Talisman Emperor

Six Path Royal Region.

This was the core area of the Netherhell, and the most formidable powers in the Netherworld like the six paths and Punishment Bureau resided here.

Comparatively speaking, the Nether Spring Region and River of Forgetfulness Region only belonged to the outer area of the Netherhell, and in terms of the vastness of their territory and the greatness of their influence, then they were far inferior to the Six Path Royal Region.

The Cui Clan resided in Violetsilk City within the Six Path Royal Region. It was an extremely ancient city whose history could be traced back to the primeval times, and it was renowned in the world because of the Punishment Bureau that was in charge of judgment and punishment.

Moreover, since the ancient times until now, the Punishment Bureau had always been in the control of the Cui Clan. Even if it was during the period the Netherworld Emperor was in position, control of the Punishment Bureau had never changed. 

    …

Young Phoenix Residence that was marked on the jade slip Gu Tian left behind wasn’t within Violetsilk City, and it was within a small city 500,000km away from Violetsilk City.

This small city was called Omniscient City.

Even though it couldn’t compare to Violetsilk City in terms of prosperousness, yet it wasn’t the slightest bit inferior to Violetsilk City in terms of reputation, and it even surpassed Violetsilk City.

The reason was that Omniscient City possessed the Omniscient Pavilion!

Omniscient Pavilion was a power that covered the world, and there were branches of it in every single city. They sold magic treasures, medicinal pills, cultivation techniques, spirit materials, and various other treasures related to cultivation. It was a unique large trading company in the entire Netherworld.

It was even to the extent that it wasn’t exaggerated to say that so long as one was able to pay the price, then anything and everything in the Netherworld could be bought in the Omniscient Pavilion.

Omniscient City was the birthplace of the Omniscient Pavilion.

At this moment, the area outside Omniscient Pavilion was bustling with people as usual.

“This is Omniscient City? It really is different.” 

“It’s very simple. It’s because this city is the capital of trading that’s renowned in the world. There are countless merchants and small businessmen that enter and leave the city, so its commerce prospers, causing the flow of people in the city to be extremely great.”

Chen Xi and Bei Ling were walking over side by side from afar.

The two of them moved along the tide of people and entered the city, and they moved along the streets that were densely packed like a spiderweb for ten minutes before they finally stopped in front of a desolate street.

Row after row of buildings stood towering 300m away on the opposite side of this street, and these buildings were extremely ordinary and didn’t stand out at all.

Surprisingly, a plaque that said ‘Young Phoenix Residence’ hung before the door of one of the buildings.

Obviously, this was a private place that Cui Ming had arranged, and besides Cui Ming, only Cui Qingning and Gu Tian knew about it. Moreover, even the clansmen of the Cui Clan were unaware of this place.

The Young Phoenix Residence was quiet and elegant, as well as bright and clean. Chen Xi made arrangements for Bei Ling and Cui Qingning before he pondered briefly and then intended to go out for some time.

There was an inconspicuous pavilion at the southeast from Young Phoenix Residence, and it was 300m tall and possessed an ancient outer appearance. However, the plaque at the entrance shockingly said ‘Omniscient Pavilion.’

It was common knowledge that Omniscient Pavilion was the number one trading company in the Netherworld, yet it was most renowned for its information.

To customers that were able to pay the price, the Omniscient Pavilion was omniscient, and one could find out about all information and secrets from it.

Conversely, if one was unable to pay the price, then the Omniscient Pavilion knew nothing.

Thus, this was how the name Omniscient Pavilion was born.

The background of the Omniscient Pavilion was extremely mysterious and exceedingly terrifying. Even the Six Paths, Nether Spring Hall, Granny Meng Hall, and other similar powers weren’t willing to offend the Omniscient Pavilion, causing its status to be extraordinary.

At the first level of the Omniscient Pavilion, an old man with a calm bearing sat behind the table, and he was flipping through the accounts, revealing a serious and meticulous expression.

“Presently, is Elder Mo still in charge of the information related to the Cui Clan?” Meanwhile, someone walked in.

