Chapter 390 The Situation, The Current Villains

　　A month passed by in the blink of an eye.

　　Li Nianfan lived leisurely. He was the director of the Heavenly Palace, the Sea kind, the Underworld, and the Humans. He was responsible for giving directions. Even in front of all the big shots, it was an easy job for someone with his talents. He would return to the four-part architecture at night to rest. He would go to the venue and direct in the daytime. He would chat with the Jade Emperor and the others while he was free. It was nice.

　　Li Nianfan also felt vain whenever the actors would listen to his directions attentively.

　　It was hard to imagine that he came this far without noticing it. He must be considered a big shot in the realm.

　　Li Nianfan discovered interesting stories of the legendary characters through the many chats. He also had a clearer picture of the situation.

　　In conclusion, it was a replacement of an era.

　　To quote Wukong, “The Jade Emperor title takes turns, it’s my turn this year.”

　　The realm was changing. Hidden forces or ambitious people had appeared. Some liked to live in peace. They wished everyone could be happy. Some liked to see the world burn so they could benefit from it.

　　The Jade Emperor, the Underworld, and the Dragons became ‘species of the past’ who wanted to bring back their glory days. The opposers were ‘defenders of the new era’ who wanted to change the realm.

　　In other words, once they eliminated the Jade Emperor and the others, they could rule the world.

　　Li Nianfan had to say, “The situation in the realm still can’t differ from battles.”

　　He unconsciously befriended all the ‘past bigshots’. Hence, he already chose sides without considering it. However, he was not worried.

　　First of all, Li Nianfan felt like the Jade Emperor was trustworthy. Combining his knowledge of the legendary stories, no one was more powerful than the Jade Emperor apart from the Saints. The Empress was also the second most powerful being in the realm. They were students of the Buddha. As for Houtu Empress in the Underworld, she was also quite powerful.

　　Moreover, he was a Deluxe Merit Saint. His defense was great. He could just sit by and watch.

　　Everyone drank alcohol at the venue.

　　The news of the event was out. Immortals promised that it would be good and everyone was exhilarated. The Fallen Town was bustling. However, the event venue was still on lockdown so no one dared to trespass. They were all very excited.

　　The Jade Emperor nodded and agreed, “You’re right, Mr. Li. Since the beginning of time, the realm was always filled with battles among various species or clans. That’s how the catastrophe started.”

　　Zhou Yunwu also said, “It’s too hard to avoid war. It’s almost impossible.”

　　He was the Human Sovereign. He only experienced a fraction of the war from the prehistoric world. Even Humans fought internally. It could not be helped. Li Nianfan had already let it be. Wars and battles were a constant occurrence. He cared more about protecting himself. He asked, “Emperor, do you know any powerful beings that still exist in this realm?”

　　The Jade Emperor groaned for a moment. He shook his head and sighed softly, “I’m not sure. After the catastrophe, Dao Zu said that those who were stronger than Daluo Golden Immortals would not be in the Immortal Realm anymore. Then, everyone either hid or they were sealed. But now… The Absolute Era seems to be over. I’ve been sealed for so many years, I’m not sure who’s still alive.”

　　Li Nianfan frowned. It was a difficult situation. There could be a lot of Saints, and there should be a lot of Daluo Golden Immortals.

　　He could confirm the enemies. The Demons, the Southern Sea Dragons, and the Kirins. The three clans were hard to deal with.

　　The Demons were more troubling. Their main target the Demons. They also had Luohou as their powerful and terrifying boss.

　　The Southern Sea Dragons had something called the Dragon Soul Pearl. It seemed to be a legendary treasure that would make them instantly powerful. Kind of like those ultimate bosses in his past realm novels. Maybe they would be the biggest threat.

　　The Kirins were unpredictable. He did not know how powerful they were but they were one of the strongest species in the realm. They must be difficult to deal with.

　　Suddenly, two figures flew in from afar. They were tall and buff and had an ox head and a horse face. They were easily identifiable.

　　Their voices were hoarse and ferocious. They bowed at everyone and greeted, “Greetings to Mr. Li, the Jade Emperor, and the Empress.”

　　Then, they looked at the table behind everyone. They stared at it and almost salivated.

　　Black Impermanence said, “Brother Ox, Brother Horse, why aren’t you guys guarding the Reincarnation area? What are you doing here?”

　　Ox-Head glared. He moo-ed angrily and said, “That’s easy for you to say. Why don’t you go and guard the Reincarnation area?”

　　“Black and White Impermanence, you two spend all day eating good food and drinking nice booze, living a leisurely life while we brothers work hard at the Underworld. Won’t your conscience hurt?” Horse-Face pointed at Black and White Impermanence. He yelled and scolded, “Look at my sexy horse mane, it’s almost bald!”

　　He said while brushing out his little braid. His hair flowed in the wind.

