Chapter 34: The Judge Displays His Might

BOOM!!!

At precisely 7:25 PM, the entire fifth floor of the Phoenix Hotel erupted with a surge of pitch-black light. The circle of darkness was so vast that, the instant it appeared, the City God’s mortal statue was immediately drained of all radiance. In a flash, the black ring swept across all of Qingxi County, shattering the supernatural warning barrier with a muffled crack. Then, like a gale, it rushed outward through the neighboring cities—Xiajiang, Santong, Lintian...

Crack, crack, crack! In that moment, every supernatural defense across the cities was utterly obliterated!

It spread, proclaiming its existence, until—having swept through the entire province—it faded away in silence.

Such is the might of a Judge: holding the power over life and death for an entire province!

Thunder rumbled. Over Qingxi County, black clouds gathered out of nowhere, lightning snaked across the sky. In that instant, whether in Qingxi, Xiajiang, Santong, or Lintian—everyone, whether living off the world of the living or the world of ghosts, looked up.

“Is that... a Judge... A Judge?! One that survived? The gates of the Underworld have opened?! The gates have opened again!!” In Xiajiang City, the woman in red at her dressing table let out a shriek of pure terror and dissolved into a gust of chill wind, hiding beneath the bed.

“That is... a true Judge!” In the cemetery, the cracked gravestone’s voice trembled; a frantic hand reached out, desperately piling dirt to cover the little hollow.

“A Judge... a real Judge! Is the Underworld going to take charge again?” In Santong City, at the bottom of a reservoir, a blackened bush split open. A pale, white-haired skeleton hurriedly closed the lid of its coffin.

A thousand ghosts fell silent.

All survivors of the Underworld, upon hearing those words, were seized with a natural dread.

Just as humans fear death, and insects fear birds.

And in Qingxi County, at the epicenter, every cultivator was utterly stunned.

BOOM!

Chang Fengzi had already rushed out of the hotel in a frenzy. He was now certain: something of unimaginable magnitude was happening in Qingxi County, something they had not foreseen!

“My God...” As he burst out the hotel doors, the boundless chill wind swept his beard and hair, but he didn’t even notice. He stared blankly at the sky.

“What... what on earth is this...?”

Thunderclouds churned, a storm of ghostly energy swirled above, fusing with the lightning. A colossal vortex of spectral force had formed in the heavens. Beneath the hospital, more than a hundred stationed troops were frozen, unable to believe their eyes at this supernatural phenomenon.

“Holy crap...” A young soldier couldn’t help but curse under his breath. Around him, his comrades’ mouths hung open in shock as they stared skyward.

The spectral winds howled, sending the black-robed figure’s clothes whipping wildly. After a few stunned seconds, he frantically pulled out a compass and studied it.

The needle spun furiously, round and round, until—BOOM—it exploded.

“How is this possible?!” He stared at the broken compass in disbelief, then suddenly remembered something, dashed out of the hospital—and was completely struck dumb at the first sight.

“Heavenly Master above... This ghostly energy... it’s overwhelming...”

Elsewhere in Qingxi, on Minzu Street, a young Daoist was bargaining over something in a shop.

“Well, are you buying or not? This is already at cost!” The shopkeeper, himself a Daoist, was growing impatient. “Two thousand—genuine goods! Anywhere else and—else and—else...” He suddenly fell silent.

“I’ll look again,” the young Daoist said, eyes fixed on the wooden monkey in his hand. “Any lower?”

No answer.

“Hey, friend, I’m talking to you,” the Daoist said, annoyed, glancing up to see the shopkeeper staring, dumbstruck.

At the sky.

The sky?

What’s wrong with the sky? The young Daoist, puzzled, looked up. In the next instant, his pupils contracted. The wooden monkey dropped from his hand with a thud.

“Heavenly Master above...” Beneath the black clouds, both men’s mouths hung open, heads shaking slightly, minds gone utterly blank.

And it wasn’t just them. Every mortal witnessed this scene.

“Honey! Come look, what is that?” “A 3D projection? This is incredible!” “Bro! Come out here—look, a goddess!”

Countless people stared skyward from their homes. There, between Heaven and Earth, stood the giant spectral image of a woman, utterly still.

She seemed the only statue in the world—her jet-black hair flowing over ten thousand meters, becoming streams of black cloud. She had arched brows, almond eyes, lips crimson as cherries, clothed in a robe of vibrant silks, holding a giant oil-paper umbrella shaped from mist and cloud, painted with magpies heralding spring.

Yet her tongue lolled out, trailing to the ground—like a silver river, a thousand meters long!

Her right hand, with jet-black nails, held an enormous calligraphy brush, gripping a stack of book-like objects inscribed with three terrifying words: the Book of Life and Death.

A vision towering between Heaven and Earth!

A comically grotesque sight.

But no one could laugh.

She simply stood there, as clouds drifted by, and her clothes, face, hair, and umbrella began to dissolve into the dark sky, growing ever more ethereal.

At this moment, she was the sky over Qingxi County.

And in this moment, every soul in Qingxi was prostrated in awe. As long as the towering phantom remained, none dared lift their heads.

