Chapter 178: The One Left to Guard Encounters an Enemy

The Underworld was said to have eighteen layers. Above all lay the Ghost Domain, while every level beneath it was a realm of purgatory. Since the Spirit King had said Xi Teng was trapped in the deepest layer, it meant they would have to descend through every level one by one to reach him.

Left behind on the surface, Yun Jiao quickly grew bored. After a full day of running around—first the Underworld, then the demon realm—she was exhausted. Even her stomach started protesting loudly.

“Ancestor…” she tugged at the man beside her, voice small and pitiful. “Do you still have any snacks? I’m starving.”

Ye Yuan lowered his head to look at her, an odd flicker of hesitation crossing his usually calm face. After a long pause, he answered, “I have… a little.”

“Can I have some? I’ll pay you back when we return.”

His eyes lit faintly, then dimmed again as if reconsidering. “No need,” he said in a low voice. “I can afford to feed you.”

“Huh?” Yun Jiao blinked. She wasn’t sure she’d heard him right.

Ye Yuan didn’t elaborate. Instead, he flipped his hand and produced a gray storage pouch, handing it over. “Not much left—but enough to fill you.”

“Thank you, Ancestor!” Yun Jiao’s eyes gleamed. She opened the pouch—and immediately froze. Out came pastries, melon seeds, sticky rice cakes, dumpling balls, candied fruits, dried berries… the pile grew higher and higher until the cloth she’d spread on the ground was completely covered.

And yet the storage bag hadn’t even flattened.

Yun Jiao: “…”

Ancestor, look me in the eyes and say again that this is ‘a little, not much left.’

How many months have you been hoarding snacks?!

She made up her mind to check the old man’s purchase ledgers when they got home. The ingredients alone must’ve cost at least thirty taels—never mind the failed “experimental batches” or the occasional “pitfall traps” meant to swindle her master.

The more she looked, the more her heart ached. So much money…

“Eat.” Ye Yuan handed her a small cookie, his face expressionless as always, though his eyes shone ever so slightly brighter.

“…” Yun Jiao stared at him wordlessly, then sighed and popped the cookie into her mouth. Well, I picked this ancestor myself. Even if he bankrupts me, I’ll just have to feed him.

('」∠)

She briefly entertained the idea of teaching him to cook someday—at least vegetables were cheaper than pastries—but then remembered the old man hadn’t fully learned fasting yet. If she made Ye Yuan cook, that poor man would probably starve to death, so she reluctantly gave up the thought.

As she munched, she mentally calculated how many more training courses she’d need to hold back at Qingyang Sect to cover her ancestor’s “snack fund.”

But just as she was lost in thought, a strange sound broke through the silence.

Gurgle…

It was sudden and loud—echoing across the empty, eerie Underworld.

Yun Jiao instinctively turned her head toward the source. Not far away stood a young man—strikingly handsome, with sharp brows and gentle eyes. He was the kind of beauty that could make a crowd scream. Dressed in a flamboyant dark-red robe, he somehow radiated an aura of soft warmth, almost harmless…

If Yun Jiao hadn’t spent so long around her devastatingly good-looking ancestor, she might have been stunned. If only he weren’t staring at our food like a starving wolf.

Beside her, Ye Yuan’s brows knit tightly. Yun Jiao also tensed, her instincts on alert.

Who was this?

Looking closer, she saw he wasn’t alive—a spirit, faintly transparent, even weaker than the usual souls here. But his sudden appearance, as if conjured from thin air, set her nerves on edge.

“Do you need something?” she asked evenly. Ever since the chaos at the royal city, most ghosts had steered clear of this area. She hadn’t expected one to wander so close.

The young man blinked, startled. Then a sheepish smile curved his lips. He bowed slightly, voice warm and polite. “Forgive me. I caught the scent from afar and grew curious about what you were eating. I meant no harm and hope I haven’t startled you.” He quickly wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

From afar?

Yun Jiao turned to glance behind them. There was nothing but the vast, dark river that divided the Underworld. Across it lay the neighboring domains. Could he have drifted over from there?

Before she could think further, the man’s gaze shifted, eyes widening slightly. “You’re… from the mortal realm!”

Yun Jiao nodded. “Yes.”

“Living people shouldn’t tread the Underworld so lightly,” he said with faint disapproval, his tone more concerned than hostile. “This is a place for spirits. You should leave as soon as you can.”

“Thank you for the warning. We’re waiting for some friends—they’ll be back soon.”

“Friends?” His brows furrowed deeper. “The Underworld is not a place for casual visits. You—wait…”

He stopped mid-sentence, staring straight at Ye Yuan. His expression froze, then turned to shock. “It’s you!” he exclaimed. “Ah, no wonder—I almost didn’t recognize you like this.”

Huh?

Yun Jiao blinked and turned to her ancestor. “You know him?”

Ye Yuan’s frown deepened. After a long, unreadable look at the stranger, he said flatly, “Never seen him.”

“You—” The man’s steps faltered. He sighed softly. “Fine, fine. Forget it. But don’t tell me you came to the Underworld just to picnic by the river?” His gaze dropped to the feast spread before them, and he crouched slightly, hand reaching toward a pastry.

“Wait—!” Yun Jiao slapped a hand over her eyes.

Sure enough, the next instant, a surge of power swept through the air. Normally, anyone hit by Ye Yuan’s casual strike would be sent flying into the horizon—but this man only staggered back a few paces before steadying himself, still smiling as if nothing had happened.

“Ye Yuan,” he said with a faint chuckle, “still so quick to attack. That temper of yours really hasn’t changed.”

Yun Jiao stared, stunned. Her ancestor hadn’t held back, yet the man hadn’t even fallen—just drifted a few steps!

“Ancestor, who is he?” she whispered.

Ye Yuan’s expression darkened. He slowly rose to his feet, moving in front of her protectively. After a long pause, he uttered two words:

“The Underworld King.”

“…”

The Underworld King?!

(⊙_⊙)

No way—that Underworld King? The one who was supposed to have been asleep for millennia?

Yun Jiao’s pulse jumped. Even Ye Yuan looked guarded; that alone said plenty. The man might be smiling, but no one that powerful was ever harmless.

The stranger’s grin deepened. He didn’t seem angry, but his aura shifted—the faint, transparent figure solidified, his form growing distinct and heavy with power. Thick waves of yin energy rolled off him until the air itself felt suffocating. His once-black eyes glowed with eerie golden light, and darkness rippled around him like liquid ink. Just looking at him made Yun Jiao’s blood run cold.

This was the true Underworld King.

“Ye Yuan,” he said softly, taking a step forward, each footfall carrying oppressive weight. “After all these years, you’re still as—ah!”

He didn’t finish. With a loud thud, his foot slipped on nothing, and before anyone could react, the mighty Underworld King faceplanted spectacularly in front of them. The thick mists of yin energy exploded outward like a popped bubble.

Yun Jiao: “…”

Ye Yuan: “…”

This… this is the Underworld King?!

(￣△￣；)

—Enough said.

Don’t ask who “Chang” is today.

(End of chapter)