Primordial Era: The Witch Clan's Dog-Headed Strategist

The Five Ghost Emperors returned to their positions, and Meng Po took office.

The framework of the underworld has become increasingly solid with the addition of these two heavyweight deities.

The light of the laws of the five gates of hell shone brightly in the depths of the sea of ​​blood.

The large cauldron in the Meng Po Pavilion was already emitting wisps of smoke.

The first bowl of Meng Po soup was exuding a fragrance as cool and gentle as moonlight.

However, Pan Xuan knew that the workings of the underworld were far more complex than that.

The Five Ghost Emperors govern the gateways and regional divisions for souls entering the underworld, while Meng Po is responsible for the final step before reincarnation.

However, there is still a whole process that needs to be improved between the Gates of Hell and the Meng Po Pavilion.

Someone needs to be specifically responsible for judging the souls of the dead in the courtroom.

The Wheel of Reincarnation in the Six Realms needs someone to maintain and operate it, and the documents and archives of the various departments in the underworld need someone to manage them.

The capture of souls and the pursuit of escaped souls require specialized ghost messengers, and the eighteen levels of hell need to be guarded.

Every day these divine positions are vacant, the operation of the underworld becomes more sluggish.

He stood at the highest point of the Gates of Hell, with a divine light of purple and gold flowing around him.

The three-stage assessment has been underway for most of the day.

Hundreds of applicants have already passed the first two rounds.

They sat cross-legged in the waiting area outside the Fengdu Illusion, awaiting the test of the third trial.

Most of these people were at the Taiyi Golden Immortal level, with the highest being the early stage of the Daluo Golden Immortal.

Each person passed the dual tests of comprehending the laws of the underworld and possessing a fair heart, demonstrating superior talent and character.

They just have different areas of expertise.

Some have an extremely accurate memory of the law provisions, and can recite every single one of the judgment laws word for word in the illusion array.

Some are extremely perceptive in judging the good and evil of the deceased, able to discern their merits and demerits in their previous life from countless details.

Some are skilled at overall planning and coordination, and can assign the chaotic ghost messengers in an orderly manner within the illusion array.

Some are skilled at communicating with troublesome spirits of the dead, using gentleness to overcome strength and resolve their resentment.

These different talents correspond precisely to the different divine job requirements in the underworld's judgment system.

Pan Xuan withdrew his gaze, turned around and looked at the Twelve Ancestral Witches, the Three Pure Ones, and the gods behind him, and gave a general overview of the upcoming selection plan for divine positions.

The Judgment Hall is the core of the underworld, and it needs to be established with ten Yama Kings, each in charge of judging different types of souls.

From the first court to the tenth court, the process progresses step by step, from the initial trial to the final trial, from conviction to the transfer of sentences, forming a complete closed loop of trial.

Under Yama are four judges, who are in charge of rewarding good, punishing evil, enforcing the laws of the underworld, and investigating, respectively, to assist Yama in judging the souls of the dead.

Below that, there are seventy-five departments, each responsible for documents and records related to life and death, good and evil, plagues, and reincarnation.

In addition, ten underworld generals are needed to command ghost messengers to capture souls and pursue escaped souls, and the gatekeepers of the underworld and underworld soldiers are needed to be responsible for the daily defense of the underworld.

The eighteen levels of hell are the places where punishments are carried out after judgment, and each level needs a lord of hell to guard it.

As the Lord of the Blood Sea and the Marshal of the Underworld, Styx is the most suitable person to create the Lord of Hell from the origin of the Blood Sea.

In addition, it is necessary to establish a city for the unjustly dead to accommodate the souls of those who died violently before their lifespan was over, allowing them to reside in the city temporarily until their lifespan is exhausted and they can then enter the cycle of reincarnation.

The gods nodded in agreement after hearing this.

As the ruler of reincarnation, Houtu is most concerned with the construction of the judicial system.

The Ten Kings of Hell each preside over one of the Ten Courts, allowing the trial process to proceed in a progressive manner, greatly reducing the pressure on her to judge each case one by one using the Book of Life and Death.

When Styx heard that he had been appointed as the Lord of the Eighteen Levels of Hell and the Lord of the City of the Unjustly Dead, a rare solemnity appeared on his sinister face.

