Ten Courts of Hell: Blue Phoenix, #6

By Tinalynge

Leaving behind the Divine Beast World, Hui Yue embarks upon the life of an immortal in the vast outside world. To resurrect his loved one he will go to hell and back!

Follow Hui Yue as he enters a world unlike any he has ever seen before, and adapts to the many changes that surrounds him on his quest to become the strongest person alive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tinalynge
• Release date: Mar 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215590515

Book preview

Chapter 1 - Abyss

The sun shone beautifully as a gentle wind swept through Muchuan City. The town was abuzz with people chatting amongst themselves; laughter could be heard as one walked down the street at various locations while at others fights broke out. The sounds of hammering could be heard throughout the city as buildings were being restored and rebuilt. Merchants could be heard shouting out prices of their wares and guards were patrolling the streets. There was a rather large amount of guards compared to what it had been like just a few days before.

The subject of all the discussions in the city was the expert who had appeared a few days before and called out every single Saint, before fighting an earth-shattering, destructive battle. After which the supreme expert actually managed to come out victorious. Many buildings in the center of the city had been destroyed, and while the palace and the princess declared that they would pay for all the repairs, all of this was still a major subject for the citizens.

This morning an announcement was made throughout the city that within the year the princess would be crowned as the crown princess and she would become the Queen once the King passed away.

Remembering the heaven-shaking battle, everyone had heard the expert introduce himself as Hui Yue, and having lived in the capital for years many already knew who Hui Yue was. He had shocked them time and time again, but they had never seen him as arrogant as he was now.

Most of the cultivators did not know that Rong Liang, the expert that Hui Yue fought, was a God. They did not even know there was a realm above the Saint rank, and thus they assumed that he was a Saint. A very strong Saint, and now he was mentioned in the same breath as the Frozen General, Wan Qiao, and Li Xiaopeng. Hui Yue was the pride of Taiyang Kingdom.

While the city was bustling with gossip and life, the Hui mansion was quiet. In the garden, Lao and Jo were seated in meditation. Although they were focused solely on their cultivation, tears still streamed from their closed eyes. They were still unable to fully contain their emotions.

Inside the mansion, Rong Xing and Deng Wu were seated in the library. Neither of them spoke, but both looked somewhat lost. Holding each other's hands and seated side by side, they both looked into the distance, and it was obvious they were thinking about the past.

Ye Ling, Zhu Jun, Xiao Ning, and Luo Qing were all present in the mansion as well. They were seated in a smaller library and drinking wine. None of them spoke. All of them were quietly sitting while taking a sip of wine from time to time.

The entire mansion was filled with a quiet, tense atmosphere. No one, not even the servants, spoke with one another. Everyone just went about their daily tasks as quickly and quietly as they could.

Darkness. Darkness was everywhere. Everything was pitch black. It was so dark that one could not even see their hand in front them. It was impossible to navigate through this sea of nothingness that had enveloped Hui Yue and Huli.

A sense of powerlessness washed over Hui Yue. He could do nothing to prevent it, and his entire body felt weak, and his world lost any light. The darkness which enveloped him had started to seep into his body and take over his mind.

What is this? Hui Yue asked out loud, but no sound could be heard in the darkness that was enveloping him. Instead, he felt as if the air he breathed in was heavy and as it went down his throat he had no other option than to swallow hard to keep breathing.

The loss of Wang Ju Long enveloped Hui Yue once more. Within the darkness all his mind could think about was the loss of his beloved Ju Long which caused his body to feel heavy, and his breathing to become shallow. Pain tore his heart open as he once more relived those dreadful moments. Thinking about her death, he was almost willing to give up the fight, to simply succumb to the pain and allow for it to swallow him whole. He felt hopeless and was almost ready to join Wang Ju Long in her eternal slumber when the images of Sha Yun, Lao, Jo, and all his friends appeared in his mind.

Just as everything felt hopeless, Hui Yue saw a light shine forth. It was a single ray of light that shone brightly in the middle of this black world. It did not take long before this ray of light was accompanied by another and then another until the entire world of darkness had turned into a world filled with stars shining brightly in the boundless and infinite universe.

Although his world had now become lit with stars, Hui Yue could not forget that behind this light was constant darkness; between these stars, a world of nothingness existed.

It was within this nothingness that Hui Yue and Huli were currently moving. They had previously torn a hole in the fabric of space and entered the vast expanse of space earlier that day.

He had forced himself to leave behind his friends and had moved the entire Divine Beast World into his Universe Box. Now he was feeling slightly alone because Huli was the only one by his side.

What you experienced was the Abyss. Huli said with a low voice as she stood by Hui Yue's side. The Abyss is a state of mind. Our minds need time to comprehend the change from one world to another, especially the first time we enter the vast galaxy. The more you travel, the less the Abyss will affect you. Huli explained as she talked about everything that was happening around them so that Hui Yue was not confused about what was going on.

Having understood that the Abyss was not an actual place but a state of mind, Hui Yue felt better, but knowing that he would experience it again, he was slightly hesitant. He was not very keen on experiencing it again as the hopelessness he felt had truly seeped to his very core. He consoled himself by thinking about how it would become better the more he traveled from world to world.

