I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

A week passed in the blink of an eye, and Xingsha City Airport was suddenly placed under martial law, with hundreds of heavily armed soldiers standing at attention.

Zhang Yunxiao, along with a group of high-ranking officials from Xingsha City, waited respectfully on the helipad, their expressions both excited and solemn.

Shortly after, a specially painted special plane slowly landed. The cabin door opened, and an elderly man with a square face walked slowly down the gangway.

Although he was nearly seventy years old with graying temples, he still stood tall and straight, his sharp Zhongshan suit giving him an imposing presence, especially his eyes, which were as sharp as an eagle's.

This person is none other than Jiang Yunian, the ruler of the Yanhuang Kingdom.

The Yanhuang Kingdom practices a constitutional monarchy, where the monarch is only the nominal head of state, while real power is held by the ruler.

"A warm welcome to His Majesty the King for the arrival of Xingsha City!"

Zhang Yunxiao and the others quickly stepped forward, respectfully extended their hands, and bowed in greeting.

Jiang Yunian waved his hand and said in a cheerful tone, "What do you mean by 'coming on your behalf'? I'm just here on behalf of the leadership team of Kyoto to learn from your Xingsha City."

He pointed to the several high-ranking officials from Kyoto following behind him: "These are my colleagues who have accompanied me. We're sorry to trouble you today."

"You flatter us, sir. It's our honor!"

Zhang Yunxiao quickly responded. The group surrounded Jiang Yunian and the others, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then boarded the waiting car, heading straight to the Special Operations Department office.

Jiang Yunian's visit was kept completely secret, with very few people aware of it, and no excessive security was deployed along the way.

In this day and age, ghosts and monsters roam freely, and many provinces of the Yanhuang Kingdom have perished in supernatural events.

On the entire planet, apart from the Yanhuang Kingdom in the east, which is still able to hold on, most of the other countries in the west and east have perished.

Even online, a joke is circulating:

"Cherish your brothers in the West, they might become a ghost's snack tomorrow."

Since the surge of Yin energy, supernatural catastrophes have swept the world, rendering firearms useless as scrap metal in the face of demons and monsters, and weakening national armies.

Each city was essentially fighting its own battles. It was a miracle that the Yanhuang Kingdom was able to maintain its national destiny and institutional unity in this chaotic world.

The king's entourage did not have the city roads closed for defense. If they were targeted by evil spirits, even a thousand troops would be of no use, and increasing security forces would be meaningless.

The dignified Emperor Jiang of the Yanhuang Kingdom was only escorted by a dozen or so vehicles from the Special Operations Department on this trip. Before the catastrophe, this kind of entourage was not even as grand as that of a high-ranking official in a prefecture-level city.

"What a 'prosperous and flourishing era'!"

Old Jiang tapped his fingertips on the car window, his gaze sweeping across the streets of Xingsha City, his tone tinged with self-deprecation and sighs.

The scene outside the window stirred a deep emotion within this king who was accustomed to weathering many storms.

Along the way, I saw an elderly man with graying temples slowly chatting while fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, a child with pigtails chasing a kite, and a couple whispering sweet nothings under a sycamore tree...

These ordinary scenes, once commonplace before the catastrophe, now seem extremely rare, each one revealing the fragility and preciousness of surviving a catastrophe.

"Old Jiang, things in Kyoto... have they gotten worse again?"

Zhang Yunxiao was Jiang Lao's personal bodyguard in his early years. The two were both ministers and friends, and their relationship went far beyond that of superior and subordinate.

Seeing the somber look in his old leader's eyes, he knew that the situation in Kyoto must have reached a critical point.

"To be honest, it's absolutely rotten."

Old Jiang let out a long sigh, leaned wearily against the soft backrest, and slowly closed his eyes. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were full of vicissitudes. "A few days ago, more than two thousand people were killed in the western part of the capital overnight. All of them had their souls taken out by evil spirits. Not even their bodies were left intact."

