Absolute Destiny Game.

Chapter 551 Such a thing actually happened!

After a quick thought, Xiao Jie suddenly had an idea—pass the buck! This was his forte.

His face showed solemnity and sympathy as he said in a deep voice, "I never imagined the situation in the Underworld would be so dire! Your Majesty, please do not panic. Once I have resurrected those friends and relieved myself of my worldly ties, I will immediately return to Guyun Prefecture and report this matter in detail to Fellow Daoist Shenjizi for a decision. Fellow Daoist Shenjizi is the leader of all immortals, highly respected, and possesses boundless wisdom. When we gather the wisdom of all fellow immortals, we will surely be able to devise a solution!"

Perfect! The problem is now passed on to Shenjizi. If Shenjizi is willing to take care of it, that's great; if not, it's not my fault.

Upon hearing this, the King of Hell's warm smile faded slightly, revealing a hint of displeasure: "Fellow Daoist Suifeng, are you perhaps making excuses? Fellow Daoist Shenjizi clearly explained to me back then that the Immortal Realm is detached from worldly affairs and will no longer interfere in the disputes between the mortal and underworld realms. Why would he still be willing to intervene?"

“Oh, Lord Yama, what are you saying? How could I be shirking my duty?” Xiao Jie said with an upright and righteous expression. “It is just that I am merely a newly promoted rogue immortal, with little influence and insufficient power. This matter concerns the survival of both the Yin and Yang realms, and is of great importance. It is by no means something that one person can accomplish alone. Fellow Daoist Shenjizi is the leader of our immortal realm. Such an important matter naturally requires him to convene all the immortals to discuss and decide together.”

He changed the subject, saying, "Although the seniors of the Immortal Realm did indeed say they would no longer interfere, times have changed, and the situation is different now. Moreover, they have been living in seclusion in Lonely Cloud Prefecture for a long time, and they must be somewhat... well, restless? After I return, I will explain the stakes clearly and clarify the crucial points concerning the safety of the Three Realms. I am sure I can persuade them to take action, or at least come up with a plan. Otherwise, even if I wanted to help His Majesty, I would be powerless to do so on my own."

Upon hearing this, King Yan Qin Chuan solemnly stared at Xiao Jie's face, his deep gaze seemingly trying to pierce through his expression and judge how much truth and falsehood was in his words. After a long while, he suddenly smiled with relief, but deep within that smile seemed to lie a trace of barely perceptible coldness.

"Hehe, what you say, fellow Daoist... makes sense. It's just that I was worried about the situation and was a bit hasty and impatient. In that case, I'll wait for good news from the Immortal Venerable."

Whew… Xiao Jie secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this King Yama seemed reasonable enough; he had managed to fool him for the time being.

The two continued drinking, savoring the wonders of the underworld, and watching the ghost maidens dance, as if their heavy conversation had never happened. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a ghost official dressed as a judge, holding a jade scroll, quickly stepped forward and knelt down.

"Your Majesty, I have completed the investigation into the matter entrusted to me by the Immortal Venerable."

"Oh? What was the result? Report back quickly." King Yama put down his wine cup.

The ghost judge did not reply loudly, but instead got up, leaned close to Yama's ear, and whispered something urgent in a low voice.

Xiao Jie seemed to be casually savoring the wine, but in reality, he was highly focused on eavesdropping. However, the ghost judge had obviously used some kind of secret technique to isolate the sound very well. He could only see the face of Yama Qin Chuan. As the ghost judge whispered, his expression gradually changed from calm to surprise, then his brows furrowed, and finally he even slammed his hand on the table!
"What! This is actually true!?" Yan Jun Qin Chuan immediately showed an expression of extreme shock and annoyance, and his voice unconsciously rose eight octaves.

Xiao Jie's heart skipped a beat, and a strong sense of foreboding welled up inside him.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong? Could it be... that something has happened?" he asked hurriedly.

Yan Jun Qin Chuan turned to look at Xiao Jie, his face filled with apology and helplessness. He sighed heavily, "Alas! It was my negligence and incompetence that led to this! Immortal Venerable, after investigation, most of your friends' souls are indeed waiting to be reincarnated in a specific area of ​​the 'Sea of ​​Reincarnation.' But unexpectedly... unexpectedly, the Underworld Emperor is extremely cunning. Several days ago, he dispatched a surprise force to raid and occupy the outer area of ​​the Sea of ​​Reincarnation! Now, the area where your friends are located has fallen under the control of the Underworld Emperor's army! Finding and bringing your friends out is... difficult!"

He changed the subject abruptly, immediately adopting a righteous and noble demeanor: "However, Immortal Venerable need not worry too much! Since this matter arose from the poor defense of my Underworld, I will certainly not sit idly by! I will muster my army tomorrow and vow to reclaim the Sea of ​​Reincarnation! However... Immortal Venerable also knows the current situation, the war is dangerous and fierce, the enemy is powerful, whether we can succeed, and when we can succeed, I... cannot say for sure."

He looked intently at Xiao Jie, his tone becoming incredibly "sincere": "Of course, if the Immortal Venerable is willing to step forward and join this battle between good and evil concerning the order of the Underworld, with the Immortal Venerable's abilities, perhaps the process can be greatly accelerated, helping me to sweep away the rebels and reclaim the Sea of ​​Reincarnation as soon as possible! I wonder if the Immortal Venerable would be willing to fight alongside me, to wipe out the evil forces, and to restore order to this Netherworld once again? Such a heroic act of upholding righteousness and saving all living beings will surely bring the Immortal Venerable immeasurable merit, make him famous throughout history, and greatly benefit his cultivation!"

