Chapter 19: Consecrating Ghost Officers, Punishing Evil and Upholding Good

"Explain in detail."

Li Yue said calmly.

Though his voice was flat and unhurried, to the two ghost spirits — Liao Xiu'er and Liao Chengping — it carried an overwhelming air of divine authority.

"Great God, my brother and I lost our parents early and grew up depending on each other."

"But because I was born with good looks, Liao Xiong — the eldest son of the wealthy Liao Daqiang — wanted to take me as a concubine."

"I refused."

"One evening, I came here to draw water and happened to run into Liao Xiong. He tried to force himself on me."

"I resisted with my life, and in his rage and shame, he pushed me into the well!"

"When my brother came looking for me, Liao Xiong — who had been hiding nearby — pushed him in as well!"

"Both my brother and I died in that well. The village chief had the well sealed up afterward, and as for Liao Xiong—"

At this point, Liao Xiu'er's eyes burned with hatred:

"He obtained some talisman from somewhere that prevents my brother and me from getting anywhere near him, even as ghosts!"

"And now he has gone to the town, opened a restaurant there, and is living a life of ease and comfort!"

"I am filled with nothing but resentment — I cannot even take revenge as a ghost!"

"Please, Great God, grant us justice!"

She kowtowed deeply, again and again.

Liao Chengping stood silently beside her, kowtowing along without a word.

Li Yue extended his right hand.

Instantly, the Earth God Registry materialized in his palm.

As his gaze fell upon it, the Registry automatically turned to the page bearing Liao Xiong's name.

It recorded the full account of Liao Xiong's deeds in life — and one entry matched exactly what Liao Xiu'er had described.

As the Ordained Earth God of Four Seas Village, it was his duty not only to reward the good, but also to punish the wicked.

"There are gods three feet above your head."

This was no empty saying.

Every villager within his Divine Jurisdiction — from the moment of their birth — had their entire life's deeds recorded in meticulous detail within the Earth God Registry.

Every good deed, every evil act — not a single one would be overlooked.

"This matter is known to me. I will see justice done on your behalf."

"My ranks are still short of Ghost Soldiers and Ghost Officers. You two siblings — are you willing to enter my service as Ghost Soldiers and Ghost Officers?"

He looked down at Liao Xiu'er and Liao Chengping and asked.

The second phase of the Divine War system was the Subordinate Deity Battle.

And Ghost Soldiers fell under the forces of the Subordinate Deity Battle.

Moreover —

Many tasks still required Ghost Soldiers and Ghost Officers under his command to carry out.

Surely he, the Ordained Earth God, could not be expected to personally handle trivial matters like soul apprehension himself?

"If the Great God is willing to grant us justice, we siblings will obey your every command!"

Liao Xiu'er answered without hesitation.

Liao Chengping immediately nodded in agreement.

"Very good."

A look of satisfaction crossed Li Yue's face.

Two streams of Divine Power materialized in his hands, radiant and majestic, their divine might awe-inspiring.

The two streams of Divine Power slowly coalesced before him into two ashen-grey divine talismans.

Each talisman was covered in complex, inscrutable runes that radiated the solemn authority of the divine path.

These were the Ghost Soldier Divine Talismans.

Once merged into a ghost's body, they would consecrate that spirit as a Ghost Soldier.

Ghost Soldiers were divided into two categories.

The first were Ghost Soldiers dedicated to combat.

The second were Ghost Officers dedicated to soul apprehension.

In the terms of a mortal dynasty's system —

One was akin to a soldier, the other to a constable.

But in the realm of the underworld, Ghost Officers were always converted from Ghost Soldiers.

Therefore, consecrating a Ghost Officer also made use of the Ghost Soldier Divine Talisman.

The only difference lay in the subtle variations among the runes on the talisman.

All of this could be freely controlled by him at the moment of condensing the Ghost Soldier Divine Talisman.

"I —"

"Ordained Earth God of Four Seas Village, hereby consecrate Liao Xiu'er as Ghost Officer of Four Seas Village."

"Hereby consecrate Liao Chengping as Ghost Officer of Four Seas Village."

The solemn proclamation reached the ears of the two siblings, and in the next instant, the two talismans transformed into two brilliant streams of light that merged into their bodies.

