No, no, no, that’s not right…

The point wasn’t right – the point was that the female cultivator who had already been tormented half to death by the “Heavenly Mandate Records” and who they thought had been cooked unconscious, had quietly opened her eyes again and was even asking if they needed help!

Help?

What kind of help could she give?

They currently had only the “Heavenly Mandate Records” to deal with. Almost instantly, the Small-Headed Ghost and Big-Headed Ghost easily deduced from this one sentence: this female cultivator could read!

In that moment, the Big-Headed Ghost’s heart stirred.

He couldn’t help but exclaim joyfully: “You can read—mmph, mmph mmph!”

The originally excited voice turned into a muffled struggle in the next moment.

The Small-Headed Ghost wore a dark expression, covering the Big-Headed Ghost’s mouth with his palm almost the instant he began to speak, gripping it tightly.

“Read read read, read my ass! Don’t speak!”

He turned to look at Jian Chou with extreme wariness, his whole body seeming to tremble slightly.

Obviously, Jian Chou’s existence had exceeded his imagination.

Since he came from the isolated island in the human world, he was originally one of the “people” from above, so the Small-Headed Ghost had some understanding of physical bodies.

Although he knew that some cultivators would cultivate their physical bodies to perfection, this was the first time he’d seen someone who, after being boiled for half the night, remained completely unharmed without even showing the slightest sign of pain.

Those eyes looking back at him were far too calm, far too composed – not like a prisoner at all.

Moreover, when she saw the Big-Headed Ghost’s ridiculous situation, there was even a hint of subtle amusement in her eyes.

The Small-Headed Ghost could tell with his toes that this female cultivator was absolutely different from the cultivators he’d heard about from Judge Chu and others.

She was even dangerous!

The Big-Headed Ghost’s large head was almost pressed against the table, but the Small-Headed Ghost showed no intention of releasing his hand, so he could only make muffled protests to express his grievance and dissatisfaction.

The Small-Headed Ghost continued to stare at Jian Chou, but his eyes held infinite wariness and distrust.

Well.

Seeing this expression, Jian Chou knew there was still no chance.

Although everything was ready, the timing wasn’t ripe yet.

The Small-Headed Ghost truly lived up to the saying “cunning as a ghost” – cautious and vigilant, he would absolutely never trust a “prisoner” who he considered to have a grudge against him.

So Jian Chou looked at the dilapidated roof, where not a single ray of starlight shone through the cracks.

This was a completely unfamiliar world.

She had inexplicably fallen into this realm, but didn’t know where her fellow disciples from Yashan, her companions from the journey to the hidden realm of Qingfeng Nunnery, and that playful old child-like Master Fudao were at this moment, or whether they knew her whereabouts…

Or perhaps they thought she was dead?

Just this one glance suddenly filled her with melancholy.

So her face suddenly showed an emotion that neither the Big-Headed Ghost nor Small-Headed Ghost could understand, then she smiled faintly: “Perhaps you don’t need help now, but you can still call me when you do need help – if I haven’t been cooked tender by then.”

That last sentence should have been a joke.

But it was an unfunny joke.

The Small-Headed Ghost didn’t know why, but his heart suddenly trembled.

He even felt an inexplicable guilt that made his fingertips feel ice-cold.

After Jian Chou said that, she slowly closed her eyes, as if wanting to have a good sleep.

Thus, the room fell into an eerie silence.

Aside from the boiling water in the tank, no other sounds could be heard.

The dim oil lamp burned on the broken wooden table, swaying back and forth, making the expressions on the two little ghosts’ faces flicker uncertainly, trembling along with the flame.

This was destined to be a difficult night.

Whether it was the Big-Headed Ghost or Small-Headed Ghost, throughout the entire second half of the night, they were almost unable to focus on anything.

The “Heavenly Mandate Records” lay spread on the table, and both of them sat stiffly by the table as if frozen, sometimes looking at each other, sometimes at the “Heavenly Mandate Records,” and sometimes at Jian Chou.