While speaking, Huli had kept her eyes on Hui Yue. The Abyss was known to be one of the most devastating mental states. Many would get caught up in it and lose their mind as they were unable to comprehend the vastness of the universe. Because of this she feared for Hui Yue, but seeing how easily he managed it, she was astonished. Yes it had been uncomfortable, and yes he had felt hopeless, but he had managed to shrug it off fairly easily. Even when hearing about the fact that he had to reexperience it, he only paled slightly. This was considered a very good reaction.

Seeing that Hui Yue was once more dwelling on losing Wang Ju Long, Huli felt her heart ache. She sighed and started explaining to him about the galaxy they were currently standing within. Her hope was that she could make him forget about the pain, forget his sadness, if only for just a moment.

The brightness of the stars depends on how strong they are. She said as she pointed to various stars. Some were large, others small. Some were closer, and others were far away, but everyone of them had a small halo around them. This halo made them shine with various intensities.

The stronger the world is, the more lifeforce that world contains. The more lifeforce, the brighter it shines. A world with a lot of lifeforce, a healthy world, will naturally shine much stronger than one which is not as healthy.

The world we are looking for is a world of death. Even though it is a world of death, the Netherworld is also the number one world on the Heavenly World ranks. It is the biggest world of them all, and every living being that gets reincarnated from any other world will visit it at some point in their lives.

Hui Yue knew that the Netherworld was astonishing, but he was unaware of the fact that it was the most powerful and highest ranked amongst all the worlds.

Does this mean that Yanluo is the strongest Crowned Sovereign? Hui Yue asked curiously. He had understood that there was a connection between the strength of the world and the strength of the Crowned Sovereign, especially now after having experienced how his own strength exploded as he merged with the world. If Yanluo was the strongest of all Gods, would he really be willing to meet a small person like Hui Yue? Someone who had just become a God and had no backing outside of the Divine Beast World.

Yanluo is known to be one of the strongest. Huli nodded her head. He is ranked at the very top together with Goddess Nuwa, God Fuxi, and the Divine Beast Gods. As to who is the strongest that would undoubtedly be Overlord Pangu. He is the creator of our galaxy, and as for what rank he has reached, no one truly knows. No one even knows what kind of expert he is or where he came from. He is a figure shrouded in mystery. Ten thousand years ago Pangu vanished from the universe and has not been seen since. He vanished as quickly as he had arrived and since then everyone started competing to be the strongest. Still, no one has managed to claim the Overlord title since then; no one has been able to create a whole galaxy like he did. We are all limited to forming worlds and realms.

Will it be possible for us to even meet Yanluo? Hui Yue sighed, but deep inside he knew that he was a God. He had gone through and overcome so many trials and challenges before, and this was no different. He wouldn’t let anything stop him from resurrecting Wang Ju Long.

We will come up with something. Huli agreed with a nod. In her heart, Hui Yue was the most important person to her, and thus she was filled with respect and gratitude towards Wang Ju Long for the sacrifice she made. Huli was a person who would repay any kindness given to her and the ones she had dear, therefore she was also as set on resurrecting Wang Ju Long as Hui Yue was.

Do you know the way to the Netherworld? Hui Yue asked with a sigh and Huli, looking around, nodded her head. The Netherworld is the only world which can be seen from anywhere in the galaxy. It was created as the center of the universe by Pangu. Look for the brightest star in the sky and that is always the Netherworld! She said looking around. Hui Yue did indeed see a star brighter than any others, and looking at it, it was clear that it was very very far away.

Within your Universe Box, there should be a space shuttle. A small black ship which will make our travel many times quicker. It is fueled by Ancestral Worldpower from the galaxy itself.

Hearing this, Hui Yue entered the Universe Box. The universe within was simply endless. Even looking at the Divine Beast World, it was clear that there was still a vast amount of space left behind. From what it looked like, he would be able to store more than a hundred worlds the size of the Divine Beast World inside his storage space.

You want the space shuttle? The spirit asked, and Hui Yue nodded his head. With a harrumph and a wave of his hand a small miniature boat appeared in the hand of the spirit who handed it over to Hui Yue. Infuse it with your Ancestral Worldpower and it will change size depending on your choice.

Deciding to say no more, the spirit vanished and returned to some unseen corner within the Universe Box, and Hui Yue returned his mind to his body. The shuttle was now within his hand as he quickly infused it with his ancestral worldpower. Afterwards, the shuttle rapidly grew until it became as large as a normal ship.

Entering the ship, he found that it was rather comfortable inside, and he quickly sat down on a couch next to the window. He felt that he could control the ship with his thoughts alone, and as he did, Huli quickly placed herself next to him. She had not been too clingy after the loss of Wang Ju Long, but now she could no longer hold back. Therefore she hugged him gently and rubbed her head against his shoulder.

