Chapter Forty-Five: Judge Li

The Old Tree Demon let out a soft exclamation, then sneered. A dark green light surged from the locust branch she wielded, instantly shattering the Five Thunder Talisman that Su Ye had painstakingly conjured.

“This power has already surpassed the lower third rank!” Su Ye was shaken to his core, and for a moment, a sense of despair welled up within him.

The cultivation realms were divided into nine ranks, further split into lower, middle, and upper thirds; the seventh rank and above made up the lower third, while the fourth to seventh formed the middle third. Su Ye was currently only at the ninth rank, whereas the power the Old Tree Demon wielded through the locust branch had already exceeded the lower third rank. The gulf between them was simply too vast, which was why despair took root in his heart.

Ning Caichen’s strength was even weaker than Su Ye’s. The Old Tree Demon didn’t even bother to use the locust branch’s power against him; with a casual strike, she sent Ning Caichen flying once more.

“Underworld Officer, what do we do now?” Su Ye turned his gaze to the underworld messenger. He had originally thought that summoning the underworld messenger with the Soul Summoning Seal would be enough to deal with this demon, never expecting that even the underworld messenger was no match.

The underworld messenger’s face, initially grave, suddenly relaxed as Su Ye finished speaking, “Don’t worry. Judge Li has arrived—this Old Tree Demon will be dealt with.”

Just as Su Ye was about to ask who this Judge Li was, a shadow dressed in dark red drifted toward them. In moments, a middle-aged man clad in a dark red robe appeared before their eyes.

This was the Judge Li the underworld messenger had mentioned. The instant he appeared, a black jade seal flew from his hand, hurtling toward the Old Tree Demon.

A terrified scream escaped the Old Tree Demon. She unleashed the full might of her locust branch, and instantly, a woman garbed in dark green emerged from the swirling miasma around the branch.

This was the Old Tree Demon’s true form. Manifesting herself, she was prepared to fight Judge Li to the death.

Upon seeing her true form, Judge Li’s face grew somber.

Judge Li was of the sixth rank, but the Old Tree Demon had already crossed into the fourth rank. Though both were within the middle third ranks, the gap in strength was enormous.

If the Old Tree Demon’s true form hadn’t appeared, even Judge Li would not have dared to confront her.

The Old Tree Demon slowly extended her palm; a vast, boundless power welled up, catching the jade seal that crashed down upon her.

At that moment, Judge Li produced a cinnabar brush. With a swift stroke, a complex talisman appeared, its intricate lines forming instantly before flying straight toward the Old Tree Demon.

The majority of the Old Tree Demon’s strength was now occupied with the jade seal; she had no power left to defend against the talisman.

Her gaze deep and penetrating, the Old Tree Demon cast one final look at Judge Li. Then, her manifested form abruptly dissolved into a mass of shadowy energy, which was swiftly scattered by the talisman.

As the darkness faded entirely, the massive body of the locust demon vanished, and with it, Nie Xiaoqian, who had been suspended from the demon’s treetop, disappeared as well.

Su Ye did not notice this detail; his mind was wholly captured by the talisman Judge Li had just drawn.

The talisman’s power was formidable, its patterns more numerous and intricate than any he had seen. Among the countless symbols, Su Ye could only recognize a handful; the rest were utterly foreign to him.

As for how these patterns were combined to create such a talisman, the process was utterly beyond his comprehension.

“Fortunately, my companion jade talisman recorded all the patterns of this seal. Once this matter is settled, I can study it in detail.” Su Ye reined in his thoughts, when suddenly Ning Caichen’s anxious voice sounded beside him.

“Xiaoqian, where is Xiaoqian? Why is she gone?”

Ning Caichen’s cry rang out as his gaze settled on Judge Li. Suppressing his fear, he wished to ask about Xiaoqian’s whereabouts.

But Judge Li showed him little patience. Before Ning Caichen could utter a word, Judge Li flicked his sleeve, sweeping Ning Caichen directly into it.

As Su Ye regained his composure, he witnessed Judge Li capturing Ning Caichen, and worry gnawed at him. He couldn’t help but ask, “Judge Li, now that Ning Caichen has been taken to the underworld, will he be punished?”

“Since his soul arrived in the underworld after death, he has naturally violated its laws. As for whether he will be punished, that depends on Judge Zhong’s judgment.”

Judge Li’s gaze landed on Su Ye, but his attitude toward Su Ye was markedly different from that toward Ning Caichen.

“That underworld messenger just now—you summoned him with the Soul Summoning Seal. May I ask which colleague imparted this spell to you?” Judge Li inquired with a smile.

Only underworld officials who had reached the sixth rank or higher could learn the Soul Summoning Seal, and to teach it openly to a Dao cultivator, one’s own status would have to surpass the sixth rank, holding a considerable position in the underworld.

“The judge who taught me never left a name. After passing on the Soul Summoning Seal, we never crossed paths again,” Su Ye explained.

He had obtained the spell in his previous life. Now, in a different world, he did not know if that judge still existed in this underworld.

“It was thanks to your summoning the underworld messenger that I received news of the tree demon’s escape. I will report this to Judge Zhong; I’m sure you will be rewarded.”

Judge Li, satisfied with Su Ye’s answer, moved on to the matter of the Old Tree Demon.

“Thank you, Judge Li,” Su Ye replied with a grateful smile. Then he asked, “I heard from the underworld messenger that the tree demon served the Black Mountain Ghost King. Will she no longer trouble the mortal world? Ning Caichen is my friend; his wife, Nie Xiaoqian, was taken by the tree demon—will she be all right?”

“You need not worry,” Judge Li reassured him. “Once I make my report to Judge Zhong, even the Black Mountain Ghost King will be questioned. As for the female ghost you mentioned, she will most likely be utterly destroyed.”

After a few more words, Judge Li instructed the underworld messenger to collect all the ghosts on Mount Lanyin into the underworld, then departed swiftly, vanishing from Su Ye’s sight.

“These are troubled times for the underworld as well,” Su Ye sighed softly. He hadn’t learned much from Judge Li, only that the mortal world was in chaos, and the underworld was feeling the effects.

Even the Black Mountain Ghost King sought to meddle in mortal affairs.

“Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian have both returned to the underworld, yet the Old Tree Demon has not been entirely dealt with. I hope, as Judge Li said, she truly cannot escape again. Otherwise, I will be in grave trouble.”

From Judge Li, Su Ye had learned that the Old Tree Demon was of the fourth rank—five full ranks above him. Even a trace of her power could crush him to death.