The instant Yan Jun finished speaking, a semi-transparent system notification popped up in front of Xiao Jie's eyes:

System notification: The main storyline quest "[The Calamity of Reincarnation]" has been triggered.

Mission Objective: The order of the Underworld has collapsed, the Sea of ​​Reincarnation has been seized by the forces of the Underworld Emperor, and countless souls are unable to find peace. King Yama Qin Chuan requests your assistance in sweeping away the powerful Ghost Kings who have carved out their own territories, defeating the Underworld Emperor's main army, reclaiming the thirteen fallen Ghost Cities, and ultimately reclaiming and purifying the Sea of ​​Reincarnation to rebuild the Yin-Yang order of the Underworld. Reward for Success: 500 Karma Points.

Penalty for mission failure: -1000 Causal Points.

Do you accept? Yes/No

Looking at Yan Jun's "sincere" and "solemn" expression, Xiao Jie knew perfectly well what was going on. This was clearly a scheme that the other party had planned long ago! What kind of coincidence was it that the Underworld Emperor launched a surprise attack on the Sea of ​​Reincarnation and happened to capture his friend's soul? There was no way that could happen! The other party held all the power of interpretation, and Xiao Jie had no way of verifying it.

If you don't agree to help, when will you find a friend? Who knows? This bureaucratic delaying tactic can drag things out indefinitely, leaving you with no way to complain.

He sighed heavily inwardly. This concept of "cause and effect" was indeed extremely troublesome; once you were entangled in it, it was difficult to escape. No wonder those old foxes of Lonely Cloud Prefecture preferred to hide away and do nothing rather than come out and cause trouble. He had only wanted to help a few people, but unexpectedly, he had gotten himself into such a huge mess in the blink of an eye.

If I don't accept this mission, forget about reviving my teammates; I'll probably go from being a "celestial being" to an "unwelcome person" immediately, and all my previous promises will be null and void. The reward of 500 karma points looks meager, but failing will deduct 1000 points. It's clearly forcing people onto this pirate ship, and once you're on it, there's no getting off.

The problem is, even if I accept the task, how can I handle it alone? Perhaps... I could bring in Lin Xuance, the Martial Immortal, and the others? Since the Heaven-Mending Alliance's slogan is to save the world, they should be interested in participating in such a major event as the collapse of the Underworld's order and the threat to the mortal realm, right? Otherwise, once the Underworld completely falls and the Underworld Emperor consolidates his power and reopens the Ghost Gate to invade the mortal realm, then the human world will truly be finished, and there will be no point in saving anything then.

However, even with the Heaven-Mending Alliance members, making a total of four immortals, plus the remaining power of Yama, could they really contend with, or even suppress, the countless ghosts, ghost kings, and the unfathomable Underworld Emperor who had already gained power in the Underworld? Xiao Jie had no confidence at all.

The King of Hell didn't urge him, but leisurely sipped his wine, watching Xiao Jie's face contemplate with an unpredictable expression, a faint smile seemingly playing on his lips.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed in Xiao Jie's mind. He looked up, a confident expression on his face.

"Hahahaha!" He suddenly laughed. "Lord Yama, this matter is indeed extremely troublesome, concerning the very foundation, and cannot be resolved quickly by force. However, it is not entirely without a way to completely solve it."

Qin Chuan's heart stirred slightly. He had only tried this as a last resort, hoping to force the other party to submit, but he hadn't expected that this seemingly young immortal might actually have other ideas. "Oh? I would like to hear your wise opinion, Immortal Venerable."

Xiao Jie stood up, paced a few steps, and said loudly, "To solve the fundamental problem of the blockage in the cycle of reincarnation in the underworld, killing alone is useless and may even backfire. According to His Majesty, even if these evil spirits are killed, their core resentment will dissipate and return to heaven and earth, exacerbating the evil energy of the underworld. Over time, this will give birth to more and more powerful evil spirits. This is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause."

"To completely solve this problem, we must address the root cause—the 'population' problem! Only by producing enough newborns in the mortal realm can these ghosts, who have been accumulating for thousands of years, be reincarnated in an orderly manner, restoring order to the cycle of reincarnation. The resentment in the underworld will naturally dissipate, and the ghost kings will lose their source of soldiers and the foundation for their existence. The war will then disappear on its own."

"And to achieve this, the key lies in the mortal realm! We must first establish a peaceful and prosperous world in the mortal realm!"

He looked intently at King Yama and said, “To be honest, Your Majesty, I have a friend who is the current ruler of the ‘Dragon Soaring Kingdom’ in the mortal realm.”

"Now, war has broken out again in the mortal realm, with frequent battles and widespread suffering, which is the root cause of the population decline. If we can help them unify the nine provinces, quell the chaos, allow the people to rest, encourage childbirth, and implement benevolent governance, then the more children are born in the mortal realm, the less pressure will be on the underworld."

"If we can work diligently to restore the population of the Nine Provinces to its peak and have tens of millions more born, then the cycle of reincarnation will be smooth, the accumulated ghosts in the underworld will be released, and naturally the world will be peaceful and the problem of imbalance in reincarnation will no longer exist. This is the way to long-term stability! What does Your Majesty think?"

(End of this chapter)