Chapter 48: Ji Ning and the God King

The Madman was stunned, momentarily unable to speak.

"All of you, go back. Let me be alone for a while," Ji Ning said, then walked toward a side meditation room. This was a dedicated meditation room that Yu Wei had partitioned off when she originally arranged the house.

Watching Ji Ning's retreating figure, the Heavenly Immortals Wanshou, Feiyu, Tonghe, and the others exchanged glances, helpless, and then walked out of the house.

…

The meditation room was simply furnished—a cushion, an incense burner—but these had been arranged by Yu Wei's own hands.

Ji Ning's gaze swept over them, as if seeing the scene of Yu Wei setting them up.

"Senior apprentice-sister," Ji Ning murmured softly.

Then he sat down cross-legged alone and closed his eyes.

His mind was in turmoil. Countless scenes of being together with his senior apprentice-sister surged forth, causing Ji Ning's brow to furrow from time to time.

"Hum~~~"

A mysterious fluctuation of another level swept toward Ji Ning. Even Patriarch Crimsonbright could not detect this fluctuation. When it enveloped Ji Ning, an intense drowsiness overcame him.

"Hm?" Ji Ning was startled. He was a Pure Yang True Immortal; how could he be so easily tempted?

"I am the God King of the Undermoon School. You should know of me," a voice sounded in Ji Ning's mind.

"You?" Ji Ning's heart was filled with boundless hatred.

The war had lasted so long. When Ji Ning chatted with the Xia Emperor and the others, he naturally learned of the Undermoon School's true supreme commander—the God King. The Nuwa camp had long known that the God King could control dreams and meet people in dreams. But the Nuwa camp could never crack this technique, unable to infiltrate the dream world woven by the God King.

"I will draw a strand of your consciousness into my world, and we will talk in detail," the God King said.

"Fine," Ji Ning did not refuse. He was inside the Eight Dragons Cloudcity and had no fear of danger. It was merely a strand of consciousness… even if that strand were destroyed, it would be no real loss.

Then a strand of Ji Ning's consciousness was drawn, sinking down, down…

…

A vast, dark world.

On a ten-thousand-foot throne suspended high in the air, the God King sat aloft, while below on the ground appeared a figure—Ji Ning.

Ji Ning looked up coldly at the black-robed figure in the sky. The mist within the black robe made the God King seem even more unfathomably mysterious. Ji Ning said coldly, "A venerable Dao Ancestor, what business do you have with me?" Though his heart held boundless hatred—if he were a mortal, he would have gone mad—Ji Ning understood that he was far, far beneath this supreme commander of the Undermoon School.

"There is no need to hate me so," the God King said from on high, indifferent. "We are enemies after all. What I do is merely to let my Undermoon School win. This time I seek you… because I hope you will join my Undermoon School."

"Delusion," Ji Ning uttered only that one word, too lazy to say more.

"Do you think Yu Wei is dead?" the God King said.

Ji Ning was startled.

"What?" Ji Ning looked at him. "I saw with my own eyes my senior apprentice-sister's soul scatter. Can that be false?"

"Yes, her soul scattered, but she is not dead," the God King said, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. "After her soul scattered, her true spirit would head toward the River of Destiny, correct?"

Ji Ning did not speak.

Indeed.

Even if the soul scattered… if one could retrieve senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei's true spirit from the River of Destiny, she could be brought back to life! But according to what Ji Ning knew, only Nuwa in all the Three Realms could retrieve a true spirit from the River of Destiny. Yet Nuwa had long since entered the endless Chaos…

"Yu Wei was one of the many sleepers my Undermoon School planted in the Nuwa camp," the God King said. "Among these many sleepers, some are my absolute believers. They revere me immensely, obey my commands, and are willing to die for me. In the souls of these absolute believers, I long ago left forbidden seals."

Ji Ning's pupils contracted.

"Yu Wei committed suicide, her soul scattered, but since I left a seal on her soul, I naturally knew immediately," the God King said. "So at the moment her soul scattered, I directly took away her true spirit. Her true spirit never entered the River of Destiny."

Ji Ning's heart trembled.

"After taking her true spirit, I directly cast it into the small reincarnation cycle I built," the God King said. Ji Ning knew that Dao Ancestors could generally build small reincarnation cycles; Patriarch Crimsonbright could do so as well.

If a true spirit entered the reincarnation channel, it would naturally be reborn.

Many Celestial Immortals and True Immortals who reincarnated did so by having their true spirits reincarnate.

"After she was reborn, I directly awakened her memories and took away her infant soul. Take a careful look." The God King pointed into the distance.

Instantly, whoosh.

About several dozen zhang to Ji Ning's right, a black-robed girl appeared out of thin air. Her face, her bearing, her eyes…

"Senior apprentice-sister?" Ji Ning could hardly believe it, but he had no more doubts.

People could disguise themselves, but the look in the eyes could not be faked.

"Ji Ning, she cannot see you now. Watch from the side," the God King's voice sounded in Ji Ning's ear.

