From the flames ahead, a phoenix cry emerged:
"What are your plans?"
The two men standing at the center exchanged glances. "Naturally, to mend the Heavenly Dao."
The Azure Dragon's long whiskers swayed in the wind. "It will not be easy."
The man in the ink-colored robe: "Indeed. It will likely take a considerable amount of time."
The phoenix tail flashed within the flames. "How will it be done?"
The man in the ink-colored robe: "I will do it. But at that time, this world will be entrusted to you."
"I have made arrangements in the Underworld, and the mortal realm has its own path of development."
"I will watch over the Heavenly Realm," the man in the moon-white robe interjected. "Those invaders outside, and the demon race, will be held back by the entire Heavenly Realm."
A phoenix cry sounded again from the flames. "Since this concerns the entire world, my phoenix clan is also willing to contribute."
"Lad, you still haven't figured out what to do about that Black Abyss, have you?"
The man in the ink-colored robe nodded slightly. "Yes."
The flames: "Very well. Before you return, I will guard it for you!"
Hearing this,
The man in the ink-colored robe and the man in the moon-white robe both looked at it.
They cupped their hands, their voices filled with respect:
"Then we shall trouble the elder to look after it."
Sometimes, whether someone is worthy of respect depends not only on their strength or age, but also on what they do.
Within the flames, the phoenix tail flicked.
"This was your plan all along, wasn't it? Hmph."
The man in the moon-white robe shrugged, his tone righteous.
"Who else among the strongest beings, besides the two of us,
Could resist the erosion of such things as well as you, elder?"
Phoenix, phoenix, reborn from fire.
...
The air fell silent for a moment.
The Azure Dragon on the left half-rose,
Its golden eyes gazing down at the man in the ink-colored robe.
A majestic voice echoed through the air:
"Remember your words, and bring my dragon son back."
"If any major issues arise within the demon race, my dragon clan will suppress them."
The man in the ink-colored robe said earnestly, "I will."
...
The scene shifted.
The man in the ink-colored robe sat indoors, his hands busy by the windowsill.
Jiang Lin still stood behind the man.
He tried to look ahead,
And saw a black iron ball, the size of a baby's fist, in the man's hand.
It looked utterly ordinary.
At this moment, the man wiped the iron ball with a handkerchief, then stood up.
He turned around, facing Jiang Lin.
His face was incomparably handsome, his eyes like ink spreading.
A gentle smile played on his lips, conveying no hint of confusion or insecurity.
"From now on, it's up to you."
In an instant,
A prickling sensation shot from his spine to his forehead.
Jiang Lin was shocked, feeling as if the man was speaking directly to him.
But how could that be?
Just as he was about to turn his head to see if there was anyone else in the room,
The next second,
Jiang Lin's spiritual power was pulled out of this profound state.
Looking at the lush green courtyard before him,
It took him a while to realize that he had originally been in the Eighteenth Hall.
What were those… just now?
Jiang Lin carefully recalled the system's prompt before those scenes appeared.
"Ultimate mission, to keep the appointment?"
"So those were the hints?"
Keep the appointment…
Jiang Lin thought about the two scenes he had just witnessed.
The shock in his heart had not yet subsided.
Because the face of the man in the ink-colored robe
Reminded him of the 'My King' who had caused such a stir in the Four Halls.
Aside from a slight difference in demeanor, they were carved from the same mold!
Not only that,
During the meeting of various races, when the black substance bound by golden chains was thrown out, many races gasped.
Thinking back now, it was because the silhouette of that black shadow was too similar to the man in the ink-colored robe!
Could it be,
That black shadow was the 'My King' of later times?!
Jiang Lin fell into thought.
The man in the moon-white robe said he watched over the Heavenly Realm.
The man in the ink-colored robe said he had settled the Underworld.
… Could these two be the Heavenly Emperor and the King of Hell?!
The memory scenes that Jiang Lin experienced when he merged ghost energy and divine power resurfaced.
In those memory scenes,
There was a pair of exceptionally outstanding brothers.
From beyond the heavens.
One specialized in internal research, the other in external affairs.
Later, they decided to divide their labor,
One went to develop in the heavens, the other in the underworld.
All the clues pointed to one conclusion—
"Are those two the adult forms of Number One and Number Two…?"
Jiang Lin murmured to himself.
It felt both expected and unexpected.
He carefully sorted through the current clues.
Number One, the man in the ink-colored robe.
He went to mend the Heavenly Dao in the end.
And Jiang Lin's final mission was to keep an appointment.
Whose appointment was it?
The appointment with the Azure Dragon and the Phoenix?
The Azure Dragon hoped Number One would bring back his dragon son…
Jiang Lin had also received a seven-colored egg from the system…
The Phoenix went to guard the Black Abyss…
So, was the elder guarding the Black Abyss the Phoenix of that year?
The seven-colored egg had now successfully hatched and returned to the dragon clan, so that should be considered accomplished.
But the elder of the Black Abyss…
Jiang Lin's mind wandered for a moment.
What was he supposed to do?
