Hell Emperor.

Chapter 565 Ye Jie - The Fishing Saint of the Azure Sea
"In my opinion, this bamboo basket for holding fish is quite suitable."

As Ye Jie spoke, everyone's attention fell on the unassuming bamboo basket.

"Within the bamboo basket lies the heartfelt longing of an ordinary person. Although the fisherwoman was deceived for a time, her desire to reunite with her husband was genuine. Otherwise, she wouldn't have risked being seen as an oddity by others by having someone buy fish to release. If there is any object nearby that embodies such profound longing, it is none other than the bamboo basket right here."

Upon learning of Ye Jie's choice, Huangji Ribbonfish also looked at the fish basket. This item was closely related to its life, so it had to be treated with care.

"Very well, I will now consecrate the fish basket. The power of consecration can only be activated once every ten years. If the final magic weapon does not satisfy the immortal, please forgive me..."

The Imperial Ribbonfish gathered spiritual power, and its innate supernatural abilities were activated. It spewed out a stream of auspicious and radiant immortal energy, which enveloped the bamboo basket below.

The ethereal energy seeped into the fish basket little by little, making each woven thread shimmer and causing ripples in the water. As the fish basket gently swayed, it was as if one could hear whispers from the deep sea, expressing unspoken longing.

Having completed its transformation, the Imperial Ribbonfish was utterly exhausted, its scales dull and lifeless, weakly blowing bubbles.

"Success! Should I say I underestimated the ambitions of mortals? This fish basket has actually reached the third rank, stepping into the realm of divine artifacts. It will surely satisfy the immortals!"

Sensing the rich, ethereal aura emanating from the fish basket, everyone couldn't help but cover their mouths.

Li Feie was slightly taken aback: "How is this possible... If this were a fish basket that a Celestial Venerable carries with him, it might be transformed into a divine artifact through constant exposure. But its owner is clearly just a mortal fishwoman. How could such great power be contained within the thoughts of a mortal?"

Su Miao looked at the ribbonfish in the basket: "Rather than saying that the thoughts of mortals are profound, it is more accurate to say that the divine power of the Imperial Ribbonfish is powerful. No matter how profound the thoughts are, they cannot be transformed into actual power."

Ye Jie slowly stepped forward, grasped the handle above the fish basket, and the name of this divine artifact appeared in his mind:
"Thinking of your fish basket... Looking across the Northern Sea, I'm afraid there's no better fish basket than this, except perhaps in the Dragon Palace."

Mortals may never be able to match the vision and strength of immortals, but their most sincere feelings are exactly the same.

With the fish basket in hand, Ye Jie's biggest concern was something else entirely.

"With this Nianjun Fish Basket, I'm sure my next job change is going to be successful, so..."

Ye Jie's next promotion to the Celestial Official rank is the late-stage fourth-level Cangming Fishing Saint. To become the Cangming Fishing Saint, he needs a basket of fish.

Previously, Ye Jie didn't know where to find a fish-filled bamboo basket, especially a high-grade one. If the grade wasn't high enough, he wouldn't be able to obtain the power of a celestial official. Unexpectedly, he has now found one.

As soon as Ye Jie had a thought, the bamboo basket containing the fish suddenly disappeared. Huangji Ribbonfish was slightly stunned and before it could react, it felt a strong sense of weightlessness and fell down along with the water in the basket. Fortunately, Li Feie was quick-witted and gathered the scattered water into a large, suspended droplet.

At the same time, a series of messages also appeared on the eight-page stitched page:

[Book of Life and Death Records:]

In the summer of the 640th year of the Moro calendar, Ye Jie spent a basket of fish to modify his rank records.

[The mid-stage of the fourth-tier, fourth-duty official has been changed to the late-stage of the fourth-tier, Cangming Fishing Saint.]

The powers and authority of the Four Duty Officers have been inherited.

[The quality of the fish-filled bamboo basket exceeds the minimum promotion requirements; the Celestial Official's powers have been unlocked.]

[Cangming Fishing Saint: Fishing in the cold river, a basket full of big fish. When fishing, it's easier to catch rare fish. Every time you fish, there will definitely be a fish on the hook within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. When a fish bites, the fishing rod and line will never break, and the fish that bites cannot use any special abilities. You can use baiting techniques on rivers and lakes, casting bait beforehand to attract specific types of fish. If no type is specified, it will attract any type of fish depending on the quality of the bait. Each type of fish can only be baited once per day. You can summon an unlimited-capacity fish-holding basket, which can only hold fish caught by hand.]

Normally, if Ye Jie saw such celestial official power, he would definitely cry out that he had been tricked.

How could a celestial official be so focused on fishing? The ability to never miss a catch is impressive, but it doesn't help improve his strength at all. Aside from raising his cultivation level, he's wasting a precious opportunity to gain power.

But now, Ye Jie smiled slightly, thinking that the power of the Cangming Fishing Saint might be of great help to him in the present moment.

