Chapter 272: A Slap

Li Yunxin watched him disappear down the steps before turning around. Seeing Old Daoist Liu look somewhat confused, he asked: "Did you just let him go?"

"Hmm?"

"Aren't there still—"

"Oh. You mean Shan-ji and Sheriff." Li Yunxin thought for a moment. "We can't solve that this time."

He turned and walked back into the main hall, sighing softly: "That's enough already. We kept that treasure."

He pointed to the Mist Locking the Toad Palace artifact, which was still suspended in the hall, and said: "It's not just this artifact, but also the previous events. Scheming against Lingkongzi, killing Yue Yunzi. Although all these things were unavoidable, the Daoist Orthodoxy won't talk about right and wrong. I'm the one who killed and crippled their people. They also want the Lucid Jade Slip, and it's in my hands. There's no sense of reason to discuss here. They are strong, so they want to take it."

"But now that Kun Wuzi has returned, these matters can be temporarily put aside. Consider it... each side giving ground. I know some of the Daoist Orthodoxy's secrets, and they have our people in their hands. They serve as mutual bargaining chips, an exchange condition that both sides tacitly agree upon."

"They won't concede on this condition, so it's better not to mention it. But as long as we have some value and deterrence outside of the Daoist Orthodoxy, to a certain extent, those two won't fare badly in Cloud Mountain." Li Yunxin pondered for a while longer. "Because I've exposed another, even more terrifying enemy to the Daoist Orthodoxy and the Sword Sect: the Mutual Aid Society. The Demons are an external enemy to them, but the Mutual Aid Society has been lurking internally for who knows how long. However... there will be an opportunity. They are my people, and I won't just stand by and watch."

Old Daoist Liu thought for a moment, then sighed: "You have a point. I just wonder how those two children are doing now."

Li Yunxin's expression wasn't joyful either. But after a moment of silence, he walked towards the slumped and motionless Li Shan, saying as he went: "Let's deal with the immediate matters first. We've sent the Daoist Orthodoxy people away, but there's still a Yazi here at Trapped Sky Mountain. However, since this one has fallen into our hands, we'll likely learn quite a bit. Alright, now let's ask this Snake Spirit girl—what exactly did she dig up during all these years of lurking in Trapped Sky Mountain?"

He spoke as he walked. But just as he reached the Snake Spirit Seven-Section Brocade, he suddenly stopped—as if lost in thought.

Old Daoist Liu knew his mind was deep, so he didn't pay much attention, just waiting for him to finish his contemplation before speaking.

However, after waiting for a whole quarter of an hour, the Old Daoist realized something was wrong and quickly walked over to check on him.

After just one look, he immediately stood between the Snake Spirit and Li Yunxin, making sure the other party didn't notice anything unusual.

—Li Yunxin's eyes were motionless. It was as if his soul had been taken away by something!

...Li Yunxin found that the scene before his eyes had suddenly changed.

The previous moment, he was still in the main hall of the Ziwei Palace Central Hall. The hall was illuminated by the soft light of the artifact Mist Locking the Toad Palace.

But the next moment, his vision suddenly went black.

He appeared on an utterly white platform.

The sudden change instantly tensed his muscles, and he almost summoned the sword array he had obtained from Yue Yunzi. But in the next quarter of an hour, nothing happened—

In fact... one should say there was nothing—except for the platform beneath his feet.

He didn't know what material this platform was made of. In this era, saying something was "neither metal nor jade" meant its material was rare. But Li Yunxin was not entirely a person of this era; he had a much broader perspective. Yet, even his knowledge couldn't figure out what the thing under his feet was—

It looked like a mass of mist had been frozen by some force and then polished smooth. Stepping on it gave no sensation, as if he were treading on the void. But he just knew it was supporting him, keeping him from falling.

And around him... was boundless darkness.

The platform was a giant circle, even larger than the Central Hall of the Ziwei Palace, and it was also emitting a dim glow. But outside this platform, all light was swallowed, not a single trace could escape.

There was no sensation of warmth or cold. The space was so silent that he could hear his own heartbeat and the flow of his blood. After this silence persisted for a while, a feeling of unprovoked panic set in, as if his body had been abandoned and stripped away by the entire world. Although the surrounding space was vast and empty... Li Yunxin definitely experienced a terrifying sense of oppression!

What... was this situation?!

He vigilantly observed his surroundings, then tried to walk to the edge of the platform and look down. But it was still endless darkness; there was nothing.

