Chapter 155: The Ghost Emperor Steps Forward

With a single command, more than a dozen of the underworld soldiers and ghost generals waiting outside were all marched inside.

As soon as they entered and laid eyes on King Qinshuang, one of the ghost generals could not help but ask, "Your Highness, why are you also here at the Judge's Office?"

Another lowered his voice and said, "Your Highness, rest assured! The Book of Life and Death has already been discarded at Rooster-Crowing Mountain!"

These underworld soldiers and ghost generals pretended to speak in whispers, but both Judge Lu and I could hear every word clearly. The unexpected arrival of Lord Cui, followed by this series of bizarre events, caught King Qinshuang completely off guard.

"Whose subordinates are you supposed to be? This King does not recognize you at all!" King Qinshuang snapped, shoving away the ghost general who had drawn too close.

The two ghost generals froze, their expressions instantly turning hostile. One of them abandoned any attempt to lower his voice and directly shouted, "Your Highness! You promised that once it was done, you would guarantee our safety and grant us a bountiful reward! How can you go back on your word now?"

"Silence! This King does not know you, what word is there to break?" King Qinshuang was beginning to lose his composure. He had originally thought his scheme would implicate Judge Lu and eliminate this thorn in his side. However, he never imagined that, without realizing it, he had walked right into a much larger trap.

Trapped within this web, he felt as if he had plunged into a boundless ocean where no shores were visible in any direction.

King Qinshuang furrowed his brows, thinking to himself: *Who on earth is the mastermind behind this setup?*

In this netherworld, who could possibly orchestrate such a grand scheme?

He racked his brain, but no name came to mind.

As the underworld soldiers and ghost generals continued to make a scene, an impatient King Qinshuang seemed about to lash out. With a single strike of the gavel from the dais, the hall fell instantly silent. The Celestial Palace of Great Fierceness and Realization of Affairs declared, "Enough of this bickering! This is the Judge's Office, and the Six Heavens of Luofuo are all present. Do you truly hold the Six Heavens in such utter disregard?"

The ghost generals immediately dropped to their knees, and King Qinshuang cupped his fists in a gesture of apology. The events of the past few moments had clearly unsettled him.

At that moment, the Celestial Palace of Great Fierceness and Realization of Affairs began the interrogation. The ghost generals answered every question in accordance with Lord Cui's earlier statements, and with each reply, they cast a furtive glance at King Qinshuang, as if awaiting his cues.

The outcome of the interrogation matched Lord Cui's findings down to the last detail.

Listening to the proceedings, King Qinshuang grew increasingly furious. "These underworld soldiers and ghost generals are not under my command! How could I possibly have the authority to mobilize them? This is nothing but a frame-up! Lord Cui, I have always treated you well, why would you conspire to frame me?"

"King Qinshuang, this matter is of grave importance. I am merely a judge and can only act in accordance with the nether laws! Truly, I am powerless to lend you a hand," Lord Cui replied smoothly.

Before the echoes of Lord Cui's words could fade, another ghost general immediately chimed in, "Your Highness! The moment trouble arose, you washed your hands of us and abandoned your own men to their fate! Since you show no loyalty, do not blame us for lacking righteousness!"

These words pushed King Qinshuang past his breaking point.

He whipped around to glare at the ghost general. An aura of terrifying dread radiated from his entire body. Suddenly, he lunged forward and locked his hand around the ghost general's throat.

"King Qinshuang! This is a court of law, release him at once!" shouted the Celestial Palace of Great Fierceness and Realization of Affairs, rising from his seat. But blinded by fury, King Qinshuang ignored the warning and squeezed tighter, nearly crushing the ghost general's neck.

With no other choice, the Celestial Palace of Great Fierceness and Realization of Affairs commanded, "Judge Cui, the Book of Nether Laws! Judge Lu, the Bronze Lock!"

Lord Cui and Judge Lu simultaneously cupped their fists and answered, "Understood!"

