Hell Emperor.

Chapter 564 Ye Jie - A Strange Encounter
Carrying the fish in the basket, Ye Jie and his group arrived at the shore.

On the way, Li Feie and the others looked at each other in silence. They thought Ye Jie was just going to join in the fun, but they didn't expect him to get involved in such a thing.

Li Feie was somewhat speechless: "Releasing a hundred fish and the Underworld Emperor will send back her dead husband? What kind of good thing is that? Could it be that the woman is desperate and has lost even the most basic rationality? Or has she been deceived and can't see reality?"

Shen Qingge glanced at her and admonished, "Mortals in despair will always try to grasp at the slightest possibility, even if it means losing their minds. You must take this as a warning and never repeat this person's mistakes."

Li Fei'e shrugged. She wasn't so stupid as to not be able to distinguish between real and fake. Suddenly, her gaze fell on the fish basket that Ye Jie was carrying:
"Hmm? I didn't look closely just now, but the fish in the basket is as long and slender as a silk scarf, with a shiny, shimmering dorsal fin, as if it were edged with gold. Its appearance is quite eye-catching. I wonder what kind of fish it is..."

Shen Qingge replied, "This is a yellowfin ribbonfish."

Ye Jie, however, saw more in Li Feie's eyes and subtly moved the fish basket aside: "What do you want to do?"

Li Feie approached, her slender feet moving lightly. She activated her Flowing Wind and Returning Snow Steps, causing a layer of ice crystals to condense on the ground. She then glided freely around Ye Jie along this icy path.

"This ribbonfish has delicious flesh; it would be wonderful to fry it in a hot pan with cold oil..."

Ye Jie said helplessly, "Didn't you hear what the fish woman said? It's not for eating, but for releasing back into the wild."

Li Fei'e pouted, unwilling to give up: "What do you mean by releasing animals? Didn't you yourself say that releasing animals will prevent them from fulfilling their mission? We must eat them so that they can accumulate good karma!"

Ye Jie scratched his head: "That's true, but I promised the fishwoman I would release these fish back into the wild. I can't go back on my word, can I?"

Li Feie's eyes darted around: "How about this, you release it into my stomach, wouldn't that solve the problem?"

"Is that still considered releasing animals?"

"Well... you let it go first, and then I'll catch it back from behind, is that alright?" Li Feie suggested again.

Ye Jie's lips twitched: "Why do you always pick on this fish?"

Li Feie raised her delicate chin, her unwavering gaze revealing a girlish charm:
"I just want to taste it, is that not allowed? Besides, I've been in Mirror Moon Cave for so many years and I haven't eaten any fish yet. You clearly said before that you would catch a few fish for me after we came to Beiming, but now you've changed your mind..."

As she finished speaking, Li Feie's voice trailed off. Although she tried her best not to show it, Ye Jie could still hear the disappointment in her voice.

"Alright." Seeing this, Ye Jie had no choice but to agree. "I only promised to put it back into the sea. As for what will happen to it afterward, whether it will be eaten by other big fish or caught and eaten by someone, that's not my business. It's its own fate."

Sensing Ye Jie's tacit approval, Li Feie smiled, her pretty face revealing charming dimples.

Behind her, Shen Qingge's hand gripping her sword tightened involuntarily.

How could Ye Jie agree so easily? He had just promised the fishwoman to release all the fish in the basket, so how did he end up putting them back into Li Feie's belly?
Besides, shouldn't he have stuck to his own opinion and insisted on saving the life? How could he be so easily swayed by Li Feie? Shouldn't he at least have refused? Are Li Feie's words really that important?

Shen Qingge muttered to herself, her expression remaining aloof and unapproachable. If this continued, the Dao Heart she had painstakingly gathered would begin to waver, so she quickly steadied herself.

Upon reaching the shore, wooden stakes extended outwards from the beach, with heavy wooden planks laid on top to form a smooth pier. Ye Jie walked to the end of the pier, lifted the fish basket, and poured the fish inside into it.

Once the fish entered the water, they immediately regained their former vitality, swimming and swaying their tails until they disappeared without a trace in a few moments.

The yellowfin ribbonfish that Li Feie had her eye on was the same. As soon as it entered the water, it transformed into a sharp arrow, completely unlike its sickly appearance in the basket before. Its vigorous momentum made it seem as if it wanted to leave everything behind.

"Want to escape?"

Li Feie's eyes narrowed. Having long been eyeing the yellowfin ribbonfish, how could she give it a chance to escape? She immediately reached out and unleashed her immortal energy, preparing to pull it out of the sea.

