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

Since the resurgence of spiritual energy, Heaven and Earth have shown mercy, bestowing spiritual energy and opportunities, giving all living beings a path to cultivation and a bright future.

But these five people repaid the world by destroying its foundations and harming countless lives.

There is no such logic in the world!

The world of the living and the world of the dead are closely connected and share a common destiny. A catastrophe in the world of the living can instantly spread to the world of the dead.

In the Book of Life and Death in the underworld, the densely packed names were instantly erased.

The underworld officials of the city god's office in various places were so busy that their feet barely touched the ground, frequently traveling between the realms of the living and the dead, busy guiding the souls of the deceased and handling the aftermath.

Countless souls crossed the Gates of Hell like a tide, surging into the underworld, waiting to be reincarnated.

Among them are humans, aquatic creatures, and all sorts of spirits and monsters.

The sheer number of them was unprecedented, alarming the entire underworld!

Even during the great chaos of the past, never before had so many lives been lost at the same time!

Judge Wen Tianxiang of the Underworld Law Division put down the soul-catching pen in his hand, and in a flash, he stood on the banks of the Bridge of Helplessness.

Gazing at the countless, wailing souls beneath the bridge, his eyes widened in horror as he uttered in a deep voice, "This is terrible! A terrible calamity must have struck the mortal realm!"

The banks of the Bridge of Helplessness were already piled high with the souls of the dead, their wails and cries shaking the heavens and the earth.

Meanwhile, the souls of the dead from the outside world continue to surge into the underworld like a tide, showing no sign of stopping.

These souls, whose lifespans were not yet over, died innocently in a battle between immortals in the mortal realm. Filled with grievances and resentment, they wailed and cried, their mournful cries heartbreaking.

Hearing the deafening wails, the judge of the Punishment Department, Fu Zhu, standing beside Wen Tianxiang, instantly had a thick layer of murderous intent in his eyes, and his whole body exuded a chilling majesty. He said in a deep voice, "The rise and fall of dynasties are always accompanied by the suffering of the people, but what have these lives done? Why must they suffer this undeserved calamity!"

He is no longer the unreliable monk of the mortal world. He wears a wide black official robe and a hat of an underworld official. His face is dignified and he exudes a chilling aura that makes people tremble.

At this moment, his anger intensified, and the fierceness in his eyes and brows was even more pronounced, making people tremble with fear at the sight of him.

Wen Tianxiang took a deep breath and said in a solemn voice, "This matter is of utmost importance. We cannot make the decision ourselves. We must go to the Xuanming Palace immediately and report to the Emperor!"

As soon as they finished speaking, the two of them blurred and sped towards the core of the Underworld, the Xuanming Palace.

Inside the secluded meditation chamber, Zhong Jiu suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils bursting with golden light that pierced through the gloom of the chamber!

The moment the western world began to tremble, his mind was shaken. The malevolent energy that tore the heavens and earth apart was clearly perceptible even through the barrier between yin and yang.

"A terrible catastrophe is about to befall the mortal realm!"

Zhong Jiu spoke in a deep voice, his tone carrying an undeniable authority.

As soon as he finished speaking, the clone's thoughts instantly arrived, revealing in detail the actions of the five Western religions.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Jiu suddenly unleashed a torrent of murderous aura and roared, "Outrageous!"

He was too lazy to get involved in the infighting and scheming among the five sects, but these fools dared to touch the very foundation of heaven and earth.

All living beings in the world depend on heaven and earth for survival. The 20% of spiritual veins they severed not only cut off the path of cultivators, but also dragged the entire world into a catastrophe!

The East and West were already out of balance, and this upheaval has completely overturned it, with omens of impending doom already emerging.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the palace. Wen Tianxiang and the monk Fuzhu arrived at the palace gate and knelt down to request an audience: "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Xuanming Palace is the sleeping quarters of King Qin Guang, and the Yin gods are not allowed to enter without authorization.

But today's situation is urgent, and the two of them have no time to worry about the rules. They only want to wake up Zhong Jiu as soon as possible.

Zhong Jiu raised his eyelids slightly, and with a wave of his hand, the heavy palace gates burst open, unleashing a wave of oppressive power: "Come in."

The two staggered into the hall, their expressions anxious: "Your Majesty, there's been anomaly in the Underworld! The Western Spiritual Vein has been destroyed, and countless lives have been lost!"

The two spoke very quickly, reporting on the strange phenomena that the underworld had noticed. Before they finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall became heavy.

A chilling aura surged from Zhong Jiu's body, and an invisible pressure pressed down on them like Mount Tai, making it difficult for the two to breathe and even to lift their heads.

"I am already aware of this matter."

Zhong Jiu’s voice was icy cold as he revealed the truth about the five sects’ struggle for destiny and destruction of the spiritual veins, word by word.

Wen Tianxiang's eyes widened in fury upon hearing this, and he was filled with uncontrollable rage.

The monk who had been executed roared through gritted teeth, his eyes bloodshot, "These treacherous dogs! They dared to destroy the spiritual veins of heaven and earth, just for the sake of fighting for their lives! Your Majesty, they must be reduced to ashes and never let this go unpunished!"

Zhong Jiu slowly nodded, his eyes surging with killing intent, but he did not lose his rationality: "Severe punishment is inevitable, but directly wiping out the Five Religions would be a bad move and would only make the calamity even worse."

