Movie variety show soul travels between two worlds to become a rich man

Chapter 773 Tensions Rise, Flying Sword Sweeps Across the Sky
Facing the Jade Emperor's overwhelming pressure that seemed to crush even the soul, Zhang Manyue stood firm on the steps, her figure unwavering. The white veil behind her neck fluttered wildly in the powerful aura emanating from him, adding to her chilling presence.

She suddenly chuckled, breaking the suffocating silence. There was no fear in her laughter, only mockery.

"President Jade Emperor, you have quite the imposing presence." She spoke slowly and deliberately, her right hand casually resting on the hilt of the white sword at her waist. This subtle movement caused a ripple to spread through the air behind her.

"Bringing a bunch of useless people to block my hotel entrance and demand an explanation? Anyone who didn't know better would think your Revolving Lantern Company was trying to change businesses and steal my hotel business."

The Jade Emperor's gaze darkened completely. She had seen Zhang Manyue many times; this woman's beauty, as well as her aloofness, coldness, difficulty in dealing with her, and sharp tongue, were equally renowned in the underworld.

But at this moment, Zhang Manyue's attitude undoubtedly poured hot oil on her boiling anger.

"Stop playing dumb with me!" the Jade Emperor coldly rebuked, raising his hand slightly from his sleeve. Behind him, hundreds of black-clad ghost messengers stepped forward in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized. The heavy footsteps mingled together, producing a muffled "thud," as if the ground itself trembled.

Dense yin energy gathered into a gray-black mist, slowly spreading towards the hotel, but was blocked below the steps by an invisible barrier, emitting a faint "hissing" sound—that was the Hotel Del Luna's self-protective barrier.

"Gu Lian and Park Joong-gil's last known location was your Hotel Luna." Jade Emperor's voice was icy cold. "Two elite teams in a row, none to return. President Zhang, don't you owe me an explanation? Or have you become so arrogant that you think you can arbitrarily detain people from my Revolving Light Company?"

In the underworld, detaining and extraditing ghost messengers is already a serious crime. If someone dares to kill a ghost messenger without cause, it would be a complete falling out and an irreconcilable blood feud.

Zhang Manyue's playful expression faded slightly, and her eyes turned genuinely cold. She could mock the Jade Emperor, but she couldn't allow herself to be accused of something that could trigger a full-scale war between the two major powers.

"Detain? Ha." She loosened her grip on the sword hilt, crossed her arms over her chest, and remained arrogant. "Jade Emperor, you overestimate the talent of your subordinates. My inn doesn't need trash."

She paused, her sharp gaze sweeping once more over the dark mass of people behind the Jade Emperor, a cold smile curving her lips: "However, since you've come all this way, I'd like to ask you something. What is the purpose of your people from the Lantern Company repeatedly harassing my Moon Hotel's 'special guests'?"

The procedures for extraditing people from the underworld don't include any clauses allowing you to trespass into the core territory of other forces. Is it that your Jade Emperor elder has become senile and misremembered the rules, or... do you think everyone fears you, Jade Emperor, and that you can do whatever you want?!

These words instantly reversed the balance of power!

The Jade Emperor narrowed his eyes, a fleeting hint of embarrassment crossing his gaze, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper rage. Zhang Manyue's words were like a poisonous thorn, piercing precisely to her weakest point.

Goo Yeon and Park Joong Gil were there to help her with her side jobs. She took the bribe from the King of Hell in exchange for helping him find the camera that brought back life.

But at this moment, under the watchful eyes of everyone, she absolutely could not show weakness or appear to be in the wrong.

"The way the Lantern Company operates has its own logic, and it's not your place, Zhang Manyue, to question it!" The Jade Emperor responded forcefully, flicking her sleeves. "Hand over my people, or hand over the instigator, otherwise..." The surging Yin energy behind her surged again, and the sounds of ghosts wailing and howling could be faintly heard, "I'll tear down this lousy hotel of yours today!"

"Oh? Demolish a hotel?" Zhang Manyue seemed to have heard something utterly ridiculous. She took a step forward and descended the first step. As she moved, an arrow from the quiver on her back flew out automatically, hovering beside her. The arrowhead gleamed with a dangerous, eerie blue light, pointing directly at the Jade Emperor.

"Jade Emperor, have you gone mad from being the president? Have you forgotten something?" Zhang Manyue's voice suddenly became ethereal and majestic, as if countless voices were speaking with her, "This is the Moon Inn. It's not your Revolving Lantern Company, much less a place where you can run wild!"

boom!
An aura no less powerful than that of the Jade Emperor erupted from Zhang Manyue's body, blending seamlessly with the ancient hotel building behind her.

The phantom of a towering tree appeared behind Zhang Manyue. Its branches, which covered the sky, swayed without wind, like countless tentacles baring their claws.

A faint fragrance and the silvery light of moonlight mingled in the air, gentle yet penetrating, steadily resisting the oppressive, chilling ghostly aura.

Two powerful forces collided and clashed fiercely in the open space in front of the hotel, producing a silent roar. Space itself seemed to distort, and the light flickered erratically.

The Jade Emperor stood below, leading his army of black-clad ghost messengers, exuding an aura of dominance. Zhang Manyue stood high above, bow drawn and arrow nocked, with ancient, towering trees behind her like guardian war gods. Their gazes met in the air, almost sparking a tangible confrontation.

