Hell Emperor.

Chapter 599 Ye Jie - Mark
Seeing the man's exaggerated expression, everyone was speechless for a moment, not understanding why a mere jar of osmanthus wine could cause such a big reaction.

"Is this wine... really that bad?"

Yao Bai frowned, not understanding what kind of magic was contained in the jar of wine before him that would make the Sage of Slaughtering the Moonwood he had obtained. Moreover, judging from his expression, he was clearly very satisfied with the jar of wine, extremely satisfied, even looking like he had made a profit. He tightly protected the jar behind his back, as if afraid that Ye Jie would change his mind.

Like Yao Bai, the others nearby also showed expressions of surprise, never expecting that this small jar of wine would contain such magic.

Among the crowd, only Ren Changhong showed a tempted expression. She was also particular about famous wines and had some knowledge of how to appreciate them. As soon as she smelled the fragrance of the osmanthus wine, she realized that Ye Jie's deal would definitely be successful. No immortal could refuse such a jar of osmanthus wine that could stir the soul.

Noticing the curious or envious looks on everyone's faces, Ye Jie smiled faintly and took out another small jar from his robes. He had just brewed the osmanthus wine and had set aside a considerable amount for his companions.

"I knew you'd be curious. Come and try it; it's prepared for you."

After saying that, Ye Jie took out a number of ceramic bowls from the storage magic treasure, the Crossing the Yin Banner, and distributed them to everyone one by one.

Previously, after brewing the tiger bone wine, Ye Jie was slightly dissatisfied with its quality. Even if he consumed it, he could only raise his physical strength to the level of a second-stage immortal.

Although the tiger bone wine contained the bones of the black tiger ridden by General Jia Yin, the black tiger's cultivation level was only at the fifth level, so the tiger bone wine had limited effects, only slightly improving the strength of the bones and muscles. In addition, the tiger bone wine could only be drunk once, and if it was drunk again, it would have no effect. Ye Jie did not take out this wine, but he did not expect it to come in handy now.

Using tiger bone wine as a base, after brewing osmanthus wine, the original effect of tiger bone wine in strengthening the body and bones does not disappear, but is greatly enhanced. When osmanthus is added, the quality of the entire tiger bone wine is dramatically improved. Just one sip is enough to make one's physical strength leap to the peak of the sixth level. It is a rare and precious wine.

Having obtained this fine wine, Ye Jie would certainly not forget his companions who had followed him all the way. With Ye Jie's current realm and strength, the supreme enhancement brought by various supreme-level cultivation techniques alone has made his physical strength rank at the peak of the seventh level, second only to a true eighth-level immortal. He does not need the enhancement of osmanthus wine, but his companions with varying strengths need it quite a bit.

Ye Jie poured wine for each of his companions, his thoughts drifting far away.

After gaining unlimited merit, Ye Jie originally planned to drastically modify all of his companions' files, enabling them to possess strength comparable to that of a saint. However, his good fortune did not last long. With the Demon Lord sealing his access to the other eight main books, even with his merit, Ye Jie was unable to improve his companions' strength.

Now that even the Underworld Emperor's Ghost Seal has become ineffective and can no longer modify Yin Virtue, Ye Jie can only use the Yin Virtue previously entrusted to his companions to brew the extraordinary Osmanthus Wine. Of course, he must enjoy it with his companions.

Once the wine was poured, Ren Changhong could no longer suppress his curiosity, whether it was because of the effects of the osmanthus wine or because he was attracted by its delicious taste:

"Let me taste this wine, which even the sage Shufa praised, and see what kind of flavor it contains..."

Having said that, she raised the bowl and drank the osmanthus wine in one gulp. As the wine went down her throat, a fiery heat spread through her lungs and throughout her body, but it did not make her feel unbearably hot. Instead, a subtle fragrance of osmanthus blossomed, making her feel refreshed. There was no bloody taste from the tiger bone in her mouth, only a faint sweetness.

After finishing the bowl, Ren Changhong felt that the aftertaste was endless. If it weren't for the limited quantity of osmanthus wine and the fact that she had to leave some for her other companions who had gotten separated, she would have insisted on drinking another bowl.

