Meanwhile, in Yemu Prefecture on the Zijing Continent, a massive blue, elongated Metal Lifeform drifted slowly onward.
Hell had never lacked bandits. Among the larger bandit groups, some had powerful Highgods backing them, and their leaders could even be Six-Star Fiends.
But the blue Metal Lifeform paid them no heed, and no bandits dared approach it. That was because a symbol was emblazoned on its surface.
It was the image of a massive azure dragon radiating the aura of water, representing the Azure Dragon Clan, one of the Four Divine Beasts Clan, the foremost family in Hell.
Inside the Metal Lifeform, a bald man in a red robe lounged quietly in a reclining chair, holding a glass of red wine and savoring it.
"Elder Emmanuel, this is Blood Eagle Fish that we bought in Diyi City. Please try some."
A woman in a white robe stood respectfully behind the bald man, holding a plate of prepared food.
"Mm."
Emmanuel leaned lazily against the chair, picked up a piece of fish with the cutlery, and took a bite. He nodded with satisfaction.
The woman in white wasn't a disciple of the Four Divine Beasts Clan. She was a maid hired from Fiend Castle, assigned to take care of Emmanuel's daily needs.
Although the Four Divine Beasts Clan was domineering, overbearing, and unreasonable toward outsiders, earning the resentment of many, they cared deeply for their own disciples. So even though Emmanuel was an elder, he couldn't have a female disciple of the clan serve him.
Members of the Four Divine Beasts Clan could spend money at Fiend Castle if they wanted to indulge themselves, and they could bully small clans and tribes. But they could never harm their own people, and Emmanuel wouldn't cross that line. After all, Gaia, the First Elder of the Azure Dragon Clan, was in charge of managing the clan.
As Gaia's grandson, Emmanuel knew his grandmother all too well. First Elder Gaia was the very embodiment of the clan's impartiality and integrity. If her grandson made a mistake, she would punish him twice as severely.
That was why Emmanuel didn't like staying in the Skyrite Mountains. He preferred visiting other continents, or even other planes. It was much easier to enjoy himself that way, and he had a perfectly good excuse: clan elders were supposed to make regular visits to the clan's branches and encourage the disciples there.
Most elders in the Four Divine Beasts Clan didn't like being responsible for visiting branches on other continents or planes. They only went when the clan assigned them a mission. Emmanuel was something of an oddity.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
At the sound of knocking, a young man's clear voice came from the door. "Elder Emmanuel, we'll reach Diyi City in a little over a year. Would you like to stop there for a while?"
"I know. Let's go take a look at Diyi City."
Emmanuel shifted lazily in his chair and answered in an indifferent tone.
As an elder, Emmanuel held a high position in the clan. Though he wasn't exactly pleasant, none of the clan's branches on the Zijing Continent dared complain.
For the past million years, the clan had been assigning a large-scale mission to collect Heaven and Earth Wonders. But not everyone could be sent to do that, and Emmanuel enjoyed a comfortable life, so he volunteered for a different mission: looking after the younger generation.
And so Emmanuel had come to the Zijing Continent to broaden the horizons of a group of younger clan disciples, all less than a million years old. In his eyes, these youngsters had little talent to speak of: after tens of thousands of years of cultivation, they had only just reached the levels of Middlegod or Lowgod. Still, as an elder, he had to carry out his mission.
Elsewhere, the battle between Ninisha and Cromwell on the Chisiwei Plain had reached its final stage.
Boom!
Purple bolts of lightning blotted out the sun, transforming into countless lightning serpents that closed in from all directions.
Sizzle!
Cromwell's expression was grave. The Zhentian Axe flew from his hand, tracing a strange arc as black flames burst from within it.
But the moment the black flames collided with the lightning serpents, they died away at astonishing speed, as though fire had met water. Faint golden light flickered across the serpents, then raced along the flames and flowed toward Cromwell.
As the lightning serpents continued to coil around him, they ripped through the space around them, revealing the seven-colored Spatial Turbulence beyond.
Boom!
Cromwell felt his body pause for the briefest moment. Then purple lightning enveloped him, and he lowered his weapon, looking somewhat dejected.
"I lost!"
Cromwell spoke with resignation. He knew Ninisha had held back with that last move. Otherwise, he would probably have died.
"Cromwell, looks like you lost too!"
Dili wasn't surprised at all to see Cromwell defeated. She flew swiftly toward them, smiling as she spoke.
"Miss Ninisha is very powerful."
Cromwell's feelings were complicated, and he couldn't help feeling a little envious. After all, he was a veteran Asura who had been around for many years. Still, he could accept it; talent didn't follow reason.
"All right, the sparring's over. Come with me to Diyi City. I'll show you around Yemu Prefecture afterward."
Cromwell put his complicated feelings aside and smiled again as he invited them.
"Then we'll have to trouble you."
Dili answered with an equally warm smile. Ninisha flew over and gave a slight nod without saying anything.
Ninisha herself wasn't interested in this sort of thing, but Cromwell had just sparred with her. She could at least humor him, and it wouldn't take long.
Soon, four figures streaked toward Diyi City. Stuart, who was known as its lord, could only follow behind the three of them.
At the gates of Diyi City, several members of the Zijing Army in purple robes kept order. A long line waited to pay the one-Moshi entrance fee.
Outside the city gates, several figures in golden robes stood waiting. Their leader, a white-haired old man, stared impassively toward the southwest.
After an unknown amount of time, several streaks of light descended from the sky and landed. A smile immediately appeared on the white-haired old man's face.
"Prefect, honored guests, welcome back. Diyi Restaurant is ready. You may enter whenever you wish."
The white-haired old man quickly bowed and greeted them. The others behind him followed suit, their voices filled with respect.
Before leaving, Stuart had already instructed his steward to make all the necessary arrangements. Lucius naturally wouldn't dare show the slightest negligence.
As Stuart's steward, Lucius was only a Five-Star Fiend, but he was one of the oldest residents of Fiend Castle, far older than Stuart, the lord of Diyi City.
Lucius had already been with Fiend Castle during the reigns of the two previous city lords. Having survived for countless years, he had naturally developed his own way of getting by. When Prefect Cromwell and the two honored guests arrived, he attended to them and organized everything with the utmost care.
Dili and Ninisha had nothing to say about it. Eating was no longer necessary once one reached godhood, but there was no harm in sampling food now and then.
Cromwell entered the city first. Dili and Ninisha walked side by side, with Stuart following behind them. He deliberately lagged a few steps, and steward Lucius immediately drew up beside the lord of Diyi City.
"Have you arranged everything?"
In front of Lucius, Stuart resumed his imposing air and asked telepathically.
"Rest assured, my lord! Nothing will go wrong."
Steward Lucius hurried to assure him. Then he hesitated before continuing, "My lord, there's one more thing I must report. Elder Emmanuel of the Four Divine Beasts Clan has come to Diyi City."
"Hmm? Emmanuel of the Four Divine Beasts Clan?"
Stuart's brow furrowed. A hint of displeasure flashed in his golden eyes, but he quickly concealed it.