Chapter Thirty-One: The Death of Qingshu

"Cycle Seal of the Netherworld Earth Immortal Art!"

With a thunderous shout, the Elder Fiend was enveloped in dense black clouds. He transformed into a colossal black giant with three heads and six arms; his six palms closed together, and at their center, a black hole appeared.

That black hole was the Cycle Seal, the six arms representing the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

Xia Hao, leading the charge, unleashed all his accumulated power into a single strike upon the Cycle Seal, triggering a violent explosion. Qu Wenbei, unable to evade, was caught by the blast's aftermath and sent flying dozens of meters.

The Martial Emperor of Great Xia fared even worse. His famed Dragon Sparrow Blade, said to shatter all laws beneath the heavens, could not break through the immortal art. Clutching his chest, he coughed up blood twice, then declared, "It seems I must reveal my hidden techniques to deal with you!"

"Oh? The Martial Emperor of Great Xia is in high spirits—two against one!"

Not far behind Qu Wenbei, another figure appeared: the Demon Lord Yun Sheng, arriving to assist.

"It's you, little bald head! I wondered who it was. How are your injuries, little bald head?" Xia Hao could not resist mocking him.

"No need for the Martial Emperor to worry. My wounds heal swiftly! Enough talk; let me see what other tricks you two possess!"

Last time, the Demon Lord Yun Sheng was ambushed and gravely wounded. With such an opportunity before him, it was clear this would be a fight to the death.

Having unleashed an immensely powerful immortal art, the Elder Fiend dispelled the manifestation of the Netherworld Earth and caught his breath. Behind him, the Road of the Netherworld stretched forth; fortunately, its aura replenished his body, else he would have collapsed from exhaustion.

"Do you think our greatest power is the Dragon Transformation Immortal Art?" Xia Hao said coldly.

"Martial Breaks the Firmament!"

With a resounding roar, he shed even his draconic form, for the human shape was best suited to unleash supreme martial techniques. In the next moment, countless phantom martial arts moves appeared around him, giving him the air of a Martial Ancestor.

Those myriad phantoms converged into a single blade technique, and its terrifying might caused the Elder Fiend—who cared naught for worldly matters—to furrow his brow into a deep crease.

"Six Path Cycle Seal of the Netherworld Earth Immortal Art!"

He suddenly manifested the Earth aspect, the three heads' eyes opening wide. Six marks appeared on each arm: Celestial, Human, Asura, Beast, Hungry Ghost, and Hell. All six merged into the black hole between his palms, clashing directly with Xia Hao's Martial Breaks the Firmament.

Space was torn asunder, time halted.

With a tremendous boom, the two were separated; the ground within a hundred meters sank dozens of meters, the Lü Residence was leveled, and save for the young monk, his protected Qing Shu, and Qu Wenbei, every soul in the town was sent to report in the Underworld.

A series of cracking sounds echoed as the Martial Emperor's Dragon Sparrow Blade, struck by such terror, shattered completely.

"Ha…ha! Truly, the denizens of the Netherworld are formidable!" Xia Hao coughed twice, exhaling a breath of foul air.

"Your Highness, we must not linger here!" Qu Wenbei whispered urgently.

"Go!" Xia Hao made a swift decision to depart.

The two dashed away at full speed, tossing a dragon-shaped spike behind them.

It shot forward like lightning toward the Demon Lord Yun Sheng. The Elder Fiend was now powerless, his energy drained; simply standing was an achievement.

"Master!"

The dragon spike pierced Yun Sheng's magical shield and sped toward his heart. In that critical instant, Qing Shu hurried forward and shielded him.

The spike's attack slowed, allowing Yun Sheng to narrowly evade.

With a buzz, the spike struck the ground and disintegrated into dust—a single-use artifact.

To pierce Yun Sheng's magical shield so easily, it must have neared the level of a celestial artifact.

Yet it was too late; Qing Shu was already dead. Her body began to fracture layer by layer, transforming into a ten-meter-long azure serpent.

"I must kill them!" The little bald Yun Sheng, blood surging, was about to give chase when the Elder Fiend, barely recovered, grabbed him.

"Don't act rashly. The Great Xia Dynasty's fate is not yet spent. If you pursue them now, you may encounter greater peril!" the Elder Fiend murmured, his already pale face now even more ghastly.

As he spoke, his body transformed into a skeleton once more, and he couldn't help but miss Xu Cheng—he'd long grown weary of his own skeletal appearance.

"Qing Shu!"

Yun Sheng reluctantly halted, gazing at the unmoving azure serpent before him.

"This Martial Emperor of Great Xia is even more insidious than you!" The Elder Fiend sought to ease Yun Sheng's grief, but the latter flung his sleeve, vanished with the serpent, leaving the Elder Fiend shaking his head and retreating into the Netherworld Road's entrance to meditate and recover.

Far away in Qingzhou, Xu Cheng was unaware of all that had transpired. In half a day's time, he'd collected many ghosts and monsters, but none suitable as an underworld messenger.

After sacrificing them to the Gates of the Netherworld, he received seven black pills.

Just then, Lord Chrysanthemum felt a sudden pain in his heart, curling up like a shrimp.

A message appeared directly upon his chest.

"Chrysanthemum, what's wrong?"

Xu Cheng was surprised; the fellow had been fine moments ago, and now clutched his chest as if struck by heart disease.

"Qing… Qing Shu is dead! The Martial Emperor of Great Xia—it was him! I… wuwuwu~"

Suddenly, Chrysanthemum began to weep.

The Martial Emperor of Great Xia had gone to the Elder Fiend? The once-mighty azure serpent was dead?

Judging by Chrysanthemum's agony, he must have practiced a Heart-Link Seal with Qing Shu. If one died, the other would feel it instantly.

"Dammit, dammit! Which grown man is bawling over there? Want to die?"

A tremor like an earthquake approached, and before them stood a monster with a bull's head and human body.

A bull's head?

"Hey! In all my years, I never thought I'd see a living person. What's wrong, little brother? Can't find your way out? Let me tell you, meeting me is your luck! I'll get you out safe and sound!"

This bull-headed ghost was truly peculiar; most monsters ate people, but he intended to send them out.

"Bull-headed one, do you remember your name?" Xu Cheng stepped forward and took his hand.

"Whoa, you scared me! You walk without a sound. My name… my name is Niu Dashuang, that's it, Niu Dashuang."

Such honest "cuteness"! Xu Cheng's Netherworld Token suddenly shone, revealing several lines:

Niu Dashuang, resident of Weishui Town, honest and upright, died embracing his bull, became a rare bull-headed monster, merit: 56, no sin.

"Mother of mine, it lights up!" Niu Dashuang stared wide-eyed at the token in Xu Cheng's hand, and tried to touch it with his hooves.

"Don't move, you calf! I now offer you two choices: become an underworld messenger and escape the cycle of suffering; or enter reincarnation as soon as possible and pray for a good birth."

As he spoke, the Gates of the Netherworld appeared behind Xu Cheng, revealing his identity as a Netherworld envoy.

"I won't reincarnate! I won't! I want to be with my bull forever!"

Niu Dashuang hugged his head—which he treated as his beloved bull.

Seeing this bull's antics, Xu Cheng couldn't help but wonder with dark amusement: if Lord Chrysanthemum and Qing Shu died together, would they become half-human, half-serpent?

The thought passed quickly. Since the fellow refused reincarnation, Xu Cheng drew out a strand of Niu Dashuang's soul and placed it in the token, summoning the messenger's warrant.

He handed it to Niu Dashuang, who promptly ignored the tearful Lord Chrysanthemum and, like a child with a new toy, examined the messenger's warrant from every angle.