Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  Hui Yue quickly went back to the area where the Celestial Sword Sect was standing together at the party, and he stayed with them for the rest of the evening. He had a cup of wine in his hand and just stood at the side, smiling slightly.

  By his side was Pei Ze. He said nothing and his usually bubbly personality was completely hidden underneath a mask of seriousness.

  On Hui Yue's other side was Pei Feng. Although Pei Feng was seemingly uncaring about what was going on, it was clear that he was anything but happy with how things had turned out. Even if he usually just killed the people in his way, he knew that killing Hui Yue would be simply impossible. But even so, he was not willing to just give up. He had sacrificed too much to become the new Sect Leader! He would do anything for the only position that mattered in his life! He would even sell his soul to the devil if that is what it took!

  Chapter 593 - Master

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  Chapter 593: Master

  The coronation ceremony lasted all the way until dawn, and everyone who had shown up to the party slowly retreated to their rooms. There was a feeling of excitement throughout the entire palace, and even after the coronation ended, the city kept celebrating for days.

  Having a new king was a momentous event as it was something that had never before happened in Diyu thus everyone wished to celebrate.

  Hui Yue had been in the capital of the Second Court of Hell for quite some time, and he would stay for a full two days more before he would leave with Yanluo.

  Over the last few days, he had met many of the demons who were in charge the Second Court of Hell and who were the foundation of the entire court.

  These demons told Hui Yue what was expected from him, but because the previous Chujiang was rarely home, his tasks were minuscule. The kings might be the true Judges of Hell, but it was quite rare for them to actually carry out punishments.

  Since it was like this, Hui Yue understood that although he had become the Judge of Hell, he was not expected to stay within the Second Court of Hell and work for Yanluo. He would still be able to embark upon the journey he had planned.

  The days went by in a blur. Hui Yue was rushed from morning to evening to meet one demon after another; he held one assembly after another where he was told about the jobs and tasks that were being done within the Second Court of Hell, and he came to understand that this was a full fledged country on its own.

  There were demons in charge of the taxes and financial aspects of the court, and there were demons in charge of the punishments from which the court got its name as well. There were even demons in charge of building and maintaining the infrastructure within the courts of hell.

  Having met them all, Hui Yue went back to his room and finally had the time to enter the Divine Beast world.

  What greeted him on his return was all his friends filled with eagerness and worry. When he informed them that he had become the Judge of Hell, it was quite hard to stop from celebrating. But because Hui Yue did not have long all he could do was share a glass of wine with everyone.

  "I promise to take you all to a much broader stage soon." He promised them all, "I will take you with me throughout the galaxy! We will roam the thousands of worlds together! We will see what the vast universe has to offer, and we will kill our enemies together!"

  Everyone saluted Hui Yue as he made his oath and they lifted their glasses of wine drinking to their promise. Although Hui Yue felt bad about making all of them wait in the Divine Beast World, no one felt uncomfortable with this.

  The beast Gods had long since grown accustomed to being in the red realm so to suddenly be back on their home planet they were already very pleased. Huli had been sealed within the Grave of the Unknown for thousands of years, so although she wished to be with Hui Yue, she also felt it was much better than what she had experienced before.

  Those who were not yet Gods had nothing to complain about, and Hui Yue felt slightly better after hearing their reassurances. They told him that for now, he should focus on himself and then come for them later.

  Huli went as far as to say that it was a good thing that she was within the Divine Beast World since she could control the array that was covering the Formation of Life. This way Hui Yue did not have to worry about anything as she would take care of it. Hui Yue felt warm at heart when he heard what they said.

  Returning from the Universe Box, he realized that a good bit of time had passed, and it was now time for them to return to Youdu. Ten big flood dragons were summoned, and these dragons carried every member of the Celestial Sword Sect, the members of the Nightcrawler Sect, and some of the Judges of Hell alongside Yanluo and Hui Yue.

  It seemed that quite a lot of them were returning to Youdu, but Hui Yue did not ask about any of the details. He understood that if there were anything he needed to know, then Yanluo would tell him when he needed to know.

  They traveled the journey back at a leisurely pace. All the time Hui Yue would sit still with the blue cloud around him drawing all the soul energy and the Ancestral Worldpower in the surroundings towards him so that he could absorb it. His soulforce was constantly growing, and so was his Ancestral Worldpower pool.

  After gaining a new body, Hui Yue had noticed that his Ancestral Worldpower pool was many times larger than before. He even felt that he was many times closer to becoming an Immortal of Creation than before. But he knew that there was still a long way for him to go before he actually became one.

  Still, with his current strength, Hui Yue was able to fight on par with most Immortals of Creation, and even if he could not win, he would be able to escape with his life intact. That was unless he met someone who was simply overwhelmingly strong.

