Dongpan left with a grim expression, waving his sleeves, and leaving behind a sentence: "Bai Wuchang, you should know what it means to let them in, so you should take care of yourself!"
Bai Wuchang stood for a moment before saying, "Wu Zhao, if... I mean if, the gate of hell really can't hold you, I, Old Bai, will send you out at the risk of my life. As for what happens next..."
Bai Wuchang didn't say anything else, but he had already revealed his intention to let me leave it to fate.
Ye Jin and I looked at each other. The latter had a gloomy face and said nothing. It was obvious that he didn't want to be annoyed by this.
But Dou Po gave me a look, meaning that I should wait and see the situation before making any decision.
I hesitated for a moment before following Bai Wuchang into the front hall. The entire hall, whether in terms of furnishings or decorations, was exactly the same as the wartime command post, except for an ancient horizontal plaque in the middle - "Senluo Hall".
As soon as I entered the room, everyone in the hall looked towards me. What surprised me was that there were four judges and four impermanence in the hall, which was obviously different from the legend.
What was even more unexpected to me was that Lin Yaonu and Sun Xiaomei were also sitting in the hall. From where they sat, it could be seen that they were treated as honored guests by the Hell Gate.
After we entered the room, no one spoke for three or four minutes. Finally, it was Lin Yaonv who broke the silence: "Senior Ghost King, what do you think about my proposal?"
"Well..." An old man in black sitting at the top pondered for a moment and said, "Wu Zhao, right? Have you decided to join Hell Gate?"
I sneered and asked back, "Does my decision matter? What I want to ask is, has Hell Gate decided to keep its promise?"
From the moment I saw the demon girl Lin, I knew that the Hell Gate must be hesitant about my joining because of some interests involved.
The demon girl Lin must have some interests that Hell Gate cannot give up, and Hell Gate does not want to be accused of breaking its promise, so it wants me to give up joining the sect. Naturally, I don't have any good feelings towards them.
"How dare you!" The Eastern Judge shouted angrily, "This unruly and arrogant person will be a disaster even if he is allowed to join the sect. I propose that the Four Judges and the Five Ghost Kings jointly decide to refuse Wu Zhao's membership."
"Bullshit!" Bai Wuchang yelled angrily, "The Hell Gate has been established for a thousand years, and would rather be beheaded than lose its integrity. How come you treat the reputation of the Hell Gate as bullshit?"
"Bai Wuchang, you passed." The Ghost King said calmly, "I also think that Wu Zhao is not suitable to join Hell Gate."
Bai Wuchang bowed and said, "Why is Wu Zhao not suitable to join Hell Gate? Please tell me, Lord Ghost King."
The Ghost King's face darkened: "Bai Wuchang, don't you think you talk too much?"
Bai Wuchang sneered twice: "Since Lord Ghost King thinks I talk too much, why not issue a ban so that I won't say a word in the future?"
“You…” The Ghost King’s face suddenly darkened, “Bai Wuchang, the distinguished guest of the Xuanjing Division is still here, don’t let others see the joke.”
Bai Wuchang said coldly: "Isn't there enough jokes about Hell Gate today?"
Bai Wuchang's tit-for-tat made it difficult for the Ghost King to step down. He didn't know what to say for a moment and felt extremely embarrassed.
Judge Dong turned his attention to me and said coldly, "Wu Zhao, are you happy with this result?"
I said coldly, "Isn't what you said incomprehensible?"
Judge Dong said, "You have caused discord among the top leaders of our sect since your arrival. This judge suspects that you are a spy from the Miao area and you should be arrested and interrogated."
"Hahahaha..." I laughed up to the sky, "My friend, you call yourself the 'Judge', but are you worthy of the title? In the underworld or in the living world, anyone who dares to call himself the Judge is either upright or hates evil. I have never seen a Judge who takes human life lightly."
My face darkened. “Since the Hell Gate is ready to take action, just do it directly. Talking too much will make people sick.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Lu Xiaoying, Shi Heshang, and Ye Jin drew their weapons at the same time, stood in a circle with their backs to each other, and looked coldly at the masters of Hell Gate.
Although there were many masters in the hall, only a small number of them took an attacking stance. The rest either had no intention of taking action or avoided looking at us.
"The Judge has ordered that the ghosts of Hell must not disobey..." As the Eastern Judge slowly raised his hand, the Ghost King sighed and said, "East Judge, forget it! We were in the wrong this time. If we continue to fight, the Gate of Hell will really be in disgrace."
The Ghost King stood up and bowed to me: "Wu Zhao, Hell Gate broke their oath, but they had their own reasons. As compensation, we can..."
I waved my hand and said, "No need. I, Wu Zhao, am not someone who has to kneel down and beg for my life. See you later."
When I turned to walk out, I suddenly heard Xiao Baitang shouting, "Brother Wu, don't go!"
I paused for just a moment, and saw all the Hell Gate masters kneel down in an instant: "Greetings, Great Emperor!"
When I turned around, an old man with white hair was already sitting on the main seat in the Senluo Hall. However, I could not see any majesty of a leader in him. Instead, I felt that he was just an amiable elder next door.
