Chapter 278

The Judge’s initial arrogance followed by deference stemmed from his clear understanding of the situation. After all, the strategic advantage their side had painstakingly prepared was now entirely in the opponent’s hands. This was no longer just shooting themselves in the foot; it was personally donning self-forged chains and adding shackles.

Who would have thought that the opponent understood their own heritage system better than they did?

Therefore, this battle was unwinnable.

However, Li Zhuiyuan had no intention of negotiating whatsoever. If it weren't for the protection of the one under the peach trees, the opponent would have already entered Nantong. Even so, it didn't change the fact that they were blocked at their doorstep. This score had to be settled.

While Liu Yumei’s reactions at times might seem excessive to ordinary people, she truly understood the ways of the jianghu. She knew all too well that if faced with provocation, one didn't respond with swift, decisive action, endless trouble would follow.

The young man disliked trouble.

Except for Runsheng, who remained guarding Li Zhuiyuan, everyone else immediately rushed towards the nearest Marshal-generals.

The Judge at the head once again threw a command token upwards, shouting, “Rise for me!”

The Four Marshals and Eight Generals below exerted their strength collectively once more, attempting to stand up in unison.

Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze fell on his right palm, where blood mist surged rapidly, flowing into the formation flag. He declared in a deep voice:

“Suppress!”

*Om.*

The efforts of the Four Marshals and Eight Generals failed again, and they all settled back into their chairs. They were soul entities, and this miasma was specifically used to suppress beings like them, having a weaker effect on those from the human realm. Of course, this was assuming you didn't just get scared and collapse upon seeing the formation.

Zhao Yi approached a Ghost Marshal. Compared to a Ghost General, a Ghost Marshal, besides their original armor, also had a cloak. A Marshal’s banner was attached to the armrest of their chair, and a precious sword hung behind them.

At this moment, the Ghost Marshal's body was still trembling violently, indicating his fierce resistance against the miasma.

Zhao Yi flicked his sleeve, and an ancient silver mirror fell into his palm. He formed a hand seal with his right hand and held the mirror with his left. First, he used an incantation to break the barrier in front of the Ghost Marshal, then pressed the silver mirror against the opponent’s forehead.

“Yin-Yang Five Elements, Mountain Ghosts Clear the Path, Break the Formation and Emerge, Life and Death Without Blessing.”

The silver mirror began to spin and gradually emitted light. This light emanated from within the Ghost Marshal.

The “Mountain Ghost Path-Clearing Incantation” was not a rare spell, being widely circulated in the jianghu. As the name suggested, its original meaning was to seek assistance from local mountain ghosts and spirits through bartering, used when lost or when trapped in a scheme—it could also be understood as a form of protection money.

However, ordinary spells could be performed in different ways by different people. The silver mirror itself was a powerful artifact, capable of amplification. Zhao Yi used it as a conduit to extract the Ghost Marshal's primal soul power, which was tantamount to “bleeding” the esteemed Ghost Marshal.

Dense ghostly aura surged forth, high-quality spiritual energy absorbed and refined by the Ghost Marshal himself, completely different from ordinary spiritual essence.

Diagonally ahead, True Lord White Crane, who was attacking a Ghost General, instinctively took a deep breath, an intoxicated look on his face. The White Crane Boy’s original form was a Ghost King. Even after becoming a Yin God and transforming into the True Lord system, it still retained its independence.

The Boy needed this pure soul power; it was immense nourishment for him. But at this moment, everyone was busy eliminating their opponents, so the Boy naturally couldn't go off to "eat." Moreover, everyone’s methods were generally simple and crude; successfully cracking a coconut by brute force was already good enough. Only Zhao Yi could make an opening and insert a straw to draw out the coconut water.

Zhao Yi noticed this and tore open his clothes, revealing the peach blossom tattoo on his chest. The gushing pure ghostly aura then flowed into this peach blossom. The prominent peach blossom began to darken, and along with it, Zhao Yi's complexion. He himself could not consume this ghostly aura; absorbing it would only increase his burden.

But for Lin Shuyou, he did so anyway.

The Ghost Marshal watched helplessly as his opponent engaged in this act of “eating and packing,” so enraged that the flesh on his face seemed to stick together.

