Chapter 156 Destroying the Evidence

The moment he appeared, the atmosphere within the Hall of the Judges underwent a heaven-shaking transformation. There are two Ghost Emperors of the Central Region: Zhou Qi and Ji Kang. I had never laid eyes on either, and thus could not recognize which of the two this was.

"Rise, all of you!" the Ghost Emperor commanded, raising a hand.

"We thank the Central Region Ghost Emperor!"

The Six Heavens of Luofeng and the two judges cupped their hands in salute simultaneously before slowly rising to their feet. Once upright, they did not return to their seats, but instead stationed themselves separately along the left and right sides.

This was to attend the trial.

The Ghost Emperor walked all the way up the hall of justice and seated himself behind the desk. His arrival instantly established him as the presiding judge of the case.

Of course, had he chosen to sit below, none would have dared to sit above.

Having taken his seat in the hall, the Ghost Emperor cast a careful, thorough gaze over everyone present.

Finally, his eyes landed on Judge Lu, and he spoke: "Lu Zhidao, your manor is truly bustling today! The Six Heavens of Luofeng, King Qin Guang, and Judge Cui—all of them have gathered here!"

"This matter is of grave importance and disturbs the Ghost Emperor's peace; I beg your forgiveness!" Judge Lu said, cupping his hands.

The Ghost Emperor's gaze then shifted to King Qin Guang, before sweeping over the Six Heavens of Luofeng beside him. He asked, "Six divine lords of Luofeng, of what crime is King Qin Guang guilty, that he should be subjected to the punishment of the bronze chains?"

The Heavenly Palace of Taisha Liangshi Zong immediately recounted the details of the case just presented.

When he finished listening, the Ghost Emperor remarked, "I thought it was some great calamity, yet it turns out to be merely the addition of a few names to the Register of Life and Death. To make such a tremendous fuss over such a trifle, Lu Zhidao, are you not making a mountain out of a molehill?"

"Ghost Emperor, to tamper with the Register of Life and Death without authorization—how can that be a trivial matter? This is a momentous..." Judge Lu began, but before he could continue, the Heavenly Palace of Zhoujue Yintian reached out from behind and pinched him hard.

"My lord, why did you pinch me?" Judge Lu demanded in return.

The expression of the Heavenly Palace of Zhoujue Yintian instantly turned ashen. The Ghost Emperor declared, "Heavenly Palace of Zhoujue Yintian, do not stop him. Lu Zhidao, speak your mind. I would very much like to hear your perspective and see exactly how you intend to dispose of the head of the Ten Kings of Hell!"

"Tampering with the Register of Life and Death without authorization is a severe violation of the underworld codes and warrants heavy punishment—"

At this point, the Ghost Emperor merely smiled and said, "Very well, Lu Zhidao, I understand your intent. That being the case, present your evidence; justice shall naturally be served!"

"Understood!" Judge Lu replied.

He immediately stepped forward to present the Register of Life and Death. Flipping it open to the final pages, the Ghost Emperor found the names in question. "Are these the names?" the Ghost Emperor asked.

"Precisely," Judge Lu answered. "These are the ones. King Qin Guang used the pretext of borrowing my Judge's Brush to handle matters concerning wandering souls, yet secretly tampered with the Register of Life and Death by inscribing these names upon it, intending to harm these—"

Before Judge Lu could finish, the Ghost Emperor reached out a hand and commanded, "Lu Zhidao, lend me your Judge's Brush!"

"Ghost Emperor, what are you..." Judge Lu started to ask.

"What? Can this precious treasure of yours not even be lent to this Ghost Emperor?" Faced with this retort, how could Judge Lu refuse? He immediately retrieved the Judge's Brush and offered it up with both hands.

Taking the brush, the Ghost Emperor crossed out every single one of those names in the Register of Life and Death. He then tore out those very pages, cupped them in his palm, and summoned a burst of cyan flame. In an instant, the torn pages of the register were reduced to ash.

"Ghost Emperor! That was evidence! It cannot be burned!" Judge Lu never imagined that the Ghost Emperor would destroy the evidence in open court.

However, the items had already been reduced to cinders. The Ghost Emperor blew across his palm, sending forth a gust of nether-wind that scattered the ashes into nothingness. "Lu Zhidao, I propose we consider this case closed. What do you think?" the Ghost Emperor asked rhetorically.

Judge Lu's brows locked tightly together. "Ghost Emperor," he said sternly, "you have destroyed evidence in public and shielded one who tampered with the Register of Life and Death. Your culpability is not light!"

Hearing this, Magistrate Cui's expression turned exceedingly grim. He had never expected Judge Lu to utter such words, and he made a move to stop him.

Yet, with the Ghost Emperor present, no one dared to move rashly, lest it be construed as disrespect toward the sovereign of the realm.

The Ghost Emperor smiled faintly and countered, "Are you saying that you, Judge Lu, intend to convict this Ghost Emperor?"

"If the Ghost Emperor violates the underworld codes, why should he be exempt from conviction?" Judge Lu retorted. I truly witnessed Judge Lu's unyielding iron will today; not only did he dare to openly defy the Six Heavens of Luofeng, but now he was on a collision course with the Central Region Ghost Emperor himself.

Yet, if things continued down this path, it would undoubtedly spell disaster for Judge Lu.

At this moment, the only person I could speak to was Magistrate Cui by my side. I lowered my voice and said, "Lord Cui, the evidence in the Register of Life and Death has been destroyed. Find a way to stop Judge Lu!"

"I cannot stop him!" Magistrate Cui said with a deep frown.

