Chapter 129: Return to the Kingdom of the Dead (5)

"A fragment of the Heavenly Dao's consciousness reborn!" the Monarch of Greed couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.

"If I were to devour this, wouldn't I be able to ascend to the ranks of the eight-star entities?" At this thought, the Monarch of Greed's serpentine eyes were filled with intense possessiveness.

"Indeed. Although it is in human form, the pressure of the Heavenly Dao's authority it emits cannot be faked! As long as we conquer Blue Star, we, blessed with the fortune of the world's protagonists, will instantly become eight-star powerhouses. And the delicacies of the human ancestral land will be ours for the taking! What do you say?" The Monarch of Arrogance swept its black eyes across the other six monarchs present as it asked.

"How will the territory be divided?" the Monarch of Greed asked.

"Leave the handsome men and beautiful women to me!" the Monarch of Lust said.

"I am indifferent," the Monarch of Wrath replied after glancing at it.

"Humans... the most delicious food!" The Monarch of Gluttony's skeletal jaw couldn't help but drool from the rift, speaking with a hint of excitement.

"Hmph!" The Monarch of Envy let out a scoff.

"Huhu~" a certain humanoid girl sighed.

"We shall compete for territory and food individually. Based on the memories left behind by the humans who entered this place, they have many rulers as well. Therefore, whoever occupies a territory first keeps it! No other monarch is allowed to snatch it away, understand?" The Monarch of Arrogance scanned the other monarchs before speaking.

"Tch, what about China? Are you going to deal with those two seven-star ghost kings?" The Monarch of Greed shook its snake head, clearly dissatisfied with the Monarch of Arrogance concealing the opponent's strength. It didn't want to encounter two opponents of the same rank alone—what if it failed?

However, the subtle goading stung the Monarch of Arrogance. It glared at the Monarch of Greed and snorted coldly: "Hmph! I shall deal with those two old things myself; China's territory will naturally be mine!"

The Monarch of Greed averted its gaze and turned its head aside. It knew that if the seven of them acted together, they could easily eliminate those two seven-star powerhouses. It would be a huge loss if they were picked off one by one, but the Monarch of Greed did not point this out.

*This is fine. Once you die, I will devour you and then finish off the other monarchs. Won't I be the sole ruler of Blue Star? With the added fortune of the world, I might even become the master of this realm!* The Monarch of Greed calculated inwardly, no longer arguing with the Monarch of Arrogance.

"What about this lazy one?" The Monarch of Envy, its eyes like blood moons, looked at the Monarch of Sloth, who was still soundly sleeping on the Monarch of Arrogance, and asked the other undead monarchs.

"Let the Monarch of Lust continue to carry it. It doesn't like to fight anyway, just act as if it doesn't exist," the Monarch of Arrogance said casually, turning to look at the humanoid girl. Although the Monarch of Sloth was incredibly strong, the other undead monarchs had never seen it act, as it was always asleep whenever they saw it. Let alone fighting, it rarely even woke up.

The Monarch of Lust was taken aback by the words of the Monarch of Arrogance. It was fine in the Kingdom of the Dead, but outside, it didn't want to carry a dead weight. If a battle broke out and triggered the Monarch of Sloth's domain, it would be incredibly awkward if both sides were unable to move!

"No, no, no. I can't stand that!" The Monarch of Lust waved its tentacles frantically, speaking with firm resolve.

"Then who among you will carry it?" the Monarch of Arrogance asked the other monarchs.

"..." The monarchs remained silent.

"Then just leave it here. It's useless if it goes anyway!" The Monarch of Arrogance frowned and said to the other undead monarchs.

"What if it's faking it? If we are all away from the Kingdom of the Dead, it, a seven-star powerhouse, could directly take complete control of this place. If something goes wrong on the other side, we wouldn't even have a retreat!" The Monarch of Envy immediately voiced its objection.

The other undead monarchs were stunned. The Monarch of Envy was right. If the Monarch of Sloth was truly that good at acting, they would be in danger—it would be equivalent to handing their home over to an opponent!

"We'll take it then! At worst, we'll just dump it on the human ancestral land; it can't die anyway. A retreat is most important. From now on, we must each station heavy troops at the gateway between the two worlds; we must never let humans come and go as they please like today," the Monarch of Arrogance scolded the Monarch of Gluttony. It had also sensed the disappearance of Wu Zui's aura, and the Monarch of Gluttony, who guarded the gateway, bore great responsibility for it. This time it was just two five-star brats, but what if those two seven-star old things sneaked over next time? Wouldn't they be in danger then?

"..." The Monarch of Gluttony knew it was at fault and remained silent.

"Are we striking now, then?" The Monarch of Envy asked the Monarch of Arrogance while inwardly mocking the Monarch of Gluttony. Among them, the Monarch of Arrogance was the strongest after the Monarch of Sloth, and besides, if it didn't go, who would stop the two seven-star human powerhouses?

"First return to your respective territories and mobilize your ghost armies within a day. Tomorrow, each of you will leave ten percent of your ghosts to guard the gateway, and then we set out," the Monarch of Arrogance mused, deciding that time was of the essence.

