Chapter 139: The Wolf-Lion Beast King Devours Gao Yang (Seeking Monthly Tickets and Recommendation Votes)

"I am the newly arrived spirit, Wei Xiaoping, paying my respects to the King of Hell!" Upon hearing the Netherhounds greet the newcomer as the King of Hell, Wei Xiaoping wondered if this elderly man truly was the King of Hell himself. However, seeing the man’s imposing demeanor and stern expression, and recalling that the Netherhounds had been personally received by the King of Hell when they first arrived in the underworld from the mortal realm, he figured they could not be mistaken. He followed suit, kneeling to pay his respects.

"All three of you, rise," said the elder, addressed by the hounds as the King of Hell. "Ma Laoda and Niu Dahua, you have only just met General Wei Xiaoping, yet you are already so obedient to him. To protect the General's safety, you faced fierce and formidable enemies without regard for your own lives. Such a spirit is commendable and worthy of praise! Keep it up!"

The Netherhounds, Ma Laoda and Niu Dahua, spoke in unison: "Please rest assured, King of Hell. To ensure the success of the General’s mission, no matter what difficulties or dangers we may encounter in the future, we will be grateful and self-sacrificing, risking our lives to protect General Wei Xiaoping until our last breath! Only then shall we live up to the King of Hell’s kindness toward us."

The King of Hell replied, "Very well. After you follow General Wei Xiaoping back to the mortal realm, you must act as beings of integrity. To be a person of integrity, one must sever ties with the unrighteous. Not only should you sacrifice yourselves for the General's personal safety in private matters, but in a broader sense, you must also extend benevolence to humanity and all living creatures. When all things on Earth face hardship, you must stand up and help them overcome their troubles. That is what it truly means to be a person of integrity."

The Netherhounds replied, "Yes, we will certainly follow the King of Hell’s teachings and follow General Wei Xiaoping’s commands. We will act as beings of benevolence and integrity, contributing our humble strength to the cause of justice in the world!"

The King of Hell turned to Wei Xiaoping. "General Wei Xiaoping!"

Wei Xiaoping quickly responded, "I am here, King of Hell."

The King of Hell continued, "When your new spirit first arrived at the Consultation Office for All Living Things, I reviewed your life history. I discovered that both in your past life and your current one, your character has been exceptionally noble. Especially in this current life, you were willing to take three strikes from your twin brother, Wei Xiaofan, without retaliating, just to prevent him from continuing his evil ways and to bring him back to your side. This resulted in you suffering grave injuries and falling into a death-like coma. Such conduct is rare in this world. Your natural lifespan should have ended the day before yesterday, but because your character—in both your past and present lives—is praised by all, and I myself am moved by it, I have made an exception to extend your lifespan in the mortal realm. As for how much time I have added, it is a secret and a heavenly mystery; there is no need for you to know! After you return to the mortal world, you must perform many good deeds for humanity and all living things. Your lifespan will then be extended or shortened based on the amount of good you do. Please remember this!"

Hearing this, Wei Xiaoping thought to himself: No wonder I didn't die after being pierced through the heart by Wei Xiaofan's divine weapon, the Golden Halberd—it turns out the King of Hell had extended my life!

The King of Hell continued, "These two Netherhounds will be your subordinates from now on. While in the underworld, you can communicate using the language of the spirits, but once you return to the mortal realm, they will revert to their true canine forms and can only express themselves through barking. To facilitate your communication, I shall cast the 'Incantation of All Living Souls' upon your brains. Whenever you wish to speak to one another, you need only speak in the direction of the other, no matter how far apart you are, and you will be able to hear each other's voices."

Upon hearing this, Wei Xiaoping immediately kowtowed and said, "Thank you, King of Hell, for your vast grace in extending my life and allowing the two Netherhounds to return with me to assist in my work, enabling me to do more good for the world! After I return to the mortal realm, I will certainly follow your instructions to perform many good deeds for humanity and all living things, so as not to辜负 the King of Hell’s kindness!" Having said this, he kowtowed several more times.

***

"Very good! Very good! You three may rise."

"Yes! Thank you, King of Hell!" Wei Xiaoping and the two Netherhounds said in unison. They kowtowed once more and stood up.

