116: Chapter 116 The Old Fengdu, The Ghost Emperor Opens His Eyes
Dahuang Prefecture.
There is no longer any daytime here.
A layer of gray-black clouds presses down on the sky year-round, and the sun looks as if it has been buried in the earth, leaving only a dim, yellow halo.
White funeral banners hang everywhere amidst the city ruins.
High-rise buildings are broken.
Streets have collapsed.
Pitch-black rivers gush out from the ground, winding through the commercial streets, subway stations, hospitals, and schools of the old era, finally converging into the massive black city at the center of Dahuang Prefecture.
Two characters are carved onto the city gate.
Fengdu.
It is not a replica.
It is not a legend.
It is the true Old Fengdu.
When Daxia lost Dahuang Prefecture seven years ago, this city rose from the abyss.
Overnight, thirty million people were inscribed into the Book of Life and Death.
The living bowed their heads.
The dead rose to their feet.
Since then, Dahuang Prefecture has no longer belonged to the world of the living.
Deep within Fengdu.
The Ghost Emperor's Palace.
Ninety-nine bone steps extend upwards, with dense rows of Yin soldiers kneeling on both sides.
No breathing.
No heartbeat.
Only the sound of iron armor scraping against the ground.
At the end of the grand hall, a black throne stands amidst ghostly fire.
A figure sits on the throne.
He wears a dark imperial robe.
There are no facial features on his face.
Only a sheet of yellow paper that slowly turns.
Eyes, mouths, and the final words of countless people appear on the paper from time to time.
He is the master of Old Fengdu.
The Ghost Emperor.
Below the throne, ten figures stand on both sides.
King Qinguang.
King Chujiang.
King Songdi.
King Wuguan.
King Yama.
King Biancheng.
King Taishan.
King Dushi.
King Pingdeng.
King Zhuanlun.
The Ten Kings of Yama.
Each one is at the Half-step King Level.
They have no Physical Body.
They are rules.
They are part of the death order of Dahuang Prefecture.
The hall is silent.
Until the Book of Life and Death in front of the throne opens on its own.
Rustle.
A page of yellow paper floats up.
A line of crimson text appears on it.
"Rule fluctuation across Daxia"
"National Exam in seven days"
"Rule Carrier: Chu Youwei"
"Potential Rank: King Level"
"Scope of Influence: Daxia territory"
"Dahuang Prefecture: Included in the exam scope"
The Ten Kings of Yama look up simultaneously.
The ghostly fire in the hall suddenly dims.
King Qinguang's voice is hoarse.
"Someone wants to establish a new King in Daxia."
King Chujiang sneers.
"A living human?"
King Songdi looks at the Book of Life and Death, his voice carrying the cold rigidity of a judge.
"Chu Youwei, a student of Linhai No. 2 High School, eighteen years old, not yet entered into the official register of the Book of Life and Death."
King Wuguan raises his head.
"Not in the official register?"
As these words fall, all the Yin soldiers in the hall turn their heads.
Not being in the official register means she does not yet belong to the death order of Fengdu.
But once the National Exam begins, Dahuang Prefecture will also be covered by the rules.
At that time, this young girl will, in the capacity of an "Invigilator," include all the dead, semi-dead, Yin soldiers, and ghost citizens under the rule of Old Fengdu into the exam hall.
This is not an exam.
This is a seizure of power.
King Taishan steps forward.
"Emperor, please grant us permission to leave the city and sever her anchor point within seven days."
The Ghost Emperor does not move.
The yellow paper face on the throne slowly turns the page.
One face turns into another.
That face is a scene seen by a dead Neon Strange Tales before it died.
The East Sea.
Black water.
Giant tentacles drag down the Mirage of the Sea Kingdom.
A gargantuan abyss mouth swallows the Half-King core.
Below the throne, King Zhuanlun whispers: "The Rancher."
The atmosphere in the hall changes.
This name is no longer just circulating among the human elite.
It is also spreading in the abyss.
That cub in Linhai ate the World-Swallowing Prison Wolf, bit the Mirage of the Sea Kingdom, swallowed the six calamities of Neon, and even transformed Executive Jiang Xu and Bai Cang into his guard dogs.
He has not yet ascended to King.
But his appetite has already exceeded that of most Kings.
King Yama speaks.
"The Emperor originally intended to strike when he ascended to King."
The Ghost Emperor finally raises his hand.
The hand is withered, yet countless human faces are pressing against the palm.
"Because he does not yet have the qualifications to be devoured by me!"
King Pingdeng raises his eyes.
"But now, Daxia is creating a King ahead of schedule."
The Ghost Emperor has no emotion.
"Therefore, an accident has arrived."
When he says the word "accident," the black river outside the hall flows backward for a moment.
The Ten Kings of Yama are silent.
Old Fengdu never fears accidents.
Because here, all accidents will eventually be written into death.
But this time is different.
The National Exam.
This rule is too strange.
It is not of the slaughter type, not the vengeful spirit type, not the blood sacrifice type.
