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

The two soul messengers made no attempt to hide anything, striding boldly into the manor. A chilling wind blew around them, and as soon as they approached the party area, it suppressed the heat of the entire place, even making the music seem cool.

"Hiss—it's so cold! This wind is unusually chilly?"

"Could it be that evil spirits are causing trouble again?!"

The Ma family members and guests instantly turned ashen-faced, trembling violently as if they were being shaken.

In the past, when evil spirits roamed freely, this chilling aura was ingrained in their very bones! But now that it's the City God's territory, even a single evil spirit shouldn't dare to breathe!

Accustomed to peaceful days, this group of people were suddenly jolted by the eerie wind, and the shadow of being chased by evil spirits in the past instantly surged into their minds.

The men and women soaking in the pool scrambled to the shore like cats whose tails had been stepped on, their clothes disheveled as they crawled into their rooms, making a complete spectacle of themselves.

"Ma Changwei, you son of a bitch! Didn't you swear on your life that Guiling City was absolutely safe?!"

A rich young master with wet hair was pulling up his pants while cursing, his voice trembling. All his drunkenness had vanished. "So you tricked us into coming here to feed the evil spirits?"

"I traveled all the way from another city for safety! You're pushing us into a fire pit!"

"It's an evil spirit! This is definitely the ghostly wind from an evil spirit! Run!"

A group of usually arrogant and domineering rich kids were now terrified.

Some were wearing their shirts inside out, some were barefoot, and some were running around with their pants not pulled up properly. Where was the semblance of a wealthy family's dignity? They looked like a pack of chased stray dogs.

"What's the panic!"

Ma Changwei remained relatively calm, though his face was sickly pale. He stubbornly maintained his magnanimity and stopped the crowd. "It's true that Guiling City is the City God's territory, but our Ma family is the City God Temple's big spender! We pay for the temple's construction, we're the most frequent worshippers, and the City God protects respectable people like us. What kind of evil spirits dare to cause trouble here?"

No matter how despicable Ma Changwei was, he truly revered the City God, having already contributed his faith points and always offering incense during festivals, hoping that the City God would give the Ma family a second glance.

He was convinced that with this "kinship ties," even if there were evil spirits, they would have to avoid the Ma family.

"Ma Changwei!"

A stern, cold shout suddenly rang out, completely drowning out all the noise.

Immediately afterwards, the wind howled even more fiercely, and flying sand and stones swirled with mist as they rushed towards them. Two black-clad ghost messengers, like judges crawling out of hell, appeared before them with a "whoosh," their expressionless faces terrifying.

"A ghost! It's a ghost!"

The rich young men were so frightened that their legs cramped, and several of them wet their pants on the spot, collapsing to the ground unable to get up.

"Shut up! You ignorant fool!"

Ma Changwei quickly stopped them, then turned to the messenger with a fawning smile, bowing as low as a shrimp. "It's an honor to have you two esteemed officers grace us with your presence! What are your orders? I will serve you faithfully and without hesitation!"

The ghost messenger gave a sinister smile, his eyes shooting out two cold beams of light that pierced Ma Changwei like knives: "Ma Changwei, your deeds have been exposed. The City God has ordered that your soul be summoned back to the palace for interrogation!"

"What?!"

Ma Changwei's face turned as white as paper in an instant, his legs went weak on the spot, his previous composure shattered into pieces, and his eyes were full of panic and guilt.

He tried to argue that he hadn't done anything wrong.

But Hun Cha gave him no chance at all. He took a step forward and the iron ruler in his hand slammed into Ma Changwei with a "crack" as it cut through the air!

The ruler looked light, but it pierced right through his flesh. Ma Changwei's body went limp and fell to the ground. A dazed soul slowly floated out, but before it could react, it was locked tightly.

Chi la la!

Another soul messenger flicked his wrist, and the Soul-Locking Rope flew out like a snake, precisely binding Ma Changwei's soul. Without turning his head, he cursed, "Take your nonsense to the City God! Don't waste my time here!"

After saying that, the two soul messengers dragged the chained Ma Changwei away, turning into two gusts of yin wind, leaving behind only a stunned crowd and the unconscious body of Ma Changwei on the ground.

Some of the braver ones went forward to check on the person and found that the person was still breathing and warm, but they couldn't wake them up no matter how they called.

Oh no, he's really lost his soul.

Before long, Ma Kun, the head of the Ma family, arrived with a mournful face.

After hearing his subordinates' tearful complaints, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, his face ashen. He kept muttering, "It's over...it's all over...we've committed a grave sin! The City God himself is taking our souls; our family is utterly doomed!"

Looking at Ma Changwei being dragged along by the Soul Messenger, the Soul Messenger showed him no kindness whatsoever, dragging him mercilessly all the way, the chains constricting his soul painfully.

Ma Changwei was sensible enough not to utter a sound, but he was secretly plotting: when he got to the City God, he would first cry pitifully and then shift all the blame to Yin Suzhen, saying that he was forced to do so, and he would definitely be able to get away with it!

