People in the Imperial Music Bureau: The Storytelling Demon Child Nezha

A blurry figure sat on the throne, looking down at the cultivators pouring in below, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Come on, all of you come on... ~..."

“The moment you step into the Heavenly Palace will be the time when the ‘sacrifice’ returns to its rightful place.”

The celestial palace's illusory form grew increasingly solid, radiant with divine light and swirling with auspicious clouds, as if an ancient heavenly court had truly descended to earth. Countless cultivators rushed towards the slowly opening palace gates, fearing that if they were even a step too slow, their opportunity would be snatched away by someone else.

Li Qiye did not rush to leave, but stood outside the crowd, calmly watching everything.

"Mr. Li, is there anything strange about this Heavenly Palace?" A clear, cold voice came from behind.

Li Qiye turned around and saw that Princess Huaiqing was standing behind him at some point. She was dressed in plain clothes and had restrained her imperial majesty, but she still could not hide her innate noble temperament.

"His Majesty has come too?" Li Qiye smiled slightly. "It seems that the 'Lingxiao Palace' is indeed quite attractive."

Huaiqing's eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a low voice, "I did not come for any opportunity, but the appearance of the Heavenly Palace has shaken the world, and I have no choice but to investigate in person."

Li Qiye nodded, turned his gaze back to the Heavenly Palace, and said calmly, "If Your Majesty trusts me, then you should not step into this palace."

Huaiqing's expression hardened: "Why?"

"Because this Heavenly Palace is not a chance encounter, but a prison." Li Qiye's tone was calm, yet it carried a hint of coldness. "Those who step into it will all become sacrifices."

-

Inside the Heavenly Palace, celestial mist swirled.

The first batch of cultivators who rushed into the Heavenly Palace have dispersed to various places. Some broke into the alchemy room and found shelves full of ancient elixirs; some rushed into the scripture pavilion and saw countless lost cultivation manuals; and some even discovered ancient divine herbs in the herb garden...

"Hahaha! These are all mine!" A cultivator laughed wildly as he grabbed a handful of pills and stuffed them into his mouth. However, the next moment, his body suddenly froze, and his pupils contracted sharply—

"puff!"

His body withered away at a visible speed, eventually turning into a dried corpse. The "elixir" he swallowed (Qian Dehao) turned out to be a pitch-black worm that slowly crawled out of his mouth and flew back to the top of the pill rack.

The same tragedy is unfolding in every corner—

Inside the library, the moment a cultivator opened a book, countless black tentacles suddenly emerged from the pages, dragging him into the book, leaving only a shrill scream.

In the herb garden, those so-called "ten-thousand-year-old divine herbs" transformed into ferocious vines the moment cultivators approached, strangling them alive and draining their life essence...

Chapter 131 This is not a matter of chance!

"This...this is not an opportunity!This is a trap!" Finally, someone realized what was happening and cried out in terror.

However, it's too late.

The gates of the Heavenly Palace have been closed at some point.

-

Outside the Heavenly Palace.

Li Qiye gazed in the direction of the Heavenly Palace and suddenly sighed softly, "It has begun."

Huaiqing followed his gaze and saw that the Heavenly Palace, which was originally surrounded by auspicious clouds, was now gradually turning blood red, and faint, mournful howls could be heard.

"The people inside..." Huaiqing's expression changed slightly.

“They’re all dead,” Li Qiye said calmly. “Or rather, they were chosen sacrifices from the very beginning.”

After a moment of silence, Huaiqing suddenly asked, "Then who exactly is the master of this Heavenly Palace?"

Li Qiye's gaze turned slightly cold as he slowly uttered two words:

"Heavenly Demon".

-

Deep within the Heavenly Palace, upon the throne.

The blurry figure slowly stood up, opened its arms, and enjoyed the essence and souls that surged forth after the countless cultivators had fallen.

"Not enough... not enough..."

"Wait a little longer... wait for that person to arrive..."

"Li Qiye...you...can't escape..."

The cultivators outside the Heavenly Palace finally noticed the anomaly. None of their fellow cultivators who rushed in had sent word back. Even more terrifying, the entire Heavenly Palace began to be filled with a sinister aura, and its once brilliant immortal light was gradually being eroded by blood.

Something's wrong! Retreat quickly! An old cultivator shouted sternly.

However, it was too late. A blood-red barrier suddenly rose around the Heavenly Palace, enveloping the cultivators who had not yet entered. Several quick-reacting cultivators screamed in agony as soon as they touched the blood barrier, their bodies melting at a visible speed.

Princess Huaiqing's expression was solemn. The Mountain and River Seal at her waist trembled slightly, emitting a pale golden halo that protected her. She turned to Li Qiye: "Sir, what should we do now?"