Lord Cui immediately unfurled the Book of Nether Laws. Promulgated by the Heavenly Dao, the Book of Nether Laws was sacred and inviolable, binding upon all deities of the underworld.

In an instant, the Book of Nether Laws erupted with blinding brilliance, illuminating the entire Judge's Office as brightly as the mortal world at noon, forcing everyone to squint. The torrent of golden light coiled tightly around King Qinshuang, binding him securely.

On the other side, Judge Lu cast forth a bronze lock, which snapped shut around King Qinshuang.

Suppressed by these two formidable arcane arts, King Qinshuang's spiritual power was instantly sealed. His grip loosened, and the ghost general collapsed to the ground, clutching his neck. King Qinshuang himself fell to his knees, yet he still roared defiantly, "I refuse to accept this! I refuse to submit!"

The ghost general who had just been choked staggered across the floor, and a black booklet slipped from his robes. A junior ghost bailiff picked it up, glanced at it, and announced, "My lords, this is the official duty roster of King Qinshuang's estate!"

"Present it here!"

The junior ghost took the booklet forward. The Celestial Palace of Great Fierceness and Realization of Affairs took it, inspected it, and nodded slightly. "Search all the other implicated underworld soldiers and ghost generals!"

Soon enough, official rosters bearing the seal of King Qinshuang's estate were discovered on every single one of them. According to nether law, if a large contingent of troops needed to be dispatched for official business, or if estate guards were deployed, they were required to carry the official documents of their domain; otherwise, they were to be executed on the spot. Thus, these registers served as undeniable proof that these underworld soldiers and ghost generals were indeed guards from King Qinshuang's estate.

"The evidence is conclusive! It appears that everything Lord Cui stated is entirely true," declared the Celestial Palace of Great Fierceness and Realization of Affairs.

At this juncture, another member of the Six Heavens of Luofuo who had remained silent until now, the Heavenly Palace of Gloom and Desolation, finally spoke. "Since Lord Cui's testimony is verified, it follows that the plaintiff Lin Yi before the court has spoken the truth. The Book of Life and Death was indeed not stolen by him; rather, he simply stumbled upon it at Rooster-Crowing Mountain!"

Hearing this, Lord Cui cupped his fists and asked, "My Lord of the Heavenly Palace of Gloom and Desolation, do you mean to say that the Book of Life and Death was not destroyed, and the evidence still exists?"

"Indeed. Fortunately, this young man found it; otherwise, the evidence would have vanished forever," the Heavenly Palace of Gloom and Desolation replied.

"That being the case, did not this young man provide us with crucial evidence? This is an act of justice, and according to the nether laws, he ought to be rewarded."

As Lord Cui spoke, he glanced at me, his smile laden with profound meaning.

"Naturally. However, our primary task right now is to determine the sentence for King Qinshuang. All evidence indicates that the Book of Life and Death within King Qinshuang's estate was already altered before it ever left his residence. Furthermore, as Judge Lu mentioned earlier, when King Qinshuang borrowed the judge's brush, the deities of this celestial palace were present as witnesses. At the very moment he borrowed the brush, I happened to be a guest at Judge Lu's residence; both my attending ghosts and those of Judge Lu can testify to this. Therefore, the person who altered the Book of Life and Death can be none other than King Qinshuang himself. Moreover, when Lord Cui went to the estate to investigate and retrieved the Book of Life and Death, it was intercepted and hijacked by King Qinshuang's subordinates—an explicit act of destroying evidence," the Heavenly Palace of Gloom and Desolation stated.

Only then did Judge Lu recall that it was indeed true. At that time, the Heavenly Palace of Gloom and Desolation had been visiting his residence to discuss matters concerning the mortal realm, and King Qinshuang had happened to drop by to borrow the judge's brush.

