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

While the entire cultivation world lived in fear of this catastrophe, the Great Ape King had already returned to the City God's Palace.

He knelt down abruptly, bowing deeply to Zhong Jiu at the head of the table, his eyes filled with heartfelt gratitude and respect.

He was originally an unruly person who neither worshipped heaven nor earth, and no one in the world could make him bow his head or bend his back. But today, he bowed with all his heart.

In this world, only Zhong Jiu can truly win his heart and soul!

In terms of strength, even if he used all his cultivation, he couldn't damage Zhong Jiu's table; in terms of mindset, when he was deeply confused, it was Zhong Jiu who enlightened him with a single word, allowing him to see through the illusion; in terms of gratitude, when he was trapped in a deadly situation, it was Zhong Jiu who rescued him and gave him the opportunity to take revenge and pay for his blood debts!

"Thank you, City God, for fulfilling my lifelong wish!"

The Great Ape King kowtowed again, his voice booming like a bell, each word ringing out, "I do not worship heaven, I do not worship earth, in this life and the next, I only worship you, my lord!"

"If you don't mind, sir, I'm willing to stay under your command and serve you for life!"

The Great Ape King was filled with gratitude. He was originally an unruly and unrestrained person, but Zhong Jiu had been incredibly kind to him, saving him from a deadly situation and helping him avenge his blood feud. He had no way to repay this kindness, so he was willing to give up his freedom and serve in the underworld.

Zhong Jiu looked at the sincere ape king before him, smiled faintly, and said calmly, "You don't need to do this. I helped you not so that you could enter my underworld."

He saw through the ape king's thoughts at a glance. This monkey was unruly and wild, while the rules of the underworld were strict. If he were to be confined here, it would be a disservice to him.

"Please, sir, you must agree!"

The Great Ape King knelt on both knees, his will as firm as iron; once he made up his mind, not even nine oxen could pull him back.

Seeing this, Zhong Jiu stopped refusing and secretly made his own plans.

The Great Ape King is already incredibly powerful, and what's even more remarkable is his boundless potential. Given time, he will surely become one of the most powerful beings in the world. The Underworld needs such a fierce general, and he has long been tempted by him.

However, assigning a position was difficult. Zhong Jiu's eyes flashed, and he had already made up his mind: "Since you have made up your mind, I will grant your wish. From this day forward, you will enter my Underworld. I hereby appoint you as the Eastern Dipper Victory Marshal, commanding a million soul soldiers to guard the East Sea!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Ape King was overjoyed!

He didn't understand how noble the marshal was; he only knew that he could repay the kindness, and that was enough for him.

The two soul messengers standing to the side were even more bewildered, for there was no such position as the Eastern Victory Battle Marshal in the underworld records!

That's right, this is a position that Chung Kau created specifically for the Ape King!

Zhong Jiu thought about how in his previous life, Sun Wukong eventually became the Victorious Fighting Buddha, and in this life, this monkey was appointed as the Eastern Victorious Fighting Marshal, making them a perfect match!

Zhong Jiu knew the Ape King's nature well; ordinary divine positions couldn't restrain him. So he gave him extreme freedom, allowing him to command troops to guard the East China Sea and radiate throughout the entire coastline. He could lead his army to conquer whenever necessary. With his fierce nature, his army would surely be unstoppable.

The deeper meaning, which Zhong Jiu kept hidden in his heart, was that the underworld had five ghost emperors who were in charge of the five directions, wielding immense power and authority, and that they could establish their own governments and businesses.

Marshal Dongdou Shengzhan is paving the way for the position of the Eastern Ghost Emperor. He places high hopes on the Ape King, waiting for the monkey to smooth out its horns and grow up so that it can ascend to the top as the Ghost Emperor.

He is still young and inexperienced, and whether he can rise to power depends entirely on his own destiny.

"Since you are now a righteous deity of the underworld, your old name is no longer suitable. I will give you a new name."

"Great! Great! I've wanted a proper name for a long time!"

The Great Ape King scratched his ears and cheeks, overjoyed.

"You were born a monkey, so your surname is Yuan. You will surely achieve great things and accomplish great deeds in the future. You may be named Hong. Yuan Hong."

Zhong Jiu spoke calmly, yet every word was profound: "Your temper is too fiery, making you prone to getting into trouble. This name serves as a warning, reminding you to always restrain your temper."

The two soul messengers saw through this painstaking effort and secretly admired how much the master valued the ape king.

Yuan Hong didn't think much of it, only immersed in the joy of getting his new name, and laughed loudly: "From now on, my name is Yuan Hong!"

After staying at the City God's Mansion for a few days, Yuan Hong received his orders and headed straight to the East Sea to take up his post.

Not long after he left, the gatekeeper's messenger reported that the Nine Yin Ghost Mother was requesting an audience.

She returned to the Nine Yin Ghost Kingdom, only to find it desolate. The former paradise of the ghost race had long since turned into scorched earth. After staying for several days, she went straight to Nanling Province to see Zhong Jiu.

"She came to see me?"