Li Qiye stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering even without wind. He gazed at the increasingly intense crimson sky palace, then suddenly chuckled: "Since the master has extended such a warm invitation, how can I refuse?"

Before he finished speaking, he took a step forward, his figure moving like lightning, and actually flew towards the gate of the Heavenly Palace. Huaiqing's pupils shrank slightly, and he followed without thinking.

"Your Majesty!" the accompanying guards exclaimed, but were gently pushed back to safety by a force.

The gates of the Heavenly Palace burst open before them, and a thick stench of blood assaulted their nostrils. Before them lay desiccated corpses, their faces frozen in the terror of their deaths.

Using the blood essence of 100,000 cultivators as a sacrifice, what a grand gesture. Li Qiye said calmly, his steps unwavering as he walked straight into the depths of the Heavenly Palace.

Huaiqing followed closely behind, the Mountain and River Seal in her hand shining even brighter. She suddenly discovered that the blood mist emanating from the corpses would automatically dissipate when they came within three feet of Li Qiye.

Deep within the palace, the figure on the throne was finally fully revealed.

It was a handsome young man, dressed in a long black robe, with a blood-red vertical line between his brows. Most strangely, his shadow had nine heads, twisting and writhing on the ground.

"Li Qiye, you've finally arrived." The young man chuckled, but his voice sounded like a million people speaking at once: "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Heavenly Demon. Li Qiye stood still, his gaze calm. Or perhaps, should I call you the Nine-Headed Underworld Lord?

Huaiqing's heart skipped a beat. The Nine-Headed Underworld Lord, a peerless monster that wreaked havoc on the human world in ancient times, shouldn't he have been suppressed by the Heavenly Court long ago?

The Heavenly Demon laughed loudly, and nine blood-red vortexes suddenly appeared around the throne: "Since you know my true form, you still dare to come and die?"

Chapter 132 Sending you to your death? I'm here to help you pass on to the afterlife!

Sending you to your death? Li Qiye shook his head. "I'm here to help you pass on to the afterlife."

He spoke casually, yet Tian Gui's expression changed drastically. Nine crimson vortexes exploded simultaneously, transforming into nine ferocious blood dragons that lunged at Li Qiye.

Just as Huaiqing was about to activate the Mountain and River Seal to help, he saw Li Qiye simply raise his hand and spread his five fingers—

town.

With just one simple word, the nine blood dragons froze in mid-air and then shattered inch by inch!

The demon finally changed color: Who exactly are you...?

Before he could finish speaking, Li Qiye had already stepped to the throne and placed his right hand on the Heavenly Ghost's forehead: In this life, it's time for you to take your final bow.

A dazzling golden light erupted, and the Heavenly Demon let out a scream that was inhuman. His body began to disintegrate, and the nine shadow heads exploded one after another.

No! This is impossible! You clearly already... Before the Heavenly Demon dissipated, his eyes were filled with disbelief.

The entire Heavenly Palace began to tremble violently, and countless cracks spread. Huaiqing suddenly noticed that wisps of pure soul light were emanating from the corpses of the dead cultivators.

Li Qiye turned around and waved his sleeve lightly: Let's go, it's time to send them into reincarnation.

The moment the two stepped out of the Heavenly Palace, the entire blood-red palace collapsed with a deafening roar, transforming into a shower of light that rained down upon the mortal realm. Wherever the light rain touched, the parched land was revitalized, and withered vegetation sprouted anew.

Looking at this miraculous scene, Huaiqing suddenly realized: You knew all along it was a trap, so you deliberately...

Li Qiye smiled without saying a word, only looking up at the distant sky. There, an even larger shadow seemed to be gathering.

The Heavenly Demon is just the beginning. He said softly, "This game of chess has only just begun."

Amidst the swirling rain of light, Li Qiye's plain robe remained spotless. Princess Huaiqing suddenly noticed that the falling soul lights would pause slightly when they touched the hem of his robe, as if performing a final bow.

The master's method of delivering souls to the afterlife... Huaiqing caught a wisp of soul light at his fingertips, and the Mountain and River Seal suddenly trembled violently. This is... the Reincarnation Seal of the Hall of Rebirth?

Li Qiye pulled a bronze chess piece from his sleeve. The piece's surface was covered with fine cracks: Thirty thousand years ago, a celestial demon devoured half of the Palace of Rebirth. He tossed the piece into the depths of the rain of light; today, it was merely returning to its rightful owner.

