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

Chapter 99 Please call me—the God of Wealth of the Underworld!!!
Xie Bi'an immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "General, you are planning for the great cause of the underworld. How could my brother and I not accept your offer? Otherwise, we would become sinners in the underworld for all time."

Fan Wujiu nodded: "Yes, the incense offerings in my Underworld are growing stronger every day, all thanks to the general's help. Everyone in the Underworld knows the general's name now, so my brother and I believe that even if the general really broke the laws of the underworld, with your abilities, the Underworld probably won't pursue it too much. They'll most likely turn a blind eye."

“That’s right.” Xie Bi’an nodded.

I'll knock!
All they know is how to shout slogans and wave big flags.

However, to be precise, Lu Chen did indeed do some really important things for the Underworld.

Otherwise, without results, just shouting slogans is useless.

These people are all cunning and shrewd.

"Then thank you both very much." Lu Chen bowed again, but Xie Bi'an hurriedly stopped him: "General, you mustn't."

Lu Chen smiled and stopped being polite.

Xie Bi'an glanced at Xie Qingyi beside him and snorted, "It's only because I and your eighth uncle ran into you today. If it were anyone else, there would be no possibility of leniency."

"Thank you dad!"

A hint of doting flashed in Xie Bi'an's eyes, but his gaze turned completely resolute as he instructed Lu Chen's back, "Niu'er."

"Seventh Master!" Niu Tou clasped his hands in greeting, ready to receive orders.

"Go back to the Underworld immediately and report this to King Yama, requesting that he personally come to City God Street. If he is willing to come, there is at least a 50% chance of success today. Go quickly!"

"Yes!"

"Wait a moment!"

Lu Chen called out to Niu Tou, who was about to leave.

"General?" Minotaur looked at him in confusion.

Lu Chen leaned close to its ear and whispered a few words.

Ox-Head's eyes widened immediately: "General, is this really true?"

"At this critical juncture, how could it be fake?" Lu Chen laughed.

"If that's the case, King Yama certainly won't refuse. I'll go right now!"

The bull's head spun around on the spot, transformed into a gust of cold wind, and disappeared into the steps.

"What did the general just say to it?" Fan Rusong asked curiously.

"It was nothing more than promising some benefits that even the King of Hell couldn't refuse."

Money makes the world go round, and now that things have come to this point, Lu Chen naturally wouldn't give up on this mission easily.

Give the benefits you deserve!
"Benefits?" Xie Qingyi and Fan Rusong looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Alright, before the City God finds out, let's hurry and go, go as far as we can!" Xie Bi'an decisively ordered.

With a wave of his hand, he took Madam Zheng's soul into his sleeve.

"go!"

The group rode on a cloud of black mist and headed straight for the entrance to Chenghuang Street.

With the help of Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu, their speed was several times faster than when they arrived.

"Huh, why did they leave?"

At this moment, the City God Judge, who was waiting for the Black and White Impermanence in front of the main hall, suddenly saw a cloud of black mist rise into the sky in the distance and disappear rapidly into the distance.

The souls of the nine virtuous men, faintly glowing in the black mist, also vanished.

The judge was stunned for only a moment before his expression changed drastically: "Oh no! They escaped with the souls?!"

Without having time to think about the reason, it hurriedly turned around and rushed into the main hall.

……

Inside the City God Temple, it was bustling with activity.

The City God sat high in the main seat, drinking and chatting with his subordinate City Gods.

Each City God's hat bore the name of the place under his jurisdiction.

The city god of the prefecture has the words "Qianjiang" on his hat, while the city gods of the states below have names like "Jiangdu" and "Haozhou". There are also many county city gods.

After several rounds of drinks, the City God laughed and said, "I am very pleased with today's City God gathering. I hope everyone enjoys themselves. When the spirit of the virtuous man of nine generations arrives, we will also be able to broaden our horizons."

During the banquet, a City God asked, "Your Excellency, I've heard that the soul of this virtuous person, who has been a benevolent man for nine lifetimes, is formed from merit, and that merit is bestowed with every breath. If one could inhale even a single breath of this merit, it would be equivalent to ten thousand offerings of incense?"

