Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  Although Hui Yue was gasping in pain, neither Wei nor Yanluo moved. Wei was looking on in shock and disbelief, unsure of what he was supposed to do while Yanluo just looked on casually. He did nothing but a small smile appeared on his lips.

  "In this world, there are different kinds of bodies," Yanluo explained to both Wei and Hui Yue, yet Hui Yue was not able to hear what was being said. He was too busy trying to control the pain he was experiencing.

  "Bodies of human cultivators are created by Ancestral Worldpower while the bodies of beasts are created from a mixture of their original bodies and Ancestral Worldpower. However even though the body is made from Ancestral Worldpower, there are differing degrees of how strong one's body is."

  "Those who were born as mortals and became Gods through cultivation will not have as strong a body as those who are born Gods. The reason is simple as the moment they become Gods they do not have access to enough Ancestral Worldpower to create a strong enough body. For this reason, they are often the weakest among Immortals."

  "However there are different ways to increase the strength of one's body, and that is by shattering the body one lives in and building a new one. It is impossible to do this before you are an Immortal of Creation, and the bodies made from average Immortals of Creation are often weaker than the one from a mortal turned God."

  "The stronger the Immortal of Creation, the stronger the body." Yanluo continued to explain as the Ancestral Worldpower in all of Diyu started to twist and churn as it rushed towards Hui Yue's location. The more he absorbed, the more cracks appeared over his whole body. These cracks started to become visible to the naked eye, and Wei was becoming more and more alarmed.

  "Your body is not bad for a mortal turned God, but it is far from strong enough to suit you," Yanluo continued as he lifted his hand. Most of the energy which was floating towards Hui Yue shifted its direction and turned towards Yanluo instead where he started collecting it between his hands.

  Soon a massive ball of Ancestral Worldpower appeared between his hands. This was such a large amount of Ancestral Worldpower that Wei was breathless, yet even though most of it went to Yanluo, some still entered Hui Yue's body. This energy kept pressuring him more and more. His soul was greedily absorbing it, but his body could really not keep up. It was starting to disintegrate.

  "I am known as the strongest God in the world," Yanluo said casually. His voice not containing even the slightest bit of arrogance, but he continued to gather so much Ancestral Worldpower that within his hands was now what seemed like a small sun shining brightly. After gathering energy for nearly three hours, he started molding this shining star into the figure of a body.

  "Explode your body and come here. I will give you your first gift ever since you became a Judge," Yanluo said with a smile on his face. "I will give you a body which even those other experts within the Celestial Sword Sect who are born Immortals will envy."

  "I will give you a body which is suitable for the legacy you will create."

  "I will give you a body which will make you stand proudly as a true genius!"

  The more Yanluo spoke, the more energy that rushed into Hui Yue's body, and soon a loud boom exploded as his body could no longer hold on. A huge wave of energy erupted through the entire palace sweeping through every single room and stunning everyone present.

  Some understood what was going on, while others were completely clueless, but everyone was affected by it.

  Hui Yue felt a lightness he had never felt before. His body no longer restrained him, and he was now just floating around. This was the feeling he had felt once before when he died in his previous life.

  This was not a feeling he was willing to experience for long, and he looked at the body that Yanluo had refined for him before he willed his soul to enter it.

  Yanluo did not try to stop him. A smile was on his face as he waved his hand and the body met him halfway.

  As soon as Hui Yue came into contact with the body, he felt as if his soul was being sucked inside and he was soon engulfed by a feeling of being powerful.

  Everything around him was shrouded in Ancestral Worldpower, and it was many times denser and stronger than it had been before.

  Slowly, Hui Yue started to feel that he was in control of his body again and he stretched his hands outwards. He felt that he was at least four times as strong now physically, than he had been before. It also seemed like his capacity to hold Ancestral Worldpower had increased by at least four times.

  "Like your new body?" Yanluo asked with a smile on his lips, and Hui Yue nodded his head. "Big brother, Yanluo, thank you!" He exclaimed excitedly, but Yanluo just chuckled.

  "I should be the one thanking you, really," he said without hiding anything. "First you made us remember that it was possible to get Chujiang back, and now you are even willing to abdicate the throne for him when he is back. Not many would be willing to do so."

  "Since you are going to be part of Diyu for some time, I wanted to show you my gratitude, and this is the first of three gifts."

  "The second you will get at the coronation."

  "The third you will get when we visit master."

  Hui Yue could not help but feel excited. If the first gift was already so amazing, what could the second and third possibly be? The third was most likely information about how to resurrect Wang Ju Long, but what could this second gift be? Hui Yue had no idea, and he decided not to try and guess.

  Instead, he bowed deeply to Yanluo. "Thank you," he said from his heart. "You have done me a great favor. Even if I am not the King of Hell for long, I will do my job properly. If you ever need anything from me, then I will come and help you at a moment's notice."

