Hell Emperor.

Chapter 617 Ye Jie - Tianmen
On the way to the Heavenly Court, Ye Jie would occasionally turn around and look back, his expression slightly wary.

"What's wrong? Are you worried about Mara's arrival? Although I don't know what happened to Jiutian Yingyuan, you can rest assured."

Xuan Nu noticed that he was distracted and asked him a question.

Ye Jie sighed, "That's not the case. My companions are still in Fulousha City and don't know if I'm alright. I left in a hurry, and they're probably still worried about me."

As he was leaving, Ye Jie did not bid a proper farewell. Instead, he was forced back by Jiutian Yingyuan. The two fought fiercely all the way, and the distance from the original location was unknown, but they were tens of thousands of miles away. In addition, there was a saying that a day in heaven is equivalent to a year on earth. After he left for the Heavenly Court, his companions would probably not know his whereabouts for a long time and would worry about him for a long time.

"I see."

Xuan Nu understood and, not wanting to put Ye Jie in a difficult position, raised her hand and pointed, causing the moonlight in the sky to move in response.

Outside Fulousha City, the anxious and bewildered companions suddenly saw the moon shining brightly, and a beam of light quietly landed. A lifelike picture was also created by the mysterious power of the moon.

Li Feie's gaze sharpened as she pointed to the blooming scroll: "Look, what's that?"

Yao Bai raised her eyebrows. As a former moon rabbit, she was naturally familiar with that aura, which was none other than the divine power of the moonlight: "It is the power of the moonlight. Someone is using the power of the moonlight to project images from a distant place here!"

Shen Qingge's cold eyes lit up, and the appearance of the people in the picture calmed her down. However, a little doubt followed: "It's A-Jie, and the Goddess Xuan Nu... How come they're together?"

Su Miao frowned and speculated, "It must be that Ye Jie was no match for Jiutian Yingyuan, so he asked the Goddess Xuan Nu for help. I didn't expect that the Goddess Xuan Nu would actually come to save him..."

Nan Linghe breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that he's alright... But where are they going now?"

Upon learning that Ye Jie was safe and sound, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. However, judging from the way the group was hurrying along in the video, they obviously wouldn't be able to return anytime soon.

"what have you done?"

Seeing that the Mystic Maiden activated the moonlight, and the appearances of his companions appeared in the image reflected by the moonlight, Ye Jie asked in surprise.

"Your companions know you are safe and sound, so you can rest assured now."

The goddess spoke slowly, her tone calm and undisturbed; nothing in the world could shake her composure.

Looking at the faces of his companions appearing in the image, Ye Jie felt a little emotional. It was a pity that the power of the moonlight could only reflect the image and could not transmit the sound. Otherwise, he really wanted to say a few words to his companions.

The group continued their flight, heading towards the Heavenly Court.

Although the scene faded, some feelings still lingered in Ye Jie's heart. He looked at Xuan Nu beside him and said, "Thank you..."

The Mystic Maiden simply said, “No need to thank me. It is my duty to enlighten the world. As for you, you have already reached the realm of the Great Dao, but your heart is still full of chaotic thoughts. You cannot clarify your mind and follow the Dao. If this continues, I am afraid that your cultivation will regress instead of progress. This concern for your companions will one day harm you.”

Ye Jie looked at her. He knew Xuan Nu's realm and strength better than anyone else. Even if she was just a wisp of an incarnation, she was enough to destroy the entire continent. If she were to go all out, the entire human world would probably cease to exist.

With such power, her words naturally carried considerable weight. The golden words of the Nine-Turn Immortal symbolized the manifestation of the Great Dao, enough to convince anyone. However, Ye Jie did not think so:
"There are three thousand great paths in this world, so why should everyone abandon the mundane? My companions and my family are my path. It is precisely to protect all of this that I have been fighting until now."

The Mystic Maiden remained silent, only glancing at him before finally saying, "You've been dead for about sixty years, and it's only been a year since you became an immortal, yet you've already reached the Great Dao realm. I don't know how you did it, but don't you find it ridiculous? You're not even human, so how can you talk about family?"

The more Ju Zuyi listened, the more astonished he became. In just one year, he had gone from a newly ascended first-level immortal to the Great Dao realm. Such speed was unprecedented throughout history, and could only be described as absurd. Even a reincarnation of a ninth-level immortal could not achieve such speed. If these words had not come from Xuan Nu, he would not have believed them at all.

In response to Xuan Nu's words, Ye Jie simply replied, "When people are alive, they don't understand the value of their family. Only after becoming a ghost do they realize how much they cherish what they lack."