Sighing Hui Yue shook his head. His heart was filled with pain and sadness, but he knew he had to stay strong. He had to resurrect his beloved Wang Ju Long, and although every moment felt painful, he knew that he would never give up. With a thought, they started moving towards the brightly shining star. The ship flew at its fastest speed, and although the distance was large, it was something that could be traversed in a few months.

Once a week Hui Yue would visit the Divine Beast World for a short period, but never longer than a day before he returned to the outside world, to the spaceship that was rushing towards the shining star far in the difference.

On the way, they came close to many worlds. Some were completely sheltered from the galaxy, covered by mist or smoke while others were clear as day and one could see the continents and seas within them.

Although Hui Yue was very tempted to visit these many different worlds, he never did. He was focused on getting to the Netherworld as soon as possible. For him, nothing mattered other than resurrecting Wang Ju Long.

Chapter 2 - Dao

As soon as they had settled inside the ship, Huli looked at Hui Yue and her eyes were filled with worry. Hui Yue was simply too weak. He knew nothing about what it meant to fight as a God and Huli could not wait to teach him the techniques and knowledge he would need to know to survive in fights against other Gods.

Sit down, Huli ordered, and for once her words were serious. They were not playful at all and contained none of her usual tenderness. Hearing her harsh voice, Hui Yue did not pause and sat down promptly.

Seeing this, Huli nodded her head approvingly before she sat down next to him and looked out at the vast universe that lay outside.

As a God, your entire body is formed from Ancestral Worldpower which is fundamentally different from Wu Wei, Qi, and spiritual energy. It is an energy which is present everywhere, and the world is built from this energy. But when it comes to fighting, using Ancestral Worldpower in the same way you used Wu Wei is very crude. In the universe, there exists the dao. The dao is everywhere and nowhere; it is visible but also invisible. The dao is a path of cultivation and also a law of the universe. To fight Gods, one needs to gain insights into the daos of the universe.

In the universe, there are thousands of daos. Everything has a dao. The daos themselves are ranked based on how fundamental they are. There are the heavenly daos: heaven, earth, fate, death, and life. Then there are the major daos split into water, fire, wind, earth, metal, darkness, and light.

Beneath the major daos are an almost uncountable number of minor daos. For example the dao of wind. In it, there is the calm dao of the gentle breeze, the fierce dao of gale, and there is also the dao of sound and so on. There are thousands of minor daos within each major dao. All the minor daos combine to form a major dao.

After watching you for some time I realized, you know nothing about the daos, yet you have already touched upon the daos without knowing it.

From the moment you opened your memories you started to gain insights into the dao. You have already touched upon more than one dao path. Some of them you have even comprehended in your previous lives but although you have merged with their memories, this is something you could not understand before, and thus the memories would have been vague or unattainable.

The daos are always around us at any moment. It is a force, or energy, which is all encompassing and you can learn to control this energy. As you comprehend the daos, you will acquire new forms of attack and new insights into the universe.

When you went into the red realm you touched upon the dao of inferno. The Vermilion Bird had comprehended the entire major dao of fire. One of the reasons that he was so powerful was because he had comprehended a complete dao path.

The red realm was created based entirely on the dao of inferno; a smaller dao within the dao of fire. As you traveled through the world so dense with the dao of inferno, your body assimilated to this dao. You got familiar with it, and soon your body started to learn how to control it.

If you just live for thousands of years, you will have embarked upon thousands of daos as your body comes into contact with them just by living, but the better you are at understanding the dao, the stronger you will become.

You have a great advantage that others do not have. You have already comprehended more than one complete dao path, though you just never realized it or used it in the correct way.

If you had not fully comprehended the dao of inferno, you would not be able to use the full Phoenix Descent, but because you never sat down and meditated on your control over the inferno, you never realized the true strength you had gained.

Not just this, but you have the memories of your previous life. As such you should already have known about these daos and the dao paths you have already comprehended in your previous lives, but because you merged with the memories before you became a God, the dao was simply too mysterious and enigmatic for you to comprehend and the memories got lost. As the memories got lost, it is impossible for you to regain them, but what you can do is walk the daos you have already comprehended in your previous lives.

You refer to a few of them as the blue cloud, the red mist, the green pearl. The truth is that these kinds of energies are actually daos. The blue cloud is the dao of devouring. It focuses on devouring the energies of the universe. Any energy can be consumed by you. Even more interesting is it seems that in every life you lived you walked down the dao of devouring.

When you were the red wolf you were an asura that devoured soul after soul, life after life, and lived in a world filled with death and despair.

The monk devoured energies letting none escape his grasp in his world while he ensured that no person was harmed.

While the green witch was not a God, she had already started down the path of a devourer. She devoured lifeforce from the dead and gave it to the living.

Although we do not know about your other lives just yet, I can imagine that they too have something to do with this dao as you have already devoured energies, souls, and lifeforce.

The devouring dao is a minor dao under the dao of darkness, but although it is a minor dao, it is as strong as the major daos when it comes to attacking. If you comprehend the complete dao of devouring, then you will be able to rip out the soul of your opponents and consume it unless they have astonishing soul defenses.

