Chapter 508: Judgment of the Yama King
If the Immortal Realm is the ultimate destination where all beings aspire to ascend and complete their life’s evolution, then the Underworld is the final resting place for all creatures across the myriad heavens and worlds.
No matter how overwhelming your cultivation, how peerless your talent, whether you controlled a planet or an entire world—the final outcome remains the same: death extinguishes your path, and you obediently come to the Underworld to queue.
Some individuals, arrogant from having been world rulers in life, disliked queuing and refused to accept treatment equal to mere mortals.
“I hail from the Luofu World, a great cultivator at the peak of the Unity Stage, decisive in slaughter, having slain tens of millions throughout my lifetime! How could I receive only such treatment after death?”
The great cultivator from the Luofu World flew into the air, loudly venting his dissatisfaction, and grabbed a Ghost Officer from the Underworld.
“I can condescend to take a position here in the Underworld! Quickly summon whoever’s in charge—I demand a face-to-face meeting!”
The man’s murderous aura was terrifying as he threatened the Ghost Officer.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile curled at the corner of the Ghost Officer’s lips as he seized the Luofu World cultivator’s wrist, flipped him, and pinned him down.
“Tribulation Transcendence Stage… no, an Immortal!” The Luofu World cultivator was pressed face-down into the dirt, scared nearly to the point of his soul scattering completely.
To randomly grab a Ghost Officer and find he was actually an Immortal—was his luck really this terrible?
Jiang Li shook his head, finding this person’s ignorance appalling.
The Ghost Officers maintaining order here were all Earthly Immortals.
Even the cultivator behind Jiang Li, who boasted of being the only Nascent Soul stage cultivator in the Age of Law’s End, didn’t dare speak loudly anymore, shrinking his neck and behaving obediently.
“Never mind that you’re merely at the Unity Stage—even those at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage or Immortals must queue obediently. This is the rule of the Underworld: equal treatment for immortals and mortals alike. You just assaulted a Ghost Officer—that adds another count to your crimes. This will be reflected when King Yama judges your hidden virtue later.”
The Luofu World cultivator bitterly complained, but the Ghost Officer remained unmoved, sealing his cultivation.
Hearing this, Jiang Li nodded slightly, quite satisfied with the Underworld’s conduct—it aligned with his ideals.
While waiting for King Yama’s judgment, Jiang Li grew familiar with the beings behind him. Everyone chatted about their respective worlds. To Jiang Li’s ears, some worlds showed no apparent crisis, some teetered on the brink of destruction, and some even had only a few thousand people left, with extinction being inevitable.
Unfortunately, none of these people knew their world’s coordinates. Though Jiang Li wished to save them, he couldn’t muster the strength.
“Haha, Brother Jiang Li here really knows how to boast! Claiming you kill Earthly Immortals and Celestial Immortals as easily as flipping your hand, and that even Golden Immortals aren’t your match? If you’re so powerful, why are you still queuing here?”
The old man from the Nine Provinces wanted to clear Jiang Li’s name, but Jiang Li stopped him—arguing over such matters with these people was meaningless.
Everyone found Jiang Li an amusing character and enjoyed conversing happily with him.
After some time, Jiang Li finally spotted King Yama not far away.
At that moment, King Yama was judging the cultivator from the Luofu World.
“Dong Zhu, native of the Luofu World, Unity Stage cultivation, High Priest of the Luotian Sect, died at age 1,560. Cause of death: Qi deviation during cultivation.”
“Throughout life, killed over 13 million beings of the Human Path; taught demonic cultivation methods, indirectly causing the deaths of several billion beings of the Human Path… After death, attempted to disrupt Underworld order.”
“Hidden virtue: zero. Karmic burden: overwhelming. Does not meet conditions for Celestial Path or Human Path reincarnation. Shall suffer torment in hell, then reincarnate via the Beast Reincarnation Path.”
King Yama flipped through the Book of Life and Death while the judge recorded beside him, brush swiftly moving as they quickly clarified the merits and faults of Dong Zhu’s life.
Dong Zhu knelt, begging for mercy. In life, he had been a majestic Unity Stage cultivator, a leader of the demonic path—how could he reach the Underworld and not even get a chance to be reborn human?
