A master of comedy!

Upon hearing the Night Wanderer's words, Yama fell silent for a moment. He glanced at the woman, then at Zhou Sheng, as if he had realized something.

I felt nauseous, as if I had swallowed a fly.

But He couldn't say anything for the time being. Firstly, He had taken the initiative to ask, and secondly, the judge of the Investigation Division had fallen, and He still needed the Night Wanderer to help him stabilize the situation before a new person took over.

For a moment, even the mighty King Yama found himself in an awkward position.

Fortunately, a voice broke the deadlock at that moment.

"I have met Yama, the King of Hell."

A woman with a full head of silver hair and a beautiful face slowly walked out; she was none other than Meng Po, the most senior and famous woman in the underworld.

Yin Shisi Niang stayed by her side.

“I heard that my old friend’s disciples came to perform ghost plays for the Ghost Festival, so I have been watching from the sidelines. I can testify for Zhou Sheng that it was Judge Lu who broke the rules and tried to kill the ghost play master on stage.”

After a pause, a trace of vicissitude flashed in Meng Po's eyes, and she sighed, "Back then, King Ma Ming made a three-point agreement with the Emperor, one of which was that the spirits of the underworld must not interfere with the stage. Over the years, the spirit opera performers have always abided by this agreement, leaving behind evil spirits one after another. We cannot let King Ma Ming down."

Upon hearing this, Yama knew that killing Zhou Sheng today was no longer an option.

Although Meng Po is subordinate to him, she is extremely senior and holds a special position in the underworld. Since she is here to testify, she cannot be ignored or treated perfunctorily.

"If that's the case, then we can't entirely blame you."

"However, while the death penalty may be avoided, punishment is inevitable."

Yan Jun's eyes flashed, and the coldness deep in his eyes had not dissipated, but had even grown stronger.

“Even if there is a reason for this, Judge Lu is, after all, a god of the underworld. Even if he has violated the laws of the underworld, I, the king, will uphold justice. It is not up to you, a mere mortal, to make the decision.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Sheng felt a surge of inexplicable anger.

What do you mean by "I, the king, will uphold justice"? When he was almost killed several times, why didn't you, old man, step forward to uphold justice?

But just as he was about to speak, he noticed a piercing gaze.

Yin Changsheng, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly raised his eyes and looked directly at Yama.

"King Yama is in seclusion year-round and does not concern himself with worldly affairs. By the time you come out to uphold justice, Zhou Sheng will probably have been reincarnated three times."

King Yama's eyelids twitched, and he said angrily, "Is True Lord Yin criticizing me? It's not that I'm neglecting my duties, but as the Son of Heaven of the Underworld, I have the responsibility to protect the lives of millions of people and there are too many things to deal with. If it weren't for me, who knows how chaotic the Underworld would be!"

Yin Changsheng stepped forward and said loudly, "Nine of the Ten Kings of Hell have already departed, so why is there no chaos in the Yellow Springs—"

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Fangping quickly covered his mouth.

Wang Zhenjun smiled somewhat awkwardly and said, "That's just my brother's personality. He speaks without restraint even in front of the Emperor. Please don't be offended, King Yama."

Saying "Don't blame me, King Yama" is actually implying that even the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak has not punished Yin Changsheng for his straightforward nature, so you should just bear with it.

Zhou Sheng listened with great enjoyment, as if he had drunk a glass of ice water on a hot summer day, and his whole body felt refreshed.

This Yin Zhenjun really dares to speak his mind.

Nine of the Ten Kings of Hell have been removed, meaning that even with nine fewer Kings of Hell, the Underworld still functions normally.

One more or one less makes no difference, so don't take yourself too seriously.

With a cold snort, Yama caused all nine main streets of Fengdu City to explode, creating a huge crack that spewed out raging karmic fire, which within moments showed signs of spreading like wildfire.

Yin Changsheng and Wang Fangping's expressions changed instantly, and the Twelve Yin Wheel Dharma Images manifested behind them. Only by working together could they barely suppress the karmic fire spewing from the ground of Fengdu.

In the blink of an eye, Yama and the King of the Underworld had already had a brief exchange.

Zhou Sheng's heart sank, because judging from the situation of the fight, Yan Jun seemed to have an absolute advantage, and his expression was calm and relaxed.

However, the Yin King and his allies had solemn expressions and trembling bodies, as if they had suffered a hidden loss.

"Zhou Sheng, what did you sing in this Ghost Festival play?" Yama suddenly asked.

"The Mulian Opera was originally planned to be performed nine times, but it was only performed up to the eighth time."

King Yama nodded, but felt a pang of regret.

"It seems you know the rules better than your master. In the underworld, Bao Gong plays are forbidden. Although Mulian plays are also somewhat inappropriate, they are not among the forbidden plays."

“Back then, your master didn’t know the rules, so I took away his golden core and pulled out his leg tendons, making him a cripple.”

"Now, as his disciple, you have committed the grave error of murdering a spirit of the underworld—"

Meng Po wanted to say something upon seeing this, but was forcefully stopped by Yama.

"Although there was a reason for your death, you will still be punished. Today, just like your master, I will rip out your hamstrings."

These words struck Zhou Sheng like a bolt from the blue.

For a practitioner of yinxi (a type of martial arts performance), footwork is of paramount importance. Even a master like Yu Zhensheng had to retire from the martial arts world after losing his hamstrings.

More importantly, this punishment of having their hamstrings pulled out was undoubtedly the greatest humiliation for the master and disciple.

I crippled your master back then, and now I'll cripple you too.

"and many more--"

Zhou Sheng had just opened his mouth when Yan Jun glanced at him, and his body instantly stiffened, as if he had been frozen in place.

Two golden dragons appeared to protect him, attempting to block Yama, but were dispersed by a soft hum.

Immediately afterwards, as Yama made a grabbing motion in the air, Zhou Sheng felt a piercing pain in his right leg.

A large, transparent tendon was being slowly pulled out of his leg.

Those are the tendons in the soul; once lost, even if the soul returns to the mortal world, the body will forever be crippled.

His years of rigorous training in occult arts, honed day and night since childhood, will soon be largely gone.

No matter how angry he was, his body remained stiff and he couldn't utter a single word.

At that moment, he felt a deep sense of humiliation and powerlessness, and finally realized something profound.

Even with the help of the Luo Shu, which allows one to pinpoint the key and achieve great victories with limited resources, weakness is always the original sin in the face of absolute power.

His plan had been perfectly executed, forcing Lu Pan to take the initiative and successfully killing him. With so many witnesses, he even attracted the Yin King to appear and help him.

It can be said that he has used all the resources he currently has access to.

Despite having the legal and human rights to back it up, it all became a joke in the face of absolute power.

Despite the excruciating pain, he didn't scream. Instead, he remained silent, his gaze cold and calm, with only the veins on his forehead bulging and sweat pouring down his face.

He remembered this humiliation. If one day he could reach the same level as Zhang Sanfeng, he would definitely come to the underworld again to avenge himself!
Just as the hamstring was about to be completely pulled out, Meng Po looked at that face covered in sweat, yet resolute and sharp, and her eyes flickered with emotion.

He sighed softly, “Since they are disciples of an old friend, I cannot stand idly by.”

"Alright then, if King Yama shows leniency, I'll send you one of the three bowls of freshly brewed 'Refreshing Soup,' how about that?"

In an instant, the restraints vanished, and the transparent tendon returned to Zhou Sheng's leg.

"can."

Without the slightest hesitation, Yama nodded in agreement, as if afraid that if he hesitated, the other party would go back on their word.

...(End of this chapter)