Hell Emperor.

Chapter 618 Ye Jie - Reunion
"you……"

Looking at Ye Jie from afar, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven seemed to be deep in thought, and asked, "Have I seen you before?"

Ye Jie coughed lightly, surprised that he had completely forgotten him in such a short time. He then reminded him, "Great Sage, have you forgotten? Not long ago in Fulousha City, when you were altering the Book of Life and Death, you borrowed my ink brush..."

"So it was you." He nodded, and upon hearing Ye Jie's words, he indeed remembered. "You humans all look the same, it's really hard to tell you apart."

Ye Jie's lips twitched. Everyone's appearance is unique. Even brothers have subtle differences. So why do people all look the same in the Great Sage's words?
However, thinking about his perspective on other animals, Ye Jie realized that without careful observation, it was difficult to say that there were significant differences between animals of the same species.

"No...that's not your real appearance. Could it be that you've used illusion magic to cover your face?"

Hearing the Great Sage's question, Ye Jie's eyes flickered, as if he remembered something. Before leaving, the Moon Goddess had used the power of the hazy moonlight to conceal everyone's appearances, making them forget what they looked like. Perhaps that was why he did not recognize him at first glance.

Just as Ye Jie was about to speak, Xuan Nu suddenly interrupted their conversation and said to the Great Sage:
"The Heavenly King of Growth is in charge of protection. Since he has stopped you, he wouldn't be acting without reason. What kind of demon are you? Why did you force your way through the Southern Heavenly Gate without any proof?"

Xuan Nu spoke calmly. Despite Ye Jie's promise, she was still somewhat uneasy. She felt that this monkey's origins were unknown, yet he possessed great fortune. If she didn't find out the reason before putting him into the Heavenly Court, it would be disastrous if he caused any trouble.

The Great Sage Equal to Heaven chuckled and said, "It wasn't my idea to come. The Heavenly Emperor learned of my deeds and insisted on inviting me to Heaven, saying he wanted to reward me with the position of a celestial official!"

Ye Jie nodded slightly. A powerful person, regardless of their race, will be respected wherever they go. The Great Sage Equaling Heaven's defeat of the Yama Emperor, his theft of the Book of Life and Death, and his erasure of the records in it have already proven his strength.

In particular, not only did he erase his own file, but perhaps fearing that someone might restore it in the future, he also erased the files of all monkeys in the world, along with all beings with the surname Sun, causing their lifespans to become disordered and all of them to live forever. Naturally, this could not be hidden from the eyes of Heaven, and now he has been summoned by the Jade Emperor and is preparing to be appointed as a celestial official.

Ye Jie subconsciously raised his hand and stroked the Book of Life and Death in his arms. In fact, his modifications to the records in the Book of Life and Death had disrupted countless causes and effects, yet he had not suffered any backlash from heaven and earth. The reason for this was that the records Ye Jie modified were limited to himself, his companions, and a small number of enemies. Among the vast number of living beings, this number was insignificant.

But the Monkey King did something different. His erasure of the records involved countless lives. This was far too much of a commotion. It's better for a few people to secretly modify the records.

However, there was still one thing Ye Jie didn't understand:
"Wait a minute... Since you say the Jade Emperor summoned you and was going to appoint you to an official position, why were you stopped outside the South Heavenly Gate? Could this be a trap? Did the Jade Emperor summon you to capture you...?"

Upon hearing this, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven also showed some doubt, admitting that Ye Jie's words made some sense: "The immortal who conveyed my Jade Emperor's decree, I thought he flew too slowly, so I came here on my own before he arrived. Let me ask him about this properly!"

As he spoke, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven looked at Ye Jie and said, "What brings you to the Heavenly Court? Did you follow me all this way to retrieve the Cloud-Pointing Brush? Lend it to me for a few more days!"

Ye Jie smiled helplessly: "That's not the case. That magic weapon isn't called the Cloud-Pointing Brush, but the Ink-Pointing Brush. Since the Great Sage likes the Ink-Pointing Brush so much, just take it. There's no need to return it to me."

Speaking of which, that ink brush is only of the third grade, which is considered one of the worse batches among all the divine artifacts. Compared with the Book of Life and Death, it is truly worlds apart. It might as well be given to the Great Sage directly.

"How can that be? I'll return it to you when I'm done using it!"

Upon hearing this, the Great Sage disagreed. Suddenly remembering something, he beamed with joy: "Speaking of which, my youngest sons all call me Great King. When I entered the Daoist path, my master bestowed upon me the name Sun Wukong. This title, Great Sage, does have some meaning!"

