The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 166 The Radiance of Will

"Get up!"

Wang Wen sighed, waved his hand, and scattered countless golden rays of merit, which entered the bodies of every wronged soul in the mountains and fields.

The resentment that permeated the mountains and forests subsided somewhat, and the sky seemed to brighten a little.

But the mournful cries grew even louder.

Everywhere you look, there are wronged souls shedding tears of blood.

Ghosts are usually unable to cry; they can only wail.

Unless it's truly tragic...

It's tragic for anyone who's living a good life to suddenly lose their entire family.

Wang Wen was somewhat at a loss, racking his brains for words for a long time before finally speaking in a loud voice: "I will avenge your grievances. The White Lotus Sect demons who harmed you in the past have all been beaten to a pulp, never to be reincarnated. The rest are hiding among the people, living a life of ignominy. I assure you that I will use all my power to track them down. I will kill every one of them I find, and I will not let any of them go!"

The powerful voice, amplified by magic, resounded throughout the entire mountain range.

The mournful cries that echoed through the mountains and forests finally subsided a little...

Wang Wen dared not let the tragic atmosphere linger any longer. Taking this opportunity, he waved to Hei Erniu on the outskirts of the forest. Immediately, a beam of dark light shot over and landed in Wang Wen's hand, transforming into a palm-sized temple figurine with golden tiles and red walls.

Wang Wen caught the "temple figurine," tossed it gently upwards, and the palm-sized figurine grew in the wind, transforming into a massive temple phantom in the blink of an eye, floating above the treetops.

Wang Wen stopped and, in a gentle yet powerful voice, advised, "Those who commit evil deserve to die, but you need not sacrifice your next life for their wicked deeds. For now, reside temporarily in my domain. When the time is ripe and the cycle of reincarnation reopens, I will personally send you into the cycle of reincarnation..."

He tried to persuade them with all his heart, but the wronged souls all over the mountains and fields only cried and cried, as if they could not hear his voice.

He had no choice but to turn his gaze to the Skeleton King kneeling not far in front of him: "Do you want to see them, one by one, turn into beasts and vengeful ghosts?"

He didn't want to engage in moral blackmail, but he couldn't use force, fearing it would provoke the rebellious spirits. After all, he wasn't familiar with them, and it would be strange if they were convinced by just a few official words.

He couldn't just keep dragging this out like this. If something else happened, he would really have no choice but to kill them and physically exorcise these wronged souls.

The Skeleton King silently shed tears of blood. After a long while, he turned his head, kowtowed heavily to the wronged souls covering the mountains and fields, and hissed, "Fellow villagers, rest in peace!"

As he finished speaking, one after another, distorted faces hidden beneath disheveled, matted hair looked up, staring blankly at him...

At this moment, time seemed to stand still.

After an unknown amount of time, a ragged old woman finally stood up. With her dim, yellow eyes that had no visible pupils, she looked at the Skeleton Ghost King, struggled to slowly pull up the corners of her mouth, and revealed a stiff smile. She hissed, "You've suffered, Wu Yazi."

After saying that, she looked up and floated towards the phantom of the temple in mid-air, her back view exuding an indescribable determination.

Then, one after another, ragged figures stood up, looked at the Skeleton Ghost King, and revealed the same voice and smile as the old woman.

“Wu Yazi, we all know what happened, don’t be too hard on yourself…”

"Yes, you've done enough..."

"We really didn't blame you..."

The wronged souls, scattered across the mountains and fields, offered their comfort to the Skeleton King, and flew in groups of three or five towards Wang Wen's shrine.

Their resolute demeanor made it seem as if they were about to leap into a sea of ​​fire and knives.

After the Skeleton King slammed its head on the ground, it never looked up again, only silently shedding tears of blood, staining a large patch of soil red.

As wave after wave of wronged souls flew into Wang Wen's shrine, the Skeleton Ghost King also emitted large gusts of resentment, malevolence, and evil energy. Rolling black smoke billowed up, as if his entire ghost was on fire.

As this resentment, malevolence, and evil energy emanated from his body, his terrifying three-zhang-tall figure began to slowly shrink, and flesh and blood slowly grew back on his dark skull...

After most of the wronged souls from all over the mountains and fields entered Wang Wen's shrine, the Skeleton Ghost King had transformed into a simple young man wearing black armor, with a long sword in a black sheath at his waist, and skin as dark as if it had been dyed with soy sauce.

But his identity as a demon-suppressing guard was not what shocked Wang Wen the most.

What surprised Wang Wen the most was that a dark golden light gradually appeared on the back of his head... It was the golden light of Yin virtue!
"How did you do it?"

Wang Wen couldn't help but ask, "How do you manage to suppress so many wronged souls within your body and maintain your sanity from being worn down by resentment and malevolence?"

No wonder no matter how many killings he went on before, it seemed like he couldn't kill all these wronged souls.

It turns out that what he killed was just an illusion formed by resentment and malevolence; the real vengeful spirit had always been inside the body of this Wu-surnamed demon-suppressing guard.

This... is simply not mystical!