Beside her, Yunxiu watched Ren Changhong's actions with wide eyes, and couldn't help but feel very curious. She looked at the bowl of osmanthus wine in front of her. Was the osmanthus wine really that delicious?
To be honest, she had never tasted wine before. Having cultivated in seclusion at the foot of Lonely Phoenix Peak since childhood, she would never have tasted such a mundane thing as wine. Only by purifying her mind and reducing her desires could she become a true successor of the Mystic Maiden. At least, that was what she always believed before she saw Osmanthus Wine.

Savoring the delicate fragrance before her, Yunxiu's throat bobbed slightly, and she was about to drink the wine when suddenly someone grabbed her from behind. Turning around, she saw that the one who had grabbed her was Li Feie, who had a serious expression on her face.
“Wait a minute, Yunxiu is clearly still young. When she came down the mountain with me, she was only ten years old. Even though she was affected by the power of time during the battle with Gongcao and looked like she was fourteen or fifteen years old, her mind is still the same. How can she drink alcohol at this time? Even if it is osmanthus wine, it is not allowed.”

Seeing Li Feie's resolute attitude, even Shen Qingge was slightly surprised for a moment. However, what flashed in her eyes was not blame for Li Feie's interference, but rather the satisfaction of seeing her grow up as her master.

Ye Jie scratched his head. Li Feie's words seemed to make some sense. Before he could reply, Su Miao retorted:
"What's wrong with being fourteen or fifteen? I remember you were about that age when you went into the mortal world with your master, right? Don't even mention you, Xia Wei was even more remarkable at that age. She almost destroyed the entire continent... I don't know what's wrong with the cultivators of this era. They are so young, yet they do things that are more ruthless than old monsters who have lived for thousands of years."

As she spoke, Su Miao smiled and picked up the osmanthus wine in front of Yunxiu: "Little Yunxiu, this osmanthus wine is very delicious, don't you really want to try it?"

Li Fei'e angrily stopped Su Miao. Yun Xiu was her disciple, and she wouldn't let Su Miao do as she pleased: "Grandmaster Miao Rou, please stop causing trouble!"

Seeing this, Ye Jie smiled and said, "Are you worried that Yunxiu is still young and can't hold her liquor? Don't worry, with the addition of osmanthus, even the drunkenness will be completely dispelled by the moonlight, leaving only the sweet taste of osmanthus in your mouth."

Hearing Ye Jie's explanation, and considering that the osmanthus wine truly possessed extraordinary effects, capable of significantly enhancing physical strength—even more effective than elixirs—Li Feie didn't insist any further.

"Alright... since you all put it that way, then let Yunxiu have a little... However, she's not doing it to taste the flavor, but simply to obtain the benefits of the osmanthus wine for enhancing her immortal body!"

After receiving Fairy Fei'e's approval, Yunxiu's eyes also showed a hint of joy. Now there was no longer any obstacle between her and the osmanthus wine. She immediately followed Shen Qingge's example, picked up the bowl, covered her face with the water sleeve of her left hand, and took small sips.

But soon, the restraint she had put on was completely washed away by the taste of the osmanthus wine. She could no longer restrain herself and drank it down in big gulps. The only thing in her mind was how could there be such a delicious celestial wine in the world?

Before she knew it, the osmanthus wine in the bowl was completely empty. The lingering sweetness of the osmanthus made her ignore the slightly pouting lips of the fairy maiden beside her, and she turned to Ye Jie and said:
"This...this is so delicious! Can I have another bowl?"

Ye Jie smiled and then turned his gaze to Li Feie, who was standing to the side: "Well... I'm afraid you need to ask Feie first."

That being said, seeing that his companions were quite satisfied with the taste of the osmanthus wine, and even its bone-strengthening effects were secondary, Ye Jie certainly couldn't keep them waiting. He was about to pour more wine when what he saw surprised him slightly. "Hmm? Why is the wine jar empty?"

Ye Jie blinked, somewhat puzzled. Before this, after filling each of his companions' bowls, there was still a little more than half a jar of wine left. How come all the osmanthus wine in the jar was gone after this short while? Could it be that the wine in the jar grew legs and ran away on its own?

"What's going on?"

Yao Bai looked around with the others, but her unconscious hiccup gave her away.

Ye Jie rubbed his forehead and said that the wine in the jar was empty. It turned out that Yao Bai had drunk all the wine in the jar without anyone noticing, leaving not a single drop.