He didn't know how to mend the Heavenly Dao either.
Nor did he have the strength to replace the other.
Wait…
Jiang Lin opened the system and found the prize the system had given him last time.
A virtual wish card lay quietly in the system backpack.
"…"
So this was where it was waiting for him?
What if he had made his wish elsewhere from the beginning?
Accumulating points and strength bit by bit…
And then,
Making the elder of the Black Abyss
Wait for another few hundred or thousand years?
Who was being tricked here?
Thinking of this, Jiang Lin suddenly felt it was strange.
Since this wish card didn't require any specific wish, nor did it offer any hints.
Did this mean,
That his choices were actually quite broad?
He didn't necessarily have to rush to keep the appointment?
"… What was that person thinking?"
...
...
"Master, master, senior sent a letter!"
Just as Jiang Lin was standing in the courtyard, lost in thought,
The cheerful voice of the robotic sphere sounded from outside the Eighteenth Hall.
A moment later,
The robotic sphere, in the image of a small white cat, rushed in.
Holding a letter in one paw, it happily bounced in front of Jiang Lin.
"Senior said that it will be going to the demon realm with Ao Bai for training soon, and after the training, it can return to the Underworld for a while!"
Although the robotic sphere wanted to talk and chat with the seven-colored egg from the Dragon Palace via phone,
After it had perfected the Underworld's network with many high-tech ghost talents from the Underworld, it discovered that
Connecting to the Underworld's network and connecting to the Dragon Palace's network seemed to be two different things.
To connect the two, it wasn't enough for it to just think about it.
It also depended on the situation on the Dragon Palace's side.
Jiang Lin snapped back to his senses, raised his hand, and patted the little kitten.
He took the letter to read it.
Going to the demon realm for training…
Jiang Lin thought of the powerful-looking races he had seen in the scenes just now.
Were those beings still alive?
But then again, the dragon clan must have made preparations.
They wouldn't send the two little ones to their deaths,
And the demon realm had likely always been kept in check by the dragon clan, so there shouldn't be much of a problem.
He returned the letter to the robotic sphere and casually asked,
"Are your classes over?"
The robotic sphere nodded. "Mm-hmm!"
It wagged its tail happily. "However, I've also accumulated a lot of money and materials, so I plan to do some major modifications and upgrades first~"
Jiang Lin nodded slightly. "You may."
After chatting with the robotic sphere for a while.
Jiang Lin noticed the small round ball of the live stream and remembered that he still had to patrol the new members.
... No matter what, he had to do his current job well.
He raised his hand and patted the little kitten's head.
"I'm going to work, you play by yourself."
"Okay, meow~!"
...
The Mortal Realm—
"Navigation sprite reminds you, please turn right."
"Route error, route error, please turn back."
Nie Jiu heard the phone's prompt and stopped his flight above the city.
He lowered his head, looked at the route for guiding souls planned by the phone's navigation, scratched his head, and turned back.
He remembered,
He had just flown to the right…
Ever since the Underworld went online and various mobile apps were developed,
Nie Jiu had also downloaded a map app for the mortal realm.
However,
Due to his exceptionally high tendency to get lost,
Jiang Lin had also asked the robotic sphere to specially design a navigation sprite for him.
He could follow the route planned by the navigation sprite,
And it would also provide real-time reminders if he went in the wrong direction.
On the other side,
Hong Ya, while leading the new team members towards the town, said with a serious expression.
"Let me tell you, the first rule of workplace etiquette is,
Never give your superior a cold shoulder or throw a tantrum!"
This was a lesson learned through blood and tears!
"Mm-hmm! I know, Senior Hong Ya."
The new member was a young fellow who nodded obediently.
"I watched the live stream of Happy Community when I was patrolling the mortal realm before."
?!!!
Hong Ya, who was flying, braked sharply.
Her eyes widened like bronze drums, staring directly at the new member.
She was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a long time.
"You, you saw everything?"
Did he see her giving the streamer a cold shoulder, throwing her hat, and saying she was going to resign?
The new member, still oblivious, continued to nod obediently. "Mm-hmm!"
"…"
Hong Ya's face darkened.
She wanted to teach this new member.
The second rule of workplace etiquette is,
Even if you know someone's past mistakes, don't bring them up.
Especially not a senior's!
...
"Ding~ The 'Underworld Healing Daily' live stream you are following is now broadcasting, come and watch~"
...
On the balcony of the small town,
A boy doing laundry while watching short videos suddenly shouted indoors,
"Mom— it's starting! Come watch the live stream!"
...
...
(PS: The end is the beginning. Mushroom feels this feeling is very good.
I also considered whether to have a major event to conclude with a grand finale,
Or,
As many viewers suggested, have the streamer end with sacrifice and reincarnation/return to heaven and earth.
But in the end, I decided to stick to my original idea.
To come from a day's routine,
And to continue through a day's routine.
The story belonging to the Underworld live stream, its viewers, and the various states of the mortal world will continue in their world.
Oh, right, it's not over yet.
See you in the next chapter.)