Chapter 314: Master of the Nine Hells
Elder Mu was the first to act, cupping his hands in a formal bow. “Greetings, Grain Master!”
Zhao Feng scrambled to follow suit, bowing low. “Greetings, Grain Master!”
Jiang Chen, jolted from his thoughts, offered a bow of his own, his expression a complex mixture of emotions. “Greetings, Zhu… Grain Master!”
A knowing smile played on Zhu Fuxian’s lips as he regarded the trio. He waggled the jug of Top-quality Spirit Rice Wine at Jiang Chen. “Spirit Envoy Jiang, I’m afraid this vintage is nearly gone.”
Jiang Chen blinked, then, ever the opportunist, promptly produced a heavy cask from his Jade Green Gourd. “This disciple has more,” he said, handing it over smoothly.
He always carried a variety of brews—Top-quality Spirit Rice Wine, high-quality Spirit Rice Wine, even Top-grade Golden Wine. It was a matter of convenience, a way to be prepared should he encounter an acquaintance in need.
Zhao Feng scoffed internally. *Liar. He claimed it was his first time meeting the Grain Master, yet he acts more familiar than anyone.*
But his cynicism was quickly overshadowed by shock. The Spirit Cultivation Envoy’s connection to the Grain Master was clearly profound. And this was the man who had just saved his clan from disaster. At that moment, Zhao Feng made a firm decision: he had to get on Jiang Chen’s good side. If they couldn’t be allies, they could never, ever be enemies.
Zhu Fuxian accepted the offering with a satisfied nod. He uncorked it, took a long, appreciative swallow, and then finally got down to business. “Now, tell me. What trouble have you stirred up this time?”
They recounted the entire affair, from the Earth Vein incident a year prior to the recent crisis plaguing the Zhao Clan’s newly cultivated Spirit Farm.Zhu Fuxian listened, a thoughtful expression on his face. “So, a year ago, a Xuan Huang Qi leak collapsed an underground spirit vein, and the consequences are only now surfacing in the Spirit Farm?”
Elder Mu nodded gravely. “That appears to be the case.”
“If that’s truly the case,” Zhu Fuxian chuckled, a dangerous glint in his eye, “then I need to have a long chat with that wretched fool.”
Jiang Chen and Zhao Feng exchanged a look of pure confusion.
“The Grain Master and the Lord of the Earth Vein were disciples under the same master,” Elder Mu explained quietly.
Understanding dawned on them. They were martial brothers. That explained the familiar, if biting, nature of the insult.
Zhu Fuxian waved a dismissive hand at Elder Mu. “Old Hua, return and maintain order. I will handle this personally.”
“Yes, Grain Master!” With a flicker, Elder Mu’s form blurred and sank into the earth, vanishing from sight.
His departure, however, only amplified the awkwardness of the atmosphere. Zhao Feng stood frozen, flanked by the Spirit Cultivation Envoy on his left and the Grain Master before him. He was just a simple Spirit Farmer, caught between two titans, so tense he barely dared to breathe.
A thousand unspoken words caught in Jiang Chen’s throat. He had been so certain Zhu Fuxian had ulterior motives, constantly testing and probing, always on guard. What a fool he’d been. The realization hit him with the force of a physical blow. All this time, the man hadn’t been plotting against him but *warning* him, dropping hints about the danger in his own territory. And he had been too blinded by his own paranoia to see it. The shame was so intense he wished the earth would swallow him whole.
“Why is your face so red?” Zhao Feng asked, genuinely curious.
Jiang Chen forced a tight smile. “Just a healthy glow!”
Zhu Fuxian watched, his expression a mask of wry amusement, then gestured for them to follow. “Come. I’ll take you to the Earth Vein for a chat with that cursed fool of mine.”
He opened his right hand, and from his palm erupted a blinding green light, which coalesced into a tangible stalk of jade-green rice. The stalk, perhaps nine inches long, bore grains as plump and flawless as imperial jade. Swirls of emerald light danced along its awns.
Its appearance sent a resonant hum through every spirit plant in the vicinity. They swayed in unison, their leaves and stems quivering, straining towards the stalk as if in worship. The sight of the entire landscape coming alive was nothing short of spectacular.
Next, Jiang Chen and Zhao Feng watched, mesmerized, as Zhu Fuxian gripped the jade stalk and gave it a gentle shake.
