The Painting

Though spoken casually, every word was a veiled attack. Madam Black Pool was somewhat alarmed, unsure whether the Underworld Emperor was speaking casually or with a hidden meaning. So she forced a smile and said awkwardly, "Blackpool knows its place. Without the Underworld Emperor's favor, there would be no Blackpool today."

"Good that you understand." The scholar, with his back turned, raised his hand and said, "If there's nothing else, you may leave!"

Black Pool had not yet achieved her purpose, so how could she be willing to retreat? She gritted her teeth, raised her hand and pulled open the black silk sash around her waist. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and the black gauze of her palace dress slid down from her shoulders, exposing her snow-white and voluptuous body to the air.

Madam Black Pool slowly stood up, emerging naked from a pile of black veils. She walked slowly behind the scholar, wrapped her arms around his waist, and rubbed her body against him, saying, "It's been a long time since Blackpool has served the Underworld Emperor."

"Wait a moment, as you wish." The scholar chuckled lightly, his hand still gesturing.

Madam Black Pool hummed in approval, glancing at the nearly completed scroll on the desk. A mere glance was enough to cause her pupils to constrict. Before her lay a magnificent, colorful painting, a breathtaking scene of carnage vividly depicted on the paper. The bloody, brutal, and gripping battle unfolded from the scholar's brush...

Countless experts from Immortal and Underworld Realms besieged one person. In the middle of the painting, the person being besieged was full of heroic spirit, like a god of death, riding a powerful red dragon to the heavens and the earth, driving thousands of golden rays as if entering an empty land, and countless people were killed by him, turning into a rain of blood.

In the painting, a White Armored Figure and Golden Robe Figure, both possessing terrifyingly high cultivation levels, were locked in a fierce struggle with the one riding the divine dragon. When Madam Black Pool saw the White Armored Figure, her naked body stiffened slightly, especially since she recognized six of the Twelve Armored Warriors White Armored Figure him. Among them, the Silver Armor Thousand Armies was the same one who had previously repelled her in front of the small building. And the White Armored Figure leading the charge, fighting alongside the Golden Robe Figure, was none other than the Underworld Emperor himself...

"This... this... isn't this Emperor Hades?" Madam Black Pool stiffly extended a naked arm, white as jade, pointing at the White Armored Figure who was fighting fiercely.

The scholar gave a noncommittal "hmm," his brow furrowed, his brush moving without pause, meticulously capturing the essence of the fierce battle depicted in the painting. After a short while, he finally finished a section of the scroll. He let out a soft breath and set the brush aside. His expression grave as he examined the painting, saying, "For so many years, this scene has haunted my mind, refusing to leave. I decided to paint it, so that future generations may know this story, since few remain."

He seemed to only now become interested, turning back to examine Madam Black Pool's alluring body, raising his hand to touch her ample bosom. But Madam Black Pool seemed captivated by the content of the scroll, pointing to the twelve armored warriors and asking, "Are these the Twelve Great Underworld Generals?"

The scholar nodded slightly and said, "Indeed, it's a pity that after that battle, six of my twelve beloved generals died. Of the remaining six, Black Armor perished in the subsequent suppression of the rebellion, and the Black Nether Army you now command was originally his subordinate. Now only Silver Armor Thousand Armies and the other four remain. Silver Armor is my personal guard, who has always protected the Nether Emperor Palace, while the other four are the other four palace masters on Nether Emperor Mountain, all brothers who have fought alongside me all the way to conquer the world. So I must warn you, don't let me hear you call them slaves again, otherwise I won't hesitate to cripple your cultivation and send you to the Endless Black Abyss to do hard labor."

Blackpool shuddered. No wonder those five guys always looked down on her; they were the legendary Twelve Great Underworld Generals. But so what? Legends always get replaced eventually.

"Black Pool knows he was wrong. I never imagined they were the legendary Twelve Great Underworld Generals who followed the Underworld Emperor. I thought they had all perished long ago!" Madam Black Pool twisted her delicate body in the scholar's arms a few times and said with some grievance, "But they knew I was your woman, yet they still gave me a cold shoulder. They clearly didn't respect you, Underworld Emperor."

The scholar stroked her smooth, upturned buttocks and laughed, "Ignorance is no excuse, so I won't pursue the past. Besides, they've followed me for many years, and even if they haven't done anything great, they've certainly put in a lot of effort. You're too inexperienced to act superior in front of them. Just bear with it; it's just a matter of face, and you won't suffer any loss."

"I'll obey the Underworld Emperor." Madam Black Pool twisted her naked body again, then pointed to the Golden Robe Figure fighting alongside the Underworld Emperor and said, "Who is he? How can he have such terrifying cultivation!"

"Jin Tai of the Immortal Realm, oh! That is, the Immortal Emperor you speak of, whose name is Jin Tai," the scholar said with a smile.

"The Immortal Emperor?" Hei Chi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, pointing at the dragon Human Path who was being surrounded and attacked, "Who is he? He actually managed to get the Underworld Emperor and the Immortal Emperor to join forces in battle, and..." She glanced at the other people who were attacking in groups, but didn't finish her sentence, for fear of offending the Underworld Emperor.

