Chapter 464: Rules

Following Zhuang Qiu, Zhang Hui walked into the elevator in the haunted residence.

He was surprised when he saw the elevator.

“There’s an elevator here?”

Zhuang Qiu explained with a smile, “This is just an elevator in the physical form…”

“In essence, this is an instinctive reaction of the Netherworld. It’s a product of fine-tuning the consciousness of the acting City God…”

“It can lead us to any corner of this Netherworld!”

“You can just understand it as a kind of teleportation magic art!”

Zhang Hui had a rough idea as he listened.

At this moment, the elevator stopped on the eighth floor.

The elevator door opened.

In front of them were rooms that had been cut off. These rooms were hazy and shrouded by the Netherworld’s yin energy, so they could not be seen clearly.

When Zhang Hui walked past them, the sound of claws and teeth scratching the walls could be heard from these partitioned rooms.

“Tens of thousands of evil spirits are imprisoned here…”

“They were originally suppressed in the Netherworld by Mister…”

“Now, I’ve moved them to this place…”

This was a very simple matter to her.

The City God was the Master of the netherworld.

Nature can choose to decorate their own house, move furniture and redesign some facilities.

Although Zhuang Qiu is an ancient person from 100 years ago, she has been communicating with the world.

Now the popular Internet culture, even live broadcast, she had access to.

Naturally, after she became a City God, this piece of underworld all, will shape according to her heart desire.

Under the influence of modern consciousness and cultural cognition, the Netherworld would naturally change.

And this was the authority of a God!

Even if it was just a subordinate of Lord of Mount Tai, there were some things that could be possessed without learning.

This was where the power of a God laid.

I thought, therefore I was here.

Thus, the power moved with the heart and the divine ability was born from the thought.

In the Netherworld, the God of Yin was the heaven and the earth!

Zhang Hui didn’t understand these things, so he was naturally amazed.

“Then… Little Zhuang… no… Zhuang City God…” he asked, “Can you explain it to me?”

Zhuang Qiu shook her head and said, “I don’t understand many things either…”

She didn’t become a City God by herself.

She didn’t have great power.

This great power was given to her by external forces.

Naturally, there were many things that she was confused about. She did not know why?

She only vaguely knew what she could do and what she could not do.

But why?

That was not clear.

She thought about it seriously and then used the thoughts that she could feel now to explain to Zhang Hui, “In general, you can think of this underworld as a network system…”

“Lord of Mount Tai is the service provider and provider of this network…”

“He has now increased my authority and set me as the administrator of the Imperial Capital District…”

“Some users can be silenced, which is to say imprisoned, or more severe measures can be taken against them, such as unplugging the Internet cable and prohibiting network access… which is also the various punishments of underworld…”

As she spoke, she brought Zhang Hui to the deepest part of the building.

Zhuang Qiu came to a very modern-looking office and knocked on the door, “Sir… General Zhang Hui is here!”

“Please come in!” A cold voice came from inside the door.

The door opened as well.

Zhang Hui looked inside and found that there was no one in the room.

It seemed to be the server of a large internet company.

Huge boxes stood in the room.

Inside, there was a thick spirit aura.

The density of the spirit aura was so high that it turned into water.

And in the water, a shadow was wandering around.

“General Zhang…” the shadow said slowly, “Sorry to make you laugh!”

Zhang Hui looked at him and asked, “Sir, what’s wrong?”

The shadow sighed, “I’ve already fused with the Netherworld and the Blue Fall Yellow Springs Formation at the foot of the Cross Slope…”

“In a sense, I’ve become the Blue Fall Yellow Springs Formation and the gatekeeper of this Netherworld…”

“If Xiaozhuang hadn’t been promoted to City God…”

“I’m afraid that sooner or later, I will lose my mind and become an unintelligent spirit that purely obeys the will of the Netherworld and the Netherworld!”

Zhang Hui listened and fell silent.

This was something that the Blackguard had discovered for a long time.

As time passed, Sir’s waking hours were decreasing.