In an instant —

The two figures, who had previously been wispy and insubstantial, suddenly solidified.

Moreover, both of them now wore a set of dark, eerie black robes, with the character "Officer" written in large script on both the front and back.

That character faintly emanated a thread of divine path power, making their aura utterly different from that of ordinary ghost spirits.

Even at their waists, a phantom chain had appeared.

This was the Soul-Binding Chain — though currently formed only from ghost energy, the divine path power imbued in the "Officer" character still granted it the ability to apprehend souls.

"Many thanks for the Great God's bestowal!"

Liao Xiu'er and Liao Chengping were both overjoyed, and they hurriedly bowed in reverence.

Both of them could feel it —

They had become far more powerful in an instant!

In the past, they could only bully ordinary people; they would never dare approach any Warrior.

But now —

They felt that even a Warrior brimming with vigorous blood and qi would hold no fear for them!

"Go."

"Apprehend the soul of Liao Xiong and bring it back."

Li Yue commanded.

A freshly consecrated Ghost Soldier was only considered a reserve Ghost Soldier or Ghost Officer.

Their strength was roughly comparable to a mid-tier first-grade Warrior.

Only by spending ten units of Divine Power to cast the Divine Art "Ghost Soldier Empowerment Art" could a Ghost Soldier or Ghost Officer be promoted to a full-fledged "Ding-Grade Ghost Officer."

A Ding-Grade Ghost Officer's overall strength was only slightly below that of Temple Priest Li Youming — roughly equivalent to a lower-tier second-grade Warrior.

Furthermore, if he were to cast the Divine Art "Ghost Soldier Armament Art" and equip a Ghost Soldier with a spiritual weapon, the Ghost Soldier could be promoted to a "Bing-Grade Ghost Soldier," with a dramatic surge in power.

As a Ninth Grade (Lower) Ordained God, the strongest Ghost Soldiers under his command could only reach the "Bing-Grade Ghost Soldier" level.

But even a Bing-Grade Ghost Soldier was already extraordinarily powerful.

Their strength would be no less than that of an upper-tier second-grade Warrior.

For his current needs, such Ghost Soldiers were more than sufficient.

"Yes!"

Both Liao Xiu'er and Liao Chengping were filled with excitement. After bowing respectfully, they swiftly drifted off toward the town.

The "Officer" character on their robes faintly circulated a thread of Divine Power, granting them tremendous speed — far surpassing that of a galloping horse.

Li Yue took a single step and returned to his Divine Domain.

* * *

Cangmu Town.

The town was quiet in the dead of night, with only the howling of the wind.

Liao Xiong, reeking of alcohol, staggered out of the town's only High-class Brothel.

He smacked his lips, a look of lingering satisfaction plain on his face.

"That young lady…"

"No wonder she came all the way from the county seat… what a beauty…"

"Almost as good-looking as that wretched Liao Xiu'er…"

"I'll have to go back tomorrow — and the day after, and the day after that!"

His eyes were bleary with drink, and a lewd, self-satisfied chuckle escaped his lips.

It was only the beginning of the third month, however, and the spring chill was still biting. He shivered and quickened his pace.

Hanging around his neck was a palm-sized yellow talisman.

But just then —

He noticed that ahead, in the corner by the wall, stood a slender young woman with long hair draped over her shoulders.

The woman had her back to him, dressed in a white skirt, trembling slightly in the cold wind — a pitiful, delicate sight.

Liao Xiong's eyes immediately lit up.

He hurried over, his tongue thick with drink, and called out:

"Young lady, what are you doing out here alone at this hour? Shouldn't you be home?"

"How about I walk you home? You wouldn't want to run into any bad people on the way."

He thought his words were quite suave and felt rather pleased with himself.

"You want to walk me home…"

"Back to that well…?"

The young woman slowly turned around. Her bloodless, pale face wore an eerie smile as she stared at him unblinkingly.

"Wh… what well…"

Liao Xiong got a clear look at the young woman's face.

His complexion instantly drained to a ghastly white. His pupils contracted to pinpoints, filled with sheer terror.

Liao Xiu'er?

Wasn't she dead?

How could she be here?

Could it be —

A ghost?!