A great calamity is imminent, and the rampant calamity will inevitably cause widespread suffering. Ordinary living beings are innocent and should not become victims. Those who stand at the forefront must be these sects that are wreaking havoc on the world.

"I want to weaken the five religions, and more importantly, I want to use them to eliminate the calamity."

Zhong Jiu's fingertips twitched slightly, and a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in his mind.

"Investiture of the Gods!"

The Investiture of the Gods bestowed by the system in the past can now come in handy!

We can use the power of the Investiture of the Gods to put all the elites and core disciples of the five religions into the list!

Firstly, it weakens the five religions, which can be considered a severe punishment; secondly, it fills the vacancy of the underworld gods, making use of waste.

The core members of the five religions are all outstanding individuals, capable of serving in the underworld, a fact that Zhong Jiu has no doubt about.

As for whether they are willing or not?

There was never any room for "unwillingness" in front of King Qin Guang!

Zhong Jiu, having thoroughly mastered the Investiture of the Gods mechanics in his previous life, had already made up his mind. With a flick of his wrist, golden light flashed, and the Investiture of the Gods List and the God-Slaying Whip appeared majestically in his palm.

"Very well, let's begin the Investiture of the Gods and let these fools experience a proper tribulation!"

Just as Zhong Jiu decided to become a god, the True Lord of Cangdao finally arrived in the direction of the capital city in the mortal realm.

He was enveloped in a thick layer of dark clouds, exuding a murderous aura yet also carrying a hint of dishevelment, as he blatantly sped from west to east.

Without any attempt at concealment, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was thrown into chaos wherever it went.

Upon arriving above Kyoto, the Azure Dao True Lord descended from the clouds and strode towards the City God's Mansion. His voice, like a thunderclap, resounded throughout the entire capital: "I am the Azure Dao True Lord of the Myriad Dao Sect, and I request an audience with the City God!"

All living beings in Kyoto were shocked by the sound. No one knew that the West was in chaos. They discussed it among themselves, their faces full of doubt.

"Why has the Master of Ten Thousand Paths come to the City God's Mansion in Kyoto?"

"Judging by his angry expression, could he be here to cause trouble for the City God?"

"Idiot! Didn't you see how respectful he was? He clearly needs something from us!"

Amid the discussions, the leaders of the four religions—Flower Mother, Old Venerable, Beginning Venerable, and Primordial Venerable—were all shaken to their core, and inwardly cried out: "This is bad!"

Although Flower Mother and Yuan Zun were uneasy, they managed to remain calm. They hadn't been deeply involved, and they had even intervened to protect Tianchi Mountain afterward. So, they still had a chance to explain themselves to the City God.

But the Old Venerable and the First Venerable were struck dumb, their faces ashen, their fear almost overflowing. They cursed inwardly, "That fool, True Lord Cangdao! He actually dared to complain to the City God's Mansion! He's trying to drag us all down with him!"

Inside the City God's mansion, the civil judge's voice drifted out slowly, tinged with indifference: "What brings you here?"

The True Lord of Cangdao immediately adopted a sorrowful expression, his eyes glistening with tears, and cried out in a hoarse voice, "I feel wronged, and I am indignant on behalf of the billions of beings in the West. I beg to see the City God and demand justice!"

This sight made the people of Kyoto even more puzzled. What had happened in the West that could make the supreme leader of a religion so disheveled and aggrieved?

The old Venerable and the First Venerable were so angry that their faces turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and they trembled all over. This True Lord of the Azure Path really dared to complain in public!

"Come in."

Inside the City God's Mansion, Zhong Jiu's voice slowly emanated, calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.

The True Lord of Cangdao was overjoyed and quickly got up. He stepped into the City God's Mansion and, guided by the underworld officials, knelt down in the City God's Hall.

He embellished the truth about the destruction of the Western spiritual veins and the heavy casualties, and every sentence was an accusation against the other four religions.

Zhong Jiu sat upright on the City God's throne, looking at him indifferently, his eyes devoid of any emotion: "I am already aware of this matter. The Western beings have suffered heavy casualties, and twenty percent of the spiritual veins have been destroyed. Such a catastrophic disaster must be borne by someone."

Overjoyed, the True Lord of Cangdao immediately kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty is wise! I beg you to severely punish the First Venerable, the Old Venerable, and others, and restore justice to the beings of the West!"

Zhong Jiu glanced at him indifferently, then changed the subject, her tone icy: "Don't be too happy yet. You were also involved in the struggle for the fate of the five sects. If you weren't the victim this time, you would have been punished along with them today!"

One sentence instantly extinguished the joy of the Azure Dao True Lord, and his heart became uneasy again.

He knew that if it were him, he would not hesitate to scheme against Dongfang if given the chance. Zhong Jiu's words were clearly a warning to him.

"You should go back now. I have already reported this matter to the Underworld. Seven days from now, the Underworld messengers will bring my decree to invite the leaders of your five religions to Fengdu."

Zhong Jiu waved his hand, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The True Lord of Cangdao's expression changed drastically, and his heart skipped a beat. Fengdu was a sacred place in the underworld, and King Qin Guang's summons to them was definitely not a good thing.

An ominous premonition instantly enveloped him.