Moreover, he would often enter a deep sleep.

After analysis, the Blackguard knew that Sir was being assimilated by the Netherworld and the Blue Fall Yellow Springs Formation.

His mind was gradually assimilated.

However, this matter was kept a secret by the Blackguard.

That was because they did not have the ability to solve this problem.

They also did not dare to face the fact that the heroic spirit of this martyr who had died a hundred years ago was weakening day by day.

However, the shadow laughed, “General Zhang… actually, I already knew this result…”

“I should have died a long time ago…”

“To be able to continue living in the condition of my soul, it would be considered as a profit!”

“Haha!”

Hearing his teacher’s hearty laughter, Zhang Hui’s heart did not feel good at all.

Were ghosts really considered alive?

They could not feel the temperature and they needed to fight against their desires towards the living at all times to prevent them from going crazy and turning into malicious ghosts that harmed others.

They also needed to constantly pay attention to the yang energy of the soul body.

Otherwise, if they were not careful, their soul body would be frozen by the Yin energy and become an ice sculpture.

This was also the reason why ghosts would hurt people even if they were kind.

They could not help but instinctively absorb the Yang energy and life of the living.

Other than that, when the Yang energy was flourishing, the ghosts would be roasted by the Yang energy. They could only hide in the depths of the underground underworld of the Cross Slope to avoid the burning of the Yang energy.

At midnight, when the Yin energy was flourishing, they would be attacked by the bone-piercing yin energy.

At the same time, they would recall the pain of death.

In the pain and suffering, they would wait for the dawn in order to be able to shine on the sun at dawn.

However..

This kind of thing was very dangerous.

The slightest carelessness would cause them to be ignited by the Yang energy.

Although there were few examples of souls being destroyed, there were many people whose rationality had been burned away and turned into unintelligent ghosts.

Therefore, the heroic spirits who could survive until now at the Cross Slope were all warriors who had defeated themselves and the heavens.

Thinking of this, Zhang Hui asked respectfully, “Sir, how did you become like this?”

The shadow in the Netherworld water chuckled, “Actually, I’m still the same as before…”

“My soul is connected to the Netherworld and Blue Fall Yellow Springs Formation…”

“However, Little Zhuang became the City God…”

“Thus, I became an existence that you can understand in her haunted residence…”

“A server…”

Zhuang Qiu added, “I was bestowed by the Lord of Mount Tai to take charge of the city…”

“Although I’m an agent, I can still appoint some important assistant ministers…”

“So I appointed Sir as a judge…”

“Because of my understanding…”

“And because of the system in the modern world…”

“I’m the ruler who rules from the bottom of the bow… And you’re the cabinet minister who actually manages the government and presides over the overall situation!”

Zhang Hui’s eyes were burning as he listened, as if he had grasped the main point.

He looked at Zhuang Qiu’s small face and asked, “So… This is what you said, even if the Lord of Mount Tai returns… it will no longer be the Lord of Mount Tai?”

Zhuang Qiu nodded, “The underworld is an existence that is closely related to the present world…”

“The underworld is the mirror of the present world. Everything in the present world will reflect the underworld…”

“Thus, in the pre-Qin era, Lord of Mount Tai was called Uncle Ghost…”

“And after Han, he was called Lord of Mount Tai…”

“Until the end, he went through chaos…”

“The so-called Uncle Ghost, the Fang Uncle of Shang and Zhou, the feudal vassals…”

“And the so-called Lord of Mount Tai, the Governor of Han and the prefecture overseer are the same!”

“Even in the Federal Empire, even it would be easy for the Emperor but still he would appoint talented people…”

“Naturally, underworld will also reflect…”

She said seriously, “This is the rule!”

“It cannot be changed!”

“Now, I can appoint mister because the underworld has not yet completely reflected reality…”

“In a few more years, I feel that the judges and judges of the underworld… will also be like the present world…”

“There will be Gonghe and Datong Party…”

“The Council of Ministers…”

“Maybe there will be an election…”

Zhang Hui was stunned.

