I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

Upon entering Fengdu, all the ghosts were awestruck by the magnificent city. Even the envoys from the ancient You Kingdom, who prided themselves on being used to grand scenes, felt an overwhelming sense of awe for the underworld.

Previously, he only felt apprehensive, but now he directly regards the underworld as a mortal enemy!

The forces capable of building such an unparalleled divine city are by no means easy opponents.

Unless you are absolutely certain of victory, you must never become their enemy.

The envoy took a deep breath, his arrogance subsided, and his attitude became extremely respectful as he stepped into Fengdu.

If the area outside the city was magnificent and imposing, the moment he entered the city, he felt utterly insignificant.

Countless palaces stretched out in a continuous line, most of their gates tightly closed, yet the subtle oppressive aura emanating from them made his heart clench.

"Hidden talents and crouching tigers!"

The envoy's gaze swept over them, his expression changing drastically several times.

Fengdu Underworld completely overturned his understanding, and his judgment of the underworld changed again, from a great enemy to someone who should not be provoked!

However, once he entered the city, his state of mind underwent several complete changes.

Led by the underworld officials, he headed to the Judge's Hall. He observed silently the whole way, rarely speaking, and judging everything solely by his eyes.

Outside the Judge's Hall, Qiongqi lay lazily, glancing at him indifferently, but the messenger paid no attention to the little creature.

What's the big deal about a lazy-looking, small-sized gatekeeper beast?

He glanced at it casually and then looked away. He never imagined until his death that this seemingly insignificant "watchdog" was none other than the ancient You Kingdom's nemesis: Qiongqi!

Zhong Jiu sat upright in the main hall, exuding an awe-inspiring presence.

Before long, the envoy from the ancient You Kingdom stepped in.

The ancient You Kingdom has a long-standing tradition and its own set of etiquette. The envoy was well-versed in the rules, bowing first before smiling and saying, "The envoy of the ancient You Kingdom pays respects to the Lord of the Underworld."

For a mere messenger to possess the cultivation of a ghost immortal, his background must be extraordinary.

Zhong Jiu smiled faintly: "Your Excellency does not seem like an ordinary envoy."

Humans have a certain temperament, and ghosts also have an aura; temperament often reveals one's identity.

In the underworld, such demeanor is even rarer; the person before me possesses an extraordinary air and is certainly no nobody.

"A mere envoy, not worth mentioning."

The envoy chuckled, "This king is from Yiqi."

Wang Yiqi?

One of the underworld messengers suddenly looked up: "The ancient You Kingdom's ruler has a younger brother, and it seems that's his name!"

Wang Yiqi nodded frankly: "That's right, it is indeed me."

All the underworld officials were astonished. It was simply unbelievable that the prince of the ancient You Kingdom would personally go to the underworld!

Seeing everyone's shock, Wang Yiqi gave a bitter smile: "Although I am a prince, my cultivation is only that of a ghost immortal. In this underworld where the strong are respected, how can I be valued?"

"It's all just empty fame."

"Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent this envoy."

He spoke with sincerity, but in reality, it was only half true and half false.

He was indeed looked down upon because of his cultivation level, but he held a high position in the Ancient You Kingdom. It was said that he was unparalleled in wisdom and strategy and was highly valued by the king, who consulted him on important matters.

He volunteered for this mission to Fengdu.

He didn't trust anyone else to go; he just wanted to see for himself what abilities the underworld had to gather the fortune of the netherworld.

Upon seeing it now, he was deeply shocked, with only one thought remaining: If there is a master in the underworld, it must be Fengdu!

Chung Kau naturally didn't believe it completely, nor did he intend to ask further questions; these were all minor matters.

He slightly raised his fingertip, pointing directly at Wang Yiqi: "What brings the Prince to Fengdu in person?"

Wang Yiqi clapped his hands lightly, and his subordinates immediately carried countless treasure chests into the hall. As soon as the lids were opened, the treasures shone brightly, extremely tempting.

With another wave of his hand, more than a dozen storage rings flew out, pouring out countless treasures.

The entire Judge's Hall was almost overflowing with rare treasures: exquisite magical artifacts, cultivation pills, exotic flowers and herbs...

"My lord, please observe the sincerity of my ancient You Kingdom."

Wang Yiqi was full of confidence.

"It shows great sincerity, but there's no such thing as a free gift; there must be an ulterior motive."

Zhong Jiu's eyes remained indifferent; he had never cared about such external things. The more extravagant the Ancient You Kingdom's spending was, the greater its ambition became.

"What you say is very true, my lord. Then I will speak frankly."

Wang Yiqi's gaze was intense, and his voice was firm and resolute: "I have come here solely to forge an alliance with the Underworld!"

An alliance?

The underworld officials looked at each other in bewilderment, while a cold glint flashed in the eyes of Qiongqi outside the hall.

Zhong Jiu chuckled: "How would you form an alliance?"

"Our two families will not invade each other's territory, we have formed an alliance, will share resources, and will share the benefits of the underworld!"

Zhong Jiu lightly flicked his fingertips: "That's all?"

Wang Yiqi nodded: "That's all... But since Gu You has shown his sincerity, the Underworld should also offer corresponding benefits."

really!

Zhong Jiu had long anticipated that such a good thing wouldn't happen, and calmly asked, "What does the Prince want?"

Wang Yiqi uttered only two words: "Qiongqi".

Qiongqi outside the hall was taken aback at first, then lay down lazily again. Having followed Zhong Jiu for a long time, it knew its master's temperament well and knew that he would never agree to such conditions.

"I refuse."

As expected, Chung Kau did not hesitate.

Wang Yiqi's face stiffened, full of confusion: "Why did you refuse, sir?"

He simply couldn't understand why the Ancient You Kingdom and Qiongqi had such a deep-seated, irreconcilable feud.