The Ghost King frowned and angrily said, "Xiaotang, how can you disturb the emperor so casually?"
The emperor said in a deep voice: "If I don't come out, the face of Hell Gate will be completely lost."
After the emperor finished speaking, he ignored the ghost king's expression and waved to me, saying, "Wu Zhao, right? Not bad, you are a good kid. From now on, you are the great ghost of Hell Gate, and the initiation ceremony will be kept simple. Anyone who dares to touch you will be an enemy of Hell Gate."
"Your Majesty, please think twice!" Judge Dong said urgently, "Accept Wu Zhao..."
The emperor waved his hand to stop the Eastern Judge: "Lin girl, are you sure that if Hell Gate accepts Wu Zhao, the Xuan Jing Division will cancel the cooperation?"
Lin Yaonu laughed and said, "Jingyuan doesn't have that kind of power. I came here just to convey the meaning of the Demon Slayer Hall."
The emperor smiled and said, "The Lin family also has a child like you who has made great achievements. You are very good, but unfortunately, you have taken the wrong path. Divine plans should be upright, but cunning plans will not last long!"
"Thank you for your teachings, Your Majesty! Jingyuan will take his leave now." After bowing deeply, Lin Yaonu left without any further ado.
The emperor then said, "I know you are quite dissatisfied with my actions. Take a look at the three words 'Senluo Palace' above your heads first, and then tell me what you think later."
When the masters of Hell Gate all looked up at the horizontal plaque of Senluo Hall, the emperor said to me: "Wu Zhao, do you know why I didn't change the layout here?"
When I shook my head slightly, the emperor continued, "Hell Gate originated from the Bad People's Wuchang Society. Ever since the Bad People disappeared from the world, Hell Gate has quietly risen up, taking it as its mission to slay demons and eliminate evil, and has passed on the torch for thousands of years. When generation after generation of Hell Gate members used their flesh and blood to push the reputation of Hell Gate to the peak, the Hell Gate headquarters suddenly encountered a ghost disaster."
"Although some masters fought desperately to escape from the headquarters, the former headquarters of Hell Gate has also become a living hell. Retaking the headquarters has become the lifelong mission of the leaders of Hell Gate. However, more than ten generations of leaders died with hatred, and we are still wandering outside."
"A sect without a legacy will die out sooner or later, but the successive sect leaders have managed to hold on and usher in the revival of Hell's Gate. The hardships they went through are beyond description!"
The emperor stood up with his hands behind his back: "Now, Hell Gate has once again gathered enough strength, and it is time to look for our roots again! But I know that our strength is far from enough. If no one cooperates, even if all our elite members fight, it will be difficult to fulfill the long-cherished wish of the past leaders. And our best partner is Xuan Jing Si."
I suddenly realized, “So that’s it!”
"It's good that you understand." The emperor turned around and said, "Have you figured it out? Judge Dong, tell me."
The Eastern Judge said: "The Great Emperor hung up the plaque of Senluo Hall, but did not change the appearance of Senluo Hall. First, it reminds us that the main altar has not been restored and the shame has not been avenged, so we cannot relax. Second, it warns us not to forget our roots. The honor of Hell Gate is above all else."
The emperor frowned slightly and said, "Bai Wuchang, do you think so too?"
"Yes!" Bai Wuchang nodded in response.
The emperor looked at the Ghost King again: "Fentian, what do you think?"
The Ghost King whispered, "I am unworthy of the name of Hell."
"Ah..." the emperor sighed, "You still haven't figured it out. Wu Zhao, you tell me!"
"Me?" I didn't want to say anything, but Doupo whispered, "Say whatever you think. If you say it right, it will be good for you."
I hesitated for a moment and said, "The Great Emperor is simply saying that if you are considering the gains and losses from the perspective of a sect, you should be aware of the sect standing behind you."
"Don't overestimate Xuan Jing Division, and don't underestimate Hell Gate. Xuan Jing Division is willing to cooperate with Hell Gate not out of morality or chivalry, but for profit."
"The Xuan Jing Division is a tiger and a wolf. Any cooperation is just trying to get the skin of a tiger. Every contact between Hell Gate and the Xuan Jing Division could be a test or even a game."
"Perhaps you think that sacrificing a person who comes to ask for help is not important, but the Xuanjing Division can analyze what the Hell Gate can compromise on and to what extent; who has the most say when the emperor is not out; the personalities of the Hell Gate's top brass, etc...."
"After several attempts..." I sneered, "I'm afraid the cooperation between Hell Gate and Xuanjing Division will suffer a great loss."
The emperor said coldly: "Did you hear everything? This is what I want you to think about. Think about it carefully!"
The emperor scolded everyone so much that they dared not look up. He turned around and looked at Dou Po: "Sister Dou, I wonder if you are interested in joining Hell's Gate? We are willing to create another position for the Ghost King."
"Your Majesty, you can't..." Everyone objected.
But Dou Po smiled faintly and said, "I have no interest in the Ghost King. I came to the Gate of Hell just to accompany my godsons for a walk."
“What a pity!”
~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you all for your support, and stay tuned for the next episode!
Thanks to Jiuai, Doudou, and Mh352305688 for the tips! (To be continued)