Chapter 149 — We Humbly Welcome the Great Emperor's Return
In the center of the Fire Ghost Hall lay a towering figure — not a beauty, but a burly giant with three horns growing from his head and a hideous face.
The Fire Ghost King was originally a human from ancient times who perished in heavenly fire. After death, he transformed into a fire ghost. Greedy for the freedom of the Ghost Realm and unwilling to reincarnate, he had lingered in this realm for thousands of years.
He yawned sleepily while absentmindedly picking his nose.
Such boring days had stretched on for countless years since he acquired the Fire Spirit Pearl. Gradually, he was starting to detest this stagnant life.
"If it really comes to it, I'll just hand over the Fire Spirit Pearl to that old bastard Yan Luo and go find another place to settle down. I'm sick of this damn Fire Ghost Hall."
Living in constant fear, never daring to leave the Fire Spirit Pearl or the Fire Ghost Hall for even a step — the more the Fire Ghost King thought about it, the angrier he became. He suddenly stood up, then flopped back down and continued dozing off.
He truly didn't want to go on living like this — nor did he want to move.
As the Fire Ghost King pondered how to kill time today, the temperature within the entire Fire Ghost Hall abruptly plummeted. He shivered violently, his eyes flashing with disbelief.
The Lava Hell was actually cooling down?
"Don't tell me I've been alone so long I'm starting to hallucinate?"
The Fire Ghost King cursed inwardly — but in the next second, he saw yellow river water surging from afar, extinguishing large swathes of lava along its path.
"Holy hell, is the Ghost Realm flooding?!"
The Fire Ghost King was dumbfounded as he watched, until a wave of yellow water slammed into him and sent him sprawling.
The power within his body was rapidly draining away.
"Damn! This water is strange… it feels like Yellow Springs Water from the depths of the Underworld?"
The Fire Ghost King turned pale with shock. Since ancient times, Yellow Springs Water had been the nemesis of all ghostly beings — even the slightest contact would severely weaken them, while prolonged exposure could utterly annihilate their souls.
In an instant, the Fire Ghost King — who hadn't moved in countless years — shot to his feet. Realizing the danger, he prepared to flee, cursing as he went, "That old bastard Yan Luo is despicable — actually using this method to deal with me. Where the hell did he get so much Yellow Springs Water?"
Just as the Fire Ghost King was about to escape, a flying sword blocked his path. The moment he saw the black sword, his entire body shuddered.
"What kind of treasure is this? It's brimming with such pure and dense Nether Energy… it's like it was born from the depths of the Nine Nether Lands."
"In the entire Ghost Realm, besides the long-vanished Fengdu Great Emperor, who else could have refined such a weapon?"
"Could it be… the Fengdu Great Emperor has returned?!"
The Fire Ghost King froze, not daring to move. First, because he held great reverence for the legendary Fengdu Great Emperor — and second, because he wanted to see who the sword's owner truly was.
Outside the Fire Ghost Hall, three figures appeared.
Xu Changqing called out in a loud voice, "Fire Ghost King, if you want to leave, hand over the Fire Spirit Pearl first. We will not make things difficult for you."
[Fengdu] circled in the air a few times before swiftly flying back to Chu Yang's side.
The Fire Ghost King asked curiously, "That sword is yours?"
Chu Yang nodded.
The Fire Ghost King continued, "Where did you get that sword?"
Chu Yang frowned. "What does that have to do with you? The fact that I haven't attacked you already shows great restraint."
If not for the fact that the Fire Ghost King had stayed quietly in the Ghost Realm for thousands of years without harming a single person, Chu Yang wouldn't have wasted this much breath on him.
[Fengdu] possessed absolute suppressive power over ghostly beings. Not to mention the Fire Ghost King — even if the ruler of the Ghost Realm, King Yan Luo himself, were to appear, Chu Yang wouldn't be the least bit afraid.
"No way!" The Fire Ghost King's eyes darted about, clearly fearful, yet he still shook his head in refusal. "I worked hard to obtain this treasure — how could I hand it over so easily? Unless…"
"You curse that brat Yan Luo a few times in front of me, spit on his portrait, and stomp on it a few times — then I might consider giving you the Fire Spirit Pearl."