Seeing Ye Jie remain silent for a long time, Huangji Daiyu thought he was about to go back on his word, so he quickly poked his head out and begged for mercy:
"Immortal, I have transformed the fish basket into a divine artifact as you requested. Can you now spare me?"

At this moment, a gaze also fell on Ye Jie. Looking up, the fishmonger who had just sold him the fish had now composed herself and come to the shore, wanting to see if he had really kept his promise and released all the fish back into the wild.

"Of course you can, you're free now."

After saying that, Ye Jie waved his hand, and the Imperial Ribbonfish fell into the ocean.

Surrounded by the cold ocean, the royal ribbonfish was momentarily stunned. When it realized that it had regained its freedom and could now leap freely in the vast sea, it was overjoyed. Without even saying goodbye, it rushed into the depths of the ocean and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, Su Miao was still resentful: "Are you just going to release the Imperial Ribbonfish like that? Don't you know how precious it is..."

Ye Jie didn't answer, but slowly backed away, coming to the side of the fisherwoman from before: "Do you have a fishing rod?"

"A fishing rod... my husband used to have one."

The fisherwoman nodded and went to get the fishing rod Ye Jie needed. Before long, she returned with her son, Xiaofeng.

Xiao Feng handed the fishing rod he had brought to Ye Jie: "Immortal, this is my father's treasured fishing rod. No one else is allowed to touch it. However, since you want it, you may take it and use it!"

Ye Jie took the fishing rod. It wasn't a simple single-section bamboo rod, but a detachable rod made up of multiple sections, making it quite complicated to use.

If it were the Ye Jie of the past, he might have had to ask Xiao Feng how to use a fishing rod, but now that he has become the Cangming Fishing Saint, he can use any fishing gear with ease. He picked up the scattered rod pieces and quickly assembled them into a long rod, and then assembled the fishing line.

Seeing Ye Jie's skillful handling, even using a long fishing rod with ease, Xiao Feng asked curiously, "Immortal, are you going fishing? Do immortals fish often?" Ye Jie smiled and replied, "I'm not interested in small fish. I'm going to catch a big one."

"Immortal! Immortal!"

Before the words were finished, a cry of alarm came from afar, drawing everyone's attention. Huangji Ribbonfish poked its head out of the water, its expression panicked: "Something terrible has happened... I can sense the aura of Lei Kun. It must be coming to kill me again!"

As if to confirm its words, the originally clear and sunny sky suddenly darkened, and dark clouds spread from afar, and if you listened carefully, you could hear the roar of lightning.

"The fish... spoke?" Xiaofeng opened his mouth wide, subconsciously pinched himself, wondering if he was dreaming.

"coming!"

Ye Jie had anticipated this. When he released the Royal Ribbonfish, he activated his baiting power to lure out the Thunder Kun and use it as bait in the sea. Now, the Thunder Kun has arrived as expected.

Ye Jie glanced at the Imperial Ribbonfish and deliberately asked, "This Thunder Kun is clearly here to eat you, what are you doing back here? Why don't you swim away quickly so as not to harm the mortals here."

The Royal Ribbonfish looked embarrassed. Not long ago, it had begged Ye Jie to release it. Now that it had just entered the sea and finally gained its freedom, it wanted to stay by Ye Jie's side and not leave.

This went on and on, until even it felt a little embarrassed, but since its life was at stake, it had no choice but to grit its teeth and speak:
"Immortal, you jest... Even at my peak, I was no match for Lei Kun. With my current strength, I'm afraid I'd be swallowed whole by Lei Kun, leaving not even a fishbone or scraps. I beg you, Immortal, to have mercy and save my life. I will be eternally grateful..."

"Now that you say so..."

Ye Jie turned his head slightly and looked at Shen Qingge beside him: "Qingge, lend me the Guiming Sword."

Sensing Lei Kun's powerful aura, Shen Qingge didn't hesitate to summon the Guiming Sword from her sea of ​​consciousness and hand it to Ye Jie, reminding him:

"Although the Guiming Sword is a second-grade divine artifact, its refiner is still the legendary Fairy Beichen. I only received the inheritance and can use it temporarily. No one else can use it at all. If you want to use the power of this sword to deal with Lei Kun, you will be disappointed... What are you doing?"

Finally, Shen Qingge's eyelids twitched. Ye Jie had tied the Guiming Sword to the end of the fishing line right in front of her. What exactly was he planning to do?
Ye Jie did not answer, but instead threw the Guiming Sword into the sea towards the Huangji Ribbonfish: "Bite it down, and if you want to live, never let go no matter what."

Huangji Ribbonfish dared not refuse, after all, it needed Ye Jie's help. If it wanted to save its life from Lei Kun's mouth, it could only rely on Ye Jie now. So it held on tightly to Guiming Sword, not daring to let go for a moment.

"This place is near an island inhabited by ordinary people. To avoid harming innocent people, we will go somewhere else."

Having said that, he cast his fishing rod and flew away with the Imperial Ribbonfish into the distance, arriving at the location left by Fairy Beichen in the blink of an eye.