“Dare you fight me fairly!”

A dignified Ghost Marshal, whose position in the Underworld was truly not low. Ordinarily, when he was in the mood, he would "skin, pull out tendons, and throw into oil pots" other souls. Who would have thought that he too would have a day where he became meat on a chopping block?

Zhao Yi smiled, “You speak as if you intended to fight fairly from the start. It seems you had no propriety when you were alive and are just as unreasonable as a ghost after death.” After taunting him, Zhao Yi rubbed his fingers together, muttering an incantation, then placed both hands on the back of the Ghost Marshal's head, pressing down with all ten fingers simultaneously!

The light from the silver mirror intensified. The Ghost Marshal let out a painful sound from his throat, and soul power poured out of his body even more rapidly. The main bodies of the Four Marshals and Eight Generals were not here; they had drawn on their own soul power, relying on found skeletons as their vessels. Theoretically, they could be defeated, and if their skeletons collapsed, the remaining soul entities could at worst return, the only cost being severe damage to their main bodies.

But Zhao Yi’s draining method made it almost impossible for the Ghost Marshal to withdraw and return. Once all the soul power deployed this time was lost, the price paid by their main bodies would no longer be severe damage, but a degradation in rank. From a Ghost Marshal, they would fall back to ordinary wandering spirits. Though not “dead,” this was more difficult to accept than death itself.

The Ghost Marshal perceived the gravity of the situation. At this moment, he no longer cared about maintaining his dignity and quickly said:

“I surrender, you may stop. Should we meet again in the Underworld, I will surely return this favor!”

Zhao Yi: “This is how you ask for something? It sounds like a threat.”

Ghost Marshal: “I have many colleagues and friends. If you do this today, are you not afraid of repercussions? When your lifespan wanes and your life and death are uncertain, beware of underworld envoys coming to claim your life!”

Zhao Yi: “Heh, don’t bluff. Fengdu is indeed a heaven on earth for departed souls, but since when did Fengdu represent reincarnation? I intend to die a natural death peacefully; I have no interest in hanging alone as a solitary wandering spirit.”

To simply live as a human, to be only human, and not to covet or fuss over things that don’t matter, one can truly achieve strength without desire. Therefore, even with all their methods and means, successive Dragon Kings would fundamentally not break the normal lifespan limitations.

Ghost Marshal: “I will curse you to the oil pot, through eighteen layers…”

Zhao Yi: “Noisy!”

He exerted force with his fingers, like milking, and a large amount of ghostly aura erupted. Half of the peach blossom petals on Zhao Yi’s chest had turned black, making him feel nauseous. Fortunately, this Ghost Marshal was finally squeezed dry. He could no longer maintain his form and reverted to a skeleton. Even the skeleton itself turned to dust.

Honestly, having an enemy who can’t move and is at your mercy for the taking is truly pleasant, both physically and mentally. Also, this Ghost Marshal threatened the wrong person. Zhao Yi was indeed saving the essence for Lin Shuyou. But even if he didn't, the outer miasma was already controlled by Li, so how could these Marshal-generals’ soul entities possibly return to Fengdu?

Li would rather pour milk into the river!

One down, next one up.

Except for Zhao Yi, everyone else went for the Ghost Generals, because everyone knew their limits. Runsheng knew his limits best; he understood he was powerless against these soul entities, so he simply stayed to protect Little Yuan, not even engaging. Even so, Zhao Yi’s efficiency remained the highest.

“Li, lend me the Zhao family’s ancestral magical artifact!”

This shout was filled with bitterness. That ancestral coin sword was the most convenient for Zhao Yi to use, but he always had to borrow it.

Li Zhuiyuan was not stingy; he pulled out a handful of coins and tossed them to Zhao Yi. The young man had to continue suppressing the miasma and confronting the Judge. The task of eliminating the Ghost Marshals still relied on Zhao Yi leading the way. The coins touched his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, they instantly formed a sword.

“Li, I might actually pocket this sword!”

“You try.”

“I’m seriously tempted, I want to try. Do you think I dare?”

“You dare?”

“Don’t threaten me. Even if I really take your sword, what can you do?”

