Little did they know that the war had only started!
At that moment, Nangong Lie, in a worship robe, entered the Great Hall. He scanned the hall with his alluring eyes, and eventually locked gaze with Baili Jia Jue. He wore a grin as he said, "It seems like you are almost done here. I am done with my side too. The tasks you assigned are almost completed. I reckon that we will get the result real soon."
Baili Jia Jue replied with a silent yet nonchalant nod.
Someone as intelligent as Helian Wei Wei immediately understood that they were plotting something.
The exorcists did not understand the meaning behind Nangong Lie's words.
However, they were puzzled by his overdue arrival.
After all, if a worship administrator was present on scene, they would not have underestimated the War Dragon Dynasty.
Just as Nangong Lie finished his words, three people hurried into the Great Hall.
They were wearing military uniforms of different countries. Their collars were drenched in sweat and their faces were gloomy!
"Your Highness."
"Lord."
"Something bad has happened!"
Zongzheng Wen Ren was infuriated when the soldiers knelt before him. "Stand up and tell me what's wrong!"
The soldiers trembled as they replied, "Xuan City, Xuan City has been blitzed. The King has ordered Your Highness to return immediately to lead the troop!"
"What did you say?" Zongzheng Wen Ren could not believe what he had heard. He rose to his feet as widened his eyes in shock!
Xuan City was the capital of Xuanyuan Kingdom.
It was obvious what Xuanyuan Kingdom's destiny would be if the Xuan City was attacked!
The soldiers from the other two countries came with the same news. Their Capitals had also been ambushed!
"Who would attack us at this time ..." Lord Wang had yet to finish his sentence when he abruptly turned to look at Baili Jia Jue!
"Was it... was it you?"
Baili Jia Jue did not deny. He tossed the son of King of Hell aside, tidied his sleeves casually as he replied, "Yes."
Did he just reply with a succinct word without any elaboration?
"Your Highness, do you know that we're alliances and you shouldn't harm the envoys?" Lord Wang enunciated.
Baili Jia Jue replied with a nonchalant and slightly contemptuous tone, "Of course I know. This is exactly why I didn't do anything to you. However, you were stupider than I imagined. Your defense at the borders was so pathetically vulnerable."
Baili Jia Jue was not straightforward but everyone in the room understood the message he was trying to send.
As I can't hurt you, I will attack your Capital directly. You have to pay for what you've done.
Upon hearing this, Lord Wang's legs turned soft. Baili Jia Jue was certainly a ruthless man!
Initially, they thought that they could defeat this newly-appointed Third Prince after they joined forces as three kingdoms.
However, the event was turned when the Third Prince unexpectedly attacked their Capitals.
While they were distracted by the exorcism contest, the man had sent his troops directly to their Capitals.
No one would have expected such a stratagem from Baili Jia Jue.
He did not know about what happened at the other countries. However, as soon as his King heard about his arrival at the capital alongside the exorcists, he was anticipating a victory and did not station much military forces at the southern border...
Subsequently, a gap was formed in the north and it became a weakness for their opponent to breach the Capital...
Liu Yu did not understand what was going on.
Unlike Liu Yu, Wu Jing had grasped the entire situation. His eyes beamed in excitement. "Why have I not thought of this? The borders, the borders! These people have been trying to abuse us by bringing all their soldiers to our Capital. Therefore, their defense on a certain area of their borders will definitely be compromised. If we attack now, we can definitely take down their Capitals. His Highness is brilliant! He has turned their tricks into a trap for themselves. What a plan!"
Despite his initial confusion, Liu Yu had now understood the situation owing to Wu Jing's explanation.
They attempted to compell His Highness into a political marriage, thinking that he would be forced into marrying the princess.
However, they never expected that, in the midst of their glee, His Highness had already conquered their countries...
Chapter 683 - Vanquished By The Ultimate Blow
The ministers looked at Baili Jia Jue in disbelief.