At that moment, the Ghost Emperor glared at Judge Lu and said, "Lu Zhidao, do you not know that showing disrespect to a superior is likewise a grave crime?" With those words, he merely flicked a glance at King Qin Guang. The bronze chains binding the King shattered into pieces instantly, and the glowing seal of the underworld code dissipated entirely.

King Qin Guang scrambled to his feet and immediately declared, "Ghost Emperor! Lu Zhidao has shown flagrant disrespect to his superiors. He should be arrested, stripped of his office, and dealt with under the strictest penal laws!"

"Lu Zhidao has served as a judge for long enough. It is time for him to step down," the Ghost Emperor ruled.

"Understood!" King Qin Guang saluted.

Without delay, he summoned forth a set of bronze chains, preparing to bind Judge Lu.

At this juncture, Judge Lu's subordinate, Zhang Zhao, stepped forward with the Netherworld Treasure Sword, blocking the way. He bellowed in rage, "The Netherworld Treasure Sword is present! To see this sword is to see the Ghost Emperor himself! None shall behave insolently here!"

Yet the Central Region Ghost Emperor merely let out a cold sigh, cast a sweeping glance at the sword, and dismissed it: "Nothing more than a piece of junk forged by Zhang Heng, yet you dare brandish it to make a spectacle!"

For reasons unknown, the sight of the Netherworld Treasure Sword instantly provoked the Ghost Emperor's wrath. With a flick of his hand, a wave of cyan Qi swept forward.

The Netherworld Treasure Sword was knocked violently from Zhang Zhao's grip, clattering to the floor. The Ghost Emperor strode over, planted his foot squarely upon the blade, and fixed his gaze on Zhang Zhao. The subordinate's face drained of all color in an instant, turning deathly pale as he dropped heavily to his knees.

Following this, the Ghost Emperor raised his hand once more. A stream of cyan Qi transformed into a set of heavy bronze chains, securing Judge Lu tightly against a massive wooden pillar.

The bronze chains pierced directly through his collarbones, a sight that made one's heart ache just to behold.

Immediately afterward, the Ghost Emperor turned back to address the Six Heavens of Luofeng. "The six of you ought to attend to your own duties rather than meddling in matters that do not concern you here!"

"The Qingcheng Realm has been breached, and the Ghost Gate Pass trembles on the verge of collapse. King Qin Guang is a meritorious defender of the Gate, yet you brought him here to place him on trial. By what logic do you justify this?" the Ghost Emperor demanded.

His words left the Six Heavens of Luofeng entirely speechless, unable to utter a single syllable in defense.

Indeed, King Qin Guang had previously filed a report concerning those events, but before they had time to process the matter, this crisis had erupted. Rebuked by the Ghost Emperor, they naturally dared not voice another word of protest.

"Do you know who this person is?" the Ghost Emperor asked, pointing directly at me.

"Is he not simply a petitioner seeking redress?" the Heavenly Palace of Zhoujue Yintian inquired.

"He is one of those who assaulted the Ghost Gate Pass," the Ghost Emperor declared. " bersama-sama [Together] with that fiend Lin Wu, he conspired to attack the Gate. Failing in their endeavor, he attempted to use this despicable scheme to frame King Qin Guang. Do you still believe he is a mere petitioner?"

"Ah? It is him!" the Six Heavens of Luofeng exclaimed in collective astonishment.

Hearing this, my heart plummeted. With this secret exposed, I doubted I would ever be able to leave the underworld alive today. Last time, I had the assistance of Zhong Kui and Magistrate Cui; but now, with the Ghost Emperor himself intervening personally, escaping would prove infinitely more difficult.

At that moment, King Qin Guang chimed in, "Precisely so! It is indeed this wretch. Judge Lu, you colluded with outlaws to frame this King—do you realize the gravity of your crime?"

Judge Lu had evidently never suspected that I was the very culprit behind the attack on the Ghost Gate Pass. Now, with the evidence destroyed and my true identity laid bare to his utter disappointment, he merely stared at me with a complex expression.

"Enough, take Lin One away! Seal the entire Judge's Manor immediately!" King Qin Guang ordered.

No, if I were truly dragged away and these charges were allowed to stick, the complications would be endless, and I would likely remain trapped in the netherworld forever. As Magistrate Cui brushed past me, he murmured under his breath, "Beneath the Eighteenth Level of Hell, your puppet remains. They will not be able to discern the peddler's artifice!"

"Hold on!"

Hearing those words, I immediately cried out.

Every eye in the hall snapped toward me.

"Does the underworld not uphold the rule of law?" I demanded.

The Ghost Emperor halted his steps, turned his gaze upon me, and replied, "Naturally, the underworld upholds the law."

"If the law prevails, why is it that you would cart me away without even granting me the right to speak?" I pressed on.

"You are steeped in monstrous sins; what more is there to ask?" King Qin Guang retorted. However, the Central Region Ghost Emperor raised a hand to stop him and declared, "He has the right to speak."

He stared at me, and I stared right back. "The person you are hunting is Lin One," I said clearly. "Though I am also called Lin One, I am not the Lin One of whom you speak. I merely stumbled into the underworld by mistake and picked up this Register of Life and Death—how did I suddenly become a traitor of your realm?"

"Lin One, do you still dare to engage in sophistry and prevarication?" King Qin Guang challenged.

Seeing this opportunity, Magistrate Cui stepped forward quickly and spoke up, "Ghost Emperor, from this humble official's perspective, a grave mistake has likely been made here. The other Lin One, acting in accordance with King Qin Guang's prior directives, was cast down beneath the Eighteenth Level of Hell. Though he bears a striking resemblance to this individual, once someone is cast into the Eighteenth Level of Hell, how could they possibly escape?"