Zhong Aniu was utterly enraged!
He lived honestly but was bullied. When he fought for his dignity with reason, he was interrogated and tortured by officials. Does being an honest man mean he deserves to be bullied?
In life and death, Zhong Aniu's righteous indignation had no outlet. When his suppressed anger reached its peak, the man, who was rejected by the world's demons, went completely mad!
He tore apart fierce demons and devoured wicked ghosts alive, like a tiger swallowing a lamb!
The Ghost Messenger that tried to snatch his soul ended up in his stomach, troublesome little ghosts became his food, and Zhong Aniu charged forward recklessly, his aura rising steadily.
Breaking through the Ghost Gate, a ghost official, forcing himself to suppress his horror, shouted loudly: "You have killed the Ghost Messenger, a crime unforgivable. Even if you escape to the ends of the earth, you will be pursued by the ten courts!"
Zhong Aniu's voice thundered: "I have lived upright, slaying only those who deserve to die, exterminating only the ghosts who need to be eradicated. Why would I need to flee?"
On that day, the Underworld trembled as Zhong Aniu marched unhindered towards the Hall of Judgment, faced by none who could stop him.
An urgent report from the Messengers of Chang Black and White claimed that the human emperor had conferred upon Zhong Aniu the title of "Home Protector Saint Monarch", bestowing him with endless ancestral worship and protection from present fortune, making ordinary Ghost Generals and Soldiers powerless against him.
The Sixth Hall of Judgment specialized in punishing those who blamed heaven and others, and those who were rebellious and unfilial in the human world.
When King Biancheng of the Sixth Hall saw Zhong Aniu, he was unmoved by the human world's conferral and roared in anger:
"You rebelled against the Monarch, destroyed your own body, and embodied an unjust and unfilial soul. How dare you defy the law and commit murder, assassinating my subjects and challenging the might of the Underworld!"
Zhong Aniu stood before the hall, his brows furrowing in fury: "My death was not self-inflicted; it was to awaken the world and pave the way for aspiring individuals of the future."
After saying this, Zhong Aniu continued: "Those whom I slaughtered were not your monarch's subjects but the villains among them! As for the might of the Underworld...when I walked in the human world, I stood on the golden hall without lowering my head in fear of death; how could I fear these mere goblins and little ghosts now!"
King Biancheng saw that Zhong Aniu indeed carried righteous air but spared no mercy: "The codes are clear, all are the king's law. Though goblins run rampant, the three-foot Magic Sword still distinguishes good from evil!"
"You are but a mortal scholar, yet here, just a nameless ghost. How dare you impose unauthorized sentences taking over the duty of the Underworld? Have you not heard that the cook does not rule the kitchen nor does the butcher transcend the preparation of sacrifices?"
"Today you overstepped, disregarding the laws of the Underworld, the punishment is to be cast into the inescapable hell, enduring punishments of severed fingers, broken legs, sliced tongue, and gouged heart, totaling a hundred and twenty years of hard labor. Additionally, the punishment for contempt of the court and disrespect to superior officers will be administered as a warning for other ghosts to know the solemnity and majesty of the Underworld's legal system!"
When alive, Zhong Aniu was loyal to the Monarch and, even in death, was unwilling to commit any treacherous acts.
He tightly closed his eyes, ready to submit, but suddenly outside the Hall of Judgment, the King Yama's royal chariot arrived.
Indeed, the Netherworld Emperor passed by the hall and, seeing the righteous aura soaring, stopped his chariot to watch, taking in everything happening in the hall.
King Yama entered the hall, and all the ghosts bowed. He looked around at the gathered ghosts and announced:
"The law must not be profaned, and benevolence must not be discarded. The Underworld must not lose its majesty due to benevolence; nor can it lose its benevolent heart due to the law."
King Yama then looked at Zhong Aniu and said: "Since you carry a righteous heart and long for justice, I can appoint you to the position of catching ghosts and subduing demons, allowing you to showcase your talent, erasing your crimes through meritorious deeds."
Seeing Zhong Aniu bowing his head to accept the order, the Netherworld Emperor took out the Ghost-slaying Treasure Sword and gifted it to him, not forgetting to warn him: "You must remember, today I am making an exception for you, not pardoning your crime of overstepping, but using your righteousness to reform the Underworld. If you abuse the law recklessly, the previous offenses and new will be punished together, and you will be eternally suppressed beneath the mountain of blades, never to reincarnate!"
Zhong Aniu felt grateful for the Netherworld King's favor and indeed later made good use of the law, managing to bring a new order to the disintegrated Underworld.
Alas, only King Yama knew, all of this was nothing more than the last rays of a setting sun!
Thereafter, Zhong Aniu wielded the Ghost-slaying Treasure Sword and the Soul-Gathering Treasure Umbrella, patrolling between the realms, earning the title of "Demon Exorcism True Monarch."
Xu Qing continued to read, finding that King Yama later assigned Demon Exorcism True Monarch to carry out a mission in the mortal world.
But when the True Monarch returned to his senses, the Underworld had already been destroyed.
King Yama sent him to the mortal realm to spare him from perishing at the hands of the law corpses.
Later, when he reencountered Ascendant Fuluan, the two worked together to discuss eradicating Ghost Law.
The magical lantern ended, and Xu Qing looked toward the Sutra of Salvation reward.
A drop each of the divine water of the Three Lights - Sun, Moon, and Stars; five strands of imperial mystic energy, totaling five parts of Netherworld Monarch's fortune...
Additionally, there were ten drops of Three Lives Stone dew; several hundred Soul Reviving Pills; one volume of Yama Sutra; and one Netherworld Emperor's Sword Seed.
Except for the Soul Reviving Pill, the rest were all heavenly rewards without exception!