Li Yunxin then slowly moderated the rhythm of his breathing to quickly calm himself down.

Then he said in a low voice: "Which senior master is here? May you come out and meet me?"

But as the sound left his mouth, it quickly weakened. It was as if the surrounding dark void could absorb not only light but also sound. This made his words sound vague and distant, as if they were floating in from an extremely far-off place, not uttered by himself.

But... there was a response after all.

"That Kun Wuzi said he would abolish his cultivation in the stone chamber after returning to Cloud Mountain. Do you know what the stone chamber looks like? It looks just like this."

The voice suddenly came from all directions, as if countless people were speaking at once. But... this voice was familiar to Li Yunxin.

White Yama King.

He was slightly relieved, but also gently frowned.

The next moment, the White Yama King suddenly appeared five paces opposite him. But he didn't look at him, instead slowly pacing on the platform and muttering to himself: "You've been here for a quarter of an hour and are already feeling uneasy. But if that Kun Wuzi truly goes to the stone chamber, according to the Daoist Orthodoxy's custom, he must stay for over a month. In a place like this, there is no sound, and the void surrounds you."

"If you stay for a long time, you can hear your own breathing and heartbeat. But that's the better situation—at least there's a sound to listen to. Stay a bit longer, and you won't even hear the sounds inside your own body." After saying this, the White Yama King finally fixed his gaze on Li Yunxin. "This place is the Vacuum Hell. The second layer of the Eighteen Levels of Hell—it's not too terrifying a suffering. But how do you feel right now?"

Li Yunxin took a deep breath and honestly replied: "For someone like me, it is indeed very terrifying."

The White Yama King narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing him for a moment, then shook his head. The lively expression from their previous meetings was gone, replaced by a look of seriousness and solemnity.

"Before you, sixty-three people came here. Some stayed here for a day, some for a month, some for a year." The White Yama King slowly walked closer to him, his expression calm as he looked at him. "They were all disobedient, so they needed to be disciplined in this way."

"Twelve of them died. Some died within a month, and some barely lasted a year. Among them, some Human Cultivators were not as strong as you, while others were much stronger. But frankly speaking, this sovereign really didn't want to see you here. Because you are an interesting person, and this sovereign likes you." The White Yama King had reached Li Yunxin and stood face to face with him. Then his two thin eyebrows rose up like venomous snakes, and he said chillingly: "But you... why are you being disobedient?"

Li Yunxin was silent for a while.

Then he slowly took a step back and looked at the White Yama King: "Please enlighten me, Your Majesty—where have I gone wrong?"

The White Yama King's expression finally softened. He sneered: "Where? When this sovereign was at Trapped Sky Mountain, I told you to hand over Kun Wuzi's residual soul to me. You refused... so I let you have your way. Because you said it was useful. After that, what else did this sovereign tell you to do?!"

Li Yunxin said in a deep voice: "You told me to involve the Mutual Aid Society as well."

The White Yama King suddenly tilted his head and turned away. He walked a few steps before turning back to look at him: "Aha~ You actually remember? But what did you do?! You actually made the Daoist Orthodoxy cease hostilities!!"

"Ah. It's because of this matter." Li Yunxin smiled.

The White Yama King glared: "This matter? Did this sovereign tell you to do anything else!?"

"Yama King, please calm your anger. Please listen to me." Li Yunxin was not intimidated by the other party's dreadful attitude. He even smiled again. "My original plan was this: I would go to Trapped Sky Mountain and persuade the Evil King to take a group of Demons to Weicheng. I would cause the Demons of the Profound Realm to fight the Taoist priests of the Profound Realm, igniting a local, large-scale war. Then Bai Yunxin would retrieve the Dragon Soul from the lake, making the Daoist Orthodoxy even more anxious. With Demons in front and the Dragon Soul behind, they couldn't possibly manage both."

"In that case, they would have even less energy to worry about me—I could calmly escape Dongting and find a place to build up my own influence."

"But when the Yama King ordered me to pull in the Mutual Aid Society as well, I took a risk. I even put several of my own subordinates in danger—San Hua's physical body was destroyed. With such a cost, and a temporary adjustment, I made the Mutual Aid Society a thorn in the Daoist Orthodoxy's side and brought it onto the stage."

