Chapter 1 A New Beginning

In the void darkness, came the sounds of celestial music.

The power of wishes coalesced, and Lei Wang opened his eyes, beholding the magnificent palaces.

Before him stood countless officials, half-bowed, hands hidden in their sleeves, gazing from where he appeared towards a distant, vast world: buildings and houses, great rivers and stone bridges, artisans and commoners, bustling with life.

"I was set up. I've come here after all."

This world of the dead had become like this. The Song court's words were indeed true. Though he died, he was not entirely dead, as long as his name and birth date were recorded in the Book of Life and Death...

What were the Three Books of Life and Death?

They did not merely govern whether a person's lifespan in the Yang world had ended. When necessary, Sun Wukong's methods from *Journey to the West* could also be employed.

Stealing the power of Dongyue from the temples of the human world, seizing the Three Books of Life and Death, that was the opportunity in the underworld. The current underworld could truly "make you die at midnight and not let you live past dawn," or "add new years to a life not yet ended."

The living could find life in death, and the dead could live again.

What difference was there between the Yin and Yang realms? The great Dharma realm of this underworld seemed to be fully formed.

Lei Wang sighed, and one of the officials stepped forward: "The Three Celestial Sovereigns have been waiting for a long time. Today, Lei Wang has descended to this place, adding another great general to our underworld."

"You knew long ago that my death was inevitable?" Lei Wang looked at the celestial official and suddenly asked, "Tell me... did the people of Wanshou Palace tamper with the Book of Life and Death!"

"My name and birth date are written on it. Perhaps my death was orchestrated by you. The last time you came here, our conversation was unpleasant. If I hadn't considered the possibility of a true life-or-death crisis in the future, I wouldn't have left a contingency with you."

"How could that be?" The celestial official stroked his beard and said slowly, "If a celestial's lifespan could be so easily altered, we would have returned to the human world long ago. Why would we linger in this land of the dead?"

"Those who can alter the fate of celestials, as far as we know, are only the powerful figures behind Biyou Palace, the great Confucian expert known as Chang Le Lao."

Lei Wang was puzzled: "Confucianism... meddling with me, making me a vessel for the thunder ghost, turning me into a container for the power of the Leizu Tianzun? The Thunder Law scroll I obtained in the past was deliberately given to me? I declared myself the Nine Heavens Leizu Yuqing Zhenwang descended to earth, and now I have truly become a vessel for the Celestial Lord."

"But Leizu Tianzun is a Taoist deity. Does Confucianism want to obtain the orthodox Heavenly Thunder Law of Taoism?"

"Not exactly. It seems that the people of Biyou Palace want to establish themselves independently, so they are using the opportunity of this Heavenly Heart War to seize the treasured scriptures of the Thunder Department Tianzun... wanting to transform into a celestial being. People have done this before, it's not surprising."

"However, becoming a celestial being in death is a different concept from transforming into a celestial being while alive. Zhang Daoling died and transformed into the Ancestral Celestial Master, and only after generations of offerings from the Celestial Master's Mansion did such a great deity emerge. Other sects followed suit, and the great celestial masters were able to enter the celestial ranks."

"Living people receiving the position of a celestial being is not the same as becoming the celestial being... the key lies in becoming the celestial being's true form, the spirit tablet... it should have disappeared by now."

…The celestial officials led Lei Wang towards the depths of the Wanshou Immortal Palace. Lei Wang asked, "Speaking of which, you people are also from Confucianism. Even if you have become ghost immortals, doesn't Confucianism accept you?"

The celestial official slowed his pace, and the hollow eyes of the surrounding celestial officials all flickered with dark flames.

"The Zhaoming World, the world of the other shore... is a righteous and bright world of vastness and integrity, and naturally cannot accommodate sinners like us."

"When one group fails, another group is replaced. We are the failed group. If we want to be reaccepted by the Zhaoming World, we must kill the current group of Confucianists in the Yang world, only then will our value be revealed."

"Otherwise, we cannot enter."

