Chapter 2182: Behind the Scenes Mastermind

Just then, Judge Cui gave a cold snort and immediately dispatched a green-faced, fanged ghost-officer to scare away Jiancheng and Yuanji, allowing Zu'an to finally escape.

As they moved away, Zu'an vaguely heard Jiancheng comforting Yuanji behind them, saying, "He deliberately provoked you. Have you forgotten your sister-in-law..." Unfortunately, the ghost-officer led them further away, and the rest of the conversation was inaudible.

Ah, living without his cultivation was truly difficult.

At that moment, he arrived before a magnificent hall. A burst of laughter drifted out, and it turned out to be the Ten Kings of Hell — King Qinguang, King Chujiang, King Songdi, King Wuguan, King Yama, King Pingdeng, King Taishan, King Dushi, King Biancheng, and King Zhuanlun — descending the steps, bowing deeply to welcome Zu'an.

As Zu'an returned their greetings, he observed the Ten Kings' appearances. Each of them looked stern and fierce, enough to strike fear into the heart of an ordinary person. He mused, "Perhaps this is a special plot event now, which is why I can see their true forms..."

Then the Ten Kings said, "Your Majesty is the Human King of the mortal realm, and we are the Ghost Kings of the underworld. It is only right for us to show respect; there is no need for such humility from your side."

Zu'an grew even more surprised. If Judge Cui's enthusiasm could be explained by his connection to Wei Zheng, then the Ten Kings of Hell seemed excessively enthusiastic.

Next, they proceeded directly into the Hall of Samsara. After exchanging courtesies with the Ten Kings, they took their respective guest and host seats.

Then King Qinguang inquired about the Jing River Dragon King incident, and Zu'an explained the entire matter.

Upon hearing this, the Ten Kings bowed and said, "Before that dragon was even born, it was already decreed in the Southern Dipper's Register of Deaths that he would be killed by a mortal official. We have long known this. However, he kept arguing here, insisting that Your Majesty come for a three-sided confrontation of the case. It was we who sent him into the wheel of reincarnation. Now, we have troubled Your Majesty to descend here. We beg your forgiveness for our insistence."

Having said this, they ordered the judge in charge of the Register of Life and Death, "Quickly bring the register! Let us see how many years of life and heavenly fortune Your Majesty is destined for."

Zu'an's heart tightened. This was the most crucial moment. If his lifespan had already ended, he feared he would never be able to leave this hell.

Just then, Judge Cui quickly returned to his office and retrieved the general register of heavenly fortunes for all kings in the world. He began to review it one by one. He saw that Emperor Taizong of the Great Tang in Nanshanbuzhou was destined to reign for thirteen years of Zhenguan. Judge Cui was startled, quickly took a brush with thick ink, added two strokes to the character "one" (making it "three"), and then presented the register.

The Ten Kings looked through it and saw that Taizong was destined for thirty-three years. King Yama asked in surprise, "How many years has Your Majesty been on the throne?"

Zu'an replied, "I ascended the throne thirteen years ago."

King Yama said, "Your Majesty, set your mind at ease and do not worry. You still have twenty years of life left. Now that the case has been clearly resolved, please return to the mortal realm."

A great weight lifted from Zu'an's heart, and he bowed in gratitude.

Next, Judge Cui led Zu'an out of the Underworld, not taking the path they had come by, but instead crossing the Yin Mountain and passing through the eighteen layers of hell. The scenes there were so terrifying that even a seasoned cultivator like Zu'an felt a chill of fear, let alone the original mortal Li Shimin.

Next, they passed through the City of the Wrongfully Dead, where countless malevolent spirits screamed, "Li Shimin is here!" Ghosts with broken waists, severed arms, or feet but no heads, all sought Zu'an's life. Zu'an turned to Judge Cui for help.

Judge Cui looked troubled and said, "Your Majesty, those are the ghosts of the sixty-four places of war and seventy-two bandit strongholds, the princes and chieftains. They are all vengeful spirits who died unjustly, uncollected and unsupervised, unable to reincarnate, and without money or provisions; they are lonely, starving ghosts. Only if Your Majesty gives them some money can I save you."

But Zu'an had no money on him at the moment, so the Judge said, "Your Majesty, there is a person in the mortal realm who has deposited a considerable amount of gold and silver with us in the Underworld. Your Majesty can issue a promissory note in your name, and I, a humble judge, will act as guarantor. You can borrow one vault of his wealth to distribute among these hungry ghosts, and only then will you be able to pass."

Zu'an asked, "Who is this person?"

The Judge replied, "He is a native of Kaifeng Prefecture in Henan, named Xiang Liang. He has thirteen vaults of gold and silver here. If Your Majesty borrows from him, you can simply repay him in the mortal realm."

Zu'an willingly agreed to borrow in his name. So he drew up a document with the Judge, borrowing one vault of gold and silver.

His heart, however, remained perfectly calm. Although he had lost all his cultivation now, his mind was exceptionally sharp. He had been thinking about matters related to *Journey to the West* day and night, and many previously vague details were gradually becoming clear. If he remembered correctly, this Xiang Liang historically did not accept repayment from Emperor Taizong, so Taizong built the Xiangguo Temple to thank him. Li Shimin, being a mortal, might have been scared witless by these events, but how could Zu'an not see that these interconnected events were all a deliberately arranged play for him?

