The Tungtian Crown, with its twenty-four beams, adorned with gold and mountains, and a crimson gauze robe woven with black and gold dragon and cloud patterns. A crimson gauze skirt, a white silk square-collar, white socks, and black shoes – this was the ceremonial attire worn by Song Dynasty emperors during sacrifices to the Six Directions, the New Year's Day court, the Winter Solstice grand assembly, and major investitures.
However, the dragons and clouds on this deity's attire appeared somewhat ferocious, rendered in black, making him resemble King Yama.
The Song Dynasty deity emerging from the East Peak Temple began to walk towards the First Red Pavilion, holding a peculiar weapon. This was a Zhu Fu, a ceremonial staff topped with a small axe-shaped jade or crystal, four to five feet long.
Seventy-two Red Pavilions, seventy-six bronze bells, seventy-six departments of the Underworld.
He glanced at the high heavens. Amidst the starry night, the nation's might still permeated the sky, but it was vastly different from the past. This was all thanks to the rebellion of the Fire Lord, and the Great Sun Tribulation Fire burning through the cosmos, leaving a gaping hole in the nation's might.
Everything that should have been given to her, was given. Although the final step was not completed, it could only be said that she was too incompetent.
"The person possessed is merely a 'Diming God,' equivalent to the fourth realm of Fetal Breath. They cannot unleash the full power of this avatar."
The Diming God was a deity passed down from the Eastern Han Dynasty, belonging to the general staff of the Underworld. Not particularly strong, but more formidable than minor ghosts.
A strange aura entwined this deity as he emerged from the East Peak Temple and entered the First Red Pavilion.
"First Red Pavilion, the Chief Examiner's Seal Department. This department manages the signing and sealing of warrants for the apprehension of souls. When a mortal's lifespan ends and their soul needs to be collected, this department's seal is used, allowing all ghosts and spirits to carry out their duties."
"Are you the Chief Examiner's Seal God? Although the First Red Pavilion is only responsible for sealing matters and is not the strongest among the seventy-six departments of the Underworld, sixty-four years have passed since I last saw this place. Now, only a weak god in the Divine Ability realm remains?"
"Can you no longer summon stronger Underworld lords?"
In the eyes of this Song Dynasty deity, the Chief Examiner's Seal God he saw possessed divine power equivalent to only the sixth realm of Divine Ability.
The Underworld deity guarding the Red Pavilion saw him.
"You are not a righteous god of the Ming Court. Your body lacks the nation's might. What kind of attire are you wearing? Who are you, daring to trespass into the Underworld's Red Pavilion at night!"
The deity walked into the Red Pavilion, holding his Zhu Fu: "I am the god who presides over the destinies of all sentient beings in the world. Your lifespans have ended, and I have come to claim the Three Registers!"
The Underworld deities were stunned. They had spent their lives collecting souls for others, and today, the souls they were collecting were their own.
They stood up, immediately attempting to stop him.
"Taiyin Law Officer, Blue-faced Giant Ghost, apprehend this scoundrel!"
The Chief Examiner's Seal God commanded. The surrounding Underworld deities immediately took action. The Taiyin Law Officer and two ghost gods with blue faces, entwined with chains, lunged at the uninvited guest.
Chains wrapped around him, and an iron axe descended, but the Song Dynasty deity felt nothing. Instead, he laughed, "Do you think you are stronger than me?"
In his eyes, the Taiyin Law Officer was merely equivalent to the fifth realm of Manifested Divinity, as were the two blue-faced giant ghosts. These deities were far weaker than they had been thirty-one years ago.
The Chief Examiner's Seal God narrowed his eyes. Of course, he thought this. The deity before him, in terms of cultivation, was far inferior to the gods here. Moreover, the opponent did not seem to be a god transformed from a human, but a wild god. Wild gods were inferior to human gods because wild gods themselves were transformations of natural spirits and could not be granted celestial positions.
"A mere wild god, daring to be so presumptuous?"
"Wild god? I am no wild god. I am your ancestor. You merely receive divine positions, while I am a true god."