Ye Jie was slightly taken aback, and couldn't help but feel a little surprised. He wondered what era they had entered, since even the Demon King who would later dominate the Three Realms had not yet earned the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

"Wait a minute, you know..."

Ye Jie was about to ask about the whereabouts of Fairy Zixia when he saw Sun Wukong somersault out of the Heavenly Gate, seemingly heading to find the immortal who had delivered the Jade Emperor's decree to him.

Ye Jie, who was left behind, was a little dumbfounded. He had missed the chance to reunite with his family. Where was he going to find clues to return to the original era?

Xuan Nu withdrew her gaze: "This ape is unpredictable and has an unsettled mind, making it hard to fathom. Yet it also possesses unparalleled cultivation. I only hope that your choice will not cause any trouble."

"Is it troublesome...?"

Ye Jie coughed lightly. Judging from the legends of later generations, trouble was inevitable, and it wouldn't be just any trouble. But things had come to this point, and he wouldn't be timid from the start just because he was worried about trouble later.

After this interlude, under the guidance of the Mystic Maiden, Ye Jie and his party proceeded without hindrance. None of the surrounding celestial officials dared to stop them, and all the heavenly kings and generals bowed their heads in respect. In front of the Nine-Turn Immortal who shook the Three Realms, even the so-called divine generals were no different from infants who had just learned to walk.

Upon arriving at the Lingxiao Palace, after the celestial attendant finished announcing their arrival, they were given the order to enter the palace and receive a summons shortly afterward.

Whether it was Ye Jie's imagination or not, he noticed a rare hint of seriousness on Xuan Nu's ethereal and elegant face, and asked:
"Speaking of which... I have heard of the Jade Emperor before, and know that he is the ruler of the Heavenly Court. But I don't know how strong he really is. And how does he compare to you?"

Xuan Nu glanced at Ye Jie and explained, "Although there are few Nine-Turn Immortals, there are still a few. But only one can be called the Supreme Being of Haotian. He has gone through countless reincarnations and finally achieved the supreme Dao, reaching the peak of the Nine-Turn Immortals. There is no way to advance further. In terms of strength, I am no match for him."

"Is that so..." Ye Jie's heart tightened. He knew Xuan Nu's strength well. Even a wisp of her avatar was enough to destroy an entire continent. If Xuan Nu herself went all out, destroying the four continents would be no problem. But even so, she still admitted that she was no match for the Jade Emperor. It seems that the Jade Emperor is quite terrifying. He is indeed worthy of being the Supreme Ruler of the Heavenly Court.

Not far away, the figure of the emperor sitting on the dragon throne also came into Ye Jie's view. He was dressed in orange-yellow robes and wore an imperial crown. Just by sitting there, he released endless Haotian Qi, causing the surrounding immortals to lower their eyes and not dare to meet his gaze.

With the Heavenly Emperor right in front of them, feeling the immense pressure, Ju Zuyi dared not make any unusual movements and knelt down to worship the Heavenly Emperor. All the surrounding immortals did the same, except for Xuan Nu and Ye Jie, who remained standing. Xuan Nu even glanced at Ye Jie, as if scolding him for not knowing manners.

"I have heard the news. Do you have anything to say about the death of Minister Yingyuan?"

The Jade Emperor spoke loudly, not addressing the matter at hand, but focusing on something more important. His tone was deep and imposing, exuding boundless majesty. His voice was calm, but the immense pressure emanating from him made people gasp involuntarily, and no one dared to utter a single lie in his presence.

Ye Jie's heart trembled. Seeing the Jade Emperor's gaze fall on him, he recounted everything that had happened, including unintentionally damaging the Xuan Nu statue, being chased by Jiu Tian Ying Yuan, and finally the appearance of the Demon King Bo Xun.

Of course, Ye Jie also omitted some key parts, such as what he did in Fulousha City before, and how he used the complete Book of Life and Death to modify Jiutian Yingyuan's file.

After hearing Ye Jie's report, the Jade Emperor remained expressionless. His face revealed no emotion whatsoever, and he seemed like a wooden or clay sculpture, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

"Are you saying that some evil immortal, who appeared out of nowhere, killed Minister Yingyuan, who was ranked at the ninth level and looked down upon all living beings, with just a breath? Do you think I would believe such a thing?"

In the end, as if vaguely sensing that he had been deceived, the Jade Emperor flew into a rage, and endless pressure pressed down on Ye Jie. Countless creaking sounds rang out, and in front of the Supreme Jade Emperor, Ye Jie's bones trembled violently. He could almost hear the sound of breaking coming from inside his body.

