I'm already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how come you're only Martial Saints?

King Qin Guang frowned deeply.

He put down his pen, let out a long sigh, and paced back and forth in the hall.

"This Ningbei Envoy holds a fourth-rank official position, has connections to the heavens, and has ties to both the Supreme Saint and the Celestial Venerable Lingbao. What can you do to him? If he were an ordinary immortal or deity, I could suppress him with a single decree. But Ning Chen is a favorite of the Jade Emperor. If anything goes wrong, I might end up being punished instead... What should we do?"

The Black and White Impermanence bowed their heads in silence, drenched in cold sweat.

After a long while, King Qin Guang stopped and gritted his teeth.

"Very well! It is inconvenient for me to handle this matter personally. You two can take my edict and invite King Lunzhuan to come here. Tell him that there is an important matter to discuss and ask him to come here."

The Black and White Impermanence received their orders and departed. Not long after, the Wheel King, one of the Ten Kings of Hell, known for his uprightness, incorruptibility, and impartiality, strode into the Hall of Yama.

He had a ruddy complexion, eyes like copper bells, and a beard like a halberd, exuding an imposing aura even without anger.

Upon hearing King Qin Guang's explanation of the whole story, King Lunzhuan flew into a rage, slamming his hand on the table, causing the candlesticks to bounce wildly.

"Outrageous! Yin and Yang have their order, life and death have their time, and the world has its own laws. Even if Ning Chen is a high-ranking official, how can he obstruct the underworld's collection of souls or hinder reincarnation? If everyone imitates him, wouldn't the world descend into chaos?!"

He turned to King Qin Guang and bowed.

"King Qin Guang, please rest assured, leave this matter to me. I will immediately report to the Jade Emperor and submit a memorial to him! Even if he holds a high position and great power, he still has to consider whether the rules of heaven and earth permit it!"

Having said that, King Yama flicked his sleeves, turned around, and strode out of the palace gate, heading straight for the South Heavenly Gate.

The night wind swept through the darkness, stirring up a few pieces of ashes from the paper in front of the hall, which swirled and drifted away into the distance.

Meanwhile, inside the Lingbao Temple, the furnace of alchemy was quietly being lit.

Meanwhile, King Lunzhuan, filled with righteous indignation, flicked his sleeves, strode out of the Yama Palace, rode the yin wind, and headed straight for the South Heavenly Gate.

Black clouds surged beneath his feet, passing through the Netherworld Blood Sea and the Bridge of Helplessness. Before long, the Southern Heavenly Gate stood majestically, radiating golden light and auspicious energy.

On either side of the Heavenly Gate, the Heavenly King of Growth and the Heavenly King of Abundance stood solemnly with their weapons. When they saw the King of Wheels approaching with a face full of anger, they were also surprised, but dared not ask any questions and bowed to make way.

King Lunzhuan entered the Lingxiao Palace, where celestial mist swirled. The Jade Emperor sat upon his nine-dragon throne, reviewing memorials.

When he saw the Wheel-Turning King enter the hall, the Jade Emperor slightly raised his eyes, the pearls and jade on his crown swayed gently, and his voice was neither warm nor cold.

"King of Reincarnation is not in charge of affairs in the Underworld, so what brings you here to see me today?"

King Lunzhuan straightened his sleeves, knelt on the ground, and spoke in a booming voice.

"Your Majesty! I have dared to come to the court today because there is something that is stuck in my throat and I must speak out! That Ning Chen, the envoy from Ningbei, has no regard for the law and has actually obstructed the underworld from collecting souls, forcibly detaining people whose lifespans have already ended!"

"The old Taoist priest Ge Xuan of Lingbao Temple is clearly recorded in the Book of Life and Death. He should pass away tonight at midnight. Yet Ning Chen is guarding outside the temple, driving away the Black and White Impermanence and refusing to collect souls! Yin and Yang have their order, and life and death have their time. This is the fundamental rule of Heaven and Earth. If everyone were like him, relying on His Majesty's favor to arbitrarily obstruct the affairs of the Netherworld, wouldn't the Three Realms be thrown into chaos? I beseech Your Majesty to make a holy judgment and severely punish this scoundrel to uphold the order of Heaven!"

Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor remained outwardly calm, though a few veins throbbed on his forehead.

King of Wheels, what do you mean by saying Ning Chen is relying on my favor?

When did you see me spoiling him?

After Ning Chen ascended to immortality, everything he did was in accordance with my wishes.

He quelled the chaos in Beiju Luzhou without expending a single soldier of the Heavenly Court.

