I'm Dreaming of a Journey to the West

"Saint Li Chen, these are the precious medicinal herbs and soul materials you urgently need, which we, the Ten Kings of Hell, have collected after countless hardships and traveled all over the world!"

Ten hall masters stood side by side, speaking respectfully in unison. As soon as they finished speaking, they quickly separated on both sides, leaving a wide path in the middle, and bowed slightly, inviting Li Chen to come forward and take a personal look.

Li Chen couldn't hide his joy at seeing this. He walked forward impatiently and carefully examined the dazzling array of materials in front of him.

These materials are incredibly diverse and varied, each emitting a powerful and mysterious aura. Some shimmer like brilliant stars, others resemble the age-old weight of ancient trees, while still others seem to embody the most primal power of heaven and earth, leaving one breathtakingly moved.

At this moment, Hou Tu Niangniang, who had been watching Li Chen with a smile on her face, softly asked, "How is it? Fellow Daoist Li Chen, I wonder if these herbs I had carefully prepared for you satisfy you?"

It turned out that these precious herbs were mentioned by Li Chen during a meal with the others on his return to Huaguo Mountain after he had successfully defeated the Ancestral Witch of Lightning. As Li Chen's close friend, Hou Tu Niangniang naturally took this to heart and did her utmost to help with the preparations.

Hearing Hou Tu Niangniang's concerned inquiry, Li Chen quickly turned around, bowed deeply to her and the Ten Kings of Hell, and said sincerely, "Hou Tu Niangniang, thank you so much. Of course, I also want to thank the Ten Kings of Hell for taking the trouble to collect these rare items for me. I will never forget this great kindness!"

After saying this, Li Chen, with a sincere smile on his face, gracefully cupped his hands once again, bowing deeply to everyone present, expressing his deep respect for them. Seeing this, Hou Tu Niangniang raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a gentle and kind smile, and gladly accepted Li Chen's sincere courtesy.

However, at this moment, the Ten Yama Kings were startled when they saw Li Chen actually bowing to them. They quickly stepped forward and hurriedly returned the bow. The reason was simple: Hou Tu Niangniang and Li Chen were of equal strength and realm, so there was nothing wrong with accepting such a bow from Li Chen.

However, the Ten Yama Kings knew that their status was far inferior to Li Chen's. If they rashly accepted Li Chen's gift, it would be a great sin! You must know that based on the strength and potential that Li Chen has shown now, if he is lucky enough to be able to serve in the Heavenly Court in the future, his position will surely not be much lower than that of Hou Tu Niangniang.

At this moment, Li Chen said loudly: "Everyone, I'm so sorry, I have some important matters to attend to, so I'll leave first!"

After saying that, Li Chen first bowed respectfully to the Ten Kings of Hell and Queen Hou Tu again, and then quickly packed up those extremely precious herbs and various strange soul materials one by one. Then, his figure flashed and turned into a stream of light, rushing straight towards the direction of the world of the living.

Seeing that Li Chen had already left, the many women who had come with him did not dare to neglect him. They followed his example and bowed to the Ten Kings of Hell and the Queen Mother of the Underworld. After the ceremony, they followed Li Chen's figure, like a flock of beautiful butterflies, fluttering and chasing after him, and together they flew quickly towards the mortal world.

"You guys have done an excellent job! I'm very satisfied with it. As for your rewards, don't worry, I'll arrange for them to be distributed soon."

Hou Tu Niangniang said this softly with a kind and gentle smile on her face. After she finished speaking, she turned and slowly left, her figure gradually disappearing from everyone's sight.

After the awe-inspiring and unoffensive Hou Tu Niangniang completely left, the tense Black and White Impermanence finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, they were not relieved at all, because what awaited them next was probably a terrible punishment.

It turns out their previous mission was to retrieve the soul of Li Chen, a palace eunuch, but somehow, they had mistakenly retrieved the soul of Li Chen, the "Ancient Witch Butcher." Now, this Li Chen was no pushover; even the almighty Ten Kings of Hell were wary of him! Having committed such a grievous mistake, the Black and White Impermanence knew they could not escape responsibility.

