Gods of the Nation: You worship the God of Longevity, I worship the King of Hell!

Chapter 124 Zhong Kui!
Lu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly without his noticing.

"Very well, after all, he is the City God who protects this area. It would be really unreasonable for me, the mighty General Zhengde, not to deal with him."

However, after what happened with the City God, Lu Chen found it really hard to feel any goodwill towards this City God Li.

After a moment's thought, Lu Chen got up and left the government office in the south of the city, intending to return to the factory to await news.

But just as he stepped out of the office, he suddenly felt a pang of fear for no apparent reason.

Lu Chen suddenly stopped and looked around warily.

There was clearly no one around.

However, that inexplicable sense of unease lingered in my heart.

"It feels...like I'm being watched?"

He looked left and right, up and down.

My gaze finally settled on a small monitor on the wall by the door.

"Uh... I knew something was watching me, so it was this thing."

Lu Chen chuckled, then quickly left the yamen.

Little did they know, this was happening inside the government office's surveillance room.

In this set of shots.

Behind Lu Chen, the space seemed to be subtly boiling.

It was as if something was following him...

But it didn't last long.

The strange, boiling energy finally stopped.

Instead, it moved in another direction...

If you don't look closely, you won't be able to find any trace of it.

……

The underworld.

The sky was still shrouded in a hazy gray.

In the Yama Palace.

"boom!"

With a sharp crack, the wine cup was smashed to the ground.

Your Highness, Xie Qingyi, Fan Rusong, and a group of ox-headed and horse-faced demons and judges immediately prostrated themselves and knelt down, not daring to look directly at the towering figure on the throne, which was as majestic as a small mountain.

"What did you say? There are demons in the human world who not only concoct evil techniques for corpse dissolution, but also cause the souls of the dead to be completely destroyed, body and soul?"

At this moment, Yama's face was ashen, colder than ever before.

Although it is said that when a person dies, it is like a lamp going out.

But the soul must go to hell and be reincarnated.

This is the rule of Heaven!

But now that the soul has completely dissipated, it means that this "person" will be forever and ever vanished without a trace.

This is an absolutely heinous crime according to the laws of the underworld!

"What kind of monster is this, daring to so blaspheme against the laws of the underworld and desecrate the rules of heaven? Doesn't it fear that it too will suffer the same fate of having its soul and spirit destroyed?!"

"Lord Yama, please calm your anger!"

The underworld officials quickly offered words of comfort.

The King of Hell's anger subsided slightly, and he said coldly, "This scoundrel is extremely vicious. He did this clearly because he was afraid of being discovered!"

Fan Rusong bowed and clasped his hands: "Your Majesty is wise. This matter must be thoroughly investigated. Otherwise, if this villain sets a bad precedent, others will follow suit, and the world will be in great chaos!"

Xie Qingyi echoed, "Sister is right. Please advise, Your Majesty, on how we should handle this matter? The General... is also waiting for news from me and my sister."

With a flash, Yama's enormous body shrunk to the size of a normal person. He paced back and forth in front of the hall, saying, "Several souls have already passed away. If we want to investigate thoroughly, there are only four ways."

Xie and Fan looked up: "What are the four methods, Your Majesty?"

"Firstly, we should report this to His Majesty and ask him to make a decision."

"Secondly, please listen to the True Lord of Listening and investigate the culprit in Jiangdu."

Thirdly, the City God of Jiangdu should thoroughly investigate this case.

Xie Qingyi subconsciously pressed on, "What about the fourth method?"

"The fourth method," Yama took a deep breath, "is very simple: dispatch the underworld's soldiers and generals to surround Jiangdu City and keep the entire city under strict surveillance. If that evil spirit dares to show itself again, capture it on the spot!"

Upon hearing this, the Xie and Fan sisters both felt a chill run down their spines.

"Your Majesty, all four methods seem to have their own difficulties. In comparison, it would be more prudent to ask the City God of Jiangdu to intervene."

Upon hearing this, Yama frowned and said angrily, "If it weren't for the incident on City God Street, this third method would undoubtedly be the best choice. But right now, although the Plague Emperor has negotiated with the Supreme One and temporarily suppressed the matter, as far as I know, the City God still harbors resentment."

Unfortunately, this incident happened at this crucial juncture.

The two events happened so close together.

Even if I personally intervene and order the City God of Jiangdu to handle this case, he might not be willing to do his best.

King Yama rubbed his temples: "This kid really knows how to cause me trouble."

Fan Rusong said weakly, "Your Majesty, I think this statement may be biased. After all, this matter... was not something the general actively provoked."

"Then how do you explain the matter of the City God before?"

"Well... but the City God was the one who first harbored murderous intent," Fan Rusong argued under pressure. "Besides, if this matter isn't resolved properly, who knows when the General's temple will be completed. And then the King's incense offerings will..."

