World version update

Chapter 291 Rewarding Good and Punishing Evil and the Abdication Turmoil

As Lu Yan's figure appeared inside the simple church, it was as if some invisible switch had been triggered.

In the darkness, the divine court and the underworld, imbued with supreme majesty, seemed to sense this crucial moment. A source of power containing the underworld's extraordinary path silently crossed space and descended, precisely enveloping Anna's soul, which was attached to the plaster statue.

Anna had already met the requirements for advancement, but Lu Yan's seclusion caused the source power of the underworld pathway to lose its guidance, so Anna could only slowly complete her sublimation through faith.

But with the power of the source replenished, Anna's advancement finally officially began!

The primal power of the divine court and the underworld washed over Anna's soul like a gentle yet irresistible tide.

The dark cloak that originally represented her as a Soul Envoy of the Eighth Order began to disappear quietly like light and shadow, and was replaced by a black official's robe with fine silver patterns embroidered on the edges.

Even more striking was that the soul-snatching chains that were originally in her hand spontaneously merged into her body, and a black pen with a tip tinged with a faint yin aura appeared out of thin air on her right hand.

In her left hand she held an antique booklet, the cover of which was not made of paper but of a strange material that was neither gold nor jade. On it were four powerful and rhythmic characters outlined with divine patterns.

Reward the good and punish the evil!

Just as Anna was completely stable in her advancement, and the aura of the Judgement Officer emanated from her, Lu Yan immediately felt a more direct feedback from the rules than when he created the Yellow Springs Path.

This feedback did not enhance his cultivation level, but rather directly impacted the very foundation of order within the entire Divine Court and Underworld.

The divine court and the order of the underworld, which were omnipresent and supported the operation of the underworld, seemed to have received tremendous nourishment and began to grow wildly at a visible speed. The majestic aura of the divine court of all heavens became more and more vast and magnificent.

The seventh path in the underworld is the Judge of Crimes, whose core authority is wielding the book of rewards and punishments.

This book is no ordinary thing; it can record the sins of enemies.

The greater and deeper the sins committed by an enemy, the more the judge can benefit from the book of rewards and punishments when he takes action against the enemy, and may even directly cause the sins to turn against their master.

When dealing with those who possess merit and have good intentions, the judges can also expend their own power to bestow blessings and protection upon them through the Book of Rewards for Good and Punishments for Evil, helping them to avoid misfortune and attract good fortune.

While the judges themselves may not be the most powerful fighters, the authority they represent to reward good and punish evil is one of the cornerstones of the entire underworld's order.

The sins committed in life will be settled after death; the good deeds done in life will also be rewarded after death.

This is the core concept for maintaining the Yin-Yang order, and theoretically, no living being can escape the judgment of this law.

Therefore, Anna's successful promotion to the position of Judge of Crimes has a significance for the improvement and strengthening of the order of the Divine Court and the Underworld that far exceeds that of ordinary promotions.

It represents one of the core functions of the underworld: rewarding good and punishing evil, and it began to truly have an executor and symbol in the real world.

Lu Yan carefully sensed the vigorous growth of the divine court and the underworld order, and his mind became clear.

He knew very well that the reason why the Divine Court and the Underworld were able to suppress powerful beings like the Undying King and Prince Rhine, who possessed a trace of the unique status in this world, was not only due to the power of the Underworld's small world, but more importantly, it relied on the magnificent order originating from the Divine Court of the Heavens.

The order of the Divine Court of the Heavens reflects many versions and is inextricably linked to the mysterious Heavenly Dao. It naturally has a restraining effect on various disordered forces, especially on this incomplete and fragmented unique status.

Now that Anna has been promoted to Judge of Crimes, the order of the Divine Court and the Underworld has been further improved and strengthened. Lu Yan can clearly feel that his suppression of the Undying King in the Underworld has become even stronger.

He originally needed to spare time to suppress the Undying King under Fengdu City and prevent him from escaping.

However, under the current order of the Divine Court and the Underworld, the Undying King, who could still struggle a bit, has completely fallen into silence.

"In this version of the mysterious world, the source of all extraordinary power seems to be related to so-called uniqueness."

Lu Yan pondered silently, "The closer one gets to the top of the sequence, the stronger the unique essence one can access, and the more incredible its power becomes."