The City God smiled slightly: "That's true. But don't try to take advantage of us. The number of souls that accumulate merit is predetermined. We should just observe. If we become greedy, we might incur karmic consequences."

"What the Prefect says is true. However, in recent years, there seem to be more and more cases of people who have been virtuous for generations dying young. The other day, the City God of a neighboring province came to visit me and also mentioned that he had met a person who had been virtuous for six generations and died young. I wonder what the reason was?"

The City God's eyes flickered slightly, and he said calmly, "These are matters for those above; we don't need to ask further. Come, let's continue drinking!"

Just as a new round of toasting was about to begin, the City God's judge rushed in in a panic: "My lord, something terrible has happened!"

"What's the matter that you're in such a panic? What kind of behavior is this!" the City God said displeasedly.

The judge pointed outside the hall: "My lord, the soul of that virtuous man who has lived nine lifetimes has been taken away by the Black and White Impermanence and is flying towards the city gate!"

"What?!" All the City Gods present stood up.

"Is this true?!"

"I saw it with my own eyes, and there is absolutely no falsehood in it!"

"boom!"

The city god smashed his wine cup and roared, "Rebellion! Immediately mobilize the troops and seize them for me!"

"Yes!"

……

Meanwhile, with the full support of Xie and Fan.

Lu Chen and his group were almost at the exit of Chenghuang Street.

With a way out seemingly within reach, Xie Qingyi couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "We succeeded?! We got out of here without any real danger?"

Fan Rusong also showed delight in his eyes.

However, unsurprisingly, the unexpected happened.

"Boom!"

A ghastly green bolt of lightning struck down from above!
Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu hurriedly used their internal energy to resist, but the power of this Yin lightning was astonishing, and it instantly blasted everyone down from the sky!

With a loud crash, the group of people fell onto a plaza, and dust billowed up.

Fortunately, no one was injured. Everyone brushed away the smoke and dust, coughing as they stood up.

"presumptuous!!!!!!"

A furious roar shook the heavens and the earth, causing the entire City God Street to tremble.

Countless ghostly soldiers surged forth from all directions, wielding spears and axes, and surrounded them completely.

Directly in front, the Prefectural City God stood amidst dozens of State and County City Gods, their robes fluttering in the wind.

The judges on both sides immediately shouted sternly: "You two, Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu, how dare you violate the laws of the underworld and secretly lead the souls of the dead away! Hand them over at once!"

"As expected, it wasn't that easy to escape." Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu exchanged a wry smile, not surprised by the outcome.

With a "whoosh".

Xie Bi'an, Fan Wujiu, Xie Qingyi, and the others each revealed their magical artifacts.

At the same time, he summoned a hundred ghost soldiers to guard the outer perimeter.

However, they faced this overwhelming encirclement.

These hundred ghost soldiers were far from enough.

"Father, what do we do now?" Xie Qingyi asked anxiously.

Xie Bi'an was about to speak.

Lu Chen reached out to stop him: "Seventh Master, don't be in a hurry. Let me talk to this City God."

"General!?"

"It's alright, you've already done enough, it's my turn to share the burden."

Lu Chen took two steps forward.

The City God frowned: "You...you're actually a living person? Why are you trespassing on my City God Street?!"

Lu Chen cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Majesty, I am Lu Chen, and I pay my respects."

As he spoke, the Yama Token in his hand suddenly shone brightly red, transforming into the form of Yama, and solemnly bowed to the City God.

"You actually have... the Yama's Decree?!"

All the city gods were stunned.

Clearly, no one expected that this young man would have such a close relationship with King Yama!
"Wait, who are you?" The City God seemed to realize something.

"Indeed, this is the newly appointed General Zhengde of the Underworld."

Xie Qingyi stepped forward and took the initiative to introduce herself.

The eyes of all the city gods, ghost soldiers, and ghost generals shrank.

"So he's the new human general from the underworld."

"So young!"

"It is said that this person has even made the incense offerings in the underworld flourish day by day. He is quite capable!" The city gods chimed in with their opinions.