On the evil earth of the Extreme Domain, this gloomy and oppressive night passed in this bone-chilling silence.

The next morning, a faint white light slowly rose from the most distant edge of the evil earth, then projected onto the sky filled with heavy black mist and dim yellow dust, creating a color of intertwined gray and yellow.

Across the vast wilderness, countless Heavenly Season Grass swayed under this gradually brightening sky.

Behind the mountains, in the dilapidated small village, little ghosts were gradually emerging from their houses, greeting each other with voices that could be heard.

Jian Chou slowly opened her eyes.

A few rays of faint light from outside shone through the cracks, illuminating the floating dust in the air and projecting into her eyes.

So in that instant, beneath her dark pupils, there was suddenly a glass-like quality.

The Big-Headed Ghost, who had just opened his mouth and was sporting two large dark circles under his eyes, suddenly froze.

The Small-Headed Ghost had already packed up the two volumes of “Heavenly Mandate Records” and was now standing by the door, picking up the long sword that had been leaning against the doorframe.

Holding his breath, he grasped the scabbard with one hand and the sword hilt with the other, once again exerting all his strength.

The edge of the scabbard fitted perfectly with the sword guard, seamless as if cast from molten iron, without any sign of opening.

“Damn it!”

Cursing lowly in frustration, the Small-Headed Ghost’s red eyes were filled with defeat.

Ever since being attracted by this sword and bringing back the living female cultivator to cook, the Small-Headed Ghost had tried several times, but never once could he open this sword even a crack.

Mountains of gold and silver lay before him, but there was a barrier between them that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t breach.

Nothing was more infuriating or despairing than this.

The Small-Headed Ghost angrily threw the long sword to the ground, cursing: “What piece of junk!”

“Clang…”

The long sword rolled on the ground, covered in dust.

The Small-Headed Ghost didn’t spare it another glance, just turned around: “Today we have to work again, Big-Head, we—”

He suddenly had nothing to say.

The Big-Headed Ghost was staring dumbly ahead.

Ahead was the large water tank hidden in shadow, with fire still burning in the furnace below and water still boiling in the tank.

Jian Chou was leaning against the chipped edge of the water tank, also looking at the Big-Headed Ghost.

However, when the Small-Headed Ghost looked over, Jian Chou also turned her head, shifting her gaze to him.

Their eyes met.

Crimson red and jet black.

Those were very beautiful eyes, clear and bright, without any disgust, hatred, or pain – just like a tranquil lake.

In that moment, the Small-Headed Ghost felt that if she spoke now asking him to release her, he would comply.

As soon as this thought arose, the Small-Headed Ghost was immediately frightened and shuddered.

“No, no, no, no… that won’t work!”

He unhesitatingly reached out and grabbed his still-dazed Big-Headed Ghost brother, dragging him out the door.

“What’s wrong? What are you doing?”

The Big-Headed Ghost was completely astonished, losing his balance entirely. He was almost dragged along the ground by the surprisingly strong Small-Headed Ghost, with a comically terrified expression on his face.

“Bang.”

The door was instantly slammed shut.

The broken wooden boards nailed to the door shook, nearly falling to the ground from such violent trembling.

The Small-Headed Ghost stared at the now-tightly closed door crack, cold sweat still on his forehead.

The Big-Headed Ghost still couldn’t understand what had happened or why he was suddenly dragged outside.

“We need to report for duty at Judge Chu’s place, and we still have two volumes of ‘Heavenly Mandate Records’ unfinished. Let’s hurry over.”

The Small-Headed Ghost didn’t want to explain further, feeling embarrassed.

“Oh…”

Though the Big-Headed Ghost found it strange, he never disagreed with the Small-Headed Ghost, so he followed him down the steps.

Halfway there, he suddenly remembered something and couldn’t help but speak excitedly: “By the way, Small-Head, did you see her eyes just now? They were so beautiful, just like the stars we used to see when we were alive.”

The Small-Headed Ghost frowned deeply, saying impatiently: “What nonsense, talking about stars – you’ve been dead for decades, stop talking in your sleep!”

