It's time to improve the strength of the infinite world

Chapter 496 Defeating the Underworld Mistress Will Make Me the New Leader
"Breakthrough in the Heavenly Origin Realm?"

Hecate frowned slightly, a hint of obvious confusion flashing in her eyes. "What is that?"

To rule hell in this human world...

Is it necessary to master this kind of thing?
"nothing."

The Qi practitioner let out a deliberately profound sigh, his tone tinged with regret—

"It's just that I already have a mistress who rules the underworld, so I'm afraid I can't hand over the entire hell to you... It's really a pity."

"hostess?"

Hecate's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she gazed thoughtfully at the other, a playful smile curving her lips:

"Could it be a more qualified goddess of the underworld than me?"

"Perhaps... but that's not important." Xia Zhi chuckled, avoiding a direct answer: "The point is that there has to be a first-come, first-served order, so there's no way around it."

"Hey, this is obviously very important, okay?!"

Hecatel squinted and drawled out her complaint, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"What do you mean by first come, first served? I think for such an important position, it's better to have a competitive selection process, where ability speaks for itself. What do you think?"

"..."

"..."

"Hmm, what you said makes a lot of sense."

The young man suddenly stroked his chin and nodded seriously, as if he were really weighing the pros and cons.

"……Eh?"

Hecate raised an eyebrow, clearly looking a little guilty, but then immediately became confident again.

She was just venting; she never expected to be able to convince the other party so easily.

not to mention……

She wasn't really interested; she was just casually talking to him.

After all, it's easy to understand why a god who's too lazy to even manage his own hell would suddenly become diligent.
As the ruler of the three realms of the Moon, Earth, and the Otherworld Hell, she has always been unrestrained and capricious, never taking her so-called "duty" to heart.

It's hard to say how much responsibility they have in this regard.

—Not to mention going to another realm to rule the underworld, which sounds very unrealistic.

therefore……

So don't expect her to actually have any plans or be preparing to make a big splash on another platform.

These are all just jokes in the end.

But... the situation seems a bit delicate now. She raised her eyebrows and blinked.

Ha! Could it be that this person has truly developed some ulterior motives? Seeing such a perfect goddess of hell, he intends to abandon his old master and choose a new one?

"Oh? So what do you mean?"

Hecate's eyes gleamed slightly, a sly glint in them.

She also tapped her chin lightly with her fingertip and asked in a drawn-out tone:
"Could it be that they plan to parachute me in and make me the current ruler of the Underworld, replacing that mistress of the Underworld?"

“That won’t do. Wouldn’t that be an imperial decree? That wouldn’t be convincing at all, Lord Hecate.” Xia Zhi shook her head and calmly rejected the proposal.

"Hmm? So you mean—?"

“What I mean is…” The Qi practitioner coughed lightly, cleared his throat, and said in a serious tone, “Just like you said, let’s have a competitive selection process and let ability speak for itself.”

"How will the competition proceed?" Hecate asked with a grin.

"..."

"..."

Xia Zhi did not answer immediately, but only slightly raised the corners of her lips, revealing a faint and inscrutable smile.

However, when Hecate was curious and wanted to ask further, she looked over and her eyes met his the instant they met.

That moment...

Time stood still.

The goddess of hell's pupils suddenly contracted.

Her mind suddenly trembled, as if seized by some force beyond comprehension.

She saw in the depths of Xia Zhi's eyes that there was no longer an ordinary pupil, but something indescribable "existence" itself—

There is no light, no darkness, no boundaries of time and space.

Only pure "law" and "reason" are burning, collapsing, and reorganizing.

She saw it...

—The Milky Way flowed like dust in his eyes, billions of years were compressed into a moment, and the birth and death of the universe were nothing more than insignificant ripples in his eyes.

—The laws twisted, collapsed, and were reshaped into a new order under His gaze, as if He Himself were the source of "existence," a supreme will that transcends all concepts.

this moment.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely as they gazed at each other, stretching out as long as a deathly, despairing stillness.

What chilled her to the bone even more was that she caught a glimpse of a figure at the end of that abyss.

Hecate has never seen anything like it before.

—That mistress who reigns supreme over all realms and the underworld…

—It seems to be both a god who rules the underworld and the embodiment of the concept of the "underworld"...

Her thoughts froze at that moment; all movement and thought came to a standstill, as if she were falling into an endless descent.

Its own existence seemed to be dissolving, from matter to thought, gradually turning into light, as if it were about to merge into the crown of the lady of the house and become part of the "underworld"...

………………

"Lord Hecate! Lord Hecate!"

A familiar yet unfamiliar shout rang out.

It seemed to come from the distant horizon, or perhaps it was lingering and echoing around me.

The goddess of hell snapped back to reality and found herself still standing in the same spot, as if everything that had just happened was merely a fleeting illusion.

