"King Biancheng, will this soul-gathering envoy not come out to greet me in your City of the Dead?"
"Presumptuous! How dare a mere soul-gathering envoy like you come to the City of the Dead to provoke me, a King Yama?"
As soon as the words fell, a Yama with a horned head, vertical eyes, red skin, clad in lead armor, and with a cultivation base of the mid-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal, rushed out from the Yama Hall, glaring at Shi Jian before him.
Since becoming the Sixth Hall Yama, no Taiyi Golden Immortal had dared to challenge him, let alone a soul-gathering envoy in the early stage of Taiyi Golden Immortal. He simply didn't take him seriously.
"Bi Yuanbin, you have occupied this position for too long. It's time for a change."
"Foolish talk. If you want this position, you'll have to see if my fists agree!"
King Biancheng wasted no more words and planned to engage Shi Jian in close combat, relying on the advantage of his lead armor.
For in the past few hundred years, the merit from the Heavenly Dao had been used on the lead armor, making it capable of withstanding several attacks from the Daluo Golden Immortal level.
In his eyes, an early-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal could not penetrate the lead armor, which was blessed by the merit of the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, Bi Yuanbin chose close-quarters combat, fully leveraging the advantages of the lead armor.
"I'm not foolish enough to fight you up close. You'll get a taste of my lightning techniques."
Shi Jian, well aware of the lead armor's blessing from the Heavenly Dao, did not act like a brute and fight King Biancheng. Instead, he utilized the four types of Purple Heaven Divine Lightning techniques and teleportation, constantly maneuvering within the City of the Dead, searching for an opportunity to break through the lead armor.
Unfortunately, he still underestimated the defense of the lead armor. With the blessing of the Heavenly Dao's merit, the lead armor was several times stronger in close combat than a meditating Arhat.
As a result, the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning struck Bi Yuanbin, but it vanished without even sparking.
"I thought it was some kind of lightning technique. Turns out you're just bluffing. You're far inferior to the Five Directional Thunder Emperors."
Seeing that the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning had no effect, Bi Yuanbin became emboldened. He let go of his last shred of caution and took several direct hits from the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning.
"What a fool. How could lightning techniques only have this much power? You'll be crying later."
Within the City of the Dead, Shi Jian saw his plan succeed and mocked himself inwardly, a smile appearing on his face.
Although the lead armor could withstand attacks from Daluo Golden Immortals, it was only for a few times. With the fusion of the four types of lightning techniques, he truly didn't believe the lead armor could withstand three attacks.
"With such meager strength, you dare to challenge me? You're overestimating yourself. Your lightning techniques feel like tickles."
King Biancheng clenched his fists and lunged at Shi Jian again.
"My lightning techniques are more than just this much power!"
Seeing Bi Yuanbin charge at him, Shi Jian did not use teleportation to dodge the attack.
Instead, he fused the four types of Purple Heaven Divine Lightning and blasted them towards King Biancheng.
"With lightning techniques of this caliber, you actually expect to break my lead armor? You underestimate me, King Yama."
At this moment, King Biancheng still failed to realize the gravity of the situation and completely disregarded the four types of Purple Heaven Divine Lightning techniques.
The only lightning techniques capable of breaking the lead armor were those of the Five Directional Thunder Emperors, the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning and Propagation in the Nine Heavens, and the Three Pure Ones.
The next second, Bi Yuanbin, a mid-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal, was struck by the four types of Purple Heaven Divine Lightning techniques. His body flew backward like a parabola, crashing into the Yama Hall, his fate unknown.
"King Biancheng has been blown away. Am I hallucinating?"
Within the City of the Dead, the ghost messengers and Buddhist disciples, witnessing Bi Yuanbin being blown away by the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning, felt a sense of foreboding surge in their hearts.
If King Biancheng were defeated, losing the City of the Dead as their sanctuary, their good days would be over.
"Should we go help?"
"Are you crazy? King Biancheng himself is no match for him. What's the difference between going up and courting death?"
"Exactly. We should just behave ourselves, and perhaps we can stay in the City of the Dead."
The sobered ghost messengers took their posts at the various entrances of the City of the Dead, no longer paying attention to the battle between Shi Jian and King Biancheng.
For these ghost messengers, it didn't matter who controlled the City of the Dead. They were not Buddhist disciples, nor had they offended the Great Emperor Dongyue. There was no need to worry about Shi Jian seeking retribution after becoming the new King Biancheng.
On the other hand, the Buddhist disciples residing within the City of the Dead were becoming anxious.
The Great Emperor Dongyue and the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha had always been at odds. If the City of the Dead were controlled by a Yama led by the Great Emperor Dongyue, they would undoubtedly be driven out, which was a certainty.
If the Buddhist disciples had committed offenses during their lives, and had not, like Jiu Shu, Si Kongyu, and their group, eradicated zombies and captured ghosts to help souls reincarnate, they would also be punished by the Ten Yamas.
This was also why they had been hiding in the City of the Dead, to avoid the suffering of punishment in the eighteen levels of hell.
"We must go and help King Biancheng!"
The Buddhist disciples exchanged glances and, brandishing their clubs, charged towards Shi Jian.
"Courting death yourselves. If you had stayed peacefully in the City of the Dead and accepted the judgment of the Ten Yamas, I would have had no way to deal with you."
"But you insisted on coming here to die. Don't blame me for being ruthless."
Seeing the Buddhist disciples charge forward, Shi Jian controlled the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning in his hands and unleashed it.
Immediately, dozens of monks fell to the ground, their souls and spirits gradually fading into nothingness, completely disappearing into the Underworld, with no chance of reincarnation.
"King Biancheng, don't lie there in the Yama Hall pretending to be dead. That last blow shouldn't have broken your lead armor."
Shi Jian stood outside the Yama Hall, warily observing Bi Yuanbin.
Even though the four types of Purple Heaven Divine Lightning had been fused together, it shouldn't have shattered the lead armor, which was blessed by the Heavenly Dao, in a single blow.
Therefore, he could confidently conclude that the King Biancheng lying on the ground was most likely feigning death. Shi Jian felt his intelligence was being greatly insulted.
What impressed him was that Bi Yuanbin had not intervened when he was killing the Buddhist disciples.
"Since King Biancheng wishes to feign death so much, I shall send you on your way."
Seeing King Biancheng continue to lie on the ground pretending to be dead, Shi Jian fused the four types of lightning techniques again and attacked Bi Yuanbin in the Yama Hall.
"So clumsy. Unlike you, I don't fall easily for others' schemes."
With that, King Biancheng, who had been feigning death, quickly got up to dodge the attack of the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning.
Having witnessed the power of the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning, he was no longer willing to take its direct hits as he had before.