Lin Lei's heart trembled.
The Ruler of Death?
Lin Lei knew that every system of magic had seven High Gods — one supreme High God, two intermediate High Gods, and four lower High Gods! The seven elemental systems and four law systems made a total of eleven supreme High Gods. And those eleven supreme High Gods could all call themselves "Rulers"! They were the absolute pinnacle rulers of their respective systems, figures who held dominion!
They stood at the very apex beneath the High Gods.
The High Gods themselves were incarnations of the laws, devoid of human emotions, and would never meddle in any conflict — they could essentially be discounted. That meant the eleven Rulers could rightly be called the most powerful existences across all the countless planes.
And from the way Inawei spoke, among those eleven Rulers, the Rulers of the four supreme high-ranking planes were the strongest. It wasn't hard to imagine just what kind of existence this Ruler of Death sitting upon the throne truly was! For him to have mentioned the Blood Summit High God — that really was laughable!
"High God," Bei Bei blurted out urgently, "my boss, he —"
"Silence." The Ruler of Death spoke from her throne in a detached tone. Bei Bei was instantly crushed under a wave of pressure, rendering him speechless. "What I have said will not change. The reward and the punishment cancel each other out. I will not help you."
Lin Lei raised his head and looked up at the Ruler of Death seated above.
She still wore her purple robe and blood-red hair, with a face as delicate and lovely as a young girl's. Yet the aura she naturally radiated made Lin Lei feel utterly powerless. This was the Ruler of the Underworld, one of the four supreme high-ranking planes! The strongest, most supreme, most invincible living being!
"High God, then we brothers shall take our leave." Lin Lei rose, still bowing.
"Mm." The Ruler of Death responded indifferently.
Bei Bei shot a glare at Lin Lei and transmitted urgently, "Boss, we're leaving now?"
"Yes, leaving right now! What the High God says cannot be changed. We need to hurry and find the other Underworld High Gods." Lin Lei transmitted back immediately. He had begged and pleaded repeatedly, but this Ruler of Death hadn't shown the slightest bit of wavering. "If this Ruler of Death won't help us, I refuse to believe the other six are all the same!"
Lin Lei could not give up!
The thought of his father, Yeru, George, and the others still trapped in mortal danger made him frantic. If they died on the Yulan Continent, they wouldn't truly be dead — their souls would still exist. But dying in the Undying Plane meant complete soul annihilation. Just like Grandpa Derinkoort — they would never come back again!
Lin Lei could not watch their souls be scattered into nothingness!
He would risk everything to save them!
Bei Bei glanced up at the Ruler of Death. "All right, let's go."
Lin Lei and Bei Bei bowed respectfully once more to the Ruler of Death, then turned and walked toward the entrance of the High God's hall. The family of the gold-and-silver twin snakes, as well as瑟斯 and Berlerai, watched their departing backs with various expressions. The gold snake and silver snake couple merely sneered.
"Wait." A cold voice suddenly rang out.
Lin Lei and Bei Bei, who had nearly reached the hall's threshold, froze in their tracks. Lin Lei whipped his head around, his eyes lighting up with hope as he looked at the Ruler of Death. "She's calling to me now — has she changed her mind? Can a High God really change their word? But it's not impossible — High Gods were once people who cultivated to reach that level. Perhaps she can change! There's still hope!"
Lin Lei tensed up.
Bei Bei also looked up at the Ruler of Death, part confusion, part hope in his eyes.
"Lin Lei, let me give you a piece of advice. You don't need to go searching for the other Underworld High Gods. You can simply return to the Infernal Realm," the Ruler of Death said flatly, though her eyes watched Lin Lei's expression with clear amusement.
"Why?" Lin Lei's heart lurched. He sensed something bad.