It is of the order type.
Exam.
Judgment.
Pass.
Fail.
Once it becomes a King, it will not clash head-on with Fengdu.
It will first ask one question.
"Do you have your admission tickets?"
Then it will include the entire Dahuang Prefecture in the exam hall.
The most disgusting thing is.
Fengdu cannot refuse the exam.
Because the four characters "Daxia territory" still include Dahuang Prefecture.
Even though this place has already fallen.
Even though it has been dead for seven years.
On the human administrative map, it is still there.
This is the anchor of the rule.
King Songdi's voice is low.
"If she succeeds in ascending to King, part of the authority of Old Fengdu will be carved away by the National Exam rules."
King Biancheng adds.
"Especially the power of judgment."
The most important thing in the death order is not killing.
It is judgment.
Who should die.
Who should live.
Who enters the city.
Who enters prison.
Who is reincarnated.
Who will never be able to turn over for eternity.
If the National Exam becomes a King, it will also possess judgment.
King Dushi says coldly: "We cannot let her complete the exam."
King Qinguang says: "Nor can we let The Rancher devour this rule."
The hall is quiet again.
This is the real trouble.
Chu Youwei ascends to King, Fengdu loses power.
The Rancher devours the rule, the Linhai cub completes the throne ahead of schedule.
Neither side can succeed.
But both are in Linhai.
King Zhuanlun looks up.
"Emperor, shall we descend upon Linhai ahead of schedule?"
The Ghost Emperor's yellow paper face stops.
The next moment.
Above the entire city of Fengdu, a giant eye appears.
That eye is not the Ghost Emperor's.
It is the Yin Son of Heaven's eye of Old Fengdu itself.
It looks to the southeast.
It looks toward Linhai.
It looks toward that city which is still brightly lit.
It looks toward Linhai No. 2 High School.
It looks toward the boy sitting in the classroom, with bread packaging still stuffed in his desk drawer.
In the image.
Su Yun is slumped over his desk.
After English was canceled, he is writing a math paper.
His brows are furrowed deeply.
He looks like he has encountered something more troublesome than a Half-step King Level.
The Ten Kings of Yama: "..."
The Ghost Emperor is also silent for a moment.
King Taishan cannot help but say: "He... is doing problems?"
King Zhuanlun stares at the image.
"Looking at the problem type, it should be conic sections."
King Chujiang says coldly: "You certainly know quite a lot!"
King Qinguang glances at him.
"Is that the point?"
King Chujiang shuts his mouth.
The image continues to change.
Beside Su Yun, Gu Lang sits straight, his face pale.
Chu Youwei is not in the classroom.
Her seat is empty.
But there is a faint trace of black ink on the desk.
That ink trace is connecting with the emotions of the whole country.
The Ghost Emperor looks at that trace of ink.
"She has already entered the game."
King Yama asks: "Kill her?"
The Ghost Emperor shakes his head.
"Killing her is useless."
"A new King will still be born!"
"I want you ten to go and seize the throne!"
The Ten Kings of Yama tremble simultaneously.
The ghostly fire in the hall flickers, and at the foot of the bone steps, the ten Half-step King Level rule figures kneel in unison.
King Qinguang lowers his head first.
"Emperor, we are not worthy of becoming Kings."
King Chujiang's voice is hoarse: "We are merely a part of Fengdu's order; to be able to manage a palace under the Emperor's throne is a grace that ten thousand deaths could not repay."
King Songdi says in a deep voice: "The throne is too heavy; we cannot bear it."
King Yama kowtows even lower.
"We wish to guard the front of the palace forever, acting as the judgment pen in the Emperor's hand; we dare not harbor thoughts of ascending to the throne."
The other palaces also echo this one after another.
"We are willing to use up this body, forever returning to the Emperor's throne."
"If death is required, a single thought from the Emperor is enough."
"The matter of becoming a King must absolutely not fall upon the bodies of ants like us."
The Ghost Emperor sits on the black throne, and the yellow paper face slowly wrinkles into a crease.
"You don't think..."
His voice comes from the bottom of the entire city of Fengdu.
"That I want to devour you when one of you becomes a King, do you?"
The Ten Kings of Yama look up abruptly.
The next instant, they bow even deeper.
King Qinguang says solemnly: "If the Emperor wishes to devour us, it is our honor."
King Chujiang says: "Our destiny, authority, and rules are all bestowed by the Emperor and belong to the Emperor in the first place."
King Songdi says word by word: "If our becoming Kings can help the Emperor advance further, then we should actively offer ourselves as sacrifices."
"Correct!"
"We are willing to be the firewood for the Emperor to ascend to a higher throne!"
"Please, Emperor, do not doubt our loyalty!"
The Ghost Emperor is silent.
The hall is dead silent.
After a long while, he slowly raises his hand and presses it against his yellow paper face.
On that faceless face, a distortion of being offended actually appears.
"Devouring trash..."
The Ghost Emperor's voice is so cold that it freezes the black river.
"Will only pollute my core."