Yang Qi was completely stunned, his mind buzzing.
He stood by the Naihe Bridge, looking at Ye Ling and Meng Po, unsure how to describe his feelings.
Ever since Wang Liren sent him to the underworld with a bullet, his worldview had completely shattered.
While he wouldn't claim his love for Li Xiaomei was akin to Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai's, he did love her.
His feelings for Li Xiaomei were genuine.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have remained unmarried for over ten years, nor would he have continuously sought trouble with the Yun Gong to avenge Li Xiaomei.
Now, with Ye Ling forcefully altering his and Li Xiaomei's destiny, something felt off… However, if he wanted to see Li Xiaomei, this seemed to be the only way.
Seeing Yang Qi's absentmindedness, Meng Po transmitted her thoughts to Ye Ling, "Your Majesty, this kind of artificially created destiny, is it fair to them and to the Three Realms? Is this truly alright?"
In truth, Meng Po didn't particularly care about the lives or deaths of Li Xiaomei and Yang Qi, as they had no connection to her.
However, altering destiny was not a simple matter of life and death.
Although the Matchmaker appeared to be a minor deity in charge of marriages, the red thread in his hand was a divine artifact capable of altering the karma of the world, subject to the strong constraints of the Heavenly Dao.
Forcibly using the red thread might lead to the collapse of the Heavenly Dao.
Furthermore, they would be using the Underworld's supreme treasure, the Book of Life and Death, to alter Yang Qi and Li Xiaomei's life stories. A single misstep could cause chaos in the Three Realms.
The Three Realms, though vast, were actually quite fragile in their stability. Perhaps the insignificant relationship between Li Xiaomei and Yang Qi could become the catalyst that shattered the balance of the Three Realms!
In that case, countless lives would be lost.
Ye Ling replied, "After they were targeted by Huang, the safety of the Three Realms became inextricably linked to them."
"I don't know what Huang's ultimate goal is, but with his strength, he could easily destroy the Three Realms."
"Compared to the billions of lives in the Three Realms, the karmic entanglement of love between Yang Qi and Li Xiaomei is no longer that important."
"Moreover…" As he spoke, Ye Ling's gaze sharpened slightly, his thoughts drifting.
First, the consciousness of the Heavenly Dao and Chi You, then Bu Si Gui and Amaterasu, and now even his divine weapon, Bloodbrake. More and more powerful figures were disappearing. Huang's ambition likely no longer confined itself to Earth.
A person like that, regardless of his ultimate objective or the secrets hidden behind him, the most stable way to maintain the Three Realms was to find and eliminate him as soon as possible.
Previously, Ye Ling had considered the Xu Organization as a neutral force independent of the Three Realms, positioned between him and the Shadow Hall, and there was no rush to deal with them.
But now, the actions Huang had taken on Earth were as dangerous as those of the Shadow Hall!
Huang's objective could never be merely to find the Ruins of Time.
Therefore, to deal with the Xu Organization, some sacrifices had to be made.
And the fate of Yang Qi and Li Xiaomei was an inevitable casualty of this war.
"Your Majesty…"
Meng Po stared blankly at Ye Ling, her eyes gradually becoming complex.
Although she didn't fully understand who the Xu Organization and Huang were, with her feminine intuition, coupled with the crisis that erupted at Mount Buzhou not long ago, she could vaguely sense that in the dark corners of the Three Realms, a terrifying beast was watching over the billions of lives.
Under such a torrent of disaster, let alone the fate of two mortals, even the gods in the heavens would become insignificant.
Soon, Ye Ling snapped out of his thoughts and smiled again, "It will take some time for Black and White Impermanence to fetch the Matchmaker. Let's go get the Book of Life and Death first, and we can make the changes then."
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Meng Po also returned to her senses, bowed respectfully to Ye Ling, and said, "Your Majesty, this humble one must guard the Naihe Bridge and cannot leave this place. I beg Your Majesty's understanding."
Ye Ling replied, "It's alright. I'll retrieve the Book of Life and Death myself."
Meng Po opened her mouth, then said, "Your Majesty, the Book of Life and Death is currently with the Judge. You must be careful…"
Ye Ling was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
Meng Po smiled wryly. "Brother Cui has a bit of a temper, and besides…"
At this point, Meng Po shook her head again. "Never mind, I can't explain it clearly in a few words. Your Majesty will understand when you get there. If Your Majesty states your purpose, obtaining the Book of Life and Death shouldn't be difficult."
Hearing Meng Po's words, Ye Ling nodded. A ball of demonic energy appeared in his palm and was sent into Meng Po's body. He said, "Thank you for the reminder. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."
Meng Po felt the power surging into her body. She was stunned at first, then her face lit up with surprise. She immediately bowed gratefully to Ye Ling, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for this opportunity! This humble one is deeply grateful!"
"No need for such formalities."
Ye Ling waved a gentle breeze, helping Meng Po to her feet. Then, he took Yang Qi's soul, crossed the Naihe Bridge, and headed towards Fengdu.
Meng Po stood by the bridge, watching Ye Ling's retreating figure. She felt the power within her, her gaze gradually becoming distant, and she murmured, "What kind of powerful being is Your Majesty… just a wisp of demonic energy can give me signs of breaking through to True Martial…"
"The rumors of Your Majesty in the Three Realms are indeed true. I wonder what kind of woman could win his favor."
Meng Po sighed softly, tidied her table, and returned to the Naihe Bridge to continue brewing Meng Po's soup. "From now on… I will have even more to do…"
After crossing the Naihe Bridge, Ye Ling, with Yang Qi's soul, traveled unimpeded all the way to Fengdu.
Although the Underworld was heavily guarded, and souls descending from the mortal realm had to undergo strict judgment before being tried by the Judges, Ye Ling was able to easily lead Yang Qi through layers of Yin soldiers and arrive at the Emperor's Hall where the Judges worked.
Wearing official robes, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, holding a soul-hooking brush in one hand and the Book of Life and Death in the other, Judge Cui Jue was currently judging a disembodied spirit below the hall.
Cui Jue pronounced in a resonant voice, "This criminal committed countless evil deeds in life, with the blood of three lives on his hands. According to the law, he shall be cast into the eighteen layers of hell!"
Upon hearing Cui Jue's words, the judged spirit's face immediately showed fear, and it begged for mercy, "Sir, I was wrong! I beg you to give me a chance! I don't want to go to the eighteen layers of hell!"
"Drag him away!" Cui Jue made a mark in the Book of Life and Death, and immediately two Yin soldiers dragged the spirit away.
"No, no… don't!"
Along the way, the spirit's screams were incessant, but the surrounding Yin soldiers showed no sympathy.
Having done evil deeds throughout his life and meeting a terrible end was the order of the Heavenly Dao, which no one could change.
Cui Jue didn't even glance at the spirit being dragged away, and turned to the next page of the Book of Life and Death. "Bring the next one up!"
"Judge Cui, pardon the interruption."
At this moment, Ye Ling, with Yang Qi's soul, entered the hall, interrupting Cui Jue.
The Yin soldiers in the hall immediately drew their weapons and pointed them at Ye Ling, shouting sternly, "Who dares to trespass in the Emperor's Hall?"
His work interrupted, Cui Jue frowned slightly, put down the Book of Life and Death, and looked at Ye Ling. He glanced at Yang Qi beside Ye Ling, then asked in a deep voice, "Your Majesty Ye Ling? What brings you here?"
Ye Ling smiled and said, "I've come to borrow your Book of Life and Death."