"Under the Heavenly Dao, the netherworld must never interfere in the affairs of the mortal realm; this is an absolute iron law and a bottom line. Yet King Qinshuang took it upon himself to tamper with the Book of Life and Death to harm mortals—a most heinous crime. To compound this by destroying evidence is an even graver offense. Lord Cui, the Book of Nether Laws is in your hands; tell us, how shall such wickedness be judged?" asked the Heavenly Palace of Gloom and Desolation.

Lord Cui once again raised the Book of Nether Laws, furrowing his brow as he proclaimed, "Such crimes would normally warrant the execution and obliteration of his nether form. However, considering that King Qinshuang has served the underworld for thousands of years and accumulated boundless merit, his sentence may be appropriately commuted. Yet, while capital punishment may be waived, active retribution is unavoidable. If we strictly follow the nether laws, he must be cast into the eighteenth layer of hell for a millennium before being sent to the cycle of reincarnation."

Upon hearing this verdict, the Six Heavens of Luofuo hesitated and began whispering among themselves. After all, the punishment was undeniably severe. Yet interfering in mortal affairs and using the Book of Life and Death to harm the living was a capital offense that could hardly be glossed over.

Seeing the hesitation of the Six Heavens of Luofuo, Judge Lu could not contain his indignation. "Since the nether laws dictate as much, this matter must be judged strictly in accordance with them! Do the six lords intend to bend the law for personal favor right here in court?"

These words left Master Sun, standing nearby, utterly dumbfounded. Yet he knew the temperament of Judge Lu from their own office all too well—a man who could never tolerate even a speck of sand in his eyes. This was hardly the first time he had openly rebuked the Six Heavens of Luofuo to their faces.

Judge Lu's words snapped the Six Heavens of Luofuo out of their indecision. The Celestial Palace of Great Fierceness and Realization of Affairs declared, "Indeed! Violating the nether laws warrants heavy punishment. Even King Qinshuang shall be granted no leniency!"

"Hear the judgment, King Qinshuang! For arbitrarily tampering with the Book of Life and Death, harming mortals, and destroying evidence—with the latter aggravating your crimes—your past merits are hereby canceled out. Effective immediately, King Qinshuang is stripped of his rank, demoted to a wandering ghost of the netherworld, cast into the eighteenth layer of hell, and shall only re-enter the cycle of reincarnation to become a mortal in the human realm after a thousand years!"

No sooner had the Celestial Palace of Great Fierceness and Realization of Affairs finished speaking than a low, rumbling voice like distant thunder echoed from the sky above: "Six Heavens of Luofuo, Celestial Palace of Great Fierceness and Realization of Affairs, what crime has King Qinshuang committed to warrant such a harsh sentence?"

Hearing this voice, the Six Heavens of Luofuo froze in astonishment.

Pinned and bound to the ground, King Qinshuang wore a cold, mocking smile.

Then, a black sedan chair descended from the clouds, landing gently outside the gates of the Judge's Office. Unlike ordinary nether sedan chairs, this one was embroidered with exquisitely detailed golden dragon patterns, radiating an overwhelming, oppressive dominance.

At this sight, the Six Heavens of Luofuo immediately rose to their feet, and Lord Cui followed suit. Without hesitation, the Six Heavens of Luofuo hurried to the doorway to welcome the newcomer, closely followed by Lord Cui and Judge Lu.

Reaching the threshold, they dropped to their knees and shouted in unison:

"We respectfully welcome the arrival of the Eastern Ghost Emperor of Baodu Mountain!"

At that moment, a figure clad in a black robe with flowing long hair and an enigmatic gaze stepped out from the black sedan chair. He appeared in the guise of a Daoist priest, draped in a dragon-patterned Bagua Daoist robe that looked rather extraordinary.

The peddler had once explained to me that although a Ghost Emperor was only one rank higher than the Six Heavens of Luofuo, their status in the netherworld far surpassed them. While the Six Heavens of Luofuo and the Ten Kings of Hell were active officials of the underworld, the Five Ghost Emperors were veteran figures of ancestral standing. The gap between them was vast beyond measure.