Two golden-armored immortals appeared on a distant branch of the peach tree. They had hulking figures and looked imposing.

The one on the left had a calm expression and wielded an axe. The one on the right had a heavy expression and wielded a halberd. They were the legendary guards of the Ghost Pass, Shencha and Youlei.

Xihe roared, “Audacious! How dare you not bow in the presence of the Celestial Emperor?”

The two golden-armored immortals were taken aback. They took a good look at Zu An before replying, “Ah, so it’s the Celestial Emperor. May we know why you are here?”

Zu An replied, “I need to make a trip to the Underworld. I’ll have to trouble you two to open the Ghost Pass.”

In view of ‘Emperor Jun’s’ polite attitude, Shencha and Youlei replied respectfully, “Celestial Emperor, it’s not that we don’t want to grant you passage, but only the deceased can enter the Underworld.”

“That isn’t a problem. I have my own way to enter the Underworld.” As Zu An spoke, death energy began to shroud his body, making him appear like a ghost.

Shencha and Youlei were taken aback. As expected of the Celestial Emperor. His capabilities are impressive. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Even Xihe was amazed. There was a famous saying that the celestials governed heaven, whereas Houtu governed earth. Both parties had their own, separate jurisdictions. So, it was astonishing to see Zu An’s authority extending from heaven to earth.

Shencha and Youlei exchanged looks before saying, “Please hold on, Celestial Emperor. We need to report this to Lady Houtu first.” Both of them closed their eyes to communicate with a certain entity.

Zu An wondered if he would be able to meet Houtu in the flesh this time. The last time they met, Houtu had already transformed into the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

Soon, Shencha and Youlei opened their eyes. “Lady Houtu invites the Celestial Emperor in.”

The two of them crossed their halberd and axe before pulling them apart. A pitch black door opened from their intersection. The Underworld’s energy emanating from the door prompted Xihe and Qiu Honglei to instinctively step back. Not even someone of Xihe’s divine stature could withstand the Underworld’s concentrated aura. No living being could hope to ever enter the Underworld.

With a wave of his hand, Zu An enveloped Xihe and Qiu Honglei with a unique aura. “Don’t worry. Follow me.”

As the Netherworld’s master and someone who wielded a portion of Death’s authority, he had the power to bring people into the Underworld with him.

The two ladies quickly followed him into the Ghost Pass. They were filled with curiosity about the legendary Underworld.

After those three had passed, Shencha and Youlei began to gossip.

“The one emitting blazing heat is Celestial Empress Xihe, right? Who is the other fairy?”

“She seems to be the Lady of the Nine Heavens. I saw her from afar once.”

“I can already see it. The Celestial Emperor will die a lecherous ghost.”

“Should we tie him up and feed him to the divine tiger when the time comes?”

“Shh! Are you tired of living?”

...

Passing through the Ghost Pass, the trio were transported into a dark world. A frigid gale rushed at them; it chilled not their bodies, but their souls.

Zu An took the lead to deal with any dangers that could come their way.

Qiu Honglei, who was walking at the back, sneezed. Despite having consumed the immortal medicine, her near-death experience still left her extremely prone to catching a cold.

Upon seeing that, Xihe grabbed her hand. She was the Sun Goddess, an entity who brought warmth and light to others.

Qiu Honglei looked at her gratefully. “Big sister Xihe, your hands are so warm.”

Zu An had turned around after hearing the sneeze, and he happened to overhear Qiu Honglei’s remark. He felt a stir in his heart as a thought surfaced. Well, she was much warmer during our consummation night. That had been such an unforgettable experience that now and then, he found himself being transported back to that time.

Xihe appeared to have thought of the same thing. Her face reddened and she shot a glare at Zu An, warning him not to let his thoughts wander.

Many ghosts wandered in their surroundings, but they steered clear out of fear of the trio's auras.

The trio advanced for a long time. There were so many ghosts wandering this world that it felt nigh impossible to find Yaoji’s soul among them.

Just then, an authoritative voice echoed from the distance, “Pardon my lack of hospitality, Celestial Emperor. Please head here for a chat.”

A ray of light shot out from the distance and formed a path.

The trio exchanged looks before advancing. They were top experts in this world; they weren’t worried about the Underworld’s master luring them into a trap.

Moments later, Qiu Honglei tugged Zu An’s sleeves and exclaimed, “It’s the Oblivion River!”

Zu An had noticed it, too. There was a raging, blood-yellow river that was clearly the Oblivion River. There was also an enormous mountain range in the distance that he recognized as the Yin Mountains. This Underworld was the foundation of the future Netherworld.

The ray of light formed a translucent bridge across the Oblivion River. Xihe grabbed Zu An’s arm and said, “Be careful, this river feels extremely dangerous.”

“This is an invitation from Lady Houtu. She won’t tamper with the bridge.” Zu An smiled as he took the two ladies’ hands and stepped onto the light bridge.

As she walked on the bridge that was as thin as a cicada’s wing while looking at the raging Oblivion River beneath, Xihe couldn’t help but shudder.

Fortunately, nothing went wrong in the process.

A chuckle echoed in the air. “I’m impressed by your guts, Celestial Emperor.”

A figure leisurely walked out from the faraway Yin Mountain. Her footsteps were casual, but it only took an instant for her to travel up to them.

Zu An had experience dealing with Houtu, but he had only seen her silhouette on the Reincarnation Platform. He hadn’t seen her true face yet. He was curious to know what the woman who had accrued so many merits looked like. But he was stunned when he saw her face.

Xihe was also startled. She hadn’t expected the Underworld’s master to be so beautiful. She had always thought that she was the most beautiful person in the world, and thus far, she hadn’t met anyone whom she thought surpassed her in terms of appearance. But the moment she saw Houtu, she suddenly felt a sense of defeat.

Very few people in the world had ever seen Houtu’s true appearance. It was rumored that she was an average-looking woman, and all the time she'd spent holed up in the Underworld had made her hideous and savage.

Right now, Xihe just wanted to scream at those people. If Houtu is considered hideous and savage, all other women in the world can just slam their heads into blocks of tofu right now!

She instinctively turned to Zu An, thinking that the latter would surely lust for Houtu, but the situation was worse than she thought. Zu An was staring straight at Houtu without blinking at all! I know she’s beautiful, but do you really have to make it so blatant?

Xihe gritted her teeth. She was about to throw a tantrum when Qiu Honglei suddenly called out, “Big sister Yu?”

Xihe blinked. What’s going on? Is she yet another one of that fellow’s lovers?

Zu An felt as if a tsunami had crashed down on his heart, whirling it around with the currents. Lady Houtu looked exactly like Yu Yanluo, though she exuded an air of solemnity and divinity.