After seeing the ancestral tablets of the Qin and Liu families, and receiving guidance after bowing to Old Mrs. Liu, Zhao Yi’s mindset had changed considerably. Those old geezers in his family had long been on his list for future elimination. If he was willing to abandon the old geezers, what was there to be reluctant about concerning the so-called Zhao family treasure vault?

If they continued to only focus on these petty treasures, their vision would become increasingly narrow with each generation. How could the Zhao family possibly produce another Dragon King? It would be better to truly take this coin sword, giving Li an excuse to visit his family's treasure vault. Given Li’s nature—always returning double the value of anything he took—losing wealth to gain cultivation methods was truly not a loss, as the latter could not be bought at all.

With the coin sword in hand, dealing with the next Ghost Marshal was much simpler. He first thrust the coin sword into the Ghost Marshal’s glabella. A magical artifact that once belonged to a Dragon King, it specifically countered evil spirits. Although this Ghost Marshal held an official appointment in the Underworld, he was not like the White Crane Boy, who had been whitewashed and ascended to become a Yin God.

In an instant, white smoke rose, and a hole opened in his forehead. The silver mirror was inserted, releasing intense white light, and the Ghost Marshal’s body trembled even more violently. Zhao Yi then placed the coin sword at the back of the Ghost Marshal's head, continuously poking it to accelerate the process.

Practice makes perfect. In the art of extracting from Ghost Marshals, Zhao Yi became increasingly proficient. However, the peach blossom on his chest turned completely black, and Zhao Yi’s lips gradually turned purple. But he hadn't reached his limit yet. The peach blossom was black, but his heart inside was still red, meaning he still had room to be more ruthless.

Lin Shuyou had just dealt with his first Ghost General. His method was much more brutal: first, he shattered the General's physical vessel with twin maces, then the Boy used a spell to suppress and kill his soul entity. Before the Ghost General’s soul entity disintegrated, it roared in question:

“We are of the same kind, why are you so cruel to each other!”

The Ghost General disintegrated before the Boy could reply. When he began to attack the second Ghost General, it said, “We are all ghosts…”

The Boy, who had been full of pent-up anger from the previous one, finally got a chance to unleash it, retorting directly, “I am ashamed to be associated with your kind!”

Ghost General: “You’re just a Yin God…”

Boy: “I am ashamed to be associated with Yin Gods!”

Ghost General: “Then what exactly are you now?”

Lin Shuyou: “True Lord White Crane, under the command of Li, the Corpse Retriever of Nantong!”

The twin maces were brought forth again, striking with a furious barrage of blows. In this, there was a certain intention to distance himself from his past unrestrained and wild self.

Tan Wenbin faced the Ghost General before him, eyes closed, hands spread open. Phantom images of centipedes, monkeys, rhinoceroses, and pythons now clung to the Ghost General’s face, viciously destroying its senses. The process was slow, but progress was steady. Just as a person mutilated into a “human stick” would rather die than live, a soul entity stripped of all its senses naturally cannot sustain itself.

Strands of chaotic ghostly aura continuously diffused from the Ghost General. The more aura escaped, the weaker its struggle became.

Liang Yan and Liang Li, the sisters, did not separate. They chose to work together, using a formation to break the Ghost General's soul entity barrier, then hammering silver nails one by one into the General’s body. After the silver nails were in place, they triggered a second layer of "flaying," followed by the application of silver needles. The sisters worked like they were peeling an onion, layer by layer dissecting the Ghost General until it completely disintegrated. Their efficiency was only second to their leader, Zhao Yi.

“Ah!!!”

“Wait, I didn’t mix it right this time. Wait for me to remix it.”

The Ghost General facing Yin Meng was the most miserable. Others were either struck with solid, impactful blows or disintegrated swiftly, but he alone had to face new poison formulations repeatedly. This feeling of being restrained in a chair and forcibly made to partake in a grand meal was truly tormenting.

Unfortunately, Yin Meng was off her game today. After several attempts, she hadn't managed to achieve the desired effect, failing to finish him off in one go and making things difficult for the esteemed Ghost General.

“Have you forgotten your surname!”

“You are from the Yin family!”

“How can you do this!”

