Hell Emperor.

Chapter 646 Mara - Spying in the Dark
Faced with Ye Jie's threat, Zhao Gongming frowned, his face darkened, and he said without fear:

"You used the power of a divine artifact to steal the authority of a celestial official, and have now become a wanted criminal of the Heavenly Court. Even if you can get away with it for a while, you will surely be punished by Heaven in due time!"

Ye Jie waved his hand, showing no intention of harming him. After all, they would still have interactions in the future, and if something happened to him now, his future experiences might be completely different.
"Didn't you say that Emperor Gouchen is looking for me? I have no intention of hiding. The person I'm looking for is still in his hands. Just let me go see him directly. Tell me his location, and you can leave."

Zhao Gongming was slightly taken aback. Seeing that Ye Jie's actions were not a joke, he asked in surprise, "Not only are you not taking the opportunity to escape, but you are also going to find Emperor Gouchen? Do you know who Emperor Gouchen is?"

Ye Jie laughed heartily: "I don't care who he is. I want to see if his strength is truly worthy of that title."

Zhao Gongming sneered, "Arrogant and ignorant! With your strength, you are no match for Emperor Gouchen. Telling you his location is fine, it'll just be a good opportunity for you to seek your own death! All the celestial officials know that Emperor Gouchen is incomparably majestic. He resides on the highest divine mountain in the north of the continent. A lowly scoundrel like you would never survive three breaths in front of him!"

After learning of the whereabouts of Emperor Gouchen, Ye Jie ignored everyone and left. Along the way, the heavenly soldiers all retreated and no one dared to stop him. Even the marshals, after comparing the strength Ye Jie displayed, chose to remain silent.

Back in a safe position, Ye Jie didn't stop walking. Ju Zuyi quickly stepped forward and asked:

"Wait a minute, where are you planning to go?"

"Didn't you hear what he said? Of course, he's going to the sacred mountain to find Emperor Gouchen," Ye Jie said loudly.

The reason for this trip to find Emperor Gouchen is twofold. First, to get him to release the imprisoned Kanishka and the people from the Ksitigarbha Palace, so that he can learn the whereabouts of Fairy Zixia from them. Second, because Emperor Gouchen has unreasonably identified Ye Jie as an enemy of the immortal soldiers, Ye Jie is quite unhappy. In order to protect the safety of his other companions, he is determined to go and learn from him.

"Mount Sacred..." Upon hearing that unique name, Gu Zuyi's expression changed slightly, as if it were some kind of forbidden place that people feared. "Are you really going there?"

Ye Jie glanced at him: "Is there some secret there that I don't know about?"

Juzuyi took a deep breath and explained the situation there in detail: "You don't understand. The sacred mountain is not only inhabited by Emperor Gouchen. All the top experts in the entire Xiniu Hezhou are diligently cultivating on that sacred mountain. The Lord of Trayastrimsa Heaven, the Asura King, the Guardian King of the Continent... they are all on that mountain. It is a forbidden place that ordinary people can never set foot on."

Ye Jie's heart tightened. He had thought that it was just another stronghold of the Heavenly Court, but he did not expect that the situation there was much more complicated than he had anticipated.

"With so many powerful figures gathered there, it seems that the sacred mountain is indeed extraordinary," Ye Jie said slowly.

After bidding farewell to the ritual, Ye Jie embarked on his journey to the sacred mountain. As his Daoist scriptures circulated, his figure became elusive and vanished from this world in the blink of an eye.

As Ye Jie's figure disappeared, a hoarse whisper echoed from the darkness where no one knew.

"He's gone, do we still need to..."

"No need, he's not the person we're looking for."

A cold, decisive voice interrupted the whispers in the darkness, revealing an unquestionable resolve.

Another skeptical voice arose: "But... our investigation has confirmed that he clearly comes from another era, and everything matches expectations..."

The words suddenly turned into a piercing scream, a scream so heart-wrenching that even the other figures in the darkness felt a genuine fear. "Who gave you the audacity to question my judgment? The person we're looking for can only be one in an era. If I say it's not him, then it's not him. Do you understand?"

"It is... His Highness Mara..."

No one dared to object, and the darkness fell silent once more.

…………

"Thank you all for your righteous assistance. This is my family's secret martial art, the Stone Tower Fist Technique. Although it is only of mid-grade Human Rank, it is the best reward I can offer. I hope you will not refuse..."

In a town surrounded by sandstorms, a man with a sorrowful expression took out an old, worn-out book that had been read countless times and respectfully handed it to a woman in front of him who had an ethereal air about her, as if she were untouched by worldly affairs.

The man's wife and children were killed by a band of bandits outside the city. The leader of the bandits was a powerful cultivator, only one step away from becoming an immortal, and ordinary people were helpless against him.

He thought he would never get revenge, but things took an unexpected turn.

A few days ago, a group of chivalrous people came to the city to help the residents solve their problems and avenge their wrongs. The only reward they asked for was some martial arts techniques, even the lowest-grade human-rank techniques. They didn't mind at all.

He approached the group of heroes with a try-it-out mentality, and to his surprise, things quickly came true. The entire gang of thieves was killed, and their leader's head was hung on the city wall, which greatly excited the people in the city who had suffered so much.

According to the people in the city, the low-level martial arts techniques offered as payment were nothing compared to what those heroes had given. In fact, the very act of taking the techniques was just an excuse for those heroes. Even if they had nothing to offer, as long as the reason was explained, those heroes would not hesitate to help.

After receiving the cultivation technique, the aloof woman returned to her residence amidst the admiring or grateful gazes of the city's residents. As soon as she entered, she heard a burst of irritating noises.

"This place is so boring, it's even more boring than being on the moon!"

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see a girl with ears growing from her head and lips divided into three parts complaining repeatedly.

"What's so boring about it? Isn't it interesting to help the people here solve their problems and see them smile?"

Behind her, a faint purple light illuminated the surroundings. Li Feie gently stroked the butterfly on her shoulder and couldn't help but speak.

Seeing the aloof woman return, Li Feie also revealed a bright smile: "Master, you're finally back! Let me see what kind of cultivation technique you brought back this time?"

Shen Qingge took out the Stone Tower Fist Technique she had just acquired. Yao Bai glanced at it and said irritably:
"Another low-level cultivation technique of the middle rank of human level. Compared with the cultivation techniques circulating in the Moon Palace, it's like a firefly trying to compete with the bright moon. I really don't understand why you collect these low-level cultivation techniques?"

Behind him, Ren Changhong laughed and said, "Don't underestimate these low-grade cultivation techniques. Just as grains of sand can form a tower and soil can accumulate into a mountain, even the lowest-grade cultivation techniques can unleash considerable power once they reach the level of the Great Dao."

(End of this chapter)