Hell Emperor.

Chapter 627 Ye Jie - Relic Restriction
A corner of the settlement, a peaceful and tranquil place.

The commotion caused by the outside world, and the departure of many people, also attracted the attention of the locals. A lame child was seen limping over, exclaiming in surprise:
"Father, something terrible has happened outside..."

Before the child, a man in a gray robe slowly raised his head. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, a square face, and a full beard. He asked with concern, "What is it? Does someone else want to hear my teachings?"

The child quickly shook his head: "No... it was Ah Da. Someone killed him and released all the children he had kidnapped..."

The gray-robed man sighed slightly, "It seems his divine punishment has arrived. Let's go, let's go see the person who did all this."

As soon as the gray-robed man finished speaking, the children nearby stood up and followed him forward.

At the heart of the settlement, Ye Jie and the Peacock King strode forward, arriving outside the ruins of the core area, only to be quickly blocked by a powerful force.

The force was so domineering that even Ye Jie was temporarily blocked by it and could not overcome it, which made him feel somewhat troubled.

Beside him, the Peacock King, who had anticipated this, spoke up: "I told you, there are powerful restrictions outside the ruins that no one can overcome, and they are only lifted for a short period each year. It seems we'll have to wait here for a month."

Ye Jie shook his head. He was unwilling to waste a month here. In this era of constant change, anything could happen. He had to finish exploring the ruins as soon as possible, as there were more important tasks waiting for him.

"If we use techniques at the Great Dao level to bombard it with all our might, we might be able to create a breach. However, it might trigger a backlash from the ruins themselves..."

Just as Ye Jie was pondering, a series of footsteps coming from behind caught his attention.

Turning around, he saw a man in a gray robe appear before him, accompanied by a group of equally young children, all bearing injuries.

“Father, it was he who killed Ah Da…”

"Father, be careful, he is extremely powerful."

The children's words also caught Ye Jie's attention. He glanced at the gray-robed man a few times and then said, "If you've come seeking help, then I probably can't help you. Head south."

The gray-robed man slowly shook his head: "I heard that Ah Da suffered divine punishment and ended his sinful life. I just want to see who it was that eliminated Ah Da."

Ye Jie glanced at him, then narrowed his eyes. Despite the man's unremarkable appearance, he possessed a hidden power that, if unleashed at full strength, would be comparable to a seventh-level cultivator.

With this level of strength, the man's purpose in coming to him suddenly became suspicious. Could it be that he was planning to avenge Ah Da? Ye Jie immediately asked, "Who are you?"

The man in the grey robe replied slowly, "I am merely an envoy."

"An envoy? Which king's envoy?" Ye Jie asked again.

The man smiled and said, "I don't serve kings, I serve gods."

Ye Jie frowned, his gaze sweeping over the man and landing on the children behind him. As before, he asked them, "Were the injuries on your bodies inflicted by him?"

However, contrary to Ye Jie's expectations, the children shook their heads repeatedly when confronted with his accusation, uttering completely different words. "That's not true at all. It was all Ah Da and his gang who harmed us. If it weren't for Father's protection, we probably wouldn't be alive today."

"That's right. Although the immortal is incredibly powerful, he shouldn't slander good people like this."

Seeing the children's earnest eyes, and how they even disregarded the difference in their cultivation levels and took the initiative to protect the man behind them, trembling but not retreating even a step, as if they were willing to protect him with their own lives, Ye Jie finally believed their words.

"I see……"

Since the children's injuries were unrelated to the gray-robed man, and he had even provided them with shelter, Ye Jie had no intention of making things difficult for him. However, there was still one thing that piqued Ye Jie's curiosity, so he asked:

Why do they call you father? Did you adopt them all?

The gray-robed man shook his head: "That's the title for a messenger of God."

Ye Jie asked again, "Your strength is clearly superior to A'da's. If you had intervened, A'da would definitely not be alive now. Yet you did nothing but let it all happen. If you truly protected these children, why didn't you address the root of the problem?"

Upon hearing this, the children looked at the gray-robed man with confused expressions. This was the first time they had heard of the gray-robed man's strength. Before this, no one thought he would be a match for Ah Da.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the man spoke slowly: "That is their test, how could I interfere?"

"Yeah……"

Ye Jie understood. There are many reasons why a person might not want to take action. Perhaps they are afraid of trouble, perhaps they are too lazy to meddle in other people's business, or perhaps they want to abandon external things, temper their character, and believe that everything is irrelevant to them in order to comprehend the way of heaven. From this point of view, there is no need to criticize a man.

Judging from the children's attitude towards him, although he didn't kill Ah Da, he was at least quite good to the other children. Otherwise, these children wouldn't have willingly called him their father. At least in this respect, Ye Jie couldn't blame him.

Ye Jie shook his head, then looked away and focused his attention on the more important matter at hand: how to break the restriction and enter the ruins.

The gray-robed man seemed to have discerned his intentions and spoke up, "I noticed you seem quite interested in the restrictions ahead. Are you perhaps searching for a way to enter the ruins?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Jie glanced at him, sensing that he might know something, and then said:

"That's true, but the restrictions outside the ruins are too strong. If I use all my strength, I might be able to break through them, but if I'm not careful, or if I trigger some kind of protective mechanism, it could even lead to the complete destruction of everything inside the ruins. That would be a loss."

With Ye Jie's mastery of formations, he couldn't see through the mysteries hidden in the restrictions outside the ruins. He could only try to break through with brute force. Putting aside whether he could succeed, the possibility of destroying everything inside the ruins made Ye Jie dare not try it lightly.

The ruins before them were the remains of the Peacock Dynasty from hundreds of years ago. Not only did they contain the advancement items that Ye Jie desperately needed, but more importantly, they seemed to also hide the secrets of reincarnation.

Both of these are exactly what Ye Jie urgently needs right now, and he must not allow them to be damaged in the slightest. Now that he sees that the gray-robed man has some knowledge of the ruins, Ye Jie is prepared to listen carefully to what he has to say.

(End of this chapter)