He had never thought that the underworld would be like this.

Thus, he quickly thought of it.

“Then, will Land of Qin and underworld of Kunlun State also have such a change?”

Zhuang Qiu shook his head, “I’m not sure…”

“Perhaps, they have another set of rules…”

“I can feel it…”

“Under the yellow sand, the sleeping ghosts and Gods are breathing the scent of the desert…”

“I can feel it…”

“At the foot of Mount Olympus, the rolling River Styx is beating the Aegean Sea…”

“I can feel it too…”

“The ghosts and Gods that have turned into countless flies are flying in the cracks between the present world and Hell…”

“And in that huge pit, the nine-headed lizards that are shackled are slowly breathing in the sins and sins of the world..

“They may be the same as us… or they may be different..”

“But… I know that they will act according to the rules.”

“The rules that have long been laid down…”

“The anchor that builds existence, the cornerstone that maintains balance!”

Zhang Hui’s eyes lit up as he listened.

He felt that this information might be able to provide a huge benefit to the Federal Empire!

Just as he was listening, the mister who was floating in the Netherworld said, “General, I’ve specially asked Little Zhuang to invite you over this time because I have something to tell you…”

Zhang Hui quickly said, “Please speak, Mister!”

The mister said, “Now that the City God Temple has been established, I have been ordered by the City God to be the judge!”

“From now on, if there are any deceased souls lingering in the imperial capital, they will be dealt with by us…”

“I hope that I can obtain the authorization of the Federal Empire’s cabinet, the Council of Ministers, and especially the Emperor!”

“Hmm?” Zhang Hui did not understand.

Since when did the legend of underworld require the approval of the world of the living?

Wasn’t the government of the world of the living an eraser?

The mister said, “These are the rules!”

“At first, I was just as shocked as the General!”

“But… I finally figured it out…”

“General Zhang… you should know that the legend that invaded the Federal Empire… is mainly the legend of the mountains and seas…”

“And in the legend of the mountains and seas…”

“The son of Heaven is also the Heavenly Emperor!”

“He wields the rule of heaven and wields life and death!”

“The Gods are bestowed by him and the underworld is forgiven!”

“The underworld are nothing more than the eagles and hounds of the Emperor!”

“So…” the mister laughed, “Although we are the officials of the underworld…”

“But… we are still colleagues!”

“The City God of underworld can also become the underworld department under the Blackguard!”

“They can formulate the laws of the underworld to conform to the morals, laws and systems of the real world…”

“This is what we are going to do next!”

The mister’s voice suddenly rose as he said excitedly, “General…”

“Emperor Taizu once used ‘the heavens listen to us and the people listen to us, and the heavens see us as the people see us’ as his banner to establish the foundation of our Federal Empire for three hundred years of prosperity!”

“Now, the mission of our generation…”

He did not need to say anymore.

Zhang Hui immediately understood!

His eyes were full of energy and he was unprecedentedly excited.

Emperor Taizu had wiped out the world and then set up the ancestral system of governing after three generations of discipline.

When he was alive, he had already planned the road for the next hundred years.

Taizong and Gaozong took over one after another, inheriting the legacy of Taizu and finally smoothly transitioned the Federal Empire to the era of constitutionalism.

In the era of constitutionalism, the stories of emperors and generals gradually faded.

The era of the common people began.

From then on, the Federal Empire ushered in an era of rapid development.

During the great debates, the theoretical and ideological circles of the Empire continued to advance.

The Datong Party, Gonghe Party and the cabinet stood together.

There was also the Supreme Court and the Council of Ministers to balance the three.

In the past three hundred years, even if the spirit aura was restored, it did not hinder the country’s development and technological progress.

Now, when mister mentioned the great ancestor, Zhang Hui’s heart began to beat rapidly.

That was because the Blackguard had a common ideal and pursuit but only the Blackguard knew about this ideal.

This ideal was…

Even a God… had to abide by the law!