Li Xiaoyao, already suffering from the unbearable heat and eager to leave this wretched place, couldn't stand the Fire Ghost King's nonsense any longer. He snapped angrily, "What the hell is wrong with you? Hurry up and hand over the Fire Spirit Pearl — I don't have time to play games with you!"
The Fire Ghost King said in a low voice, "Since you refuse and insist on taking my Fire Spirit Pearl by force, that means you're with that brat Yan Luo!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Fire Ghost King launched an attack at Li Xiaoyao and Xu Changqing — but strangely, he consistently avoided striking Chu Yang, as if afraid to lay a finger on him.
Chu Yang found this amusing, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. This was a good opportunity to see how much progress Li Xiaoyao had made in his swordsmanship.
After exchanging several moves, Li Xiaoyao began to sense that something was off. Dodging the Fire Ghost King's attack, he roared angrily, "Why have you been chasing us around all this time? Isn't there someone else standing right over there? Why aren't you attacking him?!"
The Fire Ghost King replied with complete honesty, "I don't dare attack him."
Xu Changqing looked at the Fire Ghost King in surprise. This was their first encounter with Junior Brother Chu Yang — why was he so afraid of him?
Judging from the Fire Ghost King's reaction, it didn't seem like he was pretending.
"Why don't you dare attack him?" Xu Changqing asked.
"Because he might be the reincarnation of the Emperor of Fengdu."
"Who's the Emperor of Fengdu?"
"The Ghost Realm was originally governed by the Emperor of Fengdu. He was a deity born in the same era as the Three Sovereigns, but he disappeared later on. After that, the ruler of the Ghost Realm became that brat Yan Luo."
"And what makes you think he's the reincarnation of the Emperor of Fengdu?"
"Because his artifact is something that only the Emperor of Fengdu could possibly refine."
Suddenly, the Fire Ghost King became furious, shouting, "Why should that little brat Yan Luo be the ruler of the Ghost Realm? I refuse to accept it! The only rightful ruler of the Ghost Realm is the Emperor of Fengdu!"
Li Xiaoyao and Xu Changqing exchanged glances. Then, pointing at Chu Yang, they declared in unison, "That's right — he is the Emperor of Fengdu!"
Chu Yang: "???"
The Fire Ghost King immediately fell silent.
Li Xiaoyao cleared his throat and said, "Fire Ghost King, the Emperor of Fengdu wants the Fire Spirit Pearl in your possession — are you going to hand it over or not?"
Without hesitation, the Fire Ghost King nodded. "If it's for the Emperor of Fengdu, I can give it to him."
He pulled the Fire Spirit Pearl from who-knows-where and respectfully offered it to Chu Yang, his attitude devout and reverent.
The title of the Emperor of Fengdu was really handy — it was practically on par with Jing Tian's title of "General Fei Peng."
Chu Yang took the Fire Spirit Pearl and signaled to Xu Changqing and Li Xiaoyao with his eyes to retreat. The two silently backed away, preparing to leave the Fire Ghost Hall.
But in the very next second, a terrifying surge of spiritual power erupted from behind them, forcing them to halt.
Xu Changqing turned around — and what met his eyes was the furious face of Demon Lord Chonglou.
Did I offend him somehow?
"That doesn't belong to you — hand it over!"
Chonglou thrust out his palm, sending a surge of crimson demonic light hurtling toward Xu Changqing. The entire Fire Ghost Hall trembled from the force of the blow.
Li Xiaoyao and Xu Changqing joined forces to barely block the attack.
But Chonglou wasn't finished — he prepared to strike again.
Chu Yang darted forward, blocking in front of the two. He shouted angrily, "A dignified Demon Lord — and yet you break your word!"
Chonglou sneered, looking at Chu Yang with utter disdain.
"Compared to you?" Chonglou snorted.
"The Emperor of Fengdu!"
Chu Yang: "???"
"Wait — I think there's been some misunderstanding here. Let me explain."