The tense standoff reached its peak, and a battle was imminent.

Dark lightning began to gather at the Jade Emperor's fingertips.

The arrows hovering beside Zhang Manyue shone with a brilliant silver light.

However, at this critical moment—the cell phone suddenly rang.

Zhang Manyue frowned slightly, put away her bow and arrows, and took out her phone to answer the call.

"I'm already out. Send a car to pick me up..." Hearing Gao Dongxu's voice, Zhang Manyue glanced at the Jade Emperor, who was on high alert, covered her red lips with her hand, and whispered, "Don't come back yet..."

"Huh? What happened?" Gao Dongxu asked in confusion over the phone.

"The chairman of the 'Revolving Lantern' guild arrived with a large group of people, demanding that I hand over Gu Lian and the other ghost messengers..." Zhang Manyue, considering Gao Dongxu's unfathomable strength, did not try to hide anything but told the truth.

To be honest, seeing the lineup of the Revolving Lantern Guild today, Zhang Manyue felt a chill run down her spine. Although she could rely on the Moon Spirit Tree to remain invincible, the hotel would definitely suffer, and the ghost guests staying in the hotel would also suffer along with her.

"Okay, then turn on speakerphone, I'll chat with the other person for a bit—"

At this moment, Gao Dongxu, who had already stepped out of the boundary between Yin and Yang and appeared in a quiet community park late at night, had one arm around Li Zhiying's slender waist, which was invisible to outsiders, and was holding a phone in the other hand, talking as he walked in a very strange manner.

"Mmm." Zhang Manyue lowered her hand, gave a soft "Mmm," then pressed the speakerphone button and said gently, "It's ready—"

The Jade Emperor's lips twitched as he looked incredulously at Zhang Manyue, who was showing a gentle side. You see, Zhang Manyue was known in the underworld for her aloof and cold personality. She was a ruthless killer who slayed everyone and was the most difficult to deal with, an iceberg-like ghost king.

Who would have thought that she had such a gentle and obedient side?

All eyes instantly focused on the phone in Jang Manyue's hand.

The atmosphere, which had just been tense and seemed poised for a life-or-death struggle, suddenly became incredibly eerie.

"I heard you're looking for me? Is this never going to end? Huh? Looks like you really want to fight me. But, do you have the strength to fight me? Huh—" Gao Dongxu's arrogant voice came from the phone, making Yu Huang's face even uglier.

"You're from the Celestial Empire?!" The Jade Emperor said coldly in a somewhat broken Celestial Empire accent, "Hand over my subordinates and the live camera, and for Zhang Manyue's sake, I can pretend nothing happened..."

"Hahaha... You know what? Ever since I found out you dared to call yourself the Jade Emperor, I've wanted to test you out, to see if you can live up to that name. Today's the perfect day. Since you've come to me, I'll test your mettle... You frog in a well, ignorant of your own limitations... Just you wait—"

At this moment, Gao Dongxu, who was in the small park, walked to a secluded corner, hung up the phone, a cold smile appeared on his lips, and raised his right hand as if to hold out a sword—the Tengshe Flying Sword appeared in his palm.

Lee Ji-young, standing to the side, couldn't help but widen her beautiful eyes, her gaze filled with surprise and curiosity as she stared intently at his every move.

Gao Dongxu held his breath, his divine sense as fine as silk, controlling the flying sword suspended in mid-air. His hands formed hand seals, swift and precise like butterflies flitting among flowers, each gesture flowing with the power of Dao. Then, he loudly chanted the incantation:

"Soaring Serpent, Soaring Serpent, forged by Laozi, you are the Lord of Heaven, the essence of the Three Yangs, I command you to slay men without hesitation, Supreme Lord Laozi, hasten as the law commands!"

As soon as the incantation was finished, the Tengshe Flying Sword suddenly burst forth with a dazzling white light. Its sword intent was so sharp and tangible that it forced Li Zhiying to catch her breath and retreat several steps. The killing intent contained in that sword light made her feel as if her soul would be torn apart if she looked at it for even a second.

Gao Dongxu focused his mind and clearly stated his target: "Hotel Del Luna, the chairman of the Underworld Carousel Company—the Jade Emperor." His eyes flashed with divine light, and he pointed his sword finger forward sharply, shouting: "Go—!"

In an instant, the Tengshe Flying Sword transformed into a streak of silver lightning, tearing through the air and whistling out, disappearing into the sky in the blink of an eye, heading straight for its target.

Just then, an uncontrollable gasp suddenly came from the bushes not far away.

"who--"

Gao Dongxu frowned, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Almost without hesitation, he flipped his hand, took out a steel needle, and flicked it casually—

"Axi!"

An exasperated female voice rang out, and the figure hidden in the shadows clearly hadn't expected to be exposed so easily.

At the same time, the Jade Emperor, whose call had been abruptly ended, looked at Zhang Manyue, who had put away her phone, with an extremely ugly expression. His hands, hidden beneath his robes, clenched into fists, and he coldly asked Zhang Manyue, "Who is he?"

"You can't afford to offend this person. I advise you to take your bunch of useless subordinates and go back to the underworld right now, otherwise..." Zhang Manyue didn't finish her sentence, but her expression and tone said it all.

(End of this chapter)