He is the Lord of the Blood Sea, and the turbid evil spirits in the Blood Sea can be used to refine the Lord of Hell.

The malevolent aura he accumulated over the long years of guarding the Blood Sea was enough to suppress the overwhelming resentment of the wronged souls who died violently in the City of the Unjustly Dead.

With the plan finalized, Pan Xuan turned to face the waiting area and announced the list of priests to be selected next.

The Ten Kings of Hell, the Four Judges, the Seventy-Five Departments of Merit, the Ten Underworld Marshals, the Guardians of the Gates of Hell, and the Underworld Soldiers.

He clearly stated the name and authority of each priest, his voice echoing in the air above the gates of hell.

These words immediately caused an uproar in the waiting area.

The Ten Kings of Hell are high-ranking deities in the underworld, second only to the Five Ghost Emperors. They are in charge of the Judgment Hall, and their authority covers the entire process of judging the souls of the dead, from the initial trial to the final trial. They are directly responsible to the Lord of Reincarnation and the Emperor of Fengdu.

The four judges are in charge of rewarding good and punishing evil, and they are the right and left hands of Yama. Although their rank is slightly lower than Yama's, their real power should not be underestimated.

Although the seventy-five officials do not directly participate in the trials, they are the cornerstone of the entire judicial system. Without their management of documents and archives, judges would not be able to review the merits and demerits of the deceased.

The Ten Underworld Marshals, who command the ghost messengers, patrol day and night, capturing souls and spirits, are the most direct representatives of the underworld in the primordial world. Countless rogue cultivators never see Yama, the judge, in their entire lives, but they must have seen the Black and White Impermanence.

For rogue cultivators and geniuses from small clans, each of these divine positions is a glorious destiny that can bring honor to their family.

The applicants were eager to try their luck in the waiting area.

Some closed their eyes to regulate their breathing and adjust their state, while others whispered their insights and experiences regarding the laws of the underworld.

Some were repeatedly reciting the articles of the underworld's judgment rules in preparation for the second trial, the Heart-Questioning Illusion Array.

On the high platform, Pan Xuan, along with the Twelve Ancestral Witches, the Three Pure Ones, and the gods of the divine path, had taken their places and continued to oversee the upcoming selection process.

The first step was the selection of the Ten Kings of Hell. Unlike the Five Ghost Emperors, who directly targeted the five Primordial Golden Immortals, the selection of the Ten Kings of Hell was open to all applicants who had passed the first two rounds.

The Illusionary Realm of Fengdu simulates a complete trial scenario for every seeker of the Dao who applies to become Yama.

The souls of the dead enter through the gates of hell, are judged on the trial platform, and their whereabouts are determined according to their merits and demerits in life.

Applicants must independently complete the entire process from guiding the souls of the dead to making the final judgment within the illusion. Every step will be recorded by the illusion and used as the basis for assessment.

When faced with a large influx of souls, most applicants need to constantly consult the Book of Life and Death to verify the merits and demerits of each soul in life, which inevitably affects the speed of the trial.

Although some trials are conducted quickly, they still face challenges when dealing with complex cases.

For example, there is some hesitation in determining the reincarnation destination of a soul who killed someone to save another in life, given that their good deeds and bad deeds cancel each other out.

Others, though fair in their judgments, lacked the necessary authority when faced with troublesome vengeful spirits.

After several rounds of selection, ten of the most outstanding applicants were chosen to serve as the Ten Kings of Hell.

Pan Xuan announced their appointments in turn.

The ten Kings of Hell stepped forward in turn, bowed to Pan Xuan and Hou Tu, and then took their places in the ten courts of judgment.

Ten beams of Yama's light simultaneously illuminated the hall, creating a powerful resonance with the Book of Life and Death hanging high on the judgment platform.

From this day forward, once the souls of the dead enter the Hall of Judgment, they will be judged by the Ten Kings of Hell according to the severity of their sins.

Those with grave sins pass through the ten courts in turn, enduring the punishments of each court, until the tenth court, the Wheel-Turning King, determines their fortune in their next life.

Those whose merits and demerits are equal are sent directly from the First Court to the Tenth Court for judgment.

Those with profound merit can be directly allowed to pass through the first hall and sent to the heavenly realm or the human realm for rebirth.