He had only intended to fool the Fire Ghost King — how had Chonglou fallen for it too? Staring at the furious Demon Lord, Chu Yang felt a growing sense of unease.
Just then, the Fire Ghost King suddenly stepped forward and shielded them.
"You shall not disrespect the Emperor of Fengdu!"
At this moment, the simple-minded Fire Ghost King looked absolutely adorable in Chu Yang's eyes.
"Courting death!"
Chonglou formed a blade with his hand and struck down through the air.
A slash of crimson demonic light, as if transcending time and space, blasted the Fire Ghost King away with overwhelming force. Nearly half of the grand hall collapsed in an instant.
Such terrifying power — utterly devastating.
Chu Yang's expression turned grave. Today's Demon Lord was murderous — completely different from when they'd met in Leizhou.
What on earth had happened?
Recalling what Chonglou had said earlier, a thought suddenly flashed through Chu Yang's mind — could it be that Chonglou's fury stemmed from the matter of the Sacred Spirit Pearl?
He disdained Xu Changqing and was enraged that Zi Xuan had paid such an unbearable price to save him.
"Demon Lord, please calm your anger. If you've come for the Sacred Spirit Pearl, I do have a way to remedy the situation. There's no need for such violence."
The terrifying aura around Chonglou lessened slightly. His cold eyes remained fixed on Chu Yang, as if waiting for his next words.
"The Five Spirit Pearls are of the same origin as the Sacred Spirit Pearl. As long as we gather all of them, it's possible to repair the Sacred Spirit Pearl."
"At present, we've already obtained three Spirit Pearls. Gathering all five is just a matter of time. What does the Demon Lord think?"
Chu Yang wore a faint smile, appearing calm and confident.
Chonglou was silent for a moment. Compared to venting his rage pointlessly, restoring the Sacred Spirit Pearl was far more important.
"Then I'll let him off once more for now." Chonglou said coldly, "But if you fail to repair the Sacred Spirit Pearl — everyone will pay the price. Including you — Emperor of Fengdu!"
Big bro — I already told you it's a misunderstanding!
Big brother, I've told you — you've got the wrong person!
Why do you keep saying I'm the Emperor of Fengdu?!
Glancing at the heavily injured and unconscious Fire Ghost King, Chu Yang confirmed there was no one else around before he finally opened his mouth to explain. "Demon Lord, you've really misunderstood. I'm not the Emperor of Fengdu. That Fire Ghost King mistook me for someone else!"
Chonglou's face remained expressionless as he replied, "If you are not the reincarnation of the Emperor of Fengdu, then how were you able to traverse the Ghost Realm with your physical body? Or are you, like me, actually a member of the Demon Clan?"
Xu Changqing and Li Xiaoyao both cast suspicious looks at Chu Yang.
Junior Brother... weren't we just bluffing people?
Why are you playing it like it's real now?!
It was only then that Chu Yang realized why Chonglou so easily believed the Fire Ghost King's words.
Normally, when a living person enters the Ghost Realm, their physical body would remain in the mortal world. Yet he was able to move freely without restriction — in Chonglou's eyes, this was the best possible proof.
But the reason Chu Yang was different from ordinary people was because he also had the identity of a Shinigami. He hadn't crossed over with his physical body — he had entered in spirit form.
However, other people couldn't tell the difference between these states, which was how this misunderstanding had come about.
Seeing that Chu Yang couldn't explain himself, Chonglou's expression darkened as he said, "A true man owns up to who he is — why be so evasive and afraid to admit it? Do you fear I won't honor our previous agreement?"
"As for that, you needn't worry. To me, a loss is a loss. It has nothing to do with who you are. As for Xu Changqing, I won't kill him either. I'll simply extract the remaining spiritual power of the Sacred Spirit Pearl from his body."
You sure didn't look like someone who wasn't going to kill him just now!
Now you're saying you won't kill anyone?
Big brother, are you suffering from selective amnesia?
Chu Yang couldn't help but roll his eyes. Resigned, he nodded in a thoroughly defeated tone. "Fine, fine, whatever — I'm the reincarnation of the Emperor of Fengdu. What about it? Same as last time — if you're not convinced, let's compete again."
