Ma Guanshan had been chosen as the Supervising Inspector to oversee the progress of Fallen Star. Above him was the overall commander, Young Master Impermanence. He was a monster second only to the Seamless Patriarch in power in the Infernal Hell. The cultivation world called him the Underworld Prince, but he did not like this title. He often called himself Young Master Impermanence, and after a while, he became Young Master Impermanence.
Young Master Impermanence was like Young Master Xiaoxiang, just a title. But Young Master Xiaoxiang was not Xiaoxiang, while Young Master Impermanence was truly Impermanence. One moment, he would chatter incessantly because he did not like the clothes of a member of the sect. The next moment, he seemed to have forgotten what had just happened, and became silent. When he was silent, it was mostly because he was thinking. If someone disturbed him at this time, something terrible would happen.
The night before Ma Guanshan came to Xiuda City, he had a deep conversation with his teacher, Lu Yunyin. He still remembered Lu Yunyin's expression that day. Deep in that indifference that seemed to have transcended the mortal world, there was a deep anxiety that made him feel very uneasy. Lu Yunyin was one of the few super experts in the Jambu Realm. What else in this world could make him feel so weak and powerless? Ma Guanshan only vaguely felt a trace of this question after the conversation.
"How long have you been here?" Lu Yunyin did not ask how long Ma Guanshan had followed him, or how long he had been his disciple. Instead, she asked how long he had been in the Infernal Hell.
Ma Guanshan's keen intuition told him that there was more to the difference. So he counted seriously. "Four months and six days, and it will be nine years."
"What do you think of the Infernal Hell?" Lu Yunyin had set up a force field before the conversation, ensuring that not a sound could be heard. They were talking in a deep underground cavern, near the main altar of the Infernal Hell.
"Evil and mysterious. Everything is hidden beneath the water, unseen and untouchable." Ma Guanshan could not help but be as cautious as a spy, and he lowered his voice to the lowest level. If he used telepathy, he could not accurately convey his feelings, and could not form the basis of a deep conversation.
"If I said that I have never seen the Infernal Hell, would you believe me?"
"Of course I believe Teacher, but...."
"My understanding of the Infernal Hell isn't much better than yours." When Lu Yunyin said this, the anxiety hidden behind her indifference became even more obvious.
Ma Guanshan was shocked. Before he could ask the question he urgently wanted to know, Lu Yunyin continued, "Five hundred years ago, I had just arrived in Jambu from the divine continent. Coincidentally, I was caught up in the second great war between the righteous and demonic paths. Because the Mahakala Devil Saber was no different from the demonic path, I was listed as an enemy of the cultivators. After that, Seamless saved me, and I settled down in the Asura World. But these are all appearances … "His eyes stared straight into Ma Guanshan's eyes. He didn't say another word, but it was as if an even more powerful force had squeezed into Ma Guanshan's heart, giving him an even more intense shock.
Ma Guanshan sensed it. He knew the depth behind Lu Yunyin's silence. Then, he gradually smiled. "Teacher, I'm a terrible person. Sometimes, I don't even deserve to be called a person. But, it is all thanks to Teacher that this student has a foothold in Jambu. This has nothing to do with justice or anything else. As long as Teacher wants me to do something, I will carry it out without hesitation. "
Lu Yunyin nodded. She meaningfully said, "Go to Xiuta City. They need a supervisory envoy there. Do what you think you should do."
From this, Ma Guanshan could feel that his teacher shouldered an even greater responsibility than saving his master's wife. But, this sort of person often caused others to suffer misfortune along with them. He didn't know why he always met this sort of person – the other was Ji Zhiyuan – but it was often this sort of person that he couldn't resist. It had nothing to do with justice or anything else.
Ma Guanshan wasn't able to appreciate the scenery of Xiuta City. He was led by the Unbroken Cult to a deep underground cave. In a spacious stone chamber, he saw the commander of Falling Star, Young Master Impermanence. The Unbroken Cult were skilled at digging holes. This stone chamber was quite new. It was oval in shape, as if it were a giant egg buried deep underground. The walls were polished smooth and the overall layout was very appropriate. It was like a very high standard living room.
The light was illuminated by a very luxurious sea blue stone.
Young Master Impermanence sat on a round stool, his left elbow resting on the table beside him. His thumb was curled up into a fist, and his lips, paler than his skin, were tightly pursed, as if he were thinking about something.
The entire Unbroken Hell knew that they couldn't interrupt Young Master Impermanence's train of thought, otherwise there would be serious consequences. The Unbroken Cult disciple that led Ma Guanshan here said in a very soft voice that if he didn't want to wait here then he could go to the sleeping quarters that had been prepared for him. Ma Guanshan indicated that he didn't need to. What he wanted to know right now was the meaning behind Falling Star. Before coming here, Lu Yunyin hadn't given him any hints. He would have to find out everything by himself.
