122: Chapter 122 The Ten Kings of Hell: Wasn't it supposed to be seven days later? Why are we having the test now?
Dahuang Prefecture. The sky is always black. There is no sun here. Only a greyish-white moon hangs over Old Fengdu, illuminating the endless wasteland of white bones outside the city walls.
At the edge of the wasteland, the water of the Yellow Springs flows backward. Paper money floats on the surface of the water. The names written on the paper money are not people's names. They are verdicts. [Should die.] [Not yet dead.] [Killable.] [Keepable.]
In the center of Old Fengdu, the gates of the Hall of the Yin Emperor are wide open. Ten figures stand in the hall. They are the Ten Kings of Yama. Each one possesses the aura of a semi-monarch level. In the human world, if any one of them were to step out, it would be enough to put a city on disaster alert.
But right now, they show no sign of being powerful figures. King Qin Guang holds a scroll of the black Book of Life and Death, his face turning green. King Chujiang grips the Judge's Brush, its tip trembling. King Songdi walks back and forth with his hands behind his back for three laps. King Wuguan stares at the ground, saying nothing. King Yama sits on the stone steps, sighing as if his wages had just been deducted.
King Biancheng curses in a low voice: "Seven days." "His Majesty the Ghost Emperor said seven days." "I haven't even decided the route yet." "Why is it testing now?" No one answers. Because in front of every Yama, a black exam paper floats. A line of text at the top of the paper is as cold as a blade.
[Foreign Language Tribunal · First National Unified Exam] [Invigilator: Chu Youwei] [Exam Scope: Entire Dahuang Prefecture] [Special Note: Dahuang Prefecture has been included in the exam venue] [Examinee Identity: Ten Kings of Yama of Old Fengdu] [Do not whisper to each other]
The Ten Kings of Yama are silent. The ghost fire in the hall is also silent. After a few seconds, King Lunzhuan finally speaks. "Can anyone explain." "Why are we also examinees?" King Taishan flips the exam paper over. The back is blank. He flips it back. It's still those lines of text. King Taishan looks up at the Ghost Emperor on the throne of the Yin Emperor. "Your Majesty." "Is this reasonable?"
The Ghost Emperor sits on the throne. His black robes cover the steps. He does not speak immediately. The Eye of the Yin Emperor hangs behind him, with circles of black patterns rotating in its depths. A moment later, the Ghost Emperor's voice falls. "The rules have been advanced." King Qin Guang's mouth twitches. "Your subject knows it was advanced." "What I am asking is, on what grounds did it advance?" The Ghost Emperor glances at him. King Qin Guang immediately lowers his head. "Your subject misspoke." But his hand is still trembling.
He is not afraid of the exam. He is afraid of what lies behind this exam. The Foreign Language Tribunal was supposed to mature in seven days. At that time, the Ten Kings of Yama could go to Linhai. Cut off the path to the throne. And by the way, probe the bottom of that The Rancher. The plan is clear. The rhythm is steady. The problem is, the other side is not following the script. They started the exam early. What is this called? This is called the crystal exploding before the team fight even starts.
King Songdi stares at the exam paper, gritting his teeth: "The Invigilator is just an A-grade human." "By what right does she invigilate us?" As soon as the words fell, a line of black text appeared on the exam paper. [Examinee King Songdi, questioning the authority of the examination venue, deduct 10 points] King Songdi: "..." The hall is quiet. King Yama slowly turns his head to look at him. "Why is your mouth so asking for trouble?" King Songdi's face twitches. "This King is just stating facts!" Another line of text appears on the exam paper. [Examinee King Songdi, disturbing the examination venue for the second time, deduct 20 points] King Songdi shuts up on the spot.
King Qin Guang looks at his exam paper, his tone dry. "It really can deduct points." King Biancheng frowns: "What happens if points are deducted?" The next second, all the exam papers light up at the same time. [Full score for this exam is 100] [Those below 60 points are judged as defective educational products] [Defective educational products will undergo make-up exams] [Those who fail the make-up exam will enter the punishment process] King Wuguan asks: "What is the punishment process?" The exam paper pauses for a moment. Then a few words appear. [Pronunciation correction]
The Ten Kings of Yama simultaneously take half a step back. They don't know exactly what pronunciation correction is. But the word "correction" is usually not a good thing in the rules of Strange Tales. Especially since this thing comes from the Foreign Language Tribunal. A scene even flashes through King Qin Guang's mind. A group of Yama being pinned to the table, having their tongues pulled out with iron pliers by someone. No. This is even more embarrassing than being eaten by The Rancher.