"Now that my cultivation is about to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, the order of the Divine Court and the Underworld has also been significantly enhanced due to the appearance of the Judges of Crimes."

If we were to encounter again a hidden evil god like the Undying King, who had usurped the uniqueness of incompleteness…

A confident glint flashed in Lu Yan's eyes. "Even if the other party doesn't actively enter the Netherworld, I'm afraid I can suppress that incomplete uniqueness in the outside world simply by relying on the power of the increasingly perfect divine court order."

Thinking of this, Lu Yan's mood improved somewhat.

His steadily increasing strength and growing number of trump cards have given him more composure and confidence when facing this treacherous and mysterious world.

It was at this point that Anna's promotion process finally came to an end.

The light of the underworld's origin that enveloped her gradually dissipated, and the soul attached to the plaster statue slowly drifted down, hovering in mid-air.

With the power of the seventh-order judge, her soul became more solid and refined than ever before, almost crossing the boundary between life and death. The aura she exuded was no longer purely cold and gloomy, but instead carried a sense of majesty and order.

If an ordinary person were here, they would probably only see her as a living person with a dignified demeanor and strange clothes, and would find it difficult to see through the essence of her soul.

Anna seemed a little unaccustomed to the changes in herself. She subconsciously looked down at the calligraphy brush and book in her hand, then immediately raised her head, her clear eyes locking onto Lu Yan, who was standing not far away.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, a pure, heartfelt, and childlike smile immediately bloomed on her face.

"Your Majesty!" she called out in a clear voice, filled with joy and affection.

Anna's clear voice, like a pebble thrown into a still lake, brought Lu Yan back from his reverie.

He turned his gaze to the newly appointed judge in front of him. The girl's soul radiated an unprecedentedly solid glow, and her dark official robes made her look more dignified, but the joy and affection in her eyes were still as pure as a child's.

Lu Yan smiled slightly, reached out his large hand and gently placed it on Anna's head, soothing and approving her hair, which still seemed to have a slightly ethereal texture.

“Well done.” His voice was gentle, with a reassuring strength.

Anna was slightly taken aback by this sudden action, and then a shy blush appeared on her face. Although she was a soul, her shyness was real and palpable.

She lowered her head slightly, her voice barely audible and tinged with a hint of embarrassment: "This is also thanks to the help of Brother Sain and Sister Elizabeth."

Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her official robes; she always habitually attributed Lu Yan's praise to others.

Looking at her like this, Lu Yan couldn't help but smile knowingly, and then asked in a relaxed tone, "During my seclusion, have any noteworthy major events occurred outside?"

Upon hearing His Majesty's question, Anna immediately became serious, as if she had received an important mission.

She stretched out her slender, white fingers and began counting them one by one, her delicate brows furrowing slightly as if she were trying to recall and organize her thoughts. "The expansion of the union is going very smoothly!" Her voice carried a hint of excitement. "Luxembourg, the second largest city in the Kingdom of Victoria, has successfully established a complete union system, and the workers there finally have something to rely on and be protected."

Following His Majesty's instructions, I also arranged for many wandering souls to go to Luxembourg to quietly spread the ideas of the labor union and guide their thinking.

She glanced at Lu Yan furtively as she spoke, and seeing his calm expression, she continued, "Also, it's strange, but the Steam Cult seems to have become less concerned about the workers lately."

A few days ago, some workers secretly built our small chapel, but they were discovered and reported to the Steam Church.

But instead of sending anyone to handle the situation, the Steam Cult arrested the person who reported them and took them to the police station.

Anna counted on her fingers and muttered to herself as she reported the information she had observed.

In her pure eyes, the booming development of the union and the abnormal behavior of the Steam Cult were like novel and interesting story fragments.

However, Lu Yan simply listened quietly with a smile on his face, his deep eyes remaining calm and undisturbed.

He was well aware that these seemingly novel events involved too many factors and were the inevitable result of how things developed.

Suddenly, Anna seemed to remember something crucial. She stopped counting on her fingers, quickly looked up, and her clear eyes looked urgently at Lu Yan. Her tone was also tinged with anxiety: "That's right, Your Majesty! There's something else very important!"

"What is it?" Lu Yan's voice remained calm as his gaze fell on her slightly uneasy face.

“It’s Elizabeth!” Anna said hurriedly. “She hasn’t been to work at the union for three days.”

A while ago, she seemed to have been looking for you, but you were in seclusion at the time.

