If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1052 The Soul of Gouchen Sheng
Divorce, separation, severing ties, or leaving—the endings all seem the same.

However, the consequences of these four factors differ greatly.

Needless to say, Li's reputation was completely ruined by the "divorce".

While "divorce" is relatively neutral, it still doesn't do good for a woman's reputation and can draw criticism from villagers.

The wife's "severing ties" was as ruthless as the husband's "divorce."

Requesting the City God to sentence him to "severing ties of righteousness" is tantamount to announcing to everyone: Sun Dalang is a scoundrel with heinous crimes, and he is no longer worthy to be my husband, and the City God has already agreed.

"Seeking to leave" is relatively milder.

Li's initiative to leave still suggests that there is something wrong with Sun Dalang or the Sun family, and that they are not good men.

The four outcomes have different impacts, so the judgment gives the choice to Li.

According to Xiaoyu's opinion, Li should have severed ties with Sun Dalang long ago.

But she also understood that choosing to sever ties was not in Li's character.

As expected, Madam Li did not hesitate and said directly, "Let's get a divorce! Once my husband is back to life, I will go back to my parents' home."

Sun Dalang's face lit up with joy.

The judge picked up his pen and wrote, "Swish, swish, swish..."

Before long, the divorce papers were written.

There were four copies in total. Two copies were given to Li and Sun Dalang, and one copy was kept in the archives of the City God's Office.

For the last document, Xiaoyu ordered a wandering spirit to deliver it to the county government office in the mortal realm.

"Alright, the matter between Sun Dalang and Li Shi is over. Cui Biluo, it's your turn now," Xiaoyu said.

The Earth Goddess remained conflicted and asked, "If I divorce Yu Xichi, can I still serve as the Earth God?"

“You’ve already married Sun Dalang, how can you still be the land lady of Heron Pavilion?” Xiaoyu asked.

The landlady's expression changed, and she said nervously, "If I don't divorce Yu Xichi—"

"Biluo, you should divorce him right away!" Sun Dalang shouted excitedly. "We are a match made in heaven. He hasn't touched you for three hundred years. I am your true husband."

Think carefully about how happy we were together.

"Roaring in the courtroom, they deserve to be punished!"

Xiao Yu shouted angrily, and the two ghost messengers immediately stepped forward and slapped Sun Dalang several times.

Xiaoyu coldly said to the Earth Goddess, "If you don't divorce Yu Xichi and don't marry Sun Dalang, it means you were lying before."

All your excuses for adultery are invalid.

You and Sun Dalang are not in love.

If it's not mutual affection and a natural expression of love, then it's adultery.

Since it's adultery, and it's become such a public scandal, known to all, shouldn't you be removed from your position as the local earth god?

The land goddess looked grim and said, "Yu Xichi isn't here. How can I divorce him? I'd better wait for him to come and see what he has to say."

Xiao Yu looked around and asked, "Where is Wu Pan? Has the wandering spirit found any trace of the Earth God of Heron Pavilion?"

Wu Pan strode into the main hall and went straight to the table. He whispered to Yu Chenghuang, "My lord, Yu Xichi has gone to Tianzhu Peak."

Xiao Yu's expression shifted slightly, a look of apprehension and hesitation appearing in her eyes. She asked in a low voice, "Is King Chen Sheng willing to protect him?"

"We didn't see King Chen Sheng, but the fact that Yu Xichi was able to enter Tianzhu Peak already shows King Chen Sheng's attitude."

Judge Wu hesitated for a moment, then advised, "Why not close the case here, send Sun Dalang back to life, and send a constable to warn Yu Xichi to stop provoking the Sun family?"

Xiao Yu feigned a troubled expression and said helplessly, "You don't understand. This prefecture must accept Li's case and handle it properly."

Although it wasn't explained clearly, the mere mention of "Li Shi" was enough for Judge Wu to understand: to catch the local matriarch in adultery, Li Shi must indeed have someone behind her! And someone powerful that even a lord wouldn't dare to offend.

Xiao Yu stood up. "Judge Wang, Judge Zeng, come with me."

She led the two "high-ranking ghosts and spirits" to a side hall in the back office and said directly, "Judge Zeng, this prefecture has assigned you a task."

Take Chen Long and Song Hu with you and go to Tianzhu Peak.

They secretly invited King Chen Sheng to come down the mountain.

Judge Wang, take the 'Eight-Horse Chariot' of this prefecture to the Great Marsh and welcome King Chen Sheng with the most solemn ceremony.

Zeng Wupan asked in surprise, "Why invite King Chen Sheng to Fuli?"

Before Xiaoyu could speak, Judge Wang sighed, "Your Excellency wants King Chen Sheng to come in person to vouch for Yu Xichi's case."

He is the King of Men, and is blessed by Heaven.

As long as he is willing to accept the consequences, no matter what the future holds, the master can rest easy!

Conversely, if King Chen Sheng only took in Yu Xichi without making any clear statement, the master cannot directly conclude that he should bear the consequences for Yu Xichi.