Ma Guanshan had been in the Unbroken Hell for nearly nine years now, but this was his first time meeting Young Master Impermanence face to face. In the past, he had only heard about him from the disciples or seen him from the Main Headquarters. Young Master Impermanence looked like a dead man. If he didn't even blink, there wouldn't be a single trace of blood on his body. He was as pale as a sheet of paper. The blue light of the sea blue stone made him look like a wandering ghost, adding a strange atmosphere to the tranquil stone chamber.
From the first day Ma Guanshan entered the Unbroken Hell, he had heard rumors about Young Master Impermanence. It was said that he couldn't interrupt his train of thought, otherwise there would be serious consequences. But as for what those consequences were, whenever he asked, the other disciples of the Unbroken Cult wouldn't be able to say anything, or they wouldn't say anything even if they were beaten to death. It was as if even thinking about it would terrify them.
Ma Guanshan was the same as Yan Li; he had an extremely adventurous spirit in his bones. Otherwise, he wouldn't have picked up a bit of dried meat in his youth and walked down a path of no return. He suddenly wanted to experience those serious consequences and see just what would happen. Thus, he loudly called out, "Commander, Ma Guanshan has come to report for duty. What instructions do you have?" As his voice fell, he keenly sensed that the air in the cave seemed to be sucked away by something. Then, Young Master Impermanence's eyes changed, turning from a silent state to a cruel and evil one. Moreover, this was the first time since he entered that his eyes had focused.
"Call me Young Master Impermanence!"
The moment that Young Master Impermanence's eyes focused, Ma Guanshan felt as if he were being stared at by an ancient vicious beast. It wasn't just one, but countless. The next moment, something that made his scalp go numb happened. Two human heads grew out from his left and right shoulders, which was the source of the beast's gaze. In addition, above his head, legs, and even his abdomen, the ceiling, the floor, and the walls were densely packed like mushrooms growing out from a rotten tree trunk …
Ma Guanshan was surrounded by a sea of heads. The number of heads was so massive that it caused him to fall into a state of discomfort. This was a feeling that was even more unbearable than fear. Before his discomfort turned to fear, these heads began to attack him. Some of them shot out death beams from their eyes, some of them had long hair, wanting to strangle him to death, some of them spat out all sorts of liquids, flames, and icicles. In short, all sorts of attacks that could be thought of surged towards him.
"My life is over!"
Ma Guanshan couldn't even think of resisting. He closed his eyes in despair. But even after waiting for a long time, none of these attacks arrived on his head. He wasn't injured at all. At this moment, he finally understood why those Unbroken followers didn't even dare to say anything. If someone were to ask him to describe this feeling, not only would he firmly refuse, but he would beat them up so badly that not even their mothers would recognize them. This was because he didn't even have the courage to open his eyes. He was afraid of seeing those heads, afraid of coming into contact with those eyes, afraid that his discomfort would come back and occupy his body and mind.
Finally, Ma Guanshan opened his eyes. This was because Young Master Impermanence had spoken. When he opened his eyes, all the phenomena around him had vanished. Young Master Impermanence faintly smiled as he sat there, as if he had already 'woken up'.
"You were recommended by Lu Yunyin?"
This was a very normal question, but it nearly caused Ma Guanshan to burst into tears. He didn't want to face those heads again. "Yes, it was me …"
"Mm, if I had woken up just a little bit later, you would have died." Young Master Impermanence casually said.
Ma Guanshan wiped away a cold sweat. "Thank you for showing mercy."
Young Master Impermanence smiled. "Do you know what you came here for?"
Ma Guanshan said, "I was just about to ask."
"I have some business to attend to. You're responsible for supervising the progress of 'Meteor'." As Young Master Impermanence spoke, he tossed over a blueprint.
Ma Guanshan caught the blueprint. It was a very blurry sketch, with an upper and lower level structure. The upper level was marked with Xiuta City, while the lower level seemed to contain this stone room. He saw that several key supporting points on the lower and upper levels had been circled, signifying destruction. He couldn't help but think to himself, What is this for? To make Xiuta City sink? What does this have to do with 'Meteor'?
"Young Master Impermanence, this subordinate has a question."
"Ask away."
"What does' Meteor 'represent?"
"Do you know of Yan Shifang's duel with the Dragon?"
"I do."
"Then do you know that more than half of the experts on the Heavenly Star List will come to watch?"
"I'm not sure about that."
"If a new star on the Heavenly Star List falls, isn't it called 'Meteor'? Do you understand now?"
Ma Guanshan felt a chill run through his body, but he didn't dare to show it. "I understand, but according to the blueprint, we can only make Xiuta City sink. How can we take their lives? Besides, the Infernal Realm and the Nine Schools of Confucian orthodoxy have always minded their own business. Why should we take such a huge risk to make a wedding dress for the Demon Realm? "
Young Master Impermanence smiled and stood up. He walked to Ma Guanshan's side and patted him on the shoulder. "You'll understand in the future who 'our' true enemy is." He then strode away.
Ma Guanshan knew that he couldn't get any more secrets from Young Master Impermanence. It had nothing to do with justice or anything else. In order to fulfill his teacher's expectations, he needed to take a deeper risk. Before that, he needed to familiarize himself with his duties.
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