The Divine Urban Physician Chapter 3557: Currying Favor (Part 1)

"Hmm?"

Ye Chen's eyes abruptly sharpened. This elder had somehow uncovered his true identity? He was positive that his concealment had been flawless.

"Sir, this spot is meant for grasping the essence of life and death. All may pass through the death's gate, save for a single case: those who have fully conquered life and death, rising above it entirely, are forbidden entry."

Fear etched across the elder's features. Moments ago, he had attempted to push Ye Chen through the death's gate, only to be thrust back and cautioned by the spirit guarding it.

The death's gate spirit had sternly declared to the elder that Ye Chen held unparalleled status as the supreme Samsara Master, wielding control over Samsara and soaring beyond life and death, thus the gate could not permit his passage.

After listening to the elder's account, Ye Chen grasped the situation at once, his eyes deepening with insight. He commanded the wheel of life and death, and scarcely anyone could forge a death's gate like this. Perhaps this portal tied directly to his own existence.

"Who forged the death's gate?"

Ye Chen turned his sharp gaze toward the elder and posed the question.

"Ah?" The elder blinked in surprise at the inquiry. For endless eras, he had served as the death's gate guardian, yet his knowledge stopped at the stone door itself regarding its origins.

"I'm not sure," the elder admitted forthrightly.

Noting the elder spoke truth, Ye Chen sighed in resignation. Mysteries from his previous existence piled up unsolved, leaving no trails to pursue.

Next, Ye Chen fixed his eyes on the elder and inquired, "Since I can't step into the death's gate, does that bar me from the Nine Death Realm too?"

Grasping life and death via the death's gate was the sole path to the Nine Death Realm, rendering Ye Chen's exclusion from the gate a tricky predicament.

"No way," the elder hastened to deny, shaking his head vigorously, "Sir, as one who commands life and death, you require no such enlightenment. Gaining access to the Nine Death Realm would be effortless for you."

With those words, the elder flicked his wrist, summoning a vortex brimming with ruin and demise right in front of Ye Chen.

Countless vibrant runes adorned this vortex, smeared with majestic crimson streaks, exuding an timeless presence while seeming newly splashed.

"This leads straight to the Nine Death Realm; feel free to step in whenever you're ready."

The elder regarded Ye Chen with deep respect, his voice laced with a touch of deference.

"Enter anytime..." The phrase stirred something within Ye Chen. His purpose here was to save Ye Luo, and now the gateway to the Nine Death Realm lay open before him.

"I'll hold off until they emerge, then we'll go in as a group."

Ye Chen's gaze wavered briefly before he dismissed the idea with a shake of his head. He had arrived alongside the Sky-covering Demon Emperor, so venturing solo felt off, especially given the perils lurking in the Nine Death Realm—better to have allies for safety.

Ye Chen reined in his eagerness for the moment and remained poised in quiet anticipation.

Hearing Ye Chen's decision, the elder fell silent, promptly hiding the Nine Death Realm portal, then positioned himself humbly at Ye Chen's back like a devoted attendant.

Suddenly, a thought struck Ye Chen, prompting him to face the elder once more, "Have any two individuals shown up here lately?"

"Two people?" Confusion clouded the elder's expression at the query. The Death Ancient City drew throngs of arrivals, far too many to track easily.

"One steeped in the Heavenly Dao's aura, lacking an arm, plus a young girl," Ye Chen arched his brows as he described them.

The armless figure was clearly Xuanyuan Moxie, and the girl Ye Luo. Ye Chen had pondered how they accessed the Nine Death Realm, convinced it demanded rigorous ordeals.

Word was that Xuanyuan Moxie and Ye Luo had ventured into the Nine Death Realm. Had they endured those challenges as well?

"I remember now."

Ye Chen's details sparked recognition, causing the elder to lift his head abruptly, "Yes, just recently, two figures on the brink of death tumbled into Death Ancient City, one man, one woman. Their life force was faint, and as they collapsed unconscious within the city, the death's gate swung wide on its own, drawing them in to face life and death trials."

"What happened next?"

A subtle shift rippled through Ye Chen's chest. Xuanyuan Moxie and Ye Luo had crossed paths, clashed in battle, with Ye Luo wounded by Xuan Jiyue, leaving both teetering on oblivion.

"I don't know what followed," the elder replied sheepishly, glancing at Ye Chen while shaking his head.

"Sir, you see, the death's gate holds its own consciousness. It handles those it pulls in without any oversight, hurling them straight into the Nine Death Realm, alive or otherwise."

"I understand."

Ye Chen dipped his head in acknowledgment; Xuanyuan Moxie and Ye Luo carried heavy karmic ties, making it improbable they'd perish in the death's gate; surely by now, they'd penetrated the Nine Death Realm.

Ye Chen held his tongue after that, steadfastly awaiting the arrival of Sky-covering Demon Emperor and Jun Mo.

Time passed, and the death's gate, brimming with boundless All Heavens, started to quiver, from which a figure rapidly shot forth.

Jun Mo appeared, his form pulsing with potent decay and vigor; his eyes gleamed with infinite depth and wisdom, his presence steeped in antiquity, as though he'd cycled through innumerable reincarnations.

"Huff..."

Jun Mo let out a long breath, spotting Ye Chen and breaking into a grin, "You beat us out? This death's gate is no ordinary wonder—diving into life and death insights offers boundless fortune and merits."

Jun Mo lauded the death's gate highly; he'd reaped tremendous gains, pushing his mastery of life and death to its limits, on the verge of ascending to the half-step Heavenly Repairing Realm.

"Hehe, congratulations."

Ye Chen offered a faint smile; Jun Mo buzzed with thrill from his fresh fortunes, oblivious that Ye Chen had skipped the death's gate, letting Ye Chen relax without needing to clarify.

Right then, the death's gate shuddered anew, and Sky-covering Demon Emperor burst free.

Unlike Jun Mo, the Sky-covering Demon Emperor's energy loomed even grander, his stare piercing across ages and temporal flows, while surging demonic essence swirled about him, crafting symbols that unveiled deep secrets of life and death.

"Grasping life and death—truly an epic accomplishment."

The Sky-covering Demon Emperor's mouth twitched upward; he had likewise harvested vast rewards, his power now infused with the core of the Heavenly Repairing Realm.

"Senior Demon Emperor, have you attained half-step Heavenly Repairing Realm?" Ye Chen lifted his brows faintly and questioned.

"Not quite, but I'm right on the threshold," the Sky-covering Demon Emperor chuckled, clearly delighted.

"Sir, your allies boast superb aptitude and insight, swiftly claiming such feats from the death's gate—it marks them as fated for glory."

The elder, poised deferentially behind Ye Chen, beamed as he offered the praise, his tone dripping with admiration.