What was even more frustrating was that this Ghost General couldn't curse and swear before dying like the other Marshal-generals, because Yin Meng’s surname truly was “Yin.” Even if his soul power was completely lost here, and his main body in Fengdu was degraded to a wandering spirit, he could very likely become a target of torture for his former colleagues due to his insults towards a Yin family member today, as a way for them to distance themselves from him.

Yin Meng: “You know my surname, you know which family I'm from, yet you still dare to block me at the entrance of my new home!”

Ghost General: “…”

As the sole surviving descendant of the Yin family, the Judge’s bowing to her earlier indicated that she should have certain privileges in this 'wave', at least a degree of distinction. But the more they showed her such deference, the less she dared to accept it. Yin Meng knew where her true roots lay.

When she was in Fengdu, her father was murdered, and her grandfather was paralyzed and comatose, yet she never saw her ancestors manifest, nor did any underworld envoys provide any compensation or subsidies. The only welfare and care she truly received was a partial rent reduction every quarter from the neighborhood committee, which pitied her as an orphaned girl living with her widower grandfather. How could she now be expected to view problems from the perspective of the Underworld and the so-called “Yin family members”?

Furthermore, Yin Meng always knew that she was merely a pendant of the Yin family bloodline. In terms of closeness, Little Yuan was the true inheritor of the ancestors. Little Yuan was the one who ordered these ghostly descendants to be killed; did her attitude really matter?

*Whoosh…*

The latest formulation was ready. Whether it was the superposition of earlier effects or if she finally hit upon the correct recipe this time, the Ghost General began to rapidly dissolve. In the end, even his bones turned into pus.

Yin Meng looked at the knife hanging behind the chair and reached for it, but the moment she took it, the knife turned into a bamboo slip. Clearly, they had not truly brought their weapons with them; the weapons on the chairs were like the magical trident that White Crane Boy used to conjure.

Yin Meng walked to the next Ghost General. Along the short path, Yin Meng muttered silently to herself, continuously gesturing with her hands. She was trying to remember the sensation of the previous formulation, maintaining her touch.

The next Ghost General, seeing her, let out a sharp scream:

“Miss Yin!!!”

Yin Meng was startled, and the feeling she had just found vanished.

“Miss Yin, how can you aid evil and blur the lines between friend and foe!”

Yin Meng: “You brought this upon yourself. Don’t blame me for being slow; I’ll continue to find my rhythm and mix slowly.”

The Judge at the head could only watch helplessly as his subordinates were eliminated one by one. His heart bled, yet he was powerless, because even he himself was suppressed by the miasma he had set up. The Judge’s reddened eyes stared fixedly at Li Zhuiyuan:

“Since you are so familiar and close with Fengdu, why did you not inform us in time!”

This was a genuine question. If they had known Li Zhuiyuan was so familiar with Fengdu’s elements, their strategy upon arrival would have been different. At the very least, they wouldn’t have foolishly copied Fengdu’s methods and handed the young man a knife.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Did you give me a chance to inform you?”

Judge: “Even now, we can still mediate. Tell your people to stop!”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Dream on.”

Judge: “If you wish to continue west, do you know what you’ve done today truly means? Do you think you can still safely reach Fengdu?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “I wanted to take a car directly to Fengdu. You were the ones who provoked this first. Now it’s unreasonable to blame me.”

Judge: “Young man, sometimes, some things cannot simply be resolved by reasoning.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Hm, I’ve always understood that.”

Judge: “No, you don’t understand. You don’t know what a great and terrifying place the Underworld is. And you certainly don’t know the supreme power of our Great Emperor of Fengdu!”

Li Zhuiyuan: “You speak as if you understand. I can tell you clearly: the Great Emperor knows I’ve obtained his true inheritance. Didn’t the Great Emperor tell you when you came out?”

Judge: “You…”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Or perhaps, your coming out to block me was not from the Great Emperor’s true instruction, but your own unilateral action without informing your superiors?”

Judge: “Even if you obtained the inheritance, so what? As a young man from the human realm, you are simply not qualified to go to Fengdu at this time!”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Then what about her, the Yin family bloodline?”

Judge: “You can’t tell me you don't know what a joke the Yin family bloodline is!”