  "We will arrive in a short while," Yanluo announced with a low voice, even so, everyone present could hear it, and even Hui Yue, who was fully immersed in his cultivation, heard the words. Slowly he awoke from the deep trance-like meditation he had been in. He reigned in the blue cloud and looked at the city where he had started his trip to become the Judge of Hell at.

  Back then he had not wanted to become the judge, but so many things had happened. Now he was happy with how things had turned out. While he was struck by a bit of nostalgia, he was also suddenly overcome by impatience and eagerness.

  Somewhere within this city was Yanluo's Master. Someone who could tell him how he would be able to resurrect Wang Ju Long, and someone who could answer any question he might have about her and her death. This was a chance he would never let go of. Hui Yue would ensure that he got the information of how to resurrect her.

  The dragons started descending, and soon they were all at the entrance to Youdu.

  Youdu was underground and inside one was not allowed to fly. For this reason, Hui Yue and the rest dismounted the dragons and started walking into the city. Although it was filled to the brim with immortals and demons alike, all of them moved out of the way the moment they saw Yanluo.

  A few Gods were unaware of who Yanluo was, but seeing everyone else move, they quickly understood that this group of experts were not to be insulted, and they all choose to promptly move out of the way.

  "Everyone return to your residences," Yanluo ordered as he turned to look at Hui Yue, "I will take Pei Yue somewhere."

  Everyone bowed deeply to Yanluo before the group vanished as everyone returned to their homes.

  On the way, Hui Yue noticed that King Qinguang was following behind Pei Ziqi on the way to the Celestial Sword Sect's manor and his demeanor was nowhere as frightening as before. As a matter of fact, he seemed rather humble as he followed behind her.

  Seeing this, Hui Yue could almost not help but chuckle, but despite his urge to laugh, he quickly regained his composure. He had spent some time with King Qinguang, and he never thought he would see him acting so obedient. It was true that love could do many things to a man. He too would obediently follow Wang Ju Long, Huli, and Sha Yun around anywhere they asked him to go.

  A smile played on Yanluo's face as he led the way towards the black
palace in the middle of the city. The black citadel which no one was allowed to enter apart from Yanluo and his guests. Even the other judges could only enter if they were escorted by Yanluo.

  They reached the entrance where two of Yanluo's personal guards were standing still, with an imposing air. No one would want to get into contact with these guards as they were truly terrifying, yet when Yanluo appeared in front of them, both showed great respect and bowed deeply. As they did, the gate opened and allowed for Hui Yue and Yanluo to enter inside.

  "Truth be told, I am not allowed to enter this place without Master's permission," Yanluo whispered to Hui Yue with a cheeky smile on his face. "Master is the strongest expert underneath the sky. He is even stronger than Pangu! He only allows people to enter his mansion when it suits him and no one could break in even if they wanted to."

  "Master is the true King of Hell, and his name is Yama. Although I am a king, he is the true emperor! Next to him I am nothing. He could kill me with just his thoughts alone." Hui Yue was shocked when he heard this. Was this the strange Overlord rank that he had heard about before? Was Yama truly an Overlord? If he was then that meant it was possible to reach this rank through training! If this were true, Hui Yue would never give up! He would definitely reach the same heights!

  Seeing the eagerness in Hui Yue's eyes, Yanluo chuckled as he could guess what the young man was thinking, but he said nothing. He merely smiled and continued to lead the way through various corridors and hallways.

  The black citadel was massive, but they ran into no one else. There were no servants, but even so not a speck of dust could be seen anywhere.

  "Master tends to the mansion on his own," Yanluo explained with a smile when he saw what Hui Yue was looking at. "Everything within this world proceeds according to master’s will. It is also Master who requested to meet you," he continued, and Hui Yue nodded his head. The more he thought about whom he was about to see, the more his heart raced in his chest.

  This was a true Overlord! He would finally get his answers about Wang Ju Long! This day was going to be memorable for sure.

  The two, Yanluo and Hui Yue, continued forward for a long period of time. The red light that shone over Youdu also entered the castle making everything seem like it was bathed in blood, but Hui Yue had no time to consider the eerie sight. All he could think about was Wang Ju Long and Emperor Yama.

  In front of him, Yanluo just kept walking through one corridor after another. They went up and down hallways through halls and chambers before reaching their destination.

  Finally, they reached a massive door, and Yanluo came to a stop. He cleared his throat, straightened his clothes, and lifted his hand to knock on the door.

  Hui Yue who stood behind him quickly straightened his clothes as well and got ready to greet the Overlord Yama.

  Slowly the door in front of him opened. A creaking sound filled the entire chamber, and a massive hall was exposed behind the opening doors.

  Rows of candlelight shone from the sides, and at the end was a large throne on which a person was seated.

