Secular world: My destiny has no taboos

Chapters 570 and 580: All is a Ghost Realm

Does the Way of Heaven exist in the mortal world?

Lin Beixuan had thought about this question before, but had never delved into it.

It seems so. If not, where would all these incense offerings and religious deities come from?
But it seems like it doesn't exist, because no one has ever seen this thing before, not even the most powerful and ordinary gods know what the Dao of Heaven is.

"Perhaps we can ask Venerable Tiangang."

Lin Beixuan stood there for a while, but did not see any unusual phenomenon of the Heavenly Dao lowering its eyes.

This thing seems different from the God-Slaying Sword; it's not issued in real time.

Below, the soldiers of Beiming had already raised their heads, staring in disbelief at the figure floating in the sky.

The Fox Spirit God's expression was complex, but he breathed a sigh of relief: "The war is over!"

"it is finally over!"

The survivors looked at each other, exhausted from the battle with the evil army. The only reason they were still standing there was to witness the battle of the person above.

Wu Huo struggled to his feet, his clothes soaked in blood, his face deathly pale from blood loss.

He stood up, wanting to shout, but before he could even utter a sound, he choked and nearly fainted.

"General, you are seriously injured and need to rest well. You must not get angry."

The two white immortals beside him kept trying to persuade Wu Huo to sit down, but Wu Huo was a stubborn fellow and wouldn't listen to their advice. He insisted on celebrating the moment of victory with his comrades.

The two white immortals had no choice but to do their best to heal Wu Huo's wounds and bring up the medicine prepared from the rear to treat his internal injuries.

"Oh right, what about the Chong Army?"

At this moment, Zhang He, who had just recovered from the joy of victory, suddenly remembered that the evil army of the Goddess Zigu had not yet been dealt with, so he hurriedly went to the rear to meet Luo Bingzhong.

As the highest-ranking commander of the Northern Underworld Army besides Lin Beixuan, Luo Bingzhong was in charge of the rear. Whether it was Xing Liang's flanking maneuvers or Zhang He and Wu Huo's central formation, he was responsible for the planning and arrangements.

Luo Bingzhong was overjoyed at the victory against the evil spirit army. Standing on a low slope, he watched with satisfaction as the entire army cheered.

Zhang He found him and inquired about the situation of the Zigu Divine Army.

Luo Bingzhong just smiled when he heard this, and pointed in Lin Beixuan's direction: "The government army has already arranged everything, Chongjun, you don't need to worry. Now you can rest well."

Zhang He breathed a sigh of relief. He had been quite worried, as this battle had just ended and he was about to head to another battlefield.

Meanwhile, Xu Lili and Feng Shaoyang remained huddled and hidden.

However, the two of them were utterly shocked. They stared at Lin Beixuan, who had returned to normal size in mid-air, and couldn't help but gasp.

"The Northern Underworld Army has won!"

Although this was exactly what the two had hoped for, the fact that the Beiming army had actually won still made people sigh with admiration.

They witnessed the entire battle firsthand. Whether it was the clash between the Northern Underworld Army and the Evil Spirit Army, or the battle between the two mortal gods, it was all incredibly fierce.

They even put themselves in that situation, and with their own strength, they felt that they would probably have a hard time surviving in this war.

"Winning is a good thing." Feng Shaoyang smiled, his tense nerves relaxing.

"I just received a message from Ke Ke. The Goddess Zi Gu led the evil army away before the battle between the Lord of the Northern Underworld and the Evil Spirit True Lord was completely over. However, it seems that a great mortal god who originally came to help the Goddess Zi Gu was left behind."

“They are the common gods from the Yun Kingdom.” Feng Shaoyang added as a final sentence.

Xu Lili asked, "So what do we do now? The war is over. Do we still have to stay here?"

Feng Shaoyang shook his head: "I don't know, let's see the instructions from above."

"According to my original intention, I wanted to stay here and observe the development of the Northern Underworld Army."

Xu Lili glanced at Feng Shaoyang in surprise.

"The end of this war doesn't mean the next one won't come. If you accidentally get caught up in it, you might not have enough lives to survive."

"I heard that many of the secular princes of Liangzhou have gone into hiding. Those who haven't gone into hiding have already become worldly in this war and don't have many years left to live."

Feng Shaoyang shrugged indifferently: "It's okay, my dream used to be to become a war correspondent."

Xu Lili smiled helplessly: "Whatever."

As the two talked, they saw that the Beiming army had begun to clean up the battlefield.

Lin Beixuan greeted the Fox Spirit God and asked him to temporarily handle the settlement after the victory of the Northern Underworld Army, while he went to the place where the Yin and Chong armies were fighting.

The war here has also ended, but not by one side annihilating the other; rather, the Goddess Zigu chose to leave with the evil army.