The two old ministers, who previously knelt before Baili Jia Jue to advocate the political marriage, were especially shocked with their eyes almost popped out of their heads.
Zongzheng Wen Ren appeared to be dumbstruck. He took a few seconds to finally come to his senses. Yet, his expression remained gloomy.
We've lost.
We have been vanquished...
Upon hearing the news, Zongzheng Yu Er paled. "Imperial Brother, what should we do now?"
"We need to leave now!" Zongzheng Wen Ren replied in a muffled voice. "We are the envoys. There is an agreement between the four kingdoms, saying that the envoys cannot be harmed even if both sides are at war."
Zongzheng Yu Er nodded, but there was no emotion in her eyes. Her initially-combed hair was now ruffled.
She arrived in a blaze of glory, but she was now going to leave this place with her tail between her legs.
Zongzheng Wen Ren was right. They would be safe as long as they stayed within the War Dragon Dynasty.
However, once they entered the Xuanyuan Kingdom, they would be put under unprecedented hot pursuit!
Baili Jia Jue was certainly a ruthless and brutal man.
The son of King of Hell stared at him and furrowed his thick brows all of a sudden. "Wait. Something's wrong!"
"What is wrong?" Helian Wei raised her brows as she sensed the sudden change of air.
The son of King of Hell extended his hand and a black notebook appeared on his palm. He flipped the book and stopped at the word "Xu Wu" before he furrowed his brows again. "Xu Wu Chang Kong, born in the year of 14, died at the end of 95. This old man should have died a few months ago. Why is he still alive?"
Upon hearing the son of King of Hell's words, the reapers, who were standing aside, noticed that the light on Elder Xu Wu's head had indeed extinguished. The elders often said that, when a person died, their lights would be extinguished. This statement was not groundless, for every person with a living soul would carry a torch on the top of their head. Of course, it was certainly not visible to human beings, nor demons. Only the administrators of the netherworld, namely the reapers, the judges and the King of Hell, could see it. A bright glow indicated that the person was alive. On the other hand, a dim glow suggested that one's time was about to run out. Immediately after the light was extinguished, one would stop breathing and the reapers would receive a notification to promptly collect his or her soul. As it was a dead soul, it would naturally be governed by the netherworld.
However, at this moment, it was evident that Elder Xu Wu was a dead soul. Yet, he had not been discovered by the reapers and was able to even remain in his mortal shell peacefully. If the son of King of Hell did not take a careful look, he would not have been able to notice the slip.
"What is going on here?" The son of King of Hell would never allow such a terrible blunder to happen under his care.
His dad had promised to let him meet Little Hook if he could successfully achieve the set target.
It was bad enough for a dead soul to stray out of the netherworld. Worse, it was now disguising as a living soul and strolling around the human world. If his father found out about this, he would never get to see his sweetheart ever again!
Terrified by the thought, the son of King of Hell grabbed a reaper by its collar and shook it violently. "Did you guys do this on purpose? Huh? Are you trying to stop me from seeing Little Hook?"
"Your Highness, we draw souls in accordance to the judge's order. I reckon that you have to check with the judge to find out how did Elder Xu Wu escape from us." The reaper appeared more distressed than ever after being held by the King of Hell!
Without hesitation, the son of King of Hell commanded in a sombre tone, "Judge, show yourself!"
Immediately, the judge in long robes appeared.
He hovered in the air as he greeted the son of King of Hell, "Your Highness, how can I help you?"
"Why is he here?" The son of King of Hell asked, gesturing at the Elder Xu Wu.
The judge took a glance at Elder Xu Wu before he furrowed his brows. "I have no idea. But, according to my investigation, it's most probably because of the swamping aura of resentment in the Capital right now. Other than this dead soul, some evil spirits have been stained by the aura of resentment as well. Lord Kasuo and Lord Bing are now clearing these infected souls. These hostile ghosts cannot be allowed into the netherworld. We have to locate and eliminate them while they are in the human realm. Otherwise, once an infected soul enters the netherworld, it will contaminate and cause hostile changes to all the other ghosts in the netherworld. If that happens, not only the human realm, the Hall of Reincarnation of the netherworld will be destroyed too. "
Upon hearing this, the tiger hat on Little King of Hell's head shifted a little and his adorable face grew solemn. "So, the source of the infection came from the human world?"
