King of Hell's Edict

"What's this!?"

Geluolan only managed to utter four words before freezing in place.

The next moment, the Knot Cord disintegrated, transforming into a hexagram that combined with a certain aura emanating from Geluolan. That aura immediately surged and rose, breaking through the shroud of the Near and Far and establishing a connection with some the Unseen being.

It took Geluolan quite a while to recover, and he felt as if something had been added to his body.

What's wrong with me?

Looking up, I saw my own room, but it was in a terrible state of disrepair.

"Huh? How come my house is almost half destroyed?" Seeing the scene before her, Geluolan felt her mind go blank and tried her best to recall.

Just then, a voice came from behind—

"Prince, you just let Qiu Sheng go like that? How long has it been since you summoned him? He didn't even have time for a meal to come and go. If someone with a discerning eye were to notice, they would surely become suspicious."

Geluolan looked in the direction of the sound and saw the withered face of an old man, who was frowning and had a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"I let Qiu Sheng go? Qiu Sheng? That's right, it's Qiu Yan. I had Qiu Yan summoned here today to capture him and turn him into a puppet to vent my anger. But he's not someone to be trifled with, he..."

As Geluolan was still thinking, Song Gaosu's voice suddenly came from outside. It turned out that Song Gaosu wanted to come in, but accidentally got caught in the Flying Sand Formation in the courtyard.

Geluolan frowned even more deeply and said, "Elder, let's stop the formation."

"Strange, since Qiu Yan has already left, why did I forget to close the formation?" The withered old man nodded, muttered to himself, and then began to form hand seals.

Outside, the Spiritual Qi in the courtyard changed instantly, and the Flying Sand Formation slowly receded.

Not long after, Song Gaosu and two Marshfolk entered the house. After bowing to Geluolan, Song Gaosu looked around at the dilapidated furnishings, frowned, and said, "Prince, you let that boy leave so quickly? He doesn't seem to have changed at all."

Upon hearing this, Geluolan frowned slightly, a series of images flashing through his mind—

Fierce battle, capture, and refining.

"Yes, I remember now. Qiu Yan somehow managed to break free from the Flying Sand Formation and enter this room. He then attacked desperately, but he only had the strength to refine two souls. In the end, the elder and I suppressed him, extracted his soul, and refined it into a puppet. That's why I released him."

Memories surfaced one after another, vivid and crystal clear.

Having thought all this through, Geluolan felt much more at ease and calmly answered the withered old man's concerns and Song Gaosu's questions.

Along the way, in a corner, Qiu Yan walked slowly. Two orbs of light flickered in his hands, and within the light, shadows shifted, vaguely revealing the figures of Geluolan and the withered old man.

"My understanding of the fragments of 'Exhortation to Learning' has deepened. Combined with divine power and the Incense Thoughts, I can already construct virtual memories and control a Fortune. However, if I could obtain the complete Sage Manuscript, I could go even further. After using it, I could directly cause a person's thoughts to become disconnected from reality and distorted, creating an effect similar to schizophrenia, making others unknowingly manipulated and guided."

With a squeeze of his hand, the two orbs of light vanished.

"Now that we've done what we can, we'll just have to wait and see what happens next. Although unexpected events might occur, we've gathered enough intelligence and have a general grasp of the situation. The only question is when that Daoist priest will make his move. Only when he does can I seize the opportunity and act accordingly. Ideally, I should do it before the Circuit City God."

Thinking this, Qiu Yan raised his hand and waved, and another talisman flew out and landed on his body, concealing his Qi and Blood and qi, gathering his strength, and hiding his True Qi, allowing him to refine the cultivation of Three Souls and return to the aura of two souls.

In fact, after the Dao Examination, Qiu Yan received coercion from Song Nu and realized that Wuxin City was not conducive to the Living Soul Spirit Projection. Therefore, he made preparations and swallowed a Blood Pill that day, refining the Three Souls in one fell swoop. His path of Life Cultivation broke through again, his tongue developed patterns, his meridians took shape, and he was able to capture Spiritual Qi, refine Qi and Blood, and transform it into True Qi.

The Three Souls to be refined in the Second Realm of Life Cultivation is the Qi Soul, which can solidify the meridians, generate True Qi, and use energy to injure people and control objects. The Goat Demon and Wolf Demon that Qiu Yan fought were both at this level.

The Blood Pill that Qiu Yan swallowed was not the one refined from the essence of the Goat Demon, but rather one condensed from the bones of prey he had hunted over two years.

However, after successfully refining the Three Souls, Qiu Yan concealed his Breath-Concealing Talisman.

"If the Marshfolk Prince wants to deal with me, he must avoid Song Yuan's notice and act covertly. I can take advantage of this and don't need to worry about revealing my strength. I am hiding my cultivation not for a sudden burst or surprise attack. Although there is a difference between Three Souls and two souls, it is not enough to determine success or failure when facing a strong opponent. However, if the opponent makes a misjudgment because of this, it may affect the whole situation and bring different results."

Thinking this, he returned to the inn, and as soon as he entered, he saw Luo Jiayun.