Right now, what you need is to become strong. Huli continued, you need to be as strong as possible so that you can survive the trip to the Netherworld, and even more so to prove your strength and catch the attention of Yanluo!

There is still some time before we reach the netherworld. This ship is silent and peaceful. It is only natural that you spend the time you have here training and emerging yourself in the daos that you are comprehending.

Considering how many of your previous lives have walked the dao of devouring, I am sure that you will be able to comprehend it very quickly.

Hui Yue's brain was so busy comprehending everything he had heard that he did not notice that Huli was no longer speaking. He was reminded of the word devour and how it had filled him with a feeling of profoundness earlier.

Now he was filled with confusion. He knew which path to take; he understood that he needed to comprehend and use the daos to fight, but the difference in knowing what a dao was and fully understanding it was as far apart as the heavens and the earth.

Without delaying, Hui Yue sat down in a lotus position with his eyes closed. He started sorting through every piece of information Huli had given him.

The dao was everywhere around him. He would be able to understand the dao if he took some time to ponder upon it. Some were harder to comprehend but contained immense power, others were easier to comprehend but contained little power. Some daos required one to already have fully understood others before one could unlock the greater dao associated with them. Understanding a greater dao allowed one to truly become an unparalleled supreme expert. Only a few, including Yanluo, had managed to comprehend a heavenly dao.

Devouring was a minor dao under the major dao of darkness, whereas darkness was a major dao under the heavenly dao of death. Not many dared to venture into a dao like this, a dao which was so domineering and so evil in nature.

But Hui Yue was not your usual cultivator. When he thought about how his dao of devouring could be evil and domineering, he also understood that it could be gentle and soft.

When he thought about the blue monk, he knew that a dao was not what determined one's personality. There was the red wolf, a domineering and coldblooded asura, and the blue monk who would travel the world and do anything in his power to make everyone have a gentle life. He would bless those who he came across and use his powers for good; he never killed, and only took away the energies of those who opposed him. There was also the green witch who devoured lifeforce, but she did so from the dead who no longer needed it and gave it to those in need. She was a healer and a gentle person, but despite her personality, she walked the dao of devouring.

Thinking of this, Hui Yue understood something. There was no good or evil in this world. Everything could become good just like anything could become evil. It depended on the hands wielding power. It depended on the views of whoever was viewing the topic in question. No one was fully evil just like no one was fully good; even a devil could care for someone while an angel could resent another.

Realizing this, Hui Yue did not hesitate to let his thoughts wander and thought about devouring.

Devouring was to consume greedily, to forcefully take something and make it a part of oneself. Hui Yue felt that the more he thought about the word devour, the more complex it became. He thought of how he had absorbed souls and energies time and time again, both out of anger, to pass judgment according to his own desire, and to absorb energies to increase his strength.

Only then did it click. His desire. His desire was what determined what and when he devoured energies. Controlling the dao had to do with his desire to do so.

Although the dao and his previous energies were different, they had something in common. Both required his desire to activate them; both required his desire to move them.

Sitting with his eyes closed, his entire body started to draw in the Ancestral Worldpower from his surroundings, and as time went by this devouring force became stronger and stronger.

Hui Yue no longer visited the Divine Beast World to tell them what was going on. He did not move at all as his body was constantly absorbing and devouring the energy from the universe around him. Even though he was taking in an enormous amount of energy within this infinite galaxy, there was an unlimited amount of energy. He could keep absorbing for the rest of his life and not even make a change to the galaxy’s energy.

The first month of their travels Huli only looked at Hui Yue and kept him under her watch, but as the months turned to half a year, she no longer paid attention to the young man who was focused on the dao.

A year passed by before Hui Yue opened his blue eyes once more. Deep within them, a black whirlwind could be seen, but after his eyes opened, it soon vanished leaving behind no traces of ever having been there.

This is the Netherworld? Hui Yue asked curiously as he moved up to the deck where Huli was standing and looked at the bright star that was right in front of them. The star was clearly closer than any other world; it was right in front of them, and the halo of Ancestral Worldpower and lifeforce was sending ripples from the world so strong that Hui Yue could feel it blazing on his body like the scorching heat from the blue flames of Lan Feng. Bathed in this scorching heat, Hui Yue greedily absorbed the energy with a smile on his face. They had finally arrived at the Netherworld.

Chapter 3 - Treasure Mountain

Looking around, Hui Yue noticed that his was not the only space shuttle moving towards the Netherworld. Everywhere he looked more and more shuttles of various shapes and sizes ripped apart the fabric of reality, exiting spatial tears and entering the world in front of them. To Hui Yue it felt like he was back on the roads outside of Muchuan City. The space surrounding the Netherworld was packed with thousands upon thousands of ships entering and departing the massive world!

Seeing this many Gods, Hui Yue felt his heart tighten and his body shake.

We were lucky that we haven't run into any pirates so far. Huli said as she nodded her head in satisfaction. Her expression showed that she was not the least bit surprised about the amount of Gods present, and when she saw Hui Yue's shocked expression, she chuckled slightly. You come from a small world where Gods are as rare as the moon in the sky, but in our vast galaxy one finds that Gods are not like moons, but stars. And the amount of stars in the night sky are uncountable; there exists so many that one could never see them all.

