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

Most of the spirits are benevolent, and when they cross the Bridge of Helplessness, they naturally walk on the top level. After drinking the Meng Po soup, they can be reincarnated.

Some of the spirits, whose good and evil deeds are mixed and whose merits and demerits are difficult to determine, were arranged to walk on the middle level of the bridge and were unable to drink the Meng Po soup. They still need to go to the Judge's Hall to be judged.

Even those in the middle ranks were trembling with fear.

Looking down at the lustful gaze of the evil spirits in the River of Oblivion, he trembled uncontrollably.

"If the middle level is this terrifying, what would happen at the bottom? Wouldn't it mean certain death?"

"If I can remember my past, I will surely warn my future self never to do evil!"

He finally crossed the bridge with trepidation.

On the other side of the bridge, the ghosts who had already drunk the soup had forgotten everything and walked blankly forward.

Only these unexamined souls were escorted by underworld officials all the way to Fengdu City.

Upon reaching the gates of Fengdu City, the ghost was already deathly pale, clinging desperately to the arm of the underworld official and pleading, "Officer, please tell me, what will become of me? Will I go to hell?"

When the moment came, he was terrified.

"How would I know? It's entirely up to the judge. Instead of asking me, you should reflect on the many evil deeds you committed in your lifetime!"

The underworld official flung his hand away and shoved him into the judge's hall.

Zhong Jiu sat upright in the center of the Judge's Hall. The dragon-throne-like chair accentuated his tall and straight figure. His imposing aura was like Mount Tai pressing down on him. At a glance, it was as if he were sitting on the clouds of the ninth heaven, looking down on all living beings in the underworld.

To the left and right, every few steps, sat a clerk, each performing their duties, their breaths heavy and silent, not daring to even breathe loudly, for fear of disturbing the judge.

As soon as the spirit Luo Luobo stepped into the palace, a clerk immediately rose and, in a loud and clear voice, recited his entire life story: "Luo Luobo, twenty-nine years old, born at the fourth quarter of the Chen hour in the Gengzi year..."

After reading it aloud, Zhong Jiu glanced at the file and immediately grasped the man's entire life's merits and demerits, finding it filled with petty theft.

At first glance, it may not seem like heinous crime, but the total amount of stolen property reached a staggering one million, making it a truly serious crime!

But what's strange is that, apart from a small amount he used for himself, he used the rest of the stolen money to support his adoptive parents, help his fellow villagers escape poverty, and even donated a lot of money to nursing homes.

Merits and demerits are intertwined, and it would be difficult for others to make a decision. But Zhong Jiu's eyes turned cold, and he had his own conclusion in his heart: merits are merits, and demerits are demerits. They cannot be offset in the slightest!

According to his crimes, a journey to hell is inevitable, but considering his good deeds, he will not have to suffer severe torment, and his sentence will be greatly shortened.

After serving his sentence, he can be reincarnated as a human being. Although he may not be rich or noble, he can live a peaceful life. This is already an act of mercy from Chung Kau, showing that his good intentions have not been extinguished.

This kind of punishment continued day after day without ceasing.

A steady stream of souls poured into the underworld. The innocent drank Meng Po's soup and entered the cycle of reincarnation clean and pure; the guilty were judged by Zhong Jiu and each found their proper place.

If the perpetrator is extremely vicious, Chung Kau doesn't say a word more. He simply says, "Send them to hell," and the underworld officials will drag them away without any hesitation.

Just as Chung Kau was engrossed in judging the case, the Black and White Impermanence finally escorted the spirits of the Buddhist and Taoist sects into the underworld.

Yuan Kong had long since been killed, and only two monks, Zhi Hong and Zhi Chen, remained on the Buddhist side, while Feng Xuanzi led the Daoist side.

The moment the two met, their eyes turned bloodshot, and their killing intent seemed to pierce the sky.

"You bald thieves, you're all scoundrels!"

"You old fox, what are you doing acting so wildly now that you're here!"

They hated each other to the core, especially Feng Xuanzi. If it weren't for these monks causing trouble, how could he have ended up in the underworld?

boom!

Just as the two sides were about to clash, the Black and White Impermanence suddenly attacked, their mourning staffs, imbued with the malevolent aura of the underworld, slamming down mercilessly, leaving everyone with torn flesh and screaming in agony.

"presumptuous!"

The Black Impermanence's voice was icy and chilling, "Do you think the Underworld is a place for you to run wild?"

At the same time, Bai Wuchang released his oppressive aura, and the terrifying Yin energy crashed down like a tsunami. Everyone was instantly pressed to the ground, unable to even lift their heads, panting heavily and in a sorry state.

Helpless, Feng Xuanzi could only lower his head and beg for mercy: "Lord Wuchang, we know we were wrong!"

Bai Wuchang snorted coldly before withdrawing his oppressive aura and allowing them to stand up.

The group stood up awkwardly, their eyes still filled with hostility as they looked at each other, but they dared not make the slightest move.

Although they were covered in wounds, they had been tortured in the Xingsha Prison. The torture was enough to deal with ordinary ghosts, but it was nothing to them, as they were cultivators. So their spirits were still high.

"May I ask, Your Majesty, where are you taking us?"