An invisible wave of power radiated outwards, faster than the eye could follow.
With a second shake, shimmering talismans flickered into existence across the surface of the grains.
With a third, the world dissolved. The three of them became a singular streak of emerald light, streaking towards the Earth Vein. In their wake, the pitch-black night sky was bleached into an ethereal “green day.”
“What could possibly be happening to warrant the Grain Master’s presence?”
The sight terrified the uninformed Spirit Farmers. But those who knew better understood this was a sign of the Grain Master’s arrival—an omen that something of grave importance was unfolding in the Spirit Farms.
A single point of green light appeared above the Earth Vein, expanding rapidly. At first, it was but a spark, but in the span of a breath, it blazed with a brilliance that challenged the moon itself. It was as if a second celestial body had been born in the heavens—one of silver, casting its serene, pale light, and one of emerald, pulsing with spiraling ripples of energy.
Bathed in the emerald glow, the very earth awakened. Seeds burst from the soil, their sprouts unfurling in seconds. Withered trees erupted with new, vibrant branches. An impossibly pure and potent life essence saturated the land, and if one looked closely, they could just make out the faint silhouettes of three figures standing within the heart of the green moon.
“Is a catastrophe about to strike the Earth Vein?”
As the green moon hung high in the sky, a wave of profound discomfort washed over every disciple with an Earth Spirit Root.
Just then, the ground trembled, and a figure erupted from the soil.
Jiang Chen recognized him instantly. “The Earth Vein Manager, Yang Zhenyue!”
Yang Zhenyue tilted his head back, his face a mask of apprehension as he stared at the celestial phenomenon. He bowed deeply. “Grain Master Zhu, what commands bring you to the Earth Vein?”
Zhu Fuxian’s voice was cold and dismissive. “You are not qualified to address me. Fetch that wretched fool.”
Yang Zhenyue’s expression tightened. “The Abyss Lord stands vigil over Xuan Yuan. I fear it may be some time—”
He never finished. The ground didn’t just tremble; it convulsed.
An endless torrent of Yellow Earth Essence erupted from the depths, coalescing with terrifying speed into a stone titan that stood over twenty feet tall. Its form was as vast and rugged as a mountain range, its skin the color of ancient bronze and etched with ferocious, glowing patterns. Its eyes were abyssal pools, the pupils swirling with raw earth energy. Veins like thick, gnarled roots coiled around its powerful arms, and its legs were like twin pillars of stone. Atop its head sat a Nine-Ring Mysterious Iron Crown bristling with sharp spikes. A rusted chain was wrapped around its waist, a shattered fragment of a bronze Demon-Suppressing Seal dangling from its end.
Its left palm faced the heavens, its right the earth. Carved into the stone flesh were ancient, powerful characters.
Left Palm: *To Master the Nine Hells, To Chain All Evil.*
Right Palm: *To Forge the Infernal Realm, To Claim All Demons.*
Seeing this, Yang Zhenyue bowed again, his forehead nearly touching the ground. “Greetings, Abyss Lord!”
Jiang Chen and Zhao Feng, despite being Wood Spirit Root farmers and not under the Abyss Lord’s authority, quickly followed suit, their posture deeply respectful.
Suddenly, the statue spoke, its voice the grating shriek of stone against steel. “Zhu Fuxian. You old relic. Why aren’t you dead yet?”
A faint, cruel smile touched Zhu Fuxian’s lips. “Shi Yuan,” he replied, his tone dripping with malicious glee, “I intend to watch you suffer for eternity. So long as you draw breath, this old man will refuse to die.”
The Earth Vein Abyss Lord, Shi Yuan, let out a contemptuous snort. “What is it now?” he demanded impatiently.
Only then did Zhu Fuxian’s playful demeanor vanish, replaced by a chilling seriousness. “A year ago. Did an incident involving a Xuan Huang Qi leak cause a spirit vein to collapse?”
Shi Yuan’s stone face was unreadable, but his voice confirmed it. “It did.”
“That collapsed vein is now poisoning our Spirit Farms,” Zhu Fuxian stated flatly. “It has not only birthed a Spirit-Eroding Fungus King but has also drawn a century-old Meridian-Reversing Worm Mother to the surface. If we do nothing, this will escalate into an Earth-grade disaster!”