Even the so-called living Buddha had to be approved by the country before he could be reincarnated.

Otherwise, it would be illegal.

He had to strip away his title, take back his training hall, sever all sacrifices and beliefs and completely suppress!

It was under the guidance of this ideal that the Blackguard forbade the use of magic art without permission.

They also forbade people or foreign species to cultivate without permission.

In the Federal Empire, ever since the recovery of spirit aura, cultivating without permission was illegal and one might face prosecution.

And using magic art in public without permission was a crime!

However…

As the concentration of spirit aura continued to rise, the Blackguard gradually began to struggle.

Not to mention external threats, the transcendent families within and even the descendants of the immortals and deities who were blessed by the immortals and deities were already unable to drop their tails.

There were only about twenty or so active generals in the Blackguard.

However, in the Federal Empire, the number of powerful generals and descendants of the immortal Gods in the transcendent being families had probably exceeded a hundred!

In private, who knew how many so-called patriarchs were in the blessed lands and grotto-heavens using the ‘fasting and breath-holding technique’ that the immortal Gods had taught them, waiting for the density of the spirit aura to rise to a point where they could advance further and break through the shackles. It was the time when their Qi and blood would boil again, allowing their lifespan to advance further.

This was the reason why Zhang Hui was hostile towards those transcendent being families.

In his eyes, this was the prelude to the rise of the Wei Bo Ya Soldiers!

As long as there was a chance, how could the powerful sects be under the control of the Blackguard?

Didn’t he see that a few decades ago, a few transcendent being families had paid together and hired many martial arts writers, setting off a martial arts craze.

In those novels, the heroes must be local powerhouses who were eager for justice and cared about the world.

The villains were mostly brocade-clan guard and Dongchang.

In the books, the heroes lambasted the ‘eagle and dogs of the imperial court’ and claimed that they were worried about the country and the people.

But in reality?

They had some other plans in mind!

Fortunately, this situation was extinguished by the rise of the Internet.

Compared to martial arts novels, young people clearly preferred their own narrative methods.

The rise of online novels, especially the rise of historical novels.

Before this, the eagles and dogs of imperial court would definitely be set as a villain.

On the contrary, the so-called ‘heroes’ in the local areas were all stepped into the soil.

The Donglin Gang, who used to be upright, was stepped on by the online authors ten thousand times and spat a few million mouthfuls of saliva at the same time!

And now…

If the country could control the underworld, or even go a step further and control the immortals and Gods, killing and seizing the immortals and Gods…

Then…

Perhaps, the pursuit of the Gonghe party, the era where everyone was like a dragon, was not just a dream!

And the great harmony that the Datong Party pursued had a realistic foundation that could be realized!

After taking a deep breath, Zhang Hui bowed to mister, “Sir, I will immediately report this matter to the commander-in-chief and discuss it with the Emperor and the cabinet ministers…”

Zhang Hui knew that if the mister or Xiao Zhuang had their own selfish motives, they could have hidden it from him and the Federal Empire.

They could have built this underworld into their own territory.

In fact, they could have even used the underworld’s authority to coerce and entice people to do whatever they wanted.

However, they did not!

This was a high moral integrity!

It was self-sacrifice!

“Yes!” Mister said, “There’s one more thing…”

“This time, the attack of the Yan Sheng Sect… caused a large number of suppressed evil spirits to take the opportunity to escape…”

“Although most of them were captured by the people of the Yan Sheng Sect…”

“There were also a few who escaped into the imperial capital…”

“Blackguard, be careful!”

“Those are hungry evil spirits! They have no reason to speak of!”

“If you find them, kill them!”

Zhang Hui nodded, “Understood!”

He had done this many times.

He thought for a moment, cupped his hands to Zhuang Qiu beside him and asked, “Mayor Zhuang…”

“There’s something I’d like to ask you…”

“Legend has it that the underworld has a book of life and death, recording the fate of mortals…”

Zhuang Qiu laughed like a blooming epiphyllum in the middle of the night.

