Absolute Destiny Game.

Chapter 552 Three Strategies to Pacify the Underworld, Immortal Aid to the Underworld

Upon hearing Xiao Jie's proposal of "saving the nation through reproduction in the mortal realm," King Yama Qin Chuan's face showed deep contemplation. His fingers unconsciously tapped the black jade table, producing a soft, rhythmic sound. After a long while, he nodded slightly and said in a heavy tone:

"The Immortal Venerable's strategy is far-sighted and indeed a good plan to save the world, capable of fundamentally reversing the decline of the imbalance between Yin and Yang. However... this strategy will take a long time to take effect, and we must proceed slowly. At present, my Senluo Ghost City is on the verge of collapse, and the survival of the Underworld hangs by a thread, like eggs hanging on a bottomless abyss. I'm afraid... we don't have that much time to wait for the mortal world to slowly recover its vitality."

Xiao Jie snorted inwardly, "I knew you'd pull this trick!" This Yama Emperor was clearly grasping at straws in desperation. After thousands of years without strong external support, he had finally encountered a "celestial being" like himself who had come to him willingly and even asked for his help. He was bound to try to squeeze every last drop of value out of him.

Fortunately, his mind had been racing, and he had considered more than just this one long-term plan. Since the other party thought it was too slow, he would come up with something "faster."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this is only the first strategy I have proposed, aimed at long-term stability. I have devised three strategies for Your Majesty, corresponding to long-term fundamental solutions, medium-term stability maintenance, and short-term emergency response."

"This first strategy, called 'removing the fuel from under the cauldron,' is a century-long plan that addresses the root cause of the crisis in the underworld, aiming to permanently eradicate it. Although it takes a long time, it is the most thorough and effective."

"This second strategy is called 'Quenching Thirst by Looking at Plums.' The core desire of the billions of souls in the underworld is nothing more than reincarnation and rebirth. However, the number of newborns in the mortal world is limited, and it is impossible to grant the wish of all ghosts immediately. These wandering ghosts see no hope and, in their despair, are naturally easily attracted by the seductive words of the Underworld Emperor, becoming the root of chaos in the underworld."

"This plan is quite simple—let's have a 'reincarnation lottery'! Every month, a fixed number of reincarnation slots will be released, and all registered, law-abiding wandering ghosts will be publicly drawn by lot. If you're lucky enough to be drawn, you can be reincarnated immediately! Furthermore, each lottery result should be publicized extensively, highlighting a few 'lucky ones' as role models, so that all ghosts can see the existence of 'hope' firsthand. In this way, most ghosts in the Sea of ​​Reincarnation who only seek a peaceful reincarnation will have something to look forward to, knowing that as long as they wait patiently and follow the rules, they will have a chance. Naturally, they will be able to settle down and won't be easily incited to rebel."

Upon hearing this, King Yan Qin Chuan stroked his beard and pondered, "Hmm... This plan does make some sense and may be able to appease the people. However... those old ghosts who have been harboring resentment for thousands of years will probably not be so easily convinced. Moreover, even if it can temporarily appease most of the wandering souls in the Sea of ​​Reincarnation, how will we deal with the millions of ghosts under the command of the Underworld Emperor who have already formed an army and harbor wolfish ambitions? They will not believe in this lottery."

“Your Majesty’s concerns are absolutely correct!” Xiao Jie immediately replied, this being the opportune moment for him to introduce his third strategy. “Therefore, this brings us to my third plan! This plan is called—'Driving the Tiger to Devour the Wolf'!”

"What the enemy relies on is merely their large number of troops, overwhelming us with sheer numbers. But in terms of individual soldier quality and superior equipment, they are surely far inferior to Your Majesty's well-trained and well-equipped regular underworld ghost army, aren't they?"

Qin Chuan nodded, his tone carrying a hint of the arrogance of a true king: "Indeed! The ghost troops under those false emperors are all a rabble, mostly scattered spirits with weak soul power, gathered only by a fierce aura. Many don't even have decent weapons or armor, wielding rusty knives and forks, dressed in rags. They only dare to attack everywhere because of their numbers and being driven by those ghost kings, leaving my army overwhelmed and exhausted. The only ones who can truly be called elite are the false emperor and the personal guards of his core ghost kings."

"That makes things much easier!" Xiao Jie spread his hands. "Then let's just drive those tens of millions of 'tigers' in the Sea of ​​Reincarnation to devour the Underworld Emperor's pack of 'wolves'!"

"How exactly does it work?" Yan Jun leaned forward slightly, clearly intrigued.