The green-haired, shoulder-length Enma girl was protecting him, trying to wake him up while keeping a watchful eye on the person opposite him.

As if waking from a dream, the ruler of hell stared blankly at the young man in her line of sight who winked at her.

Perceptual regression.

Time flows again.

"..."

"..." The next moment, Hecate took a half step back, her breathing slightly disordered, and her fingertips unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes.

"What's wrong? Are you alright, Lady Hecate?" Shiki asked with concern, her brow furrowed, as if unaware of what her commander had just experienced.

But Hecate knew—

That's not an illusion.

That is……

A certain "truth" that she shouldn't have seen.

Hecate clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and looked at the Qi cultivator in front of her who was still smiling gently.

She finally realized—

The existence before her was beyond her comprehension.

He is an older, greater, and more unknowable being, something that transcends the concept of "God" as understood by Himself.

And at this moment, He is watching her with a calm smile, in human form.

Just as humans gaze at ants, stars gaze at dust.

"That's...that's..."

She pursed her lips, trying to calm herself down, but she couldn't express her composure well through words.

"That's right, that's it."

The young man readily admitted, "Just as you said—the most capable should be in charge."

"If you defeat her, you'll be the new boss of the underworld, the one in charge of Hell!"

"..."

"..."

What a joke!
I'm fighting that kind of being? Really?!

Hecate tried hard to maintain her composure, but her lips still twitched slightly, and her expression couldn't help but show a hint of exasperation.

But the strange, unidentified entity on the other side was incredibly kind and considerate, offering to help—

"As the challenger, I think it's appropriate to let you choose the battleground..."

"If you have any ideas, you can tell me, and I'll help you prepare..."

"..."

"..."

Hecate took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slightly.

She forced a smile, but the slight tremor in her eyes and the somewhat stiff lines of her face betrayed her inner turmoil.

"No, no need..."

Her voice was a few decibels lower than usual, and the last syllable seemed to be weighed down by something, falling lightly.

"I was just saying... Actually, being a regular manager isn't so bad, right?"

At this point, the goddess suddenly spoke faster, as if she was eager to finish her sentence, "After all, competitive selection for a position sounds... quite troublesome."

"Are you sure?" the young man asked with a half-smile.

"Of course I'm sure! Don't you agree, Eiki!"

Hecate nodded firmly and forcefully, her gaze shifting for a moment before quickly glancing at Shiki Eiki, as if seeking some kind of silent support.

"..."

"..."

The Enma girl twitched the corner of her mouth.

She didn't know what had happened, but she could vaguely guess what it was.

It was probably during their eye contact that the ruler of Hell saw something that shocked him.

Illusion?
It shouldn't be... How could a god who rules over the three realms and hell be so easily intimidated by illusions?
However, Shiki Eiki couldn't think of any other possibilities for the time being, and besides, she couldn't pretend not to see the gaze cast by her superior.

The Enma girl sighed softly in her heart, but still nodded: "N-No, that's right... I think so too."

"Okay, I'm personally very democratic. Since this is your choice—"

Xia Zhi looked away and said, "Then I'll assign you a general management position."

"Uh-huh……"

Hecate nodded repeatedly, agreeing readily. "Management position is good, management position is good, I like management position..."

what!
and many more!

Hecate nodded mechanically in agreement, but suddenly froze at a certain moment.

She blinked, her slender eyebrows gradually furrowing, as if something was amiss.

Why did she agree to the management position? Logically, shouldn't she have just refused? She had no intention of working there at all!

—That was exactly what I thought at the beginning…

—As a result, he was so shocked that he was completely thrown into disarray and lost his composure...

—It's just a subconscious feeling that as long as I don't challenge the position of Lord of the Underworld, everything else is fine...

Hecate, finally realizing what had happened, was quite flustered.

Did I get scammed?

"And what about you, Miss Eiki?" At this moment, Xia Zhi looked at the Enma girl with great patience.

"...Let me think about it."

Shiki Eiki was silent for a moment, then sighed, "I don't know how you got Lady Hecate to make up her mind so quickly."

"But now that the supreme commander of all Hell has made a decision, we must take this matter seriously as well."

—No! Princess Yorihime!

—I...I've been tricked!!!!

The supreme commander of Hell looked utterly dejected, yet he had no words to express his suffering.

Because that slender hand had already irresistibly covered her, its warm touch completely silencing her protests.

She instinctively grabbed the other person's wrist, her fingertips trembling, but it was as if she had touched some invisible barrier and couldn't exert any force.

Without turning his head, the Qi practitioner reached out a hand and covered her mouth.

Using his body as cover, he gently leaned down to gaze at the petite and adorable Yama Queen before him, revealing an appreciative smile:

"Congratulations on making a wise choice."

(End of this chapter)