  Although Hui Yue understood that there was not much he could do to help someone of Yanluo's status, he also understood that all of eternity was in front of him. Just because he could not help now, did not mean that he couldn’t be of use in the future.

  Yanluo seemed to think the same because he gave a nod of his head and a smile played on his face.

  "While you've been cultivating both the Celestial Sect kid and the Nightcrawler Sect's kid have come here quite a few times but been forced to leave every single time. You better go find them. I don't know if they have anything special to tell you, or if they just wanted to play around like kids do, but I'll let you decide on that."

  Having finished speaking, Yanluo left the room as casually as he had arrived. Moments after he left, Pei Ze appeared in the doorway. His was smiling, and when he saw that Hui Yue was awake, he was even happier.

  "I spoke with the elders, and they decided that when you return to the Celestial Sword Sect, they will have a massive party for you to celebrate your performance. Your father, especially, is eager to display that his son is a master!"

  Soon the Nightcrawler Sect's youth appeared as well, but when he saw Hui Yue his face twisted. He came up closer to Hui Yue, so close in fact that his face was almost touching Hui Yue's. His eyes narrowed as he stared hard at the young man.

  "You grew stronger once again!" he exclaimed shocked, and Hui Yue awkwardly scratched his head. It was not intended, but he could not deny it. He was indeed now much stronger than he had been before. He believed that he could defeat the Nightcrawler Sect's youth without depending on Lan Feng now.

  Chapter 592 - Coronation

  * * *

  Chapter 592: Coronation

  Time passed in a flash. Hui Yue spent all this time getting used to his new body, and as he did, it was soon time for the coronation.

  Hui Yue would have liked to talk with the elders of the Celestial Sword Sect before the coronation, but, unfortunately, they did not arrive before it was time to start.

  The coronation of a new Judge of Hell was a grand event. Every judge had stayed behind to witness it, and the entire city was standing outside the palace to catch a glimpse of who was to be their new King.

  The ceremony itself was fairly simple. Hui Yue was crowned by Yanluo in the main hall of the palace with all
the judges, elders from the various sects, and other prominent figures watching in attendance. The elders from the Nightcrawler Sect had also appeared and were seated together with the youth. Although their candidate had not won first place, none of them seemed upset. Their expressions were calm and collected as they watched the coronation without the slightest hint of disdain.

  This coronation was simple and straightforward. No one caused trouble, and everyone watched with excitement as they saw Hui Yue crowned the Second King of Hell.

  Deep within the crowd of people was the young man who had looked at Hui Yue with hostility before. The young man who had volunteered to forfeit the trial when it was time to look into the mirror.

  Whereas everyone else seemed to be excited about the coronation, he had a sour expression on his face. His eyes were full of hate, and his lips curled into a sneer.

  "Don't think that just because you are the new judge, you will be safe." He growled ominously before turning to leave. "I will personally kill you, you and that damned bird. You took the Divine Beast World from me, so now I will take everything from you! That woman was just the first calamity to befall you; I will kill everyone around you, one by one, and by the time you realize what has happened, you will be next!"

  Hate spilled from every word the young man said as he vanished into the shadows. "Soon I will be a Grand Demon Lord," his voice lingered for a short while. "A Grand Demon Lord with control of a Heavenly World! I, An He, will kill anyone who stands in my way, even if I have to sell my soul!"

  While An He was fully aware of who Hui Yue was, Hui Yue and Lan Feng had been unaware of An He's true appearance. Back during the trials, he had been using a face-altering mask, and even Lan Feng had not recognized him.

  While they were now busy celebrating, An He appeared at the outskirts of town. By his side were Rong Liang and Rong Ming.

  If Hui Yue had seen Rong Ming, he would not be able to recognize this young man either. He was now a God, not a new God but a Primordial God. The Ancestral Worldpower within his body was chaotic, and his eyes were filled with a hate similar to the one in An He's eyes.

  "Did you see him, Master?" Rong Liang asked, and An He nodded his head. "He succeeded. The one who became the new Judge of Hell is no other than Hui Yue. Since we cannot defeat him by normal means, let everyone know that Hui Yue and Pei Yue are the same person. That he has a treasure so amazing that it can store a whole world and that he is but a mere Primordial Immortal."

  "Although he will be fairly safe, I think that some people will be more than keen on taking the treasures he possesses. So as long as he is within this galaxy, he will be chased! Also, release pictures of his face. This should cause him a headache if nothing else."

  While An He was busy planning on how to cause problems for Hui Yue, the man in question was busy accepting guests in the great hall of the palace.

  He had just become a Judge of Hell, and a great number of guests appeared to congratulate him. Hui Yue, being the host together with Yanluo, walked through the entire hall time and time again taking the time to converse with every single guest.

  He spent quite a lot of time together with the Nightcrawler Sect. Although he did not have much to talk about with the elders, he had a great discussion with their youth about the dao of devouring. He was not shy about revealing some of the knowledge he had gained on the subject from his previous lives.