The power of a sixth-level immortal is far beyond what ordinary fish can withstand. Not long ago, she fought against the Lord of the Ten Thousand Serpent Cave. Now, catching fish is naturally a piece of cake for her.

However, things took an unexpected turn. The ribbonfish, its body swaying erratically, resisted Li Feie's grasp and plunged headlong into the ocean without looking back.

"Ok?"

Even Ye Jie vaguely sensed the problem; that ribbonfish seemed to be more complex than everyone had imagined.

"A dragon emerges from the water."

As soon as the words were spoken, a turbulent eddy suddenly surged from the depths of the ocean, engulfing the yellowfin ribbonfish and transforming it into a dragon with flying scales and claws. The dragon leaped out of the water and brought the yellowfin ribbonfish back to the crowd.

"What's going on? Was it just my imagination? Just a moment ago, it seemed to have resisted my immortal energy."

Li Feie was slightly curious. With her cultivation at the peak of the sixth level, she was already at the pinnacle of this continent. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as earth-shattering. Yet, she had almost let a fish escape through her fingers without realizing it. It seemed rather unusual.

However, she didn't take it too seriously, thinking it was just because she hadn't been serious enough. If she had been serious, she wouldn't have let the fish escape.

Ye Jie stared at the ribbonfish in his hand, deep in thought: "It seems that this fish has become a spirit. It must be a demon that has taken human form and deliberately lurked here. I'm afraid it has ill intentions. If we let it go, someone might be harmed by it in the future. We should get rid of it now!"

"Immortal, spare me! Immortal, spare me..."

Before Ye Jie could make a move, a strange cry of pleas for mercy suddenly rang in everyone's ears. It sounded heartbreaking, and the ribbonfish began to struggle violently, coughing as it struggled, clearly having difficulty breathing.

"Did you hear that? It just spoke!" Yunxiu's eyes widened in disbelief. However, after encountering snake demons and battling various powerful figures along the way, the appearance of a talking fish was not a rare occurrence.

Ye Jie put it back in the fish basket, then transformed it into water to give it a place to live. Only then did he speak: "What kind of demon are you? Why are you hiding here, and what are your intentions?" Li Feie stroked her chin: "Since you are a demon, that's great! A demon's body is nourished by spiritual energy, and its flesh is more delicious than that of ordinary wild animals. It can definitely be cooked into a top-quality dish!"

Upon hearing their words, the ribbonfish trembled with fear and dared not even breathe.

The attitudes of mortals and immortals towards monsters are completely opposite. Mortals fear monsters and worry about dying in their mouths, but great monsters fear immortals, especially those who belong to the Heavenly Court, who are all masters of devouring monsters without spitting out the bones.

"Immortal, you are unaware of my true nature. I did not intentionally hide here, nor did I harm anyone here. I am simply trapped here and cannot leave even if I wanted to," the ribbonfish hurriedly explained. "Immortal, your strength is astonishing. Please spare my life, just like that fish woman did! If you release me back to Beiming, you will surely reward me handsomely in the future!"

Ye Jie raised an eyebrow. He hadn't mentioned releasing the fish, so why did the ribbonfish bring it up itself? The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed, so he said:

"So, you bewitched that fish woman, tricking her into believing that the Underworld Emperor would send her husband back, in order to get her to release you?"

When the truth came out, Daiyu was slightly embarrassed: "I just whispered a few words, who knew she would actually believe it, and even said that God had been merciful... Besides, I was the one who cheered her up and helped her find a goal to move forward. She should be thanking me."

Ye Jie coldly looked at the ribbonfish: "You deceived her with lies that cannot be kept. When the hope she finally rekindled was shattered again, she will suffer a thousand times more grief than before. You harmful demon, it seems you cannot be allowed to live!"

Having said that, Ye Jie revealed his murderous intent and prepared to completely kill this deceitful and wicked fish.

"Wait! Immortal, you may not know this, but I am a descendant of the Dragon King of the North Sea. If you spare me, I will certainly offer a reward that will satisfy you..."

Seeing that Ye Jie was determined to kill, the ribbonfish struggled violently, wishing it could jump its whole body out of the fish basket.

Upon hearing this, Li Feie couldn't help but scoff: "You're nothing but a ribbonfish, yet you dare to impersonate a descendant of the Dragon King? You really know how to make yourself look good. And you even offer us a reward that satisfies us? Do you know what level of immortals we are? You're not going to just offer some scrap metal, are you?"

Seeing an opportunity, the ribbonfish immediately spoke up:
"Don't look down on me now. I am the Emperor of the Northern Sea, who once roamed the Northern Sea. If I hadn't been harmed by that ferocious beast and lost all my cultivation, how could I have fallen to such a state?"