Li Zhuiyuan nodded. At this moment, he finally obtained some valuable information about Fengdu. Just as he and Zhao Yi had previously suspected, this attack targeting him and his team was not directly instructed by the Great Emperor. At least for now, if a transcendent being like the Great Emperor were to completely stand against him, daring to resist the backlash from the Heavenly Dao to attack him, he would certainly be doomed to die. But if the Great Emperor didn’t take sides, merely watching from above, then his confrontation with the Great Emperor’s subordinates, though still difficult, was at least no longer unsolvable.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't believe the Great Emperor was unaware of his subordinates' actions. The river water was stirred up by the Great Emperor himself. Yin Meng, by performing a ritual, could communicate with the Great Emperor. Both sides had maintained friendly channels of communication; otherwise, the Great Emperor wouldn't have displayed emotional expressions when Zhao Yi sent the "lazy dog" last time. Li Zhuiyuan now suspected that the Great Emperor was learning from the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao used him as a blade, and this time, the Great Emperor also wanted to use him as a blade.

However, as a being whose words carried immense weight in Fengdu—a single decree last time could wipe out a hidden family—Li Zhuiyuan didn't believe the Great Emperor had lost control over his subordinates. It seemed his true purpose could only be known after he reached Fengdu. This was assuming he could actually reach Fengdu. Because if there were further assassination attempts, he would no longer have the opportunity to deal with them so easily. Primarily, the main bodies of these Marshal-generals were not here, so he couldn't completely silence them. Subsequent ghosts emerging from Fengdu would surely know of his familiarity with Fengdu’s heritage.

At this moment, the Judge raised his head, opened his mouth, and a mass of black mist spewed forth, shooting straight upwards. The formation flag and ghost figures above trembled with it. He knew the situation was beyond recovery and intended to escape by himself.

Li Zhuiyuan’s blood mist in his right palm became even denser, one could even say it was no longer mist but blood droplets. Concentrated into the formation flag in his palm, it became exceptionally crimson.

*Boom!*

The black mist’s first impact failed to break through, and it was forced back into his body. A crack appeared in the center of the Judge’s body, at his glabella. He glared fiercely at the young man.

The young man didn’t look at him.

He should have left much earlier, the moment he realized Li had controlled this miasma. At that time, the ghost figures and formation flag above still had to suppress the Four Marshals and Eight Generals below, so the amount of suppressive power allocated to him was not much. Now, with Zhao Yi and the others eliminating the Marshal-generals, Li Zhuiyuan could exert more suppressive power on the Judge. Of course, even if he had tried to leave immediately, Li Zhuiyuan could have stopped him, though it would have cost a little more.

The Judge's body swayed. After slamming his hands on the table, the black mist surged upwards again with greater force. Li Zhuiyuan sat cross-legged, placing the formation flag in front of him and gripping it with both hands.

*Boom!*

The young man’s body swayed, but the miasma remained stable. The second impact still failed. The black mist returned to his body again, and large cracks appeared on the Judge’s face. Next was the third attempt.

The Judge suddenly stood up, raising his arms and letting out a low growl. The black mist, like burning flames, rushed upwards with a howl. Before it even made contact, the miasma above split open a crack. This was his desperate struggle.

Li Zhuiyuan chanted. The Liu Family's Aura-Viewing Art activated the surrounding Feng Shui, transforming his aura towards that of the Great Emperor. Behind the young man, a phantom image appeared. In truth, Li Zhuiyuan knew that the Great Emperor’s figure existed behind him, as he had the Great Emperor’s inheritance. But this one behind him now was fake, yet sufficient to borrow the tiger's prestige.

The burning black mist slowed, as if sensing a despairing and terrifying aura. The ghost figures above, however, were collectively invigorated at this moment, waving the formation flag exceptionally vigorously. Indeed, the Great Emperor's inheritance was best used only by the Great Emperor himself. From this, it was clear that apart from the Yin family's own shortcomings, a significant reason for their decline was that the Great Emperor's inheritance was fundamentally unsuitable for "inheritance."

After returning to his body again, the Judge’s body began to crack, his flesh ripping open from top to bottom, forming “gullies.” No blood flowed out, but black flames flickered. The Judge stood up, bearing immense pressure from above, and walked towards Runsheng. Each step he took was very difficult. At this speed, there was hardly any threat.