Hui Yue was shocked. He knew very well how hard it was to become a God even more so if you did not have the assistance of the Formation of Life or a similar formation. Still, there were countless worlds in this galaxy, so many that one could never visit them all, not even with their infinite lifespan, and for them to have produced plenty of Gods was actually not that surprising after some thought.

When there were so many Gods, naturally some would become bandits. Only now did he realize how lucky he was to have Huli by his side. Although they were lucky not to have been ambushed or attacked so far, but if he were on his own and was attacked then he would inevitably have to draw on the energy of the Divine Beast World to fight. This would wound the world which was already slightly exhausted after its lifeforce was used in the fight against Rong Liang. Though now with Huli by his side, Hui Yue was certain that the two of them could manage on their own.

Well no use thinking about it for now. Hui Yue decided as his eyes left the many shuttles and returned to the world in front of them. He had to focus and figure out a way to meet Yanluo.

Let me. Huli said as she stood at the front of the shuttle. Her arm reached forward, and Ancestral Worldpower poured forth, and just like the many other ships, they tore a hole in the protective layer around the world. This allowed for Hui Yue, Huli, and their ship to enter into the world.

As they entered the world, the shuttle shrank in size until it could fit in Hui Yue's palm and with a wave of his hand, was returned to the Universe Box. Now that Hui Yue knew it was in there, he could find summon it any time he needed it.

Looking around more and more experts were coming through, and he could not help but frown a little. Even Huli was surprised by the sheer amount of people who were appearing in the Netherworld.

Although there are many people traveling through space and visiting various worlds, this amount truly is abnormal... She said with a sigh. Something must be happening for so many people to be entering the Netherworld.

Hui Yue just nodded his head. Indeed, it did seem like everyone was in a hurry, and he, who was looking for a way to contact Yanluo, could not help but feel that this was perhaps a chance. Only Yanluo could cause such a commotion within his world and hope sprung to life in Hui Yue's heart.

Huli, having reached the same conclusion, smiled at him with happiness as she took his hand and led him down to the ground. Come with me. Let’s find an immortal city and sell all your materials for worldpower stones. That is the currency used by immortals, and we can use some of that wealth to buy the information we seek. Huli quickly said. Hui Yue, who was in a rush to know what was happening, quickly nodded his head in agreement.

The two, man and beast, flew hand in hand through the skies so swiftly that not even an afterimage was left behind. The Netherworld was at least four thousand times larger than the Divine Beast World, and although they traveled swiftly it took over an hour of flying over normal fields, forests, mountain ranges, and cities before a city floating in the sky appeared in front of them. As they flew, Huli explained the Netherworld to Hui Yue.

Half of the Netherworld is like any other world. It is filled with mortals who cultivate and immortals alike. Unlike the Divine Beast World, these mortals know about Gods and the fact that this is the Netherworld. So many Gods visit this world that it would be impossible to hide their existence. These mortals don’t fear the Gods though, they are under the protection of Yanluo, and no one would dare massacre mortals in his world. If they ever needed to resurrect, then they would end up suffering for all eternity in Diyu.

A quarter of this world is one large plane called the Plane of Despair. That is where all souls will wander from their death till the day they fully forget their previous lives. When they have forgotten their lives, they will be reincarnated.

The last place is the most mysterious place. It is called Diyu. I don't know much about it, just that only sinners are put there, and as for what happens within, no one knows. Those who exit never mention anything.

Diyu is controlled by Yanluo's most trusted subordinates, the ten Judges of Hell. These two places, Diyu and the Plane of Despair, are only able to be visited by the ten Judges of Hell and Yanluo or his personal guests. I never entered any of those places before, so I can't help you too much. Huli said while shaking her head with an apologetic expression, but what she said had already helped Hui Yue understand the Netherworld somewhat, and for that he was grateful. Gently petting Huli's head, he smiled at her. Thank you. He said from his heart before his eyes returned to the city that had appeared in front of them.

A mountain which was turned upside down was hanging in the air three thousand meters above ground. The peaks pointed down towards the ground while the base was flat. The base of this floating, upside-down mountain was perfectly level, and it seemed as if something had sliced the mountain in half to form the land where a large city had been built. Mist and clouds floated around it making it seem celestial, and the city itself was filled with people constantly arriving and leaving.

This is the Skydragon Fortress, Huli explained. Beneath the city, inside the mountain, is a Skydragon. Should war ever break out within the Netherworld, then this dragon will awaken and fight by Yanluo's side.

This is one of the biggest immortal cities in the entire galaxy, and we are going to settle here until we find a way to meet with Yanluo, Huli said, and Hui Yue agreed. The largest city was likely to have the most accurate information and the best resources.

Follow me, Huli said, and she tightened her grip around Hui Yue's hand as she dragged him with her into the city. One cannot fly in Skydragon Fortress, if you do, you will be killed without warning. She continued as they landed in the grassy area just outside the city where many other experts landed.

