Chapter 1027: Chapter 67: Is This for Real!?

After a rapid moment of contemplation, Xiao Jie immediately had an idea—pass the buck! This was his area of expertise.

He showed a look of solemnity and sympathy on his face and said in a serious tone, “I never expected the situation in the Netherworld to be so dire! Your Majesty, don’t be anxious. Once I resurrect those friends and settle my mortal commitments, I will promptly return to Gu Yun State to report this matter to Shen Jizi, who is an authority among the Group of Immortals. Shen Jizi is esteemed and wise, like an ocean; when the time comes, gathering the intelligence of our Immortal Friends, surely a solution can be devised!”

Perfect! Throw the problem to Shen Jizi. If Shen Jizi wants to handle it, that would be ideal; if not, the blame won’t fall on him.

When Yama heard this, the enthusiastic smile on his face slightly faded, revealing a trace of displeasure: “Sui Feng, could it be that you are shirking your responsibilities? Shen Jizi clearly stated back then that the Immortal Realm would stay outside of worldly concerns and would no longer intervene in the affairs of the Mortal World and the Netherworld. Why would he interfere now?”

“Oh, Yama, how can you say that? How could I shirk my responsibilities?” Xiao Jie declared with a look of righteous integrity, “The fact is, I am just a newly appointed Independent Immortal, with little power or influence. This issue concerns the existence of the yin and yang realms and is of great significance, way beyond the capacity of a single person to resolve. Shen Jizi, as the leader of the Immortal Realm, must summon the Group of Immortals to jointly deliberate and decide on such a major issue.”

He shifted his tone and continued, “Although the Immortals of past times did vow not to interfere again, times have changed, and the situation is different now. Moreover, they have secluded themselves in Gu Yun State for quite some time, and perhaps they are… well, eager for action in their stillness? Once I return, I will clearly express the significance of the situation here, illustrating the vital points related to the safety of the three realms. I am sure I can persuade them to take some action and at least come up with a plan. Otherwise, with just my strength, even if I wanted to help Your Majesty, it would be beyond my ability.”

Yama Qin Chuan listened, looking solemnly at Xiao Jie, his deep gaze seemingly trying to penetrate his expression to judge how much truth lay in his words. After a long pause, he suddenly relaxed into a smile, though deep within that smile seemed a hint of coldness difficult to detect.

“Hehe, your words… make sense. It’s just that I am anxious about the situation, which made me a bit abrupt and impatient. In that case, I shall wait patiently for good news from the Immortal Venerable.”

Whoo… Xiao Jie secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this Yama seemed reasonable and it was okay to deceive him for now.

The two continued to drink wine, enjoy the Netherworld delicacies, and watch the Ghost Girl’s dance, as if the heavy conversation just now had never happened. After the time of burning an incense stick, a Ghost Official dressed in a Judge’s attire walked briskly over, holding a jade scroll, and knelt down.

“Your Majesty, the task entrusted by the Immortal Venerable has been completed.”

“Oh? What are the results? Report quickly.” Yama put down his wine cup.

The Ghost Judge did not reply loudly but got up and whispered urgently into Yama’s ear.

Xiao Jie appeared to be tasting the fine wine indifferently, but in reality, his Immortal Sense was highly focused, trying to overhear. However, the Ghost Judge clearly used some secret technique to isolate the sound quite effectively. All he could see was Yama Qin Chuan’s face changing from calm to surprised, then to a furrowed brow, and finally he slapped the desk vehemently!

“What! There’s such a situation!?” Yama Qin Chuan immediately showed an expression of extreme shock and annoyance, his voice involuntarily rising by eight degrees.

Xiao Jie’s heart skipped a beat, a strong foreboding welling up within him.

“Your Majesty, what’s the matter? Could it be… that a change has occurred?” he asked hastily.

Yama Qin Chuan turned his head to look at Xiao Jie, his face filled with “apology” and “helplessness,” and he sighed heavily: “Alas! It was my negligence and incompetence! Immortal Venerable, your friends’ souls, according to inquiries, are indeed in specific areas of the Sea of Reincarnation, waiting for rebirth. However… however, that cunning Netherworld Emperor dispatched a special force a few days ago to suddenly attack and occupy the outer regions of the Sea of Reincarnation! Now, the area where your friends are located has fallen under the control of the Netherworld Emperor’s army! To find and bring out your friends it is… difficult!”

He changed his tone, immediately displaying a stance of righteous indignation: “However, the Immortal Venerable need not worry too much! Since this happened due to my Netherworld’s lax defense, I will not sit idly by! I shall muster the army in the future and swear to reclaim the Sea of Reincarnation! It’s just… the Immortal Venerable knows how things are now; the situation is perilous, and the enemy is strong. Whether we can succeed, and when we can succeed, I… I cannot say.”

He gazed intently at Xiao Jie, his tone becoming extremely “sincere”: “Of course, if the Immortal Venerable is willing to lend a hand and join this righteous battle concerning the Netherworld’s order, with your ability, perhaps you can greatly speed up the process and help me crush the rebels and reclaim the Sea of Reincarnation sooner! I wonder if the Immortal is willing to fight with me, eradicate the evildoers, and restore order to the Netherworld once again? Such an act of upholding righteousness and saving the world will surely earn you immeasurable merit, your name will be remembered throughout history, and it will also be greatly beneficial to your cultivation journey!”