Li Zhuiyuan guessed what he intended to do. He stood up and walked behind Runsheng. Runsheng familiarly bent down and carried the young man on his back. The young man’s left hand rested on the back of Runsheng’s head. In the early days, he had set up restrictions in Runsheng’s body more than once to suppress the malevolent aura. Now, those restrictions had long been broken through by Runsheng himself, but remnants remained. Re-sealing the malevolent aura was impossible, but stirring it up to a boil was simple.

“Brother Runsheng, it will hurt.”

“Mm.”

After taking several slow steps, the Judge leaned forward and collapsed. His scalp cracked open, and his entire body, as if being flayed, rushed towards Runsheng as a black mass enveloped in flames.

Li Zhuiyuan’s fingertips withdrew from the back of Runsheng’s head. Runsheng pushed his arm back, and the young man landed. At the same time, Runsheng’s malevolent aura rapidly erupted, and his eyes turned half-white. Runsheng charged forward. In his current state, he gained the ability to wrestle with the black mist through the malevolent aura surrounding him; at least, they could make contact.

The pain came not only from his own malevolent aura but also from the burning of the Judge’s soul entity, meaning Runsheng was also enduring the torment of soul burning. But Runsheng said nothing, simply firmly pinning the black mist beneath him, lacing his legs, retracting his arms, and using his waist as a lock. The methods Master Shan taught him to deal with the fallen dead were applied here. It was inopportune and had little effect, as the opponent, unlike the fallen dead, had no limbs to bind. However, this gave Runsheng a psychological suggestion to endure the pain.

Li Zhuiyuan stood still, watching the scene, his face expressionless. After a long stalemate, the black mist continuously weakened and shrank. Once it was compressed to a certain extent, black karmic fire rapidly burst forth. After paying a huge price, a faint beam of light managed to escape Runsheng's grasp and shot towards Li Zhuiyuan.

If it were a crossbow bolt shot at him in reality, Li Zhuiyuan would indeed find it very troublesome, because in his current state, he could truly be killed by a crossbow bolt. But this black light was different. Runsheng stood up, letting out a roar, wanting to rush towards Li Zhuiyuan, but the young man raised his hand to stop him, signaling not to panic. Runsheng, in his "trance" state due to the malevolent aura eruption, recognized no one, yet instinctively obeyed the young man's words.

*Om!*

The black arrow pierced Li Zhuiyuan’s glabella. But before the karmic fire could ignite the young man, karmic fire surged from the young man’s own right palm, completely drawing over the power that was intended to rage within him. The young man had long since mastered karmic fire; he had once used this very technique to cling to the back of the old hag and roast her alive. With a flick of his hand, a puddle of karmic fire landed on the ground. It burned in the void for a while before gradually extinguishing.

Zhao Yi, who was in the midst of draining the third Ghost Marshal, turned back and looked at Li Zhuiyuan:

“Li, be careful, there’s… in there.”

Zhao Yi possessed the ability to perceive intentions. He had clearly seen that the black beam of light contained a mass of consciousness, the Judge’s consciousness. When it came to possession, ordinary wandering spirits were no match for these officially appointed individuals, as they could legally commandeer the bodies of the living for their tasks. If Li were to be possessed, that would be a huge mess.

Li Zhuiyuan pressed down with his right hand, signaling Zhao Yi not to worry. Zhao Yi let out a "heh," realizing his earlier reminder was completely superfluous. Last time in Dujiangyan, after the evil spirit skilled at altering memories entered Li's body, it was instead assimilated by Li. In terms of self-awareness, Li seemed to have a special talent. Zhao Yi just hadn't experienced the incident at the True Lord Temple under the sea in Zhoushan. If he had known that even Pudu True Lord, an avatar of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, hadn’t gained an advantage in a clash of consciousness, he would probably be even more shocked by the young man's ability in this regard.

Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes.

The Judge appeared in a field. Wherever he passed, the crops on both sides withered. He arrived on the terrace, looking around, intending to transform the place into an eerie void. But just halfway through the transformation, he stopped. Azure lotus flowers were growing and blooming in the cracks of bricks and tiles, and in the concrete pavement. The Judge came to the basement, standing before an iron door: “You’re hiding in here!”