"Implement a 'military merit reincarnation' system! Publicly announce to all ghosts in the Sea of ​​Reincarnation: As long as you kill one rebel of the Underworld Emperor, you will receive corresponding 'merit points.' Once you accumulate enough merit points, you will immediately be eligible for reincarnation, without waiting for a lottery! Furthermore, the stronger the target, the more merit points you will receive!"
If one accumulates enough merit, one can even customize the family background of their reincarnation—kings, generals, village chiefs, city lords, all are possible, making the person born a winner in the afterlife.

Xiao Jie's eyes gleamed with calculation: "In this way, will His Majesty still worry about the source of soldiers? Those ghosts in the Sea of ​​Reincarnation who are desperate for reincarnation will immediately become the most fanatical warriors under His Majesty's command! A million-strong army will be within your grasp! Although these lonely ghosts are not strong individually, they should be enough to fill the battle lines, serve as cannon fodder, deplete the rebel forces, and carry out harassment missions."

He paused, then gave a knowing smile: "Moreover, precisely because their combat strength is weak, in the brutal battlefield, probably not many will actually survive to accumulate enough merit points... This way, we won't actually need many reincarnation slots, but it can greatly alleviate the pressure on the front lines. As long as we use this 'meritorious army' to withstand the Underworld Emperor's offensive, or even create a stalemate, it will buy us precious time. Once my friend in the mortal realm unifies the Nine Provinces and begins to implement the 'universal procreation' policy, the number of newborns in the mortal realm will gradually increase, and the number of reincarnation slots will increase. Naturally, the room for maneuver in our 'military merit reincarnation' and 'lottery reincarnation' will also increase, eventually leading to a virtuous cycle!"

As Qin Chuan listened to Xiao Jie's explanation, his eyes gleamed with increasing intensity. He fell into deep thought again, his fingers tapping the table faster, clearly weighing the pros and cons rapidly. The more he thought about it, the more brilliant the plan seemed! It was practically getting something for nothing, turning the greatest burden into the strongest weapon!

"Good! Good! Good!" He slammed his hand on the table, exclaiming "Good!" three times in a row. The gloom on his face vanished, replaced by excitement. "Truly worthy of being a celestial being from the upper realm! Such a well-thought-out and ingenious plan! A fundamental solution to ensure long-term stability, a seemingly simple solution to quench thirst and appease the people, and a strategy to eliminate immediate threats! With these three strategies combined, the deadlock that has plagued the Underworld for thousands of years finally shows hope for a breakthrough!"

Xiao Jie secretly breathed a sigh of relief, finally managing to appease this old man. He pressed his advantage, saying, "Since His Majesty also thinks this plan is feasible, then perhaps the main quest of the [Curse of Reincarnation] is unnecessary..."

"Alas~" Yan Jun Qin Chuan immediately put on an expression of "Immortal Master, you are mistaken" and interrupted, "Immortal Master, this will not do. The so-called generals will block the soldiers when they come and the earth will dam the water when it comes. The plan may be good, but it is still just talk on paper. The battlefield is ever-changing and the variables are unknown. If that Underworld Emperor is cunning and sees through the plan, what kind of ingenious scheme will he come up with to break it? How should we deal with that?"

His tone became earnest: "I think this grand plan to restore the cycle of reincarnation and save the underworld still needs a great talent like the Immortal Master to personally assist in planning and strategizing, and to check for any omissions and fill in any gaps, in order to have any chance of success. In that case... wouldn't it be more convenient for the Immortal Master to find those friends, and would he be able to ensure that nothing goes wrong?" He gave Xiao Jie a meaningful look.

Xiao Jie was speechless. Damn it, they're trying to pin this on him now? He's tried everything, soft and hard, but they just won't budge!

He stared at the still-floating quest notification with a penalty of 1000 karmic points, and made up his mind: he absolutely refused to accept this! "Karmic" sounded mystical; it was best to avoid it if possible. This lousy quest was obviously off the charts, and the penalty for failure was double the reward—a clearly unprofitable proposition. Let whoever wanted to do it take the reins! "Your Majesty," Xiao Jie said with a sincere yet helpless expression, "it's not that I'm unwilling to share Your Majesty's burdens, but I'm a newcomer to the Immortal Realm, my cultivation is shallow, and I haven't yet mastered many profound immortal techniques. Even if I stayed, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to contribute much to the overall situation and might even become a burden."

He abruptly changed the subject, revealing his true intentions: "However! In that Guyun Prefecture, there are many hidden talents, including some immortals who harbor the ambition to save the world and possess the ability to rectify it!"

"As it happens, I know several such kind-hearted people! Why don't I return to Lonely Cloud Prefecture and try to invite them to the Underworld to help? Wouldn't that be a hundred times more effective than me alone? What does Your Majesty think?"