Just as Yama finished speaking, a semi-transparent system prompt forcibly appeared in front of Xiao Jie’s eyes:

System prompt: Main storyline quest [Reincarnation Disaster] triggered.

Quest content: The order of the Netherworld has collapsed, the Sea of Reincarnation has been occupied by the forces of the Netherworld Emperor, and thousands of souls are unable to reincarnate. Yama Qin Chuan requests your assistance to eradicate the powerful Ghost Kings scattered across various factions, defeat the Netherworld Emperor’s main army, reclaim the thirteen fallen Ghost Cities, ultimately seize and purify the Sea of Reincarnation, and restore the yin and yang order of the Netherworld.

Quest success reward: 500 Cause and Effect Points.

Quest failure penalty: -1000 Cause and Effect Points.

Will you accept? Yes/No

Xiao Jie looked at Yama’s face, which expressed “sincerity” and “solemnity,” but his heart was crystal clear; how could he not understand? This was clearly a setup designed by the other side long ago! Why did the sudden attack on the Sea of Reincarnation by the Netherworld Emperor coincide with the capture of his friend’s soul? How could there be such coincidences in the world! The right to explain rested entirely in the hands of the other party, and he had no way to verify it.

If he did not agree to help, when could he find his friend? Probably only “a ghost would know.” This bureaucratic delaying tactic could absolutely drag things on indefinitely, leaving him voiceless with his grievances.

He sighed heavily in his heart. This talk of “Cause and Effect,” indeed, is extremely troublesome; once you’re involved, it’s hard to extricate yourself. No wonder the old Immortals of Gu Yun State would rather hide away idly than get entangled in such affairs. He just wanted to save a few people, but never expected to encounter such a massive predicament.

If he didn’t take on this task, let alone resurrecting his teammates, he would probably immediately go from being an “Immortal” to an “unwelcome person,” rendering all previous promises null and void. The reward of 500 Cause and Effect Points looked meager, but failing would deduct 1000 points, clearly forcing one onto this pirate ship which one could never leave once aboard.

The issue is, even if he took the task, how could he solve it alone? Perhaps… he could bring Lin Xuance, the Martial Arts Immortal, and others along? Since the Heaven Repair Alliance’s slogan is to save the world, they should be interested in involving themselves in such a major matter as the collapse of the Netherworld’s order threatening the mortal world, right? Otherwise, once the Netherworld falls completely, and the Netherworld Emperor consolidates his strength and reopens the Ghost Gate to invade the mortal world, then the human world would truly be doomed. What would there be to save by then?

However, even if those few from the Heaven Repair Alliance joined, totaling to four Immortals, and along with the remaining strength on Yama’s side, could they really contend or even suppress the entire Netherworld’s established countless Ghost Clan members, Ghost Kings, and that unfathomable Netherworld Emperor? Xiao Jie was far from confident in his heart.

Yet Yama did not rush him, leisurely sipping wine, watching Xiao Jie’s face show fluctuating thoughts, seemingly with a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips.

Suddenly, a spiritual light flashed through Xiao Jie’s mind. He raised his head, revealing an expression that he had a plan in mind.

“Hahahaha!” He suddenly laughed, “Lord Yama, this matter is indeed extremely troublesome, fundamental in nature, and difficult to solve by force. However, it’s not without a complete solution.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Chuan was slightly moved in his heart. He had treated the dead horse as if it were living, using delay tactics to press the other into compliance, but unexpectedly, this young-looking Immortal seemed to really have other ideas? “Oh? I await the Immortal Venerable’s insights.”

Xiao Jie stood up, paced two steps, and said loudly, “To solve the fundamental problem of the Netherworld’s blocked reincarnation, relying solely on slaughter is useless and may even backfire. According to His Majesty, even if these Evil Ghosts and Evil Spirits are killed, their core resentment would still dissipate back into the world, exacerbating the Malevolent aura of the Netherworld. In time, this would instead breed more and stronger Evil Ghosts. This is treating the symptoms but not the root cause.”

“To truly solve this problem, the solution lies in addressing the ‘population’ issue at the root! Only by generating enough newborns in the mortal world can these souls, accumulated over thousands of years, be systematically reincarnated, restoring the order of reincarnation. The resentment in the Netherworld will gradually dissipate, Ghost Kings will lose their source of soldiers and existence’s foundation, and the chaos will naturally cease.”

“And to achieve this, the key lies in the mortal world! A peaceful era must first be established in the mortal world!”

He looked at Yama with blazing eyes: “To be frank with Your Majesty, I have a friend who is currently the King of the ‘Dragon Soaring Country’ in the mortal world.

The mortal world is again engulfed in wars, conflicts arise frequently, and the people live in hardship. This is the root cause of population decline. If we can help him unify the Nine States, pacify the chaotic times, allow the people to rest, encourage childbirth, and promote benevolent governance, then the more they produce, the more newborns there will be, and the pressure on the Netherworld will naturally lessen.”

“If we can strive for good governance, restore the Nine States’ population to its peak, giving birth to another tens of millions, by then, reincarnation will be smooth, the backlog of souls in the Netherworld will be alleviated, and naturally, peace and prosperity will reign, resolving the issue of reincarnation imbalance once and for all. What does Your Majesty think?”