After all, Chen Sheng was the "King of Men," and the fate of the "King of Men" was not something that the gods and spirits of the underworld could interfere with.

“I understand the logic. But summoning King Chen Sheng here in the middle of the night will surely displease him,” Zeng Wupan murmured.

Judge Wang looked at the City God.

Yu Chenghuang said calmly, "The matter is very simple. Bao Yuxi and his wife committed a crime, the evidence is conclusive, and it has become common knowledge."

Whoever is willing to protect them, will protect them.

This official only cares about protecting his own official position!
If I can't keep my official hat, I'll be nothing but a ghost in front of you.

What kind of 'king' would care about a lost soul who has lost his divine authority?

Zeng Wupan's face turned red and blue as he quickly bowed and said, "This humble general knows his mistake, this humble general understands, this humble general will take Chen Long and Song Hu to Tianzhu Peak immediately."

Judge Wang also bowed down in fear and trepidation, saying, "I will immediately fetch the horse and serve King Chen Sheng well, so that he may understand your difficulties, sir."

"Go ahead, don't keep me waiting. I don't care about myself, but don't keep Madam Li waiting." Xiaoyu waved her hand and said.

“Master, when we enter Tianzhu Peak at night, we shouldn’t just knock on the gate and walk all the way up the mountain to wake up King Chen Sheng, right?” Zeng Wupan probed.

Xiao Yu said coldly, "I don't care how you invite people, I want to see King Chen Sheng tonight!"

Judge Wang tugged at his sleeve.

Judge Zeng's lips twitched a few times, and with a bitter face, he followed Judge Wang out of the back office.

"We haven't even asked clearly yet! How are we supposed to invite King Chen Sheng?" Zeng Wupan complained in a low voice.

Judge Wang said calmly, "If we cannot share your burdens, why should we be your trusted confidants?"

When spirits invite people to the City God's Office, they never invite living people.

The usual practice is to call back the soul in a dream, inviting it to the realm of the underworld.

However, King Chen Sheng's identity was special, and calling upon his soul was extremely risky, as it could easily offend a powerful and influential person.

If the City God gives the order directly, Wu Pan can still shirk responsibility: I am just following the City God's orders.

Zeng Wupan hoped that the City God would give him a clear explanation so that he would have an excuse.

Xiaoyu is now the City God's executioner, so of course he should imitate his personality: let his underlings take the risks.

If King Chen Sheng were to blame him, the City God would apologize to King Chen Sheng with a look of remorse, then turn around and glare at the Martial Judge, scolding him for not knowing the rules.

"Sigh, let's forget about other things. Brother Chen Sheng, don't you know how many great immortals and powerful beings are hiding on Tianzhu Peak right now?"

"Last time, when Master went to the 'Feast of Killing Feathers,' he told us that several powerful Golden Immortals were hiding on the mountain, and that the Jade Emperor and Star Lords were watching Dazexiang from the heavens. If we hadn't succeeded in tricking King Chen Sheng's soul in front of so many great immortals and gods, we might have been gone forever, directly 'dying for' Master," Zeng Wupan said with a worried expression.

Judge Wang laughed and said, "Aren't there also Chen Long and Song Hu?"

Zeng Wupan paused for a moment, then seemed to be deep in thought.

A moment later, in the underworld outside the City God's Office.

"What, you want us to summon the spirit of King Chen Sheng?"

Upon hearing Zeng Wupan's order, Chen Long and "Song Hu" jumped up and shouted in unison.

"Zeng Wupan, are you out of your mind? Who is King Chen Sheng? Are we trying to summon his spirit? Aren't we just courting death?"

In the past, if they dared to yell at him like that, Zeng Wupan would have slapped them hard across the face to make them understand the majesty of the "Head of the Divine Realm Warriors".

He himself now feels guilty about his orders.

But he didn't want to take responsibility, just like the master didn't want to take responsibility and dumped the task on his underlings, sending them to their deaths.

"It wasn't me who sent you to summon the spirit of King Chen Sheng, it was the master! The master appointed you two as generals."

His eyes were so resolute that they brooked no dissent, and his tone was so gentle that it sounded like he was sending a comrade off to his death.

"Is that really what the master said? I'll go ask him myself."

With a look of suspicion on his face, "Song Hu" was about to turn back.

Judge Wang grabbed him and shouted, "What kind of status do Judge Zeng and I have? Would we lie to you?"
Not only you, but Zeng Wupan and I are also going to Tianzhu Peak.

You two are responsible for entering the dream and summoning the soul of King Chen Sheng.

Zeng Wupan will lead him down the mountain, and I will wait for him at the foot of the mountain in my eight-horse carriage.

Everyone has a task, a task that aligns with their role.

"Song Hu," his face deathly pale, wailed, "How could the master issue such a mind-numbing order? Isn't this forcing us to our deaths?"

Zeng Wupan coldly said, "I think you're the one who's out of your mind! We're just inviting King Chen Sheng to the City God's Office as a guest, not trying to take his soul or his life."