“General…”

“There has never been a book of life and death…”

“At least, I didn’t know that there was such a thing…”

“There’s no such thing in the authority given to me by the Governor!”

“In fact… all living things in the world are free… What can determine when so-and-so is born and when he dies?”

“This kind of thing is just like the instructions of the manufacturer…”

“Who else can make such a rule besides the manufacturer?”

“So, if there really is such a thing as the Life and Death Book…”

“Then, that world should be man-made!”

“Everything in the world is shaped by the Almighty for a certain reason…”

“Only then can it be like the program, with the fate of birth, aging, illness, and death!”

Zhuang Qiu thought for a moment and explained, “To tell you the truth, General… not only can we not predict life and death… even after a person dies and turns into a ghost, we cannot control it at any time!”

“Therefore, we still need the cooperation of the Blackguard and the Federal Empire!”

“So that we can bring a person back to this place after discovering that his soul did not dissipate naturally but turned into a ghost… to prevent him from causing harm to the world of the living!”

Zhang Hui listened and nodded.

This was normal. This was the real world.

If there really was such a thing as the Life and Death Book…

Then, Zhang Hui knew that he would destroy it at all costs!

Because…

The people of the Federal Empire didn’t need a thing to control their own fate!

Even if this thing was a divine artifact or even a Dao artifact formed from rules, it had to be smashed and destroyed!

My fate was determined by me, not the heavens!

How could it be determined by immortals and Gods?

…

While driving, the driver’s eyes glanced at a nearby person who seemed to be running wildly on the road in the middle of the night.

It was as if there was something chasing behind him.

The driver could not help but looked back.

He saw an evil spirit that was bleeding from all seven orifices and had its eyeballs on its nose, chasing after that person at high speed.

When the driver saw this, he was shocked and could not help but braked.

At the same time, he pressed the horn.

Beep beep!

When the evil spirit heard the sound, it immediately turned its head and looked at the car that had come to this street in the middle of the night.

It stuck out its tongue.

“Stranger… Stranger…”

It floated over.

The driver was terrified.

“My life is over!”

But…

“Ah!” The moment the evil spirit got close to the car.

On the car, a golden light flashed.

It was like a sharp sword crossing the sky.

It was like the roar of a dragon or a tiger.

The evil spirit was like ice and snow that met the sunlight. It turned into a wisp of green smoke and was vaporized in an instant.

Only a pile of green ashes was left on the ground.

The driver patted his chest, “I almost forgot…”

“An immortal had empowered my car!”

“What an immortal method!”

He opened the car door and looked at the ashes on the ground.

It was just a thin pile of ashes.

It looked like paper ashes, but it felt surreal.

At this moment, a few men in black jumped down from the roofs of the buildings.

They looked at the driver and then at the ashes on the ground.

After a moment of confusion, someone came over and took out their documents, “Hello, we are the Federal Empire’s special affairs agents…”

…

Ling Ping’an took a shower and slowly walked to the chair. He leaned against the chair and looked at the scenery outside the window.

It was almost 4 am.

The Luming Villa was quiet. There was no one in sight.

He picked up an old and simple book beside him.

With just a glance, he smiled, “The Rain and Sunshine Invitation?”

“The royal family sure knows how to do it…”

“There must be tens of thousands of copies printed. Everyone has one copy…”

He flipped through the pages and found that the pages were a little yellow. It looked as if someone had carefully wrapped the pages with some kind of thin film.

The words inside were graceful and elegant. They were round and beautiful. Some lines were written in regular script.

It was extremely pleasant to look at!

“The old technology is good!” He praised.

As for the original copy?

He would not believe it!

The Rain and Sunshine Invitation was a national treasure!

How could it appear in his place.

It was just a photocopy used by the royal family to decorate their facade, right?

However…

Even if it was a fake, it was still an extremely rare item.

After all, the work of the sage of calligraphy was extremely rare.

Ling Ping’an held it in his hands and slowly leaned against the chair, falling asleep.

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