  The blue monk was a figure who had left legacies all over the galaxy, so it was in his nature to guide and support those who had shown him respect and friendship.

  Although the Nightcrawler Sect's youth was from another sect, he had always treated Hui Yue with the utmost respect and with friendliness, so Hui Yue had decided to repay him by assisting him with his daos.

  Having such a discussion, the youth's eyes shone brightly, and he seemed to become engrossed deeper and deeper in his thoughts. Every word Hui Yue said caused the youth to be enlightened, and even the elders, who were standing at the side, were shocked upon hearing how much he understood of the dao of devouring.

  Truthfully, the elders had been shocked when they heard that their youth lost to this unknown cultivator, but now when they heard the conversation between the two, they came to the realization that it was a just loss.

  They also realized that their genius had actually gained quite a bit from his fight with Hui Yue. He had gained a much deeper comprehension towards his daos and their ways of being used, and he had matured drastically.

  All in all, these elders were very pleased. When Hui Yue left the youth's side, leaving him to ponder on the insights he had given him, the elders of the Nightcrawler Sect exchanged glances and nodded their heads. The Nightcrawler Sect had always had a good relationship with the Celestial Sword Sect, but now it seemed it was a good time to improve their relationship even more.

  After having walked through the room and spoken with each and every guest, Hui Yue finally had the time to visit the Celestial Sword Sect's elders, and he felt relaxed when he saw their proud faces. Although he was used to being alone, there was something comfortable about knowing that he belonged somewhere, that he was actually a member of the Celestial Sword Sect.

  "You made us proud!" Pei Ziqi said excitedly as Hui Yue walked towards them. "You really have made us proud! Becoming the Second Judge of Hell is not something just anyone can do!"

  "We will hold a great celebration when we return home. We might not be the number one sect, but when we are connected to Diyu, who will dare bully us?"

  Truthfully no one would dare bully the Celestial Sword Sect. Although it was not the strongest Sect around it was one of the strongest. If someone wished to mess with them, they would have to consider it thoroughly. If the Celestial Sword Sect employed all their strength, even the strongest faction, Diyu, would suffer greatly when facing them. If they truly fought, then Diyu would no longer be able to hold the position of the strongest.

  Hui Yue did not speak much when he met with the Celestial Sword Sect's elders; he just listened to them discussing all the benefits they had gained from him becoming the new judge.

  Hui Yue was rather embarrassed hearing all the praise they had for him, but he was quickly rescued by Yanluo, who came and asked Hui Yue to follow him.

  While they were gone, they had King Qinguang host the party. He was excited the moment he was given the task, and he instantly started rushing around. He ensured that everyone had drinks and that the conversations flowed smoothly. It was clear that he was an experienced host as he rushed around ordering the servants to bring more wine, more snacks, and at the same time chatting away with everyone in the main hall.

  Yanluo brought Hui Yue to a small adjourned room where the tables were filled with small jade bottles, scrolls, and medicinal herbs of all kinds.

  "These are your coronation gifts from all the guests that showed up," Yanluo said casually. "Many of them are are medicinal pills and plants. There are a few Ancestral Worldpower Skills, but considering you are an alchemist, I assume you are most interested in the plants and herbs." Yanluo chuckled.

  Hui Yue did not question how he knew that he was an alchemist as it seemed that Yanluo knew everything about him. Instead, he headed straight for the items and smiled greatly as he started looking over them. Many of these herbs were herbs that could not be found in the Divine Beast World, and the formulas he had stolen from the expert within the Grave of the Unknown relied on these herbs to be created! Hopefully, with these plants, he would finally be able to advance his dao of alchemy.

  "Since you are so keen on herbs, why don't we gift you some as well?" Yanluo laughed as he waved his hand and a mountain of herbs appeared in front of him. Every one of them was in a glass bottle, jade case, or similar container so that they did not lose their medicinal properties.

  "This gift should last you a few years worth of concocting pills. Consider it the second present from me to you," Yanluo said with a smile, and Hui Yue's eyes turned big and shone with excitement.

  Although thi
s was nowhere near as priceless as the new body he had gotten it was something that he would not look down upon. He quickly waved his hand placing everything from the room inside the Universe Box.

  Yanluo already knew about the Universe Box, so his face did not reveal any surprise when everything vanished into thin air.

  "There is one more benefit for you, but you will have to wait to get it," Yanluo said as he stretched his body. "After this coronation, we will go back to Youdu. There you will meet Master. He will answer any questions you may have about your dead wife."

  Hui Yue nodded his head in understanding. This was truly a one time chance for him, and he needed to use it to the fullest. He had to resurrect Wang Ju Long!

  Soon after, he and Yanluo both returned to the palace’s main hall where all the guests were entertaining themselves with King Qinguang leading the conversation, talking about old anecdotes from his life and laughter could be heard together with the indistinct sound of voices everywhere.