I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

Qiongqi's eyes were filled with relief; he had finally regained his freedom.

But then he realized that he had become Chung Gau's mount, and he immediately felt dejected.

Zhong Jiu knew it would be hard for it to accept, but he didn't care. He rode Qiongqi straight back to Fengdu.

With the overall situation settled, the Underworld's sweep of Yinshan is just around the corner. Bai Qi's army stationed there will be the Underworld's most solid barrier.

At that moment, deep within the distant ancient You Kingdom, a furious roar resounded throughout the heavens and earth: "Who dares to break my seal!"

The ancient You Kingdom instantly erupted in excitement.

The Qiongqi that killed the crown prince and was suppressed in Yinshan has actually been released!

This news is enough to shake the entire underworld!

"check!"

At the command of the Ancient Ghost Emperor, countless spies swarmed out and headed straight for Yin Mountain.

At this time, Zhong Jiu had already returned to Fengdu on Qiongqi.

The spirits who came and went were all astonished and amazed by this scene.

No one expected that the judge would subdue the legendary ferocious beast Qiongqi during his trip.

Qiongqi was also greatly shocked when he looked at the magnificent Fengdu Underworld before him, which resembled a heavenly palace.

The palaces of the underworld stretch endlessly, displaying a magnificent and ever-changing spectacle. All the fortune of the netherworld converges here, creating an awe-inspiring and terrifying atmosphere.

Upon entering Fengdu, it was filled with even greater excitement, as the grand halls exuded a terrifying aura that made its heart tremble.

When it learned that the Underworld was in charge of the six realms of reincarnation and ruled over the eighteen levels of hell, and was the true ruler of the underworld, it was utterly terrified.

"The cycle of rebirth in the six realms?"

"The eighteen levels of hell?"

"The ruler of the underworld?"

Having been trapped for many years, it was unaware that such a terrifying force had been born in the underworld, and most of its resentment towards Zhong Jiu instantly dissipated.

"I follow the Underworld and serve as the judge's mount, so my status is already quite high. The Ancient Nether Kingdom is my enemy, which means they are also enemies of the Underworld. In the future, the Underworld's army will surely destroy the Ancient Nether Kingdom!"

Qiongqi became more and more excited as he thought about it, and his last bit of resentment vanished.

The underworld of Fengdu is vast and boundless. It took Qiongqi a long time to gradually become familiar with this place and get used to life in the underworld.

On this day, Zhong Jiu summoned it into the palace.

Qiongqi prostrated itself on the ground obediently, bowing in a muffled voice: "Greetings, Master!"

Zhong Jiu rarely goes out, and it has a lot of freedom most of the time, which allows it to recover a lot of its strength.

Tell me, what grudge do you have against the ancient You Kingdom?

Zhong Jiu spoke calmly, also wanting to use Qiongqi's words to understand the power structure of the underworld.

Upon hearing the mention of the ancient You Kingdom, Qiongqi's eyes flashed with a fierce light, filled with boundless hatred, and he immediately began to slowly recount his story.

Two thousand years ago, spiritual energy was scarce, and the laws of the underworld were incomplete. Top experts were all subject to two major constraints: first, there was no path to cultivation, and no further breakthroughs were possible; second, their power was limited by the laws, preventing them from unleashing their full potential. This was similar to Zhong Jiu's early situation, possessing extraordinary power but unable to fully utilize it.

At this time, Qiongqi was already a top-tier powerhouse in the underworld.

Although it was bound by the laws even though it had just come of age, it relied on its extraordinary talent and strong body to roam the underworld without any rivals.

All the major powers in the underworld would avoid Qiongqi at the mere mention of its name.

Only the crown prince of the ancient You Kingdom, instead of hiding, was overjoyed and tried to take it as his mount. He boasted about it everywhere, being extremely arrogant.

Upon learning the news, Qiongqi was consumed by rage. With a single, massive gulp, it swallowed the city where the Crown Prince of the Ancient You Kingdom was located.

This incident enraged the entire Ancient You Kingdom, but faced with Qiongqi's ferocity, the powerful officials could only grit their teeth and endure it, pretending that nothing had happened.

After all, no one dares to gamble the wrath of Qiongqi with the entire nation.

At that time, Qiongqi roamed the underworld, arrogant and disdainful of everything. Its fierce aura looked down upon the world, and it considered itself invincible. The forbearance of the ancient You Kingdom was nothing more than the survival of ants in its eyes, not worth mentioning at all.

Soon, he was no longer satisfied with merely intimidating one side, and began to directly challenge the entire underworld.

He was stuck at a cultivation bottleneck, and no matter how much effort he put in, his cultivation level remained unchanged, without any progress whatsoever.

Qiongqi was arrogant by nature, and relying on his indestructible body and indestructible soul, he embarked on a path of self-destruction. He wanted to break the laws of the underworld with his own strength and forcefully forge a path of advancement!

Upon hearing this, a look of understanding flashed across Zhong Jiu's eyes, and he instantly understood the root of Qiongqi's tragedy.

To say he's ignorant is an understatement; yet, he dares to defy the laws of nature with the body of a ferocious beast. To say he's ambitious is an understatement; he's incredibly foolish for choosing the wrong path.

How dare they presume to break the laws of the underworld by their own power? They're simply courting death.

