Borrowing a Gun

It is said that there are three great miraculous books in the world.

The Heavenly Book, the Investiture of the Gods; the Earthly Book, the Classic of Mountains and Seas; and the Human Book, the Book of Life and Death.

The Book of Life and Death records the names, birth dates, death dates, lifespans, and other information of all living beings in the mortal world. When their time comes, a Ghost Messenger will come to claim their souls.

If King Yama decrees your death at the third watch, how can he let you live until the fifth?

But Zhou Sheng was an exception. His lifespan had long since ended, and he should have starved to death. However, he borrowed a corpse to return his soul and lived to the age of twenty-one.

The Judge, who wields the authority to review the Book of Life and Death, rewarding good and punishing evil, now saw Zhou Sheng's abnormality with his divine eyes.

"A dead person living in the mortal world is an act against heaven. According to the Underworld Law... his soul shall be stripped, his spirit extinguished, and he shall be scattered to the winds, never to be reborn!"

"Today, I, as an official, shall uphold the law and protect the majesty of the underworld. I sentence you—execution immediately!"

The Judge made no mention of Magistrate Zhu or the Guardian Soldiers. He spoke righteously, his voice like a booming bell, as if he were the embodiment of the Underworld Law itself—upright and incorruptible, unable to tolerate the slightest impurity.

Zhou Sheng was so amused he almost laughed.

"Bah!"

He cursed loudly, "First, you replaced Magistrate Zhu's heart, then you replaced his wife's head, causing many families to be destroyed. And now you talk about the Underworld Law?"

"What, is the Underworld Law your wife's girdle, loose most of the time, only tightened when you need to use it?"

When it came to murder and causing harm, there was no mention of the Underworld Law, but when his own people were killed, he was full of strict adherence to the law.

Zhou Sheng suddenly realized that whether it was the mortal world or the underworld, it was all the same damned thing.

A flicker of anger flashed in the Judge's eyes, and his expression grew colder. The surrounding area was immediately filled with a howling yin wind, and blood-red lightning seemed to crackle in the sky.

Zhou Sheng quickly raised the statue of his Patriarch.

The blood-red lightning dissipated three zhang in front of the statue. The howling yin wind, despite its power to sweep away sand and stones, could only stir Zhou Sheng's robes and could not force him back a single step.

With the statue in hand, he felt as if he had a divine needle that could calm the seas, remaining unshaken no matter how the storm raged.

"What, you want to kill me to silence me, afraid I'll report you to King Yama?"

Zhou Sheng laughed heartily, showing no fear.

If he had felt any fear at the beginning, it had vanished with the Judge's constant pressure and the hypocrisy he displayed.

Zhou Sheng's fear was completely gone. Blood rushed to his head, and he cursed with such satisfaction that every pore felt relieved.

If it were anyone else, facing a dignified deity of the underworld, they would have been filled with awe and trepidation even if they felt dissatisfied. After all, in this world, many people's reverence for ghosts and gods was ingrained in their bones.

However, Zhou Sheng was from Earth.

"Many aspire to great deeds through sacrifice, daring to change the world!"

He respected the gods, but he never blindly believed in them. In fact, the moment a god committed evil, they ceased to be a god and became—

A demon to be slain.

If he had the strength, he would kill them!

"Disrespecting gods, falsely accusing underworld officials, borrowing a corpse to return a soul..."

The Judge's voice grew even colder. "With these three sins, even if I expend a hundred years of my cultivation today, I will still slay you, you impudent child!"

As his voice fell, his form suddenly vanished. Then, a furious wind swept through the area, and streaks of blood-red lightning struck down like a torrential rain, accompanied by loud crackling sounds.

The statue in Zhou Sheng's hand, however, emitted golden light. The third eye on the forehead of the Patriarch's statue opened, causing the terrifying blood-red lightning to dissipate three zhang away.

But Zhou Sheng's expression changed, for the statue was vibrating in his hand, and the vibrations were growing stronger.

"Do you really think a mere clay statue can protect you?"

The Judge's voice echoed, deafening.

