Gods of the Nation: You worship the God of Longevity, I worship the King of Hell!

Chapter 21: My Direct Showdown with Yama!
"Holy crap! There seems to be a will-o'-the-wisp over there!"

Sun Xingwen vaguely saw two green lights inside the thatched hut and was so frightened that he hid behind his older sister, Sun Yourong.

"Useless thing, where did this will-o'-the-wisp come from!"

Sun Qingcang scolded his good-for-nothing son.

"Let's go."

The group arrived at the thatched hut.

Lu Chen pushed open the door, and the quiet environment was immediately filled with a creepy creaking sound.

A cloud of dust hit my face, making me cough.

"Wow, it's been so long since anyone came."

Lu Chen fanned himself.

Looking around, the room contained only an old square table with several memorial tablets of various sizes on it.

There wasn't even a shrine, let alone any statues.

It was so rudimentary it was suffocating.

Lu Chen stepped forward to take a look.

The largest memorial tablet in the very center bears the inscription "King Yama".

On the left is a small plaque that reads "Judge of the Underworld".

On the right is a small piece that reads "Black and White Impermanence".

"Patriarch Sun, does your Sun Clan Temple also worship the underworld in this way?"

Lu Chen pointed to those memorial tablets.

"There aren't any statues or anything like that?"

Sun Qingcang smiled slightly awkwardly and nodded: "All temples are arranged like this, but our Sun Clan Temple is not as desolate as their Zhao Clan Temple. At least our little house is more sturdy, and we also offer incense regularly."

I heard it.

It's a bit better, but it's still pretty much the same.

"Sigh, it's unbelievable that such a magnificent underworld has fallen into such a miserable state."

Lu Chen thought to himself, then gestured for Sun Qingcang to proceed.

“Patriarch Sun, since there are no problems, then let’s… sign the contract.”

Sun Qingcang nodded, waved his hand, and immediately produced a contract.

Without a contract, who will do your job?

What if they deny it when they turn back?

"Regarding the remuneration, Mr. Sun will not haggle with Mr. Lu. We will proceed according to Master Tan's contract. If Mr. Lu can truly succeed in seeking longevity, the total amount of 30 million will be presented to Mr. Sun with both hands!"

This paltry sum of money is utterly insignificant compared to the life of the old man of the Sun family.

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen also felt his blood boil.

Thirty million! If this mission is accomplished, it will at least transcend several social classes.

This powerful clan is truly showing off its strength!

"Alright, let's do as Patriarch Sun says."

"Wait a minute!" Sun Xingwen suddenly spoke up: "If you succeed, I'll give you the money, no problem. But what if you fail?"

Lu Chen laughed: "Young Master Sun, I told you I'm just here to give it a try. If you insist on making me offer some kind of price, I won't take this mission. Besides, I don't believe you made the same request to Master Tan when you invited him."

"Why are you interrupting? Go away."

Sun Qingcang reprimanded him and signed his name on the contract first.

Lu Chen then signed his name as well.

As the saying goes, "A great reward will surely bring forth a brave man!"
At this moment, Lu Chen was extremely eager to try.

Suddenly, without warning, he heard the sound of copper coins falling.

"This is?!……"

Lu Chen's pupils contracted, and he looked down at the Tongcai Yuanbao around his neck: "The passive skill has been triggered!?"

In other words, this contract is 100% likely to go through!
Holy crap, this actually works?!
In this light, the Tongcai Yuanbao (a type of gold ingot) actually has a bit of a conceptual feel to it.
Lu Chen had already figured out how to spend the 30 million.

"Mr. Sun, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Zhao Zhihong, who had gone to fetch incense, also arrived late.

Sun Qingcang took the incense, scanned it with his divine sense, and found no problem before nodding: "Thank you for your hard work, Manager Zhao. Here, young friend Lu. I'll leave the rest to you."

Lu Chen accepted the incense and nodded, saying, "Patriarch Sun, rest assured, I will do my best. Now, please move outside and wait."

After Sun Qingcang and his group retreated outside.

Lu Chen lit an incense stick and began to silently recite the incantation to summon the gods.

However, the incantation recited was not the same as the one used to invite the God of Wealth.

Instead, it is the "Yama's Heart Mantra" specifically invoked by Yama, the King of Hell.

In Taoism, there are hundreds of incantations for summoning deities.

It's not just about universal incantations like the Incense Offering Mantra.

Each deity also has a corresponding incantation for summoning them.

The principle is similar to that of a mobile phone number.

One god and one number!
"The King of Hell presents divine light in the palace, and judges and ghost soldiers line up on both sides."
If any wicked person breaks my law, their sins will be unbearable in the eighteen hells.

……

He governs Yin and Yang, good and evil, and rewards the good and punishes the evil without mercy.

Your disciple wholeheartedly beseeches the Great Emperor Yama to descend.
"The divine weapon's fire is as the law commands!"

As Lu Chen silently recited the "Yama's Heart Mantra," the incense in his hand suddenly burned brighter and brighter.

In a world unseen by the public, a surge of vital energy rose into the air, darted and twisted, and then transformed into a sharp sword that plunged into the ground and disappeared!

……

The underworld, the palace of Yama.

A chilling wind wafted from the ground, and eerie green lamps flickered on and off, guiding souls to their doom.

At the end of the dark road, the mottled vermilion gates of the underworld slowly opened.