Zhihong clasped his hands together, maintaining his composure despite his disheveled appearance.

Black Impermanence glanced at him sideways, his tone icy cold: "Can't you see for yourself if you have eyes?"

He already knew in his heart that these madmen dared to attack the Xingsha City God's Mansion, which was simply lawless!

In the eyes of the Black and White Impermanence, the fate of this group of people was already predetermined. They would either be thrown into the Avici Hell to suffer for eternity, or even if they were to enter the cycle of reincarnation, they would only be able to be pigs or dogs, and there would be no possibility of them being reborn as humans.

Seeing the cold attitude of the Black and White Impermanence, no one dared to say anything and could only silently follow forward.

As they approached the gates of hell, Bai Wuchang took out the soul-hooking rope and, with a "whoosh," chained everyone together, dragging them away like dead dogs—a treatment reserved for serious criminals!

All of them were experienced cultivators and knew a little about the rules of the underworld. Seeing this scene, their hearts sank and they knew something was wrong.

"My lords, are we to be subjected to further punishment?"

Feng Xuanzi was no fool; he knew that the punishments of the underworld were far more severe than those of the City God's Palace, by a hundred or a thousand times.

Black Impermanence sneered, his tone full of mockery: "You've committed such a heinous crime, do you really think you don't deserve to be punished?"

It's ridiculous that they dared to attack the City God's Mansion, requiring the two of them to personally escort them. They don't even have this much self-awareness.

Feng Xuanzi's face turned deathly pale. Gritting his teeth, he invoked his influence: "Your Excellencies, we are from the orthodox Taoist sect, and many of our seniors hold positions in the Underworld! We beg you to spare us this time, for the sake of your dignity. We do not seek to return to the living world; we are content to be ghost immortals in the Underworld!"

The Black and White Impermanence exchanged a glance and instantly understood each other's thoughts.

In ancient times, the underworld was dominated by Buddhism and Taoism, with many high-ranking officials being members of both sects. As a result, they always treated offending cultivators with leniency. Even if the crimes were heinous, they would only be stripped of their immortal bodies and their cultivation would be abolished, and they would be exiled to remote places, which was somewhat similar to the saying "the law does not apply to high-ranking officials."

These people were clearly clinging to outdated beliefs, thinking they could get away with it simply because of their sect affiliation. Little did they know, the underworld was no longer what it used to be!

After taking office as judge, Chung Kau implemented sweeping reforms, abolishing all unreasonable laws and even canceling the "preferential treatment" of the Buddhist and Taoist authorities, replacing it with harsh punishments!

In Chung Kau's view, practitioners possess great power, and if they do not know reverence and break the rules, the harm they cause will be far greater than that of ordinary villains.

Even wicked people must go to the eighteen levels of hell, so why should these high-ranking practitioners be spared?

Having figured this out, the two of them let out a cold laugh.

"It's no use talking to my brothers. Let's see if you're still so stubborn when you see the judge!"

The White Impermanence yanked hard on the iron chain, dragging everyone off balance, and strided forward like walking pigs or dogs.

Instead of the "courtesy" they had been eagerly anticipating, they were instead humiliated, which threw them into disarray. This was completely different from what they had expected!

"Is that the Gates of Hell?"

"Such powerful malevolent energy! There are even phantom images of evil spirits guarding it. Even a true immortal wouldn't be able to break in!"

"Is this the Road to the Underworld?"

Unlike ordinary spirits, these people not only felt the awe and terror, but also saw the danger within with the eyes of cultivators.

The aura was heavy and the killing intent was hidden. Anyone who forced their way in would surely die. It was indeed a life-or-death barrier that separated Yin and Yang!

Black and White Impermanence led them directly past the line of ordinary ghosts, pulling them along the road to the underworld by the iron chains.

The other spirits stared in disbelief, whispering among themselves, "Who are those people? They're being personally escorted by the Black and White Impermanence, and they're even chained up!"

"He must be a heinous criminal!"

Seeing this, the soul messengers not only did not reprimand them, but instead curled their lips into a cold smile. They all knew that once these people entered the underworld, they would probably never have a chance to rise again.

The Black and White Impermanence moved with incredible speed and had no patience whatsoever. They dragged the group along like they were walking dogs, overtaking several groups of souls waiting to be reincarnated.

Many ghosts were dumbfounded. They had seen heinous criminals being chained up and reincarnated, but they had never seen anyone chained together and dragged by the Black and White Impermanence. This must be a heinous crime that had angered both heaven and man!

"Is that the Terrace of Longing for Home? Legend says that one can see the human world from there!"

"I need to go up and check on the current state of the sect!"

When everyone saw the Viewing Platform, their eyes lit up immediately. This was the legendary sacred place!

But Black and White Impermanence gave them no chance at all. Black Impermanence raised his hand and struck down several times with his mourning stick, driving away those who tried to approach.

"What are you staring at? You think you can climb the Viewing Platform? Get on your way! If you're late, can you afford the consequences?"

The Black and White Impermanence forcibly suppressed the crowd and dragged them toward the Bridge of Helplessness.

Feng Xuanzi and Zhi Hong, former enemies, exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with worry. The attitude of the underworld was a hundred times harsher than they had expected!