The celestial official sighed: "To have a place in history is to have a position in the Zhaoming World. Losers have no position. Confucianism has existed since the Han Dynasty and has its own set of promotion methods. It suppresses the other schools of thought, including Taoism and Buddhism. Among the three teachings, Confucianism is the leader, and it cannot be shaken."

Lei Wang entered the deep palace, and Tian Luo Wang appeared to welcome him, beaming with joy, and repeatedly claiming that he had gained a powerful general.

"The Lei Law is extremely strong and Yang in nature. Now that I have fallen into the underworld, my physical body has been destroyed, leaving only a celestial soul with immortal cultivation. Where is the strength to speak of? Now I can't even use the Lei Law."

Lei Wang smiled wryly, but Tian Luo Wang laughed and said, "There's no need to worry about that. Thunder still exists in the underworld. I will fetch you a piece of thunder-struck wood to shape a body."

"Heaven and earth are divided into Yin and Yang, and thunder also has Yin and Yang aspects. During the Tang Dynasty, some people cultivated 'Yin Thunder' and 'Karma Wind,' both of which are supreme methods of ghost immortals. Since you have entered my Yin court, you should become a great general and cultivate this technique."

Lei Wang was greatly surprised. Tian Luo Wang was also in a good mood, but he quickly asked about the details of the battle in the human world. The methods of the Heavenly Heart experts were magnificent and beyond the comprehension of their chaotic immortals.

The Yuan Emperor was not here, and the great venerables in the Jingling Palace had not fully awakened. When it came to top experts like the Great Sun Tathagata, they had no way to investigate.

"That person repelled the Great Sun Tathagata... truly remarkable."

"The Buddha Ghost... possessed by the Great Sun Tathagata, is probably dead."

Lei Wang recounted what he had seen and heard in the human world. Although he was dragged into a dream by the Donghua Immortal Maiden, he could still see parts of the battle outside the dream. The power of the Heavenly Heart affected the true and the false, even dreams were affected.

Upon learning the result and some of the details of this battle, Tian Luo Wang could not help but fall silent. His brows furrowed instantly, and a look of worry filled his face.

Previously, the Chaotian Hou was killed, but now it had been refined into one of the incarnations of the Arctic True Person, the plunder of the Eighteen Hells had stopped, and there was no way to continue. Now, Ji Xiang had also repelled the Heavenly Heart expert, and his strength had grown to a terrifying level.

Of course, Lei Wang did not know how the Great Sun Tathagata had failed. Many details were unclear.

"It seems we must act in advance. If we give him more time to grow, we will be useless."

Tian Luo Wang shook his head repeatedly. The Yin world's replacement of the human world had been interrupted many times, in various places. Otherwise, the purpose of returning to the Yang world would have been achieved long ago.

Now it seemed that the original plan was no longer suitable.

Of course, there was one thing that made Tian Luo Wang very happy.

The Buddha Ghost was dead!

"The Buddha Ghost who cast a curse on my Song court in the past has finally become a vessel for a more powerful Buddha to descend into the world! Karma is a cycle, retribution is inevitable!"

Even if the Buddha Ghost had not truly died, Tian Luo Wang felt relieved that it had died once.

Tian Luo Wang found the other two Yin Celestial Sovereigns and told them about this matter. Unfortunately, the position of the Nine Netherworld Salvation Celestial Lord had not been found yet. The Yin world was attacking the Crow Cry Kingdom, and the war was at a stalemate, not yet conquered.

"Don't rush, the Zizai Tianzun said that a major event will happen next. At this time, we should not have any involvement with the human world."

Lai He Tianzun said, with a cautious expression. Tian Luo Wang was puzzled: "What major event?"

"The Qing Qiang Sacrifice... is about to be opened. The Tianzun declared that an ancient evil god will emerge from it, devouring all spirits to strengthen itself. It involves the origin of Taoism and cannot be easily touched. It is related to Yuqing Heaven."

Divine Mystery of the Great Ming.