Chapter 562: We Are Staying
While cultivating, Hui Yue looked deep within his core. There were the different caves filled with his memories and also the Nirvana Phoenix Flame alongside Lan Feng.
Recently, in the last few days, Hui Yue had tried to get into contact with Lan Feng, but he found that the phoenix was completely lost in a trance and he was unable to speak with him.
Ever since Hui Yue had spoken with Yanluo at the banquet, he had tried contacting Lan Feng to hear if the King of Hell was correct when he said that Lan Feng had given up his own future reincarnations for the sake of resurrecting Hui Yue. He wanted to ask why on earth he had done that for someone he did not even know back then.
But no matter how curious Hui Yue was, the phoenix did not respond to him. By now the phoenix had been quiet for a very long time, and it was impossible to say when he would return to his usual nagging self, and also be able to answer any questions that Hui Yue might have.
Although Lan Feng was quiet, Hui Yue was not too worried about it as he just waited patiently. Hui Yue and Lan Feng's souls were connected, and he felt no distress or discomfort. All he could feel was that Lan Feng was concentrating intensely on something and he dared not interrupt Lan Feng when he was busy cultivating.
Sighing, Hui Yue noticed that Lan Feng was still busy cultivating and since he could not get into contact with him, he started cultivating once more like everyone else around him.
The ones who had been shaking because of the pain they experienced or the mental backlash they had suffered from the ordeal, slowly stabilized after a certain amount of time, and now all of them were cultivating silently.
The group was seated in the back courtyard of the black palace for the better of two weeks. That was how long it took to test out the many people who had arrived for the sake of the Judge of Hell trial.
During these two weeks more and more people appeared in the courtyard, but at most a handful appeared every day. In total as the first trial finished, around sixty experts were gathered in the back. Some of them had gotten through the trial easier after realizing it was a mental test, but the majority had persisted through sheer willpower. These people had been shaken to their core by the severe pain they had experienced, but they had also gained something from this forceful perseverance.
Suddenly the door opened again, and just as everyone lazily turned to look at this newest person to pass through the trail, they were all shocked when they saw that it was not a participant, but Yanluo himself.
Looking at all of them, Yanluo's eyes scanned their bodies and understood every single secret which was hidden within. He understood everyone’s strength and also their characters.
Smiling, he nodded his head in approval before he started speaking, "All of you were the ones who passed through the first trial in the search for a new Judge of Hell."
"I will continue with trials for as long as is needed until only one person remains. Only one person will rise above everyone and inherit the position as a Judge of Hell!"
"While these trials are ongoing you will not be allowed to roam about freely. For now, we will give you some chambers where you can wait for your turn in the next trial. If you need anything tell the servants that will be tending to you."
"Your rooms will be right next to one another, but fighting is strictly forbidden. If I catch any of you fighting or even having the intent to taunt the other contestants, then you will instantly be disqualified!"
Yanluo's voice was stern, and everyone understood that this was no empty threat. He really would disqualify anyone who taunted the others or in any way wanted to sow discord amongst the competitors.
"Every single trial covers important aspects of the Judge of Hell’s duties, and if you wish to become the new judge, you must be the last man, or woman, standing."
"Since you are not allowed to leave the chambers we have prepared for you, you can write some letters, and we will bring these to your sects or dear ones. They will then know that you are undergoing the trials and that it might take years before we finish... That is depending on how tenacious you all are."
Having said this Yanluo grinned, but the faces of all present turned rather surprised and then discomforted. None of them wished to spend years here. Although it was clear that it would be of great benefit for them to become the new Judge of Hell, they were also aware that only one person would become this illustrious figure the rest would have wasted their time.
While Hui Yue was listening to Yanluo, his soulforce stirred, and he suddenly felt a set of eyes staring at him. Turning around he was facing a very attractive young man who was looking at him intently, yet the moment his gaze was noticed he just smiled and nodded his head before looking elsewhere.
Using his soulforce to scan the strength of this person, Hui Yue was shocked. He might look young and handsome, but he was at least a couple thousand years old, and his Ancestral Worldpower pool was incredibly deep; his potential seemed limitless.
Within his black eyes was a faint hint of something purple as if he were half-demon, half-human, but what troubled Hui Yue the most was that when he felt the gaze upon his back, he had also noticed his killing intent.
Hui Yue had never seen this person before, and thus he had no idea why he would want to kill him. But regardless of the reason, he knew that this was the most dangerous person he had ever encountered before. Regrettably, this person seemed to have some sort of enmity towards Hui Yue.