"Are you really the Imperial Ribbonfish?"

Upon learning the identity of the ribbonfish, Su Miao's eyes lit up. Long before she came to Beiming, she had heard the legend of the Imperial Ribbonfish. It was an extremely precious treasure fish. If an immortal ate it, his cultivation level would advance by leaps and bounds. Even just a breath from the Imperial Ribbonfish could turn mortal objects into treasures.

The ribbonfish nodded repeatedly, but after noticing Su Miao's gaze, it withdrew its head, feeling that revealing its identity might not be a good thing.

Ye Jie's focus, however, was on something else: "You just said that you were harmed by a ferocious beast, which is why you look like this now? I wonder what kind of ferocious beast harmed you?"

Huangji Ribbonfish dared not conceal the truth and answered truthfully:
"That day, I was roaming freely in the Northern Sea when I was suddenly targeted by the evil Thunder Kun. It pursued me relentlessly, severely injuring me, intending to devour and refine me. However, like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, it is now in dire straits as well. I thought I had escaped a calamity, but unfortunately, I lost all my cultivation and fell into a child's trap, almost becoming food on a plate. Fortunately, I used a clever trick to barely survive, but I never expected that the immortal would see through my scheme..."

In the end, Huangji Ribbonfish sighed inwardly. In recent days, its spiritual power had recovered slightly, but the terrible injuries left by Lei Kun had still shattered its immortal position, making its realm much weaker than before. It had originally planned to escape when it entered the sea, but it was caught and brought back.

"So, the Thunder Kun was attracted by you. Xiao Feng's family has suffered an undeserved disaster." Ye Jie nodded, then asked, "When you came here, did you see an island hidden beneath the illusion array?"

"An illusion array? An island?" Huangji Daiyu looked astonished. "I have lived here for hundreds of years and have never heard of any illusion array or island here. Could it be that the Immortal has made a mistake?"

Ye Jie frowned: "Do you know if there is anything in this area related to the Underworld Emperor?"

Huangji Ribbonfish's grey-white eyes darted around, but he didn't answer. Instead, he said, "A powerful immortal like you would come to this nameless island. Could it be that you're looking for traces left by the Underworld Emperor?"

Ye Jie didn't hide anything: "You're right. Since you are a descendant of the Dragon King, if you can provide me with information that satisfies me, I might let you go."

Huangji Ribbonfish suddenly seemed to see a glimmer of hope and said, "Let me think... Emperor of the Underworld... Could it be that you are looking for the legendary Avici Hell?"

"The Avici Hell? What's that?" Ye Jie asked.

“That is the Dharma Realm refined by the Great Emperor of the Underworld. It is said to have incredible power. I don’t know where it is now, or what exactly is inside, I don’t know either…” Huangji Daiyu pondered for a long time before finally speaking.

Ye Jie shook his head: "You know neither the effects of the Avici Hell nor its exact location, so you haven't said anything at all. It seems your life is coming to an end."

Huangji Daiyu's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly spoke:

"Although I do not know the information about the Underworld Emperor, I can help the immortals to transform magic treasures. This is the innate ability of the Imperial Ribbonfish, which can transform worthless inanimate objects into high-grade magic treasures by relying on the thoughts attached to them."

"A thought?" Ye Jie asked, puzzled.

Beside her, Li Feie seemed to recall something: "If objects in the world are not refined, they can continuously absorb the thoughts of people, whether it is resentment or desire. As long as they absorb enough thoughts and are nourished by heaven and earth, they can transform into spirits under certain circumstances. I remember there was a stone lion spirit outside the Ziwei Palace before."

"I see." After Li Feie said that, Ye Jie also remembered, and then asked Shen Qingge to take out the Guiming Sword and said to Huangji Daiyu, "In that case, you should enlighten this Guiming Sword and upgrade its grade again."

"This..." Huangji Daiyu looked at Guiming Sword with a troubled expression, and finally shook his head, "I can only enlighten unrefined mortal objects. As for objects that have been refined or are magic treasures, I cannot enlighten them."

"All right……"

Upon hearing that the Imperial Ribbonfish had limited capabilities and couldn't upgrade the grade of existing magic treasures, Ye Jie's interest waned considerably. Even if the Imperial Ribbonfish was powerful, could it possibly be able to enhance a divine artifact? Nevertheless, he decided to give it a try.

Li Feie looked around and began searching: "Ordinary objects... are there any suitable ordinary objects around here? Not only must they be of good quality, but they must also embody deep sentiments. Where are we supposed to find such things?"

Ye Jie glanced sideways at the fish basket containing the Imperial Ribbonfish, thinking that perhaps the right thing was right in front of him.

(End of this chapter)