"Immortal Master, are you just trying to fob me off? The immortals of Guyun Prefecture have long been living in seclusion and have long since stopped concerning themselves with worldly affairs. Do they really want to come here and risk their lives?"

Xiao Jie immediately showed his displeasure at being questioned, and solemnly said, "Your Majesty, how can you underestimate the heroes of the world, and even more so, how can you belittle the heart of my fellow immortals who wish to save the world! A promise from an immortal is heavier than Mount Tai and worth more than a thousand pieces of gold! I, Yin Yue Sui Feng, have made this statement, how could I be the kind of person who goes back on his word and speaks carelessly?"

Seeing that Xiao Jie seemed genuinely angry, Qin Chuan immediately showed a look of "shame" on his face and hurriedly waved his hand, saying, "Oh dear, Immortal Master, please don't be angry. I misspoke, I'm ashamed! But the Underworld is in a critical moment of survival, concerning the fate of countless souls, so I can't help but be nervous and worried. If Immortal Master is willing to make a promise, how could I not believe it? Then this matter... I entrust it entirely to Immortal Master!"

The moment he finished speaking, the damned [Cataclysm of Reincarnation] quest dialog box in front of Xiao Jie finally disappeared! In its place appeared a new quest prompt box:

System notification: The story quest "Immortal Aid to the Underworld" has been triggered. Accept? Yes/No?
Mission Objective: King Yama, Qin Chuan, requests your return to Guyun Prefecture to find and persuade the reclusive immortals to come to the Underworld to assist in the upcoming decisive battle. You must find at least one immortal willing to participate and successfully bring them to Senluo Ghost City, introduce them to King Yama, and formally have them join his faction.

Task Reward: 100 Karma Points for each immortal successfully summoned.

Task penalty: If no immortals are found to come to help (i.e., the number of successful summons is 0), 500 karma points will be deducted.

Looking at the newly popped-up task, Xiao Jie couldn't help but sigh again. He finally realized that this "Causal Mission" system was a complete rip-off! The punishments were always far harsher than the rewards! Gathering one only gave 100 points; even if you found three, it would only be 300 causal points. But failing to find any would result in a deduction of 500 points!
To be fair, the difficulty of this mission is relatively acceptable. Based on his understanding of Lin Xuance and the other members of the "Heaven-Mending Alliance," if they knew that such a huge mess had occurred in the Underworld, endangering the balance of Yin and Yang, they would likely be willing to join the battle. At worst, he could simply go himself to fill in—after all, he was a legitimate rogue immortal, and could at least earn back 100 karma points, rather than suffering a deduction of 500.

Of course, that would make things complicated. Once you get involved yourself, it'll be hard to back out. It would be best to find a few "ambitious and compassionate" traitors... no, I mean, patriots, to take the blame for you.

After weighing the pros and cons, Xiao Jie decisively chose to accept the mission.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, leave this matter to me. I will certainly live up to your trust and find strong reinforcements for you!"

"Hahaha! With your words, Immortal Master, I am relieved! Come, let me toast you, Immortal Master, and wish you a successful journey!" Qin Chuan was in high spirits and raised his wine cup.

The two raised their glasses, touched them together in mid-air, and drank them down in one gulp.

They had only drunk a few cups when another ghost official rushed in from outside the hall, walked straight to the throne of Yama, and whispered something urgent into Yama's ear.

As Qin Chuan listened, a perfectly timed look of surprise appeared on his face, and he said in a loud voice, "Oh my! Is that so? This is truly something to celebrate!"

Xiao Jie, playing along perfectly, feigned curiosity: "Oh? Your Majesty, what good news has happened this time?"

"We have just received the latest report from the Ghost General at the front! Thanks to the Immortal Master's great blessing, our soldiers fought bravely and repelled the pseudo-Emperor Ghost Army that had invaded parts of the Reincarnation Sea! The area where the souls of your friends are located has been restored! We should be able to find them soon!"

Xiao Jie felt a surge of relief; finally, there was definite news! But at the same time, he was speechless: Damn it, could your act be any more fake? I just accepted the request for assistance, and your "frontline" is already reporting "victories"? How realistic!
But that's fine too. Since the other party is willing to reciprocate, it means the deal is done, and at least things are on the right track. Fearing things might get complicated and the other party might stage another "encounter with enemy counterattack while searching for someone" scenario, he quickly said:

"In that case, that's wonderful! Please, Your Majesty, summon the souls of my friends as soon as possible. Once I've settled them, I can return to Guyun Prefecture without any worries and bring reinforcements for Your Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)