The ghost soldiers did not pursue, because Wang Chao and Ma Han knew that their ghost soldiers alone could not hold back the Zigu Goddess's army.

However, after a fierce battle, both sides suffered heavy losses, but the Yin soldiers clearly gained more.

Because they had captured a great sage.

Between the God of Douxing and the God of Kangxing, a monk wearing a Vairocana hat stands inside a cage woven from divine power.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva formed a mudra with his hands, his expression somewhat awkward, as he gazed at Lin Beixuan slowly approaching from afar.

Lin Beixuan looked at Ksitigarbha and said in a low voice, "I originally didn't want to see you."

"..."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was silent for a moment, then exhaled helplessly and said, "I owe Zigu Goddess a favor, so..."

However, before he could finish speaking, Lin Beixuan waved his hand and stared into his eyes.

"To live or to die, you can only choose one."

Upon hearing this, Ksitigarbha frowned immediately.

"My lord, killing me will do you no good."

"So I've decided to give you a way out," Lin Beixuan said calmly.

Ksitigarbha thought for a moment and nodded.

Lin Beixuan didn't look at the expression on Ksitigarbha's face: "Abandon your physical body and suffer punishment in the underworld for a hundred years. After a hundred years, I will let you leave."

Upon hearing this, both Dou Xingshen and Kang Xingshen turned to look at Lin Beixuan, their eyes filled with confusion.

In their view, they could just kill Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva directly; there was no need for all this trouble.

"A hundred years of imprisonment?!"

Ksitigarbha's expression turned somewhat grim.

He knew what the underworld was, but it was only the underworld of the past; he had never seen the underworld of the present.

But now that his life is in Lin Beixuan's hands, it seems that even if he knows that the hell is not a good place, he has no choice.

After a moment of contemplation, Ksitigarbha sighed.

“I agree to serve a hundred years in prison, but I hope that before I go to prison, the Prefect will allow me to return to Foshan.”

"A hundred years is just a blink of an eye for a mortal god, but for my ordinary disciples, it is their entire life."

Lin Beixuan stared at the eyes of the Earth God for a long time before nodding and saying, "Okay."

"Does the Lord trust me so much?" Ksitigarbha was somewhat surprised. He had thought the other party wouldn't agree to his request, but he hadn't expected them to be so quick to agree. At this moment, Douxing God said in an unfriendly tone, "We finally managed to capture him. What if we release him and he never comes back?"

Kang Xingshen also looked at Dizang Shen with ill intent: "He interferes in other people's wars at will, which already violates the principles of Buddhism. This shows that he is an evil Buddha. Such a person has no credibility. If you ask me, just kill him. Anyway, he is not a common god of my Shenzhou."

However, Lin Beixuan ignored Dou Xingshen and Kang Xingshen, and said calmly, "I don't believe you. If you break your promise, I will go to Foshan and slaughter you and all your disciples."

"you……"

Ksitigarbha's brow twitched slightly. He could sense an undisguised coldness and determination in Lin Beixuan's words.

This is a power that transcends ordinary threats, as if foreshadowing some kind of outcome.

“I understand.” Ksitigarbha bowed his head, his tone calm: “I will keep my promise.”

Lin Beixuan said no more, turned around and waved to the two gods behind him.

Dou Xing Shen and Kang Xing Shen exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with confusion, but they still obeyed Lin Bei Xuan's words and dispersed their divine power.

The divine power cage quickly dissipated without the blessing of divine power.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva slowly emerged, respectfully bowed to Lin Beixuan, sighed, and disappeared into the air.

"Why not just kill him?" Dou couldn't help but ask.

Lin Beixuan didn't even turn his head: "Because sometimes a living enemy is more valuable than a dead one."

These words made Dou Xingshen and Kang Xingshen fall into deep thought.

The battlefield between the Yin and Sui armies did not need to be cleaned up, so after counting the casualties, they prepared to head back.

Just then, Lin Beixuan suddenly noticed a burning gaze staring straight at him.

Curious, he turned around and saw a short figure standing on tiptoe looking at him from behind the ranks of the ghost soldiers.

"Zhong Kui?"

With a smile on his lips, Lin Beixuan beckoned to Zhong Kui amidst the gazes of the numerous Yin soldiers.

His second meeting with Zhong Kui after a long separation: the boy now had a more mature look on his face and less childlike innocence compared to before.

"The Lord of the Prefecture wants you to come over!"

Zhong Kui stood there, stunned with excitement, when the Soul-Stealing Demon next to him excitedly patted Zhong Kui on the shoulder.

"I really don't know how lucky you are to have been chosen by the Lord of the Underworld at a glance. Maybe the Lord of the Underworld wants to learn about the summary of our expedition through you."

"maybe!"

