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

The City God's purge was swift and decisive, like autumn leaves being swept away. Demons and monsters were either killed on the spot or captured alive, with only a few escaping and fleeing in disarray.

These deserters, filled with resentment, flocked to Baisen Mountain without prior arrangement.

"My Lord Demon King! Something terrible has happened! The people of the Underworld have invaded Star Sand City. They not only wiped out the demon general you sent, but they are also searching the entire city for us, determined to exterminate us all!"

A fox demon knelt on the ground, sobbing and wailing, deliberately adding fuel to the fire.

"You bastard!"

The Giant Demon King slammed his fist on the throne, shattering it. Two balls of ghostly fire surged from his skull eye sockets. "I already gave orders to keep a low profile and only take the bones of three hundred thousand infants. Isn't that enough tolerable? How dare the Netherworld officials be so domineering, ruining my chance to perfect my cultivation technique!"

While burning with rage, the Great Evil Demon King did not completely lose his mind. He was well aware of the strength of the Underworld and knew that a head-on confrontation would not be a wise move.

After a moment of contemplation, he plucked a bone fragment shimmering with black energy and handed it to a completely black raven: "Take this to the Thousand-Eyed Demon and tell him that I have a collaboration to take the lowly life of that City God Judge."

The crow cawed twice, then, carrying the bone fragment, soared into the sky. Several hours later, it arrived at a cave filled with an oppressive yin energy.

"Hmm? That old devil's letter?"

The Thousand-Eyed Demon slowly walked out, its figure as imposing as a small mountain, its body covered with countless eyes, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression just by standing there.

After unfolding the bone fragments and reading their contents, a thousand eyes on his body simultaneously glowed with a scarlet blood-red light, and an overwhelming killing intent swept across the entire area: "Judge of the Underworld..."

Remembering the losses he had suffered before, the Thousand-Eyed Demon gritted his teeth and coldly said to the crow, "Go back and tell Giant Evil that I approve of this cooperation! I've long wanted to skin that City God alive, and now that we've joined forces, it'll be perfect to let him taste our power!"

At this moment, Zhong Jiu had no interest in Bai Senshan's movements. Even though he knew that Ju Xie was colluding with Qianmu Yaogui, he just thought of them as two more lambs to the slaughter.

Right now, we're busy streamlining the government affairs of Xingsha City.

He had previously managed Guiling City smoothly, but this was the first time he had encountered resistance when facing Xingsha City, which had a population of 20 million.

A thousand people have a thousand different thoughts, let alone such a huge city. The various departments of the City God's Office were so busy that they barely had time to rest, just to barely stabilize the chaotic situation.

In the early stages of the extermination, the demons' last-ditch counterattacks caused many casualties and briefly sparked public resentment. Some uninformed people complained that the city became even more chaotic after the gods arrived.

This is the first time since the underworld has appeared in the mortal world that it has encountered public criticism.

Fortunately, most people understood the principle that "a short pain is worse than a long one." By the time the cleanup operation came to an end and Xingsha City was completely restored to peace, those complaints also disappeared.

No more eerie winds roamed the nights, and no more ghosts roamed the streets. People dared to go out for leisurely strolls without worry, and the praise for the City God Temple grew louder day by day.

Zhong Jiu's faith value also rose accordingly, and a system notification sounded in his mind:

[To be promoted to the fourth-rank Prefectural City God, one needs to accumulate 100 million faith points. Additional conditions: establish the laws and regulations of the Underworld and uphold the authority of the Three Realms.]

Looking at the astonishing number of faith points, Zhong Jiu remained calm. Faith points were just a small matter that could be accumulated over time, and he would eventually gather enough.

The real challenge lies in this additional condition.

Last time, the promotion to judge required Guiling City to achieve a state of "great order". This time, the promotion to city god has added new conditions, which means that the system wants him to do practical things.

To upgrade, simply increasing exposure and gaining faith points is not enough; one must also put one's responsibilities into practice and ensure that the law takes root in the Three Realms.

But how can this "authority of the law" be established?

After a moment's thought, Zhong Jiu quickly felt relieved.

The city of Xingsha, with its population of 20 million, may seem daunting, but modern humans are accustomed to the constraints of law and even rely on this stable order.

As long as he can sweep away demons and monsters and safeguard peace in the region, people's hearts will be at peace and the law will remain in place.

As for those wicked people who break the law, whether they are apprehended by the human government or punished by the underworld, it is a cause for celebration.

Ultimately, humans are not the root cause of breaking the law. As long as the underworld guarantees a peaceful life, they will naturally support it.

"Could this promotion mission really be that simple?" Zhong Jiu murmured, rubbing his chin.

If that's the case, he could simply take the reward of 400,000 soul soldiers and send commanders to sweep away the demons and monsters in Nanling Province. Once all the people in the province are praising the underworld, wouldn't the authority of the law be established naturally?

It was precisely this "simplicity" that aroused his suspicion. Before he could figure it out, the Yin-Yang Bureau's clerk rushed in to report: "My lord, five demons have come to see you, saying they have important matters to report!"