Ye Jie gazed at Xuan Nu, his eyes seemingly seeing through her face to another person who looked similar to her but whose temperament and bearing were completely different.

Ye Jie's greatest wish is to return to his own era, to be far away from the conflicts with his companions, and to create a pure land of his own.

Among the companions, Xia Wei is undoubtedly the most crucial. The two rose from humble beginnings, became acquainted, and forged a bond that transcended life and death. However, Xia Wei's identity as the reincarnation of the Mystic Maiden destined her to be unable to escape the treacherous struggles and to be dragged into a tragic vortex from which she would have no way to escape.

Therefore, no matter the cost, Ye Jie will protect her, and no matter what kind of enemy he faces, Ye Jie will not back down.

"What are you looking at?"

Seeing the strange look in Ye Jie's eyes, a hint of lingering nostalgia, a touch of cherished appreciation, and a resolute determination in his gaze, Xuan Nu narrowed her eyes and questioned him.

Ye Jie shook his head: "You remind me of someone else."

"You mean when you look at me, you think of someone else?"

Xuan Nu couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing. She was a Nine-Turn Immortal, renowned throughout the Three Realms and awe-inspiring to the heavens and earth. Ordinary immortals would all sincerely worship her, offering their respects or showing proper etiquette, and would not dare to neglect her. Yet now, someone was actually using her as a pretext to think of another person? She didn't know whether it was a sign of disrespect towards her or an attempt to glorify that other person.

However, recalling how Ye Jie had risked his life to embrace her when they first met, Xuan Nu understood why he had been so impulsive.

As they flew, soon, a city gate appeared faintly in the misty clouds. Adorned by the layers of clouds, it seemed like a mirage, difficult to see clearly. As they approached, the majestic aura of the city gate swept over them, its magnificent presence enough to shake the hearts of those with weak wills.

"Ahead lies the Southern Heavenly Gate. Entering through this gate will take you directly to the Jade Emperor's Lingxiao Palace." The Mystic Maiden spoke slowly. Upon seeing her arrival, the surrounding heavenly soldiers all paid their respects to the Nine-Turn Immortal who was renowned throughout the Three Realms, and dared not obstruct her in the slightest.

Ye Jie nodded slightly, but then saw a heavenly soldier rush forward in a flustered manner, looking restrained. He thought this person had gotten too bold and was about to question him when he saw the heavenly soldier bow and point to the side door, saying, "Distinguished guests, please go this way."

Ye Jie frowned. Instead of taking the proper main road, they were being forced to take a side path; this didn't seem right. He then spoke:

"Why are you forcing us to take the side road instead of the main road? Don't you know who we are, and are you here to humiliate us?"

As he spoke, Ye Jie's eyes darkened slightly. He had long known that the Heavenly Court had many formalities and that the most outstanding immortals in the Three Realms were openly and secretly fighting each other and trying every means to suppress dissidents. He did not expect to be so intimidated on his first visit to the South Heavenly Gate. He was no longer polite at the moment.

Cold sweat beaded on the heavenly soldier's forehead. He knew that the person before him was someone he could not afford to offend, so he braced himself and said:
"The reputation of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden is naturally not something that we lowly soldiers can offend. This action is by no means an insult, but because not long ago, a madman came to the South Heaven Gate and insisted on breaking in, causing chaos."

He paused for a moment, then continued, “Right now, the Heavenly King of Growth, who guards the Heavenly Gate, is leading a group of heavenly soldiers to surround that person. The scene is not pleasant, and there is a risk of a fight. I am worried that that madman might offend the Goddess of Mystery, so I suggested that the Goddess of Mystery take the safer side path.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Jie withdrew his imposing aura. So that's what happened. It seems he had misunderstood the heavenly soldiers before him.

"I see. It seems the Heavenly Court is not peaceful after all. Even though many top immortals are gathered here, someone still dares to trespass. Who is that person? How could they be so bold?" Ye Jie said slowly.

The heavenly soldiers remained silent, embarrassed. To allow someone to trespass without permission, and for the celestial officials to be powerless against that person, was already a disgraceful matter, but to make matters worse, it had reached the ears of the Mystic Maiden. Now, unable to conceal it any longer, they could only say:
"That person's identity is a mystery. Even we can't find his file on the Investiture of the Gods. We don't know when he became an immortal, nor do we know his weaknesses. We can't target him to defeat him. We only know that he claims to be surnamed Sun, but that may be an alias."

"File? Surname Sun?" Ye Jie's lips twitched. He seemed to have a vague idea of ​​who the person was. "Could it be such a coincidence?"