He raised his fist and struck forward. The iron door resounded loudly but was not broken. Inside the basement, the true self, who was carving with a carving knife, stopped his movements. If it were the “inner demon,” which was Li Zhuiyuan, the true self would be able to sense it in advance and react in time. But with an external consciousness entering, he couldn't receive a warning. The true self knew that Li Zhuiyuan had intentionally left an opening, allowing this Judge to enter.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The iron door was enduring continuous impacts, shaking precariously. The Judge perceived and confirmed that the young man’s main consciousness was hidden here. As long as he destroyed it, he could complete the possession of the young man. Above, lotus flowers continued to bloom, dispelling and purifying the eerie atmosphere left by the Judge.

Until, the lotus flowers bloomed right there. The Judge raised his foot and crushed the freshly bloomed azure lotus beneath him. As sap splattered, it adhered to his body and ignited him.

“This is…”

This was True Lord Pudu’s true form azure lotus, inextricably linked to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who had made a grand vow: “I will not achieve Buddhahood until hell is empty.” Essentially, this was about contending for dominion over the Underworld, and naturally, it possessed special abilities against spirits. Li Zhuiyuan had initially obtained the power of the azure lotus, and his true self had obtained the lotus platform. Although obtained separately, they still pieced back together as a set.

With this thing present, others might not care, but for a spirit to enter and make trouble meant being naturally suppressed from the start. Furthermore, this Judge had been exploited layer by layer by Li Zhuiyuan before entering. Now, he was like a phoenix stripped of its feathers—worse than a chicken.

*Creak…*

The iron door opened, and the true self walked out. The burning Judge wanted to pounce, but the next moment, azure lotus flowers appeared in front, completely enveloping him.

*Clap! Clap! Clap!*

The true self held the carving knife and leisurely sliced open the lotus flowers one by one. Sap splashed onto the Judge’s body layer after layer, and the flames blazed fiercely. The Judge let out wails, but the wails were not unified, with mixed timbres. The true self turned sideways, looking towards the stairwell, where Li Zhuiyuan's figure appeared. Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze fell on the carving knife in the true self’s hand.

“You’ve become fond of carving.”

The true self did not reply.

“What are you carving in the basement?”

The true self still did not reply.

“Group statues?”

The true self pointed at the Judge in the azure flames and asked, “Do you know which Judge he is?”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: “I don’t know. I only judged his identity from his attire, but which specific one, or whether he truly shares a name with figures from mythology, I don’t know.”

True self: “The trouble is a bit significant. He is a Judge, yet not just one Judge.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Oh?”

The true self, unafraid of the flames, stepped forward, continuously dividing the Judge with the carving knife. Pieces of consciousness were separated as if a butcher was carving meat.

True self: “He is a collective entity, or rather, a representative.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Mm.”

True self: “The people of Fengdu are observing you, or more accurately, it’s an assessment.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “If they hadn’t known I could control this miasma, the outcome of this assessment would be hard to say.”

True self: “For them, if the assessment isn’t passed, then you can die, and there’s no longer a need for assessment. If it is passed, then you gain the qualification to communicate and converse with them. Go and converse with them in reality. Not everyone resists you and wishes you dead. If you want to protect your subordinates more safely and complete this wave, then you must learn to communicate.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Their collective entity wants to kill me.”

True self: “That’s normal. Any power will instinctively reject outsiders.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Let me remind you of something.”

True self: “Speak.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “It’s fine that you like carving, but you should pull back some of your energy.”

True self: “I did it on purpose. I intentionally suppressed my own growth potential, preventing myself from progressing. Otherwise, you’d habitually treat me as an advisor. You are the inner demon, I am the true self. Our relationship shouldn’t be this close. In times of life-or-death crisis, reluctantly joining forces is enough. Normally, you should visit less often.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Are you saying I’m bothering you?”

True self: “The fish pond over there is dug, and the fish are raised. When you need to dispose of trash, throw it there yourself; just consider it feeding the fish, and don't come here. Otherwise, I can also occasionally initiate a struggle for control over this body, or make you recall that feeling of mental coldness and detachment from before.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Alright, you continue tinkering with your schemes. I hope it’s exciting.”

