Chapter 406
The True and False Yama
It was past midnight when those young Yin-Yang practitioners, just like Zhou Sheng back then, instantly lost consciousness and fell into a coma.
The contract between the Yin Puppet Master and the Underworld is etched deep into their souls. Under this contract, they have almost no power to resist. Even Zhou Sheng back then only managed to resist for a few breaths.
Their souls were summoned away; some were confused, some were clear-headed, but regardless of their state, they all instinctively kept looking back.
Zhou Sheng knew that they wanted to see their master one last time.
But this time, none of their masters came to see them off.
Soon, their spirits followed the ghost messengers and disappeared onto the path between Yin and Yang.
Zhou Sheng simply watched quietly without intervening, because he had already calculated that if he forcibly stopped them, none of these young Yin Opera practitioners would survive once the contract took effect.
This invisible shackle has trapped the lineage of Yinxi Masters for nearly a thousand years.
The day of severance will be tonight!
clang!
With the sound of a gong, Zhou Sheng's eyes flashed, and his heart, which had been tempered to the point of being as hard as a rock, couldn't help but be slightly stirred.
……
In Juxianlou, heroes gathered.
If those young Yin-Yang practitioners were still alive, they would be surprised to find that their long-lost masters and senior disciples were all here.
The famous female impersonator from Jiangnan, Mulan Sheng, used her stilt-walking skills to perform the Eight Trigrams Steps.
Iron Monkey, a martial arts master from Longxi, was famous for his amazing skill of using the Nine-Turn Rope Dart to perform a soul-suspension somersault.
The old man from Jiaodong, Beihai Kun, can hang from the sky for thirty-six cycles in one breath, as long and continuous as a whale.
Xian Shisan Niang, a female comedian from Lingnan, possessed a soul-stirring dance style that was masterful.
……
In addition to Yu Zhensheng, the Demon of Drama, and Yu Tianheng, the number one master of imperial drama, all the remaining senior masters of the Yin Drama lineage are here.
And what they are singing today is the legendary forbidden play – "Exploring the Underworld"!
"With utmost loyalty and dedication, we support the Song Dynasty, both Chinese and foreign."
As a powerful and clear voice rang out, an aura of righteous indignation immediately swept over the audience, like a thunderclap striking the stage.
Yu Zhensheng walked with official steps, singing as he went. At this moment, his appearance had changed drastically. His eyebrows were like silkworms and iron rulers, his eye sockets were decorated with golden flame patterns, and his crescent moons shone brightly, exuding a majestic aura.
He stroked his thick, black beard with one hand, and made a sword-fist gesture with his right. When he sang the part about unwavering loyalty, he suddenly revealed his mountain-like arms, and the hem of his python robe swirled open like a black lotus blooming.
This appearance alone was enough to draw applause from the audience.
Unfortunately, at this moment, Juxianlou not only had no audience members, but its doors and windows were also tightly closed.
"My heart is never at peace with the people—"
When singing "No Worries in My Heart," he would place his right hand on his heart while his left hand would rapidly perform the Zi-Wu Mudra behind his back, as if communicating with the underworld.
After many years, Yu Zhensheng once again sang this special Bao Gong opera.
His former fellow apprentices who once performed with him are all gone. Now, those who sing this play with him are the last backbone of the Yin Opera lineage.
"Many people are only concerned about Liu Jinchan's tragic and unjust death, and the wrongful death of Yan Chasan, a young boy. I will go to Wangxiangtai to see for myself..."
To investigate the death of Liu Jinchan, Bao Zheng resolved to descend into the underworld to uncover the truth.
Accompanying him on his exploration of Yin Mountain were, of course, the other actors playing Wang Chao, Ma Han, Zhang Long, and Zhao Hu. Strangely enough, when Yu Zhensheng finished reciting his lines and resolved to go to the underworld to investigate the case, the crescent moon between his brows suddenly shone brightly, as radiant as the moon in the sky, its brilliance dazzling and almost blinding.
A majestic image of a Buddha appeared behind him.