Beauty was something everyone wanted and seeing the two, Hui Yue and Huli together many were staring. As a God, there was no longer any racism against magical beasts, and many Gods were, in fact, magical beasts themselves. Thus those who looked at them were shocked by the handsome man and beautiful woman. They looked like a divine couple and seemed heavenly as they landed hand in hand. Those who were looking at them also tried to see if they could gain any understanding of Hui Yue or Huli's strength, however, no matter how much they searched, these two experts in front of them were impossible to see through.

Hui Yue was completely oblivious to the looks he was getting as he was busy looking at the city in front of him. He was like a child seeing Christmas lights for the first time, and although his actions made him seem aloof, Huli knew that he was trying to take in all the new things that were happening around him.

Let’s go to the Treasure Mountain. Huli said smilingly. She had been to Skydragon Fortress before, and she knew her way around the city. It was an immortal city, and because of this, it never changed. Despite the fact that it was thousands of years since she was last here, she moved through the city as if she had been to it just yesterday.

All the buildings were breathtaking and well maintained. There were no shabby looking houses just like there were no beggars on the roads. There were merchants, but all of them were Gods, and the whole city made Hui Yue speechless.

Laughing Huli snuggled closer to Hui Yue and was almost hanging on his arm while dragging him with her towards a massive mountain-like pagoda in the middle of the city. Only one building was taller than this pagoda, and that was the core part of the fortress, the location where the City Lord lived.

This massive pagoda that towered to the heavens was right in front of the fortress. It was obvious that there was some connection between the two, but Huli just laughed when Hui Yue asked about it. No one knows the truth behind Treasure Mountain. It is in every major immortal city in the entire galaxy. It is as old as the cities themselves, and as for who built this empire of merchants, no one knows.

Hui Yue nodded his head hearing her words. It made sense that within this vast and ancient world of Gods there were mysteries that others were not meant to know about. This was not something that he cared about, all he wanted was to find someone who wished to buy his materials so that he could accumulate some wealth and buy information. This was what mattered to him.

Entering the tall pagoda, Hui Yue followed behind Huli. Walking inside, he was still sorting and thinking about all the new things that he had learned about recently.

Good day, how may I help you? A gentle female voice suddenly sounded in front of them, and Hui Yue looked at the one who was speaking. It was a woman who was either half beast half human, or a beast in human form. Hui Yue thought this because her body was human but she had the tail of a cat and cat ears. She was incredibly cute, and for some reason, Huli glared at her as she fastened her grip on Hui Yue.

Hui Yue, who felt the sudden squeeze could not help but sigh. Did this fox woman really think that he was so cheap to fall for any woman he came close to? Still, he said nothing and let Huli take control of the situation much like she had done before. After glaring at the woman for a short while, Huli finally cleared her throat, We are here to sell some things. She said with a dry voice.

The cat lady could hear the hostility in her voice and raised an eyebrow, but apart from this, she showed no signs of displeasure. This way please. She said as she waved them towards a small room. We will see which items you have up for sale and how much we can pay for them.

Chapter 4 - Pill of Clarity

The three together entered the room. Hui Yue saw that although it was small a lot of detail had gone into making it look welcoming, the walls were beautifully adorned with carvings and a desk with three chairs was placed in the middle. Two on one side and one on the other.

The woman gestured for the two to take a seat before she sat down herself, It must be luck that we met outside. I am an appraiser here and will do my best to assist you. Hearing her voice, Hui Yue felt slightly pressured and even Huli, who was the strongest being that Hui Yue knew seemed slightly nervous in this small room.

Let’s see your items. The woman said and Hui Yue, looking around frowned. I have too many for this room... He said shyly startling the young-looking woman. This was because most Gods would not carry too many materials on them at one time. Although they were quite easy to get from other worlds, it was mainly merchants who visited these worlds to gather and trade such things. But in front of her was a person who was clearly not a merchant yet he had so many materials to sell. That was definitely something not ordinary.

Follow me, the woman said curiously as she moved towards another room. She was rather apologetic this time for having made them enter one room first and then another afterwards, but the second room they entered was many times larger than the previous one. It was so large in fact that when Hui Yue waved his hand, and a whole mountain of materials appeared in front of her it didn’t even take up too much space in the room.

These were the materials from the Divine Beast World. Although they were not worth much, in such quantities, they were still able to get quite a profit, not to mention some of the things that Hui Yue had within his collection were really quite valuable.

The woman started going through his many materials, and although no words were said, her lips kept moving as she was calculating the prices of the items. She picked up a bottle which she opened with curiosity. As soon as she saw this item, her eyes shone with excitement. She picked up all the pill bottles that Hui Yue had summoned forth from his storage treasure.

These pills are simply too rare nowadays! She said excitedly as she looked at them. You even have a pill of Samsara made by the Alchemist God himself. For this pill alone we will pay fifty thousand Worldpower Stones for.

Sadly, that is a pill I won’t be selling. Hui Yue sighed while saying. Although he was here to make money, he was not interested in selling something the Vermilion Bird had gifted him.

