The Underworld.
Zongzheng Ye was using his Fourth Perspective to observe the wandering paths of vengeful spirits around him.
The trails were as clear as fireflies flickering in the night.
“Truly worthy of the Zongzheng family’s bloodline ability. This is practically a cheat tool,” Su Luan praised, watching him work diligently.
The Fourth Perspective wasn’t a divine skill exclusive to Zongzheng Ye’s patron god, Poseidon.
It was said to be activated through bloodline ability, passed down through generations of his family.
With its wide range, strong penetration, and minimal restrictions, it was practically an overpowered advantage in this battle royale map.
Zongzheng Ye smiled faintly.
“I don’t deserve such praise from Chief Su. Your divine skills are the real—”
At that moment, his pupils abruptly constricted.
Through the Fourth Perspective, a large group of vengeful spirits, radiating intense resentment, suddenly appeared in his vision.
Their target was unmistakable-they were charging straight toward their location.
Chaos.
“Something’s wrong,” he said, his expression darkening.
“Wraiths are coming. Move!”
He saw it, but it was already too late.
As soon as the words left his mouth, a chilling wind howled, and countless grotesque ghostly faces emerged from the darkness, their eyes locked onto Zongzheng Ye and Su Luan.
The two immediately recognized them as the vengeful spirits from their case?!
The next second, the spirits shrieked and lunged.
Zongzheng Ye unleashed Poseidon’s divine power, summoning the Trident of the Sea God into his hand and swinging it in a wide arc.
At the same time, Su Luan’s Moonlit Bow materialized in her grasp, releasing a barrage of silver arrows.
Her patron god was Tsukuyomi, the Moon God of the Amaterasu pantheon.
The arrows carried Tsukuyomi’s illusionary divine power, ensnaring any vengeful spirit they struck in hallucinations.
Capable of both offense and control, she was an invaluable support for her allies.
Seizing the opportunity, Zongzheng Ye immediately swung his trident, annihilating the spirits in one sweep.
“Not so tough after all “
Before he could finish, his expression turned grave as he looked into the distance.
“Rooooar!”
Amidst a piercing fox’s cry, a massive fox demon spirit came barreling toward them.
Zongzheng Ye & Su Luan: “…”
Wait, why was this fox spirit coming after them too?
As one of Su Fu’s vengeful spirits, shouldn’t it be targeting Su Fu?!
The fox spirit didn’t care what they thought-they were the ones who had killed her, and she wanted revenge!
The two sides clashed instantly, but the commotion lasted long enough to attract the attention of patrolling underworld enforcers.
Almost simultaneously, a squad of uniformed enforcers rushed over from afar.
“Capture them all!” the lead enforcer barked.
His subordinates immediately charged forward, but the fox spirit reacted swiftly.Â
With a vicious glint in her eyes, she shrieked and turned to flee.
Left behind, Zongzheng Ye and Su Luan engaged the enforcers directly.
Yet after several exchanges, the enforcers began to show signs of faltering.
Seeing the situation turning dire, one enforcer pulled out a token, ready to call for reinforcements.
Zongzheng Ye and Su Luan exchanged a glance.
“Go!”
Seizing the moment, they fled in opposite directions.
By the time they shook off their pursuers and hid in a secluded corner, ten minutes had passed.
Su Luan leaned against the wall, her divine energy circulating as she remained vigilant.
“So, the pursuers are divided into two factions: vengeful spirits and underworld enforcers.”
“And the spirits clearly showed fear when they saw the enforcers.”
Zongzheng Ye nodded in agreement, adding, “Also, I noticed the enforcers didn’t seem to be targeting us specifically. It was more like they stumbled upon us during routine patrols.”
“Don’t you think the structure here resembles the Greek Underworld? There are law enforcers and wandering spirits.”
“The so-called battle royale requires us to survive between these two forces.”
The two reached a consensus on this point.
After some thought, Su Luan said, “Since the underworld officers have fixed patrol routes, avoiding them shouldn’t be difficult with your abilities.”
“The real trouble lies with those vengeful spirits they seem capable of tracking our locations.”
“Exactly,” ZhongZheng Ye flexed his wrist.
“So our strategy is simple: eliminate the spirits targeting us and map out the officers’ patrol routes.”
All preparations for the real battle royale ahead!
As the last vengeful spirit before them dissipated, Elai indifferently retrieved Gungnir: Ragnarök.
“How utterly predictable.”
Even the pursuers were designed so unimaginatively.
At that moment, Lucius arrived swiftly from afar, followed by Marcus and Eileen.
“Chief,” Lucius reported gravely, “we’ve basically deciphered three main patterns of this battle royale.”
“First, these vengeful spirits only target their specific enemies among the examinees and fear the underworld officers.”
“Second, while the officers capture us on sight, they follow fixed patrol routes. Avoiding these routes significantly reduces detection chances.”