The next moment, a large amount of black mist surged from the seven orifices of the Song Dynasty deity. This mist engulfed the First Red Pavilion, rendering everything invisible. It then began to drill into the seven orifices of all the Underworld deities present!
...........
Outside Zhengyang Gate, in the Zhengxi Ward.
In the inn by the gate, Elder Lei Xuan raised his head from a state of drowsy contemplation. His door was closed, and someone else entered.
Liu Mengyin had come to see him again.
"What, come to see the Underworld's messenger bells again?"
"No, I just wanted to ask if you have any tales of gods and ghosts. You seemed very knowledgeable about these things last night?"
Liu Mengyin stroked his small mustache and looked around, saying curiously, "There aren't many people here today."
Elder Lei Xuan replied, "Of course not. During the day, the Eastern Depot agents and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were mobilized, and the city guards were deployed to search house by house for Yellow Heaven cultists, confiscating and destroying their portraits and incense burners. Such a major event, and you didn't know about it in the Ministry of Rites."
"The guests were all driven away, ruining my day's livelihood."
Liu Mengyin rubbed his hands together. "Your Emperor attended court this morning. It was quite interesting; the Emperor's eloquence is truly remarkable!"
Elder Lei Xuan asked, "Is it about the Forbidden City catching fire and being burned down?"
"How did you know?"
"Who doesn't know? Those ministers argued from Meridian Gate all the way to the inner city gate, and it was heard by countless people long ago."
Elder Lei Xuan chuckled, "Shuntian is not excessively large, nor is it small, but any news that emerges from within travels extremely quickly. You probably don't know how frequently the palace servants come and go."
As he chatted with Liu Mengyin, his gaze drifted towards the location of the Underworld's First Red Pavilion. Despite being separated by countless walls, bricks, stones, and roads, the scene before the First Red Pavilion's entrance was already reflected in Elder Lei Xuan's eyes.
Then, he blinked, and the scene in his eyes disappeared.
He looked back at Liu Mengyin and asked, "You inquire about various matters of gods and ghosts, are you perhaps intending to write a book?"
"Aren't you not allowed to write books about gods and ghosts in Joseon? And how are things with the Wokou pirates on your side? Have the coastal cities they occupied been returned?"
Liu Mengyin's face darkened. "No, they have made another move. We had previously requested the Great Power to send troops, and they are probably fighting now."
Elder Lei Xuan nodded. "Wokou pirates, they respect might but not virtue. Their wicked hearts are unyielding."
Liu Mengyin also felt troubled. In fact, the brief "stalemate and negotiation" between the two sides, with the Wokou pirates occupying coastal cities and refusing to return them, was due to both the Ming Dynasty and Japan having their own foolish individuals who deceived their respective monarchs, both claiming the other side had surrendered.
Elder Lei Xuan smiled and then turned back to ask, "Books about gods and ghosts are not easy to write. Words carry supernatural power; some things cannot be spoken. If they are spoken or written, they will undergo incredible changes, such as the creatures within the book, or the manifestation of spirits and monsters. As the saying goes, the more you speak of it, the more it becomes reality."
"I once knew someone who also wrote books about spirits and monsters. As the saying goes, 'What one thinks by day, one dreams by night. What one thinks and desires, will surely receive a response. What one hopes for, can be seen all day.'"
"These things are not easy to write, because if they are written down and deliberately disseminated, they will truly become 'real.' This is the miraculous power of the collective 'desires' of people."
Liu Mengyin showed a thoughtful expression, but what he was thinking was... if I write it, it becomes real?
Isn't that wonderful?
"What are you thinking? Are you thinking of writing about a female ghost or something?"
"I am a gentleman. How could I write such things!"
Elder Lei Xuan chuckled, showing an expression of understanding, and then said meaningfully:
"Joseon official, I have a grand story here, about the palace. Would you like to hear it?"
"This is about a curse that has plagued the Ming imperial family for sixty-four years, and the true form of this curse, this black shadow hidden in history, actually dates back from the Qin and Han dynasties to the Yuan and Ming."
"And the story begins in the twelfth year of Jiajing..."