The Judge revealed her might!

BOOM!

With another violent tremor, a black ripple exploded from the direction of the Phoenix Hotel. All the ghost-suppressing talismans were instantly erased, melting like snow under the sun.

Just then, a broadcast rang out: “Military exercise underway. Large-scale projection weapons activated. All citizens are to remain indoors. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Repeat: military exercise underway. Large-scale projection weapons activated...”

In the hotel, Chang Fengzi finally came to his senses and shouted with all his might, “Someone—!”

“Head for the Phoenix Hotel—now!”

He didn’t need to say it. Countless vehicles were already on the move! Shadows streaked like lightning from all corners of Qingxi County, rushing toward the hotel!

Inside the Phoenix Hotel, the elevator doors opened. Qin Ye stepped out, gasping for breath. The Puppeteer was still upstairs, but he knew perfectly well—Arthas had made it clear as well—this was simply her Judge’s might unleashed. Authority... did not equal power.

Under such awe, the Puppeteer was immobilized; all seals were annihilated by Arthas’s eruption. However... if he didn’t leave now, in three minutes it would be impossible!

A supernatural phenomenon visible to the naked eye—just how much shock would this bring to Qingxi County?

And to a nation already on edge?

Who... would come?

The real leaders of the Special Investigation Bureau?

The highest masters from the ancestral temples of Buddhism and Daoism?

Perhaps he had been lucky to survive the last affair, but this time, after encountering the Puppeteer, any sense of relief was gone.

The Underworld is vast; the world of the living is vast. He was but a minor underworld officer—hardly invincible.

“But... how do I leave?” He forced a bitter smile as he pushed open the hotel doors and stepped outside. The street was deserted—one benefit of the curfew.

No doubt, Chang Fengzi and the others were already in pursuit. In his current state, he’d be caught immediately if he set foot outside. What’s more, Arthas seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber; no matter how he called, there was no response.

In other words, he could not channel the ghostly energy from the fragment of the Yama Seal into his body to escape.

Yes, Arthas had never taught him how to use it, and he’d never asked. Now that he thought about it, this must have been intentional on her part.

“Damn it...” Pressing a hand to his burning, searing wound, he gritted his teeth and looked around. From the distance, the sound of sirens was growing clearer. Forcing his battered body, he stumbled forward—but he was still moving at a snail’s pace.

There were plenty of cars around, but... he couldn’t drive!

Any ID with a photo—he dared not carry!

“Qin Ye!” Suddenly, two sharp blasts of a car horn cut through the night. Qin Ye’s desperate eyes lit up.

Wang Chenghao ran over, supporting Qin Ye into the car, then sped away.

“Heh...” Only after the car had been on the road for a minute did Qin Ye finally let out a long breath. The tension eased, and a faint ringing filled his ears.

“I—is it over?” Wang Chenghao asked shakily as he drove, sneaking glances at Qin Ye.

“It’s over,” Qin Ye replied, his voice hoarse.

No one spoke. The car sped on through the night. Police cruisers and troop transports, all crammed with armed soldiers, roared toward the Phoenix Hotel—well above the speed limit.

“Why do you keep looking at me?” Qin Ye, eyes bloodshot and fighting sleep, forced a smile.

“No reason...” Wang Chenghao bit his lip, then hesitated and said, “You’re... not at all like the Qin Ye I knew today...”

Qin Ye said nothing, staring at the car roof. After a long while, he smiled faintly. “Everyone wears many faces.”

“No one has only one side to their character.”

You can be a fool or a coward, but when it comes to matters of life and death, if fear keeps you from acting, you’ll end up dying for nothing. He’d lost count of how many times he’d truly died over the decades.

Meng Po had seen through him—she’d known she’d chosen the right person. She knew Qin Ye was used to wearing masks.

Such a man, unless driven to the brink, would always show another face.

Wang Chenghao nodded, then abruptly changed the subject, his voice trembling with a hint of pleading. “C—can you stay at my place?”

“I—I really don’t dare to be alone tonight...”

Qin Ye closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

“Qin Ye...” Wang Chenghao was almost in tears.

“We can’t stay in Qingxi County anymore,” Qin Ye said with certainty, opening his eyes. “We’re almost graduating anyway... I’m leaving. Right now.”

“You’re leaving?” Wang Chenghao was stunned, then blurted out, “Can I come with you?”

“There’s no need...”

“There is!” Wang Chenghao nearly shouted, panting. “Qin Ye... maybe you’ll laugh at me, but only now do I realize your world and mine... are completely different... I was too naive before!”

“I... I don’t think I can live alone for a while, just stay with me—even if it’s just across the hall! Wherever you go, I’ll arrange it! But I really can’t leave you now. And after seeing all this, do you think I can go back to being an ordinary person?”

Qin Ye looked at Wang Chenghao in surprise, then nodded after a long pause. But his gaze turned cold. “But before we leave, there’s one thing left to do.”

“Anything—just say it!”

“Take me somewhere. Right now.” He closed his eyes again to rest. “This is our only chance... For the next ten years, Qingxi County will be under the strictest government surveillance.”