　　They felt bitter. Their jobs were already hard, but it was tougher to see Black and White Impermanence living so lavishly. They endured it for too long. They thought of the delicious food and finally snuck out from the Underworld.

　　Li Nianfan smiled and said, “Guys, take a seat since you’re here.”

　　“Thanks, Mr. Li. We’ll be intruding then.” Ox-Head and Horse-Face were instantly overjoyed. They did not try to be courteous either. They took a glass of wine after sitting down. “Sorry to intrude. We’ll punish ourselves with a glass of wine.”

　　Then, they drank it in one go. Ox-Head and Horse-Face instantly squinted in enjoyment.

　　‘Nice, this is a nice life.’

　　Li Nianfan smiled and asked, “You two snuck out without permission. Will everything be alright?”

　　“It’s fine. We trained some Onis recently. They know what to do. As long as it’s not an emergency, they’ll be fine.”

　　Ox-Head looked at Meng Junliang. He said, “Mr. Meng, I know you’re a teacher, too. You have to prep these students and make sure they’re ready. We’ll be waiting for their job applications down there.”

　　Horse-Face also said, “King Zhou, Mr. Meng, we’re workers of the Underworld. Hence, we have to give you a heads-up.”

　　Zhou Yunwu and Meng Junliang said at the same time, “We appreciate further details.”

　　“The realm works by its own laws. For an ordinary man, death and sickness are the natural paths of life. But for someone of your status, you can naturally elongate your life using cultivators’ medicine. It’s just a temporary fix, but if you forcefully try to buy more time, it’ll be recorded on the Death Note. Unless you transcend into cultivation, it’d be… considered as bad karma.”

　　Horse-Face paused. He continued, “All living beings will die. They have the chance to be hired by us. If they forcefully try to prolong their lives, they’ll become sinners. Not only would we not hire them, but they’ll also be punished for their crimes.”

　　Black Impermanence was a straightforward speaker. He said, “The Underworld and the City God Temples are in desperate need of staff. We have a lot of open positions. It’s an opportunity. You guys should talk some sense into those keen on being hired. Tell them to stop enduring and living. Hurry up and come to us!”

　　Zhou Yunwu and Meng Junliang felt awkward. They fake-smiled and saluted, “I see.”

　　Ox-Head and Horse-Face raised their glasses again and said, “Cheers to King Zhou and Mr. Meng then!”

　　Li Nianfan noticed that they were much more relaxed. He smiled curiously and asked, “Is the Underworld back on track now?”

　　“It’s all thanks to you, Mr. Li. Let me tell you, the City God Temples were a genius idea. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be easy for us.” Ox-Head and Horse-Face were grateful. They raised their glasses again and said, “We’re two buff dudes and we’re not good at sentimental words. All our thanks are in the wine. Cheers to Mr. Li!”

　　Li Nianfan finally realized that the ox and the horse were here to get free drinks. They had raised their glasses thrice in three sentences.

　　Ox-Head put down his glass and rubbed his head. He said, “By the way, the Styx of the Underworld is starting to wreak havoc again. Those Asuras are up to something. I’m afraid bad things are going to happen.”

　　The Jade Emperor was intrigued. “The Styx?”

　　Li Nianfan was intrigued, too. He was familiar with the Styx. It was as famous as the Acheron.

　　In the legendary stories, the Styx was transformed from a puddle of blood. The blood puddle was from the body of Pangu. More importantly, it gave birth to a Deity named Styx Laozu. He had two Ultimate Heavenly Swords and they were named Yuan Tu and Abi. There was a saying that the Bloody Sea would not dry out and the Styx would not die.

　　If the saying was true, Styx Laozu was most probably alive.

　　The Styx was also most probably…their villain.

　　‘Alright, we were just thinking about who might still be alive. Now comes a super-powerful Deity.

　　‘Oh yeah, apart from the Styx Laozu, the Styx also birthed Liuchi Mosquito Taoist. He was also a bad*ss character. It was a shame that he sucked away three of the Golden Lotuses from the Saint.’

　　He was also most probably…a villain.

　　There were too many big shots. Each of them could destroy realms. No wonder the tribulations and disasters kept happening.

　　Ox-Head looked serious as he said, “Back then, the Underworld was ruined. We had no choice but to throw the countless ghosts into the Styx. Now that the Underworld’s slowly recovering, the Styx is uncooperative.”

　　The Empress frowned. She said in a deep voice, “Styx Laozu tried to imitate Goddess Nuwa so he could become a Saint. He created the Asuras in the end. The Asuras are a bunch of ghosts who’d devour anything. It seems like they’re starting to cause trouble.”

　　The Jade Emperor became worried when they talked about the situation. “I wonder if we can revive the Heavenly Palace.”

　　“It depends.”

　　Everyone lined up and chatted. Half a month passed by in the blink of an eye.

　　The highly anticipated end-of-the-year event…began.