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

"Regardless of whether the legend of the City God of the Underworld is true or false, simply enabling the people to live a peaceful life is a great act of merit!"

He was deeply moved by the execution.

His Buddhist name was Fuzhu. He had killed so many evil people and exterminated so many evil spirits that he couldn't remember them all. In all his years of traveling around the country, there was never a place where he could let down his guard as soon as he stepped in, like a traveler who had been traveling for a long time finally finding a harbor to dock in.

Fu Zhu was so engrossed in the peaceful atmosphere that he didn't rush to the City God Temple. Instead, he carried a pig's leg and a wine gourd and wandered all over Guiling City.

After thoroughly exploring the streets and alleys and experiencing the vibrant local life, I slowly made my way to the City God Temple, carrying the half-eaten pig leg.

The City God Temple remains bustling with people and thriving with incense offerings.

Several simple teahouses are set up outside the temple, where many worshippers rest after their prayers.

A storyteller entered the teahouse, slamming his gavel down with a resounding "crack!" as he spoke, spittle flying from his mouth: "Ladies and gentlemen! Let me tell you about yesterday's grand spectacle of the City God's public trial of the wicked gentry Ma Changwei—it was truly a delightful spectacle!"

He embellished the public trial, making it vivid and engaging, and the tea drinkers in the audience listened with great enthusiasm, banging on the table and cheering from time to time.

Fu Zhu found a corner to sit down, gnawing on a pig's leg while listening. After listening, he muttered to himself, "This City God is too kind-hearted! If it were me, a monk, I would have slaughtered the entire Ma family, one by one, to completely eradicate them!"

Of course, this is just a thought. Rationally, he approves of the City God's handling of the case. Judicial cases are governed by rules, and punishing based on emotions is an abuse of power.

After listening to the story, Fu Zhu casually tossed a banknote as payment for the tea, then carried the pig's leg into the City God Temple.

The people coming and going were all devout pilgrims, but he alone, reeking of alcohol and meat and carrying a knife, was a complete "oddball," instantly attracting everyone's attention.

However, the worshippers felt confident in the City God's territory. Although they found his appearance fierce, they were not afraid at all. Instead, they looked at him with curiosity.

A young man swaggered up to him, pointing at the pig's leg in his hand and laughing, "Good heavens, is this the 'wine-and-meat monk' coming down the mountain to beg for alms? Dressed like that, I'd believe you were a highway robber, how dare you call yourself a monk?"

Fu Zhu glanced at him sideways, took a big bite of pork leg, and mumbled back, "As a monk, I have ordination scars on my head and Buddha in my heart. Whether I'm a monk or not is up to me! Do you expect me to give you a monk's certificate?"

An elderly man with gray hair walked over, his face full of curiosity: "I've lived for seventy years and I've never seen a monk like you! Eating meat and drinking alcohol, and carrying a knife—you don't look like a monk at all!"

"My motto is 'Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart!'"

Fu Zhu raised his chin confidently, took another bite of the pig's leg, and dripped oil down his chin. "Don't try to impose those hypocritical rules on me! I drink, eat meat, and carry a knife, but I don't harm anyone. I'm much cleaner than those hypocrites who wear monk robes to make money!"

Upon hearing this, the worshippers couldn't help but laugh: "This monk is really funny; he's spouting all sorts of fallacies!"

"Indeed, those fake monks are not as honest as him!"

"A respectable monk would be furious enough to vomit blood if he saw this!"

Unfazed by the teasing, Fu Zhu wiped the grease from his lips and said, "If you have Buddha in your heart, you see Buddha everywhere; if you have demons in your heart, you see demons everywhere. Those monks who got angry with me only prove that their spiritual practice is inadequate and they can't tolerate different ways of life!"

The temple keeper, Old Tian, ​​had noticed the strange monk long ago. He walked over with a smile and patted him on the shoulder: "You're quite the talker! But I advise you to tone it down, or some respectable monk might come looking for trouble later."

Fu Zhu looked up and sized up Old Tiantou, and immediately became alert. The old man looked ordinary, but he was surrounded by a grand and sacred aura, as if he were protected by a god.

"Let's look for it then!"

He appeared arrogant and defiant, raising his chin as he said, "I'll try to reason with these monks first. If that doesn't work and they still dare to provoke me, then don't blame me for being ruthless and killing them without hesitation!"

The word "murder" was uttered lightly, yet it carried a chilling aura. The worshippers instantly felt a chill in their hearts, retreated, and lost all interest in striking up a conversation.

Old Tian, ​​however, remained completely unfazed, smiling as he asked, "Is it proper for a monk like you to come to the City God Temple to worship gods instead of Buddha?"

Fu Zhu hadn't originally planned to worship any gods, but upon hearing this, he changed his mind. He stubbornly declared, "I've worshipped Buddha before, but it was so disappointing! Later I realized that Buddha resides in the heart, not in a temple. I myself am Buddha! I can worship whomever I want; what rules are there? Do I need a certificate to worship any god?"

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the temple.

Old Tian watched his retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.

Fu Zhu didn't go to the City God Hall; instead, he went to the Zhuyin Hall first.

This palace seems to have descended from the sky; it is magnificent and its incense is ever-burning.