“And the final, most dangerous point-these spirits resurrect after being killed, and moreover…”
“Their power increases substantially with each revival.”
Elai narrowed his eyes.
So they grew stronger with each death?
What level would these spirits reach after multiple revivals in the late stages?
If that’s the case…
“Then our focus this time should be on the underworld officers.”
The trio looked puzzled: “???”
Elai simply stated, “The spirits grow stronger when we kill them, yet fear the officers. What if… the officers eliminate them instead?”
Lucius’s eyes lit up: “Brilliant reasoning! Chief, that makes perfect sense!”
“If the officers represent underworld order, then spirits ‘judged’ by them shouldn’t resurrect!”
“Test this theory,” Elai ordered calmly.
“Find a patrol checkpoint and lure spirits there.”
“Yes, Chief!”
***
In the observation room.
“Truly worthy of being Chief,” Bai Li remarked admiringly.
“While most examinees are still fleeing in panic, they’re already analyzing the pursuers’ patterns.”
Zhao Wujie nodded in agreement.
“ZhongZheng Ye’s [Fourth Perspective] is being used excellently. That divine skill seems tailor-made for avoiding underworld officers.”
“But Elai is even more impressive,” Mo Sanchou said solemnly.
“As expected of Xuandu Province’s Chief-—his thinking is razor-sharp, his team coordinates seamlessly with clear division of labor, achieving remarkable intelligence-gathering efficiency.”
After praising the trio, everyone’s gaze shifted to Su Fu’s screen..
“So… what exactly is Su Fu doing?” Bai Li leaned closer.
“Is she… returning to Chang’an to continue investigating cases?”
Silence fell-sometimes silence spoke volumes.
Yet Mo Sanchou offered a different perspective:
“Could she actually be doing what Lin Mingxi suggested attempting to influence underworld events by altering mortal verdicts?”
“But that’s a mechanism unique to the Greek Underworld system, isn’t it? Where earthly sins affect posthumous judgment.”
“Is the examination hall really modeled after the underworld this time? Could its system be this comprehensive? Does the mortal realm truly have mechanisms that can influence the netherworld?”
If that were true, wouldn’t it mean this exam paper’s setting rivals the sophistication of the Greek Underworld?
This was nothing short of a high-stakes gamble!
Was Su Fu really this confident?
If she failed….
Well, Mo Sanchou realized his worries were pointless-even if she lost, it wouldn’t matter with underworld officials from the City God’s office backing her.
He couldn’t help feeling envious.
Why did they revere Lord Zhong Kui so much?
Helian Yue stood nearby, deep in thought.
Zhong Kui… the Demon-Subduing True Lord…
In the Chang’an scenario, revered as a judge by the City God-this implied… the City God knew this deity.
Which raised the question: how?
From where?
The exam paper only connected three realms:
Chang’an, the City God, and the underworld.
From the City God’s perspective, this judge couldn’t have come from Chang’an, so he must belong to this underworld system, right?
At this realization, her heart raced.
Wait!
The Chang’an exam paper…
The Chinese pantheon…
The underworld…
They were all linked through Lord Zhong Kui!
Heavens above-she’d stumbled upon something monumental!
So this was why the Northern Sky Education Department had insisted on using the S-rank Chang’an paper despite opposition.
It had caused an uproar at the time-Tianqi High had never administered such a radical exam before.
Yet the Education Minister had stood firm.
If her speculation was correct… her hands trembled slightly.
Could this underworld… be Lord Zhong Kui’s sacred domain?!
Meaning the exam paper belonged to the Chinese mythological system!
Her gaze locked onto Su Fu on the screen, unable to look away.
***
In the Dali Temple courtroom, Su Fu sat solemnly on the high seat.
Below stood Zhang Yuanshan, the Capital Imperial Guard commander, and Wei Feng, the Dali vice minister, flanked by bailiffs while citizens observed outside.
Watching Su Fu’s authoritative demeanor, the proctors exchanged bewildered glances.
Was she seriously planning to solve this case?
Though perplexed, they had no way to question her.
“Today we adjudicate the Seven Coffins homicide,” Su Fu declared coolly.
“Summon the witness.”
The crowd and Zhang Yuanshan immediately looked toward the entrance, but no one appeared.
Just as confusion spread—
A sudden ghostly wind erupted, candle flames whipping violently.
Sharp-eyed citizens spotted shadows slithering in the corners, screaming as they recoiled.
“Order!” Su Fu flung out a demon suppressing talisman, unleashing radiant golden light.
Instantly, seven pale figures materialized before the court!
“Gh-ghosts!” someone collapsed in terror.
Zhang Yuanshan and Wei Feng stood speechless.
Wait, her witnesses… were the victims themselves.
She’d literally summoned the dead to testify?!
“This humble one pays respects, Your Honor.”
The lead ghost-Li Fu, first victim kowtowed.