What a shame. The woman said, but her attention quickly shifted to the rest of the items. The treasures are not bad, I can give a total of forty thousand Worldpower Stones for them, and for the materials, although simple, there are some we don't see often so we can offer you a total of one hundred and eighty thousand Worldpower Stones for them.

The rest of the pills I will need to look into. They seem to have been concocted with the Alchemist God’s pill formulas, but it's obvious that he did not make them. You’re not by any chance an apprentice of the Alchemist God? She asked full of curiosity towards Hui Yue who shook his head. He did not go into detail about where or how he gained these pills.

Although they are not made by the Alchemist God, they are still made with his pill formulas. His creations are among the best in all of alchemy, and therefore his pills are very high quality. I can pay you a hundred thousand Worldpower Stones for all of your pills, excluding the pill of Samsara of course.

Contemplating for some time, Hui Yue came to the conclusion that what he needed now was not pills or materials but money. He still had the pill formulas so he just needed to gather the herbs once more and with enough money this would not be a problem.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, the woman stopped him as she looked at the materials. I will pay you an additional twenty thousand Worldpower Stones if you tell me which world you got these materials from. You have some divine flowers which I very much want to know more about. They only grow on specific worlds, and they are quite hard to obtain. If you manage to get more of these flowers, then please sell them to us. They are in demand and needed for alchemy, but very hard to find.

The woman kept no secrets from Hui Yue. Although she wished to get the items for the best price, she was also aware that since he could produce so many materials, he would find more later on. If she were to cheat him on the price now, why would he ever come back to Treasure Mountain in the future? Even though this was not a massive transaction, it was one she was happy to make. There was always buyers for materials and to get more of them was their goal.

Just as Hui Yue was about to accept the offer, Huli waved her hand, and three pill bottles appeared. I want to sell these three pills the Alchemist God concocted. They are a Deep Freeze Pill, a Truefire Flame Pill, and the last is a Pill of Clarity. Check them please.

Having said this, Huli placed the pill bottles on the table and allowed for the woman to appraise them. None of the pills had any medicinal scent, and they had various hues to them. Looking at them, the face of the woman changed.

You’re sure you wish to sell the Pill of Clarity? The Deep Freeze pill and the Truefire Flame Pill are both great and not too rare, but the Pill of Clarity allows one to focus their mind on the Dao; it opens up the mind so one can more easily comprehend the universal laws.

Huli glared at the woman with a sour expression on her face. I know what the pill does. Do you want it or not? She asked sourly, and the woman quickly shut her mouth. She wanted to buy the pill; she really wanted to buy the pill.

I can give you seven hundred thousand Worldpower Stones in total for these three pills. She sighed. This was her highest bid, and she was praying that the woman would accept it.

Thankfully Huli seemed satisfied with the price and nodded her head. Give all the money to him. She said lazily, and the cat lady did not dare waste any time. She instantly bowed after which she left the room. She headed to pick up the Worldpower Stones for the two guests.

It took her no longer than five minutes before she returned to the room. In her hand was a small ring and a black card.

This ring is a storage treasure we'll gift you. It contains all of your Worldpower Stones. This card is a VIP card, and every time you come to shop with us, you will get a ten percent discount.

We will hold an auction in three days, and there might be things there that catch your eye. The woman hid nothing from them, and Hui Yue just nodded his head.

I would like to buy some information. Huli said as she looked at the cat lady. We already know that many people are currently coming to this world, but we are not sure why. We have been holed up in a smaller world for a couple thousand years, so we are not aware of what is going on in this galaxy.

The woman looked at Huli confused at first, but when she heard that they had been in a small world for thousands of years, she finally eased her expression. It is simple. I can just let you know. However, I might sell you something afterward. She said with a big smile.

Yanluo is in control of the Netherworld. Directly under his command are the ten Judges of Hell. These judges have been under his control for eons but three years ago one of the judges, the tenth judge, went out to explore the universe. While adventuring, he perished, but no one knows how or where.

Now Yanluo is in search of a new expert to become the new judge of the tenth Court of Hell. Experts from all over the world have appeared in the hopes of gaining the position. To work under Yanluo, it is the dream of many. The cat lady said with a smile on her face. I happen to have a file which explains the level of strength of all the esteemed guests who have arrived and the experts who are expected to arrive. If you are interested, you can buy this book at the low price of twenty thousand Worldpower Stones, and that is with the ten percent discount.

Hearing the price, Hui Yue's eyes widened, but he quickly agreed to buy the book. In his heart, a plan was forming. If he could become the tenth Judge of Hell, would that not mean that he would be able to meet up with Yanluo and get an answer about Wang Ju Long's condition? His expression was cold as he thought back to how she had sacrificed herself for him.

Looking at Hui Yue, Huli instantly guessed his thoughts and a gentle smile appeared on her lips. The cat lady left to get the book, but had she been in the room, the two contrasting expressions would have confused her.

This is the book. She said as she placed a monstrous amount of papers on the table. Looking at this book, Hui Yue almost got a headache as it was simply far too massive.