"Killing you here will only cost me more cultivation. Even without the waters of the Yellow Springs, a clay idol cannot stop me!"

RUMBLE!!

In the next moment, the thunder grew even louder, and the blood-red lightning, like a downpour, became more rapid and violent. The dense blood-red electric light almost illuminated the night.

The statue in Zhou Sheng's hand trembled even more violently until a crisp sound was heard.

CRACK!

A faint crack appeared on the statue.

BOOM!

A blood-red lightning bolt seemed to break through some invisible barrier, landing at Zhou Sheng's feet. Though it didn't strike him, it symbolized that the divine statue's protection had reached its limit.

His gaze was solemn. He hadn't expected them to dare strike the divine statue of Emperor Huaguang.

After all, King Ma had quite a temper and was once a formidable figure who had caused chaos in the Underworld.

Was the Judge really not worried that if the statue was shattered, King Ma himself would descend to intervene?

Seeing the other party's fearless demeanor, they didn't seem worried about angering King Ma.

"Master, if you don't come soon, your disciple will be finished here!"

Zhou Sheng shouted loudly, directly calling for help.

The next moment, his head was sharply struck, and he heard heavy panting by his ear.

His vision blurred, and a thin yet upright figure stood before him. His white hair cascaded down, fluttering in the wind. He held no weapon, yet the overwhelming killing intent made one feel as if they were surrounded by ten thousand swords.

"Old... I'm old... My legs and feet are indeed not as nimble..."

Yu Zhensheng panted slightly, shaking his head and sighing. "If it were twenty years ago, how could He have had the chance to take you away from me?"

As he spoke, he took a step forward, but Zhou Sheng's eyes narrowed.

Because his Master's step was a limp. His right leg seemed to have some kind of disability. It wasn't noticeable when he walked normally, but after exerting himself fully just now, he could no longer hide it.

In an instant, he finally understood why his Master had mocked himself as a cripple earlier.

Singing, speaking, acting, and martial arts – the latter two required leg coordination, especially performing Ghost Opera, which demanded high standards for movement and leg techniques.

With one leg crippled, his foundation skills were ruined. Wasn't half of his martial arts useless?

No wonder his Master, such a renowned Ghost Opera Performer, had chosen to retire and leave the martial world.

At this moment, the blood-red lightning bolts continued to strike, as if intending to bury this master and disciple here.

Yu Zhensheng's expression was unreadable, but something seemed to come alive in his weathered eyes as he stared directly at the lightning bolts, his gaze as bright as a candle flame.

"Disciple, remember the incantation below. This is a treasure... a secret technique of our Ghost Opera lineage."

After speaking, his white hair flew, and he chanted arcane words.

"Dou Kou Kui Shen, Xuan Ji Shang Jiang. Three heads are upright and bold, reflecting the form of the three stars shining; nine eyes are brilliant, imprinting the image of the nine stars' radiance..."

As his voice rang out, the trembling divine statue of Patriarch Huaguang gradually calmed down, as if it had received some divine power, or perhaps... was slowly awakening?

The golden armor and red robe shimmered, and the eyes seemed to move.

The most striking was the golden spear, which now emitted a brilliant golden light, like a small, fiercely burning sun.

The blood-red lightning filling the sky suddenly trembled and could no longer approach within ten feet of the divine statue.

Feeling the vast magic power, as immense as an ocean, Zhou Sheng even wondered if Emperor Huaguang had truly descended.

"In charge of clouds, thunder, rain, and lightning, investigating demons and gods in the three realms. Chief Director of the world, the True One Spirit Official Ma Tianjun, the Great Unity Thunderclap Immovable Heavenly Venerate!"

As Yu Zhensheng finished the incantation, the statue's magic power and aura surged to their peak. The stone-born dragons and snakes coiled around the golden spear actually came alive.

Hiss!!!

Nine-inch dragons and snakes coiled around the golden spear, letting out hissing sounds, as if guarding a sacred object.

Yu Zhensheng then slowly extended his hand.

"Yu Zhensheng, successor of the Ghost Opera lineage, requests the Patriarch to lend his spear!"