Both soul messengers were shrewd individuals created by the system, and they saw through his little scheme at a glance. They sneered on the spot: "You're about to be dragged off to be executed, and you're still trying to make up lies! If the City God could be fooled by your pathetic acting, would he still be the City God?"

They both knew perfectly well that the City God was truly enraged this time, and the more something angered him, the less room there was for compromise.

Otherwise, the two of them wouldn't have brazenly barged into Majiayuan and used such a violent method to summon his soul. The proper procedure is to summon his soul after he's sound asleep, then do so discreetly – that's the standard practice!

But this scoundrel did something so despicable that the City God was determined to make him lose face in public!

Ma Changwei completely missed the point and was still happily preparing his own "tragic drama," figuring out how to portray himself as a "victim forced into a corner."

They arrived at the City God's Mansion in no time.

Gazing at the majestic, solemn, and ethereal temple before him, Ma Changwei was utterly stunned: "Holy crap! This is a million times more luxurious than my villa! It truly is the abode of gods!"

Shocked as he was, he also became increasingly flustered, realizing that the lies he had made up earlier were no longer convincing.

As he walked along, the city walls were filled with menacing Xuanjia soldiers, each with eyes as sharp as knives, making his soul tremble.

The shrine by the roadside was gloomy and eerie. The occasional passing guards and officers looked at him as if he were a dead man, their eyes filled with cold hostility.

We finally arrived at the City God Temple.

From afar, he saw Zhong Jiu sitting high in the main seat, dressed in official robes. The divine pressure emanating from him was overwhelming, making it hard for him to breathe.

Ma Changwei quickly composed himself, thinking that he should first establish a friendly relationship before complaining about his "helplessness".

Before he could even speak, Zhong Jiu coldly retorted, "Take him away and give him thirty lashes as a warning! Let this bastard wake up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two burly Xuanjia soldiers came over, picked up Ma Changwei like a chicken, and dragged him outside the hall.

boom! boom! boom!

The Xuanjia Army showed no mercy, swinging their killing clubs with ferocious force, each blow landing squarely on Ma Changwei's soul.

Ma Changwei instantly screamed in pain, like a pig being slaughtered. All the emotions he had prepared and all the lies he had made up were thrown to the winds by the pain, leaving only screams.

After being beaten thirty times, he collapsed into a limp mess, his soul trembling, cold sweat pouring down his face like a waterfall, and he didn't even have the strength to lift his head.

"Bring it up!"

The head of the Disciplinary Hall stood below Zhong Jiu, waved his hand, and spoke in a completely cold tone.

The Xuanjia soldiers dragged Ma Changwei and threw him into the center of the hall with a thud, as if he were a piece of trash.

"Ma Changwei! You beast! Do you even remember me?!"

When Yin Suzhen saw him, her eyes turned red, and hatred erupted like a volcano. Her voice trembled uncontrollably. This man had ruined her life!

"Yin...Yin Suzhen? It really is you, you vile woman!"

When Ma Changwei saw her, he gritted his teeth and cursed, thinking: Even in death you won't rest in peace, you actually dared to slander me! I should have ground you to dust back then!

"Ma Changwei, do you recognize this woman?"

Zhong Jiu spoke expressionlessly, his voice as cold as ice, his imposing aura even stronger.

"Reporting to...Reporting to the City God, this humble servant recognizes him."

Despite the pain, Ma Changwei finally remembered his prepared speech and began acting with a mournful face: "Yin Suzhen was originally a country woman who had no relatives or friends in Guiling City and had to take care of her blind parents. I took pity on her and hired her to work at my home."

"Later, as we spent more and more time together, we developed feelings for each other and had an inappropriate relationship. But who knew that she would later reveal her true colors? She already knew I was married and used that to blackmail me, demanding a huge sum of money!"

"I had no choice but to satisfy her a few times. But she took it too far and actually forced me to divorce my husband and marry her!"

At this point, Ma Changwei squeezed out a few crocodile tears, sobbing uncontrollably, "Your Majesty, please see the truth! My wife and I have a very good relationship, and she's pregnant. How could I possibly divorce her for this woman?"

"But she kept harassing me and even threatened to ruin my family! I had no other choice but to take the risk and hire someone to kill her!"

"A life for a life, a debt for a debt. I know I was wrong, and I beg the City God to punish me!"

After saying that, Ma Changwei kowtowed several times, looking like he was saying, "I confess, but I was forced to do it." His performance was so vivid and moving that it would have won an Oscar if it were in modern times.

Hearing this, Yin Suzhen trembled all over, tears streaming down her face. Pointing at Ma Changwei, she yelled, "Ma Changwei! Have you no shame?! When did I ever fall in love with you? When did I ever ask you for money? When did I ever force you to divorce me?!"

"You're the one who raped and tortured me, and then, fearing I'd come to the City God Temple to complain, you killed me on the way! And yet you're here twisting the truth and confusing right and wrong! You're worse than a pig or a dog!"

"You bitch! Stop spouting nonsense!"

Ma Changwei glared at her fiercely, "It's clearly you who's greedy and insatiable, yet you have the nerve to turn around and accuse me! Everyone here is a deity; aren't you afraid of divine retribution for lying?"