  Chapter 594 - Yama

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  Chapter 594: Yama

  Hui Yue could not help but stare at the person seated on the throne. He had long black hair which flowed down his shoulders and framed his face which was hidden behind a mask. Behind the mask, one could see eyes that were endlessly deep, and they seemed to contain the entire universe. They shone with a strength one could not fully fathom.

  His body was wrapped in a black cloak, but what skin one could see was smooth and youthful. He did not seem like some old master; instead, he seemed as if he was a young man.

  Hui Yue was dumbfounded and uncertain of what to do, should he speak or bow? Should he step closer or wait? Unsure of what was happening, he could not help but stare at the figure in the middle of the chamber who seemed deep in thought. He quickly realized that no matter how much he looked at him, he would not understand even the slight bit of who he was.

  There was a distinct aura of death around him, and as he breathed, ripples of power pulsated through the room. The Ancestral Worldpower and soul energy in the air seemed to be in perfect sync with the Master of Yanluo, and everything was so overwhelming that Hui Yue was stunned into silence.

  He had been eager to meet this Master Yama, eager to ask about Wang Ju Long and his friend's lives, but now that he was in front of him, he felt as if his own life was insignificant. He felt as if he were a mere cloud in a vast cloudy sky.

  Just as this thought hit Hui Yue, he narrowed his eyes and instantly shook the thought out of his mind.

  "My life might be insignificant if I was alone, but I have friends relying on me! I have a whole world depending on me!" Hui Yue's words cut through the entire hall, and he did not realize before the words had already left his mouth.

  The moment he spoke Yanluo's face turned into one of approval while the expression on Yama’s face was still impossible to see beneath the mask.

  "Step forward," the masked Yama called out. Hui Yue, who dared not show even the slightest bit of arrogance or disobedience, instantly moved forward.

  He was unsure of how close he should move, but Yama kept saying, "Closer," "Closer," "Closer." He kept urging Hui Yue forward until he was standing right in front of the throne.

  By then Yama nodded his head, and Yanluo slowly slipped out of the room, leaving only Hui Yue and Yama together inside. As for what was going on, Hui Yue did not know, but he understood that this was a great honor.

  "So you managed to win in the end," Yama's voice resounded through the hall, and the moment he spoke, he also removed the mask that had covered his face.

  The moment his mask fell, Hui Yue frowned. He had met this person before, however, when he had met him, he was certain that he was older.

  Scouring his memories, he realized that this man in front of him was the old man who had sold him the map, but back then he had seemed much older than he was now. Back then he looked like a middle-aged man, however, now he looked at most twenty years old.

  "I won due to luck," Hui Yue said humbly, but Yama just shook his head with laughter. "You did not go all out against the youth from the Nightcrawler Sect. It was as if you knew you would win from the beginning. You were ruthless but not ruthless enough."

  "You did not use your soul force, and you did not use the innate skills of your sword either. Although Yanluo already said that no one would die, you still hesitated to use any truly lethal attacks."

  "It seems that you can only bring out your full potential against enemies who threaten your family and friends. Perhaps this is troublesome, but I quite like it. I like that you are the kind of person who does not harm people who do not harm you."

  "I think that you are an interesting person, so I will tell you something interesting as a reward," Yama said with a smile on his face. "When you died to save that little girlfriend of yours, things did not happen as you expected."

  Hui Yue was at first at a complete loss with what he had just said. When did he die to protect Wang Ju Long? Was… Was he possibly talking about Li Fen?!

  "First, let me ask you, now that you have experienced true love, what kind of feelings did you have for the woman called Li Fen?"

  Hui Yue was dumbfounded about the question, and he hesitated for only a moment before he remembered the emotions he had within his heart.

  "I was convinced that I loved Li Fen," he said honestly, "but after encountering Wang Ju Long, Sha Yun, and Huli, I have realized that love is a very strange thing. I wished to have Li Fen by my side, but truthfully I viewed her as important as my dearest family. She was someone who was by my side from the time I was small and until the moment I died. My love for her was equal to that of my parents."

  "After encountering the emotions that I feel for Ju Long, Yun, and Huli I know that these three women are much different. I cannot explain the emotion, it is hard to put into words, and I even have trouble fully understanding it."

  "I guess the eas
iest way to say it is that I wish for Li Fen to be happy somewhere, happy with the man she loves, while I wish for Ju Long, Yun, and Huli to be by my side every day. I wish that I am the person who they love."

  Yama nodded his head as he thought about the words Hui Yue said. "That is good. So Li Fen is a family member for you?" he asked to ensure, and Hui Yue nodded his head.

  "When you died, Li Fen took you into her arms, and when your soul was dragged from your body, her own soul was dragged out with it."

  "Your soul was actually in limbo for a full twenty years after your death before you were born again."

  "But Li Fen was not caught in such a state. She was instantly reborn in the Divine Beast World," Yama said, and his words shocked not only Hui Yue but also greatly surprised the phoenix within him.