This is the briefest summary of each expert that is expected to participate in the trials, and only those of a certain strength have been included. She said while thinking about whether or not she should add this young man in front of her to the list.

It was weird. When she looked at Hui Yue, she saw an expert who had become a God recently, but the more she observed him, the more she was unable to see through his strength. It was as if he was intentionally showing a weak front but was, in fact, a wolf in sheep's clothing.

The reason that it was so hard to see through Hui Yue's level of strength, alongside how hard it was to see if he was a human or a beast, was because his aura was constantly contradicting itself. In one way it said that he was human, but at the same time, it also said that he was a beast. He had the aura of a new God ranked cultivator but also the aura of a God which could fight with the strongest of the Gods in the book she had just sold him.

The reason for this was obviously Hui Yue's past lives. He shared his body with fragments of memories, and thus his aura was chaotic. He was neither fully human nor beast. Not a new God or an old one. He was an enigma, and this was what confused anyone who tried to find out his level of strength.

Huli by his side was just as mysterious. When looking at this beautiful woman no one would notice anything. She seemed as plain as any other God out there. At first glance, she seemed the most average amongst others, but her eyes were filled with a sharpness that the cat woman instantly recognized to come from the strongest of experts. Just who were these two who had appeared out of nowhere?

It seemed true that they had been on a small world for thousands of years, how else had they managed to get their hands on so many materials? Why had she never heard about these experts before? Could it be that they were even older than her? The cat woman was confused, but in the end, she decided not to ask anymore questions. She did not wish to insult these two individuals if anything she wanted to build a friendship with them. There was some feeling she kept getting that it would be beneficial for her to be their friend.

Chapter 5 - Picture Perfect

W e need to find an inn, Huli said as she and Hui Yue left Treasure Mountain. Originally I wanted us to buy a house in the city since we will be here for quite some time. However, this is not possible since house prices are so high now that so many experts have appeared in the city like moths to a flame. Seeing all these packed inns around us, I assume that the cheap and expensive rooms are already sold out. Huli continued contemplating out loud, and Hui Yue who listened to her with great interest allowed the fox-woman to drag him by the hand through the city.

Although Hui Yue was filled with sadness and an unrelenting urge to grow stronger flared within his mind, he was currently overwhelmed by the massive immortal city. The beauty of it was simply breathtaking; the buildings were tall and daunting as they towered to the sky above. The streets were bursting with life as Gods walked together in groups or alone. Some were loud, and others were silent. Some hid their appearance with a cloak while others wore almost no clothes.

The further into the city they went, the more astonished Hui Yue became as he noticed that the city was split into four sections and each section had a different architectural theme.

There are so many different worlds in the universe, and many of them have different styles. The major worlds mostly have one of these four styles to them, and most of the creators of minor worlds just copied them instead of creating a whole new style themselves. Some worlds even have the remnants of all these styles, depending on how influenced they were by outside factors.

Anyway, you will get used to how different everything is soon. The universe is vast, and not everything can be the same. Huli laughed as she squeezed Hui Yue's hand and dragged him closer and closer to the inn in front of them.

This is the most average inn I could think of, Huli said proudly as she walked into the door, but upon seeing Hui Yue's confused expression, she giggled. The experts who are showing up for this trial to become the judge are extreme figures. They are either extremely rich or extremely poor. The rich will want the highest grade of luxury while the poor will choose the cheapest inns. This means that the expensive inns are probably already sold out, so our best chance to get a room is at the most average inn around. Not many would choose them unless they are like us.

Hearing this, Hui Yue was a little confused. Huli's logic did not always make sense to him, but he said nothing and just followed her. They had enough money to provide for them for quite some time, and he already knew what the next step in their journey would be.

Looking at the inn, Hui Yue was unsure if others were thinking the same thing as Huli and he couldn’t help but wonder if the all the other inns really were full. But stepping inside, this inn was packed to the brim with people. The ground floor, which was a restaurant, had no tables available and the man behind the counter was busy helping the customers who had formed a long line. The many staff members rushed back and forth in the restaurant, and all of them were extremely attractive women or men. To Hue Yue’s surprise, none of the staff who were taking orders and carrying out food were below the God rank.

Some were beasts others human, and If someone tried to take liberties with their girls, then the customer would be thrown out of the store by the inn’s guards. There were around five quite powerful God ranked cultivators standing guard in the inn ensuring that no trouble arose, and Hui Yue was very surprised to see this.

How come all of the experts within the city are Gods? Hui Yue asked confused, considering how many Gods have settled down in this city, it is shocking that there is no one below the God rank.

Hearing Hui Yue, Huli laughed once more and shook her head. When you become a God your entire body changes. Although it is very hard, you can have children, and all the children you have will also be Gods at birth.

But, just because they are Gods does not mean they are stronger than the average Saint. They are still newborns and need to learn how to control their strength.

That is if both their parents are Gods, though, Huli continued with a sigh. If their parents are mixed between a God and a human or a beast at lower levels of cultivation like the Rong twins or Lan Feng, then they will be born as humans or beasts with above average talents.

Huli stopped in