The City God narrowed his eyes slightly: "Although you have taken up a divine post in the Underworld, you are still a mortal. There are rules in my City God Street that mortals are not allowed to enter. Who is breaking the rules?"

Having said that, He swept His divine sense across Xie Qingyi and the others.

The pressure suddenly came.

Fortunately, Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu were, after all, well-known ghost messengers in the underworld who had been promoted to Yin Marshals.

Their strength should not be underestimated.

The City God only needs divine sense; they are not to be feared.

It was easily resolved in no time.

Lu Chen remained polite: "Your Majesty, it is indeed my fault for disturbing you today, and I beg Your Majesty to forgive me. However, I would like to ask you a question: it is said that evil is punished, but is good rewarded?"

The City God snorted lightly: "Boy, don't try to be clever in front of me. I won't fall for your tricks. You've come here today, presumably for the sake of the soul of that virtuous man who has lived nine lifetimes. I'll make this clear: within my territory, any living person who dies must come to City God Street to sign and be registered before being sent to the underworld."

This court doesn't care what your relationship is with the King of Hell.

He was a direct disciple of Yama, the King of Hell.

This rule cannot be broken!
If you are truly capable, after this court sends this soul to prison, you can go and beg the King of Hell to show leniency and grant the soul a chance to return to life.

"In this way, this government will not break the rules; you can do as you please!"

"Resurrection?"

This idea did pique Lu Chen's interest.

That's true.

Another ability of Yama, the King of Hell, is to grant people the power to return to life.

As long as Madam Zheng is alive, it seems that going to the underworld is not a big deal.

However, Xie Qingyi quickly whispered a reminder: "General, don't believe in Him. Resurrection does exist, but that was hundreds of years ago. Even if Yama has the ability to resurrect, the person must be approved by the Emperor of Fengdu before it can be performed. In the past few hundred years, Yama has submitted at least five hundred, if not a thousand, applications for resurrection, but not a single person has ever succeeded."

Among them were people of even higher status than Madam Zheng.

Therefore, once you descend into the underworld, there is only one path left: reincarnation!

Lu Chen suddenly realized: "So that's how it is... I almost fell for His trick."

He took a deep breath and clasped his hands in a fist salute again: "Your Excellency, as the guardian of this city, you should know that Madam Zheng's death was shrouded in mystery. To be honest, Madam Zheng died because she was struck by a divine curse and sent down by the Plague Department. I had already negotiated with the Plague Emperor that if I could remove the karmic burden from her within seven days, Madam Zheng would awaken. I worked hard for seven days and was about to succeed when she died for no reason. I am truly unwilling to accept this. I implore Your Excellency, in consideration of Madam Zheng's nine lifetimes of good deeds, to let her go. If Your Excellency requires an explanation, I will report this matter to King Yama later and ask him to issue an imperial decree. I will certainly not make things difficult for Your Excellency!"

"Humph~"

The City God smiled and said, "Boy, do you really think you're someone important? Even if you were just a general with a minor post in the underworld, or even if you actually commanded millions of ghost soldiers, you would still have to follow the rules of this City God Street."

What murderous intent from heaven, what negotiation, what resentment?
What is its relationship with this government?

All this government knows is that Zhang Hui is dead, and since she is dead, it must have been her fate.

If she is truly wronged, she can go to the underworld to plead her case.

At that time, this government office may take pity on her and defend her.

However, all of this depends on one condition: signing the document and entering the underworld!
Without this condition, no amount of explanation will help.

"This prefecture has always upheld the rule of law impartially. You dare to challenge our authority to break the rules? You are utterly audacious!"

After saying that, He swept His divine sense across the area.

It seemed as if they wanted to see right through Lu Chen.

Then, with a hint of sarcasm, he said, "I wondered where he was from; it turns out he's from Jiangdu."

He looked at the City God of Jiangdu beside him: "City God Li, since he is from your Jiangdu City, aren't you going to do anything about it?"

"Yes, Your Excellency, please calm your anger." The City God of Jiangdu bowed and then looked at Lu Chen.

Lu Chen noticed that the tall hat on the other person's head had the words "Jiangdu" written on it.

"So he is the City God of Jiangdu City, surnamed Li?"