King Chujiang suddenly says: "Your Majesty, should we forcibly tear up the examination rules?" The Ghost Emperor does not answer. He raises his hand. The Eye of the Yin Emperor shoots a black light, landing on the exam paper. In the black light, there is the cycle of life and death, the wailing of a hundred ghosts, and the Death Qi accumulated in Dahuang Prefecture for a thousand years. The exam paper shakes once. Just once. Subsequently, a new judgment appears on it. [External violent interference detected] [Examinee's parent suspected of assisting in cheating] [Warning issued once] The Ghost Emperor's hand stops in mid-air. The Ten Kings of Yama look up in unison. Parent? Who is the parent? Could it be His Majesty the Ghost Emperor? They dare not say it. But their eyes are all saying it.
The Eye of the Yin Emperor behind the Ghost Emperor shrinks violently. The temperature of the entire hall drops to freezing. "Close your eyes." The Ten Kings of Yama immediately lower their heads. The Ghost Emperor slowly retracts his hand. For the first time, he feels it is tricky. This rule is not strong. At least it is not comparable to the complete life and death judgment of Old Fengdu. But it does not exist alone now. The Rancher stands behind it. That thing swallowed the core Origin, but did not swallow the exam structure. This shows that the other side saw through Executive Jiang Xu's calculations and also saw through the concerns of Old Fengdu.
What's more troublesome is. It pushed Chu Youwei to the forefront. Making everyone have to face this exam. Whoever touches Chu Youwei is equivalent to destroying the examination venue. Whoever destroys the examination venue will be targeted by The Rancher. This is not an exam. This is fishing. The Ghost Emperor's voice sinks. "He is forcing us to play our hand." King Qin Guang says in a low voice: "Your Majesty, then are we still going to Linhai?" The Ghost Emperor looks at the exam paper. "Go." The Ten Kings of Yama's hearts tighten. King Chujiang asks: "Set off now?" The Ghost Emperor says: "Take the exam first." The Ten Kings of Yama: "..."
King Lunzhuan cannot help but look up. "Your Majesty, did this subject hear correctly?" The Ghost Emperor looks at him coldly. "Do you want to be judged as a defective product?" King Lunzhuan shuts up. He doesn't want to. Thrones can be fought for. Face can be lost. But one cannot lose a step in the rules first. King Yama sighs and picks up the black pencil that automatically appeared next to the exam paper. "Question one." "Please write down the meaning of abandon." The hall is silent again. The Ten Kings of Yama have seen this word. When the Eye of the Yin Emperor was spying on Linhai before, that boy was reciting this word. At that time, they thought it was an oracle. Abandon the old body. Welcome the abyss. As a result, now, the question has really come.
King Qin Guang stares at the exam paper, hesitant to write. King Chujiang asks in a low voice: "What does it mean?" King Songdi just wants to speak. Black text immediately appears on the exam paper. [Passing answers is prohibited] King Songdi shuts his mouth. King Biancheng endures for a long time, then squeezes out a sentence: "This King has managed the City of Wrongful Deaths for three thousand years, why must I know the foreign language of Daxia students?" The exam paper lights up. [Examinee King Biancheng, unstable emotions, deduct 5 points] King Biancheng almost snaps the pen. King Taishan takes a deep breath. "Calm down." "This is just a low-level question." "This King remembers, it is common in human textbooks." He writes two words on the paper. [Abandon] The exam paper lights up slightly. [Correct] King Taishan lets out a sigh of relief. The other Yama look at him sharply. King Taishan immediately sits up straight. "Don't look at this King." "The rules are watching."
King Qin Guang grits his teeth and also writes down the answer. For a time, only the sound of pens hitting paper remains in the Hall of the Yin Emperor. This scene is very absurd. Ten old Yama who manage life, death, and punishment are sitting at the feet of the Ghost Emperor, seriously taking a foreign language test. Outside the hall, a million ghost soldiers are kneeling on the ground. They also have exam papers in front of them. Some ghost soldiers break down. "General, I didn't get into college in my previous life because my English was poor." "Still taking exams after death?" The ghost general next to him slaps him. "Shut up, points have been deducted!" The ghost soldier looks down. His paper is missing ten points. He cries out on the spot. As soon as the crying starts, the exam paper lights up again. [Noise in the exam venue, deduct 10 points] The ghost soldier almost had his soul scattered on the spot. In the ranks of ghost soldiers, no one even dares to cry anymore.
Inside the Hall of the Yin Emperor. The Ghost Emperor watches this scene, his fingers tapping on the throne. He has no exam paper. Because the rules have not yet listed him as an examinee. This is not respect. It is a probe. The Rancher is telling him. It's just the Ten Kings of Yama for now. Next time, it might not be. The Ghost Emperor looks up, looking towards Linhai. "The Rancher." "You want to use a human girl to block the life and death authority of Dahuang Prefecture." "Fine." "This Emperor will see how long she can hold on."