Zhong Jiu tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

After escaping from the chessboard world, the Nine Yin Ghost Mother left without saying goodbye, and several times she seemed to want to say something but then stopped. He was busy with other matters at the time and didn't take it to heart. Now, her sudden visit was quite unexpected.

"Let her in."

Before long, the Nine Yin Ghost Mother entered the hall under the guidance of the soul messenger. As soon as she entered, she bowed and knelt down, her whole body filled with an overwhelming sorrow.

She used to keep her thoughts very hidden, but now she has shed all pretense, her beautiful face shrouded in sorrow, making her a pitiful sight.

"You've come for the destruction of the Nine Yin Ghost Kingdom?" Zhong Jiu asked directly.

"no."

The Nine Yin Ghost Mother gently shook her head, her voice cold and sorrowful, "My request to see you, sir, has nothing to do with the Ghost Kingdom. The Ghost Kingdom was established in the past merely to find a place to live. I have never harbored any malicious intent in restraining the cultivation of the Ghost Clan."

"Peace and tranquility are blessings. If things had gone my way, they could have lived peacefully and for a long time. Unfortunately, fate played a cruel trick on them, and they brought about their own destruction. I feel sorry for them, but I also think they deserved to die!"

These words were so insightful that even Zhong Jiu was surprised.

He could see through people's hearts, knew that the Ghost Mother's words were true, and personally created the Ghost Kingdom, yet he didn't care about its destruction at all. If this were to be told, it would be enough to shock the entire cultivation world.

Just then, a system notification suddenly sounded: "Congratulations, host, a suitable candidate for the underworld's divine office has been found—Meng Po!"

Meng Po?

Zhong Jiu was stunned for a moment, filled with doubt.

It was already an accident that the monk who was executed was judged to be a judge, but now the Nine Yin Ghost Mother is actually matched with the position of Meng Po?

Three major questions instantly flooded my mind:

Firstly, the two had met before, so why was the prompt triggered only now? Perhaps it was because the Ghost Kingdom was destroyed that she had a profound realization, which aligns with Meng Po's nature.

Secondly, what divine role does Meng Po have? She merely serves soup to the souls on the Bridge of Helplessness day after day, helping them forget their past lives—a terribly monotonous job.

Thirdly, legend has it that Meng Po was extremely ugly and intimidated the spirits of the dead, but the Nine Yin Ghost Mother in front of us has an unparalleled beauty, which seems completely unrelated to Meng Po.

Zhong Jiu remained expressionless and asked calmly, "If you're not here for the Ghost Kingdom, what brings you here?"

The Nine Yin Ghost Mother sighed softly and slowly recounted a bloody and tearful past that had been sealed away for a hundred years.

She was not born a ghost, but was a citizen of the Yanhuang Kingdom a hundred years ago.

At that time, the world was in chaos, people were suffering, her parents died tragically, leaving her and her brother to depend on each other for survival.

In the chaos of the world, her brother was her everything and her support. The two of them did everything they could to earn a decent meal.

One day, a wandering Taoist priest suddenly came to their door, claiming to be a highly skilled cultivator. He said that the brother and sister had excellent aptitude and could follow him into the mountains to cultivate.

"Will I be able to get enough to eat if I follow you?"

The brother and sister, starving and freezing, had only this one thought. The Taoist priest readily agreed, and the two followed him into the Taoist temple deep in the mountains.

Upon entering the mountain gate, one immediately knows that this place is a desolate and barren place, definitely not a proper place for the Daoist practice.

The young girl felt uneasy, but could only hold her brother tightly, not daring to say a word.

After entering the temple, her brother followed the Taoist priest out early and returned late every day. Each time he returned, he would bring back food such as roast chicken and roast duck. However, she could clearly see that her brother's complexion was getting worse and worse, and he was getting older day by day.

In just one year, the boy, who was originally in his teens, became hunched over and looked neither human nor ghost.

That day, the older brother finally revealed the truth.

This Taoist priest is an evil cultivator who specializes in abducting children to practice evil arts. Every time my brother goes out, he feeds the evil creature with his own blood essence, which is why he ages so rapidly.

But in order to ensure his sister had food to eat, he was willing to endure humiliation and hardship, even at the cost of his life.

Now that his life essence is almost exhausted, the Taoist has already turned his poisonous hand towards his sister. The brother can no longer tolerate it and is determined to launch a sneak attack and fight to the death while the Taoist is practicing his skills. Before that, he must send his sister away.

Upon learning the truth, the Nine Yin Ghost Mother was struck dumb, yet she was still forcibly sent away by her brother.

She hid for several days, her heart filled with anxiety, and finally couldn't resist returning to the Taoist temple.

But all that met her eyes was her brother's cold corpse.

That wild Taoist priest was still clinging to his last breath!

Although he was ambushed at the most crucial moment of his training, he was still a cultivator who had practiced for many years. How could he die so easily?

The ghost mother watched her brother die tragically, her heart breaking. Overwhelmed with grief and rage, she grabbed a dagger and stabbed the wild Taoist priest fiercely!