Although the underworld took in Qiongqi, this ferocious beast has always been untrustworthy; it may surrender today but rebel tomorrow.

Moreover, Qiongqi had been suppressed for ten thousand years and was already extremely weak.

Even though there were rumors that his injuries had healed, no one in the Ancient Nether Kingdom believed it. Those were karmic wounds to his soul, severely injured by the laws of the underworld, and apart from the legendary Soul-Nourishing Grass, there was no cure in the world.

The Soul-Nourishing Grass is only known by name, but never seen. How could the Underworld possess it?

Even if they had the means, why would they waste them on a ferocious beast?

In Wang Yiqi's scheme, a severely wounded, faithless, and hopeless ferocious beast was far less valuable than the friendship of the ancient You Kingdom.

Moreover, he brought with him a mountain of treasures.

This sincerity is enough to win over Qiongqi, isn't it?

Chung Kau had no reason to refuse.

But he refused.

That's how unpredictable life can be.

The ferocious beast is untrustworthy, but Zhong Jiu can seize its life force and force it to recognize its master, then it will have no choice but to be loyal.

Qiongqi was severely injured, but Zhong Jiu happened to have Soul Nourishing Grass, which was a supreme divine object in the eyes of others, but to him it was just incense points from the system, so he casually gave it to Qiongqi.

At this moment, Qiongqi has fully recovered from its injuries, is utterly loyal, and will sooner or later return to its peak.

Its value is immeasurable.

Moreover, Qiongqi was already his mount.

Given Zhong Jiu's temperament, would he ever trade his mount?

"A refusal is a refusal!"

Zhong Jiu was already growing impatient. "If you don't need a reason, Qiongqi has entered the Underworld, so it is a divine beast of our Underworld. There is absolutely no reason for us to hand it over."

He had already decided to send the guest away, but out of courtesy, he did not resort to violence: "Let's not talk about this matter again. You can take these treasures back with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Jiu waved his hand, and all the treasures of the Wangyi Qilian were instantly moved out of the hall.

"Your Highness!"

The attendants waiting outside were dumbfounded. How could the prince have been sent out in the blink of an eye?

"How could this be?"

Wang Yiqi's expression shifted constantly, utterly perplexed.

How could Zhong Jiu dare to refuse his kindness?

Aren't you afraid of offending the Ancient You Kingdom?

Are you not afraid of the wrath of this ancient and powerful underworld nation?

Countless questions weighed on his mind, but he was powerless to change the situation.

"go back!"

He put away the treasures, not daring to linger for a moment, and hastily left Fengdu, returning to the ancient You Kingdom.

The ancient You Kingdom spans tens of thousands of miles, with hundreds of cities, and is located far from Fengdu. It is a top-tier ancient power in the underworld.

After the spiritual energy was restored, many experts emerged in the country, and they also gathered countless evil creatures from the Yin Caves, causing their strength to skyrocket. They became powerful and their arrogance to reach the heavens.

Wang Yiqi went straight to the palace and told Feng Du about the whole story.

"What? The Lord of the Underworld dares to refuse?"

The eyes of the Ancient You Kingdom ruler flashed with a cold light, indicating that he was already enraged.

Suddenly, a figure leaped out from the side—it was the Dark Abyss Demon King. He had sought refuge with the Ancient Nether Kingdom, where his silver tongue earned him the king's trust, making him a close advisor.

"I told you long ago that the underworld is no benevolent force! The prince insisted on making a fool of himself. Look, our sincere hearts have been treated like dirt. This is a great disgrace!"

The Dark Abyss Demon King spoke in a sarcastic tone, his venomous gaze fixed on Wang Yiqi.

He had originally intended to use Qiongqi as bait to incite the king to send troops to the underworld. Just when things were about to succeed, Wang Yiqi jumped out and said that the underworld was unfathomable and that war should not be started lightly.

He had just arrived in Guyou and his status was inferior to that of Wang Yiqi, so he could only watch helplessly as the other party went on a mission with valuable treasures.

These days, he prays day and night, hoping that the underworld will refuse him.

If you refuse, the king will surely be furious!

The prayers actually worked!

The Lord of the Underworld actually rejected the request from the Ancient Nether Kingdom!

The Dark Abyss Demon King was overjoyed, but a sinister glint flashed in his eyes. How could he not take advantage of such a good opportunity?

The next second, his face filled with grief and indignation, his voice booming like thunder, he roared out with passionate fervor:

"The dignified Prince of Guyou, the younger brother of the King! Bringing a cart full of treasures and bearing the sincerity of the Guyou Kingdom, all for the sake of exchanging a Qiongqi!"

"Gentlemen, please judge, is this excessive?"

"Not excessive!" he asked himself, his voice echoing throughout the palace.

"But how dare the underworld refuse in public!"

"What an utter disgrace!"

He gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling with "anger." He looked even more heartbroken than the native people of the ancient You Kingdom. An uninformed person might actually think that he had been severely humiliated by the underworld.

Why did the underworld refuse?

He abruptly changed the subject, his words piercing to the heart: "Simply because deep down, they despise my Ancient You Kingdom!"

"Don't forget, that Qiongqi was originally a monstrous creature sealed beneath Yinshan Mountain by my Ancient You Kingdom. In terms of ownership, it should rightfully belong to the Ancient You Kingdom!"

"The Underworld has forcibly seized the treasures of my Ancient Nether Kingdom, and even dared to refuse my gifts and insult our diplomatic relations! If this matter becomes public, the prestige of my Ancient Nether Kingdom, built up over thousands of years, will be destroyed in an instant!"

"Today is a day of national shame for my ancient You Kingdom!"

With his last words, he spoke with all his might, his emotions erupting completely, each word like a scalded knife, piercing the hearts of everyone present.