"Yes. But, I have yet to find out the particular reason behind this. Lord Kasuo has requested for Your Highness to return to the netherworld. You are still young and the human world is a dangerous place. He worries that you might be tainted by the aura of resentment," the judge said in a solemn yet muffled voice.
Apparently, he did not want any outsider to learn about this matter.
However, he failed to hide it from the ears of Baili Jia Jue and Helian Wei Wei. They exchanged looks before their gazes eventually fixed on Elder Xu Wu.
The crowd did not know the content of the son of King of Hell and the judge's conversation. The only thing they understood was that Elder Xu Wu was dead and, almost instantly, a horrified expression was plastered on their faces.
If Elder Xu Wu has died, who's this man standing before us?
The exorcists of Xuanyuan Dynasty were the first to act. They held the yellow runes in their hands as they stared at Elder Xu Wu warily!
The envoys of Huangzi Kingdom were also panicked.
Resembling an old cunning fox, Elder Xu Wu quickly scanned his surroundings before he decided to run away.
However, as soon as he lifted his foot, the corner of his shirt was caught by a hound.
The hound was not here before. It caught everyone by surprise when it materialized within the fog all of a sudden. It bit Elder Xu Wu fiercely with its fangs and tore his flesh!
The soul of Elder Xu Wu was unreservedly removed from his physical body and his physical body turned into a pool of black water in the blink of an eye!
However, the eyes of his soul suddenly began to glow in crimson. He was like a hostile ghost that wore an eerie grin as if he was always ready to attack everyone.
The hound did not give him any chance to infect the others. It opened its mouth and swallowed him as a whole!
It was an absurdly eventful day.
They were too overwhelmed and did not know how to react anymore.
The Ministers of the War Dragon Dynasty were undoubtedly thrilled.
On the other hand, the envoys of Xuanyuan Dynasty felt a chill down their spine.
Elder Xu Wu had died a long time ago and had now turned into an evil spirit!
This would indubitably affect Xuanyuan Dynasty greatly!
Chapter 684 - The Path of Reincarnation Has Been Locked, Children
Zongzheng Wen Ren was no longer bragging as he watched the scene, feeling extremely humiliated.
Meanwhile, the son of King of Hell rubbed his chin before he narrowed his big amber-colored eyes and asked Helien Wei Wei, "Did you see his eyes just now?
"It was crimson." Helian Weiwei said as she beckoned the hound over, "Blackie, come here."
The Alsatian shook its head before it ran toward Helian Wei Wei. Just like before, it stood slightly left before her.
The son of King of Hell threw a glimpse at the Alsatian before he mumbled, "That is a sign of an infected soul. A soul that has been infected by an aura of resentment cannot enter the netherworld as the reapers are incapable of destroying them. You exorcists might be able to do it. But judging the situation, it is a major epidemic of soul infection. My father will definitely decide to close down the netherworld to protect the clean souls there. When that happens, the Path of Reincarnation would be rendered useless and all the unborn babies will become dummies without soul... "
"You are saying that whoever bears a child within these years will give birth to fools?" Helian Weiwei frowned.
The son of King of Hell acknowledged before he flicked his fingers and opened his black notebook. He continued in a serious tone, "Once the Path of Reincarnation is locked down, dead souls will not be allowed to enter the netherworld and living souls will not be able to leave the netherworld or reborn as humans. Every child who's born will remain an empty shell. However, things will worsen if the netherworld isn't closed down. The humans will be wiped out immediately. You saw the infected soul just now that was denied entry into the Path of Reincarnation. To allow an infected soul into the netherworld, it is like releasing a virus into a crowd. The souls in the netherworld will be infected one after another, and none of them will be able to reincarnate. Once the netherworld is closed, we can only reopen it after five years. This is the rule of heaven and earth that no one can alter. You need to find the source of infection before my father returns to handle the turmoil and decides to shut down the netherworld!"
