Chapter 104 Part 2
Shi Xuan stood and extended his hand, Wu Heng taking it without hesitation, and with a gentle pull, he stumbled, towards the bone throne,
The King of Hell, catching him, gently placed him on it, settling him comfortably.
The Xuanmen disciples, about to denounce their ancestor, “???”
Wait, what?! How did that happen?! What was their relationship?!
Wu Heng, no longer feeling any discomfort from the throne, looked down at the Xuanmen ancestor and, picking up the stone seal, stamped the air.
Ancient runes appeared, the Seal of Yama, no longer blank.
The ancestor, staring at their clasped hands, stumbled back, “You… you showed him the seal?!”
That shaman doctor must have seen it, deduced his identity, sent him back, foiling his plans!
This seal, appearing at his birth, a protective amulet, preventing even the most powerful spirits from devouring him, the reason his father couldn’t kill him, never to be seen by others.
Shi Xuan simply said, “No, I gave it to him.”
The ancestor: ‘……’
?
Gave it to Wu Heng?!
He stared at Shi Xuan’s calm face, how could Yama, a divine being, be so… lovestruck?
He almost wanted to curse, to scream in frustration.
He could accept defeat, being imprisoned in the underworld, but this, this was unacceptable.
He had planned everything so carefully, never considering this possibility.
“Ancestor, please, stop,” the Xuanmen leader and his disciples knelt, tears in their eyes, they couldn’t bear this.
The ancestor roared, his voice filled with rage, ‘Why?! Why him?!’
‘The throne rotates, it’s my turn! Why can’t I?! You useless, incompetent fools!’
He was ambitious when he was alive, bringing the Xuanmen to greatness. And after death, why settle for a judgeship?
He wanted the highest position, all ghosts bowing before him, power, absolute power.
Wu Heng nodded, “Ambition is good,” daring to challenge authority, he admired that,
Then he looked at him, his voice suddenly cold, “But you shouldn’t involve the innocent. How many died because of your greed, their organs taken, did they owe you anything? Were they meant to be sacrificed for your… ‘career’?”
“A coup, usurping the throne, all fine, if it doesn’t harm the innocent, pull him down, be the first, prove he’s incompetent, the throne belongs to the capable, let him step down, fine!”
If this were a simple power struggle in the underworld, he would have admired his ambition.
No one had a divine right to rule, but so many innocent people killed?! An unforgivable sin, how could Heaven tolerate this?
Did those students, those teachers, deserve to be victims of his Gu worms?! Did Zheng Feiran deserve to have his eyes stolen?! Did the dead deserve to be further desecrated?! Their lives, their peace, sacrificed for one man’s ambition.
Wu Heng, seeing the ancestor’s darkening expression, smiled faintly, “But all your efforts, just an opportunistic attempt, seems like Yama is capable after all.”
Shi Xuan, who hadn’t moved, simply sitting there, his mere presence a threat, once Yama returned to his throne, his accumulated power, the ancestor wouldn’t stand a chance.
He glanced at the cowering ghosts, his cold gaze, a powerful force, they immediately prostrated themselves, their arrogance gone, replaced by fear, begging for mercy, ‘Your Majesty, spare us! Have mercy!’
Shi Xuan didn’t even look at them, his voice cold, “Seize them.”
‘Yes, sir!’ a voice replied excitedly, rushing in faster than the other Yin messengers.
Lai Jun, cracking his soul-snatching rope, quickly captured several ghosts, hahaha, Wu Heng was good to him, letting him wait so close, instant action!
And he, a lowly Yin messenger, could enter Yama’s hall.
His lantern, heavy with souls, the bamboo pole almost bending, a bountiful harvest, overtime was indeed a wise choice.
‘Hey, want some new inventions?‘ Yang Xing, who had been quietly observing, suddenly whispered.
Lai Jun’s ears perked up, never underestimating scholars again.
Those seemingly harmless academics and scientists, they were a force to be reckoned with.
Yang Xing took out something resembling a paper snowflake, ‘This is even more effective with the soul-snatching rope.’
Lai Jun unfolded it, and it became a net, attached to his rope, he swung it, capturing dozens of ghosts, even the scowling ancestor.
He was impressed, truly ingenious.
Shi Xuan’s voice, cold and indifferent, ‘Take the Xuanmen ancestor back to the human world. Seventy-seven days under the scorching sun, let his descendants see him for who he truly is.’
As he spoke, glowing runes appeared in the air, a decree.
He took the stone seal from Wu Heng, his name.
The Xuanmen disciples, seeing the decree, knew their ancestor was finished, seventy-seven days of sunlight, complete annihilation, his return to the human world, a final humiliation, those innocent victims, their families, deserved closure.
The leader bowed, “As you command.”
He looked at their ancestor, his eyes closed now, and sighed, “Ancestor, you brought us to greatness. Now, your descendants will send you on your way,” they needed to return to the human world, more pressing matters, just two hours until the new year, their city filled with ghosts, their duty called.
Shi Xuan extended his hand to Wu Heng, ‘Let’s go home.’
Wu Heng, his hand tightly clasped in Shi Xuan’s, couldn’t help but stare at him, the dark, shimmering robes, enhancing his aura, his power, undeniable.
He smiled, looking at their joined hands.
‘Your Majesty, should I prepare a sedan chair?’ a ghost guard asked.
Why were they so obsessed with carrying him?
Shi Xuan said no, instructing them to escort the Xuanmen disciples instead, and they left, hand in hand.
Countless people checked the time. 11 p.m., New Year’s Eve.
Since this morning, not a single ray of sunlight, a perpetual darkness, afraid that even the smallest light would attract the ghosts.
Cities were dark and silent, no celebrations, many families huddled together in fear, meals forgotten, their New Year’s Eve, a fight for survival, firecrackers replaced by screams.
Shi Zongguang’s face was grim. He glanced at the live stream, Wu Heng hadn’t appeared yet.
Although he had wanted to fire that useless steward, Wu Su, for a long time, he was also a fan of Wu Heng, a skilled practitioner, and now he was also missing.
Because of his son.
He looked at the police officers who arrived. “My son, Shi Xuan, he’s…”
He suddenly stopped, seeing Wu Heng on screen, a shadowy figure beside him, blurred and indistinct to the others, but he, as his father, recognized him instantly, Shi Xuan, what had happened to him, he looked… monstrous, not quite human.
Before Shi Zongguang could react, the ghosts battling the police in the live stream cried out, “Your Majesty?”
Shi Zongguang stood up abruptly, staring at the grayscale screen.
The police, seeing his stunned silence, pressed him. “So, what about your son?”
He tried to speak, but his voice caught in his throat, what did those ghosts just call Shi Xuan?