Zhong Jiu sneered inwardly. The reason why Qiongqi could not break through was not because the laws deliberately made things difficult, but because the laws of the underworld were incomplete.

How can a world that is incomplete in itself contain a true master of supernatural powers?

Therefore, he went down the wrong path from the very beginning, and in the end, he gained nothing but a broken mind and a body covered in wounds; it was all a waste of effort.

"Because of this, my soul was injured, and my strength plummeted. I was ambushed by a nemesis beast. Although I killed it with all my might, my injuries worsened. When the Ancient Nether Kingdom learned of this, they took advantage of my weakness and mobilized the entire nation to hunt me down..."

As Qiongqi spoke, his tone was filled with resentment and unwillingness, and a hint of ferocity flashed in his beastly eyes.

No matter how powerful the Ancient You Kingdom was, at his peak, it was nothing more than an ant that he could crush with a flick of his wrist; he wouldn't even bother to glance at it.

But now, he has fallen into the hands of such an opponent and become a homeless dog.

Ultimately, it all came down to youthful arrogance. He failed to eliminate the threat completely back then, which led to his current predicament. This is the price he paid for his arrogance.

"I see."

Zhong Jiu spoke calmly, his tone completely unwavering, then raised his hand and pointed at Qiongqi, "Release your divine soul and let me see it."

Qiongqi did not hesitate for a moment and immediately did as instructed. A wisp of broken divine soul slowly floated out, surrounded by a faint black aura.

As expected, its soul was severely damaged, partly by the scorching of the Netherworld Fire, but what was truly fatal was a dense karmic force, the punishment it suffered for attempting to break the laws of the underworld and being devoured by heaven and earth.

This karma, like a maggot clinging to a bone, erodes its soul day and night, not only preventing it from making any progress in its cultivation but also causing it to regress madly. If this continues, it won't be long before it is completely reduced to a useless beast.

"This injury is too severe; I've tried everything, but I can't heal it..."

Qiongqi said with regret and frustration, "Only top-grade soul-nourishing natural treasures might be able to save me. Otherwise, even if I endure for thousands of years, there is little chance of recovery."

It sighed repeatedly, knowing in its heart that this was already the best possible outcome.

After all, it offended the laws of the underworld. The fact that Heaven and Earth didn't directly annihilate it was already a sign of mercy. How could it be so easy to withstand the backlash?

Most likely, it's completely ruined for life.

Upon seeing this, Zhong Jiu smiled faintly, and with a gentle flip of his hand, a pale purple spiritual herb appeared out of thin air, surrounded by rich spiritual energy, instantly dispelling the chill in the hall.

"Soul-Nourishing Grass!"

Qiongqi's pupils contracted sharply, and an intense, burning desire erupted from its beastly eyes, causing its entire body to tremble with excitement.

The Soul-Nourishing Grass is said to grow only in the most central spiritual veins of the underworld. People have only heard of it by name, and no one has ever seen its true form.

The sole purpose of this herb is to repair wounds to the soul. Even if only a wisp of a soul remains, as long as there is Soul Nourishing Herb, it can bring the soul back to life and reshape it.

The one in Zhong Jiu's hand had turned a light purple color and was of extremely high quality, enough to completely erase the karmic wounds on its soul and allow it to return to its peak.

Do you want it? Of course I do!

Qiongqi's desire was almost overflowing.

But it also knew that the Soul-Nourishing Grass was an unparalleled treasure that could save lives in critical moments. How could Zhong Jiu give it such a precious item so easily? It was just a mount that Zhong Jiu had tamed.

But the next second, Zhong Jiu smiled faintly, flicked his finger, and the Soul Nourishing Grass transformed into a purple light, landing precisely in front of Qiongqi.

"It is given to you."

What?

Qiongqi was completely stunned, staring at Zhong Jiu in disbelief. Only after confirming that Zhong Jiu was not joking did it tremblingly extend its claws and hold the Soul-Nourishing Grass in its hands, tears welling up in its beastly eyes.

"Thank you, sir!"

It lay heavily on the ground, its head pressed against the ground, and did not get up for a long time. The emotion in its heart surged endlessly, and the previous resentment and rejection completely disappeared. From then on, it completely submitted to Chung Kau and was willing to serve him as its master.

Zhong Jiu nodded, showing no sign of heartache.

Although the Soul-Nourishing Grass is precious, it is of no use to him for the time being, and keeping it would be a waste. It would be better to give it to Qiongqi.

If we finally manage to subdue this top-tier ferocious beast, what's the point of subduing it if it continues to bear the karmic wounds and is unable to recover its strength?

Moreover, Zhong Jiu had a vague suspicion that the system listed the Soul Nourishing Grass as a reward so that it would use him to bestow it upon Qiongqi.

Only by combining kindness and severity can this unruly beast be completely subdued.

If he needs Soul-Nourishing Grass in the future, he can simply exchange it with the system. Although it is expensive, with his current strength, he can easily buy it after saving up for a while.

Qiongqi dared not delay and immediately took the Soul-Nourishing Grass. The pale purple spiritual energy instantly merged into its soul, and the karma that had been entangled it for so long melted away as quickly as ice and snow meeting fire. The wounds on its soul also healed rapidly.

Feeling that his strength was no longer declining and even had the hope of returning to his peak, Qiongqi's gratitude towards Zhong Jiu deepened to the bone, and he secretly resolved to repay him with his life in the future.