The old man raised his head and couldn’t help but be stunned when he saw the appearance of the person clearly, and then he stood up solemnly and said, “Yes.”

“Good.” The person nodded before walking directly into the pavilion.

“Strange, strange.” The old man sent that person off with his gaze while a wisp of confusion arose on his face because he seemed to have never expected that this person would have the time to come here.

But in next to no time, he stopped thinking about it because another person had arrived.

“Do you want to buy and sell treasures or obtain information?” The old man sat on the chair while he continued to flip through the accounts as he spoke in a flat tone.

“Obtain information.”

“Oh? What sort of information?” The old man didn’t even raise his head as he asked.

“Information related to the Cui Clan.” The old man was stunned and slowly raised his head. He narrowed his eyes as he sized up the young man that stood before the table, and then he said after a short moment, “Which Cui Clan?”

“The Cui Clan in Violetsilk City.” The young man spoke indifferently. He possessed a tall figure and indifferent bearing, and he was exactly Chen Xi.

“3,000 King Grade Nether Crystals.” The old man named a price.

The young man was stunned and said, “That’s the price of a few Immortal Artifacts. Isn’t it a bit too expensive?”

The old man raised his head and confirmed that the young man wasn’t making fun of him before he said seriously, “I’d only ask for an ordinary Nether Crystal if you came 10 days from now. But now, it can’t be a single Nether Crystal lesser than 3,000 King Grade Nether Crystals.”

Chen Xi frowned. “Is there some sort of reason?”

“Could it be that you’re unaware that the Cui Clan’s Ancestral Worship Ceremony is 10 days from now?” The old man replied with a question.

Ancestral Worship Ceremony? Chen Xi pondered for a moment before he shook his head once more.

The old man glanced at Chen Xi with slight surprise, yet he didn’t speak any further.

“This is 3,000 King Grade Nether Crystals.” Chen Xi casually tossed a storage pouch over.

The old man was slightly surprised at this moment, and he glanced deeply at Chen Xi before he picked up the storage pouch and sized it up briefly. After that, he couldn’t help but reveal a satisfied smile from the corners of his mouth, and he nodded and said, “Head in from here and enter the third room on the fifth floor. There’ll naturally be someone there to tell you everything.”

“Thank you.” Chen Xi cupped his hands before he turned around and walked further into the Omniscient Pavilion.

“Since he was able to casually produce such a sum of wealth, that young man is probably not an ordinary figure either.” The old man watched Chen Xi’s figure vanish from his field of vision, and then he seemed to be lost in thought after his gaze descended onto the storage pouch.

In the third room on the fifth floor of Omniscient Pavilion.

Chen Xi pushed open the door and entered. There was only a table and two chairs in this room, and the area it occupied wasn’t large. However, it was covered in a layer of restrictions that was obviously capable of preventing the investigation of Immortal Perceptions, causing it to seem extremely safe and hidden.

“What do you wish to know?” There was a black robed man behind the table, and his entire body was enveloped beneath the black robe and only revealed a pair of calm and indifferent eyes.

“How was the Cui Clan’s Netherworld Disk lost?” Chen Xi sat before the table and spoke calmly.

The black robed man was stunned, yet he still replied. “The Netherworld Disk is the saint artifact of the Cui Clan, and it’s the key to controlling the Punishment Bureau. It has always been in the possession of the Cui Clan’s Second Elder, Cui Fangjun, and it was stolen a year ago, whereas its whereabouts are unknown until now.”

“I only want to know who stole it,” said Chen Xi.

“This isn’t within the scope of my knowledge, so forgive me for being unable to answer.” The black robed man answered without hesitation.

Even if he was clearly aware since the beginning that this would be the outcome, Chen Xi still couldn’t help but feel a wisp of disappointment in his heart. After a short moment, he asked about the situation in the Cui Clan.

The black robed man really possessed clear knowledge about the Cui Clan, and he spoke about everything he knew.

So it turns out that the victor will be determined during the Ancestral Worship Ceremony… After a long time, Chen Xi finished listening to the black robed man and finally understood everything.

