A red glow began to radiate from all around Lan Yin, and a string of incomprehensible symbols appeared—scarlet characters that stung the eyes, floating on the surface of Lan Yin’s body. Meanwhile, Luke Ling was still airborne; he spun once in midair, steadied himself, and landed on the ground.
With a thunderous crash, the ground behind Luke Ling instantly formed a massive slope. I stared in shock as the main gate of the Ghost Burial Squad, shattered by the force that had just struck Luke Ling, crumbled into dust. Clouds of ash billowed up, exposing the bedrock beneath the ground behind Luke Ling—a huge, freshly carved slope now lay there.
"Lan Yin..."
Rachel Lan cried out again, intending to rush over. I grabbed her—this wasn’t Lan Yin’s power. Though I doubted my own eyes, the symbols appearing on Lan Yin’s body were ones only the high-ranking officials of the underworld could use.
And the dignified voice I’d just heard gave me a sense of déjà vu. At this moment, Lan Yin seemed to have completely lost consciousness. His eyes were wide open, but his face was completely calm, as if he knew clearly that he was about to die, showing no hesitation.
The red glow kept pulsing. At this point, Luke Ling seemed to realize something. He didn’t approach immediately, instead clutching his right hand, now missing its fist, with his left. His eyes gleamed with amusement as he gazed at the red light.
“I didn’t expect even someone of your stature to show up. This is truly interesting. Is this kid really worth the risk, Fifth Tribunal Yama?”
As Luke Ling spoke, he placed his left hand over his chest, bent his body at a ninety-degree angle, and bowed respectfully.
"Judge Bao..."
I stared in astonishment, as everyone present turned their gaze toward the mass of crimson light.
Suddenly, under the glare of the red light, the brightness grew so intense that we couldn’t keep our eyes open. When the red glow finally faded, I was shocked to see that it truly was the Fifth Tribunal Yama.
He wore a black official robe adorned with nine dragon patterns, an official hat upon his head. His dark face radiated an aura of righteousness, exuding an imposing dignity.
“Ha, impressive. I didn’t expect someone of your caliber to appear. Still, your power here is less than one ten-thousandth of its true strength—if it were any greater, this place would have collapsed long ago.”
As Luke Ling spoke, I saw cracks begin to form in the barrier Lan Yin had created. A powerful force seemed to seep from the body of the Fifth Tribunal Yama.
"You are all supposed to be dead—your names have long been written in the Life-and-Death Registry. Why do you still linger in the world of the living? My intervention here is not by choice."
The Fifth Tribunal Yama spoke, and Luke Ling smiled, striding toward him step by step.
“Fifth Tribunal Yama, this must be your manifestation. Even as a mere projection, your power is formidable. But everything happening now belongs to the human realm—surely a divine being from the ghost path like you shouldn’t interfere. This isn’t right, and it risks angering Heaven’s Way.”
"Hmph, stop your sophistry..."
“Fifth Tribunal Yama, we are living, breathing humans. If you want to take someone, you should go after the Seven Ghost Lords. Matters of the human world should be decided by its own supreme authorities.”
As Luke Ling spoke, he pointed to his heart, and the sound of his heartbeat echoed clearly through the air.