“Oh…”

The light in the Big-Headed Ghost’s eyes immediately dimmed, becoming listless.

He looked back at the dilapidated little house, hesitating. He opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but finally held back.

When they were on the isolated island in the human world, they were orphans without father or mother, essentially two brothers.

The Big-Headed Ghost was honest and unsuited for deception, so all the scheming and cheating was done by the Small-Headed Ghost. The Big-Headed Ghost just stood behind him, following orders.

There was once a time when they were the two most feared thugs in the city.

But unexpectedly, that year Great Xia suffered famine, and their city was no exception.

The city experienced both famine and plague, and many people hanged themselves from the willow trees at the city gates and from the beams of granary warehouses. But these two were people who cherished life, and in the end, they starved to death.

So they were actually a type of starvation ghost.

After arriving in the underworld, the Small-Headed Ghost schemed in various ways and managed to secure two positions as ghost messengers under Judge Chu, giving them a small foothold in the underworld.

Logically, the Big-Headed Ghost shouldn’t question any of the Small-Headed Ghost’s decisions.

But…

When he’d noticed the female cultivator’s eyes earlier, the Big-Headed Ghost had an indescribable feeling. His limited brain couldn’t think through what this feeling was, but in any case, it seemed they shouldn’t continue cooking her like this.

In the vast underworld, everyone hoped to cultivate a physical body.

The physical bodies of living people, even including corpses and bones, were “greatly nourishing” existences for ghost cultivators.

Long-term hunger, desire for cultivation advancement, and even the practices of everyone in the underworld made it difficult for them to resist the temptation brought by a living human body. They didn’t even feel there was much wrong with doing this.

The law of the jungle, nothing more.

But now…

The Big-Headed Ghost felt vaguely uneasy, but in the end still said nothing.

He walked silently behind the Small-Headed Ghost as always, appearing wooden, dull, honest, clumsy, and loyal.

The two crossed the village, and the White-Haired Ghost at the village entrance teased them: “Did you get something good yesterday? Remember to return my firewood!”

The Small-Headed Ghost immediately put on a bowing and scraping manner, waving his hands: “Certainly, certainly.”

The White-Haired Ghost was white all over, mainly his hair, with a bull horn growing on the left side of his head.

It was said that because he practiced the techniques of the “Bull-Head Clan,” one of the ten great ghost clans, he had grown one bull horn. Once he could cultivate two bull horns, he would have the chance to be recruited into the “Bull-Head Clan” and become one of the ten great ghost clans.

Which of the nearby little ghosts didn’t envy him?

The Big-Headed Ghost was the same as the Small-Headed Ghost.

At the same time, he was also the wealthiest and most kind-hearted fellow in the village, which was why he could lend them so much firewood.

After bidding farewell to the White-Haired Ghost, the two crossed the vast wilderness they had traveled yesterday.

Today, however, they didn’t go to the Ghost Gate, but to the “Reception Department” eighteen li behind the Ghost Gate.

Like all government offices in the Extreme Domain, the Reception Department was also located in an area of vague and heavy black shadows.

The world directly behind the Ghost Gate was no longer a wilderness, but the true “underworld” – a prosperous city hidden in heavy shadows.

The Reception Department office was at the edge of this huge city, also shrouded in shadow.

Heavy black mist seemed to float above the earth.

A wide bridge extended from the ground into that patch of black mist.

Various ghost messengers and ghost clerks constantly walked in and out on the bridge – some with two bull horns, some with horse faces, some wearing black clothes, some in white clothes, and some who looked no different from normal people, even including women with alluring figures…

The Big-Headed Ghost and Small-Headed Ghost weren’t the ugliest among all the ghost messengers and clerks, but they were the least powerful.

When the two went onto the bridge, they could only quietly stick to the edges, walking forward with lowered heads.

Once on the bridge, they discovered that the world before them opened up dramatically.

A government office built of black stone didn’t look like an office but more like a Taoist temple or Buddhist monastery, standing at the end of the bridge. Beyond this office, there seemed to be many more buildings hidden in shadow, too unclear to see distinctly.