"Hmm!?" Yan Jun's gaze was like lightning, piercing straight at him: "The longer you two spend with him, the more loyal you become!"

Fan Rusong and Xie Qingyi shrank back, not daring to say anything more.

King Yama snorted coldly and didn't delve any further: "The best way to resolve this matter right now is still to find the local City God. The Supreme One is busy with countless affairs of state, and True Lord Di Ting is focused on his cultivation, so it's inconvenient to disturb them rashly. As for mobilizing the Yin soldiers, that's the worst possible solution, and if handled improperly, it could cause great chaos."

"But Your Majesty, if we allow the general to rashly enter Chenghuang Street again, wouldn't that...?"

Why don't you show yourself again?

Xie Qingyi tentatively offered a suggestion.

"Nonsense! I am the King of Hell, the ruler of the underworld. What do you take me for? A guard? A bodyguard?"

After a reprimand, the underworld messengers bowed down once more.

Yama paced back and forth, seemingly pondering a solution. After a moment, he suddenly raised an eyebrow, as if he had an idea, and called out, "Guards!"

“Yes, Lord Yama!” A judge stepped forward in response.

"Invite the Demon-Exorcising True Lord for me!"

"The Demon Exorcist Lord?!"

Upon hearing this, Xie and Fan's eyes lit up.

This is a very famous priest in the underworld.

His name is: Zhong Kui!
……

Mount Luofeng, beside the Viewing Platform.

Beside the Senluo Palace stands a government office.

The plaque above the gate prominently displays three large characters: 【Zhong Kui Mansion】.

At this moment, in the courtyard of the mansion.

A burly figure was pacing around with disheveled hair and an unkempt appearance.

He carried a gourd of wine in his hand, and after taking a few steps, he would tilt his head back and take a big gulp.

He walked unsteadily, seemingly drunk but not quite, his body almost collapsing but then standing firmly like a roly-poly toy.

"Ugh……"

He would let out a long sigh almost every two steps, as if he were frustrated and unfulfilled.

"elder brother."

A soft call came from behind.

Zhong Kui turned around and saw a woman dressed in white gauze and wearing a bamboo hat floating towards him.

Despite being veiled, her outstanding beauty was still undeniable.

"Little sister, what is it?"

"Brother, please don't drink anymore. This wine is very harmful to your health if you drink too much." The woman said, and took the wine gourd from Zhong Kui's hand.

Zhong Kui chuckled: "Little sister, you're overthinking it. With your cultivation level, what's a little bit of Netherworld Wine to you? Even if it damages your spiritual sense a bit, it won't matter. After all, I no longer need to rely on my spiritual sense to sense the suffering of the human world. I only need to occasionally go out to the Netherworld to catch a few little ghosts and drive away a few demons."

"That being said, too much is always harmful to the body. Please don't worry your little sister, brother." The woman's tone was gentle, but it carried an undeniable firmness.

Seeing that his younger sister seemed about to get angry, Zhong Kui, who always doted on her, laughed loudly and said, "Alright, alright, I'll listen to you, sister. By the way, what food have you prepared today? I'm getting a little hungry."

"I bought some fresh fish from the River of the Other Shore, and I also got some side dishes from the old lady Meng Po. Now I'm going to cook the fish for you, brother, but—brother, you mustn't steal any more wine."

"Okay, it's all up to you."

Just as the two were about to return to their residence, they heard a hurried shout from outside:
"True Lord! True Lord!"

Zhong Kui turned around and saw a plume of black smoke rising from the ground, from which a judge emerged.

“Judge Shen.” Zhong Kui recognized him at a glance as one of the judges under Yama, the King of Hell.

"True Lord, King Yama has sent me to request that you come to the Yama Palace immediately for a discussion." Judge Shen bowed deeply.

"Now?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It seems they want to invite the True Lord to make a trip to the mortal realm."

Zhong Kui nodded: "Alright, go ahead and report. I'll be there shortly. Little sister, fetch your official robe for me."

"Yes, brother."

Before long, a red cloud rose into the sky from Zhong Kui's mansion and flew straight towards the Yama's palace.

……

Inside the Hall of Yama.

Yama, the King of Hell, paced back and forth, awaiting his guest.

A loud laugh suddenly came from outside the hall:
"Why does the King of Hell have such a refined interest today, summoning his humble brother to reminisce about old times?"

A red cloud swept into the hall, landing to reveal a towering man, eight feet tall, with a full beard—Zhong Kui.

He was a completely different person from the disheveled man at home. Now, he was dressed in official robes, looking majestic and imposing.

"True Lord!"

His Highness and all the underworld messengers bowed in unison.

(End of this chapter)