Chapter 1393: Ghostly Immortals of Hell
Chapter 1393: Ghostly Immortals of Hell
With the opening of the door to the Astral Hell, the battlefield had shifted into the 10,000 Levels of Hell. Even though the 100 were the elites of the elites, they couldn't help but be apprehensive.
As for those who wouldn't have to enter, they were relatively at ease. However, they also knew that the mission to stop those who were willing to risk their lives for a chance wouldn't be simple.
For the majority of the immortal lords, a first-grade Mark of an Immortal King was sufficient for them to become immortal kings. A third-grade Mark of an Immortal King would be beyond their reach.
Why would they try to go for a 10th-grade Mark of an Immortal King?
Only the Gu Huo Immortal Lord, Mo Yuji, the Ruling Fate Immortal Lord, the Bewildered Fire Immortal Lord, and the White Night Immortal Lord barely had the qualifications to aim for it.
Obviously, one wouldn't exclude those immortal lords without any connections or worries for trying their luck. If one of them got lucky and found the 10th-grade Mark of an Immortal King, they would have hopes of becoming an eternal immortal emperor. The temptation couldn't be larger.
Wu Yu had an opportunity as well. Clearly, the Gu Huo Immortal Lord wasn't assured to let others imprison him and wanted to do it himself. Therefore, Wu Yu was also brought into the Astral Hell.
The five parties knew clearly who the experts from the other four parties were. Therefore, a prisoner like Wu Yu wasn't seen as part of the allocated slots.
As the trusted aide of the Gu Huo Immortal Lord, the Gu Di Immortal Lord was among the ranks too. The members of the Ancient Ink Camp should be with her.
Wu Yu had obtained a ninth-grade Mark of an Immortal King previously. Although the 10th-grade Mark of an Immortal King was incredible, he didn't desire it greatly. All he was thinking of currently was to escape captivity.
The Gu Huo Immortal Lord's group was at the forefront of the contingent of 100 immortals. The Gu Huo Immortal Lord was determined to get the 10th-grade Mark of an Immortal King. He was the first to lead 19 other immortal lords through the door to the Astral Hell. All of a sudden, their world started spinning, similar to what Wu Yu had experienced when he let his doppelgangers enter the Hell of the Netherworld.
However, there were clear differences between the first level of hell and the 5,000th level of hell.
"Follow them and get in." Mo Yuji was someone who had seen a lot and was especially composed. She carried a black cat in her embrace and caressed its head before jumping in. The majority of the 19 immortals she had chosen were ladies. All of them were charming and attractive, but Mo Yuji's beauty clearly surpassed all.
The remaining 60 immortals also entered one after another. The door to the Astral Hell remained opened and more than 1,000 immortals were left outside. They exchanged glances and started following the orders that the Gu Huo Immortal Lord had given to construct defensive immortal designs. Their forces were undoubtedly top notch. However, they were still afraid that too many immortals would gather in a year. When that happened, they might not be able to hold them back. The descendants of other immortal emperors would undoubtedly arrive within a year. For example, the eternal phoenix tribe, Zhao Yuanchen, and other descendants of various immortal emperors would definitely have their thoughts about the 10th-grade Mark of an Immortal King.
Unless they were too far away. The Endless River of Stars was unimaginably huge. If they were really too far away, they might not make it here within a year, especially if their group was too huge.
Therefore, whether they could successfully defend this place for a year was still an uncertainty.
Wu Yu didn't care, since he had entered the Astral Hell. The Astral Hell was different from the Hell of the Netherworld but a little similar to the Endless River of Stars.
The ghostly immortals resided on various large stars. However, the stars of various sizes here were far fewer than the stars in the Endless River of Stars, around 1,000. The larger stars were comparable to a border region and wouldn't be comparable to the stars in the Endless River of Stars.
The total surface of the Astral Hell, if added together, would likely be approximately the same as the 4,000th level of Heaven. One star was more equivalent to a huge city.
This was also the reason why the Jade Emperor had chosen this place to be the setting of the test for the 10th-grade Mark of an Immortal King. After all, this place bore the closest resemblance to the Endless River of Stars, and it looked like a secret region excavated from within the Endless River of Stars.
When they entered, they ended up in a corner of the Astral Hell. At this moment, they weren't discovered by any ghostly immortals yet, and the contingent of 100 immortals arrived one after another.
"The air in the territory of the ghostly immortals is nauseating and uncomfortable."
"I heard that the Astral Hell is one of the better places to be. Other places are filled corpses and aren't suitable for humans."
"But we can still pick up the pungent smell of blood despite being so far away. There is also the scent of sinister cultivation arts mixed in the air."
When they first arrived and saw the dullish, crimson sky, they weren't comfortable at all. From where they were, they could see some huge stars across the horizon. They were different from the irregular stars in the Endless River of Stars. Those were like fragments, while the stars in this place were huge spheres. Mountains, rivers, and forests could be found on the stars, as well as seas of blood. The ghostly immortals likely resided on those colossal, spherical stars.
"Immortal Mo, we will compete on our abilities and we say our farewell here," said the Gu Huo Immortal Lord.
"May we meet again." Both of them were honest and direct. The Gu Huo Immortal Lord wouldn't give up on the 10th-grade Mark of an Immortal King to please a beautiful lady. At the same time, he didn't want to team up with her. Therefore, separating and giving his all would be the best option.