Chen Long said, "What kind of identity does King Chen Sheng have? How can we summon his spirit?"

Judge Wang said, "Even an emperor will eventually die young. When he dies, won't the ghost messengers go to call back his soul?"
King Chen Sheng was destined for greatness, yet at this time he was still a commoner, or even worse off than a commoner.

Entering his dream and summoning his soul is effortless.

That's true. If an emperor doesn't have great supernatural powers and doesn't hold the power of the emperor, it's not difficult for ghosts and gods to summon his soul.

For example, in the later Tang Dynasty, the Jing River Dragon King easily entered Emperor Taizong's dream.

Li Shimin's soul was easily summoned away by the ghost messengers.

"The problem is not whether or not it is possible to summon the soul of King Chen Sheng in a dream."

The question is whether we can enter his dream alive.

He has countless powerful protectors around him, how could he allow two little devils to enter his dream? "Song Hu" shouted.

This is also true.

As long as Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao were guarding the entrance, even ghosts dared not disturb Li Shimin.

The powerful being staring at Tianzhu Peak in Daze Township at that moment was far more formidable than the two later war gods of the mortal realm.

Judge Wang said impatiently, "I ask you, are you evil gods or demons?"

“No, we are the righteous gods of the Underworld,” Chen Long said.

Judge Wang then asked, "Are there any great gods or immortals who, for no reason, have killed the righteous gods of the Underworld?"

"This..." Chen Long hesitated. "Normally not, but I'm just afraid of the possibility."

"What ifs?" Judge Wang shouted, "You two be careful, quietly go up the mountain, get close to King Chen Sheng's dream, and quietly call back his soul."

We have no ill intentions, the secrets of heaven have not been disturbed, and we will not alarm any great gods or immortals.

This is the best-case scenario.

At worst, you get close to Chen Sheng's dream and are discovered by the strange and unusual people on the mountain.

Seeing that you are wearing the official robes of the City God and have the aura of a righteous deity, and that you don't seem to have any ill intentions, they will definitely ask you the reason first.

"We truly had no intention of harming King Chen Sheng. If we've made that clear, why would they still detain you?"

Chen Long and Song Hu had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept the task.

“Zeng Wupan, we will have to trouble you to use your supernatural powers to send us into King Chen Sheng’s dream.”

"Although we can also enter dreams, our skills are ultimately inferior to yours, sir. Making too much noise would easily disturb the extraordinary people on the mountain," said Song Hu.

Zeng Wupan hesitated.

His dream-entry technique is indeed more advanced.

However, to send them into Chen Sheng's dream, he had to be very close to the main hall of Tianzhu Peak.

It's obvious that the closer you are, the more dangerous it is.

"Judge Zeng, why don't you see them off? It'll help you finish your task sooner," Judge Wang reminded him. "The Lord is still waiting for us at the City God's Office!"

If we can't invite King Chen Sheng, we can't get rid of Lady Li.

"If we can't get rid of the Li family, no one in our City God Bureau will have peace."

Even the same spirit or deity can exert different amounts of energy in different places.

Within the City God's domain, the power of ghosts and gods is the strongest; they appear and disappear without a trace, and can unleash 200% of their divine power. The same divine arts are also far more powerful.

Outside the divine realm but within its territory, it can perfectly integrate with the divine rules of this place, and even control a small portion of the land. Its power is second only to that within the divine realm.

If they leave their territory, for example, if the spirits of Fuli County go to Pengcheng, their divine power and magic will be greatly weakened.

Just like the king of country A, if he goes to country B, the power he can exert will definitely not be as great as it would be in country A.

Chen Long and Song Hu were quite lucky.

Although Daze Township covers an area of ​​hundreds of miles, with crisscrossing rivers and numerous lakes, it is directly connected to seven or eight surrounding counties.

However, Tianzhu Peak, where Chen Sheng was stationed, was within the territory of Fuli County.

In other words, they will commit the crime within their own territory.

During the Journey to the West, the wandering god sent the soul of the King of Wuji Kingdom into Tang Sanzang's dream. Wukong probably knew this, but Wujing and Bajie definitely didn't notice.

That wandering deity is the "local god".

Therefore, Chen Long and Song Hu had a considerable chance to quietly summon Chen Sheng's soul.

They themselves understood that this trip was not without its opportunities.

Judge Wang hid in the underworld at the foot of Tianzhu Peak, tucked away in a corner.

Zeng Wupan led Chen Long and Song Hu through the deep divine dimension and quietly arrived at the mountainside of Tianzhu Peak, only three hundred feet away from Chen Sheng's palace.

Then, Zeng Wupan blew a breath of "immortal energy" at the two ghost messengers.

The two ghost messengers were immediately swept up by a gust of wind and drifted from the deep divine dimension into the dream dimension, continuing to drift towards the palace.

The two ghost messengers have already seen Chen Sheng's dream!

(End of this chapter)