Chapter 105: Descent into the Underworld

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“Since you have confirmed it, I, Li Xintian, will naturally visit the Qingqiu Fox Clan in due time. You may leave now.” Li Xintian cupped his fists, already planning everything in his mind.
“Then we respectfully await the arrival of Young Master Li.” Hu Qing finished speaking, then vanished, leaving Minister Jiang behind.
“Yuan Feng, please wake up.” Hu Xiaocui cradled the unconscious Wang Yuanfeng.
“Xiaocui, it’s useless. Yuanfeng has long become a puppet of Yao Shuang. Now that Yao Shuang is dead, Yuanfeng must die as well. Even if he’s saved, he’ll become a fool.” Hu Yuji said.
At that moment, Hu Yuji felt the disappearance of the Qingling Pearl from her abdomen, and the Thunder God had also vanished. What had just happened?
“Let me take a look and see what’s going on.” Li Xintian stepped forward, checking Wang Yuanfeng’s pulse, while instructing Zou Wu to deal with Minister Jiang.
“Yuanfeng, there is still hope. I’m calling someone for help.” Li Xintian’s pulse check showed normal readings; Yuanfeng was only unconscious, though his soul might have been taken.
Li Xintian wrote a message in the void, summoning Lu Pan to come quickly.
Far away at the Changbai Mountain glacier, Lu Pan had just obtained the head of Zhu Keshì when he received Li Xintian’s message.
“Brother Li, what’s the matter? What urgent matter requires me?” Lu Pan asked with a smile.
“Lu Pan, please check where his soul is and help summon it back.” Li Xintian cupped his fists and then noticed the package in Lu Pan’s hand. “Lu Pan, what are you holding?”
“I’ll explain later. First, I must retrieve this man’s soul. Brother Li, I will definitely help you.”
Lu Pan took out a brush and tapped it on Wang Yuanfeng, instantly revealing the location of his soul.
“Return quickly!”
Lu Pan raised his hand and grabbed the panicked soul of Wang Yuanfeng from the void, placing it back into his body.
“Brother Li, I have other matters to attend to. I must return the head.”
After helping with this small task, Lu Pan spoke.
“Lu Pan, wait. You swapped heads for someone, didn’t you?”
Li Xintian called out to Lu Pan.
“Alas, I must return it now. I have to hurry over. No time to talk.”
With that, Lu Pan transformed into a ray of light and flew toward Zhang Xiaoman’s direction.
“Stay here for now. I’ll go take a look.”
Li Xintian summoned Zou Wu, ordering him to follow Lu Pan’s path. Zou Wu moved swiftly through the air without a hint of slowness.
“Thank you.”
Hu Xiaocui watched Li Xintian leave, only seeing Zou Wu’s long tail as he called out. After a long while, Wang Yuanfeng finally regained consciousness.

Zhang Xiaoman’s Tomb.
Zhu Keshì stood before Zhang Xiaoman’s grave, touching the crack on her neck. Lu Pan had instructed her to wait there.
“Wife.”
Zhu Erdan arrived at Zhang Xiaoman’s tomb and indeed saw Zhu Keshì.
“What are you doing? Don’t call me your wife; I am no longer yours.”
Zhu Keshì brushed off Zhu Erdan’s hand.
“You will always be my wife.”
Zhu Erdan looked at Zhu Keshì with deep affection.
“Not after the head swap. Don’t pretend.”
Zhu Keshì said angrily.
“Where is Lord Lu? Where is he?”
Zhu Erdan now wanted to stop Lu Pan from returning the original head.
“He went to the Changbai Mountain glacier to retrieve my head. He’ll be back soon.”
Zhu Keshì spoke honestly.
After she finished, Lu Pan appeared with the package.
“Zhu Erdan, this is your wife’s original head. It’s quite fresh and usable. Zhu Keshì, you keep it for now.”
Lu Pan said, handing the package to Zhu Keshì.
“You two, step aside.”