"Yama King, look. The Mutual Aid Society has now been dragged into this matter by me. And the price is that I've become a thorn in the Mutual Aid Society's side. I also can't disappear from the Daoist Orthodoxy's sight. Both sides view me as the focal point... I've put myself in peril. And the Yama King's requirement is for great chaos—this chaos is only arriving a little later. It might be a month later, a year later, a decade later, but it will eventually come."

"If what I've done doesn't count as working... then what does?" Li Yunxin sighed. "I am here, working for you. Yet you treat me this way; I am very upset."

After listening to all that, the White Yama King just smiled faintly: "You are a clever person, so there's no need to pretend to be confused. I ask you, do you think this sovereign wants to be friends or partners with you?"

Li Yunxin slightly lowered his head: "I dare not harbor such presumptuous thoughts."

"Then since you don't harbor those thoughts, you should know that this sovereign needs a person to get things done. This sovereign will not care about your circumstances, only about how the tasks I've assigned you are progressing. Even if you end up being utterly destroyed—but the task is completed. That is good." The White Yama King narrowed his eyes at Li Yunxin. "Do you understand this way? Do not—because of your own matters, delay this sovereign's matters!"

Li Yunxin was silent for a moment, then looked up at him: "Did something happen? You are vastly different from your former self."

There was no change in the White Yama King's expression, but he fell silent.

Li Yunxin then thought for a moment, letting an expression of sincerity and seriousness appear on his face: "You weren't like this before. I mean, I don't hold out hope of being friends or partners with someone like you. But at least we got along well before—whether it was my cautious intentional effort or your enjoyment despite knowing the truth, in general, before—you helped me, and I helped you; it was always pleasant."

"But ever since Trapped Sky Mountain... I feel like you're rushing. There are many things I'm completely unaware of, but there's one thing I feel I can slightly speculate about."

"You said there were people similar to me before. You also needed them to do things for you, but they all ultimately failed. I thought about it and felt that the one closest to me in time... was the Painting Saint, right?" Li Yunxin looked at the White Yama King. "The Daoist Orthodoxy and the Sword Sect legend says the Painting Saint became a demon a thousand years ago—I guess he was also working for you, trying to provoke a conflict between the Demons and the Taoist sects of the world. But for some reason, he failed."

"So you see... the Painting Saint back then, who rose to the position of one of the Three Sages of the current era, still failed." Li Yunxin sighed, spreading his hands. "And I am still only in the True Realm. I know you must be rushing me because you are anxious about something. But the problem is, I believe I have some luck, some ability, and some talent—and even you yourself said you like me very much. So, someone like me is probably the most suitable person in your hand right now."

"No matter how much you rush and urge me. Once I mess things up as well, where will you find an employee as good as me?" Li Yunxin looked at him. "Moreover, if you want me to work or risk my life, you must at least give me a goal or a guideline. Even a donkey pulling a millstone needs a carrot. You previously told me that your threats are two: one is the Ancient Devil, and the other is the True Devil—can you reveal a little bit about them?"

The White Yama King was silent for a long time again, then sneered: "You have a lot of guts. You even guessed the Painting Saint. But I'll tell you, your guess isn't entirely correct. As for the Ancient Devil and True Devil... they are not things you should know about. Hmm, not things you should know about right now."

"But the Painting Saint left some things in Trapped Sky Mountain." Li Yunxin frowned. "What exactly are the skeletons in the Bottomless Cave beneath Trapped Sky Mountain? I believe all the arrangements the Painting Saint made there were for those skeletons. Also, you should know that Yazi and the Evil King might be outside Dongting trying to cause trouble for me—if I get into a fight with them later and damage or release those skeletons, will it be fine?"

The White Yama King's eyebrows suddenly shot up: "How dare you?!"

But Li Yunxin was not afraid. Instead, he smiled slightly: "Then... those skeletons really are related to the Ancient Devil or the True Devil?"

The White Yama King stared intently at him. After a long while, the serious coldness on his face gradually dissipated. He let out a deep sigh: "Alas. You tormenting little spirit. How is it that this sovereign... just can't bring myself to be stern with you?"

"Because I need to know that what I am doing is not something evil like destroying the world. Digging one's own grave is not a pleasant thing." Li Yunxin said with a gentle smile. "And look, talking politely like this is much better than when you were playing the bad guy just now—I really thought you were going to keep me here for a month."

However...

The White Yama King fell silent after hearing his last sentence.

Li Yunxin was stunned.

"You... you wouldn't actually keep me here for a month, would you?!"