Terrifying Heavens: I'll directly worship the Black Law of Fengdu!

Chapter 113 Promotion to Left Judge

Li Xuan sensed something, raised his hand in a salute, and said, "May I ask if the Three Mao True Lord has arrived?"

He was currently in the state of opening the altar, representing the position of the Great Emperor of Fengdu in the Northern Yin and the Great Emperor of Ziwei in the Northern Pole, and could not perform a grand ceremony for the Three Mao True Lords as a junior.

Three voices, speaking in unison amidst the golden light, mysterious and dreamlike, said, "You recited our Maoshan divine incantation to invite us here, yet you still ask if it is us?"

Li Xuan was taken aback. He had thought that the ghosts and gods he had invited would speak in ancient language, but he did not expect that the Three Mao True Lords would speak in plain language, which sounded quite approachable.

Perhaps, these Three Mao True Lords are the local gods of "Zombie Supreme".

He recounted what had happened in Liujia Town: the ghost messengers' scheme to trap Lin Jiu and his disciples, the night parade of a hundred ghosts harming people, and Shi Jian's attempt to defy the judges of Fengdu...

The three people in the golden light all fell silent.

Suddenly, the golden light flickered, and Shi Jian's soul awoke. He saw the golden light falling from the sky and the three figures, and automatically knew who they were.

He raised his hands and cried out, "Please, Master Sanmao, save me!"

Lin Jiu already knew it was the Three Mao Ancestors, but he kept his head down, too ashamed to face them.

After a long silence, the Three Mao True Lords said, "Leaving aside your status as the chief disciple of Maoshan, even Zhang Daoling, the Great Celestial Master, was punished by the Northern Emperor for his excessive killings when he vanquished demons and ghost kings! Moreover, you harbored malicious intent and wanted to kill the Judge of Fengdu. This karma will implicate too many people, the first to be affected being your master... Do you know your mistake?"

The image of his master from back then flashed through Shi Jian's mind.

His lips trembled: "I...I was just worried that Lin Fengjiao would be punished too severely, and I was considering the bond between my fellow disciples..."

The Three Mao True Lord spoke in a calm and measured tone, saying, "Even with the judge of Fengdu right before your eyes, you remain stubbornly unrepentant."

Li Xuan bluntly stated, "Shi Jian, your disciple and son, Shi Shaojian, has been using the technique of astral projection to invade the dreams of virtuous women and commit immoral acts since he began learning the art. Are you aware of this?"

Shi Jian opened his mouth as if to say he didn't know, but he knew that a little investigation would reveal the truth.

"I...I...the hardships of cultivation, if there is not even a sliver of reward, how could he persevere..."

Li Xuan said, "All those who use the methods of ghosts and spirits to enter dreams should be killed! Those who cultivate the Tao and use the methods of entering dreams to commit crimes are even more guilty of knowingly breaking the law and should be sent to Iron Enclosure Mountain."

Upon hearing this, Shi Jian suddenly struggled, the iron chains rattling loudly.

He knelt on the ground, kowtowed to the Three Mao Ancestors, and shouted in a hoarse voice, "I was wrong, please don't punish Shao Jian. After I made a mistake back then, I promised his mother that he would live a life of comfort and security! If you want to punish someone, punish me alone. Whether I am punished in the Iron Enclosure Mountain for a thousand or ten thousand years, or my soul is scattered, I will accept it."

Li Xuan felt that what Shi Jian said sounded so familiar...

Isn't that what Lin Jiu just said?

These two fellow disciples are truly doomed.

Shi Jian's misfortune was his son.

Lin Jiu's tribulation was his disciple.

Li Xuan looked up at the Three Mao True Lords and said, "Shi Jian is dissatisfied with the dark laws of Fengdu, claiming that the judges of Fengdu cannot punish him. Now it seems... I don't know..."

Jin Guangshang, the Three Mao True Lords, were at a loss for words. Shi Jian and Lin Jiu were both too outstanding; whatever they said would be wrong. Although they were the founders of Maoshan, their influence with the Northern Emperor was somewhat insufficient. They said, "The Black Law of Fengdu is just and strict, and as the vanguard of the Xuanmen, it should be enforced according to the law."

The golden light faded away...