Even though Hui Yue did not recognize this person, he was wary of him. He moved away so his back was not facing this dubious person.
Yanluo cast a final glance over the many people present before he clapped his hands and from outside a large group of servants appeared.
"Follow these servants and go to your new residences. You will be living there for quite some time so make yourself at home. While moving, you are to respect the demons of my mansion, and if I hear that any of you failed to listen to them, then that person will be disqualified."
"Now rush back and if you want to write to your sects or dear ones and let them know that you will be busy for quite some time. You can also say that during the trials I will guarantee that there will be no deaths."
When Yanluo said that the trial was going to take quite some time both Pei Ze, Pei Feng and the youngster from the Nightcrawler Sect had ugly expressions on their faces. They had fought long and hard to hold their current position. If they did not cultivate for a couple of years, even if they were geniuses, others would surpass them by the time they returned to the sect. Not to mention all the resources they would miss out on because they were here and not at home.
They might even be replaced as the top geniuses of the younger generation if this took too long! Was it really worth it then? Only Hui Yue was completely calm. Although he wished to become the Judge of Hell as soon as possible for him, it was much more important to become the Judge of Hell than to have some high rank amongst the younger generation of the Celestial Sword Sect.
Not to mention the fact that Hui Yue had been relying on himself up until now. Relying on himself for a couple more years to sustain his cultivation was not much.
Huli had been sent back to the Divine Beast World, and Hui Yue dared not summon her nor anyone else out of the Universe Box before he was done with these trials. He did not want anyone to know that he had the Universe Box, and he did not want to be disqualified because of getting outside help.
Before Huli had entered the Divine Beast World, she had given Hui Yue a large vial filled to the brim with pills. The Alchemist God made all of these pills, and they were pills that strengthened or increased the density of Ancestral Worldpower in his body. These pills would help his strength grow greatly.
While Hui Yue was completely certain of his decision to finish this trial till the end, the three experts from the top sects were still unsure. At this point, Yanluo sighed and waved his hands, "You will be allowed access to our cultivation resources here. Even more than what you can get at your sects."
"You need to understand that a sect has to raise many experts and that therefore their resources can only sustain so many experts."
"The Netherworld and the Ten Courts of Hell are different." Yanluo grinned.
"We do not raise many experts as the Judge of Hell is always recruited from the outside world."
"It is true that the families of the judges require some resources, but, they get it themselves from taxes in their respective cities."
As Yanluo had said this, he noticed the questioning looks on everyone's faces. Seeing this, he shook his head with a small smile on his face. He had forgotten that these people were all unfamiliar with the Netherworld and the Courts of Hell.
"Youdu is the capital of Diyu," Yanluo said patiently, "but there are also other cities within Diyu. Each Court of Hell has its own capital and thousands of smaller cities. The Judge of Hell is also known as a King of Hell. They rule over the entire court. Not only does he administer justice, but he also controls it like a country and gains taxes from the residents."
"From these taxes, he has to pay tribute to Youdu and the black palace, but the majority of this tax they can keep for himself. Because of this, they can buy their own resources."
"For this reason, we have plenty of resources here in Youdu. These resources never get used for anything other than bonuses for the demons that work for us. Since it is important to find the right Judge of Hell, I don't mind using some of these resources for you guys."
The more Yanluo explained, the more excited everyone became. Hearing that they would be controlling not only punishments but also a whole kingdom which they could even get taxes to live from, they realized that becoming the Judge of Hell was truly enough to be set for life.
Pei Ze, Pei Feng, and the young man from the Nightcrawler sect were also excited as they heard that Yanluo would provide them with resources that would allow them to grow in strength even more quickly.
One should not forget the dark energy which was within Youdu, the soul energy which had been created over thousands of years was already enough to make this the best place to cultivate for young Gods like them. This was because their souls needed to be nurtured to deepen their Ancestral Worldpower pool.
"I would like to stay," Pei Ze was the first to say, and moments after he had spoken, Pei Feng nodded his head in approval. The one who hesitated the longest was the young man from the Nightcrawler Sect. This was because he already had access to the majority of the sects resources, but thinking about it, he also nodded his head. Looking at Hui Yue, there was an urge to fight in his eyes. It seemed that what had convinced him was not the promise of resources, nor the dense soul energy around them, but the hope of fighting Hui Yue at some point.