The Ancestral Worship Ceremony was a ceremony to offer sacrifice to the ancestors of the Cui Clan, and it was held every single year. The ceremony wasn’t important, and what was important during the ceremony this time was that it would finally end the internal strife within the Cui Clan and allow the Second Elder, Cui Fangjun, to smoothly gain control of the Cui Clan.

Most importantly, after Cui Fangjun inherited the position of Patriarch, the Cui Clan’s ancestor, Cui Zhenkong, would execute a forbidden technique to open up the secret realm in the Ancestral Grounds of the Cui Clan, and he would allow Cui Fangjun to enter the secret realm in order to comprehend the inheritance left behind by the ancestor of the Cui Clan.

At that time, even if Cui Qingning returned to the clan, it would be impossible for her to change the situation.

Of course, Cui Fangjun would absolutely not allow any mishaps to occur before the dust had settled, and this was why he sent people to pursue and kill Cui Qingning.

Because strictly speaking, Cui Qingning was the true inheritor to the position of Patriarch as a unique bloodline flowed within her body, and it was the key to opening the secret realm in the Ancestral Grounds without requiring the Cui Clan’s ancestor to do anything at all.

“Thank you.” Chen Xi stood up and turned around with the intention of leaving.

“Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. If you desire to know the whereabout of the Netherworld Disk, then I suggest you make a trip to the Heroes Pavilion. Perhaps you’ll obtain an unexpected gain.” The black robed man spoke abruptly.

“The Heroes Pavilion?” Chen Xi’s eyes lit up, and he thanked the black robed man once more before he turned and left.

“My luck wasn’t bad. But of the 380 cities in the Six Path Royal Region, I just happened to encounter you, little fellow…” Right after Chen Xi had left, the black robed man suddenly chuckled before removing his hood to reveal a cold and gloomy face.

Swoosh!

He stretched out his hand and waved, causing a jade slip to transform into a ray of light that vanished in the room. 

    …

Omniscient City, Heroes Pavilion.

This was a restaurant that was on the verge of decline, and it was quiet and desolate.

When Chen Xi arrived here, he saw the manager nodding off behind the counter and was on the verge of falling asleep. Besides the manager, there wasn’t even a single attendant.

But right when Chen Xi raised his foot with the intention of entering the pavilion, he seemed to have noticed something, causing a wisp of a piercingly cold sheen to suddenly flash past his eyes while he stopped moving forward.

“Oh, Guest. You’ve arrived. Quickly come in!” Meanwhile, the manager noticed Chen Xi as well, and his spirits were refreshed while his face was covered in smiles.

“I’m worried that blood will flow into rivers once I enter,” said Chen Xi indifferently.

The managed was stunned, and then he said with a smile, “You’re really good at making a joke.”

“Do you think I seem like I’m making a joke?” Chen Xi replied with a question, and he gazed at the manager with interest.

“Isn’t saying that blood will flow into rivers a joke?” The manager chuckled and said, “Of course, I’m very clearly aware that someone will surely die today. Someone like you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Heroes Pavilion flashed before it suddenly transformed into a terrifying grand formation that confined Chen Xi along with this expanse of the heavens and the earth.

At the same time, over 10 figures appeared out of thin air while emanating monstrous imposing auras.

Especially the manager, his actually transformed into a green faced and red eyed man that had horns on his head, was almost 3m tall, and was completely enshrouded by surging ghastly mist. A string of bloody skulls hung on his neck, and he seemed extremely ferocious while his aura was peerlessly ruthless.

“Little Fellow, receive death obediently. After you entered the Bloodtransformation Divinelight Formation, no matter how extraordinary your cultivation is, you’ll transform into a pool of pus!” The manager whose appearance had changed greatly roared with laughter.

Chen Xi’s expression remained indifferent and calm, and he swept the surroundings with his gaze before he sighed and said, “Looks like I fell for the Omniscient Pavilion’s trap, that was really unwise of me…”

His voice hadn’t finished resounding in the air when he attacked ferociously!