As expected, upon seeing those formidable gods depart one after another, the Ten Kings of Hell immediately directed their wrath at the Black and White Impermanence. The leader, King Qin Guang, had his eyes wide open, a ferocious expression on his face. He was about to raise his strong, powerful fist, ready to teach these two men a lesson for causing more trouble than help.

At this moment, an extremely powerful and terrifying pressure suddenly descended upon the Yama Hall once again. Instantly, the entire Yama Hall seemed enveloped by this pressure, making it difficult to breathe, even suffocating. The Ten Yama Kings were shocked and all looked up at the same time. They were shocked to see what was happening—Li Chen, who had just left, had returned!

Seeing Li Chen return, King Biancheng couldn't help but secretly groan. He bravely stepped forward cautiously, bowed, and asked, "Saint Li Chen, I wonder if there's anything important you haven't dealt with since you came back?"

You know, Li Chen had already taken away all the necessary herbs and those precious soul materials. Could it be that he really had forgotten something crucial here? Thinking of this, King Biancheng couldn't help but sweat on his forehead.

"It's like this. The eunuch in the palace is, no matter what, of the same clan and surname as me! So, could you gentlemen please do me a favor and let me take him away?" Li Chen said softly and slowly, but these seemingly light words exploded like thunder in the ears of the Ten Kings of Hell.

The Ten Kings of Hell looked at each other, their faces embarrassment. However, after a moment, they realized they had no choice. The one before them was someone they all feared. If they showed any sign of disobedience, the consequences would be disastrous.

So, one of the Yamas in the hall hurriedly responded with a smile: "Yes, yes, yes! What Saint Li Chen said is absolutely right! In this case, the soul of this eunuch is naturally at your disposal. You can take it away if you want!" Seeing this, the other Yamas also nodded in agreement, with ingratiating smiles on their faces.

Li Chen nodded slightly, expressing his satisfaction. He then said, "Oh, by the way, bring me the Book of Life and Death. I want to see how long this eunuch has lived and whether he has done any good deeds or committed any evil deeds in his life." Before he finished speaking, the Ten Kings of Hell dared not neglect the slightest bit and quickly instructed the judge nearby to quickly fetch the Book of Life and Death and respectfully present it to Li Chen.

"Li Chen, male, from Chang'an City. As a young boy, he entered the palace as a eunuch due to his family's poverty. He lived a life of virtuous deeds and died at the age of eighty-eight. Oh, in that case, then add a century to his lifespan to make it a whole number! Let him live to be a hundred!"

As Li Chen spoke, he calmly picked up his pen and began to make changes to the mysterious and solemn Book of Life and Death. Every stroke seemed to contain endless power and profound meaning. As the last word fell, the entire Book of Life and Death emanated a strange light, as if approving the changes.

After the modification was completed, Li Chen looked expressionlessly at the terrified eunuch Li Chen beside him, then waved his sleeves lightly and took him on the journey back to the world of the living.

At this moment, the eunuch Li Chen, who had been listening to Li Chen's speech with trepidation, felt as if he had found a life-saving straw and kowtowed repeatedly in gratitude. His head pounded against the ground like a garlic pounder, and he kept muttering various words of gratitude.

"Remember, from now on, you must do more good deeds and accumulate virtue. Only in this way can you live longer. If you dare to harbor evil thoughts or commit crimes, I can assure you that the Ten Kings of Hell will immediately escort you back to the underworld to face severe judgment!"

Li Chen stared at the eunuch in front of him with a sharp gaze, his tone so cold it made people shudder. After that, he ignored him and quickly disappeared into the passage to the living world with his soul, leaving only the Ten Kings of Hell and the Black and White Impermanence standing there, their bodies slightly disheveled by the wind.

After confirming that Li Chen had completely left, the Ten Yama Kings, whose previously benign expressions had suddenly become ferocious, glared furiously and roared in unison, "Black and White Impermanence!!!" Immediately, they all raised their powerful fists and surrounded the Black and White Impermanence with great momentum.

"Help! Please spare my life, Lord God!"

Facing the fierce force of the Ten Kings of Hell, the Black and White Impermanence were terrified and screamed for mercy at the top of their lungs. However, their pleas were of no avail. The extremely miserable cries of the Black and White Impermanence soon rang out from the Hell Hall, echoing in the air for a long time, making people's hair stand on end.