King Yama and the judge remained unmoved; they had seen plenty of such people. Anyone hearing they were headed to hell or the Beast Reincarnation Path would have similar reactions.
If begging for mercy worked, how then would their evil deeds be settled?
The Ghost Officer, familiar with the routine, dragged Dong Zhu toward the direction of hell.
“Beef cattle number 11,836,790,020, Beast Reincarnation Path of the Huanghuang World, died at age three. Cause of death: consumption by beings of the Human Path.”
“Lifelong without evil; corpse consumed by humans. Hidden virtue: one hundred. Does not meet conditions for Celestial Path or Human Path reincarnation. Shall reincarnate via the Beast Reincarnation Path.”
The beef cattle belonged to the Beast Reincarnation Path beings, without intelligence, unable to understand King Yama’s words. It mooed twice as the Ghost Officer led it toward the Beast Reincarnation Path direction.
Behind the beef cattle came herds of beef cattle from the same slaughterhouse. King Yama tirelessly repeated the same words, meticulously judging these thousands of beef cattle.
Among them, one beef cattle had unintentionally saved a person once, its hidden virtue reaching the condition for Human Path reincarnation, and was led by the Ghost Officer toward the Human Path direction.
Next was the old man from the Nine Provinces.
“Wang Han, native of the Nine Provinces World, third level of Qi Refining, died at age 130. Cause of death: lifespan exhaustion.”
“At age ten, peeked at a widow bathing—evil deed… good deed… evil deed… evil deed… good deed… At age twenty-five, stole Spirit Stones—should be evil deed, but considering he already suffered imprisonment for it, this evil may not be counted. After release from prison, joyful in charity and generosity, kind to others, taught descendants to be virtuous, worked diligently, aided others—good deeds…”
“Hidden virtue: three hundred. Meets conditions for Human Path reincarnation. Shall reincarnate via the Human Path.”
Wang Han kowtowed in thanks to King Yama.
King Yama waved his hand—this was his duty.
Wang Han asked further, “Dare I ask, Lord King Yama, can I be reincarnated into the Nine Provinces World in my next life?”
“Your hidden virtue is insufficient to choose your next life’s world. Your next world will be randomly assigned.”
Hearing this, Wang Han was greatly disappointed, though it was within expectations. He didn’t make a fuss, merely turned, and knelt toward Jiang Li to give thanks.
“Thank you, Human Sovereign, for guarding the Nine Provinces, establishing order, regulating cultivators, allowing us ordinary people to enjoy peaceful twilight years. The Human Sovereign provided cultivation channels and advancement opportunities—pity my dull aptitude, trapped at the third level of Qi Refining my whole life, disappointing the Human Sovereign.”
Jiang Li lifted Wang Han, telling him it wasn’t necessary—this was all part of his duty.
“As Human Sovereign, establishing order is only natural. As for your cultivation level, the fault lies with me—I never found a method for ordinary people to break through the third level of Qi Refining. I have failed you.”
Wang Han wept bitterly: “The Human Sovereign is truly righteous! Pity my lifetime of good deeds wasn’t enough to merit rebirth in the Nine Provinces, to enjoy the Human Sovereign’s blessings and protection. I’m afraid this is also the last time I’ll see the Human Sovereign.”
Weeping, Wang Han bid farewell to Jiang Li and walked toward the Human Path reincarnation direction.
King Yama had listened to Wang Han and Jiang Li’s conversation from start to finish. The terms “Human Sovereign” and “Nine Provinces World” easily brought to mind the meeting’s content from earlier.
King Yama flipped through the Book of Life and Death and shone it toward Jiang Li.
The entire Yama Hall bathed in golden light.
Well, no need to see what was written in the Book of Life and Death—King Yama knew this person was undoubtedly Jiang Li.
“So it really is you.” King Yama never expected Jiang Li to obediently queue for judgment. After all, even the Dao Ancestor back then had directly sought out Yama to have his hidden virtue calculated.
“You know me?” Jiang Li was curious, surprised even the Underworld knew of him. Did Black and White Impermanence mention him?
“Not just me—all Ten Yama Kings know you.”