The demon-suppressing guard surnamed Wu collapsed to the ground, his face streaked with tears, his eyes vacant as he gazed up at the ragged figures surging towards the illusory temple in mid-air. He whispered in an almost murmuring tone, "This humble subject wanted to save them, and they acknowledge this humble subject. That's all..."

It's a very simple statement, almost a lie.

But after carefully considering the implications, Wang Wen was suddenly stunned into silence by the dazzling brilliance behind these words.

"You are a great man!"

Wang Wen gave him a thumbs up without hesitation and said sincerely, "I am far inferior to you!"

Bearing the resentment and malice of nearly 100,000 wronged souls on his own, and still managing to maintain his sanity from being eroded by the resentment and malice... Wang Wen couldn't even imagine how agonizing that must have been!
But he was certain that if a million people were randomly selected to replace this Wu-surnamed Demon Guard, those million people would all fall into the abyss of becoming extremely evil demon kings!
Why is it that if others couldn't withstand such terrifying resentment and malevolence, this Wu-surnamed Demon Guard could?

Because no one is him...

This is the brilliance of willpower, the brilliance of idealism!

This demon-suppressing guard surnamed Wu is truly great!
Faced with Wang Wen's praise, the Demon-Suppressing Guard surnamed Wu remained unmoved, simply replying, "Is that so?"

Looking at his blank expression, Wang Wen sighed silently, stepped forward and gently patted his shoulder, saying, "You've done enough, and this result isn't too bad. They can live like living people within my domain, and when the cycle of reincarnation reopens, they can be reincarnated and reborn as humans!"

The demon-suppressing guard surnamed Wu finally reacted. He turned around and looked at Wang Wen with excited eyes: "Really?"

Wang Wen smiled and said, "I know you don't believe me, why don't you go in and see for yourself!"

With that, he waved his sleeve and pulled the Demon-Suppressing Guard surnamed Wu into the Divine Palace. Then, he stepped into the Divine Palace himself and appeared in the sky above the Law Domain, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Demon-Suppressing Guard surnamed Wu.

From their perspective, they could see a small, dark town nestled on the ground below. The wronged souls that had just been brought into the realm of law were wandering around the town like living people, choosing empty houses...

"The conditions are still a bit tough for now, but once we return to the mountain god temple, there will be incense, blood offerings, and sacrifices, and everyone will have their own house."

Looking down at the dark town below, Wang Wen softly explained to the Wu-surnamed demon-suppressing guard beside him, "With incense and blood offerings, the resentment and malevolence on their bodies will gradually dissipate and will not continue to worsen, turning them into vengeful ghosts."

This temple was merely a temporary military camp he carried with him for the Yin Messenger Camp to use when on missions. It was far less complete than the temple in the mountain god temple of the Yangzhou General's Mansion. After more than half a year of incense offerings and worship by the people of Yangzhou, that temple was already comparable in size and number of rooms to most of Yangzhou, more than enough to accommodate these wronged souls!

The demon-suppressing guard surnamed Wu looked down at the figures moving around the town, and his eyes gradually lit up.

A moment later, he suddenly turned to face Wang Wen and bent his knees to kneel in worship.

Wang Wen swiftly released a burst of magical power to support him, saying, "What are you doing? A man's knees are worth gold, get up quickly."

The demon-suppressing guard surnamed Wu forcibly dispersed the magic power beneath his knees, knelt before him, and choked out in a hoarse voice, "This humble citizen, Wu Dingbang, thanks the Mountain God. We, the people of Hongzhou, will forever remember the great kindness and virtue of the Mountain God!"

Wang Wen glanced at him in surprise, not expecting that even after dispelling all his resentment and malevolence, he could still shatter Wang Wen's magical power.

He reached out and pulled him up, shaking his head and saying, "The one who saved them from the abyss was you, not me. The person they should really be grateful to is you, not me. I only did what I was supposed to do. A gentleman does not accept rewards without merit!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Dingbang hurriedly said, "Mountain God..."

Wang Wen waved his hand to stop his excessive gratitude: "Alright, if you really appreciate my help, then please make sure they are settled properly for me!"

He paused, then his expression turned serious, and he said solemnly, "Wu Dingbang, are you willing to serve as the City God of Yangzhou Prefecture under my command?"

He currently holds the position of "City God of Xuzhou," and in the absence of a higher underworld authority, he has the power to bestow titles upon all City Gods within the Huainan Circuit. (The Ming Dynasty bestowed titles upon City Gods throughout the land, dividing them into five levels: Capital City God, Provincial City God, Prefectural City God, State City God, and County City God. The Capital City God was equivalent to the City God of the capital city and held the title of a prince, while the Provincial City God/Capital City God was equivalent to the City God of a province and held the title of a duke.)
Wu Dingbang was taken aback for a moment, then kowtowed and said, "This humble subject dares not disobey!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a dark golden light of Yin virtue shot out from behind Wang Wen's head toward Wu Dingbang. Instantly, a strong golden light of Yin virtue emanated from Wu Dingbang's body, and his aura gradually increased.