Inside the main hall, a chilling wind blew.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face stood on either side. Ox-Head's eyes were as red as lamps, and its horns were wrapped in chains. Horse-Face's fangs were protruding, and the mourning stick in its hand gleamed with a cold, eerie light.

Hearing the agonizing screams coming from outside, the eyes of the two renowned underworld officials flashed with a crimson light.

"Gudong, gudong, gudong."

At this moment, in the royal palace, the towering Yama King, with his protruding belly, lay reclining on his throne, holding a wine gourd the size of two or three Ox-Head and Horse-Face statues, and was continuously pouring wine into his mouth.

"Your Majesty, the judgments for today have been completed. Please review them." Several judges respectfully reported, carrying a heavy document that was wider than four people and taller than a person.

Upon hearing this, Yama, the King of Hell, raised his hand and pointed, causing the enormous document to fly into his hand and finally become a "normal" size.

As Yama drank his wine, his gaze swept across the documents.

Not long after, he signed the document, which was considered a review.

"Go back!"

He then tossed the document aside.

"boom!"

The document lost its grip and crashed heavily into the hall, the resulting gust of wind nearly blowing several judges away.

This caused Yama, the King of Hell, to burst into laughter.

Just then, a golden light flew into the main hall.

King Yama's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly reached out and grabbed the golden light, swallowing it whole.

"This is... the offering of incense from the mortal world?!"

King Yama was only momentarily stunned before he suddenly opened his mouth wide and roared with laughter.

"Well, these wicked cultivators in the mortal realm are truly insatiable, actually setting their sights on me? Do they really think the Underworld, one of the Three Realms, is some kind of evil place? They're utterly audacious!"

"Your Majesty, please allow me to capture him!"

Upon hearing this, Ox-Head and Horse-Face volunteered.

"No!" Yama waved his hand, "This fiend actually managed to deliver incense directly to my doorstep. He seems to have some skill. Let me see for myself. It's been a long time since I've been to the mortal realm. The taste of this incense is truly quite good!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the King of Hell vanished from his throne.

……

The Zhao Family Temple, inside a thatched hut in the underworld.

Seeing that Lu Chen remained motionless.

It remained completely unresponsive, like a piece of wood.

"Sis, do you think this guy is reliable? He seems so unreliable to me!"

"Shut up!"

Sun Yourong glared at him, and Sun Xingwen immediately shrank back.

Zhao Zhihong watched from the side, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his face.

"This kid really thinks he's something special. He just worshipped an obscure deity and accidentally increased his divine power. He really thinks luck is strength."

To ask the King of Hell for a longer life is utterly ridiculous.

I'd like to see how you're going to clean up this mess!

"Whoo~"

But at that moment, a cold wind swept through the thatched hut.

Apart from Sun Qingcang, almost everyone else suddenly shivered.

"What's going on? Where did that eerie wind come from?!"

The group looked around.

Sun Yourong felt something above her head, and it suddenly became much darker.

I subconsciously looked up.

I don't know if I don't see it, I'm startled when I see it.

"Father, look!!"

Everyone looked in the direction she was pointing.

They were all completely stunned by what they saw.

Dark clouds loomed over the thatched huts.

Crimson flames even surged within the dark clouds.

"Holy crap, what is this thing?!"

Sun Xingwen was so frightened he almost wet his pants.

Zhao Zhihong's mouth dropped open in utter disbelief.

Such an unusual phenomenon!

Could it be that……

Sun Qingcang couldn't hide his overwhelming joy, and his gaze once again locked onto Lu Chen inside the room.

To their astonishment, they discovered that Lu Chen was now surrounded by a dense aura of black energy.

Gradually, it was absorbed into it.

"not good!"

Sun Qingcang instinctively reached for the house.

However, he was thrown back by an invisible force, taking several steps back before he could regain his footing.

Suddenly, Lu Chen's voice reached his ears.

"Patriarch Sun, don't panic, I'm fine. Wait for my news!"

Inside the room, Lu Chen called out to someone behind him, then calmly looked at the enormous ghostly figure that had appeared on the tablet of the King of Hell.

All that could be heard was a chilling wind blowing from all directions, with a sound like a whetstone.

"Boy, you've got some nerve, daring to summon me. Aren't you afraid I'll snatch your soul away and boil you in oil, or subject you to the torture of axes in a mountain of knives?"

Lu Chen smiled and bowed, saying, "King Yama above, this disciple pays his respects. This disciple is still young and probably cannot go to the underworld yet. As for whether I am afraid of Your Majesty? What is there to be afraid of? Your Majesty is a righteous god of the Three Realms, what do I have to fear!"

The ghostly figure of Yama shifted and changed, then fell silent for a moment before suddenly laughing, "You really are a cunning lad, but you do have some courage, unlike other mortals who tremble and dare not speak when they see me. Speak, what is the purpose of summoning me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding wind grew even stronger, as if thousands of ghosts were crying out.

Lu Chen's smile widened, and he went straight to the point: "Your Majesty, I have performed a great service by requesting Your Majesty's descent into the world today!"

"Merit? And you still offer it to me?"

The King of Hell's voice suddenly turned suspicious.

Clearly, this was an unexpected response...

　Chapter Six, concerning incense offerings and merits, has been patched and revised.

　　Also, there will be three updates today, and two more later and at midnight.

　　I'm begging everyone to subscribe and read this!

　　Thank you!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)