Entering the Reception Department and crossing the clean courtyard, they entered the inner hall.

The hall was set up like an examination room, with over a dozen long desks already laid out, and more than ten ghost clerks bent over organizing the “Heavenly Mandate Records” in their hands.

In that moment, both the Big-Headed Ghost and Small-Headed Ghost were stunned.

A nearby ghost clerk, thin as a monkey and missing one eye, turned his reddened eyeball toward them and immediately saw the two: “You’re here too. Hurry and find an empty seat to get busy. Judge Chu is about to go crazy with urgency!”

The Big-Headed Ghost stood there bewildered while the Small-Headed Ghost quickly scanned the room and nearly gasped.

He hurriedly asked: “One-Eye big brother, what… what’s going on here?”

Previous tasks were never this urgent.

“You don’t know yet? Judge Liu from the Life Judgment Department somehow died, and now the entire Life Judgment Department is in chaos. The ‘Heavenly Mandate Records’ business has temporarily fallen to our Judge Chu. Such important matters – Judge Chu doesn’t dare be careless, so everyone’s gotten busy.”

What a shrewd fellow the Small-Headed Ghost was!

He understood immediately and began cursing inwardly.

This wasn’t originally Judge Chu’s responsibility, just temporarily assigned, but for Judge Chu, it was extremely important: this was orders from the Palace of King Qin Guang for Judge Chu to take over this matter. If done well, perhaps Judge Chu wouldn’t have to handle the boring “new ghost reception” and could instead be responsible for “life judgment.”

“No wonder so many people are busy…”

The Small-Headed Ghost muttered, growing anxious again.

Such an important matter – if they messed it up, it probably wouldn’t be as simple as losing their jobs.

He looked at One-Eye.

One-Eye’s hair was disheveled, and his black ghost clerk robe was wrinkled. After finishing his words, he concentrated on using his brush to mark the “Heavenly Mandate Records.”

The Small-Headed Ghost put on a smiling face and carefully approached, opening a page of the “Heavenly Mandate Records” and pointing to a circled character: “One-Eye big brother, hehe, I don’t recognize this character. Could you tell me what it means?”

“Don’t recognize it, don’t recognize it. I haven’t even finished my own work. Help you look after I’m done.”

One-Eye impatiently waved his hand, indicating they should go away and not bother him.

The Small-Headed Ghost was immediately choked off and awkwardly turned away.

Hmph, if he won’t help, forget it. Finding someone else to ask isn’t hard, right?

Thinking this, he approached a pale-faced White Impermanence nearby, but before he could get close, the White Impermanence showed a mocking expression: “Judge Chu wants this first thing tomorrow morning – can’t delay! Want to ask? I don’t have time!”

After speaking, the White Impermanence ignored these two incompetent little ghosts.

Under Judge Chu, only the Big-Headed Ghost and Small-Headed Ghost were utterly useless. Although the Small-Headed Ghost maneuvered everywhere, they simply couldn’t read, and no one was willing to teach them to read – even begging their grandfathers and grandmothers was useless.

At this point, everyone couldn’t finish their own work – who would pay attention to them?

One-Eye had no backing and didn’t particularly dislike them, so his words were relatively polite. But White Impermanence came from the Wuchang Clan, one of the ten great ghost clans, and feared no one. Even Judge Chu usually had to be careful around him, so when mocking the Big-Headed Ghost and Small-Headed Ghost, he was even more merciless.

The Small-Headed Ghost’s face alternated between red and white with anger, his heart filled with frustration.

He wanted to slap this bastard twice but knew the man was right – what else could he do?

After carefully surveying the entire great hall, the Small-Headed Ghost knew that finding someone to help them now was simply impossible.

Perhaps…

The only possibility was…

The Small-Headed Ghost’s eyes flashed as he walked directly toward the two ghost messengers guarding outside the inner hall door – two black-skinned little ghosts with three-pronged forks, pointed faces like monkeys, with thin, long arms like dried kindling.