Chonglou nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. With this attitude, you're finally worthy of being my opponent!"
This guy is seriously insane!
Talk to him nicely — he won't listen.
You have to give him attitude before he's satisfied. No wonder Zixuan didn't like him — isn't this just textbook perversion?
The ancients didn't lie — every single one of these Demon Clan people is nuts.
Just as Chu Yang "generously" admitted he was the reincarnation of the Emperor of Fengdu, an even more ridiculous situation unfolded.
King Yama and Judge Lu led a large group of ghost soldiers, following the path of extinguished lava along the Yellow Springs River all the way to the Fire Ghost Hall — arriving just in time to witness the scene of Chu Yang confronting the Demon Lord Chonglou.
From their perspective, it looked as if Demon Lord Chonglou had taken the initiative to expose Chu Yang's identity, while Chu Yang, after some helpless hesitation, had admitted he was indeed the Emperor of Fengdu.
Adding to that, the title [Fengdu] was continuously circling above Chu Yang's head...
Chu Yang being the reincarnation of the Emperor of Fengdu now seemed like an ironclad truth.
King Yama's scalp went numb — the person standing before him was very likely his former boss, the true ruler of the Ghost Realm and the entire Netherworld!
Judge Zhong and the other ghost soldiers, noticing the shifting expression on King Yama's face, immediately stiffened with fear and lowered their heads without daring to speak.
This was a matter between the new and former rulers of the Ghost Realm — lowly soldiers like them had no place to interfere.
"The Ghost Realm has changed hands for many years — now that you've returned through reincarnation, things are bound to get complicated. How about this — let's change the terms of our agreement. I'll help you sweep through the Ghost Realm and assist you in reclaiming the throne of its ruler."
"In that case, with Fei Peng absent, you'll be able to spar with me every day."
Chonglou's cold voice was filled with murderous intent, completely disregarding King Yama's dignity as he casually offered to help Chu Yang reclaim dominion over the Ghost Realm.
Chu Yang only felt a splitting headache.
He wasn't the Emperor of Fengdu reincarnated — if he really accepted Chonglou's "kind offer" and cut down King Yama, the Ghost Realm would descend into chaos for sure.
If the Six Paths of Reincarnation fell into disorder, the Divine Realm would definitely take notice — once the Heavenly Emperor got involved, Chu Yang might as well declare game over right then and there.
Just as Chu Yang was about to reject Chonglou's "kindness," King Yama stepped forward, bowed, and respectfully declared, "We humbly welcome the Emperor's return to the Ghost Realm."
Chu Yang's expression froze.
What the hell are you guys trying to pull now?
King Yama secretly wiped the sweat from his brow.
He didn't know what agreement Chu Yang and Chonglou had made — but he knew that if he didn't act now, the consequences would be severe.
Demon Lord Chonglou — looking down on all Six Realms — wasn't just talk.
The Emperor of Fengdu could at least stand against him, but he, a mere King Yama, along with the ghost soldiers behind him, clearly weren't a match for Chonglou.
"Boring!"
Seeing them surrender so easily, Chonglou's expression turned displeased, and he immediately prepared to leave.
Before departing, he said to Chu Yang, "The Wind Spirit Pearl is in the Divine Realm. You can have them retrieve it, but they'll need to pass through the Well of Gods and Demons to get there."
"I can open the passage for you, but I have one condition — you cannot accompany them. They must rely on their own strength to obtain the Spirit Pearl. This is my test for Fei Peng."
Chu Yang frowned slightly.
At the moment, there was no other way to reach the Well of Gods and Demons. Agreeing to Chonglou's condition seemed to be the only viable option.
The Divine Realm itself wasn't too concerning — after all, the name of "General Fei Peng" still carried weight there and could shield Xu Changqing and the others from most trouble.
The real danger lay within the Well of Gods and Demons — not only was it filled with miasma accumulated over countless years, but it was also inhabited by strange creatures — neither demon nor not — and extremely dangerous.