He had just stepped inside and casually looked around when his gaze fell on the statue of the God of Candlelight, and his expression suddenly changed!

Seemingly sensing the murderous aura emanating from him, the Candle Yin statue reacted, unleashing an extremely fierce aura that surged forth like a tidal wave!

This was an instinctive warning of danger. Caught off guard, Fu Zhu was forced to take three steps back, his eyes filled with fear.

His cultivation level was not low; he could even contend with ordinary wild immortals head-on. Unexpectedly, he was defeated in a single exchange when facing a divine statue!

"Zhuyin? What kind of ominous spirit is this?"

Fu Zhu gasped in shock, his heart filled with turmoil.

He had seen countless fierce auras in his life, but he had never seen one so domineering and fierce!

Compared to this statue, the malevolent aura emanating from him is insignificant.

"What a magnificent City God Temple! It's a place where hidden talents reside!"

His contempt completely vanished, and his gaze became serious.

After regaining his composure, he went into the other temples one by one.

In the temple of the Yin-Yang Master, as soon as his gaze met the statue, he felt the statue watching him.

"This is a consecrated statue of a deity; it has disturbed the deity himself!"

Fu Zhu clasped his hands together respectfully in a gesture of respect and slowly withdrew.

The temple of the Swiftwind Hall Master felt the same way, and he bowed again, not daring to be negligent.

Fu Zhu traveled to all the temples, and even the positions of ordinary soul messengers faintly exuded divine charm, allowing people to sense his presence.

He showed no favoritism and bowed respectfully to each person.

"Guiling is indeed a place where gods are resurrected; just one City God Temple has so many deities residing there!"

Fu Zhu took a deep breath and finally stepped towards the City God Hall.

This time, without the slightest hesitation, he lit three incense sticks, held them with both hands, and bowed down, proclaiming loudly, "The slain monk pays his respects to the City God!"

After bowing, the world suddenly spun before my eyes, and a powerful suction force came from within.

When he calmed himself down and opened his eyes, he found himself in a dimly lit but majestic space.

This place is actually the underworld!

Not far away, a mysterious and magnificent city stands between heaven and earth, with three ancient and weathered characters engraved above the city gate—City God's Mansion!

Fu Zhu stared at those three words with awe in his eyes and subconsciously held his breath.

Before he could react, an invisible force pulled him into the City God's Mansion.

From the initial cold scrutiny upon entering Guiling, to the heartfelt respect after witnessing the peaceful and prosperous scene, and then to the awe-inspiring submission after personally experiencing the divine power of the City God Temple, Fu Zhu's change of mindset was nothing short of earth-shattering!

Looking at the majestic City God Temple in front of him, Fu Zhu solemnly put his hands together, bowed deeply, straightened his back, and strode forward.

No one came to greet them. The heavy vermilion gate was tightly shut like an iron gate, with only a small door on the side that could only allow one person to pass through.

Beside the door stood a soul soldier clad in full black armor, the armor as black as ink, gleaming with a cold, sharp light, his long spear resting on the ground.

Fu Zhu walked straight past, but the soul soldier acted as if he hadn't seen him at all, not even glancing at him or lifting his eyelids.

"Good heavens! That's some serious malevolent energy!"

Fu Zhu's heart skipped a beat, instantly recalling the praise the people of Guiling had been going on about over tea: "This must be the elite of the 'Seven Hundred Thousand Ghost Soldiers' under the City God's command! Truly the ace of ace, their aura is just different!"

Suppressing his inner turmoil, Fu Zhu stepped into the gate of the City God's Mansion.

As soon as he stepped across the threshold, a powerful divine might instantly pressed down on him, making him gasp for breath and feel as if he had shrunk by half. In the face of such divine might, he, the "demon" who had slaughtered his way through the cultivation world, was as insignificant as a speck of dust!

Looking around, the temples are arranged in a well-ordered manner, and the halls are magnificent. The soul messengers who come and go are all in high spirits, walking quickly but in an orderly manner. They are surrounded by the spiritual light nourished by incense, and they are more spirited than the elite soldiers in the mortal world.

After all, it is a master blessed by incense offerings. Even the lowest-level soul servants are seeing their strength increase rapidly, and their spirit and energy are naturally excellent.

Not to mention the divine aura emanating from the depths of those palaces, clearly indicating that renowned deities were stationed there.

Fu Zhu instantly recalled the year he first became a disciple, the day he stepped into the sect with a heart full of awe. The long-lost sense of tension surged up his spine, making him unable to help but suppress the murderous aura emanating from his body.

Without a guide, Fu Zhu could only wander aimlessly through the vast City God's Palace like a lost wild monkey, looking around but not daring to touch anything.

It wasn't that he was afraid of breaking things, but rather that the divine power of this place was so terrifying that even he had to restrain himself.

Unbeknownst to him, an invisible gaze was watching his every move.

"This monk is quite a character, both wild and principled. No wonder the system specifically marked him."

Zhong Jiu, seated high in the main seat of the City God Hall, lightly tapped the armrest with his fingertips. The candlelight in the hall flickered according to his will, and no movement in the entire City God Palace could escape his discerning eyes.

He had already obtained Fu Zhu's personal information through his sister's access to the official files, and now he had it in hand.