Left with no other choice, Ye Jie had to put the wine jar away: "It seems that if we want to drink osmanthus wine, we'll have to wait until next time. Osmanthus flowers are blessed with the power of the moon, so osmanthus wine is brewed quite quickly without a long wait, but there's no time to continue brewing now, we have more important things to do."

Hearing Ye Jie mention this, the companions also remembered the heavy responsibility they were currently shouldering. Besides them, there were many more companions whose whereabouts were unknown. The worst-case scenario was that they were still staying near the Moon Palace, imprisoned and held captive by the palace fairies.

Now that the laurel wood needed to forge the divine weapon has been obtained, and the rest after drinking osmanthus wine has restored everyone's confidence, sweeping away their previous despondency, it's time to start doing something more important.

Su Miao sighed, "If Sister Yaoyin were here too, I could taste the osmanthus wine. It seems there's no chance... Really, I wonder where she is. Could she be imprisoned and punished by the Ancestral Master?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Jie couldn't help but glance at Yao Bai beside him. He had originally intended to save some osmanthus wine so that he could let the rest of his companions taste it after they reunited. However, Yao Bai had drunk all the remaining wine.

However, Ye Jie couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. When exactly did Yao Bai drink that osmanthus wine? Even he, who had reached the Saint Realm, hadn't noticed Yao Bai's actions due to a moment of carelessness.

Without the osmanthus wine, apart from Hua Xiaomei's slight complaint, the other companions did not blame Yao Bai, but simply assumed it was an unintentional act on her part.

After drinking the most osmanthus wine, Yao Bai's face turned slightly red. Although the osmanthus wine contained the power of osmanthus, it was still wine. Even if she drank a little, it wouldn't have any effect, but if she drank too much, she would still feel drunk. That was exactly what she was feeling right now.

"It's a wonder you were able to find the method of brewing wine and persuade the sage Shufa who was being punished here. According to my original plan, you were sure to be scolded by him and return empty-handed."

Yao Bai's eyes darted around, and she nudged Ye Jie with her elbow, her words becoming more casual, with a hint of teasing in them.

Ye Jie's lips twitched: "Can't you think of something better? Why do you want us to return empty-handed?"

Yao Bai waved his hand: "I'm not cursing you. For many years, countless immortals have come here to search for the Sage of Slaughtering Wood, wanting to obtain the laurel wood he cut down, but in the end they all came up empty-handed. No one could persuade him, whose heart was as firm as a rock. He was punished here for hundreds of years. You are the only ones who succeeded."

Ye Jie understood. It seemed that Yao Bai's speculation was not without basis, but rather based on historical judgments over many years.

Even if an ordinary immortal offered the most precious magic treasures or the most abundant merit, they could not move the sage before them. He seemed to be only interested in fine wine, and what kind of fine wine in the world could compare to the osmanthus wine brewed by the Kitchen God himself?

Thinking of this, Ye Jie's gaze couldn't help but fall on the distant Sage of Slaughter. Speaking of which, he had heard the legend of the Sage of Slaughter in the past. It was said that he had offended the Jade Emperor and was punished to come here to cut down the ever-standing Laurel King day and night.

"Are you alright? Does this osmanthus wine suit your taste?"

Thinking of this, Ye Jie spoke slowly, asking the distant Sage Shufa.

The Sage of Shufa laughed heartily: "It's not just to my liking, it's absolutely delicious! I've been here for decades and had forgotten the true taste of the immortal wine. Thank you for letting me taste that unforgettable flavor again... Alas, I just don't know when this will ever end."

After listening to the words of the Sage of Shufa, Ye Jie frowned slightly, then glanced at Yao Bai beside him. He felt that something was not right, so he asked, "If I may ask, do you remember how long you have been here?"

The Sage of Slaughter nodded: "Of course I remember. How could I forget something so important? Every year I stay here, I add a mark to the distant wooden stake. By now, there must be dozens of marks there."

"A mark? Could it be..."

Ye Jie frowned. Sure enough, he found the marks made by an axe on the wooden stake in the distance. After counting them carefully, he couldn't help but frown.

“Thirty-nine…forty…how come there are only forty engravings? Haven’t you been here for hundreds of years? There should be hundreds of engravings.” Ye Jie took a deep breath and hurriedly asked.

“What? Hundreds of years? I don’t want to stay here for that long. If there are only forty marks, it means I’ve only been here for forty years. At most, I’ll be able to escape from here in ten more years!” Sage Shufa shook his head and replied.

(End of this chapter)