"Wei Xiaoping, so that you may have fewer concerns about matters outside the mortal realm while you work there, I shall now fulfill one of your wishes!"

Hearing this, Wei Xiaoping wondered, *matters outside the mortal realm? What could it be?* Suddenly, he thought of the sworn brother he had made in the Black River Prison, the Ghost King Gaoyang, and couldn't help but ask, "Matters outside the mortal realm? Could it be something in the Black River Prison?"

The Netherhounds, Ma Laoda and Niu Dahua, also suspected it might be related to the Black River Prison and asked, "Could it be about the Ghost King Gaoyang?"

"Indeed," the King of Hell said. As he spoke, he swept his left hand to the left. Instantly, a mirror-like object, about two or three meters square, appeared in the air a dozen feet away, revealing the scene inside the Black River Prison.

Inside the prison, the Ghost King Gaoyang and his ghostly soldiers were riding upon the back of the massive Wolf-Lion Ghost King. They were relentlessly hacking and stabbing the beast's back with various weapons—curved sabers, axes, swords, and halberds. No matter what they did, they could not wound the beast! The Wolf-Lion Ghost King ignored the attacks on its back, simply shaking its neck and quickening its pace as it ran forward.

Not far ahead of it, Wei Xiaoping and the two Netherhounds were ascending toward the bank of the Black River.

As the Wolf-Lion Ghost King reached the riverbank, Wei Xiaoping and the hounds had already vanished into the top of the cliff. From the spot where they disappeared, several flashes of lightning and a thunderous roar erupted, and then they vanished without a trace.

Reaching the bank, the Wolf-Lion Ghost King leaped upward, trying to follow them. But as it reached the spot where they had vanished, several flashes of light erupted, followed by a thunderous boom that knocked the beast back down. The ghost soldiers and the Ghost King Gaoyang, who were riding on its back, were all scattered by the impact.

Falling back into the Black River, the Wolf-Lion Ghost King let out a howl and leaped up again and again, only to be struck down each time by the flashes of light.

***

The ghost soldiers who were knocked down, perhaps stunned by the light, lay motionless in the black water. Only the Ghost King Gaoyang remained conscious, though he was severely injured, floating and bobbing on the waves of the river.

After failing to jump out several times, the Wolf-Lion Ghost King realized that escape from the Black River Prison was impossible. It began to smash its head against the riverbank in a frenzy until its skin was torn and raw, at which point it finally went quiet.

About half an hour later, the beast stood up and began searching for the ghost soldiers and the Ghost King Gaoyang who had been knocked down by the King of Hell’s curse.

With all hope of escaping the Black River Prison extinguished, the beast was filled with rage. It hunted down the soldiers, devouring each one it found.

By the time it found the Ghost King Gaoyang, it had already eaten over a hundred soldiers. The beast stood before him, its eyes glowing with a ghostly blue light, and hissed, "Gaoyang, I never thought you'd see this day, did you? If you have anything to say, say it now, lest you die with regrets and cannot close your eyes in peace!"

By this point, the Ghost King Gaoyang, struck down by the King of Hell’s seal, was on the verge of death. He lifted his eyelids weakly and looked at the beast. "What is there to say to a beast like you, who knows no repentance? Ha ha ha! Oh, wait—yes, I do have something to say. I am happy. I am happy that my virtuous brother Xiaoping and his companions have finally made it to the shore, that they have safely reached the land! The King of Hell’s banishing curse is truly formidable, ha ha ha! Only such a powerful spell could contain a beast like you, so you cannot go out and wreak havoc on humanity and the mortal world! Ha ha ha—"

The Wolf-Lion Ghost King was not angered. It said coldly, "Ghost King Gaoyang, I thought that before you died, you would say some nice words to beg for mercy, and I could have granted you a swift death. Since you choose this path, there is no need for me to respect you as my former rival. I shall let you watch slowly as I devour you from your feet to your head!"

With that, the Wolf-Lion Ghost King dragged the corpse of a ghost soldier to prop up Gaoyang's head. It pinned Gaoyang's chest with one foot and his thigh with the other, then leaned its head down toward the Ghost King's feet, slowly sinking its teeth into his toes—then his calves—then his thighs...