Hell Emperor.

Chapter 623 Kanishka
As numerous Venerable Immortal Soldiers surrounded the two, Ye Jie's expression darkened slightly.

This is the territory of the Ksitigarbha Hall. If the people here intend to forcibly seize the Book of Life and Death, a conflict is inevitable. But no matter what, Ye Jie will not hand over the Book of Life and Death to others.

With Ye Jie's strength, in terms of cultivation techniques alone, he is naturally no weaker than anyone here. Even if all the Venerables in this city were combined, they would not be able to withstand the power of the Great Dao. Ye Jie's only worry is the End of Dharma Array that Venerable Xie released when he encountered him before.

Under the End-of-Dharma Formation, everyone loses their original cultivation and becomes no different from ordinary people, making it difficult to exert their full strength, which greatly restricts Ye Jie.

Fortunately, that power is not something ordinary people can possess. At least for now, only Venerable Ksitigarbha can control it, and he can no longer pose a threat to Ye Jie.

Soon, a loud laugh came from ahead.

"The King of Hell has committed countless evils, and now he has finally received his retribution, being killed by heroes and chivalrous men. It is truly gratifying!"

The man who followed the words was dressed in fine clothes. Although his cultivation was not as high as that of the Yama Emperor that Ye Jie had met before, he was still much stronger than ordinary people. He was at the seventh level of cultivation, and in this place, he was the strongest one.

"he is……"

Ye Jie looked slightly confused and asked the Ju Zuyi beside him.

"He is the city lord of this city, named Kanishka. He previously provided shelter for those who suffered at the Ksitigarbha Temple. Now that Yama has died, he has become a strong contender for the throne."

Ye Jie nodded. It seemed that the Ksitigarbha Palace was not doing well under the Yama Emperor's rule. If it weren't for this person's protection, they probably wouldn't have escaped this calamity. Then he heard the person say:
"Now, the hero who slayed the King of Hell has arrived in this city. He is indeed brave and extraordinary. Come forward quickly so that I may have a good look at his heroic figure!"

Ye Jie glanced at Kanishka, and as the saying goes, one shouldn't hit a smiling face, so he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty protects those suffering in the Ksitigarbha Palace. You are kind-hearted and benevolent. I believe you will become an extraordinary ruler in the future."

Upon hearing this, Kanishka's smile grew even brighter. When he learned of Yama's death, he was so shocked that he was speechless. No one knew Yama's terror better than him, yet Yama had died at the hands of an unknown person. Before this, he had never even heard of that person's name. How could he not be deeply shocked?
Upon hearing this news, he couldn't help but feel a strong curiosity about that person. Now that he saw that person had come here, he thought that the person was arrogant and difficult to get along with, otherwise he would never have done such a thing as killing the emperor. Unexpectedly, when he met the person, he found that the person's expression was peaceful and that he seemed easy to get along with, so he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Hero, you have graced this city with your presence. The city's inhabitants have prepared a feast to thank you for freeing them from the fear of the King of Hell. We hope that you will not refuse this heartfelt gift."

Seeing the city lord's enthusiastic tone, Ye Jie thought for a moment and then said, "Alright, but I'm not used to the food in the mortal world."

Ye Jie's tone carried a hint of pride and self-satisfaction. The people here had no idea that Ye Jie held the position of Kitchen God, possessing extraordinary culinary skills under the blessing of celestial power. He truly looked down on mortal food. Led by Kanishka, Ye Jie quickly arrived at the banquet center, chatting with the important officials who had been waiting for him.

Along the way, Ye Jie noticed that the Venerable Ones of the Ksitigarbha Temple had not come along. Perhaps it was because the banquet was filled with meat and wine, and there were no people from the Ksitigarbha Temple here. Moreover, the Venerable Ones also showed great respect to Kanishka, who provided protection for the Ksitigarbha Temple.

Ye Jie only sampled the food at the banquet briefly before stopping. With his culinary skills, he found the food utterly unappetizing. Even the meticulously prepared Royal Masala only received a small taste before losing interest. However, he wasn't afraid of poison in the food. Possessing a cultivation technique at the Great Dao level, there was no poison that could surpass the Great Dao.

After enjoying the song and dance performance prepared by the locals, Kanishka finally got to the point. During their earlier conversation, he had already learned Ye Jie's name, albeit a pseudonym given by Ye Jie:
"I wonder what brings you to Kashmir, Brother Gou? If you need anything, I am willing to dedicate the entire nation's resources to help you achieve your goal."

Ye Jie pondered for a moment, then revealed his intention:
“Your Majesty need not worry. I have only come here to inquire about the whereabouts of someone from the Venerable Ones in the Ksitigarbha Hall. Once I know the whereabouts of that person, I will leave this place. However, judging from the appearance of those Venerable Ones, they do not seem to be prepared to tell me the news easily.”

Kanishka nodded slightly: "So that's what you've come for. Those venerable ones only believe in those with affinity. It seems you have no affinity with them, Brother Gou. Fortunately, I have a close relationship with those venerable ones. Perhaps I can find a way to persuade them to tell you the answer to the question."

Ye Jie nodded, and then heard him say, "However... recent events have left me no time to spare, and I really can't focus my attention on anything else."

Ye Jie understood the meaning behind his words and asked, "Oh? What is it that has troubled Your Majesty so much? Could you tell me the news? Perhaps I can help Your Majesty solve this problem."

Kanishka and the others then revealed the troublesome matter: "Since the death of Yama, the Kushan Empire has been plunged into deep internal strife. Besides me, there are several other forces that, under the banner of Yama's legitimacy, are vying for the throne. Those people are greedy for pleasure and are causing harm to the people. If the Kushan Empire falls into their hands, it will be completely finished. I do not want to see the people of the country suffer, and I must quell this matter no matter what."

Ye Jie's lips twitched. Wasn't it just a desire to seize the throne? Yet he made it sound so appealing, ignoring everything else. He certainly had the potential to become a ruler. He then spoke:

"I wonder what kind of force is behind this that makes His Majesty so uneasy. I will handle it."

Kanishka took a deep breath and revealed his greatest enemy: "That person is the River Estuary Supervisor General. He was previously in charge of the spiritually rich region of the Mother River basin. He occupied a place with his extraordinary strength and brought me considerable obstacles."

Ye Jie nodded, then asked, "How strong is that person?"

Kanishka slowly replied, “You can rest assured that the man’s strength is definitely no stronger than the Yama Emperor you have met. However, the most troublesome thing is the bloodline he carries. As far as I know, he is a descendant of the Peacock Dynasty, and the blood of the Vidyaraja flows in his veins. With the blessing of the Vidyaraja blood, immortals of the same cultivation level as him are no match for him at all. If this man were not so troublesome, I would not be asking you for help at this moment.”

(End of this chapter)