Meanwhile, a line of red text, "[Yin Virtue -50]", flashed in the center of Wang Wen's vision.

A city god at the prefecture level certainly has more than 50 points of merit.

However, Wu Dingbang already possessed good karma, and the 50 points of good karma he contributed were merely a "catalyst"; the majority of the contribution came from Wu Dingbang himself.

Wang Wen didn't treat this as a business deal, but sensing that Wu Dingbang's momentum had returned to its peak, he still felt a sense of "making a fortune"!

50 points of Yin Virtue can be exchanged for a Ghost King-level general. Wouldn't that be a huge profit?

A moment later, the golden light shining on Wu Dingbang's body gradually subsided, revealing a handsome young general with a well-proportioned figure and a strong face, wearing black and red civil and military sleeves, a golden sword hanging at his waist.

He opened his eyes, eagerly crossed his arms, knelt on one knee, and excitedly shouted, "This humble general, Wu Dingbang, thanks the City God for his life-saving grace!"

Wang Wen stroked his beard with satisfaction, but when he reached out to touch it, he realized he didn't have a beard. He felt a sense of failure and thought to himself that he must grow a beard in the future, otherwise he would always lack a sense of dignity.

He bowed and helped Wu Dingbang up with both hands, saying gently, "We're family, there's no need to be so polite. From now on, work diligently to protect this land and ensure its peace."

Wu Dingbang exclaimed excitedly, "This humble general will devote himself wholeheartedly to the cause and will never fail the great kindness of Your Excellency!"

Wang Wen chuckled and patted his shoulder, pointing to the wronged souls in the dark town below, saying, "Go ahead, they trust you more. Settle them down first, then I'll find a hundred or so high-ranking Taoist priests to perform a ritual for them..."

After he finished speaking, his figure slowly faded away as Wu Dingbang bowed with his hands clasped.

……

In the evening, the general's mansion and its large entourage returned to Haozhou City in great style.

Shen Ze mobilized all the officials, gentry, and merchants in the city to go ten miles outside the city to welcome him...

Wang Wenxing walked up to the group of officials, gentry, and wealthy families, casually tossing the bloody corpse of the three-tailed fox spirit in front of them. He smiled gently and made a "please" gesture: "Ta-da! Look who I've brought back for you gentlemen... Isn't it the fox spirit you all call 'Grandma' and call more affectionately than your own grandmother?"

When the group of officials, gentry, and merchants saw the fox carcass, which was as big as a calf, they were terrified and pulled others in front of them. Many even covered their eyes with their hands.

"Don't be shy, burn incense and make a wish. This is such a rare opportunity to meet Grandma Fox Demon in person!"

Wang Wen was still smiling, constantly gesturing "please" with his hand, as enthusiastic as a waiter welcoming guests.

However, the officials, gentry, and merchants still tried their best to protect the others in front of them.

After scanning the area several times, Wang Wen suddenly stopped laughing, spurred the ox on, rushed forward, and began whipping it wildly from side to side: "Burning incense, making wishes... go to hell with you!"

The horsewhip, as thick as a bull's tail, whipped these pot-bellied, delicate-skinned officials, gentry, and merchants until they cried out for their fathers and mothers, crawling on all fours with the sticks.

Wang Wen, still not satisfied with his long-winded tirade, finally broke into a tirade: "A bunch of bastards who do nothing but shit! If I ever hear of anyone colluding with evil spirits to exploit the common people again, I'll curse their whole family... Look, look at your dad!"

As he was cursing, he suddenly noticed that there was a fat pig in the crowd who dared to steal glances at him out of the corner of his eye. He immediately flew into a rage, drove the ox forward, and started whipping it wildly: "You think I can't find out about the scum you've been doing? You think I won't dare to touch you just because you're wearing official hats?"

The whip cracked in mid-air, leaving a series of loud cracks and afterimages. It whipped the fat pig until its skin was torn and its cries of agony were pierced. Its fine silk clothes were instantly reduced to rags, and its powerful cries of agony quickly faded away.

"General, General..."

Shen Ze was terrified. He rushed over, covered in sweat, and grabbed his arm, saying, "You can't hit him anymore! If you hit him again, the Chief Justice will die!"

Wang Wen didn't even glance at him, but threw him far away with one arm. His eyes blazing with anger, he continued to whip the pig wildly until "snap" the whip broke, and the fat pig lying on the ground was completely lifeless. Still not satisfied, he turned his head and looked around.

No one dared to look him in the eye, whether they were high-ranking officials or low-ranking officials, powerful figures or gentry.

"Xu Wu!"

He gave a low shout.

Xu Wu responded and rode forward on his horse, taking out a thick stack of white and black characters and throwing them at the heads of the group of officials, gentry, and merchants, where they fluttered down like snowflakes.

A group of officials, gentry, and merchants, filled with suspicion and uncertainty, grabbed the sheets of white paper and examined them closely. They saw that the sheets were filled with accusations of their collusion with evil spirits and exchanging the vital essence of the people for longevity elixirs...

Wang Wen withdrew his gaze and waved his hand, saying, "Enter the city and parade through the streets!"

(End of this chapter)