Hell Emperor.

Chapter 605 Ye Jie - Intelligence
"The Yama Emperor you speak of... is he the Great Emperor of the Underworld?"

Ye Jie took a deep breath and asked the question solemnly.

The man said calmly, “The Yama Emperor is the ruler of the Kushan Empire. In different regions, he has different titles: Son of Heaven, Maharaja, the valiant savior, the giant god who protects the world. The title you mentioned, the Great Emperor of the Underworld, sounds like one he likes.”

The group exchanged glances, all seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

The Underworld Emperor, who single-handedly established the cycle of reincarnation, distinguished between good and evil, and left a profound mark on the Three Realms, appeared in the same era as everyone else. When the legend became reality, the meaning behind it shocked everyone.

Hua Xiaomei's teeth chattered. As a ghost messenger, she naturally knew the legend of the Underworld Emperor. Besides his majesty, what was also known was his terror:
"The Emperor of the Underworld... He really is in this era!"

Nan Linghe blinked, her gaze falling on Ye Jie: "If the Underworld Emperor were in this era, wouldn't the red veil also be here? I'd really like to see her in this era..."

Shen Qingge frowned slightly: "This is only that man's side of the story. It's best not to believe it completely. Whether it's true or not, we can only draw a conclusion after we investigate."

Ye Jie understood; he meant the same thing.

If the Underworld Emperor were in this era, wouldn't that mean that the complete Book of Life and Death would also exist?
Ye Jie's nine sewn pages had long been locked by the Lord of the Demon Palace, leaving only one usable page. Who would have thought that by chance, he would arrive in the era of the Underworld Emperor five hundred years ago.

Thinking of this, Ye Jie spoke again, asking the man, "Do you know where the Yama Emperor is? Where should we go to find him?"

The man said impatiently, "Why are you asking so many questions? Are you still not done? No matter what, breaking the Xuan Nu statue is your fault, and you must compensate us!"

Li Fei'e's brows furrowed: "We didn't blame you for disgracing the name of Xuan Nu, and now you're asking us for compensation?"

Ye Jie coughed and pulled Li Feie back, thinking it best not to cause any more trouble. He then took out worldly gold and silver from his pocket, intending to settle the matter by making compensation. After all, the gold and silver in the Crossing Yin Banner were piled up like a mountain of gold, and there was no way he would ever run out of them.

To everyone's surprise, the man took the fist-sized gold ingot, examined it closely, and his expression immediately changed drastically: "This is counterfeit gold! How dare you use counterfeit gold! How dare you!"

"What?" Ye Jie scratched his head. This gold ingot was exchanged with him by the God of Wealth, and he had inspected it. How could it be fake? "Take a closer look. These are all genuine gold ingots, not fakes."

The man's expression was solemn as he sternly declared, "All gold and silver spirit coins used must be produced uniformly by the Royal Mint, bearing the image or bust of the Yama Emperor! The ingots you've presented have no proof whatsoever; what else could they be but counterfeit gold!"

The man's pupils darkened slightly, and he beckoned behind him, drawing a group of hands together.

"I knew you weren't here with good intentions, but I never expected you'd even bring out counterfeit gold! You don't even understand these rules; you must be from an enemy country. You must be properly interrogated!"

With that, he ordered his men, "Capture the women alive, kill the men and take their bones to the ossuary!"

As soon as he gave the order, the people nearby moved closer to Ye Jie and his group, their eyes filled with undisguised killing intent.

Ye Jie's gaze darkened slightly. Even though he didn't want to cause any more trouble and intended to let things go, he never expected that these people would insist on coming up to their deaths. Since that was the case, he couldn't be blamed.

As Ye Jie's thoughts stirred, the aura of the Saint Realm descended from all directions without concealment. The moment that aura that surpassed all living beings appeared, even the space itself could not withstand this power, and cracks continued to spread.

Needless to say, the men were no match for the saint. When the saint's pressure descended, it felt as if a mountain was on their shoulders. They couldn't even put up a fight and collapsed to the ground instantly. In front of the saint, their proud cultivation was completely gone. The difference in strength was so obvious.

"Do not……"

"Spare us...we know we were wrong..."

As the oppressive force descended, everyone finally realized something was wrong, but it was too late. Under that immense pressure, they felt as if their bones were about to shatter, and a pool of blood quickly accumulated beneath them.