Lu Chen was pondering this in his heart.

Then Li Chenghuang took a step forward.

Lu Chen thought he was a fellow villager or a local official.

They'll be a little more polite, more or less.

But then, in the next instant...

The City God Li's face suddenly turned cold, and he snorted, "You little prince, how dare you talk back to the Prefect! Kneel down!"

Say it!

A powerful pressure swept over us.

It's even worse than the City God from before!

"boom!"

Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu once again stood in front of him.

But this time it was clearly much more difficult than before.

Damn it.

Sure enough, it's always the "locals" who bully the locals!

Lu Chen's expression also turned cold, and he dropped the fist-clasping gesture.

Xie Bi'an deflected the oppressive aura and his expression changed instantly: "Lord City God, although you all have your own lineage, don't forget that you are also under the jurisdiction of the Underworld. General Weiwu Zhengde may be young, but he is still a general of our Underworld. Isn't it a bit disrespectful to King Yama to act like this?"

"You come to cause trouble on my City God Street, and you expect me to give you face?"

The city god thought it was a huge joke.

"I am now giving you a choice: release the souls of the dead and leave immediately. I will not pursue the matter further. This is already the greatest face I can give to King Yama. If you still do not know when to back down!"

The city god's generals, represented by the Five Generals, the City God Judge, and the Day and Night Patrol Gods, immediately waved their hands upon hearing the sound.

Thousands of ghostly soldiers stepped forward in unison, significantly reducing the encirclement.

Many weapons were already at the feet of the hundred ghost soldiers on the outer perimeter.

Upon seeing this, even Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu's expressions changed drastically, and a resolute look appeared in their eyes!
—Oh, King Yama, why aren't you here yet! I can't take it anymore!

"Xiaoru!"

However, at this moment, Fan Rusong, who was in a state of high tension, suddenly heard Lu Chen transmit his voice to him.

"What's wrong, General? Don't be afraid, General. I will risk my life to protect you!"

"No, no, I want to confirm something with you again."

"General, please speak!"

"Are all the underworld soldiers and messengers in your underworld truly obsessed with money? Do they really love money so much?"

“This…” Fan Rusong was taken aback, not understanding why Lu Chen suddenly asked this question. He subconsciously nodded and said, “Yes! Almost all the items and treasures in the underworld must be purchased with underworld currency. However, many underworld officials and soldiers have very limited salaries, so they naturally love money.”

As she spoke, she couldn't help but recall the face of the judge on duty from the Soul-Binding Division.

You should know that in Chenghuang Street, the duty judges are probably the most lucrative department.

Normally, Black and White Impermanence would give some bribes to ensure a smooth signing process.

Even so, when the judge on duty saw Da Yin, he still couldn't move.

Not to mention the ghost soldiers and generals in other City God Streets.

They will only be more greedy than the underworld.

Even if Chenghuang Street is large, it is still just a small ghost town. How can it be compared with an entire underworld?

Thinking of this, Fan Rusong's delicate body suddenly trembled. She realized what she meant and stared at Lu Chen with wide eyes: "General, you wouldn't be thinking of..."

Lu Chen chuckled: "Since that's the case, I might as well give it a try! If all else fails, I can at least buy some time!"

After saying that, he reached into his pocket.

"Huh? What, you want to make a move?"

The City God noticed Lu Chen's actions and felt both annoyed and amused.

How dare a mere mortal make a move on City God Street?

I simply don’t know how high the sky is!
However, the next second, Lu Chen suddenly raised his hand high—

In an instant, a dazzling silver light burst forth from his hand, sweeping across the surroundings and almost "burning" the ghost eyes of countless Yin soldiers and generals!
Wait until the light fades away.

Among the ranks, some of the ghost soldiers cried out in alarm.

"That...that's...money?!"

"Wow...so much money!!!"

　Today's update is close to 8,000 words.

　　Brothers, please don't say I'm slow with this update.

　　I've already written 60,000 more words than others in the same period, all within the same timeframe!

　　Sixty thousand words!

　　If they update 5,000 words a day, I'll be updating for a full twelve days longer than them!!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)