"Young man, I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to make your choice!"
The King of Hell's voice, like thunder, boomed again, deafening and resonant.
"I don't need that much time. I've already made my choice," Chen Xiao said calmly.
"You wish to join our ghost cultivation lineage?" the King of Hell asked confidently. In his opinion, Chen Xiao would make this choice if he had any sense.
However, Chen Xiao smiled faintly and said playfully, "Or, why don't you guess again?"
The King of Hell was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage. "You brat, since you wish to die, then I, this king, shall grant your wish!"
As his words fell, his divine sense power surged towards Chen Xiao like a tidal wave.
Chen Xiao let out a disdainful snort. "You lot are trash. You couldn't even withstand the Nine Yang Candle Fire, so what hope do you have against my Phoenix Fire?"
The King of Hell's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. He then saw Chen Xiao spread his wings, and flames erupted everywhere. The Phoenix Fire surged towards the King of Hell, who looked on with a greatly altered expression.
In an instant, the Phoenix Fire engulfed his massive form. The King of Hell's face contorted in pain, his spirit scattering, wilting like an ancient tree on the verge of death. On the ground, Meng Po, the Judge, and the ghost generals were even more withered, letting out cries of agony.
"Meng Mama, quickly, quickly give me a bowl of cooling tea..." The residual power of the Phoenix Fire almost left the Judge drained. Meng Po's bucket of cooling tea was only a few steps away, yet he couldn't walk to it, unable to move an inch.
Meng Po trembled like a sieve, exerting all her strength, scooped up a bowl of cooling tea, and gulped it down. However, the expected cool and refreshing sensation did not arrive; the heat remained unabated. This made her realize that the Phoenix Fire was an even more ferocious entity than the Nine Yang Candle Fire.
"Young... young man... quickly, quickly retract your divine abilities..." Meng Po said weakly, her eyes filled with despair. She had seen great hope. With Zhu Jiuyang dead, she could finally leave this place and return to the greater world outside. Furthermore, she could have accompanied Lord King of Hell to sweep across the land and dominate the Nine Provinces.
However, who could have imagined that after eliminating Zhu Jiuyang, someone even more formidable than Zhu Jiuyang would appear?
"Roar—" The King of Hell, enveloped in flames, let out a beast-like cry of agony. The Judge and Meng Po on the ground, merely affected by the residual power of the Phoenix Fire, were already half-dead. The suffering of the King of Hell, at the center of the Phoenix Fire's embrace, was unimaginable.
"I, I, I concede... Please, please retract your divine abilities..." came the King of Hell's broken voice from within the flames.
Chen Xiao pondered for a moment, then flicked his finger, dispelling the flames. The King of Hell, his gaze unfocused and his entire being covered in soot, had lost all his former majesty and kingly aura.
"Damn heavens, why do you toy with me like this..." The King of Hell roared at the sky, unwilling to accept his fate, whether out of sheer anger or utter despair. In any case, his condition was far from good. Having been confined in this space for three thousand years, perhaps his mind had indeed become troubled. Chen Xiao surmised this.
"Find a place where we can talk. I have some questions for you!" Chen Xiao said calmly, issuing a command to the King of Hell. Victory and defeat were clear. The King of Hell had conceded to Chen Xiao, so Chen Xiao was naturally entitled to command him.
"Follow me to the King of Hell's Palace," the King of Hell said resignedly. With that, he rode a black cloud and flew towards the酆都鬼城 (Fengdu Ghost City). Chen Xiao did not follow immediately. Instead, he flapped his wings and landed back on the ground, walking directly towards the Judge.
The Judge wore a bitter smile, on the verge of tears. Before Chen Xiao could speak, he proactively offered his Judge's Brush. Ultimately, the Judge's Brush could not be kept. But without the Judge's Brush, could he still be called the Judge? He thought to himself.
Chen Xiao paid him no mind, taking the Judge's Brush and toying with it for a moment. He infused a strand of true essence into it, and the Judge's Brush was now his.
"I'll teach you how to use it..." The Judge said reluctantly, his eyes filled with bitterness. Watching Chen Xiao handle the Judge's Brush was like watching Chen Xiao lie with his wife.
Chen Xiao ignored him. After twirling the Judge's Brush between his fingers, the tip landed on the ground, scribbling rapidly. "I am in the King of Hell's Palace!" With a flash of light, he arrived in the solemn and imposing King of Hell's Palace. Several ghost officers working nearby looked at Chen Xiao with bewilderment. In the hall, Black and White Impermanence noticed the Judge's Brush and their eyes narrowed. "Huh? Isn't this the Judge's artifact? How is it in the hands of this mortal?" Just as they were about to step forward and question him, a stern voice echoed from outside.
"All present in this hall, withdraw quickly!" The King of Hell strode into the King of Hell's Palace, his footsteps echoing on the ground. The ghost officers immediately retreated upon seeing him.
Looking at the King of Hell, who was as large as a mountain and resembled a colossal deity, Chen Xiao said calmly, "I don't like looking up at people." The King of Hell didn't understand at first, but upon realizing, he immediately shrunk his form. Although he had shrunk, he was still over two meters tall, still towering over Chen Xiao. Chen Xiao frowned. The King of Hell explained, "I have retracted my divine form; this is my true body."
Chen Xiao said coldly, "Then kneel." The King of Hell's eyes widened, and just as he was about to react, Chen Xiao's sharp gaze fell upon him. The King of Hell immediately remembered the terror of being engulfed by the Phoenix Fire. With a thud, he knelt on the ground. Now, he was only up to Chen Xiao's shoulder. Chen Xiao nodded in satisfaction.
After the King of Hell knelt, Chen Xiao paid him no further attention, wandering around the vast King of Hell's Palace as if on a stroll.
"Your Excellency, when will you let us go?" the King of Hell couldn't help but ask. This mortal was even more terrifying than Zhu Long and posed a greater threat to the ghost cultivation lineage. After all, Zhu Long usually hid in the Forgetfulness River; they could avoid provoking him if they couldn't defeat him! But this mortal could move about freely, and most importantly, his Phoenix Fire was more potent than the Nine Yang Candle Fire.
Chen Xiao examined the King of Hell, frowning in thought. "When did I ever say I wouldn't let you go?"
"Then, Your Excellency, what is this..." the King of Hell asked, confused.
"I am a person with great curiosity!" Chen Xiao beckoned, summoning the King of Hell's throne. The throne was too large, so Chen Xiao simply jumped onto it and sat on the backrest. This way, he looked down at the King of Hell even more imperiously!
"I want you to tell me about this Underworld of yours. From cultivating with souls to ghost officers escorting souls, explain everything to me in detail!" Chen Xiao interrogated the King of Hell as if he were a prisoner. Meanwhile, the King of Hell was cursing the Judge's ancestors for nineteen generations. He feared not god-like opponents, but teammates like pigs; it was all this fool's fault...