The instant the chess pieces exploded, seven pillars of light suddenly rose from the northwestern desert. Huaiqing's Mountain and River Seal flew out uncontrollably, projecting the entire panorama of the Nine Provinces into the air—the positions of those seven pillars of light perfectly overlapped with the black spots shown in the tea soup earlier by Li Qiye!

0 ······Requesting flowers 0 ····

The core of the Devouring Immortal Prison array... Before Huaiqing could finish speaking, the ground beneath his feet suddenly trembled like a heartbeat.

Li Qiye suddenly pressed down on her shoulder: Close your eyes.

Huaiqing's vision went black, and he heard the shrieks of thousands of vengeful ghosts.

..... . ...

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself standing in a void, with a huge chessboard of nineteen lines on the ground beneath my feet, and the mountains and rivers of the Nine Provinces had all turned into light and shadow on the chessboard!

This is the real game.

Li Qiye's voice came from all directions.

Huaiqing saw his figure appear simultaneously in various places on the chessboard. Sometimes he was a storyteller in plain clothes, sometimes a golden-armored war god, and several other figures were so blurry that even time itself seemed to be distorted.

On the opposite side of the chessboard, seven dark shadows are coalescing.

One of the groups suddenly uttered the voice of a celestial demon: You severed one of my soul fragments, but released six more troublesome fellows!

Li Qiye's true form was already seated in the center of the chessboard, steam rising from the teacup in his hand: "When Shi Hao shattered the Immortal Palace back then, some filthy things leaked out."

Chapter 133 Liquidation

He blew away the tea steam; now it was time to settle accounts.

Seven dark figures suddenly sprang up, but froze the moment they touched the chessboard—their feet were now wrapped in silver threads.

Each thread is strung with countless shining names.

A causal link?! The largest shadowy figure was filled with shock and rage. When did you...?

Li Qiye placed a white piece: From the moment you started listening to my storytelling.

Huaiqing suddenly realized something. Those guests who had listened with rapt attention at the brothel, those cultivators who had pressed for details about Shi Hao's story... their names had all become pawns on the chessboard!

The seven dark figures began to dissolve, and one of them suddenly grinned maliciously: "You think our true forms are..." Before it could finish speaking, a deafening explosion resounded from somewhere in Kyushu.

Li Qiye sighed: "As expected, they're all hiding in the lower realms." He turned to Huaiqing, "Your Majesty, would you be willing to lend me the Seal of Mountains and Rivers?"

Before Huaiqing could answer, the Mountain and River Seal had already flown into the chessboard on its own. Li Qiye gently tapped it with his fingertip—

Thump!

The bell tolled throughout the land. Golden pillars of light simultaneously illuminated the seven perilous lands, including the Great Abyss, the Burial Pit, and the Land of Desolation, causing countless ancient beings hiding in the secret realms to flee in panic.

The shadowy figure on the chessboard let out a final, desperate scream: You are not from this era...

Li Qiye's sleeve swept across the chessboard, and all the shadows vanished. In the real world, Huaiqing found himself still standing in the desert, as if what had just happened was merely a fleeting illusion.

But the distant rumbling was real—the seven ominous lands were collapsing!

Who exactly is this gentleman? Huaiqing's voice tightened.

Li Qiye took out his gavel and played with it: "A storyteller, huh?" He suddenly turned to look eastward, but now, we have guests.

A purple aura stretches 30,000 miles eastward from the horizon, and a colossal bronze palace, even more magnificent than the Heavenly Palace, emerges from the clouds.

On the plaque in front of the palace gate, the two characters "Immortal Palace" were dripping blood.

As the shadow of the bronze palace loomed over the desert, Li Qiye suddenly chuckled: "Ladies and gentlemen, the story is getting to an exciting point."

Princess Huaiqing was astonished to find that the reflection of the celestial palace in the image of the Mountain and River Seal at her waist was filled with a densely packed audience.

Those commoners and cultivators who should have been listening to stories at the brothel were now sitting like puppets in the illusory palace, their faces frozen in a dazed expression.

Sir, this is...

It's just a storybook.

Li Qiye took out a storybook from his sleeve; the three characters "The Legend of the Wilderness" on the cover were bleeding.

He casually tore off a page, and the ink words "Shi Hao Fights the Seven Gods Alone" on the paper suddenly came to life, evolving into a miniature battle in the air.

The chaotic hand in the celestial palace suddenly grabbed at the storybook: "Three thousand years of fabricated stories have nurtured this palace of incense offerings; today is the day to harvest them!"

Li Qiye, however, leisurely turned to the last chapter: "The storyteller knows best the truth of a tale." His fingertip lightly traced a line of text—instantly, clarity dawned; it was all just a dream.

The entire celestial palace suddenly shook violently, and black water, like ink, seeped out from between the bricks and tiles.