“Hey, is Old Zhang – Zhang Tang here today? I haven’t seen him.”

Ghost messengers in the underworld were one level below ghost clerks, so although the Small-Headed Ghost was incompetent and despised, his words still carried some weight with the little ghost messengers.

The little ghost messenger bowed and replied: “This lowly one saw him come this morning, but not long after, Judge Chu called him over. It seems people from the Eight Directions City came and wanted to question someone.”

Eight Directions City?

That would be from the Eight Yama Palaces?

The Small-Headed Ghost’s heart practically dropped, turning ice-cold.

It was over – their only possible helper, Zhang Tang, wasn’t there either.

And they didn’t know when he’d be back.

After hearing the little ghost messenger’s words, the Small-Headed Ghost couldn’t recover for a long time, feeling the “Heavenly Mandate Records” in his hands weigh heavy enough to crush him.

The Big-Headed Ghost also trembled fearfully, his eyes full of terror.

With no background in the underworld and cultivation close to nothing, if they made mistakes or fell behind this time…

Another layer of cold sweat covered the Small-Headed Ghost’s forehead.

He gripped the “Heavenly Mandate Records” tightly, only comforting himself: “Let’s wait a bit more…”

Maybe Zhang Tang would return soon.

It was just questioning – shouldn’t take long, shouldn’t take long.

The Small-Headed Ghost told himself this.

But they waited anxiously by the long desk with “Zhang Tang” written on it for a full half day without seeing Zhang Tang’s figure.

The Big-Headed Ghost tried hard to decipher the characters appearing on the “Heavenly Mandate Records,” sweating profusely.

The Small-Headed Ghost sat stiffly behind the long desk for ages, glancing toward the door, which remained empty.

They couldn’t wait any longer.

They had two volumes of “Heavenly Mandate Records” with too many new ghost punishments to determine. If they didn’t start now, there was no way to deliver them to Judge Chu before dawn tomorrow.

Gritting his teeth, the Small-Headed Ghost finally said harshly: “We’re going back!”

Since that door closed, Jian Chou had been sitting in the water tank for a long time.

Maintaining one position for an extended period wouldn’t cause any stiffness in her body – after all, her current body was different from when she was mortal.

But such a long time still caused some discomfort.

She didn’t know why the Small-Headed Ghost had shown such an expression – as if he’d seen a ghost, though clearly she was the one “seeing ghosts.”

Resting her head against the edge of the water tank, Jian Chou looked at the dust-covered Human Emperor Sword in the distance, a hint of mocking laughter arising in her heart.

Once the Human Emperor Sword, now in the dust.

If the sword’s original owner knew, what expression would he show?

With both hands bound behind her, Jian Chou casually moved her fingers, feeling the boiling water flowing between them, and remembered when she first practiced body cultivation.

The feeling of being unable to use any spiritual power was truly awful.

She remembered that when the Big-Headed Ghost had healed the Small-Headed Ghost’s injury, he seemed to use a different kind of power – perhaps this was why the spiritual power in her body couldn’t be used.

She urgently desired to leave this ghost place and return to Yashan, or at least report her safety to her sect.

After all, this was the “realm of reincarnation” from the legends of Shijiu Zhou.

When cultivators died, their souls scattered into heaven and earth and couldn’t enter reincarnation, yet she was a cultivator who had come to the Extreme Domain.

In such a closed environment, did Fudao Shanren know if she was alive or dead?

Jian Chou couldn’t be certain.

The village was obviously empty, so no sounds came in.

Jian Chou had tried before – the “Primordial Chaos Array” the Small-Headed Ghost mentioned truly existed and could indeed isolate all sounds. Even if she shouted loudly in the room, no one could hear her.

Everything was oppressively quiet.

“Sigh…”

Jian Chou let out a long sigh, having made her decision.

The two little ghosts hadn’t accepted her “help” – first, they surely had other ways to solve the problem, and second, they didn’t trust her.

That is to say, this path was actually blocked.