"Do you know him?" Xuan Nu glanced at Ye Jie, guessing from his words that he knew something.

Ye Jie coughed lightly: "Maybe... Let's go take a look too."

The heavenly soldiers dared not delay and looked at the Mystic Maiden with requesting eyes. Seeing the Mystic Maiden nod, they led the group to the outside of the main gate.

On the distant road, a figure stood, surrounded by many powerful celestial warriors. Their eyes were filled with solemnity and vigilance. The two sides faced each other from a distance, and the atmosphere was tense.

Seeing the man with golden hair, wielding a long staff, and with fiery eyes, Ye Jie's eyes lit up: "It really is him..."

To be honest, Ye Jie went to the Underworld to find the Great Sage Equaling Heaven in order to find out the whereabouts of Fairy Zixia so that he could find a way to return to the past. Who would have thought that after obtaining the Book of Life and Death, he would completely forget about asking about Fairy Zixia's whereabouts, which was truly putting the cart before the horse.

Ye Jie was still regretting missing the opportunity to ask, but unexpectedly, he got it without any effort. Now he was reunited with the Great Sage Equaling Heaven outside the South Heavenly Gate. He could only sigh at how small the world was.

As he pondered, he heard a shout from afar: "Let me in! You clearly invited me here, so why are you blocking the way?"

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the Great Sage Equaling Heaven looked impatient. Anyone who was invited here in good faith but was turned away would probably feel the same way. It was already good that he didn't turn on the spot.

Among the celestial officials blocking the way, the leader, clad in heavy azure armor and wielding the Azure Cloud Sword, exuded an imposing and awe-inspiring presence that deterred anyone from approaching. He was none other than the Heavenly King of Growth, who protected this gate.

"The Heavenly Emperor has decreed that anyone of unknown origin or without proper credentials is forbidden from entering the Heavenly Gate! Where did you come from, you demon immortal? Retreat immediately, or you will be punished for offending the Heavenly Court!"

The Monkey King was furious and made a move to strike, but then he heard voices coming from behind him:
"Wait a minute, he's with us."

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly King of Growth was slightly taken aback, wondering who had allowed this demon monkey to run wild here. They were clearly together, so why couldn't he even control the humans? No matter who the celestial official was, he would probably be reprimanded by him.

The Heavenly King of Growth was about to erupt, but upon looking up and seeing a figure in the distance, he swallowed his anger, his face turning a deep purplish-red. He quickly spoke:
"So it is the Goddess of the Nine Heavens... Since this demon... this immortal is with you, then we apologize for our poor hospitality and for offending you all."

After saying that, he scolded his subordinates, "What are you all doing? Who gave you permission to block this immortal? Get out of the way at once!"

The subordinates dared not speak and quickly made way for him, but they kept muttering to themselves that just moments ago the Heavenly King himself had ordered them to stop him and not let him overstep his bounds. They never expected him to turn on them so quickly. But since things had come to this, no one was foolish enough to raise any questions at this moment.

After the Heavenly King led his troops away, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven looked at the people who had come to his rescue in the distance, and asked with a suspicious expression, "What do you mean by 'with you'? When have I, Old Sun, ever been with you?"

Xuan Nu also looked at Ye Jie with a hint of disdain. She hadn't said anything, yet Ye Jie was so bold as to use her identity to help that monkey demon she didn't even know. If word got out, Ye Jie might not be affected, but she would inevitably face criticism from other immortals and might even be accused of failing to discipline her subordinates and letting them run wild.

"What are you doing?"

Xuan Nu's tone was slightly somber. If it weren't for what she had seen along the way, and her understanding of Ye Jie's three past lives that he was not inherently bad, she probably would have lost her temper on the spot. Fortunately, she held back, but her tone was noticeably colder, no longer as calm as when they were chatting earlier.

Ye Jie coughed lightly. The woman before him, Xuan Nu, was someone he had only briefly known, unlike Xia Wei who had previously shown him genuine trust. He could only say:
"Forgive my bluntness, but I spoke rashly in the heat of the moment. However, I can assure the Mystic Maiden that the demon immortal is no ordinary person, and helping him out of this predicament is definitely not a bad thing."

Xuan Nu remained silent, pondering Ye Jie's words, while Ye Jie's gaze had already fallen upon the Great Sage Equaling Heaven in the distance.

In the legends of five hundred years later, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven single-handedly shook the Three Realms, and countless immortals died at his hands. He was the most ferocious demon king, and if one could befriend him beforehand, there might be many benefits.

The Monkey King also looked at Ye Jie, his eyes filled with deep thought.

(End of this chapter)