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Lu Pan clapped his hands and continued.
Zhu Erdan and Zhu Keshì stepped back a few paces.
Lu Pan raised both hands, channeling yin energy to break open Zhang Xiaoman’s grave. Then, moving his hands from the center outward, he swept away the earth covering the coffin, revealing it.
Seeing this, Zhu Erdan felt that if he didn’t stop it now, it would be too late. Resolved, he snatched the package from Zhu Keshì’s hand and tried to escape.
“Zhu Erdan, what are you doing?”
Zhu Keshì was shocked that Lu Pan could easily dig open the grave using yin energy.
“Zhu Erdan, what do you want?”
Li Xintian sat on Zou Wu’s back and blocked Zhu Erdan, immediately noticing that Zhu Keshì’s head was actually Zhang Xiaoman’s.
“Zhu Erdan, what are you trying to do?”
Lu Pan flashed forward and stood before Zhu Erdan.
Seeing Zou Wu, Zhu Erdan recoiled in fear.
“Don’t force me. If you insist on swapping heads, I’ll smash this head.”
Zhu Erdan looked at Zhu Keshì with a grimace.
“How dare you! If you dare smash my head, I’ll destroy the Zhu family bloodline.”
Zhu Keshì picked up a stone and shouted fiercely.
“You dare!”
Zhu Erdan roared savagely.
“If you dare, so do I.”
Zhu Keshì retorted angrily, though all this was Zhu Erdan’s doing.
“Lord Situ Yuan, it’s time to change your tone, Left Commander.”
Lu Pan, now suffering a headache, was surprised the Left Commander had arrived.
“Brother Li, Lu Pan, long time no see. How have you been?” Left Commander greeted with a smile and cupped fists.
“Good? Look at this bastard who’s made me angry. If I had known, I wouldn’t have swapped his heart back then. Brother Li even warned me.” Lu Pan said helplessly.
“I’ve had a few unlucky days, meeting that fellow Zou Wu. But Lord Situ Yuan got promoted to Left Commander. Congratulations.”
Li Xintian cupped fists and congratulated Left Commander.
“Brother Li, you jest. This is the benevolent beast Zou Wu. It’s a joy that you’ve tamed him. Let’s not talk now; let’s fix the mess first.” Left Commander replied modestly but secretly envied Li Xintian.
“Ha! With another helper, I’m not afraid!”
Zhu Erdan laughed madly, raising both hands, ready to smash Zhu Keshì’s head on the ground.
Lu Pan raised his hand, channeling yin energy to absorb the package into his palm, then raised the other hand to channel yin energy and released red lightning, shocking Zhu Erdan into screams and cries before he fainted.
“Mortals say evil comes from cowardice, but I think Zhu Erdan’s evil springs from his heart. Becoming smarter only made him worse, more wicked.”
Li Xintian commented as Zhu Erdan fell unconscious.
“Brother Li, well said.”
Left Commander nodded in agreement.
“Left Commander, about that boring bet we had last time, I guess you won.” Lu Pan sighed.
“This bet brought lots of trouble. We all lost.”
“Alas, a pointless conflict, truly pointless.”
Left Commander sighed as well.
“Not just a little trouble. Look up at the sky. What you stirred up has already spread to the Underworld.”
Li Xintian added, striking a heavy blow to Lu Pan and Left Commander’s hearts.
“Ke Shaorong, come, let’s swap heads.”
Lu Pan had to dodge the question and looked at Ke Shaorong.
“I’ll go with you all to the Underworld.”
Li Xintian said as Lu Pan prepared the head swap.
“This...”
Lu Pan hesitated and glanced at Left Commander.
“Brother Li, we certainly welcome your visit to the Underworld.”
Left Commander smiled.

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Left Commander summoned Li Xintian’s soul, and purple mist spread across the sky, swirling around Li Xintian’s spirit.
“Brother Li, you look more like an immortal.”
Left Commander was surprised.
“Really? I don’t feel that way.”
Li Xintian touched his soul, feeling a strange sensation for the first time. As his soul emerged, the magical artifact in his body transformed into a sword net, surrounding his physical form.

The Underworld.
“What’s going on?”
The Eastern Mountain Emperor asked upon Li Xintian’s arrival as celestial music echoed in the Underworld, as if celebrating something. He looked toward Yan Wang (King of Hell).
“Amitabha!”
Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva appeared as a mere residual spirit, on the verge of dispersal.
“Bodhisattva, what disturbs you?”
Eastern Mountain Emperor knew that Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva would not appear unless something serious happened. Matters like Lu Pan swapping hearts and heads wouldn’t disturb him.
“Eastern Mountain Emperor, you will know when you see who it is.”
Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva joined his hands in greeting.
“Brother Bai, you too... Could it be...”
Bai Yang immediately recognized Li Xintian but saw no aura around him, thinking he was dead as well.
“Brother Bai, I’m not dead. I have heard about your matters along the way.”
Li Xintian shook his head.
“Greetings to Eastern Mountain Emperor, Yan Wang, and Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva.”
Li Xintian cupped his fists in respect.
“Greetings, Brother Li (Amitabha).”
Eastern Mountain Emperor, Yan Wang, and Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva spoke together.
“Sorry for the disturbance. I want to ask if you know anyone claiming to be the Black Emperor?”
Li Xintian nodded.
“Let’s finish dealing with their matters first.”
Eastern Mountain Emperor glanced at Bai Yang and Zhang Xiaoman.
“How about this: let them go through reincarnation, so they have an explanation.”
Yan Wang suggested.
“That’s a good choice. Let them reincarnate.”
Eastern Mountain Emperor agreed.
“Lu Pan, Left Commander, the bet can be forgiven, but unauthorized heart and head swaps cannot.”
“Lu Pan, I have thought of a punishment that will punish both you and Zhu Erdan. You will reincarnate into Zhu Erdan’s family.”
Yan Wang looked at Lu Pan and Left Commander.
“Left Commander, although you are not under my jurisdiction, you are responsible. You will guard the ghost gate for one month.”
“Left Commander, now take Lu Pan and the others away.”
Yan Wang continued.
“Yes, Yan Wang.”
Left Commander cupped his fists.
“Brother Bai, Miss Zhang, until we meet again.”
Li Xintian cupped his fists.
“Brother Zhi, take care.”
Bai Yang cupped his fists; Zhang Xiaoman gave a slight bow.
“Black Emperor, this person has already destroyed the Immortal Realm. The Jade Emperor of the Immortal Realm reincarnated ten thousand years ago and left no trace. The Underworld has long been hollowed out. What you see now are only residual spirits. The Black Emperor is now searching for these residual spirits, but we are barely surviving.”
Eastern Mountain Emperor said gravely.
“Oh, so the Black Emperor appeared and destroyed the Thunder God. You’re all on the brink of extinction. But what is the origin of this Black Emperor? You haven’t told me yet.”
Li Xintian nodded.