"Now everyone in Kyoto is in a state of fear. During the day, there are few people on the streets, and at night, every house is closed and there are constant wails and howls."

He paused, his tone heavy as lead, "That place is a powder keg right now; one wrong move and it will be an utterly devastating explosion!"

Kyoto has a population of 30 million, a diverse mix of locals, migrants, and foreign businessmen, making it an extremely complex city.

Kyoto is the lifeblood of the Yanhuang Kingdom; if Kyoto collapses, the entire foundation of the Yanhuang Kingdom's rule will be shaken.

With a heavy burden pressing down on his shoulders, Old Jiang felt a chill run down his spine.

If the Yanhuang Kingdom's foundation, which has lasted for thousands of years, were destroyed in his hands, he would be a sinner for all time, and would have no face to face his ancestors after death.

This heavy feeling kept him awake all night, and he was filled with anxiety.

Zhang Yunxiao remained silent for a long while, then his voice became somewhat heavy: "Is there really no other way?"

He understood this feeling all too well; Xing Sha City had been in the same situation before, and he could empathize with Elder Jiang's predicament at this moment.

"I have issued three orders: first, to dispatch elite troops from the special operations departments of various provinces to reinforce the capital, strengthen the city's defenses, and eliminate the evil spirits lurking within the city; second, to offer an exorbitant reward, earnestly requesting the cultivation community to lend a helping hand."

Old Jiang shook his head with a wry smile, his tone full of helplessness, "But the effect was minimal. Few of those cultivators offered any help; they were all as cunning as monkeys."

This resolute old man, who had always been so steadfast, now showed a hint of vulnerability, as if he had aged ten years in an instant: "The special operations departments in various regions are obedient, sending out their elite forces, but compared to the crisis in Kyoto, it's just a drop in the ocean. As for those cultivation sects, they readily agree verbally, but secretly they are disobedient, sending only newly initiated disciples, not even as good as errand boys. The real experts are all hiding in their mountain gates, watching and waiting to reap the benefits."

"It was the Buddhist temples that took the initiative to approach us, offering their full assistance."

Old Jiang abruptly changed the subject, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. His knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists, his tone as cold as ice. "But the conditions they offered are practically an invitation to devour the entire Yanhuang Kingdom!"

Zhang Yunxiao's heart tightened, and he hurriedly asked, "What are the conditions?"

"That group of monks proposed that Buddhism should be established as the state religion of the Yanhuang Nation, that every prefecture and city in the country should erect a ten-foot-tall golden statue of Buddha, and that Buddhist scriptures and doctrines should be stuffed into primary and secondary school textbooks to brainwash children from a young age!"

Old Jiang gritted his teeth, "What's even more outrageous is that they want me to appoint Master Zhihong of Honglun Temple as the National Preceptor and put him in charge of religious affairs nationwide."

"They even want to open their temple gates in Kyoto and accept disciples. The government has to allocate land and funds for them and fully cooperate. They're practically turning Kyoto into their Buddhist kingdom!"

"Damn these monks! They're clearly taking advantage of the chaos!"

Zhang Yunxiao slapped his thigh and cursed angrily, veins bulging on his forehead, "What kind of time is this? Instead of thinking about joining forces to fight the enemy, you're single-mindedly engaging in these crooked and evil tricks!"

That's just how the world is; it's a dog-eat-dog world.

Old Jiang waved his hand with a wry smile, his eyes filled with the vicissitudes of life. "The Buddhist sect has simply put its greed out in the open. Those cultivation sects that hide in the shadows are not much cleaner than them. They are all waiting to see the Yanhuang Kingdom make a fool of itself so they can reap the benefits."

Standing at his level, he no longer dwells on superficial right and wrong.

Before the catastrophe, if the Buddhist sect dared to make such demands, the authorities could have wiped them out with a single word.

Throughout history, Buddhism, Taoism, and all other schools of thought have had to rely on imperial power; any transgression would result in annihilation.