"Since you say that Bo Xun killed Minister Ying Yuan, why can't I find any record of Bo Xun in the Investiture of the Gods? Even Minister Ying Yuan's record has obviously been altered by someone else. In my opinion, it is clearly you who harmed him and then shifted the blame onto someone who doesn't exist!"

Just as Ye Jie was struggling to breathe, and even his soul seemed to be crushed into dust by that overwhelming pressure, a graceful figure blocked his way, blocking all the pressure coming from the front. Looking up, he saw Xuan Nu standing in front of him.

Xuan Nu glanced at Ye Jie and said, "This matter sounds absurd, and even I find it hard to believe. However, there is another person who can confirm the terror of the Demon King Bo Xun. Your Majesty may wish to listen to that person's words."

The Jade Emperor nodded slightly, and after receiving his instruction, the Venerable One of Complete Ritual spoke up:
"Your Majesty is unaware that Mara is not a person of this world. There are no records of her in any of the world's documents or artifacts. She is a celestial demon from beyond the realm. According to the prophecy left by the Buddha, she has only one purpose in coming here, which is to completely destroy this world and sever all life in the world!"

Upon hearing the name of the Buddha, the Jade Emperor's expression returned to normal, his raging anger subsiding, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. Then, he heard the fully-fledged monks say:
"King Yamaguchi of the Kushan Kingdom committed a colossal mistake by listening to Mara's temptations and leading his army to attack the Dizang Palace. Even the Book of Life and Death inside the palace was lost and seized by him!"

The Jade Emperor's gaze darkened, and he spoke: "The Underworld has always been under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court. This Book of Life and Death records the life stories of billions of beings in the world. If it falls into the hands of thieves and is altered, it will likely bring endless calamities. Do you know where the Book of Life and Death is now?"

Ju Zuyi did not answer, but instead looked at Ye Jie, whose meaning was quite clear: the Book of Life and Death was now in Ye Jie's possession!

Ye Jie's heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong. It was thanks to the explanation of the Juzuyi that the Jade Emperor believed Bo Xun's words, but what followed was an even bigger problem.

According to the Jade Emperor, everything in the Underworld must be under the command of the Heavenly Court. Although the Book of Life and Death is an item of the Underworld, it is not an exaggeration to say that it belongs to the Heavenly Court. In addition, since this item involves the records of all living beings, it can even reverse cause and effect. Of course, it cannot be allowed to be controlled by outsiders. Now, judging from the Jade Emperor's words, it is clear that he is preparing to take back the Book of Life and Death.

Ye Jie was on guard. Whether it was the Jade Emperor or Bo Xun, no matter who it was, he could not be made to hand over the Book of Life and Death. As long as he had this first-grade divine artifact, he had endless possibilities, so he would never give it up to someone else.

Ye Jie turned slightly to look at Xuan Nu beside him, only to find that Xuan Nu's gaze was indifferent, and she did not intend to help him out of the predicament. On the contrary, her meaning was very clear: she hoped that he would listen to the Jade Emperor and return the Book of Life and Death, which did not belong to him, so as to restore the clarity of the Heavenly Dao.

"Mysterious Shadow Step - Moving with the Shadow".

Only when he faced the Jade Emperor with his own eyes did Ye Jie realize the overwhelming power of the Supreme Being Haotian. If he continued to stay in front of him, he would probably not be able to protect the Book of Life and Death. So he immediately turned tail and used the Xuan Ying Step, a Dao-level technique, to escape.

Ye Jie's figure shifted and moved, as if transforming into an unpredictable light and shadow, about to cross layers of space and escape to a safe area. However, the scene before him made Ye Jie's expression darken slightly. Looking down, he saw that his legs seemed to be rooted to the ground, and even moving them was so difficult.

"Trying to escape? What do you take the Lingxiao Palace for? This is not a place you can come and go as you please! You want to leave? Have you even asked me?"

Hearing the Jade Emperor's rebuke and the immense pressure from the heavens above, Ye Jie realized the situation was dire and immediately activated his cultivation technique to withstand the violent attack coming from the front!

In an instant, Ye Jie's figure flew out, smashing countless precious artifacts and knocking away countless innocent celestial officials along the way, before finally being blasted straight out of the main hall!
The full force of the Great Dao level attack would have shattered any other immortal present, leaving them unable to stand again. However, Ye Jie, who also possessed Great Dao level techniques, managed to withstand the blow by operating them at full power.

"so close……"

Even so, Ye Jie still suffered unimaginable severe injuries, barely able to stand up, with all his bones shattered, and he was only one step away from dying here!
No celestial official showed him any pity, and everyone regarded him as an enemy. At this moment, the only thing Ye Jie could rely on was the strange book in his arms!

(End of this chapter)