"Agreed." The undead monarchs replied, several of them immediately departing to prepare for war.

"Wait! Monarch of Arrogance, we haven't settled our account yet!" Seeing the Monarch of Arrogance about to leave, the Monarch of Wrath stopped it.

A black light flashed across the Monarch of Arrogance's white body. It hadn't expected the Monarch of Wrath to be so ungrateful as to still want to fight. This was truly brazen!

"Fine! Monarch of Lust, take the Monarch of Sloth and leave; just dump it on Blue Star later. Monarch of Wrath, come!" As the Monarch of Arrogance spoke, the humanoid girl on its shoulder appeared atop the Monarch of Lust.

The Monarch of Arrogance's figure vanished, merging into the surrounding space, and the Monarch of Wrath disappeared as well. They were preparing to open a battle of domains.

The other monarchs quickly vanished from the scene; since the matters were settled, they would leave the two of them to resolve their own business. As the others departed, the surrounding thousand miles were once again shrouded in a domain, and the sound of colliding resentment energy echoed throughout the Kingdom of the Dead. Many ghosts who thought they were safe once again became victims of the two monarchs' struggle.

...

Meanwhile, Wu Zui, having left the Kingdom of the Dead, appeared at the desolate mountain tomb. Looking at the massive gateway behind him and seeing that no ghosts were pursuing, he let out a sigh of relief and secretly vowed:

*I will never come here again!*

Carrying Xiao Ke'ai, Wu Zui's body temperature was extremely high. It was true that the Heart-Questioning Sword could pierce the Monarch of Gluttony's body, but most of the karmic fire within Wu Zui had lost the suppression of the sword. The result was that while the Heart-Questioning Sword pierced the Monarch of Gluttony, Wu Zui was enduring the agony of being burned by hellfire.

At his heart, the point where the two forces clashed, the muscle and skin had been carbonized by the karmic fire released by his karmic-fire body. The rampaging fire within his body continued to surge, threatening to erupt. However, once the Heart-Questioning Sword returned to his heart, the karmic fire began to be effectively controlled.

With a flash of red light, the Lantern Ghost Spirit was summoned by Wu Zui from the space within the Heart-Questioning Sword.

"Young Master... is there anything you need me to do?" Tang Yingying appeared, bowed slightly, but then sensed a power lurking beneath Wu Zui's skin that filled her with terror, prompting her to ask in fear.

"I won't be coming back here. If there is anything you want to take with you, do it now," Wu Zui said, pointing toward the desolate mountain tomb in the distance.

Having spent over a year in the space within the Heart-Questioning Sword, the resentment energy on the Lantern Ghost Spirit had become increasingly pure. The negative emotions contained within her body had been completely dispelled—a fact Wu Zui had noticed the moment he summoned her.

"Thank you, Young Master!" Tang Yingying was overjoyed. She bowed slightly and hurried toward the desolate mountain tomb. Besides some relics from her life, there were a few maids who had accompanied her for many years that she wanted to take along. She trusted that there would be room for them in the space where Wu Zui would house her.

Soon, two three-star ghost spirits and Tang Yingying flew over, each controlling a small chest.

"Why did you bring two more?" Wu Zui frowned internally and asked the Lantern Ghost Spirit. Although he needed to suppress the rampaging karmic fire in his body, if any ghost spirit below seven stars touched him, there would be only one result: the karmic fire lurking beneath his skin would be enough to set any ghost that touched him ablaze.

However, Xiao Ke'ai in his arms was different; with her magnetic energy depleted, any ghost spirit could easily possess her. Therefore, Wu Zui was somewhat dissatisfied with Tang Yingying's actions.

*I told you to bring things, not subordinates!*

"These two are Mo Xiang and Zhu Yun. They were my maids in life and are extremely loyal. The space where you are placing me is truly miraculous; it can keep our minds clear. If you absorb more ghosts into it, you could accumulate a considerable force in these chaotic times," Tang Yingying said, pointing to the two three-star ghost spirits with vacant expressions, explaining the benefits of the space within the Heart-Questioning Sword to Wu Zui.

"...Fine, let them in first. Lead the way, we must leave here as soon as possible." Wu Zui looked deeply at the Lantern Ghost Spirit and said.

"Thank you, Young Master," Tang Yingying said gratefully. No one wanted to wander aimlessly in a daze, and ghost spirits were no exception.

With a flash of red light, the three chests and the two maids entered the space within the Heart-Questioning Sword.

"I don't like it when people act on their own, understand?" Wu Zui warned, looking at the Lantern Ghost Spirit leading the way.

"Yingying understands!" The Lantern Ghost Spirit's body shuddered slightly as she replied. She knew Wu Zui had seen through her little schemes. Loyal? Loyal to whom?

*She truly is from the royal family; pulling strings, forming alliances, and expanding her faction have become second nature,* Wu Zui thought to himself as he watched the Lantern Ghost Spirit.

Before long, led by Tang Yingying, who was now a five-star ghost spirit, Wu Zui and Xiao Ke'ai successfully left the desolate mountain tomb. Boarding the flight Wu Zui had already booked, the two quickly returned to Yanjing City.

(End of chapter)