With a flick of their sleeves, Lu Jian and Wang An sent the souls of Shi Jian and Lin Jiu disappearing into the incense burner on the altar. Li Xuan's gaze had actually been fixed on Guan Yu, whom he had summoned. For some reason, compared to the two clerks, Wang An and Lu Jian, this Guan Yu seemed like a small figurine. Apart from swinging his sword a couple of times upon his entrance, he was basically motionless, neither speaking nor showing any expression.

Could it be that his rank is not high enough, so what he summoned was just a projection and not a true spirit?

Wang Angong said with his hands clasped: "The matter of the Hundred Ghosts Parade at Night involves many people, including Shi Jian, Lin Jiu, Qiu Sheng, Wen Cai, Shi Shaojian, the four ghost messengers, as well as Lin Jiu's fellow disciples, sect members, and all those involved. They all need to be sent to the underworld for trial, imprisonment, caning, or Iron Enclosure Mountain.

Li Xuan said, "That's how it should be."

Wang An carefully sensed the situation, then placed his right hand on the altar. An iron chain shot out from the incense burner and disappeared into the void, soon capturing Shi Shaojian's soul.

Completely naked and terrified, Shi Shaojian thought he had been attacked by ghosts and cried out for help: "My master is Shi Jian, the senior disciple of Maoshan! You evil mountain ghosts, stop your insolence and release me! Otherwise, none of you can withstand the power of my master's thunder!"

His voice suddenly stopped!
It was only because his gaze accidentally fell upon a corpse cut in half on the ground, which looked just like his master, Shi Jian…

Whoosh!
Soul collection!

Li Xuan didn't like talking too much with criminals. These guys were using Taoist magic as a means of committing crimes; they'd be in deep trouble in the underworld...

He began to put away the altar and chanted the incantation for the return of ghosts and gods to their palace.

The Guan Yu figure, which resembled a figurine, suddenly came to life. He looked at Li Xuan with his phoenix eyes and said, "In this other world, you did not shy away from powerful figures, but upheld justice to investigate the wicked and punished the wicked. Your virtuous conduct is evident, and the gods have taken notice. You are hereby recorded for your great merit!"

Guan Yu pointed his hand towards Wang Angongcao's hand, and a scroll-like object appeared.

He drifted away with the wind and left.

Lu Jian also left.

Holding the scroll, Wang An knew his civilian role was to transmit information, so he opened the scroll, looked at its contents, and began to read aloud:

"Li Xuan, the Right Judge and Judge of the General Records Office of the First Rank, is of upright character and integrity. He is fearless in the face of power and influence, and upholds the dignity of Fengdu. He deserves special recognition for his merits. He is hereby granted a Celestial Register and promoted to the Second Rank of the First Rank to recognize his achievements. He is now promoted from the Right Judge of the General Records Office of Fengdu, who was in charge of the affairs of the ghosts and gods of the Six Heavens, to the Left Judge of the General Records Office of Fengdu, who will also be in charge of the affairs of the ghosts and gods of the Six Heavens of the Northern Underworld!"

Li Xuan had heard from the clerk that if he performed more meritorious deeds, he would be promoted, and he never expected it to happen so soon.

He accepted the scroll with both hands, but unexpectedly, the scroll transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into the Seal of the Three Realms and the Command of the Nine Springs on the altar...

It seems that the Nine Springs Command and the Seal for Inspecting the Ghosts and Gods of the Three Realms have a function similar to "identity authentication".

Wang An wanted to congratulate him, but the words stuck in his throat. He could only take a few steps back and turn back...

On the street late at night, Li Xuan stood alone with his altar. Looking around, he saw collapsed houses on both sides, countless cracks in the ground, and behind him, a large number of corpses cut in two. In front of the altar were the corpses of Shi Jian, Lin Jiu, and others.

Several characters from the story died that night...

Just then, the sound of a carriage came from behind; it was a horse-drawn carriage, and it was Simu Daoren and Jiale who had arrived.

Li Xuan immediately put away the token and seal, ending the ritual at the altar.

After Li Xuan left, the Four-Eyed Taoist was restless. Half a day later, he bought a carriage and chased after him. As soon as he arrived in Liu Family Town, he saw corpses lying around, lightning flashing and thunder roaring in the night sky. Then, yin energy filled the sky, and golden light appeared in the world, completely refreshing all the strange things he had ever seen in his life.

He stepped over the corpses scattered on the ground and saw Li Xuan with the altar set up. His heart skipped a beat: "No way!"

　The third update is here.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)