Chapter 3089

Xiao Gui watched Yan Xizhong and the others emerge. He had spent the day herding the ox, Niu Da, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

Niu Da spoke to Xiao Gui: "Take them up."

Xiao Gui nodded. He opened the elevator, let them in, and sent them upward.

The descent had taken three or five minutes, but the ascent was swift. In just one minute, they returned to where they had entered.

The pregnant woman, who had borrowed Yunmeng’s clothes, returned the garment to Yunmeng before bidding them farewell and leaving.

The other visitors seemed to treat the place as merely an unconventional haunted house. They only lamented that photography was forbidden, said nothing else, and departed.

Yan Xizhong and Yunmeng did not leave. They stood at the entrance, gazing at the sky.

"The guests have not left yet." Xiao Gui emerged.

Yan Xizhong did not even glance at Xiao Gui. He spoke calmly: "If I left, would you not search the world for me? Carrying heavy yin energy, your search would bring disaster to this world. So, I wait for you to come out."

Xiao Gui’s face changed drastically. "Who exactly are you?"

"Perhaps I should ask who you are. No, what souls are you? You are no longer human, yet you interact with humans. You even guide people to tour your so-called Eighteen Levels of Hell. What is the reason? I am sure you know better than I do."

A sharp glint flashed in Yan Xizhong’s eyes as he looked at Xiao Gui.

Xiao Gui looked at Yan Xizhong with caution, fearing he might do something.

Yan Xizhong sneered coldly: "You are beneath notice. The world calls such groups 'wild organizations.' In a place like this, what could I possibly do to you?"

Yan Xizhong glanced at Xiao Gui. "Send your true master here. You are not worthy of knowing who I am."

As these words fell, a powerful pressure descended. It was the aura of a high-ranking executive in the Yanluo Realm. Xiao Gui felt as if he might dissipate into the void at any moment.

His face turned pale with shock. He hurriedly retreated to find someone.

"Why did you scare them like that?" Yunmeng asked curiously.

Yan Xizhong replied: "I did not scare them. Their very existence is a bug in this world. I must have the nearby Five Elements Walkers investigate their actions. I must also verify with the Earth God before deciding how to handle them."

Being a Yin messenger was not a role for just anyone. Setting up a private Eighteen Levels of Hell here, though only of ordinary grade, violated the bottom line of the Yanluo Realm.

If Yan Xizhong had not known, it would have been negligence. Now that he knew, failing to act would mean his virtue did not match his position. Thus, he had to thoroughly investigate this matter, including why this Underworld existed.

Soon, someone arrived. Or rather, a soul arrived.

This soul wore purple-red robes, giving an impression of great fairness. His expression was solemn and majestic. His attire resembled the depiction of Yanluo in opera.

"Where do the guests come from?" this Yanluo asked.

Yan Xizhong smiled faintly. "My surname is Yan. Yan as in Yanluo. I live in the Yanluo Realm. Where do you think I come from?"

This Yanluo was slightly stunned. His composure wavered. It felt like Li Gui meeting Li Kui—the fake encountering the real.

This Yanluo looked at Yan Xizhong. "Are you a Yanluo of the Underworld?"

"Wrong." Yan Xizhong shook his head slightly. "The Yanluo Realm has ten major regions. Each region has its own exclusive King of Hell. I am not any of those Kings, but I can handle matters across all regions. My name is Yan Xizhong. I am the Young Palace Master of the Yan Palace in the Yanluo Realm. In other words, the Supreme Yanluo Emperor of the Yanluo Realm is my father. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing Yan Xizhong’s words, that Yanluo knew this matter would not end well.

"The Yanluo Realm… is it not the Underworld?" This Yanluo felt that even if he were to die, he must die understanding the truth.

Yan Xizhong had no intention of deceiving him. He spoke directly: "The Underworld is a thing of the distant past. Today, only the Yanluo Realm exists in the universe. The supreme rulers are the Supreme Yanluo Emperor and his wife, the Only Medical Emperor, Yan Hou. The Yanluo Realm was created by them. More accurately, it is the upgraded product of the original Underworld. Therefore, this so-called Underworld of yours is, in my eyes, a replica. A forgery."

Yan Xizhong looked at this Yanluo. "Now you can tell me who you are. Also, what is the story behind this Underworld? What was your purpose in creating it? Why let the living enter? Why do you wish to absorb the sheng qi (vital energy) of the living?"

During this one-day tour of the Underworld, Yan Xizhong had discovered many problems. Besides finding that Xiao Gui and Niu Da were not human, he realized they brought people here to absorb their sheng qi.

A person’s sheng qi is tied to their mental health. Once fear sets in, this sheng qi scatters. That is why they made people visit the Underworld, to make them afraid, and absorb their sheng qi in their terror.

However, due to the intervention of Yan Xizhong and Yunmeng, today’s trip was in vain. They gained nothing.

Instead, it allowed Yan Xizhong to discover the existence of this Underworld.

This Yanluo smiled bitterly. "So, you are the Young Master of the Yanluo Realm. Young Master, do you know that our world is a world abandoned by the Yanluo Realm?"

"Abandoned by the Yanluo Realm? Nonsense. Here, I found Five Elements Walkers, an Earth God, and I saw a City God. This world has never been abandoned." Yan Xizhong stated directly.

"Yes, the entire world is protected by the Yanluo Realm. But our Soul Township is not included. Our Soul Township was abandoned by the Yanluo Realm. Because the ancestors of Soul Township did something bad in the past, the Yanluo Emperor was furious and cut off the Wangchuan River. Since then, the yin and yang forces here have been severed." This person said.

Yan Xizhong said: "I know this. But even if the yin and yang forces are severed, the Yanluo Realm did not restrict people here from entering. People here can still enter the Yanluo Realm through the guidance of Walkers, registration with the Earth God, and processing by the City God, who issues a travel permit."

"Yes, the general procedure is indeed so. But the ancestors here were unwilling to accept it." This person sighed.

"The ancestors here originally had the ability to communicate between yin and yang. But due to their selfishness, their descendants lost the power of yin and yang. They had to submit to the City God. They could only enter the Yanluo Realm through the City God. They were unwilling."

The last sentence was like a cry from this person.

"So you built this Underworld specifically for the reincarnation of people from Soul Township?" Yan Xizhong looked at this person.

"Yes." This person nodded. "But as souls, surviving in the yang world for a long time requires yang energy. Even though we tried to modify our Underworld to resemble the Underworld of the Yanluo Realm, it is still not the true Underworld. The yin energy produced here cannot allow us to leave."