A carefree soldier king in the city

Chapter 536 The Realm of Gods

"So what if he disappeared?" King Yama laughed. "It's no big deal. Immortal Venerable, this place is not suitable for a long stay. Please move to the Yama Palace. I have something I would like to discuss with you."

Upon hearing this, Chao Bufan was speechless for a moment, then said helplessly, "Let's go then!"

In the Hall of the King of Hell, the King of Hell and Chao Bufan sat cross-legged facing each other.

"Immortal Venerable, now that you have seen the Nine-Wicked Lamp, what are your thoughts?" King Yama asked.

Upon hearing this, Chao Bufan gave a wry smile and said, "King Yama, would you like to hear the truth or a lie?"

King Yama was taken aback, then said, "Of course, I'm willing to hear the truth."

"Alas!" Chao Bufan sighed and said, "To be honest, I have no thoughts at all. If I did have any thoughts, perhaps I really am not your Immortal Venerable."

King Yama smiled slightly and said, "Your Excellency is overthinking things. You are the Venerable One we have been waiting for for tens of thousands of years."

Chao Bufan nodded. Since Yama was so certain, that was good. He stopped worrying about whether it was true or not. He asked, "Yama, since you are so certain, then tell me, what can I do for the Nine-Wicked Lamp, or rather, what should I do?"

"This—" King Yama laughed, "Immortal Venerable, perhaps only you, Immortal Venerable, understand what the Empress means."

Upon hearing this, Chao Bufan nearly choked with anger. "Nonsense! If I understood, would I be asking you?" he thought. It seemed this King Yama knew something but was unwilling to tell him. After a moment's thought, he smiled and said, "King Yama, if it's truly as you say, and I am the savior chosen by the Queen, then I know what to do even without you saying it. If the last wick of the Nine-Wicked Lamp goes out, it means the human realm will cease to exist, and I will disappear into the river of history. Therefore, I will do my duty to help. However, as you can see, with my current insignificant abilities, I'm afraid I can't be of any help. Moreover, I truly don't understand the Queen's intentions."

King Yama nodded and said, "This little god understands."

“Good, good,” Chao Bufan nodded. “King Yama, now that you’ve explained it clearly, shouldn’t you do something to help me become stronger?”

This guy isn't stupid. He won't let Fei take advantage of this great opportunity to "profit from the chaos." How can he know if what Fei said is true or false if he doesn't get the King of Hell to show his appreciation?

King Yama understood Chao Bufan's meaning and also had this intention, so he nodded and said, "Yes, Immortal Venerable."

Chao Bufan was overjoyed, but remained calm and said, "Alright, it's all empty talk now. You should help me improve my cultivation first. Once I become stronger, everything will be easier. King Yama, am I right?"

“Yes, yes, yes,” King Yama nodded hurriedly in reply, “Your Excellency’s words are reasonable, I will do as you say.”

As he spoke, King Yama placed his hands flat in front of his chest, fingers touching and palms facing upwards. He gathered his energy and opened his mouth. A golden elixir rose from his abdomen, was forced out of his body, and landed in his palm. He then presented it to Chao Bufan, saying:

"Immortal Venerable, this elixir can greatly enhance your cultivation and also stimulate the golden core within your body, allowing it to exert its true power."

Chao Bufan was slightly startled, only then remembering that he had indeed taken a golden pill before, which was given by the ancient divine beast Azure Dragon. He accepted the pill and thanked him, then continued, "King Yama, I really forgot if you hadn't mentioned it. This golden pill in my body was given by the Azure Dragon, one of the four ancient divine beasts. Do you know where they are now?"

Upon hearing this, King Yama smiled slightly and said, "I don't know about that. I only know about the four ancient guardian beasts, the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird, and the Black Tortoise, as well as the four guardian deities of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. They are all guardian deities of the human realm. As for where they are, I really don't know."

Chao Bufan gave a bitter smile and said, "A few months ago, I was almost killed by Thor. If it weren't for Senior Qinglong and the others appearing in time to save my life, I'm afraid I really would have died at Thor's hands."

"Oh?" King Yama was slightly surprised and asked in astonishment, "Immortal Venerable, do you have a grudge against the Thunder God?"

"Festival my foot," Chao Bufan said with a wry smile again. "I was on a mission when the enemy summoned the four guardian deities of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning to attack me. Fortunately, Senior Azure Dragon and the others arrived in time to stop them, and I escaped with my life. I overheard something from their conversation: they are the four guardian beasts of the Eastern world and the four guardian deities of the Western world. Although they each have their own duties and keep to themselves, they seem to be mortal enemies. Why is that?"

“I don’t know about that,” said King Yama. “I am only in charge of the life and death cycle of all living beings within my jurisdiction. As for what the Immortal Venerable said, I never ask about it and have no right to ask about it.”

Chao Bufan thought about it and felt that what Yama said made sense. As the Yama King who governs the Nine Nether Hells, he is in charge of life and death and reincarnation. It would be unreasonable for him to meddle in the grudges and affections between gods. There are some unspoken boundaries between gods, and no one would overstep their bounds to interfere in other people's affairs unless it is a very special case. Chao Bufan was clear about this, so he nodded and smiled and said, "Alright, I will take this elixir now. I would like to ask Yama King to protect me."

The King of Hell respectfully replied, "As you command."

After taking the elixir and with the help of the King of Hell, Chao Bufan successfully broke through to the peak of the Human Realm, and his cultivation level soared all the way to the peak of the Harmony Realm before stopping.

Chao Bufan examined himself and nodded with satisfaction. He then asked, "King Yama, if I break through to the peak of the Harmony Realm, what realm will I reach?"

Upon hearing this, King Yama respectfully said, "If one breaks through the peak of the Harmony Realm, then the Immortal Venerable can advance to the Divine Realm, then the Saint Realm, and then the Immortal Realm."

"And what about beyond the Immortal Realm? What kind of realm is that?" Chao Bufan asked again.

The King of Hell replied, "Above the Immortal Realm is the Profound Realm."

"The Profound Realm?" Chao Bufan asked, puzzled. "Then what kind of realm is that?"

"I'm not entirely sure either. I only know that the Profound Realm is a supreme realm that not everyone can reach," King Yama shook his head and said. "In the Nine Great Worlds, the Demon King, the Underworld King, the Immortal King, the God King, and other supreme beings all pursued this realm, which led to their exhaustion and self-destruction."