Five years?
Five years may be a short time to the ghosts of the netherworld.
But, how many five years does a human have in a lifetime?
If the Path of Reincarnation is closed for five years, it means that no child will be born within the next five years!
A deep furrow formed on Helian Weiwei's brows. As a human, she could not accept the current situation.
Therefore, she had to figure out a way to change it.
"You mentioned about the source of the infection. Where is it?" Helian Wei Wei twitched the corner of her lips as she made a guess, "Is it within the human world?"
The son of King of Hell nodded. "My subordinates are still looking for its specific source, but there aren't many of them from the netherworld who can sense the same in the human world. Besides Lord Bing and the rest, there are only my father and I..."
"I'll find the source. You only have to take care of the netherworld and don't allow any infected soul into the netherworld." Helian Wei Wei interrupted him in an indifferent tone, "What do you think? Will you work with me?"
The son of King of Hell agreed, "Of course we welcome all aids. However, we do not have much time and you have to act quick! I will keep my father distracted for five days. Five days. We only have five days."
"No problem." Helian Wei Wei nodded after she gave it some thought.
Skeptical, the son of King of Hell raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure you can do that within five days?"
"Well, theoretically, the aura of resentment is generated to affect the seal. Since the Divine Exorcism Seal is in the Capital, the source of infection must be nearby. The two exorcists were only possessed by hostile ghosts after they arrived at the Capital. However, I could not comprehend what happened to Elder Xu Wu. You said that he should have died a few months ago. How had he been living until today?" Helian Wei Wei had analyzed the situation in details.
The son of King of Hell wore a wicked smile as he said, "I might be doubtful about our collaboration. But now, I am positive that you are the best candidate to investigate this case. I agree with you and also believe that the source of the infec
tion is in the Capital. As for Elder Xu Wu, there's nothing strange about his overdue death. If someone has been coveting the Divine Exorcism Seal, they must have planned this from the beginning. Someone must have done something to the elder."
"I understand now." Helian Wei Wei could almost identify the culprit. "Can you find Jing Wushuang's name in the Book of Life and Death? I want to know more about this man."
"Jing Wushuang?" The son of King of Hell flipped the book as he said, "Why does this name sound familiar? I've found it! He is a guardian of the Exorcising Tribe! I dislike the members of the Exorcising Tribe. Other than the Pei family, not a single one of them is stable."
Helian Wei Wei replied in a composed manner, "Hmm, when he will die?"
The son of King of Hell answered, "He will never die. The guardians of the Exorcising Tribe are born to protect the Righteous Path of Heaven and Earth. As long as the Righteous Path exists, he will never die."
"Protect the Righteous Path of Heaven and Earth?" Helien Wei Wei seemed to be unconcerned by these words. "Can't your people locate him?"
The son of King of Hell shook his head. "The netherworld only manages the dead souls, not the living."
"To be honest, what exactly do you do?" Helien Wei Wei was disappointed by his answer.
The son of King of Hell replied proudly, "We kill."
Helian Wei Wei remained silent.
Regardless of the process, they finalized their plan anyway.
After Helian Wei Wei finished, she turned around. Her gaze immediately met Baili Jia Jue's. The ministers were all kneeling behind him. He had finished his task and casually tossed his blood-stained robe to a nearby eunuch. His initial elegance was now replaced by an unruly calmness. His transquil and black eyes carried a different kind of charm. "Come here when you're done. You will become stupid if you mix around with the people of the netherworld too frequently. "
Upon hearing this, the son of King of Hell whipped around and said to Helian Wei Wei, "If you really want to find the source, it's better for you to not bring this Great Demon King along. His appearance will frighten the ghosts, not to mention the humans."
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