Chapter 153 Confrontation in Court

After giving his instructions, Master Sun took Judge Lu’s official document to summon the Six Heavenly Officials of Luofeng. Meanwhile, Zhang Zhao, standing beside Judge Lu, grasped the Netherworld Treasure Sword and rallied the nether soldiers outside the Judge’s Mansion, preparing to apprehend King Qin Guang.

I must admit, Judge Lu possessed extraordinary nerve and boldness. When it came to King Qin Guang, he did not speak of inviting, but of capturing.

Everything that unfolded now happened precisely as the peddler had predicted beforehand.

After both parties had departed, Judge Lu told me to rest for a moment, explaining that the Six Heavenly Officials of Luofeng would soon arrive to attend the trial as assessors. When King Qin Guang arrived, a face-to-face confrontation would take place, and the truth would undoubtedly come to light. He urged me not to be afraid, assuring me that neither he himself nor the Six Heavenly Officials of Luofeng would show any favoritism, and that they would uphold justice on my behalf.

After waiting for about two hours, King Qin Guang Jiang arrived first.

Upon his arrival, he sat straight down on the grand master’s chair on one side of the courtroom. When he saw me standing there, he looked somewhat surprised, as he had assumed I would by then have been cast into the eighteenth level of hell.

However, according to the laws of the netherworld, I was not supposed to be thrown into the eighteenth level of hell straight away; I had to be tried by the nether administration first, and cases of grave offenses required a joint tribunal of the four great judges. Therefore, he could not arbitrarily dispose of me on the spot.

Staring at me with a fierce glare for a while, King Qin Guang turned his head, looked at Judge Lu, and said, "Judge Lu, I recognize this person. His name is Lin Yi. Previously, together with that fiend Lin Wu, he attacked the Ghost Gate Pass and disrupted the order of the realms of yin and yang, committing heinous crimes. I captured him myself, but I never expected that he would manage to escape. Since Judge Lu has already recaptured such a severely guilty criminal for me, I will take him away now. My thanks!"

With that, he stood up and prepared to leave, while several nether soldiers he had brought with them brandished their weapons, ready to force their way into the Judge's Mansion to seize me.

At that moment—

A sharp "bang" echoed as the gavel struck, sending a numbing vibration through everyone's scalp.

The nether soldiers who were about to charge in suddenly froze in their tracks, dare not move an inch. King Qin Guang was also startled by the sound. He looked at Judge Lu and demanded, "Judge Lu, what is the meaning of this? Could it be that you intend to harbor a criminal?"

At this, Judge Lu gazed coldly at King Qin Guang and asked, "King Qin Guang, do you know why this judge has had you brought to my Judge's Mansion?"

King Qin Guang looked at Judge Lu with a hint of surprise. Hearing the word "brought"—implying a forceful arrest—he let out a cold sneer and said, "Judge Lu, who gave you the audacity to arrest this King?"

"The laws of the netherworld gave this judge the audacity! King Qin Guang, you have violated the regulations of the netherworld; why should this judge not arrest you?" Judge Lu retorted.

Hearing this, King Qin Guang laughed. Having lived for several millennia, this was the first time he had ever heard anyone utter such words to him—accusing him of violating the netherworld's laws. He walked straight up to Judge Lu's desk, stared him in the eyes, and said coldly, "Judge Lu, I advise you to watch your tongue. Whether you get to keep your position as a judge is nothing more than a single word from this King!"

"Nether soldiers outside, what are you still standing around for? Take Lin Yi away!" King Qin Guang ordered, turning as if to leave.

The nether soldiers rushed into the courtroom, attempting to drag me away.

Judge Lu then spoke up: "King Qin Guang, have you forgotten? The four great judges of the netherworld are personally appointed by the Emperor of Fengdu of the Northern Darkness; you have no authority to depose this judge!"

Having said that, he continued, "King Qin Guang, you privately altered the Book of Life and Death. Do you still refuse to confess your crime?"