“Speak,” Su Fu said gently.
“Who killed you?”
Li Fu raised his head, voice trembling with grief:
“Imperial Guardsman ZhongZheng Ye and Su Luan!”
“What?!” Zhang Yuanshan exclaimed in shock.
“Weren’t they the victims? How did they become the perpetrators?”
He sobbed as he recounted:
“Those two pretended to investigate the case and lured me to a remote place… then… then…”
“Speak freely. I will see justice done for you.”
“They… knocked me unconscious and stuffed me into a coffin… buried me alive!”
At this point, Li Fu broke down in tears.
The other six deceased also appeared one by one to voice their grievances.
Butcher Zhang, Old Farmer Wang, Widow Zhao… all ordinary townsfolk who had met cruel and unjust deaths.
The onlookers, initially terrified of the ghosts, were shocked to discover that each one was a wronged soul who had suffered terribly.
They had committed no crimes, yet were targeted and killed!
Public outrage erupted instantly:
“This is an affront to heaven’s justice!”
“And they were imperial officials!”
“Such vile criminals deserve worse than death!”
Su Fu raised her hand for silence.
“Thus, this court has determined that ZhongZheng Ye and Su Luan not only committed murder but deliberately misled the investigation to frame others.”
“As imperial officials, instead of serving the emperor, they preyed upon the people. Their crimes warrant execution!”
She declared solemnly: “However, since both are already deceased, their ranks shall be posthumously stripped, their properties confiscated by the victims’ families. Their crimes will be publicly denounced as a warning to all!”
The crowd erupted in approval-
“A just and wise judge!”
“Her Honor sees all with clarity!”
Su Fu struck the magistrate’s block sharply.
“Next case: the Human Skin Lantern!”
The crowd outside the court buzzed with excitement-could Magistrate Su really solve even this case?
Then realization dawned this magistrate’s methods were different.
She summoned the victims themselves.
Of course she could solve it!
True enough, Su Fu directly invited the victims’ spirits to testify—
“The murderer was the foreign merchant Elai!”
Gasps filled the air.
“What?!”
“But wasn’t it supposed to be a skin-changing demon?”
“Fool! That was his scapegoat!”
“How horrific! Flayed alive piece by piece!”
“A true demon!”
“Judgment!” Su Fu pronounced sternly.
“Elai, a foreign merchant who came to our Great Tang, instead of gratitude, committed atrocities beyond human comprehension.”
“Five murders, exceptionally cruel methods, fabricating supernatural phenomena to mislead the public. The law is clear: murderers die; those who flay victims face death by a thousand cuts!”
She emphasized each word:
“Though the criminal is dead, his crimes reach to heaven and hell.
His property is confiscated, his crimes publicly denounced to set the record straight!”
The crowd felt vindicated: “….”
“Magistrate Su is truly heaven’s justice!”
“That monster got what he deserved!”
Someone marveled: “As expected of the Imperial Astrologer she bridges the realms of living and dead to judge the departed!”
“This is divine justice!” an elder exclaimed.
“Magistrate Su acts as heaven’s executioner!”
“Next case!” Su Fu’s voice carried on.
“The Luoyang Bridge Female Corpse Case!”
“Next! The Drowned Pond Case!”
“Continue! The Red Silk Noose Case!”
One bizarre case after another, each true culprit revealed.
Golden light flickered as ghostly figures shifted.
In the courtroom, every case was solved, every criminal exposed!
A citizen knelt and shouted:Â “Judge Su of Heaven’s Justice!”
“Judge Su of Heaven’s Justice!” The cry spread like waves.
In a single day, Su Fu’s name exploded like spring thunder, shaking the entire capital of Chang’an.
In teahouses and taverns, storytellers rapped their wooden blocks:
“Have you all heard? Imperial Astronomer Su Sizheng held court today to judge wronged spirits, solving ten major cases in one session!”
“This was no ordinary trial!” someone interjected.
“They say the courtroom was filled with eerie winds as the wronged souls appeared.
With just one talisman, Magistrate Su made the dead manifest to testify!”
“Truly unprecedented in history!”
Even scholars immediately took up brushes to compose poems:
“Golden flames illuminate wronged souls before the court, as spirits face their accusers with deep grievances. Worthy indeed is Imperial Astronomer Su, whose judgments in a single day shook all of Chang’an!”Â
Meanwhile, in a secluded courtyard within Chang’an…
“Phew…”
Lin Mingxi set down his brush and wiped his brow.
“Finally finished this draft.”
Jiang Qingyu was also rapidly transcribing something without looking up.
“I’m almost done too. We’ll send this last batch to the teahouse storytellers soon.”
“The boss’s strategy is absolutely brilliant!”
Lin Mingxi couldn’t help but marvel.
“I thought she’d investigate each case slowly, but she solved them all in one day!
This will surely go down in history!”