However, times have changed. After the supernatural resurgence, the strength of cultivators has increased dramatically, while the Yanhuang Kingdom, which possesses firearms, has fallen into a disadvantage.

Even so, the Yanhuang Kingdom still had the power to protect itself. In contrast, the Western countries had already completely collapsed, and the entire European and American continent had become a den of monsters, with hundreds of millions of lives turned into skeletons. As far as the eye could see, it was a living hell.

Whenever he thought of the tragic state of the West, Old Jiang felt a chill in his heart, fearing that the Yanhuang Kingdom would follow in its footsteps.

This is true of all people. When there is still a way out, they can weigh the pros and cons; but when they reach a dead end, they can only be slaughtered by others.

"But if we agree to their demands, the country will cease to exist!"

Zhang Yunxiao frowned, his tone urgent, "If we really do as these bald monks say, in less than ten years, the entire country will be filled with Buddhist believers. At that time, with theocracy, our Yanhuang Kingdom will have to change its name to 'Buddhism'!"

"How could I not know the advantages and disadvantages involved?"

Old Jiang rubbed his throbbing temples, his voice filled with exhaustion, "But if we don't agree, Kyoto won't last much longer. What puzzles me even more is why the Buddhist sect dares to offer such conditions?"

"What else could it be? A wolf's ambition!"

Zhang Yunxiao snorted coldly, his face full of disdain, "They have been hoping to establish a state religion for thousands of years. Now that they have finally seized the opportunity in this chaotic world, they naturally want to make exorbitant demands."

"It's not that simple."

Old Jiang shook his head, his eyes full of doubt. "The supernatural has revived, the world has changed drastically, and ghosts and monsters roam freely. No one can guarantee that the Yanhuang Kingdom can survive this catastrophe. If the Yanhuang Kingdom is destroyed, wouldn't all their conditions be for nothing?"

"Could it be that they are truly confident they can protect the capital and preserve the Yanhuang Kingdom?"

He muttered to himself, his tone full of confusion, "If they really have that kind of power, why would they bother negotiating with me? They could just take over by force, leaving us no room to resist."

Zhang Yunxiao was also unable to answer Elder Jiang's question.

He sighed deeply, then changed the subject, a glint of light appearing in his eyes: "In the end, the gods of the underworld are still the most reliable! They judge cases fairly, are impartial and incorruptible, and can suppress demons and maintain peace in the region. If the underworld could extend its influence throughout the country, why would we need to put up with these bald monks?"

This is no exaggeration.

Since the underworld took up residence in Nanling Province, ghosts and monsters have disappeared, and the people live in peace and prosperity. Zhang Yunxiao can now enjoy his days leisurely, just like before the catastrophe, by sipping tea and playing chess.

This peace is entirely maintained by the underworld.

"Gods do not compete with mortals for profit, but cultivators are insatiable."

Hope instantly ignited in Old Jiang's eyes. He leaned forward slightly, his tone urgent, "So my purpose in coming to Changsha this time is ostensibly for inspection, but in reality, I want to seek an audience with the gods of the underworld. As long as the gods are willing to protect the capital, I'll accept any conditions from the Buddhist sect, even if it means personally visiting to apologize! Yun Xiao, you must help me make an introduction."

As he spoke, the king, who held the power of life and death over millions, trembled slightly.

He wasn't afraid of the cultivators' feigned compliance, since the authorities could still negotiate with them for mutual benefits; but when facing deities who transcended the mortal realm, he didn't even have the confidence to engage in equal dialogue.

The gods are high above, how could they possibly take mortal kings seriously?

People flocked to see the gods, but very few were able to get their wish. Old Jiang was also unsure of the outcome.

Zhang Yunxiao waved his hand with a bitter face, pointed to his nose and smiled wryly: "Elder Jiang, you think too highly of me! I've only seen gods a few times in my life, and I haven't even exchanged a few words with them. How could I have the face to introduce someone? To see a god, one must be sincere, and secondly... it all depends on fate."

As the two were talking, the convoy approached the City God Temple.