Towering waves and howling thunder filled the sky. At the edge of the horizon, a colossal creature born of the creation of heaven and earth emerged from the darkness. The ferocious face of the Thunder Kun was revealed in its entirety at this moment, and its gaping maw, like that of an abyss, sent chills down one's spine.

Beneath the dark clouds, Ye Jie stood in mid-air, his figure unmoving. Facing such a divine beast, what he held in his hand was not a sword, but a long fishing rod.

Li Feie followed along, somewhat dumbfounded. She watched Ye Jie's actions and couldn't help but gape: "Judging from his posture... he doesn't intend to fight Lei Kun, but rather to lure Lei Kun in? Has he gone mad?"

Shen Qingge's cold eyes widened in surprise, but she could see through Ye Jie's thoughts: "So, he's afraid the fishing hook will be bitten off by the Thunder Kun, that's why he's going to the Guiming Sword..."

Shen Qingge's words only fueled Li Feie's anger: "Using the Guiming Sword as a fishing hook? How could he even think of that? Who fishes with a straight hook?"

Su Miao seemed to remember something, and a strange look appeared in her eyes as she looked at Ye Jie: "No, there really is such a person... I heard that in the ancient times of the Investiture of the Gods, there was an immortal who used a straight hook to fish, and later immortals revered him as the fishing saint!"

boom!
A deafening roar interrupted everyone's words. The Thunder Kun was already close by. Its dark blue scales were even deeper than the deepest ocean. Ordinary immortals would be paralyzed by the electric arcs on the Thunder Kun's body just by getting close. In the face of that power that dominated heaven and earth, immortals were as insignificant as dust. It opened its huge mouth and was about to swallow the Imperial Ribbonfish and Ye Jie behind it.

"careful!"

Li Feie cried out in alarm. Even as a sixth-level peak cultivator skilled in the Dao of Thunder, she felt weak in the knees in front of Lei Kun, let alone Ye Jie, whose cultivation level was even lower than hers.

Among everyone, only Shen Qingge was able to remain unfazed when facing Lei Kun. Lei Kun's strength was actually on par with the Lord of the Ten Thousand Serpent Cave, and no one below the seventh level could contend with him!
"Well done!"

Ye Jie laughed heartily. After becoming the Fishing Saint of Cangming, he controlled the fishing rod with ease. With a slight shake of the bowl, the Imperial Ribbonfish and the Guiming Sword disappeared into the belly of the Thunder Kun.

In an instant, an incredibly powerful force was transmitted through the fishing rod. The force was like a dragon whipping its tail. Even if an ordinary fishing rod was made of black iron and the fishing line was made of dragon tendons, it would break in an instant. But the ordinary fishing rod in Ye Jie's hand showed no signs of breaking except for a slight bend. Even the fishing line remained perfectly stable.

The power of the celestial official was fully revealed at this moment! Under the grace of Heaven, Ye Jie's fishing rod and line would never break while he was fishing!

The only thing to worry about is that the fishhook was bitten to pieces by Lei Kun. As a bloodstained and ferocious object, the fishhook is not protected by the power of the celestial officials. Fortunately, with the indestructible nature of the Guiming Sword, there is no need to worry.

However, the strength with which Lei Kun struggled was somewhat beyond Ye Jie's expectations.

Under that overwhelming force, an ordinary immortal would probably be dragged along by the Thunder Kun. If they didn't let go, they might even be dragged into the depths of the ocean. As a result, the fishing rod slipped from their hands, and the Thunder Kun was released.

All of this was not difficult for Ye Jie.

His figure remained motionless. The Fishing Saint of Cangming had bestowed upon Ye Jie countless years of fishing experience. He activated his immortal energy and with a slight twitch of the rod, the force that caused Lei Kun to struggle violently backward was neutralized by a gentler force. Although that force was far weaker than Lei Kun's, it was able to deflect a thousand pounds with four ounces, leading Lei Kun by the nose the whole time, making it swim wherever he wanted.

Behind them, everyone gaped in disbelief at what they were seeing. Li Feie was even more frantic. Before coming to Beiming, she did say that Ye Jie should fish for her to eat, but she did not say that Ye Jie should fish for Lei Kun!
When Lei Kun took the bait, all his abilities were sealed, leaving him with only his immortal energy. After a long struggle, he finally ran out of strength. Ye Jie seized the opportunity, suddenly lifted the rod, and shouted, "Lift it up!"

With a crisp sound of waves crashing, water sprayed everywhere. The Thunder Kun, heavier than a mountain and with a body stretching for thousands of feet, was pulled out by Ye Jie. The moment it was completely dehydrated, even the sea level suddenly dropped.

Ye Jie seized the opportunity and summoned the fish-holding basket. The basket shone with precious light, and the body of the Thunder Kun that was caught shrank continuously until it was sucked into the basket. Peeking out, the Thunder Kun that was once incomparably powerful was now only the size of a loach.

(End of this chapter)