"We are not guilty! We didn't kill recklessly—we fought and died for our country!" In that moment, all the brothers started shouting, their faces full of indignation and stubborn pride.
"Anyone who dares to challenge the Western Pacifying King—cut out their tongues first!" A burly man immediately shouted.
In an instant, all the servants of the Western Pacifying King's mansion came out, each holding a curved blade.
"Stop!" At that moment, Ryan didn't hesitate. He stood up immediately, knowing full well that the Western Pacifying King was trying to provoke Lord Yama. If Yama wanted to punish Warren Damon today, he'd also punish Ryan's brothers—and Ryan would never let anything happen to them.
"Who is it? Who's making all this noise here?" As soon as Ryan spoke, the people beside the Western Pacifying King shouted, their eyes all sweeping toward Ryan—they'd clearly been watching him, just waiting for him to jump out.
"Ryan..." Lord Yama clearly didn't want Ryan to clash head-on with the Western Pacifying King at this moment.
"Don't worry, Dad—I know what I'm doing!" Ryan nodded to Lord Yama, then turned to the Western Pacifying King and his ghostly crowd, sneering: "It's me, Ryan Ling—the one who just beat Warren Damon with Nascent Soul power!"
"You? How dare you!" Instantly, two top experts at sixth-layer Thunder Tribulation glared fiercely at him, their overwhelming auras surging through the hall.
"What's the rush? Kid, you really dare to talk like that—maybe I've underestimated you!" The Western Pacifying King smiled slightly, eyes fixed on Ryan. "Go ahead, say your piece. I'll give you one chance!"
"Let's not beat around the bush—I'm willing to drop the whole Warren Damon thing. You let my brothers go, and we're even!" Ryan shot back immediately.
"Even? Hahaha!" The Western Pacifying King burst out laughing the moment he heard that.
The other lackeys around him all started laughing too.
"He actually wants to call it even with our Western Pacifying King? Has he even looked in the mirror lately? Who does he think he is?" one of the lackeys immediately jeered.
At that moment, Lord Yama finally couldn't hold back. He stepped up behind Ryan and said, "So who do you think I am? Shouting and making a scene in my presence—have you all forgotten your manners? Are you kings now too? When you see me, why aren't you kneeling?"
"You?" The Western Pacifying King's servants clearly weren't happy about that.
"Kneel now, unless you want to start a rebellion!" As Lord Yama spoke, he unleashed his supreme Thunder Tribulation power.
"Brother Yama, do you really care that much about this mortal brat? Are you willing to tear things up with me for his sake?" The Western Pacifying King's face darkened as he stared at Lord Yama. It looked like this long-brewing showdown was about to explode!
"That's right! He's not just my son—he's the future King of Hell!" Lord Yama snorted coldly. "If you're willing, Western Pacifying King, let's do what my son said: I'll let Warren Damon go, you release these warriors who died for their country. Plenty of Yama Kings and Ghost Emperors are watching—if you throw all these loyal Huaxia heroes into Hell, how do you think they'll see you? Will they still support you the way they do now?"
As soon as Lord Yama finished, Warren Damon—who'd already been swept out of the Yama Hall—was suddenly clutched in his palm, babbling in pain and looking utterly miserable!
"If you refuse, I'll crush your precious son right now and scatter his soul to oblivion. After all the things he's done, not only would nobody object—they'd probably cheer!" As Lord Yama finished, a wave of killing intent boiled over his head.
"Fine. Well played, Brother Yama—you win this round!" The Western Pacifying King gritted his teeth.
"Your Majesty, are we really just letting this go?" One of the servants still looked unhappy.
"Enough! Shut up!" The Western Pacifying King roared, glaring at the rest of his servants. Instantly, Li Jianguo, Xue Yue, and the others were sent back, and the lackeys who'd been planning to harm them all backed off.
"Western Pacifying King, don't go too far down this road. If you're willing to change, we're still brothers!" Lord Yama finished, slowly letting go of Warren Damon.
"Alright, I'll think about it!" The Western Pacifying King snorted coldly, then left with all his men and his unlucky son—Warren Damon—vanishing from sight.
But as he left, the Western Pacifying King couldn't help but shoot Ryan a look. Clearly, he wasn't going to let this go—and there might be even bigger payback coming down the line!
"Did we win? Does this mean I don't have to marry that loser Wu Yinxiong?" Seeing the Western Pacifying King leave, Zoe Zhong jumped up in excitement, as happy as a flower. She was so beautiful in her joy that Ryan's heart skipped a beat.
"We won, of course we won!" Marshal Zhong Kui shouted, clearly thrilled. After years of open and secret struggles with the Western Pacifying King, this showdown was the most satisfying yet—the first time the King had ever bowed his head.
Lord Yama just nodded slightly, but he wasn't overly excited. He knew full well that the Western Pacifying King's quick surrender today wasn't because of his own pressure. After all, the King's backing was far stronger—just the Thunder Tribulation experts he'd brought could've wiped out everyone in the Yama Hall.
Maybe it was something he saw—or maybe it was the strange aura on his foster son Ryan Ling. That aura was utterly mysterious, and packed with terrifying power!
That was the real reason the Western Pacifying King left so quietly.
His son really was extraordinary—clearly, his future achievements would be limitless!
"Brothers, it's safe now. I'll send you back to the mortal world right away!" Ryan turned to Li Jianguo, Xue Yue, and the others. Being able to protect them and help them return to life was what made him happiest today.
"What's the rush, Ryan? Today's our wedding day! Tonight we're supposed to mess around in the bridal chamber, so why rush your brothers off? Let them stay another day—it's no big deal!" Zoe Zhong immediately piped up.
"That's right, brother-in-law! Don't worry, I've already asked the City God to take care of things in the mortal world—their bodies will be fine. One more night here won't hurt, and it'll liven things up! We haven't had this much fun in ages!" Marshal Zhong Kui laughed, looking for all the world like a happy kid.
"It's fine, brother. We'll stay for one more night. After all, today's your big day—and Zoe Zhong is a great girl!" Li Jianguo chimed in.
"That's right—Zoe Zhong's gorgeous! Brother, you're one lucky guy!" Xue Yue added with a grin.
"Haha, you two have great taste! Tonight, you guys have to drink plenty of wine!" Zoe Zhong was thrilled. As soon as she spoke, the entire Yama Hall transformed—lanterns, decorations, and fine wine everywhere. Beautiful female ghosts carried all kinds of dishes, music and fireworks filled the air, and the festive atmosphere instantly swept through the whole Netherworld.
Lord Yama was overjoyed, even pulling Ryan aside to say he wanted a fat grandson as soon as possible.
Ryan was speechless, but Zoe Zhong agreed quickly—she said they'd try tonight, and if once didn't work, they'd go for two or three times.
Marshal Zhong Kui hurriedly chimed in, "Take it easy, she's still a virgin—don't be too rough!"
Hearing that, Ryan wanted to smack him. If Zoe Zhong's a virgin, then there aren't any wolf girls left in the world!
Soon, everyone was drunk. Zoe Zhong slowly came over to Ryan, snuggled up to him, and shyly said, "Thank you, Ryan—thank you for standing up for me today!"
"No, it was just what I had to do!" Ryan almost didn't know how to respond to Zoe Zhong's words.
"Alright, it's getting late—we should get some rest. Tonight I'm yours, you can do whatever you want, just go easy on me, I'm really still a virgin!" Zoe Zhong said, swaying her hips as she walked toward the room.
Ryan gulped hard, staring at her curvy figure as a wave of desire surged in his heart. He had only one thought in his mind—pants off, get to work!