The scholar's gaze was fixed on the figure riding a dragon in the painting, his expression solemn. He slowly said, "He comes from a place that Jin Tai and I sealed away together. To this day, I still can't figure out how he got out. I don't know his name, and I've never heard of him in that place before. He calls himself the Myriad Sword Demon Lord, and his cultivation is quite formidable..."

"What happened next? What is that sealed place?" Madam Black Pool asked curiously.

"Smack!" The scholar slapped her buttocks hard with his other hand, and pinched her chin, saying, "Didn't you say you were going to serve me? Why are you so concerned?"

Madam Black Pool was taken aback, then smiled radiantly and helped the scholar undress; the two of them fell to the ground. A surge of passion instantly filled the small building, and Madam Black Pool used every flattering trick in the book to please the scholar...

After a storm, the two embraced. Madam Black Pool leaned against the scholar and said with some complaint, "You asked me to maintain order in the underworld, but now even the Netherworld Gate have been damaged. Am I supposed to just turn a blind eye? What will the people below think of me?"

"What do you want to say?" the scholar asked casually.

"At the very least, we must retrieve the stolen Door Knocker Ring!" said Madam Black Pool.

The scholar's gaze turned cold as he looked at her and said, "I've long heard that you still yearn for the worldly things, for the blue skies, green waters, birdsong, fragrant flowers, and the sun, moon, and stars of the mortal realm. It seems that the rumor is true. But that's only human nature; women, after all, crave the vibrant, bustling life of the underworld and find it hard to bear the endless darkness of the netherworld."

"Your Majesty, you've really misunderstood me. I wonder who's been framing me behind my back." Madam Black Pool said coquettishly, "If we remain indifferent and don't pursue this matter, who knows, someone might even tear down the Netherworld Gate in the future."

"It seems you haven't understood what I meant." The scholar sneered, "I'm warning you, the cycle of Heavenly Dao has its own destiny and reason, and even I and the Immortal Emperor Jin Tai cannot escape this bondage. If you really want to get rid of this bondage, unless you become a god and transcend, don't have any crooked thoughts, or you will bring great disaster to yourself and the Underworld."

"Become a god?" Madam Black Pool was taken aback, then flattered, "Your Majesty, aren't you the god of the underworld? Who would dare to restrain you?"

"If nothing could bind me, why would I have spent countless years hiding in this endless darkness? There are some things you won't understand until you reach that level." The scholar stared at the roof and sighed, "There's something called the cycle of karma, where retribution eventually comes. Take the Demon Realm back then, for example..."

"The Demon Realm?" Madam Black Pool propped herself up, her upper body bare, and asked, "Is it the legendary demonic path that once roamed the ancient times?"

The scholar nodded and said, "That's right. You wouldn't understand how arrogant the Demon Realm was back then unless you experienced it yourself, but I, as someone who was involved, know it all too well. They almost crushed the Immortal Realm and the Underworld. But what was the final retribution? The Demon Realm was sealed off, and the demons who remained in various realms were brutally massacred and paid a heavy price."

"Is the Demon Realm the place you and the Immortal Emperor sealed away?" Madam Black Pool asked.

The scholar neither said yes nor no, and continued, "At the time, neither Jin Tai nor I realized what it meant for karma to be cyclical and ultimately rewarded. Later, because of the appearance of a Treasure Pearl in the human world, the Immortal and Underworld Realms fought fiercely in the human world, causing countless souls of human beings to be scattered and destroyed, without even the chance to be reincarnated, sowing the bitter fruit of their retribution. At the time, Jin Tai and I were so engrossed in fighting that we didn't realize this at all."

Madam Black Pool asked cautiously, her eyes gleaming, "What kind of Treasure Pearl is it that has captivated both you and the Immortal Emperor?"

The scholar ignored her, continuing to mutter to himself as if recalling an unforgettable past event, "No one expected retribution to come so quickly. Just then, that Myriad Sword Demon Lord appeared out of nowhere, claiming to be acting on behalf of Heaven, causing panic among the people of Immortal and Underworld Realms. Forced to join forces again to protect ourselves, Jin Tai and I were still no match for him, and were almost trapped by a large formation he had set up. Fortunately, we escaped quickly. Luckily, the Myriad Sword Demon Lord was too arrogant and fell into Jin Tai's trap, suffering serious injuries, and ultimately perished at the hands of Jin Tai and me."

Madam Black Pool listened with rapt attention. She had never imagined that there was someone whom even the Underworld Emperor and the Immortal Emperor, who joined forces, could not defeat. Just how powerful must that person be?

"However, after the Myriad Sword Demon Lord fell, the stolen Treasure Pearl suddenly vanished without a trace, nowhere to be found. It was as if it had all been a grand farce, a dreamlike illusion. When we awoke, Jin Tai and I looked back at the ravaged human world and were both shocked. We didn't know how many souls had been scattered by this farce. Just then, the Heavenly Dao issued a warning; dark clouds covered the entire human world, and countless powerful golden lightning bolts struck down, chasing after Jin Tai and me. Fortunately, we managed to escape back..."

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