Chapter 20 The City of the Wrongfully Dead

Seeing that the ghost messengers could not be bribed, Old Master Wang abandoned his struggles and was willing to accept the judgment of the Ten Kings of Hell. He knew that no matter what conditions he offered, Shi Jian before him would not agree. "Let's go!" With Shi Jian's order, the Black and White Impermanence swung their crying sticks and collected Old Master Wang before them. Then, Fan Wujiu and Xie Bi'an drove the carriage towards the Ghost Gate Pass. Their mission was successfully completed, and the souls of the deceased on the Underworld Register had all been brought back to the underworld. "Lord Soul Reaper, the Ghost Gate Pass has been closed. Should we lock Kui and Ba here?" "Isn't that obvious? I brought Kui and Ba back to serve as gatekeepers. Otherwise, I would have killed those two beasts long ago." With that, Shi Jian appeared outside the carriage, waved his sleeves, and Kui and Ba appeared before the Ghost Gate Pass. "Is this the Underworld?" Kui, possessing intelligence, realized it had arrived in the Underworld upon seeing the words "Ghost Gate Pass." However, when the Smiling Ghost saw Ba's figure, a strange smile appeared on its face, and it rushed towards Ba, wanting to merge with it and achieve a symbiotic relationship. This would greatly increase their strength, and they might even escape the Ghost Gate Pass. "A bunch of fools. Don't you know that Kui and Ba can merge into one? I accept this great gift of yours." As it rushed towards Ba, Kui did not forget to mock Shi Jian and the Black and White Impermanence. "Utterly foolish. Do you really think you can merge with Ba under my watch?" Just as Kui was about to get close to Ba, Shi Jian used his magic to control netherfire, attaching it to two iron chains and attacking Kui and Ba's ghosts. In the next moment, the iron chains bearing netherfire pierced through Kui and Ba's bodies, trapping them before the Ghost Gate Pass. "Stay here and guard the gate for me. This is the netherworld's fire, specifically used to deal with your kind. Don't just think about running away." After tormenting Kui with netherfire for a while, Shi Jian returned to the carriage and headed for the Soul Reaper Department! Netherfire is a divine item of the Underworld, born only in the Hou Tu Divine Palace in Youdu City. It inherently restrains evil creatures and was later used by the Great Emperor Dong Yue to punish netherworld beings. Therefore, there was no need to worry about Kui and Ba breaking free from the chains attached with netherfire. "Lord Soul Reaper, Lord Soul Reaper, the Ten Kings of Hell are going to have their positions reassigned." As soon as he arrived at the Soul Reaper Department, Shi Jian heard the shouts of the Ox-Head and Horse-Face. However, the most important matter was the reassignment of the Ten Kings of Hell, which was something he had not expected. This was because the Ten Kings of Hell were mid-level officials in the underworld, managing various affairs of the underworld. A reshuffle would cause significant turmoil, and the balance of power among the three factions might be broken. Therefore, Shi Jian was a little worried that the selected Ten Kings of Hell would favor the Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor and the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Palace, putting the faction led by the Great Emperor Dong Yue at a disadvantage. "I thought the reassignment of the Ten Kings of Hell would be in ten to twelve years, but it came so quickly!" "Lord Soul Reaper, with your current strength, you can completely compete for the position of a King of Hell." The Ox-Head and Horse-Face began to flatter Shi Jian, showering him with praise. After all, with a King of Hell as their backer, they would not have to stay in the Soul Reaper Department doing menial and dirty work. "Are there any movements from the Six Divisions of Officials? Such a major event as the selection of the Ten Kings of Hell should have prompted some action from them." Shi Jian stepped out of the carriage and approached the Ox-Head and Horse-Face to inquire about the movements of the Six Divisions of Officials. The Six Divisions of Officials could be divided into the Heavenly Division, Earthly Division, Netherworld Division, Divine Division, Human Division, and Ghost Division. Each division had a chief official responsible for reporting underworld official documents and conveying the decrees of the Great Emperor Dong Yue and the Northern Yin Fengdu. They were only one level below the Ten Kings of Hell, and all six chief officials had reached the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, making them the biggest contenders for the positions of the Ten Kings of Hell. "Lord Soul Reaper, people from the Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor and the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Palace have been contacting the chief officials of the Six Divisions of Officials recently." Hearing the words of the Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Shi Jian immediately understood the insidious plans of the Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor and the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Palace. They wanted to win over the Six Divisions of Officials, so that the six chief officials could take turns challenging the Kings of Hell led by the Great Emperor Dong Yue. In this way, the Ten Kings of Hell would mostly be from the Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor and the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Palace, and their ancestor and the Great Emperor Dong Yue would be completely sidelined. "The Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva are truly fast." Shi Jian mocked the two major factions in front of the Ox-Head, Horse-Face, and Black and White Impermanence. The Great Emperor Dong Yue Palace was not guarded by the Great Emperor Dong Yue, and their three ancestors were no match for the Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. The most important thing was that among those led by the Great Emperor Dong Yue, only Shi Jian could compete for the position of a King of Hell. The cultivation of everyone else was almost below the Golden Immortal realm, and they lacked the strength to compete with the chief officials of the Six Divisions of Officials. "You four stay in the Soul Reaper Department for a while. After I successfully challenge a King of Hell, I will transfer you four out of the Soul Reaper Department to be my subordinates." After deciding on his challenger in his mind, Shi Jian used instant movement to rush towards the City of Wrongful Deaths. The City of Wrongful Deaths was the dwelling place of the souls of those who died wrongly, and it was controlled by King Biancheng, the Sixth King of Hell among the Ten Kings of Hell. The reason for choosing King Biancheng was that the City of Wrongful Deaths could serve as a sanctuary to protect the Daoist cultivators who had just entered the Underworld from the suppression of the other two major forces. Moreover, the City of Wrongful Deaths was originally an underworld city used by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to accommodate the souls of those who died wrongly, and it was also a place to shelter Buddhist disciples. Furthermore, King Biancheng, the Sixth King of Hell, was a subordinate of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Choosing the Sixth King of Hell as an opponent was ideal. Not only could he suppress the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Palace, but he could also secure a sanctuary. "If they want to unite with the Northern Yin Fengdu Great Emperor, then I will make an example of you first." Shi Jian's body erupted with purple thunderous light, and he rushed directly towards the King of Hell's palace in the City of Wrongful Deaths. On the way, the souls were greatly frightened by the Zixiao Divine Thunder, scattering in all directions, causing chaos throughout the City of Wrongful Deaths. The ghost officers and Buddhist disciples in the city had the will but not the power, so they could only surround the City of Wrongful Deaths first to prevent any souls from escaping.