Zhong Kui scratched his head awkwardly, bowed to the two brothers who were skilled at seducing and eliminating evil, and then walked to Lin Beixuan's side.

"Fu Jun!"

Zhong Kui was only nine years old at this time, but he was already much taller than when they first met.

"How badly are you injured?" Lin Beixuan looked Zhong Kui up and down, noticing a hideous claw mark on his chest, and then asked.

Zhong Kui straightened his chest and said, "It's not serious, just a minor injury."

Seeing Zhong Kui's face contorted in pain, Lin Beixuan couldn't help but laugh.

"Come back to Liangcheng with me later, and I'll have Bai Xian treat you."

After a brief conversation, Lin Beixuan suddenly patted Zhong Kui on the shoulder, and a shadow immediately flew out.

"Ouch……"

Li Ping'an rubbed his head, his face contorted in pain, clearly indicating that he had been hit.

"It's been a long time. How could you forget to come out and greet me?" Lin Beixuan looked at Li Ping'an with a smile.

"Your Excellency, do you know Ping An?"

Zhong Kui looked at Lin Beixuan and Li Ping'an with surprise and curiosity in his eyes.

Lin Beixuan smiled faintly: "I named him, so do you think I know him or not?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Kui was even more shocked, and began to speculate about the relationship between Li Ping'an and the Prefect.

For so long, whenever he asked Li Ping'an about his background, the other party would stammer and remain silent. He never expected that it would be related to the Lord of the Prefecture whom he admired.

Li Ping'an rubbed his head and timidly called out, "Dad..."

"???"

Zhong Kui's eyes widened instantly, his expression one of disbelief.

"What's the big deal? You've never seen anything like this before!" Li Ping'an crossed his arms, looking arrogant.

Zhong Kui opened his mouth, feeling as if there was something he shouldn't say that he wanted to blurt out.

He tried to compose himself and suppressed the countless questions in his mind, planning to ask them when he and Li Ping'an were alone.

Immediately afterwards, Li Ping'an began to tell Lin Beixuan about his and Zhong Kui's travels around the world. Lin Beixuan listened patiently, without the slightest impatience on his face.

Li Ping'an was someone he watched grow up; they were practically father and son.

Back then, Li Ping'an always stayed by his side, and would occasionally lead some Yin soldiers out to bully the wandering Yin spirits.

Later, when the Underworld was established, everyone started to have tasks and everyone was busy with their own things. However, as Wang Chaomahan's adopted son, Li Ping'an was not assigned any tasks.

So much so that although Li Ping'an didn't say it, he was lonely inside.

He had no playmates his own age, and the people in the underworld always held him in awe because he was the adopted son of the Lord of the Underworld, which prevented him from experiencing true happiness.

It wasn't until Zhong Kui arrived that Lin Beixuan, in the name of the Lord of the Underworld, gave him his first mission—to protect Zhong Kui. This was the first time in Li Ping'an's ghostly life that he truly understood the meaning of the word "friend."

While chatting and laughing, Lin Beixuan rubbed Li Ping'an's head and encouraged Zhong Kui for his growth over this period of time.

Led by Wang Chaomahan, the ghost soldiers returned to the underworld. After a period of rest, they would get busy again.

After the Evil Spirit Lord was defeated, the Jiang and Min prefectures that he had occupied naturally became ownerless.

Without the evil spirit Lord suppressing them, the underworld officials were able to open up the underworld roads in Jiang and Min prefectures more quickly, allowing the underworld's control to penetrate their territory.

"So, I'm going to follow the underworld messengers to Jiangzhou and Minzhou next?" Zhong Kui said excitedly.

"Brother Gouhun said that Jiangzhou has many beautiful women, and Minzhou has seafood that can't be found in the inland areas. I really want to go and see them right away!"

Zhong Kui was lost in his fantasies, and his mouth watered uncontrollably.

Unsurprisingly, Lin Beixuan gave him a flick on the forehead.

Lin Beixuan said in a deep voice, "The situation in Jiang and Min prefectures is probably not what you imagine!"

"The Evil Spirit Lord has occupied Jiang and Min prefectures for many years, during which time he has committed countless killings. Now these two places are probably littered with corpses and haunted by vengeful ghosts. I suggest you prepare yourself mentally and not have too much hope."

After bidding farewell to the Yin soldiers, Lin Beixuan led Zhong Kui and Li Ping'an onto the back of Kang Xingshen.

Although Kang Xingshen strongly opposed anyone other than Lin Beixuan getting on his body, he was now Lin Beixuan's mount and had no power to resist. He could only sigh and carry the people towards the Beiming Army camp.

As Lin Beixuan had described, when Zhong Kui and Li Ping'an arrived with the underworld troops, they found the entire area to be a ghostly realm.

(End of this chapter)