"A demon clan requests an audience?"

Zhong Jiu raised an eyebrow, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

During this period, the City God's Mansion has been clearing out the demons in Xing Sha City. Some were killed, some fled, and some were exterminated. They have already established a fearsome reputation. Yet, there are still demons who dare to come to their door.

"Bring it in."

A moment later, the five demons were led to the main hall.

The fox demon was slender, the wolf demon was burly, the cat demon had hunched shoulders, the dog demon had drooping tails, and the bull demon was robust; each had a different posture, but all of them carried a hint of fear in their expressions.

Zhong Jiu leaned back on the City God's throne, his tone nonchalant: "You lot have grown quite bold, daring to trespass into my City God's mansion. Are you here to deliver your demon heads, or do you have some other reason?"

Upon hearing this, the cat demon, dog demon, and bull demon were so frightened that their legs went weak and they almost collapsed to the ground. The fox demon and wolf demon, however, managed to speak, barely managing to suppress their fear.

The fox demon knelt and bowed, her voice trembling yet clear: "This lowly demon dares to ask, Your Majesty, does the Underworld intend to exterminate all demons in the world?"

The wolf demon, impulsive by nature, retorted defiantly, his voice brimming with resentment: "Your Excellency's actions are unjust! Why are you killing our demon race without even distinguishing right from wrong?"

"unfair?"

Zhong Jiu's eyes lit up, and a flash of inspiration struck him: "Oh? Tell me, how is it unfair?"

The fox demon quickly added, "I was originally a wild fox from the forest. After the supernatural revived, I gained sentience. I envied the human world and that's why I sneaked into Star Sand City. I've never harmed anyone. At most, I'd steal some pastries and fruits at night to satisfy my cravings. Is that something to be punished for?"

She blinked her eyes pitifully as she spoke, looking utterly wronged.

The wolf demon pounded its chest and roared, "I have killed people, but they deserved it! Hunters killed my wife and children, skinned them, and sold their fur for money. I cultivated my skills to take revenge. Is that wrong? It can't be that only humans are allowed to kill demons, but demons aren't allowed to fight back!"

The cat demon timidly rubbed against the dog demon, speaking softly, "We...we're house cats and dogs, we've been with our master for many years. Even after gaining sentience, all we wanted was to stay with him. We never caused trouble, so why is the underworld also trying to capture us?"

The dog demon nodded quickly, tucking its tail even tighter.

The bull demon was filled with grief and indignation, and said in a muffled voice, "This old ox has plowed the fields for half its life. Even if it hasn't done anything great, it has certainly worked hard. Just because it's old and can't work anymore, its master wants to send it to the slaughterhouse! If I were an ordinary ox, I would accept it, but I've gained sentience. Is it wrong for me to want to live? At most, I injured two people when I broke free, but I didn't kill anyone!"

After listening to the five demons' account, Zhong Jiu slowly sat up straight, his previous thoughts seemed to be wrong!

The system's requirement for strict laws and authority has never been limited to humans, and the underworld is not humanity's exclusive caretaker.

Moreover, even intelligent demons can still provide faith points. Although the Six Paths of Reincarnation have not yet manifested, the principle of reincarnation for all living beings has long existed. The Underworld should have made judgments from the perspective of all living beings, yet it overlooked the crucial group of demons.

"I see."

Zhong Jiu chuckled lightly, his tone tinged with self-deprecation, "I made a mistake by overlooking what's right under my nose. The majesty of the law must govern all four realms: humans, demons, ghosts, and cultivators. Although cultivators are still human, they possess extraordinary abilities, so naturally, separate rules must be established for them."

He waved his hand, signaling the spirit messengers to escort the five demons away, then turned and issued a new order: "From now on, when exterminating demons and ghosts, do not kill them all! First, distinguish between good and evil, and find out the reasons: those who harm people and cause chaos shall be killed without exception; those who defend themselves and live in peace shall not be prosecuted. Furthermore, let it be known to the human world that eating ordinary meat is fine, but if living beings gain sentience and dare to slaughter indiscriminately, don't blame the underworld for coming to investigate. If you dare to eat demons, don't blame the demons for biting you back!"

Zhong Jiu understood.

The fox demon stealing food is only a minor offense; a few words of punishment will suffice.

The wolf demon's revenge is justified, and as long as it doesn't indiscriminately kill innocent people, there's no need to hold it accountable.

Cat and dog demons are docile and harmless, why exterminate them all?

The bull demon's attempt to survive is only natural; it is the heartless master who should be punished.

The order quickly spread throughout the demon community of Xingsha City. Benevolent demons flocked to the City God Temple to pay homage, and even the wolf demons, who had come with hatred, were convinced of Zhong Jiu's abilities and voluntarily offered their faith points.

Only then did the demons realize that the Underworld was not the mortal enemy of the demon race, but a powerful force that could uphold justice. It supervised evil deeds, not the race itself.