Chapter Thirty-Two: The Judge of the Netherworld

Cen Ningyue hesitated, wanting to comfort the scholar, yet unable to find the right words.

“Why are you crying? Have you forgotten what my job is?” Xu Cheng asked, kicking Ju Hua to the ground.

Ju Hua, who had been about to get angry, suddenly realized—yes, the man before her was a Messenger of the Underworld. Perhaps he could retrieve Qing Shu from the cycle of reincarnation?

“Right-hand Envoy! Please, quickly find Qing Shu from the Netherworld!” Ju Hua scrambled up and clung to Xu Cheng’s leg in desperation.

“It’s obviously impossible for me to find Qing Shu in the Yellow Springs right now. My cultivation isn’t much higher than yours; how could I possibly do it? And even if I could find her soul, what then? Turn her into a ghost cultivator? Do you even have the methods for ghost cultivation?” Xu Cheng’s string of questions left Ju Hua utterly bewildered.

“Enough. In any case, you’ve reached the Jade Liquid stage, so you still have plenty of years left. When Qing Shu reincarnates, I’ll help you find her,” Xu Cheng promised casually, thinking he could use the Gate of the Yellow Springs to collect more spirits and claim more rewards to strengthen his own powers.

“To tell you the truth, Right-hand Envoy, I once used a life-extension spell, transferring my own lifespan onto another. Now, I have less than a year left to live!” Ju Hua’s face was etched with bitterness.

Damn it, why didn’t you say so earlier! Xu Cheng cursed inwardly. Then he wondered if this person could become a ghost officer; if so, as long as she didn’t court death, she could live as long as she wished.

He immediately proposed, “Your lifespan is nearly spent. If you enter the cycle of reincarnation, it will be nearly impossible to return to cultivation or find Qing Shu again. Why not become a ghost officer? That way, not only will you have no fear of death, but you’ll also retain your memories!”

“A ghost officer? Is that even possible for me?” Ju Hua considered; if she were to die and didn’t have the means for ghost cultivation, entering reincarnation would be her only option.

“Of course it’s possible. Just separate a wisp of your soul and place it on this token,” Xu Cheng said, producing the Yellow Springs Token and gesturing for her to proceed.

After a while, Ju Hua, frowning in deep thought, continued to hesitate. Half a stick of incense later, she finally made up her mind, drew out a wisp of her soul, and placed it into the token in Xu Cheng’s hand.

At once, radiant light erupted from the token. From within, a pitch-black badge flew out, inscribed not with ‘Ghost Officer’ but with the words ‘Ghost Judge.’

Seeing this, Xu Cheng thought, What kind of luck does this woman have? She was actually granted the title of Ghost Judge by the Yellow Springs. Was it because her magic was related to calligraphy and brushes?

Examining the Ghost Judge badge carefully, Xu Cheng saw that Ju Hua’s clothing had transformed into a black scholar’s robe, and the brush in her hand, under the influence of the badge, instantly grew until it was nearly two feet long. It truly seemed that as Ghost Judge, Ju Hua now wielded the power to decide life and death with a stroke, and pass judgment on reincarnation with another.

Now, Xu Cheng’s team finally had a basic structure. He solemnly reminded them, “Once you enter the Yellow Springs, you are forever bound to the Netherworld. Remember this well!”

“We will remember!” the three replied in unison, even Niu Dazhuang growing serious.

Their comportment gave Xu Cheng hope that he could finally rid Qingzhou City of all its spirits, though the goal was still daunting.

Suddenly, a powerful gust pierced straight through Xu Cheng’s chest. He glanced down at the sharp claw—likely from a spider.

In the next instant, the claw withdrew.

What kind of creature would dare ambush Xu Cheng at such a moment? Ju Hua and the others tensed, for their foe was swift.

A gaping wound appeared in Xu Cheng’s chest, but in a blink, it healed. He extended his hands, and from his palms dripped beads of viscous black liquid—the Underworld Water Art of the Yellow Springs.

The ghostly water avoided Ju Hua, Cen Ningyue, and Niu Dazhuang. However, as Ghost Judge, Ju Hua was largely unaffected; she could even use the Underworld Water as ink, inscribing words or painting images imbued with powerful magic.

“Hiss—hiss—hiss!” The creature that had attacked Xu Cheng revealed itself—a massive spider with a human head atop its carapace. The hissing sounds came from its mouth, twisted into a wicked smile.

Yet it soon realized its attack had left no mark on Xu Cheng.

Having failed, the spider tried to flee, but Xu Cheng would not let such a sneak escape. He commanded the Underworld Water to morph into a black dragon, blocking the spider’s path with a speed even greater than the monster’s.

The spider’s face shifted. It spat a web of black silk and turned to run.

“Heaven has a path, yet you refused to walk it; hell has no gate, yet you rush in!” Xu Cheng called, exhaling ghostly fire that ignited the web, reducing it to ash.

He then wielded chains of underworld flame, which shot forward and tightly bound the fleeing spider, dragging it into the Gate of the Yellow Springs, where he promptly sacrificed it.

No sooner had the four companions regrouped than the sound of countless skittering feet filled the air. Dozens—no, hundreds—of spider monsters surrounded them.

Among them was a spider the size of a small house, with a woman’s upper body sprouting from its head. A bit more and that creature would surely become a true demon spirit.

“Kill… kill!” the largest spider bellowed, its syllables crude but intelligible.

“What a nuisance,” Xu Cheng muttered, manipulating the Underworld Water on the ground to transform into long, razor-sharp spikes, skewering the nearest spiders.

The bodies of the fallen spiders formed a barricade, slowing those behind. Black raindrops fell from the sky, and each drop, upon striking a spider, turned into a black spike that pierced their bodies.

The result was immediate and devastating—the monsters suffered heavy casualties. Xu Cheng seized the opportunity to open the Gate of the Yellow Springs and clear away the corpses.

The spiders at the rear, seeing the blockage cleared, surged forward in a frenzy, only to be sucked into the gate by its irresistible force.

Delighted, Xu Cheng pushed the power of the gate to its limit, collecting more than a hundred spider monsters in a flash. Ju Hua and the others took cover behind him; with her calligraphic magic, Ju Hua wrote the character for “death” again and again.

Any spider monster touched by the “death” character first turned into a transparent bubble, then burst and vanished.

Eager to earn more rewards, Xu Cheng unleashed every technique he knew, accelerating the absorption of the spiders.

Sensing danger, the largest spider roared, signaling its minions to retreat.

But Xu Cheng blocked their path with spikes of Underworld Water. In the instant they were halted, he combined flaming chains and the Earth-Shaping Art, binding the giant spider and dragging it into the Gate of the Yellow Springs.

The lesser creatures were of little concern, and soon all were swept away.

After such an abrupt and intense battle, Xu Cheng had reaped a rich harvest—the horde of spider monsters had yielded more than ten black pills.