The Judge then spoke to the numerous vengeful spirits: "You can equally divide and use this gold and silver. Let your Grandfather of Tang pass through. His lifespan in the mortal realm is still long. I have received the Ten Kings' decree to send him back to life and instruct him to hold a 'Grand Water and Land Ceremony' in the mortal realm to allow you all to reincarnate. Do not cause any more trouble."

Upon hearing this, all the ghosts, having received the gold and silver, submissively retreated.

Only then did the Judge wave his soul-guiding banner, leading Zu'an out of the City of the Wrongfully Dead onto the vast open road, and they floated away.

Next, they passed by the Bridge of Helplessness, beneath which flowed the turbulent, blood-yellow waters of the River of Oblivion. Zu'an specifically looked for Meng Po to see if he had any connection with her. However, there was no sign of Meng Po on the Bridge of Helplessness, only various fierce and evil underworld messengers and countless vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts submerged in the River of Oblivion, desperately reaching out to him, seemingly asking for help, yet also seemingly trying to drag him down. If the real Li Shimin had seen this scene, he probably would have peed his pants, but Zu'an felt an odd sense of familiarity. Of course, on the surface, he still had to pretend to be terrified.

After crossing the Bridge of Helplessness, they finally arrived at the place of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Seeing the swirling vortex of six colors in the void, Zu'an's heart stirred. This Six Paths of Reincarnation truly condensed countless mysteries and laws. Just standing there gave one a sense of spiritual trepidation and yearning.

Judge Cui then explained to Zu'an, "This is called the 'Six Paths of Reincarnation'. Those who perform good deeds ascend to the path of immortals; those who are loyal reincarnate into a noble path; those who are filial are reborn into a path of blessing; those who are fair return to the human path; those who accumulate virtue are reborn into a wealthy path; and those who are malicious descend to the path of ghosts. Your Majesty, please remember this well and convey it to your people upon your return."

Zu'an nodded subtly. The Six Paths of Reincarnation truly represented the simplest desires of the common people.

Next, Judge Cui led Zu'an to the 'Gate of Noble Rebirth', gently pushed him from behind, and sent him back to the mortal realm.

Originally, the palace was covered in white mourning cloths, concubines and officials were weeping, and a funeral was about to be held. Suddenly, they saw the emperor in the coffin open his eyes. One by one, they shrieked in terror and fled in all directions. Fortunately, Xu Maogong, Wei Zheng, Yuchi Gong, and Qin Shubao, being loyal and brave, helped him out of the coffin. Upon learning that he had indeed returned from the dead, numerous concubines and officials rushed back, each one overjoyed.

As soon as Zu'an's body slightly recovered, he issued a general amnesty and released thousands of palace maidens, granting them their freedom. The world praised him for this. Then, as promised, he thanked Xiang Liang for lending him money in the Underworld. As expected, Xiang Liang refused to accept repayment. So, Zu'an had the Great Xiangguo Temple built for him. Additionally, he held a Grand Water and Land Ceremony to pray for the souls of all those who had died during the wars to establish his empire.

During the Grand Water and Land Ceremony, Monk Xuanzang recited scriptures to absolve the dead. A Bodhisattva appeared and directly stated that this was Hinayana Buddhism, which could not truly save souls. This led to the story of sending Monk Xuanzang to the Western Heaven to retrieve scriptures.

Looking at the fair and clean Monk Xuanzang, Zu'an wondered if this fellow's flesh truly granted immortality. However, he knew how significant the monk's mission was, and he didn't want to end up like the monsters in *Journey to the West* who coveted Xuanzang's flesh. Ultimately, he did not do anything out of line.

After sending Monk Xuanzang off, Zu'an stood on a high palace tower, gazing west. Just then, Consort Yuanji brought him a bowl of ginseng soup and gently comforted him, saying, "Your Majesty, you need not worry. That Monk Xuanzang will certainly bring back the scriptures."

Zu'an suddenly turned and looked at her. "How can you be so certain?" he asked.

Consort Yuanji paused, startled. She gave a somewhat unnatural smile and said, "That Monk Xuanzang is clearly a high monk with unwavering resolve, and with the Bodhisattva's protection, he will naturally succeed."

"Oh, since your objective has been achieved, why do you still remain by my side?" Zu'an said, staring into her eyes.

Consort Yuanji's expression changed. "What is Your Majesty saying? I don't understand."

Zu'an snorted. "Actually, I've had suspicions for a long time. One must know that the imperial palace is protected by the destiny of the Heavenly Dao. How could a mere ghost of the Jing River Dragon King possibly enter? Even after Yuchi Gong, Qin Shubao, and others guarded it, he still managed to get in. So, there are two possibilities. One is that someone inside the palace was providing assistance, allowing him to enter through collusion."

In the previous trial, he himself was the Jing River Dragon King. At that time, when he wanted to enter the palace to observe, he was blocked by the Heavenly Dao's destiny. He could only use a dream-entering technique, and even then, he had to guide Li Shimin out of the palace. Yet now, the malevolent ghost of the Jing River Dragon King could supposedly enter as he pleased?

"As for the second possibility," Zu'an paused, "perhaps there was no ghost of the Jing River Dragon King from beginning to end. What appeared beside me was someone deliberately disguised as the Jing River Dragon King!"

Consort Yuanji took a step back. "Why are you looking at me like that, Your Majesty? Are you perhaps suspecting me?"

Zu'an did not answer her. Instead, he continued, "When Wei Zheng guarded the back gate for me, no ghosts were seen again, yet my body still grew weaker day by day. Everyone thought I was frightened into illness by ghosts. However, I carved out this empire amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood. How could mere ghosts and deities frighten me?"