"Greetings, God King." Yu Wei was shocked, then quickly knelt down.

"Yu Wei, did you think that by committing suicide, your body would die and your soul would be extinguished?" the God King's voice carried anger. "I told you, when you were about to destroy Shennong's medicine, you should first stir the seal I left in your soul, and I could bring your soul back. Why did you directly commit suicide? If I had been a step slower, your true spirit would have entered the River of Destiny, never to be found again."

Yu Wei knelt: "God King, please grant me death."

"Grant death?" the God King's voice was icy. "What, afraid that if you live, you will bring trouble to Ji Ning?"

Yu Wei knelt motionless.

"You are truly devoted to this Ji Ning. Back then, I ordered you to bring him to the Fifth World, and you refused. Now you would rather die than become a pawn of my Undermoon School to influence Ji Ning. You have truly disappointed me." The God King was somewhat angry.

Yu Wei knelt, tears falling.

She was truly very loyal to the God King. Disappointing him made her involuntarily pained. But she truly did not want to burden Ji Ning or burden their daughter.

"Whoosh."

The God King blew a breath.

A fierce wind howled, sweeping over Yu Wei, and she dissipated.

"Senior apprentice-sister!" Ji Ning was greatly alarmed. That was definitely senior apprentice-sister, absolutely no mistake. Those eyes… no mistake.

"Don't panic," the God King looked at Ji Ning. "In this dream world of mine, only a strand of consciousness can enter. Your Dao-companion's soul is still intact. Now that her true spirit has reincarnated, the newly formed soul is very weak. She cannot even commit suicide. Her fate… is now completely in your hands."

"In my hands?" Ji Ning's expression changed.

"Yes!" The God King's misty eyes flashed with lightning. "In your hands. If you defect to my Undermoon School, then you can live happily with your beloved Dao-companion once more. With the protection of my Undermoon School, even your master, Patriarch Subhuti, cannot kill you. And your master probably dares not violate the agreement and attack you in his capacity as a Dao Ancestor."

"So…"

"Defect to my Undermoon School, and you, your Dao-companion Yu Wei, and your child can all live happily together, and receive the protection of my Undermoon School!"

"If you do not defect, your Dao-companion Yu Wei's soul will suffer endless torment in the endless hells, the agony of hellish torture. And you and your child… will be enemies of my Undermoon School, hunted by us forever."

The God King looked at Ji Ning. "I believe you know which path to choose."

"Take another look." The God King pointed to the air beside them.

Whoosh~~~~

In midair, a scene appeared.

It was a vast world, with flames, mountains of knives, cauldrons of oil, forests of swords, hooks for flaying… and countless ghosts suffering myriad tortures. At that moment, a black-robed girl was also teleported there. Seeing this endless hell and the countless ghosts wailing, she could not help but change color.

Then Yu Wei calmed down. She had also guessed that the God King might send her to the endless hell.

"This is the endless hell I created, more painful than the eighteen levels of hell in the former underworld," the God King said, looking at Ji Ning. "If you oppose my Undermoon School, then Yu Wei is useless, and she will suffer endless torment in this endless hell."

"She was so loyal to you," Ji Ning could not help but shout.

"Loyal?" The God King shook his head. "No. If she were loyal to me, you would have died long ago."

Ji Ning was startled.

Yes.

He himself had felt the Undermoon School's desire to kill him. Previously, the three demon gods of Tunlong Mountain had been watching him. Earlier, the Undermoon School had even sent a team to assassinate him, but fortunately Old Man Yuan had intervened… If senior apprentice-sister Yu Wei had been willing, and he had trusted her absolutely, he would probably have died long ago.

"She disobeyed my orders," the God King said. "According to my temper, I should have cast her into the endless hell long ago, letting her suffer torment for eternity. But since she became Lü Dongbin's disciple and became your Dao-companion… talent is hard to come by, so I made an exception."

In fact, when Yu Wei chose to defy the God King's orders, she had already prepared to die.

Only after the God King made that exception did Yu Wei think of having a child with Ji Ning.

"So she should have suffered torment long ago. Disobeying me is a path to death," the God King said, looking at Ji Ning. "But Ji Ning, your talent is extraordinary, worthy of my regard. My Undermoon School also values you greatly… If you can defect to my Undermoon School, Yu Wei can immediately be spared eternal torment and can live with you and your child forever."

The God King truly wanted to recruit Ji Ning.

Ji Ning was indeed a great threat.

But if Ji Ning were recruited, the Undermoon School would gain an ally, and the Nuwa camp would lose a prodigy. That would be far better than killing Ji Ning. And Yu Wei… was the Undermoon School's leverage.

"Join my Undermoon School. Here, treasures, divine abilities, puppets… everything is available. You and your Dao-companion and child can be reunited," the God King said, pointing to the scene in midair. "I believe you will not send the woman you love into the endless hell."

Ji Ning was silent.

He looked at his senior apprentice-sister 'Yu Wei' in the midair scene, just silently watching.

…