Chapter 411
The Mirror of Karma
Court is now in session!
With the sound of the gavel, the entire city of Fengdu seemed to tremble. All the ghosts and gods lined up in the hall, and although they had regained their ability to move, they all looked at the iron-faced, long-bearded figure with trepidation.
Especially the crescent moon between their brows, as bright and dazzling as the moon, radiating countless rays of light, making it impossible for them to see its exact shape.
But at the same time, one name came to mind for everyone—Bao Zheng!
"Power!"
"Martial Arts!"
A majestic voice rang out from the hall, and the sound of the disciplinary rod striking like a drum filled the air with a solemn and murderous aura.
They were originally ghost messengers guarding the palace, only obeying the orders of King Yama. But just now, for some reason, after hearing the gavel strike, they couldn't help but make these movements and sounds.
It was as if the figure on the throne was the blue sky of the underworld.
The young occult performers also stood in the hall. At first, they were somewhat panicked and confused, but when they saw the familiar Bao Gong mask, their fears miraculously and quickly dissipated.
On the contrary, those with guilty consciences were trembling and looking uneasy, such as the musicians in Kowloon.
"Your Honor, we were performing diligently on stage to guard the underworld during the Ghost Festival, but these musicians secretly used underhanded tricks to deliberately mislead us..."
One of the sorcerers reacted quickly, immediately kneeling down to plead his case.
He had vaguely recognized that the Bao Gong was actually Zhou Sheng in disguise, and he was shocked. He never expected that in their desperate situation, it would be Boss Zhou who would step into the trap himself and come down to the underworld to save them.
The others were also shocked and excited. During the two months they had spent together, they all knew that Boss Zhou was very powerful and his strength was unfathomable. Even their master was amazed.
Unexpectedly, Boss Zhou was able to sing the song "Bao Gong Descends to the Underworld," making all the ghosts and gods in the hall bow down and tremble with fear.
Is this... the real master of occult arts?
Upon hearing the plea for justice, Zhou Sheng slowly raised his eyes, his gaze falling upon the pale-faced musicians.
In an instant, that gaze seemed to weigh a ton, causing the musicians to kneel down with a thud and kowtow repeatedly.
"Who ordered you to frame a loyal and virtuous person?"
The musicians' eyes darted around, and they stammered, unable to speak.
They wanted to lie, but for some reason, in front of this impartial, crescent-shaped figure, any lie seemed so guilty and powerless.
After trying to think for a long time, he still couldn't utter a complete sentence.
"beat."
Zhou Sheng picked up a command arrow, threw it down, and uttered only one word, but the chilling intent in it sent shivers down the spines of countless people.
Upon hearing this word, the demons and spirits wielding their stern rods moved forward uncontrollably, obeying the order to strike the musicians in the hall.
Screams continued to ring out.
This stern-wielding rod is used by underworld officials, specifically to strike souls. Even a malevolent ghost with deep-seated resentment will suffer greatly from a single blow, let alone these musicians.
After a dozen or so blows, some musicians were completely annihilated.
"Stop...hitting me...I'll talk..."
Finally, a musician couldn't hold back any longer and wanted to speak, but Zhou Sheng just watched coldly. Without him speaking, the underworld messengers could only continue fighting.
The executions were carried out in batches, and the musicians at the back turned ashen-faced at the sight of the horrific scene.
Soon, the first few musicians to be tortured were all beaten to death on the spot, their souls scattered and gone, without even a chance to be reincarnated.
The ghost messenger, carrying a blood-dripping rod, looked at the remaining musicians.
Pfft!
The remaining musicians were terrified, kowtowing repeatedly, almost sobbing as they confessed everything. "Your Honor, it wasn't our intention to do this, but... but the Registrar of the Bureau of Public Speech was a man of his word... he ordered us to obey... we dared not disobey!"
"nonsense!"
A middle-aged-looking underworld official immediately stepped forward, his face filled with urgency: "This lowly musician dares to implicate me! Guards, seize him immediately!"
However, no one dared to move; everyone was waiting for that voice.
"Lord Bao... I am an official, and this man is just a commoner. His words are unsubstantiated, so please do not believe his slander!"
The registrar immediately knelt down and kowtowed, but he dared not look at the bright, shining crescent moon.
Li Pan, standing to the side, had a grim expression and cursed under his breath as an idiot.
His kneeling was tantamount to admitting that the fake actor was actually Bao Gong, handing over the power of the underworld, and truly turning himself into a fish on a chopping board.
But Li Pan had no good solution at the moment. Although this Bao Gong was fake, the power he wielded was real, and his unfathomable cultivation was also real.
With his eyes darting around and his mind racing, Judge Li was trying to come up with a solution.
He knew the situation was extremely urgent and that he absolutely could not confront the other party head-on. Instead, he had to stall until the real King of Hell returned!
Therefore, in a flash of inspiration, he stepped forward and respectfully said, "Your Excellency, there are indeed doubts in this case. The words of a mere musician are insufficient to convict him. I urge you to investigate thoroughly and reveal the truth!"
These words are fair and there is nothing to criticize, yet they harbor malicious intent.
Aren't you singing the role of Bao Gong?
Judge Bao always needed evidence to solve cases; he couldn't just keep forcing confessions out of people through torture.
But as long as he investigates, it will definitely take time. He doesn't believe that this fake Bao Gong can solve the case in such a short time.
He had already secretly communicated with the registrar, pointing out the crux of the matter, offering both a warning and the temptation of promotion, which he believed the registrar would understand.
And that was indeed the case. After receiving the advice, Yan Bijiu, the registrar of the business department, had recovered from his initial panic and fear had dissipated considerably. He even felt that this was an opportunity.
As long as I can stall this fake Judge Bao, when King Yama returns, he will surely praise me highly, and I will be able to rise to the top like Judge Li!
Zhou Sheng remained calm, but he had already taken in Li Pan's subtle actions and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
No wonder Yama promoted him to succeed as the judge of the Investigation Department and left him to guard the underworld; he was indeed a smart and courageous person.
However... He still underestimated this "Exploring the Underworld Mountain".
Zhou Sheng struck the gavel again, the thunderous sound instantly causing the Registrar of the Department of Public Affairs, who had just calmed down, to feel a strange unease again.
"Please summon the Mirror of Evil!"
He only uttered these four words, yet they shocked both Judge Li and the Registrar, as if struck by lightning.
The Mirror of Karma is a divine artifact of the underworld. It is made by taking 36,000 catties of Northern Yin Black Iron, melting it with karmic fire, and forging it for 300 kalpas. It can see the past lives of all living beings and all causes and effects.
This item has not appeared since the disappearance of the previous Yama King, namely Bao Gong, and even the current Yama King cannot activate it.
Could this fake Bao Gong really summon the legendary Mirror of Karma?
As Zhou Sheng finished speaking, the entire city of Fengdu shook violently, and countless streams of yin energy burst forth, eventually transforming into a magnificent mirror that was nine zhang and nine chi tall and three zhang and six chi wide.
The frame is engraved with the full text of the "Taishang Ganying Pian" (Treatise on the Response of the Supreme Being), the characters appearing and disappearing as sins manifest.
In an instant, everyone saw the scene in the magic mirror.
That was the figure of the Chief Clerk of the Department of Oral and Physical Performance. His gaze was gloomy as he threatened the musicians, "Remember, at the crucial moment, you must make all those Yin Opera masters make mistakes. Either they die, or you die. Choose one."
...(End of this chapter)