Upon hearing this, King Qin Guang stopped in his tracks. He could not conceal his astonishment—how on earth could Judge Lu possibly know that he had secretly modified the Book of Life and Death?

He signaled the nether soldiers outside to halt, then turned back to look at Judge Lu and said, "Lu Zhidao, you had better be prepared to take responsibility for your words! That Book of Life and Death has always been safely kept in my manor. No one else has ever been able to lay eyes on it except for me. On what grounds do you slander me for altering the Book of Life and Death without authorization?"

At that moment, Judge Lu produced the Book of Life and Death directly and said, "On the grounds of this very book!"

As he spoke, he flipped open the Book of Life and Death to the exact pages where King Qin Guang had illicitly added names.

When King Qin Guang saw his own Book of Life and Death in Judge Lu's hands, his expression changed drastically, filled with extreme shock. Judge Lu pressed on, "King Qin Guang, half a month ago, I lent you my Judge's Brush so that you could use its power to deal with the vast number of souls that perished in the great war of the wild immortals. Who would have thought that you would use the Judge's Brush to covertly tamper with the Book of Life and Death? King Qin Guang, what else do you have to say for yourself?"

Once this evidence was presented, the case was airtight.

King Qin Guang thought for a moment, then glanced at me and said, "Judge Lu, there must be some misunderstanding here. My Book of Life and Death was originally kept safe and sound in my manor. How on earth has it ended up in your hands now?"

"Judge Lu, someone has stolen my Book of Life and Death, yet instead of investigating that, you are making a fuss over trivial matters within these pages. Are you really that idle?" King Qin Guang retorted.

"Tampering with the Book of Life and Death without authorization is a grave crime. How can you call that a trivial matter?" Judge Lu countered.

King Qin Guang let out a cold laugh. In an instant, his composure broke, and he flew into a rage, shouting, "Lu Zhidao! There are some things you would do well to consider carefully. You have spent thousands of years in the netherworld, yet you are still merely a judge. Who is above a judge? The Ten Kings of Hell. And who is the head of the Ten Kings of Hell? This King! Do you really think that just because a few names were added to the Book of Life and Death, you can do anything to me?"

"Let me make it clear to you! If you cannot give me a satisfactory answer today, you can forget about remaining a judge. You and this brat conspired to steal the Book of Life and Death, altered its contents, and framed me. You deserve to be cast into the eighteenth level of hell to suffer properly!"

To be honest, I was completely intimidated by King Qin Guang's overwhelming presence.

However, although the four great judges were personally appointed by the Northern Emperor, they were indeed subordinates of the Ten Kings of Hell. King Qin Guang had every right to be confident as he hurled these harsh threats right here in the courtroom.

I never imagined that even after his tampering with the Book of Life and Death was exposed, he would still dare to be so arrogant.

If Judge Lu were to yield at this moment and let himself be cowed by him, I would be in grave danger. My own situation wasn't too critical, as he had no way of executing me for the time being. The real crux of the problem was that if the names on the Book of Life and Death could not be changed back, it would spell endless trouble. Not only Weiyang, but also myself, my grandfather, and Daoist priest Li would effectively remain under the control of King Qin Guang.

"Bronze locks, bind him!" Judge Lu commanded.

Hearing this, King Qin Guang couldn't help but smile to himself, thinking that for all Judge Lu's uprightness, he was ultimately no different from the rest—in the end, he still had to obey this King. Therefore, he ordered, "What are the nether soldiers standing around for? Bind Lin Yi and drag him back to my manor; this King will interrogate him personally!"

Yet, Judge Lu calmly stated, "King Qin Guang, you are mistaken. I meant you!"

Those words carried immense backbone.

I could not help but be filled with admiration for Judge Lu. No wonder the peddler had told me to seek him out; he truly understood this judge, and I felt a genuine respect for his demeanor.

King Qin Guang was utterly shocked. Staring at Judge Lu, he hissed, "Lu Zhidao, you are courting death!"

"King Qin Guang speaks improperly. This judge is merely acting in accordance with the nether laws; how can this be called courting death?" Judge Lu replied.