This trial process is progressive and interconnected, making it more than ten times more efficient than the previous method of Houtu judging each case one by one using the Book of Life and Death.

After the Ten Kings of Hell, come the Four Judges.

If Yama is the chief judge in the court of judgment, then the four judges are his right and left arms.

The Rewards and Benevolence Office is in charge of the Book of Good Deeds. It judges all those who have done good deeds during their lifetime and gives appropriate rewards according to the magnitude of their good deeds.

The Underworld Law Office is in charge of the Book of Evil, and all those who committed evil deeds in their lifetime are judged by it, and punished accordingly based on the severity of their evil deeds.

The Department of Punishment is in charge of the rods of punishment. Those sentenced to hell are personally escorted by him and punished according to the judgment of Yama.

The Inspectorate is in charge of oversight. Any underworld deity found to have abused their power or violated the law will be investigated by the Inspectorate. Minor offenses will result in demerits and salary reductions, while serious offenses will lead to dismissal and prosecution.

The four departments each have their own responsibilities, operating independently of the Ten Kings of Hell, and are directly accountable to the Lord of Reincarnation and the Emperor of Fengdu.

After several rounds of selection, four outstanding applicants were chosen to serve as judges in the Department of Rewards for Good Deeds, the Department of Law in the Underworld, the Department of Punishments for Evil, and the Department of Investigation.

Pan Xuan announced the appointments in turn, and the four judges stepped forward and took their places.

Next are the seventy-five chief clerks.

Although these positions do not directly participate in trials, they are the cornerstone of the entire judicial system.

Without their written records, the judges cannot review the merits and demerits of the deceased in their previous lives, Yama cannot make a fair judgment, and reincarnation cannot be accurately distributed.

Each of the seventy-five departments has its own responsibilities, such as those in charge of lifespan, those in charge of recording good and evil deeds, and those in charge of recording reincarnation.

There are those who manage records of the spread of plagues, those who manage criminal codes, those who manage time limits for taking souls, and those who manage records of resurrection.

Each department is closely related to the daily operation of the underworld.

These official positions do not require high levels of cultivation; even a Taiyi Golden Immortal can fulfill them. However, they have extremely strict requirements for one's character and temperament.

The Gongcao (a high-ranking official) deals with the files of countless dead souls year-round. If one's will is not firm, one can easily be corrupted by the heinous crimes recorded in the files. At best, one's faith will waver; at worst, one will be devoured by karma.

The number of applicants for the position of Gongcao was the largest, and the competition was the most intense.

In the end, seventy-five clerks with firm will and meticulous work style were selected to take charge of the seventy-five departments.

Pan Xuan announced the appointments one by one, and the selected officials took their places and began to familiarize themselves with the documents, files and operating procedures of their respective departments.

Next up are the Ten Great Yin Marshals.

If Yama, the judge of the underworld, is the judge of the underworld, then the underworld generals and ghost messengers are the executors of the underworld.

The head of the Yin generals is the Ghost King, who is in charge of capturing and pursuing fugitives, and his subordinates are the Day Travelers and Night Travelers.

The Day Patrol is responsible for daytime patrols, while the Night Patrol is responsible for nighttime patrols. The two take turns patrolling day and night to ensure that no escaped souls escape from the underworld.

The Black and White Impermanence are in charge of capturing souls. They carry soul-hooking ropes and soul-locking chains. They personally go to the primordial world to capture the souls of those whose lifespan has run out.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face are the chief jailers of the underworld, possessing immense strength, and are responsible for escorting sinful souls into prison.

Leopard tails are good at tracking, able to hunt down fleeing souls in the primordial wilderness by following the lingering scent of the dead.

Birds are good at flying and can travel hundreds of millions of miles a day to deliver official documents from the underworld.

Fish gills are good at diving and can patrol the depths of the River Styx to search for the souls of those who have fallen into the water;

Wasps are skilled at using their venomous stingers, specializing in punishing vengeful spirits that attempt to resist during transport.

The ten Yin Generals each lead their own ghost messengers, the number of whom varies depending on the needs, ranging from several hundred to several thousand, all under the command of the Fengdu Emperor and the Lord of Reincarnation.