I heard rumors circulating outside that His Majesty the King is incompetent and that the royal family is discussing choosing a new king to succeed to the throne.

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible ripple flashed across Lu Yan's originally calm eyes.

His long eyebrows lifted slightly, unsurprised by the result.

"Has the Victorian royal family finally made up their minds to replace that king?"

Orank, deep within the royal palace.

This place was once the nominal heart of the Victorian Kingdom, a symbol of power.

However, most of the actual decrees came from government buildings and noble councils, while the royal palace mostly served as a place of historical weight and ritual.

But just three days ago, a message shattered the tranquility of the palace.

The news of the old king's impending abdication spread from within the palace walls, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up countless waves.

The atmosphere in Orank suddenly became tense, with carriages of nobles arriving one after another towards the palace. The palace, which had once been merely symbolic, once again became the center of the storm.

King Charles the Elder was no mediocre ruler. He carried on his predecessor's ideas for initiating the Industrial Revolution, propelled social change into the Industrial Age, and suppressed the power of the Church. His abilities were among the best of all the Victorian kings.

Limited by his extraordinary talent, old King Charles failed to glimpse the path to Sequence Four. Even so, the long lifespan of extraordinary beings allowed him to remain energetic even at over a hundred years old, far from being old and frail.

Choosing to step down at this juncture carries profound implications and invites deep reflection.

Especially when people connect this incident with Lu Yan's recent appearance in Orank and his swift killing of Prince Rhine, various speculations and doubts begin to swirl among the various factions.

However, the royal family had no time to pay attention to the outside world's turmoil at this moment. The abdication itself ignited fierce battles within the royal family.

First, there was the power struggle between the current King Charles and the forces pushing for his abdication. After Lu Yan announced the news of the king's abdication, King Charles tried to struggle to maintain his power.

However, the loss of the scepter of kingship was too significant. Even with his extraordinary achievements, the foundation of the royal family and the great nobles ultimately rested on the path of royal power.

The loss of the royal scepter alone was enough to crush everything he had created.

In the internal power struggle, he ultimately lost, and his abdication became an irreversible decision.

Immediately afterwards, the struggle for the right to the throne quickly intensified.

Prince Charles, who spearheaded the abdication saga, Prince Ford, who received covert support from the late King, and Princess Diana, who was pushed to the forefront by several powerful princes, engaged in a fierce power struggle with their respective backers.

The impact of this upheaval spread rapidly, sweeping through almost the entire upper-class aristocracy of Orank. Even several colonial governors overseas were forced to take a stand in this power reshuffle.

The atmosphere inside the royal hall was solemn and oppressive at this moment.

Numerous elegantly dressed nobles and royal relatives gathered together, but few glanced at King Charles, who sat high on the throne.

This king, who should be in his prime, has suffered a series of blows in just a few months, including the invasion of powerful enemies, the loss of his scepter, and being forced to abdicate. He now shows signs of fatigue and old age that are inconsistent with his age, as if the throne could not support his hunched body.

Inside the hall, almost everyone's gaze was focused, intentionally or unintentionally, on the three potential heirs to power: Prince Charles, Prince Ford, and Princess Diana.

After three days and nights of tireless exchanges of interests and compromises on power, a power structure concerning the future of the kingdom has been initially outlined.

Although Prince Charles was assertive in pushing for abdication, he angered some old-school nobles who were loyal to the old king and ultimately failed to ascend the throne. The other two contenders were less established and their own strength did not reach the fourth rank, so they had no hope of suppressing the other heirs.

The initial agreement reached was that Prince Ford would inherit the throne, while Princess Diana would take charge of the increasingly important Council of Nobles.

Prince Charles, at the request of the old-school aristocracy, was expelled from the center of power and put in charge of taking over the vast overseas colonies.

A new political landscape seemed to be forming, with the king's power being distributed among the princes and princesses, the status of the noble council rising, and overseas colonies becoming self-contained systems.

This was undoubtedly a situation that many nobles were happy to see, as it meant a further weakening of royal power and an expansion of the influence of the nobility.

Inside the hall, many people wore knowing, satisfied expressions, and the tense atmosphere seemed to have eased somewhat.

Almost everyone was satisfied with the result, except for two people.

One was the withered old King Charles on the throne, and the other was Princess Elizabeth standing quietly below the throne.

(End of this chapter)