from afar without uttering a word. Ye Jie, meanwhile, drew the Guiming Sword, examining it from all angles, and suddenly came to a startling conclusion:

“Logically speaking, the refining marks on a magical artifact should gradually dissipate with the death of its original owner. This is why Snake Eyes would hide the stolen treasures, waiting for the day when the original owner dies so he could claim them for himself. But I see that the refining marks on the Guiming Sword are incredibly strong, even comparable to the Seven Mysterious Mirror. Perhaps the original owner of the Guiming Sword, Fairy Beichen, is still alive.”

"What?" Li Fei'e's eyes lit up. "Is she really the successor of the Mysterious Maiden? If she is still alive, when I return to the Mysterious Maiden Sect, I must find the sect's founder and ask him to find out which founder used the alias Bei Chen and even fought against Xuanwu!"

Ye Jie chuckled in surprise: "Your ancestor did this because he obviously didn't want others to find out his identity. If you go and ask him rashly, I'm afraid you won't get any results."

Behind the two, Shen Qingge heard the news and her pupils suddenly contracted. She turned around, and the beautiful figure following behind her seemed to be shrouded in a different kind of shadow.

As the group ventured deeper, the pressure from the sword intensified, causing Ye Jie's bones to creak and crack, accompanied by an unbearable ache.

"It seems that reaching this point is the limit..."

Ye Jie took a deep breath. If he continued forward, it wouldn't be long before he was completely covered in blood, and by then it would be too late to retreat.

"As expected, with our current level of cultivation, we simply cannot obtain the blood of Xuanwu. It seems we still have to find a way from the archives."

After saying that, Ye Jie took a few steps back, preparing to rely on the celestial official power of the Four Duty Officers to summon the Heavenly Craftsman's Documents and try to modify the historical records in conjunction with the power of the Book of Life and Death. However, Shen Qingge stopped him: "Wait a minute, let me try."

Ye Jie was taken aback, but still chose to believe her: "It wouldn't hurt to give it a try. Speaking of which, you've seemed distracted since the beginning. Is something on your mind?"

Shen Qingge quickly spoke up: "Even before the sword marks, I felt a force calling to me. Now that I've entered this place, that call has become even stronger... If Fairy Beichen is really the successor of the Mysterious Maiden, I believe she would never harm me."

Ye Jie understood, and handed the Guiming Sword to Shen Qingge, asking her to lead the group forward.

Taking the Guiming Sword, Shen Qingge turned her gaze away from Ye Jie's path and looked instead at the location where the white-clad figure stood, then slowly flew over.

Although Ye Jie didn't know what had happened, he still followed. As he followed, even Ye Jie himself discovered the problem.

Logically speaking, this place is already close to the depths of the sword mark, and the surrounding sword pressure is terrifying. Even with the protection of the Guiming Sword, it would take all one's strength to move even a little.

However, following the direction chosen by Shen Qingge, there were no obstacles around, and it was as if they were in their own water, flying as if on flat ground.

"This... how is this possible?" Ye Jie was slightly taken aback, not expecting Shen Qingge to see through the mystery in the sword mark with her discerning eyes.

In Shen Qingge's sight, she was always chasing that white figure. Strangely enough, although the figure had been following her the whole way and had never been shaken off, when Shen Qingge chased after it, the figure would run away into the distance. The two always maintained a distance between them, and no matter how hard Shen Qingge tried, the distance did not shorten at all.

Can you smell it?

After an unknown amount of time, Li Feie suddenly frowned as a lingering, pungent smell, thickened by the sword's pressure, entered her nostrils.

"That smell... it's the blood of the Black Tortoise!"

Smelling that scent, Ye Jie's blood surged. It was the Nine Transformations of the Spirit Serpent from the Ten Thousand Serpent Cave, which he had also practiced. Under the stimulation of the Xuanwu blood, the Nine Transformations of the Spirit Serpent almost uncontrollably began to operate on its own.

Upon discovering the trace of Xuanwu's blood, Ye Jie was excited. As long as he could take away or refine Xuanwu's blood, he could win the bet and obtain another Six Harmonies Treasure Mirror!
Ye Jie turned his head, ready to properly thank Shen Qingge for all she had done. However, Shen Qingge's gaze, fixed on the distance, made Ye Jie's heart skip a beat; something seemed off about her.

(End of this chapter)