The black jade tablet, cast to illuminate the mortal world, and the moon-shaped blade, cleave open the gates of the demon realm.
The executioner's blade silences all evil spirits, while the imperial edicts within his robe bear the marks of thunder.
It was clearly the likeness of Bao Gong, lifelike and extremely realistic, with a crescent moon between his eyebrows radiating brilliant divine light, faintly echoing the sound of jade chimes at that moment.
It seemed to be conveying something.
Immediately following, a cold wind howled, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and Yu Zhensheng's aura suddenly became vast and unfathomable. His eyes were sharp as lightning, his breathing was calm as an abyss, and a phantom image of a scepter slowly condensed in his palm.
The power of the underworld emperor seemed to begin to falter at that moment.
As he made a sweeping motion in the air with his scepter, a pitch-black portal appeared before him, leading straight to the netherworld.
The pilgrimage to Yin Mountain was bestowed by the spirit of Bao Gong. Those who sing the praises of Bao Gong possess incredible divine power, capable of wielding authority over the netherworld and illuminating the underworld.
Back then, he took advantage of the King of Hell's seclusion to suddenly perform this play, seizing power from the King of Hell with lightning speed, and leading a group of Zhao family troupe members to the Yellow Springs to investigate the case.
He was willing to take a gamble and find the contract before the play ended, and destroy it. To this end, he used the pretext of investigating the case to kill more than a dozen ghosts and gods, enter many departments, and search through treasured books, but he found nothing.
Then Yama was enraged, emerged from seclusion to seize power, and forcibly killed his fellow disciples one by one in front of him. Under his mental shock, Yama finally revealed a flaw, and ultimately failed at the last moment.
Today, his cultivation level has not improved much compared to before, and his tacit understanding and cooperation with others are far inferior, but he still did it without hesitation.
Yu Zhensheng took a step forward, his eyes resolute, about to enter the underworld.
But at that moment, the situation changed drastically.
The candles lit in the theater instantly flickered with blue flames, and in an instant, blood-red lotus flowers rose and bloomed from the ground. A sacred tree of the forest sprang up from the ground, with eighteen branches, each branch displaying a layer of hellish phantom.
A majestic figure, exuding a terrifying aura, emerged from beneath the tree, seated high on the Nine Dragons Underworld Chariot. The chariot's canopy was forged from Xuan Tian Zi Jin and inlaid with cold jade produced from the six caves of Fengdu. The divine beasts pulling the chariot were nine Netherworld dragons, their eyes burning with karmic fire.
Surrounding them were thirty-six prison lords and seventy-two Yin generals, arrayed in formation to protect them, like stars surrounding the moon, exuding unparalleled majesty.
It was as if the emperor of the underworld was conquering the human world!
“Yu Zhensheng, I originally intended to spare your life, but I never expected that you would kill Nianpan, take back the Golden Elixir, and even dare to defy your superiors and perform forbidden plays again. Even if you die ten thousand times, you cannot atone for your sins.”
The voice of the King of Hell echoed between heaven and earth, as if it could penetrate the flesh and go straight to the depths of the soul. It contained a terrifying aura like the might of heaven. His divine eyes looked down and landed on Yu Zhensheng, as heavy as a mountain.
Apart from Yu Tianheng, all the Yin Puppet Masters were terrified, and their hearts were filled with turmoil.
Why would Yama know in advance?
Who exactly leaked the information?
There must be a traitor among them!
But at this moment they had no time to worry about that issue. When they truly faced the majesty of the King of Hell, the fear that came from the depths of their souls surged through everyone's hearts like a flood.
The leaked plan and the arrival of the King of Hell filled them with despair. Could it be that the lineage of Yinxi was truly doomed?
In their confusion, they subconsciously looked at Yu Zhensheng.
Yu Zhensheng remained surprisingly calm, his eyes undisturbed as he gazed at the imposing Yama King before him. With a slight movement of his tablet, he uttered a single sentence.
"You audacious fiend, how dare you impersonate the King of Hell before me?"
...(End of this chapter)