As soon as Judge Lu finished speaking, King Qin Guang directly issued a command to the nether soldiers outside: "What are you all still standing around for? Lu Zhidao has committed treason by defying his superiors! Take everyone in the Judge's Mansion away and lock them in the nether dungeons to await trial!"

"Zhang Zhao, go!" Judge Lu ordered.

"Understood!"

Zhang Zhao acknowledged the command. Raising his sword, he transformed into a streak of black shadow and vanished straight to the main gate of the Judge's Mansion. The nether soldiers prepared to swarm inward, but Zhang Zhao brandished the Netherworld Treasure Sword, and a dark flash of light swept across. A large swath of nether soldiers immediately collapsed to the ground.

Then, he shouted sternly, "The Netherworld Treasure Sword is present! Nether soldiers, why do you not kneel at once!"

At the same time, a dragon-shaped dark pattern flickered across the surface of the Netherworld Treasure Sword, and the nether soldiers outside, as if crushed by an overwhelming suppression, all dropped to their knees facing the sword.

They knelt prostrate on the ground, not even daring to raise their heads to look.

"Lu Zhidao, you..." Seeing this, King Qin Guang was so enraged his mind went blank. He had forgotten that besides the Judge's Brush, Judge Lu also wielded the Netherworld Treasure Sword personally bestowed by the Ghost Emperor.

Having subdued the nether soldiers, Zhang Zhao respectfully presented the Netherworld Treasure Sword to Judge Lu. Wielding the sword, Judge Lu looked down at King Qin Guang and demanded, "Upon seeing this precious sword, why does King Qin Guang still refuse to kneel?"

However, King Qin Guang let out a cold snort and stubbornly refused to kneel.

"Lu Zhidao, you bend the law for personal bias and use the Netherworld Treasure Sword to shield a rebel of the netherworld. This King will never submit to you or kneel. Since your Judge's Mansion cannot uphold justice, today this King shall demolish your Judge's Mansion, act on behalf of Heaven, and appoint a new judge!"

With those words, King Qin Guang drew his own treasured sword.

Long before the establishment of the nether administration, King Qin Guang had been a fierce and valiant warrior. After the underworld was established, he became the ruler of the Second Hall among the Ten Kings of Hell. Later, because King Yama pitied those who died unjustly and repeatedly released them to return to the mortal realm to clear their names, he was demoted to the Second Hall, while King Qin Guang moved up to head the First Hall—the Hall of Ghosts and Judges. Therefore, King Qin Guang's cultivation level was by no means low.

As soon as he drew his sword, howling nether winds swept through the entire Judge's Mansion. The lesser demons standing along the hall all trembled violently and dropped to their knees.

As for me, I felt as though I had plunged into an icy abyss.

The Netherworld Treasure Sword in Judge Lu's hand represented the divine might of the Ghost Emperor; seeing the sword was equivalent to seeing the Ghost Emperor himself.

However, if King Qin Guang refused to show reverence to the Netherworld Treasure Sword, he could theoretically ignore the Ghost Emperor's divine might. Consequently, at this moment, the light of the Netherworld Treasure Sword grew dim, while King Qin Guang's sword blazed with a dazzling, brilliant glow.

He pointed his sword directly at Judge Lu.

Yet, Judge Lu's expression remained completely unchanged as he said, "King Qin Guang, think carefully about what you are doing. Make sure you do not commit an unforgivable catastrophe!"

"Lu Zhidao, the one in the wrong today is you!" King Qin Guang retorted.

In an instant, the atmosphere inside the entire Judge's Mansion became razor-sharp and intensely tense.

I originally wanted to step in and help, but the peddler had given me strict instructions time and again: no matter how dangerous the situation became, I must under no circumstances intervene, and I must certainly not draw my Qingping Sword.

Therefore, I had no choice but to endure the tension and wait.

Right at that moment, a great number of black sedan chairs suddenly arrived outside the Judge's Mansion.