Hell Emperor.

Chapter 679 Ye Jie - Extermination Mission
"It's that simple?"

Upon learning of Zhao Gongming's conditions, Ye Jie was slightly taken aback.

I thought that getting his help would mean enduring unimaginable harshness and difficulties, and would require a lot of effort. But to my surprise, the conditions he offered were so simple, even quite easy.

"Wait a minute, let me confirm again. As long as I help you defeat that demon king, you will introduce me to the Wealth-Bringing Messenger. There are no other extra conditions or costs..."

As if sensing Ye Jie's suspicion, Zhao Gongming simply said:

"That's right. You must not underestimate that demon king. He is not someone that ordinary people can deal with. You might as well die at his hands."

Ye Jie waved his hand. Now, not only had his cultivation reached the late stage of the seventh level, but he also possessed thousands of Great Dao techniques and obtained incomparably powerful Dao Scripture power. Looking across the Three Realms, there were probably few who could rival him. Dealing with a so-called Demon King would be a piece of cake, requiring absolutely no effort.
"You said it yourself. I'd like to see which demon king is so fearful of you immortals. You can leave it to me."

Ye Jie clenched his fist secretly. In terms of true strength, he had already broken through the level of a Ninth-Turn Immortal. If Zhao Gongming had given him a task like the Goddess of the Ganges to find out a traitor, he might have had a headache. But a mere task of exterminating demons was really too simple.

After reaching an agreement, Zhao Gongming didn't waste any words and quickly summoned a dazzling treasure ship. The ship was about a hundred feet high and its length was immeasurable. From a distance, it looked like a mountain rising from the ground.

Ye Jie boarded the ship with him. As the treasure ship set sail, the surrounding scenery rushed past them and became blurry. The waves of Daoist energy that came from the ship surprised Ye Jie. If he was not mistaken, the treasure ship was traversing space and crossing continents.

"Wait a minute...didn't you say you were going to deal with the Demon King? Where are you taking me?"

Ye Jie was slightly taken aback. Looking back, he saw that the scenery of Xiniu Hezhou had completely disappeared, replaced by other continents.

With the Mysterious Shadow Step at the Great Dao level, Ye Jie could instantly teleport back to the place where he had left his Mysterious Shadow, so he wasn't afraid of not being able to return. However, being suddenly taken to a completely unfamiliar space was quite unexpected for him.

Zhao Gongming had expected this: "I never said the demon king was here. Save your energy; you'll soon see the demon king's true form. When that happens, I hope you won't run away in panic..."

As he finished speaking, he gripped his long mace tightly, a look of solemnity in his eyes, and even his breathing became heavy, an invisible pressure enveloping the surrounding area.

Ye Jie waved his hand: "After witnessing my strength, are you still worried? Should I say you're being overly cautious, or are you just being overly anxious? I advise you to prepare to contact the Wealth-Bringing Envoy, lest you miss the appointed time."

Zhao Gongming did not answer, but Ye Jie still had some doubts in his heart. With his eyesight at the level of the Great Dao, he could see that the treasure ship was crossing the boundary of the divine mountain at an unimaginable speed, rushing into the Southern Continent, and its momentum did not decrease. It continued to rush forward, almost reaching the territory of the Eastern Continent.

"It seems the journey is indeed quite long. By the way, aren't you a marshal under Emperor Gouchen? Surely it's not your place to subdue the demon king of Dongsheng Divine Continent?" Ye Jie was somewhat puzzled. Logically, each celestial official had their own jurisdiction. Even a marshal couldn't possibly cross an entire continent and overstep their bounds. How could the demon king of Dongsheng Divine Continent be subdued by Emperor Gouchen's subordinate? Was what awaited him a trap?
Zhao Gongming sighed, "That's how it should be, but the demon king is too ferocious. All the heavenly soldiers and generals who came to punish him have been wiped out. I heard that he once defied the Supreme Emperor of the Jade Heaven in the Lingxiao Palace, which angered the Heavenly Emperor. He was determined to kill him here no matter what. The heavenly soldiers and generals from all four continents have been summoned and are determined to capture this demon."

Upon hearing this, Ye Jie was taken aback. Recalling what he had seen along the way, he felt that it gradually overlapped with something in his memory, and then he gasped in shock:
"Wait a minute, the Demon King of Dongsheng Divine Continent, who has also defied the Jade Emperor and possesses extraordinary strength... You wouldn't be talking about..."

Zhao Gongming glanced at him: "It seems you have heard about it. That demon king's cultivation is astonishing. The four Heavenly Kings have all tried to subdue him, but they were all defeated. Instead, this only fueled the demon's arrogance. He calls himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and has never put the Heavenly Court in his eyes. This behavior is absolutely intolerable. You will be the one to go and defeat him."

Ye Jie's eye twitched, and he finally understood what was going on. No wonder Zhao Gongming was so easy to talk to. It turned out that what was waiting for him was not an ordinary little demon, but the strongest demon king in history. It looked quite bad no matter how you looked at it.
"However... with the power of the Great Dao that I possess, I should not be afraid."

Ye Jie's gaze sharpened. If it were the old him, he might have had to back down, but now his Dao Scripture had shown its true power, and his cultivation was no longer what it used to be. Perhaps he could really defeat the Demon King.

Thinking of this, Ye Jie looked at Zhao Gongming and raised the price on the spot: "The Great Sage Equaling Heaven is so powerful. According to the previous deal, wouldn't I have suffered a huge loss? If I can defeat him, it's not enough for him to just introduce me to the Wealth-Bringing Envoy. He also has to give me the treasures of good fortune on his body."

Zhao Gongming wasn't annoyed: "That's true. This treasure of good fortune belongs to the Wealth-Bringing Messenger, and I can't make decisions for him. However, if you're willing to attribute the credit for defeating this demon to him, I think he'll be happy to give you the treasure of good fortune."

Ye Jie's lips curled up. This was exactly what he had been waiting for. Now his promotion was secured. He wondered how powerful the unique bond between the five Gods of Wealth would be.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll go and defeat the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. You have the Wealth-Bringing Messenger prepare the magic weapon, and I’ll come to collect it later.”

As the two finished speaking, they both received satisfactory terms. All they had to do was follow the plan and complete the campaign step by step, and everything would proceed smoothly.

However, Ye Jie still had some doubts in his heart:

"If the campaign succeeds and the Great Sage Equaling Heaven is wiped out, everything afterward will be completely different. This is not an impact that can be erased by the power of cause and effect alone; it will cause the entire world to tremble, and even Xia Wei will be affected..."

Thinking of Xia Wei, Ye Jie felt a pang of pain in his heart. If it weren't for the legend of the Monkey King, those infants of the Li Tang Dynasty wouldn't have died, Xia Wei wouldn't be who she is today, and she wouldn't even have met Ye Jie.

When a person loses their past experiences, those unforgettable memories, and those heart-wrenching realizations, is that person still the same person?
With such hesitation and confusion, Ye Jie finally accepted the mission and met the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, who was confronting the immortals, at the foot of the clear and beautiful green mountains.

(End of this chapter)