The leader of the group cried out in alarm. He had thought he had found a fat sheep passing by, but he never expected it to be so dangerous. Not only had he not gained anything, but he was also about to lose his life. Filled with remorse, he immediately begged for mercy in a weak voice:
"Immortal, spare my life! I know I was wrong..."

Ye Jie shook his head and said slowly, "I have something to ask you. Answer me carefully."

The man nodded vigorously, as if he had found hope for survival, and answered all of Ye Jie's questions truthfully.

"Where is the King of Hell?" Ye Jie asked.

“He is in Fulousha City, about a thousand miles from here,” the man replied.

Ye Jie nodded. If the man had cooperated earlier, it would have saved a lot of trouble. He then asked, "Where is the Bone Storage Hall?"

"This..." The man's expression was evasive, as if he was unwilling to say more.

Seeing this, Ye Jie naturally wouldn't be polite to him. The pressure of the Saint Realm descended, and the man's body exploded with a crisp sound like beans being poured from a bamboo tube. His entire body was almost crushed into powder.

Despite the excruciating pain, the man dared not conceal anything and immediately told the truth: "I said... the Bone Storage Hall is a place for making magical artifacts, nothing special else..."

Ye Jie's gaze darkened slightly: "Since it's a place for making magical artifacts, why not call it the Fire Refining Hall or the Carpentry Hall, but instead call it the Bone Storage Hall?"

"This……"

The man hesitated and remained silent, so Ye Jie simply said, "In that case, just take me to see it."

Ye Jie temporarily eased his pressure, and the man immediately breathed a sigh of relief, his face showing a look of relief. However, the other subordinates nearby were not so lucky. They were all barely breathing, and even if they were still alive, their cultivation was completely destroyed, leaving them with terrible internal injuries. They probably wouldn't live for more than a few years.

Faced with Ye Jie's request, the man dared not refuse and quickly led Ye Jie to a grand hall in the city.

Even before they got close, a slightly pungent smell, along with a faint stench of decay, wafted out from inside the hall.

"That smell..."

Ye Jie's heart sank; he had made up his mind.

Having once been a ghost messenger, he was quite familiar with that smell. That smell could only be detected in mass graves teeming with wandering souls and desolate battlefields where no one collected the corpses; it was the stench of countless decaying bodies. Behind him, Ye Jie's companions, who had come with him, were also secretly alarmed. They hadn't expected that such a dangerous place was hidden beneath the city's outward prosperity and incense offerings.

Upon entering the hall, the dazzling array of objects hanging along the path immediately captivated everyone's eyes. A gleaming golden pestle was displayed nearby, its tip protruding, making it quite extraordinary. On the walls hung pictures woven from thick cloth, their surfaces covered with unusual folds. Not far away, several pale white round bowls were filled with strong liquor, emanating an enticing aroma.

The more Ye Jie observed, the more alarmed he became. These magical treasures, which came in all shapes and sizes, had one thing in common: their core materials were all taken from the human body. Human skin and bones were readily available and provided power to the treasures.

Shen Qingge's cold eyes narrowed slightly: "With such a large number of human bone magical artifacts, could this be the lair of evil cultivators?"

Ye Jie's expression also turned grim. These magical artifacts could only mean one thing: countless people had been harmed by them, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe them as piled high with corpses.

To obtain this many human bones and skins, simply waiting is not enough. Judging from what that man just said, this is not the first time they have sent people here.

Li Feie could no longer bear to watch. She raised her hand and pointed, unleashing divine lightning that threatened to overturn the entire hall and destroy all the magical artifacts nearby.

However, the electric arc was blocked halfway through its journey by a powerful force, unable to advance any further, and was eventually annihilated.

"Who dares to be so insolent before the Bodhi Hall?"

Along with the force, there appeared a burly, dignified sixth-level immortal. He spoke slowly, his voice booming like a bell, causing those around him to cover their ears.

Ye Jie pursed his lips. Although he had found clues about the Bodhi Hall, the situation here seemed somewhat different from what he had expected. He then spoke up:

"This is the Bodhi Hall? So, you were the ones who did everything in this ossuary?"

Upon seeing the immortal, the man captured by Ye Jie immediately warned, "Venerable Yuanxu, be careful! This person is incredibly powerful; don't fall into his trap!"

Ye Jie's expression darkened slightly. Now that he had discovered the main target, he no longer held back. With the undisguised suppression of the Saint Realm aura, the man's body exploded and shattered into a cloud of blood mist. Ye Jie did not even glance at him; his gaze remained fixed on the immortal called Yuanxu in front of him.