For her, there was truly only one path left: bribery.

Whether it was the Human Emperor Sword, the Qiankun Bag, or the Spirit Beast Bag – if any one of them worked, she should be able to find a way to escape from here.

With her mind made up, Jian Chou relaxed considerably.

She estimated the two little ghosts might not return until dark and began planning in her mind how to speak in a way that would be more easily accepted by them.

But before she could figure anything out, urgent footsteps suddenly sounded outside.

Frowning, Jian Chou immediately became alert.

Though such alertness was useless.

Two human figures approached, casting shadows on the window.

Jian Chou looked and saw one big head and one small head, immediately knowing it was those two little ghosts.

“Creak.”

The door opened and the Small-Headed Ghost quickly entered, his face extremely poor, teeth clenched, very angry and very helpless.

The Big-Headed Ghost followed tremblingly behind, not daring to speak.

“You’re back?” Jian Chou was somewhat surprised.

The Small-Headed Ghost didn’t respond, just walked to the water tank and carefully examined it all around, then called out: “Big-Head.”

The Big-Headed Ghost approached fearfully, trembling as he looked at Jian Chou and asked timidly: “Do… do we really have to do that?”

“When I tell you to go, you go. Why all the nonsense?”

The Small-Headed Ghost was impatient.

The Big-Headed Ghost immediately didn’t dare speak again, though his eyes still showed struggle.

He moved his feet and laboriously climbed onto the stove. His short, fat body stood beside the large water tank, looking exactly like a large urn.

Jian Chou vaguely sensed something abnormal.

Returning so quickly, the timing was obviously wrong, and they were saying such things.

The Small-Headed Ghost’s eyes seemed to hold some ruthlessness, but it wasn’t quite like killing intent – more like wanting to verify something.

What exactly?

Before Jian Chou could think of an answer, the Big-Headed Ghost provided it directly.

He swallowed hard: “Don’t… don’t be afraid. I’ll just… just take one bite!”

After speaking, he actually grabbed Jian Chou’s arm and opened his mouth wide, biting down!

Then…

“Crackling and popping!”

A series of chaotic sounds!

The moment the Big-Headed Ghost’s sharp teeth pierced Jian Chou’s flesh, countless small blue electric serpents shot out!

“Boom!”

The Big-Headed Ghost’s entire huge head almost instantly turned charcoal black.

His whole body was smoking, as if suddenly roasted.

He slowly raised his head, staring blankly at Jian Chou, opening his mouth: “You…”

He seemed to want to say something, but the moment he opened his mouth, his already completely blackened sharp teeth went “click, click, click, click,” falling onto the stove like rain.

“…”

Jian Chou didn’t even have time to feel pain before her body had already reacted first.

This was something even she hadn’t expected.

Their eyes met.

She gazed at the Big-Headed Ghost’s almost simple pair of green eyes, not knowing what to say.

But the Big-Headed Ghost suddenly looked like he’d been bullied, bursting into tears with a “wah,” covering his toothless mouth and jumping down from the stove to run toward the Small-Headed Ghost.

The Small-Headed Ghost’s brow twitched violently – he could hardly believe his eyes.

This result was more terrifying and frightening than he had imagined…

But from another perspective, it also proved that with their two little ghosts’ abilities, they had no possibility of handling this female cultivator. And if they tried to report the female cultivator’s existence to the underworld now, their previous knowledge and failure to report could very well be criminal.

Another desperate gamble…

The Small-Headed Ghost patted the Big-Headed Ghost’s shoulder but walked toward Jian Chou, standing below the water tank and looking at her with some trembling.

Jian Chou keenly perceived the change in his attitude, and a thought suddenly arose in her mind: So it wasn’t about eating her raw – it was just to determine whether they could consume her.

Her gaze swept over the two volumes of “Heavenly Mandate Records” in the Small-Headed Ghost’s hands, and everything became clear.

The Small-Headed Ghost suppressed his anxiety and fear and spoke, raising the “Heavenly Mandate Records” high and trembling: “You… you can read, can’t you?”