True self: “You live well, continue to grow stronger. My scheme is constrained because you are not working hard enough to progress.”

Li Zhuiyuan turned and left.

The true self raised a foot and stomped out the flames on the ground. It walked back into the basement and closed the iron door. On the latest workbench, the statue being carved was that of this Judge, already more than half finished. The carving knife was raised, then brought down. The statue cracked and reverted to a lump of clay.

“What trash.”

The real Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes. Before him was Runsheng, watching him with concern. Runsheng dared not approach or touch him, as he still had lingering malevolent aura and feared burning the young man.

“I’m fine, Brother Runsheng.”

Runsheng nodded, sat down, and the whiteness in his eyes gradually receded.

On the other side, Zhao Yi and the others had finally completed the elimination of all Ghost Marshals and Ghost Generals. Everyone was panting and sweating profusely.

Tan Wenbin: “First time experiencing this: the enemy sits there for you to kill, and it’s still this exhausting.”

Zhao Yi’s face was pale, his lips and eyes deep purple. He patted Lin Shuyou’s shoulder. Lin Shuyou turned to look at him, surprised, “What’s wrong with you?” Zhao Yi reached out, plucked the peach blossom petals from his chest one by one, gathered a handful, and handed them to Lin Shuyou, saying:

“Hold them in your mouth. After you’ve digested them, remember to return the petals to me.”

Lin Shuyou took the petals. The moment he touched them, he heard the excited cries of the Boy in his heart: “How did he do it? How did he do it!” Immediately after, the Boy urged, “Quickly, hold them! Quickly, hold them!”

Lin Shuyou put a petal into his mouth, then immediately looked up. His body convulsed, and he let out a long moan, a sign of pleasure. High-quality pure ghostly aura was like the nectar of the gods to the Boy; it could directly nourish its soul entity.

Zhao Yi looked at Tan Wenbin and asked, “Zhuangzhuang, do you want to try a petal too?”

Tan Wenbin shook his head: “This is ghostly aura. It will corrupt my spirit beasts.”

Zhao Yi: “Don’t fear corruption, as long as they can become stronger.”

Tan Wenbin: “Ten years from now, they will regain their freedom with bodies of merit. If they become reeking of ghostly aura, they’ll have to continue living a life of hiding and dodging.”

Zhao Yi: “There’s a reason why Li is willing to guide you through this ‘college entrance exam’.”

Tan Wenbin: “Same for you.”

Zhao Yi smiled, then pointed to his chest and told Lin Shuyou, “Eat slowly, don’t rush. When you’re done, I’ll squeeze some more for you. My heart is still dark!” After instructing him, Zhao Yi walked towards the young man.

The young man was standing beside the Judge’s body. The Judge was dead, but his body had not vanished like the Marshal-generals'; instead, it remained intact.

Zhao Yi: “Which Judge from folk tales is this, anyway?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “A hodgepodge.”

“Tsk…” Zhao Yi bent down, beginning to inspect the body. “It’s an empty shell already.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Purify it.”

Zhao Yi held the coin sword and swept it over the body. The body rapidly vaporized. In the mist, the skeletal remains of a child were revealed. Around the skeleton’s neck was a necklace, jade rings on its fingertips, bracelets on its wrists, and a golden ankle lock.

Zhao Yi: “Quite rich burial artifacts.” He reached out to touch the necklace, then realized something, pulled his hand back, and said, “Little Yuan, you’re the boss now. You do it.”

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and grasped the necklace. A warm and gentle sensation emanated. On the child’s skeleton, a majestic human face appeared. Faintly visible behind it was a majestic palace. To possess a palace in the Underworld meant his status was definitely far above that of a judge. And though the image revealed was blurry, it matched the divine statues enshrined in many temples.

Zhao Yi gasped inwardly.

“Worthy of a discussion…” The tone was condescending.

Without waiting for the other party to finish speaking, Li Zhuiyuan released the necklace and touched a ring. Another new figure appeared from the child’s body. Behind it was still a palace, but its image had changed.

“You are very good