"When ordinary people die, their souls enter the Underworld and become undead. This is part of the laws of heaven and earth. The specific laws governing this process have taken form as a treasure — the Underworld's supreme artifact, the Heart of the Underworld. If you want to find the undead your father and brothers have been transformed into, you must rely on the Heart of the Underworld. And that Heart of the Underworld… is in my possession." The Ruler of Death spoke with icy detachment.
Lin Lei stared at her.
The Heart of the Underworld?
So it was the Heart of the Underworld that controlled all of this. Such a supreme treasure being kept by the Ruler of Death was only natural.
The Ruler of Death gazed down at Lin Lei below, the corners of her lips curling upward slightly. "I told you — as punishment, I will not save your father and brothers. So… don't even think about saving them. Even if you beg the other Underworld High Gods, I will not allow them to use the Heart of the Underworld. I doubt any of them have the audacity to defy me. And you certainly don't have the standing to make them do so!"
"So you might as well return to the Infernal Realm," the Ruler of Death added calmly.
BOOM!
Lin Lei felt his mind explode into chaos. "Heart of the Underworld," "Father," "Boss Yeru," "George"… all these things churned through his mind in a jumbled mess. All logical thinking shut down — he was completely overwhelmed. It felt like an eternity passed… Lin Lei stood as if in a daze, his mind spinning in a fog!
Then, in one instant, he snapped back!
"No!" Lin Lei raised his head and locked eyes with the Ruler of Death. "High God, you can't do this! You can't! If you're unwilling to save them, High God, I Lin Lei have no complaint whatsoever — but you can't stop the other High Gods from saving them! You can't! You can't!" Lin Lei had fallen into total desperation.
Facing the Ruler of Death, he had no power to resist, no power to demand — all he could do was speak these helpless words! In his despair, he even forgot to use the respectful "you" and instead used the informal "you." In a lucid state, Lin Lei would never make such a mistake.
Bei Bei also stared at the Ruler of Death, disbelief written in his eyes.
"This is your punishment," the Ruler of Death said coldly.
"High God!" Bei Bei suddenly strode forward.
"Presumptuous!" One of the two maids standing at the edges of the hall's steps snapped coldly. "Step back!"
Bei Bei stopped, raising his head to look at the Ruler of Death. "High God, you are an invincible ruler! Yes, I killed a snake spirit. Whether her name was 'Tina,' I don't even know." Bei Bei held his chin high. "You sent someone to test us — how was I supposed to know it was a test? She was going to kill me! Was I not allowed to fight back?"
BOOM!
Bei Bei suddenly dropped to his knees, still keeping his head raised toward the Ruler of Death. "I don't believe I did anything wrong. If the Ruler of Death says I've erred and deserves punishment, then punish me directly! Don't punish my boss! The one who killed the snake spirit was me — a man takes responsibility for his own actions. Don't drag my boss into this! Come on — if you want to kill me, go ahead!" Bei Bei defiantly raised his chin, staring straight at the High God without flinching.
Lin Lei was stunned.
In the hall,瑟斯 and Berlerai looked at Bei Bei in astonishment, and even the gold-and-silver snake couple and their companions showed signs of shock.
"Very well." The Ruler of Death regarded Bei Bei below with a cold look.
BOOM!
A terrifying wave of pressure radiated outward, slamming Bei Bei down with a sharp crack. His whole body smashed into the floor of the hall, but Bei Bei still braced himself with his hands and forced his torso upright, keeping his head raised toward the Ruler of Death.
WHOOSH!
Lin Lei's figure shot sideways in front of Bei Bei. He raised his head to face the Ruler of Death above. "Ruler, it was I who ordered Bei Bei to kill that snake spirit. We were trying to seize the Underworld Fruit at the time. But that snake spirit got in the way, so I ordered Bei Bei to kill her while I went to grab the fruit. Bei Bei was only following my orders."
"Bei Bei!" Lin Lei transmitted sharply. "Have you lost your mind? If you die here, you won't even have a divine clone left — it'll be a true death! What about Nina then? What about your daughter, Ina? And Belut — he'll be heartbroken!"