After saying farewell to Mo Yuji, he led his 19 people in another direction, and so did Mo Yuji. The other three batches of people were left standing where they landed.
"Both of them bade farewell to each other without even taking a glance at us. Are they really not showing any respect to us at all?" the Bewildered Fire Immortal Lord joked.
The White Night Immortal Lord said, "Don't twist their actions. They are indeed high and lofty, and not people we can compare to."
The Ruling Fate Immortal Lord scoffed. "That's not necessarily true. Who will get the 10th-grade Mark of an Immortal King is still uncertain. Whoever is here has the same opportunity. I'll be leaving first."
It seemed he was still pretty confident in himself.
The five parties separated. Where Wu Yu was, only the Gu Huo Immortal Lord and 19 other immortals were around. They followed closely behind the Gu Huo Immortal Lord, communicating secretly.
"Young Master, where do you think the Jade Emperor hid the treasure?" asked the Gu Di Immortal Lord.
The Gu Yin Immortal Lord answered, "If I am to guess, it should be a place where many gather. It would also be the most dangerous place or a well-concealed place. Regardless, it definitely won't be easy. After all, this is the 10th-grade Mark of an Immortal King. Even if we had tens of thousands of people here, none might get it in the end. The Jade Emperor will also definitely change the location next time."
The Gu Huo Immortal Lord thought for some time before speaking. "Everything is uncertain for now. We have to ask around to see if there have been any changes in this place recently. In that case, let's get closer to a star and continue searching outside. Once we nab a ghostly immortal, we will start by understanding the environment, the experts, and the distribution. Only then will we get a clue. Otherwise, no matter where we go, we will be like headless flies."
"The Young Master is right."
They were cautiously hiding their tracks while travelling. They identified a smaller star within range and slowly crept towards it. Although this would take up time, they had 20 years. The Gu Huo Immortal Lord believed no one would get a clue so soon after they arrived. 20 years were short, and the chances of no one finding the 10th-grade Mark of an Immortal King were, in fact, higher.
The contingent of 100 immortals snuck into the Astral Hell silently like giant stones sinking into the deep sea. At this moment, none of them had caused any commotion.
…...
As for those on the Sublime Gracious Sky, the immortal emperors were a little stumped. Marshal Tian You only had the stellar diagram for the Endless River of Stars and not for the Astral Hell. Once they entered it, they couldn't see any of the activities. If they encountered danger, no one would know within a short time.
This was what worried them the most.
Hell wasn't within the territory they could control.
Understanding the feelings of Dhritarashtra, the Mighty Miracle God, the Ruling Sky Manifesting Sage Great Emperor, the Fire Virtue True Lord, and the Metal Virtue True Lord, the Eastern Sublime Gracious Divine Emperor said, "Rest assured. The Jade Emperor arranged this personally. He wouldn't cause your descendants to lose their lives in the Astral Hell. Obviously, you guys can arrange protection as long as you don't infringe upon the rules. After all, The Jade Emperor is watching."
"Yes."
After choosing to enter the contest for the 10th-grade Mark of an Immortal King, they would naturally have to bear the risks. This was inevitable.
…...
Within the Astral Hell, Wu Yu could see them approaching a star. The star wasn't huge but was still much larger than those in the Endless River of Stars. A ghostly immortal city was built on it with various immortal designs surrounding the land. Vaguely, one could see numerous ghostly immortals moving around. However, this place wasn't as peaceful as the sky palaces. Ghostly immortals were innately skeptical of one another, so the entire place was deathly silent.
The Gu Huo Immortal Lord had approached the place to search for someone that would enable him to understand the Astral Hell. A ghostly immortal that fit the criteria could be found everywhere, so it wouldn't be a difficult task.
They glanced over and the Gu Yin Immortal Lord said, "So these are the ghostly immortals of Hell. They don't look too impressive, and most are ordinary ghostly immortals. From what I see, there isn't even a 7-realm ghostly immortal."
"Don't drop your guard. We are at the edge of the Astral Hell after all. In the core of the Astral Hell, there will definitely be a number of ghostly kings," said the Gu Di Immortal Lord.
"Gu Di is right," the Gu Huo Immortal Lord complimented. This brightened up the Gu Di Immortal Lord, and she was full of smiles.
The Gu Yin Immortal Lord didn't say another word. He knew that the Gu Huo Immortal Lord and the Gu Di Immortal Lord were close. Before Mo Yuji showed up, he had once thought the Gu Huo Immortal Lord would choose the Gu Di Immortal Lord as his dao companion. Although their standings were different, the Mighty Miracle God was fond of this girl.
However, when compared with Mo Yuji, the difference was huge. The Mighty Miracle God was a little inferior to Dhritarashtra. If they were to get together, it would be like the Mighty Miracle God claiming connection with someone of higher social class.
They stationed themselves outside but didn't find a suitable ghostly immortal immediately. The Gu Huo Immortal Lord was getting impatient because of the 10th-grade Mark of an Immortal King. After all, all his competitors had set off. Therefore, he led the group to delve deeper and soon locked on to a target. The Gu Huo Immortal Lord was prepared to make the move personally. Silently, he crept towards his target, who was roughly a 5-realm ghostly immortal lord!