"You're back so soon?" Luo Jiayun asked, though worried, he also found it strange.

Qiu Yan had his own explanation, chatting and laughing as if he hadn't taken the fierce battle just now to heart at all.

Geluolan is a prince of the Marshfolk, but Qiu Yan's true form is a god; they are not on the same level at all.

After saying goodbye to Luo Jiayun, Qiu Yan returned to his room and sensed something was missing.

"The Ginseng Baby has disappeared. It has been acting strangely lately, as if it has made some discovery. However, the city is filled with Qi and Blood, so I cannot communicate with it Spirit Projection and cannot know the specific details."

As Qiu Yan was pondering this, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he whispered something.

"Hmm? The King of Hell's Edict? What is this?"

At the same time.

The Netherworld, the Domain of Law the Kitchen God.

Inside the attic, the deity himself stared silently at a token before him.

This is a jet-black token, suspended in mid-air, exuding a ghostly aura and emanating an aura of Order and law, repelling its surroundings and surprisingly unaffected by the Kitchen God Domain of Law.

The token is engraved with three Ancient Seal Script --

The King of Hell's Edict.

"What is this? Yama King, the Emperor Lord of Netherworld, how could his token appear in my Domain of Law?"

Looking at the token, Qiu Yan's thoughts were in turmoil.

"This King of Hell's Edict just broke through the Domain of Law and appeared abruptly without any hindrance. Could it be that Yama King has already noticed me? I wonder what rank Yama King Divine Rank? How can he find the Domain of Law so accurately? However, the most urgent task is to figure out the current situation as soon as possible."

Thinking of this, Qiu Yan suppressed his worries, and the divine being raised his head to look to the side.

Not far from him, a line of Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription hovered and danced.

"Bazi, do you know the origin of this King of Hell's Edict?"

Upon hearing the question, the Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription stopped its movements, then turned and was about to pounce on the deity, but was blocked by a barrier of divine power.

The Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription awkwardly stepped back, then replied, "I've never heard of any King of Hell's Edict, but I can try to find out for you, as long as you give me some..."

"Then help me Qin You in," the deity himself interrupted the Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription.

The Ancient Seal Script grumbled and complained, but still floated away. Not long after, a Wandering Soul spirit floated in. Upon seeing the deity in person, it bowed and greeted the deity as "God."

Compared to ordinary Wandering Soul, this Wandering Soul's body was more solid and contained a radiant inner light; at its very core, a tiny flame flickered.

This Wandering Soul named "Qin You" was one of the two Wandering Soul brought by Bai Wen and Huang Jue Qiu Yan took it in and made it a gatekeeper ghost servant. It received the blessing of the Kitchen God and contained a trace of Divine Path power within its body to nourish its soul.

As soon as Qin You entered the pavilion, he felt his soul being suppressed and intimidated by a Force of Order, and his heart was filled with unease. After bowing, he saw the token and immediately understood.

When the deity himself asked, Qin You told him everything he knew.

"This King of Hell's Edict is not issued by Yama King himself, but by the gods and officials of the King of Hell's Hall. When my little soul wandered in the Netherworld, I also encountered some ghost servants and ghost officials. They told me that the gods they served received a King of Hell's Edict every month."

Upon hearing Qin You's words, the deity nodded and then inquired about another matter, showing no concern whatsoever about revealing the fact that he was a new god in front of the ghost servant.

In fact, after accepting Qiu Yan's divine power and merging into their souls, the life and death of these two Wandering Soul were already linked to the divine being himself; if one suffered, they would suffer; if one prospered, they would prosper.

Qin You listened and continued, "The reason this token can find the Domain of Law is not because there is a record of the God's Domain of Law in the King of Hell's Hall, but because this token can be transmitted through the Incense Thoughts. As for why it is not bound by the Domain of Law, that is beyond my knowledge."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan roughly grasped the idea. "Following the Incense Thoughts, no wonder they could find my place. Incense Thoughts and divine power exchanges correspond to each other. No matter how well the Domain of Law is hidden, traces can still be found. And since this token was issued by the Underworld official, other deities also frequently receive them. It shouldn't be deliberately targeted; it's more likely some kind of custom."

On the other side, after recounting everything he knew, Qin You bowed and withdrew.

Only the deity himself remained in the attic. He pondered for a moment, then raised his hand, his fingertips touching the King of Hell's Edict.

The token trembled, turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared, but a sliver of information within it traveled through the fingertip and into the heart of the deity.

"Oh? They've only come to deliver a message. It turns out one of my believers died unexpectedly, and his soul entered the Underworld, but cannot immediately enter Samsara. A deity needs to go and take his soul away."

After understanding the message conveyed by the King of Hell's Edict, the deity himself frowned.

"This is the first time I've guided the Believers' Souls, and I know absolutely nothing about the rules. But one thing is certain: I can't let ghost servants do it for me. This first time, the deity must go in person, or at least have the Will Descent. But then..." (To be continued...)

P. S.: Thanks to "Observer" for the monthly vote!