Just a few days ago, he reversed the course of my life and death, forging a bond of kinship between me and my sister amidst the trials of inner demons...

Such a capable person, my good nephew.

In your mouths, he became my favorite minister?

If you can do that, I will appoint you as a first-rank official and the ruler of the underworld!

Although the Jade Emperor was angry, he was, after all, the ruler of the Three Realms, and had long since learned to keep his emotions hidden.

He simply waved his hand, and the celestial maidens and warriors standing in the hall silently withdrew, the heavy hall doors slowly closing.

In the empty hall, only the Jade Emperor and King of Reincarnation remained.

The Jade Emperor remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly. His voice was not loud, but it carried an imposing authority without anger.

"King Lunzhuan is devoted to the country and is a trusted minister of mine, as I have always known. However... let me ask you, Ning Chen always acts with method and restraint, and never acts without purpose. Today, he obstructed your soul-summoning. Do you know what deeper meaning lies behind his actions?"

The Wheel King couldn't quite grasp the situation.

He was upright by nature, and his thoughts were written all over his face. At this moment, his brows were furrowed, and he spoke in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, the law cannot bend to personal favors, nor can sentiment override the law! I only know that Ge Xuan's lifespan has ended and he should return to the underworld, but I do not know what deeper meaning there is. Ning Chen, a mere cultivator in the mortal realm, disregards the laws of heaven and earth. If we indulge him today, will even the netherworld and reincarnation be at his command tomorrow? I will certainly impeach him today, and I implore Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

The Jade Emperor was furious when he saw how stubborn and unyielding the Jade Emperor was.

He put down the jade book in his hand and looked coldly at the King of Reincarnation kneeling in the hall.

After a long silence, he finally suppressed his anger and said...

"King of Reincarnation, do you know whose disciple Ge Xuan is?"

Upon hearing the Jade Emperor's words, King Lunzhuan was speechless for a moment, his brows furrowing deeply.

Seeing that he was still stubborn and unyielding, the Jade Emperor said no more, only coldly.

"I will not say more to you. Go and do your job. I will not interfere. If you can capture Ge Xuan's soul, that is the skill of your underworld."

The Jade Emperor's words were neither particularly warm nor cold, yet they carried an indescribable and ambiguous meaning.

Although King Lunzhuan was upright, he was not stupid. He understood the hidden meaning in those words, but at this moment, he was in a dilemma and could not back down in front of the Jade Emperor.

He had no choice but to kowtow in gratitude, leave the hall, ride the yin wind, and return to the underworld.

Furthermore, although the underworld is nominally under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court, it is actually extremely complex internally.

As early as ancient times, the ancestral witch Houtu Niangniang, with great compassion, transformed herself into the six realms of reincarnation, and thus the underworld was formed.

Later, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva of the West made the great vow, "I will not become a Buddha until hell is empty," and entered the underworld to reside in the Cuiyun Palace behind Yinshan Mountain to guide ghosts. From then on, Buddhism had a foothold in the underworld.

After the Investiture of the Gods, the Heavenly Court officially appointed the Ten Kings of Hell and set up various departments and halls in the Underworld to govern Yin and Yang.

Three forces, intertwined and intertwined, each with its own authority and checks and balances on each other.

As the old saying goes, "When there are too many mothers-in-law, it's hard for the daughters-in-law to be happy."

The underworld is yoke with three directions above it: Buddhism, Taoism, and Heaven. When dealing with matters in the underworld, one often has to balance the interests of all parties and be pleasing to all sides.

Among the Ten Kings of Hell, several belong to different factions.

The lineage of the Wheel-Turning King is supported by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and in their daily actions, they are mostly mindful of the Buddhist virtue of cherishing life.

After leaving the South Heavenly Gate, King Lunzhuan felt increasingly uneasy.

Although the Jade Emperor's words stated that he would not interfere, they in fact made his stance clear.

If he really goes to collect the soul and something goes wrong, he'll have to take the blame himself.

But how could they swallow this insult?

Upon returning to the underworld, he didn't rush to Lingbao Temple to capture the person. Instead, he rode a cloud straight to Cuiyun Palace behind Yinshan Mountain.

In front of the Emerald Cloud Palace, several Bodhi trees swayed their branches and leaves, and white jade gravel covered the ground, which was very different from the gloomy and cold other places in the underworld.

The place is bathed in Buddhist light and filled with the faint scent of sandalwood, resembling a paradise on earth.

King Lunzhuan landed in front of the palace, calmed his mind, straightened his robes and hat, and solemnly stepped into the hall.