Chapter 415
Years of Shackles, All Severed in One Morning
In the underworld, the wind howled and ghosts and gods wailed.
The Mirror of Karma still shines upon all the gods. Those who have committed numerous sins will be beheaded and their heads displayed to the public. Ordinary underworld officials are beheaded with dog-head guillotines, those of higher status with tiger-head guillotines, and those of even higher status with dragon-head guillotines.
As for those whose crimes are not so serious, they will be given dozens of strokes of the cane according to the laws of the underworld. If they can survive, they will be spared; if they cannot, their souls will be scattered.
Above the main hall, wails of agony filled the air.
The once high and mighty gods of the underworld have now become lambs to the slaughter, utterly powerless to resist.
No one could say anything, firstly because Zhou Sheng's cultivation was unfathomable and his supernatural powers were vast, and secondly because his methods were upright and in accordance with the laws of the underworld, he would not be punished excessively or sentenced lightly.
As for the young occult practitioners, they watched with pride and a sense of great satisfaction!
They gazed at the figure on the throne with the face painted with Bao Gong's name, deeply shocked, their eyes gleaming with an unusual light.
Who knew that a sorcerer could be so powerful!
It turns out that we are not just performing operas, but can actually be like the heroes in the operas, punishing evil and promoting good, judging right and wrong, and upholding justice!
They have always practiced ghost plays from a young age. The most common thing they hear is how terrifying it is to become a master, how difficult it is to deal with ghosts and gods, and that they must practice hard and hard again to have any chance of passing the Ghost Play of the Ghost Festival.
They never imagined that a sorcerer could transform into Bao Gong, descend to the Yellow Springs, and stand in the Yama's Palace like a divine soldier descending from the heavens, judging all the gods and awe-inspiring the underworld!
This is a true master of occult arts!
For a moment, a sense of pride welled up on the faces of these young Yinxi practitioners. Yinxi was not something to please ghosts and gods, but a thunderous means to intimidate them.
Zhou Sheng's figure began to grow infinitely larger in their hearts, and today, that towering figure is deeply imprinted in their minds.
However, Zhou Sheng, whom they admired so much, seemed to be watching something, a hint of urgency in his eyes.
No one, not even ghosts or gods, can see this "heavenly book" that symbolizes the rules of the underworld, unless Yama returns.
Zhou Sheng's eyes were like lightning, reading ten lines at a glance. He had read countless words, and even his eyes were sore from the golden light of the words.
Although he had cultivated to the peak of the Human Immortal realm, he had not yet fully become an immortal. With his flesh and blood body, he was trying to glimpse the supreme laws of the underworld, which put a great strain on his eyes.
From this perspective, the master and the predecessors of the Zhao family troupe were destined to fail.
Firstly, they didn't know that the contract was hidden in the "Heavenly Book," and that it required a great deal of authority to manifest. Secondly, even if their master had seen it, given his cultivation level at that time, he would have gone blind in no time.
Even Zhou Sheng, who has now surpassed his master, experienced blurred vision and bloodshot eyes after watching for a long time. His pupils were stinging and bloodshot, as if he was enduring some kind of enormous pressure.
However, perseverance always pays off.
Suddenly, Zhou Sheng's spirits lifted, and his eyes lit up as he saw lines of gleaming gold text.
"All ghost performers, at the age of eighteen, must have their souls travel to the underworld to perform ghost plays during the Ghost Festival..."
Persistence pays off, and he finally found the Yin rules that had imprisoned Yin opera performers for nearly a thousand years. Among them were the rule that Yin opera performers must perform Ghost Opera at the age of eighteen, and the rule that after completing their apprenticeship, they must accept an invitation from ghosts and gods to perform at least once a year.
It is because of these two points that the number of Yin Xi practitioners has decreased dramatically over the past thousand years. Their living conditions are extremely difficult, and very few of them can even live past the age of thirty.
"Outdated customs and practices, disregard for human life—I, this official, hereby—"
"Break it!"
As the gavel struck again, Zhou Sheng stood up for the first time. A crescent moon between his brows shone brightly, and with a raised hand, a judge's pen appeared.
This too is a manifestation of the power of the underworld.
His gaze was intense, and he wielded his pen like a knife, as if bearing immense pressure. His body creaked, yet his back remained upright, like a solitary pine tree in the wind and snow, unyielding and indestructible.
At this moment, Zhou Sheng felt a heavy sense of defiance against the heavens.
Rules that have existed for nearly a thousand years are not so easy to erase; anyone who tries to change the rules of the world will have to pay a huge price.
If Zhou Sheng hadn't possessed profound cultivation, along with the skills of zombie cultivation, the Medicine Buddha's Lapis Lazuli Golden Body, and the Vajra Indestructible Body, he probably wouldn't even be able to lift this Judge's Pen right now. Taking a deep breath, a resolute glint appeared in his bloodshot eyes.
Pick up your pen and cross it out!
Boom!!!
The moment the judge's pen touched the celestial book, the Netherworld trembled violently, a shock far stronger than the fall of the gods just moments before.
The River of Oblivion suddenly reversed course, soaring into the sky and transforming into countless drops of blood that fell in the opposite direction. The blood rain ignited upon contact with the ground, burning the charred seal script character "悖" into the underworld.
Glug!
Amber-colored pus and blood gushed from the cracks in the bricks of Fengdu City, causing all eighteen levels of hell to tremble and startling countless evil spirits into restlessness.
Bloodshed and carnage, lightning and thunder!
At this moment, all the ghosts and gods felt an indescribable sense of unease, as if the underworld was enraged.
They didn't know what Zhou Sheng was doing; they could only see him pick up his pen, but they knew it must be something earth-shattering.
Zhou Sheng ignored everything, his gaze resolute, and continued writing despite the immense pressure.
Click!
The mirror of calamity he summoned suddenly cracked, making a clear, crisp sound, as if issuing a warning.
But Zhou Sheng just sneered.
"How can an unjust agreement survive in this world?"
"If man is unjust, kill him; if Heaven is unjust... kill him too!"
After saying this, his golden core trembled, and his magical power surged in like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down, pouring into the hand that held the brush.
The pen fell like a knife, relentlessly cleaving through that rigid rule and erasing it.
In an instant, the rain stopped, the wind calmed, and all the tremors ceased.
Click!
Zhou Sheng vaguely heard a crisp sound, as if the shackles that had bound him for a long time had been suddenly broken, and his body and mind felt light, and his primordial spirit was inexplicably overjoyed.
Not only him, but at this moment, all the Yin-Yang practitioners had this strange feeling.
They felt more relaxed than ever before, as if their very souls were stretching out.
"From this day forward, I hereby abolish this law. The underworld and the netherworld are now estranged. There is no need for them to learn from others or be forced to take on any role. Everything is entirely voluntary!"
The shock the young occult practitioners felt upon hearing this was almost indescribable.
They stared at the figure in disbelief, still doubting their ears, until they heard Zhou Sheng confirm it again.
"You...are free."
In an instant, many people were moved to tears, some even weeping bitterly, their voices filled with sorrow, as if they were releasing years of pent-up grievances in an instant.
Countless days and nights of arduous practice, the fear of struggling under the shadow of death, the nightmare that accompanied every Yin Xi practitioner like a curse—all of it vanished at this moment.
The sky is high and the sea is wide; fish leap and eagles soar! (End of Chapter)