"you!"

Seeing that Ye Jie showed no mercy and killed the man on the spot, Yuan Xu was furious. He immediately gathered his energy and shouted, "Try this move! Bodhi Transformation into Sainthood!"

As Yuanxu finished speaking, dazzling light enveloped his body, and the holy aura emanating from it even impressed Ye Jie.

With this unique technique, the aura that Yuanxu exuded actually carried a bit of the charm of the Saint Realm. Although it was still a long way from the true Saint Realm, it was enough to crush ordinary immortals. After all, even a trace of the Saint Realm's charm was something that ordinary immortals could not withstand.

However, against Ye Jie, this Saint Realm aura was far from enough. Yuan Xu's technique could only borrow a few slivers of the Saint Realm's power, but Ye Jie's strength was truly comparable to a Saint, and even surpassed him in some aspects. The two were simply not on the same level.

Ye Jie slowly raised his hand, and a point of pitch-black light condensed from his palm, revealing only the deathly stillness that could annihilate all things.

As the ghostly light was released, the aura surrounding Yuanxu shattered piece by piece, surging upwards until it shattered his body. The small Soul-Shattering Arrow contained earth-shattering power, and in the end, he could only collapse to the ground, severely injured, his face filled with disbelief.
"This is impossible... You actually managed to break my Bodhi Manifestation, which is a secret technique in the Bodhi Heart Sutra that cannot be broken by an ordinary immortal. What did you do? Just how powerful have you become?"

In the end, Yuanxu seemed to suddenly wake up. After personally experiencing Ye Jie's power, he finally understood why the people in the city had been defeated so quickly. It turned out that even he himself was no match for Ye Jie, like an ant trying to shake a tree.

Ye Jie seemed to have caught something in his mind and asked with some concern, "Bodhi Heart Sutra? Could it be that what you just used was the Bodhi Hall's most treasured Heart Sutra?"

Yuanxu was slightly wary: "So what if you are? If you're after the cultivation technique, I advise you to give up on that idea. The Palace's cultivation technique will never be known to outsiders!"

Ye Jie remained silent. What Yuan Xu didn't know was that Ye Jie, who was standing before him, also possessed the Bodhi Heart Sutra. Moreover, in terms of the degree of mastery of the sutra, Ye Jie far surpassed Yuan Xu. It was likely that no one in the entire Bodhi Hall could compare to him.

Li Feie reminded him from the side, "He's the mastermind here, kill him quickly!"

Yuanxu was startled and quickly said, "Kill me? Do you know who my master is? How dare you do such a thing?"

Ye Jie asked curiously, "Who is your master?"

Yuanxu immediately spoke up: "My master is the Lord of the Bodhi Palace! If you kill me, you will offend the entire Bodhi Palace. Even if a god comes, it won't help!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing the name of the Bodhi Palace Master, Ye Jie also became interested. Since Yuan Xu could use the Bodhi Heart Sutra, perhaps he wasn't lying about this matter. He then spoke:
“We’re not here to cause trouble. If that person hadn’t harbored ill intentions and insisted on pressing us, things wouldn’t have come to this. If you can answer a few questions truthfully, we can let this matter rest. How about it?”

Yuanxu pondered for a moment. His life was now in Ye Jie's hands. Even if Ye Jie spared him for the sake of the Bodhi Hall, who knew what might happen if things dragged on? So he spoke:

"Alright... Is there anything you want to ask?"

Ye Jie didn't hide anything and revealed his purpose: "I heard that the Great Sage Equaling Heaven was active around the Bodhi Hall not long ago. We came here to find his whereabouts. Do you know where he is?"

"What?" Yuanxu was slightly taken aback, as if he hadn't heard clearly. After Ye Jie repeated it, he looked puzzled. "I've never heard of this title before. Is this the new title of the Yama Emperor?"

Ye Jie shook his head: "No."

Yuanxu was truly puzzled: "Besides this name, what other characteristics does the person you're looking for have?"

Ye Jie thought for a moment and said, "To be precise, what we are looking for is not a person, but a monkey."

"Monkey?" Yuanxu seemed to finally remember something, so he led Ye Jie back to the square where the statues had stood before. After searching for a while, they finally stood in front of one of the statues.

"Is the monkey you're looking for the owner of this statue?"

Following Yuanxu's pointing finger, everyone saw the full view of the statue and immediately showed joy on their faces.

(End of this chapter)