A massive winding dragon shadow swiftly streaked across the sky. The ever-vigilant 24/7 operating satellite barely captured a fleeting silhouette, leaving behind a majestic, imposing tail.

At that moment, a passenger plane was flying overhead. A teenager idly fiddling with his camera by the window accidentally saw that breathtaking figure and, startled, instinctively pressed the shutter.

“Click.”

"Quick, send the photo to the Special Management Bureau. Inform them that a target creature was sighted at the border between Fengchuan County and Ming County." A middle-aged man in the Aviation Bureau, looking at the satellite image, said with a grave expression.

The Special Management Bureau received the photo and promptly relayed the location and image. Upon receiving the message, a group of people who had already reached the western side of Luoyang County in Fengchuan County immediately turned back and rushed towards Fengchuan County.

Anyone who happened to see this group would be utterly shocked.

They wore various attire, and their feet never touched the ground.

Some skimmed over the grass, some flew on swords, and others jumped and darted swiftly among the tree trunks, all moving at incredible speeds.

...

At a rescue station in Fengchuan County.

Haizhou, his eyes red and swollen, clung to the doctor's leg, crying heartbrokenly. "No, big brother can't be dead. Doctor, please save him. He can still be saved."

The doctor, his white coat stained with mud and blood, sighed bitterly and patted the little boy's head. "I'm sorry, I've done my best. He has no signs of life."

Hearing this, the little boy cried even harder.

The doctor shook his head helplessly, holding back his tears and stealing his emotions as he moved to the next patient in need of help, beginning the next round of treatment.

This flood had taken countless lives, and more were still being lost.

He had to move faster, pull one more person back from the clutches of death.

"No, I don't believe it. Big brother, wake up." Haizhou pounded on the young soldier's pale, cold face. "Didn't you say that as long as I believed in the Mountain Deity, everything would be fine? I prayed sincerely."

Then why aren't you waking up?

"Because he left the life force for you." A girl in red, huddled in the corner, hesitated to speak. She wanted to approach but seemed to fear something, curling into a ball and muttering to herself.

"Hey, put that thing he gave you on him and see what happened." Fish Summer couldn't stand the little one's loud crying anymore and reluctantly offered advice.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Do you mean this?" Haizhou stopped crying, sniffling as he carefully pulled a black jade piece from his pocket.

Jin Hong nodded.

She also curled up even tighter, sensing the ancient, powerful aura from the scale on the jade piece.

Vibrant, intense, with an overwhelming presence.

Respect the owner of the scale.

The underworld's messengers might let the young man go, considering the scale's owner's status.

Haizhou, unaware of the intricacies, immediately placed the jade piece on the young man's chest and pressed it down with his small hands, hoping the talisman would work faster and better to revive him.

Then he grabbed a small stool and sat by the young man's hand, resting his chin on his hands, staring at him without blinking.

Mu Bai, seeing the exhausted but resolute little boy watching over him, felt a warm current in his heart. His body, soaked in cold water for so long, no longer felt as cold.

“Clang clang~” The sound of chains dragging on the ground came from afar. The next moment, a cold, emotionless male voice drifted in. "Time's up, it's time to go."

"Yeah, yeah, they can't see you even if you linger. You're wasting our time." Another similarly emotionless, urging voice followed. "The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll reincarnate. You'll be a brave man again in eighteen years."

There are always dead people, but this year there are especially many.

Usually, the death rate in this area is low. Their performance rankings are always at the bottom. This year's sudden flood has drowned countless people. He doesn't remember how many batches of souls he's sent to the underworld.

"Hey, Black, this year we should be first in performance, right?" White Guardian, carrying a scythe and chewing on a straw, spoke casually. "Let's show those guys in the first and second squads that we can make a comeback too."

Black Guardian, dragging chains, ignored him. He stood outside the rescue station for a while until a tired, hoarse voice came from inside. "The patient has no signs of life. Carry them out."

Only then did he move his fingers. The chain on the ground flew up, passed through the tent, and pulled out a transparent, bewildered soul.

"The headcount is complete. Let's go."

For some reason, he felt a familiar yet terrifying aura here, making him uneasy.

"What's the rush? There's another one here." White Guardian pulled Black Guardian closer and gestured towards Mu Bai. "That soul is half out. We should help him along."

Black Guardian followed his gaze and met the eyes of the young man who looked up. He frowned and muttered, "This shouldn't be."

He opened his phone, accessed the underworld app, and found today's death list. Indeed, there was a name not checked off, though it had turned gray. His frown deepened.

This person was clearly dead. Why did he instinctively ignore him just now?

White Guardian, impatient, approached Mu Bai and swung his scythe.

Suddenly, a black light, invisible to the naked eye, rose from the deceased's chest, enveloping his soul. The scythe, instead of capturing the soul, was bounced back by the black light. If White Guardian hadn't dodged quickly, his own soul would have been caught.

"What the hell?" White Guardian cursed, looking at Mu Bai in disbelief. "Do you have connections?"

Mu Bai: "What?"

White Guardian, annoyed, asked, "I mean, who backs you? Which big shot? Are you on an official mission?"

Mu Bai: "..."

Why could he understand each word but not their combined meaning?

White Guardian, waiting a while without a reply, thought Mu Bai was being difficult. His temper flared. "Fine, don't talk. I have ways to find out. Black!" He shouted at Black Guardian outside. "Report this to our superiors and check his background."

Since the gods and deities withdrew from this realm over two thousand years ago, the world's order no longer allowed powerful beings to enter. They could only come through the underworld, reincarnating as ordinary humans.

Over the years, some gods now living in celestial realms would occasionally reincarnate to undergo trials. The underworld kept records to avoid mishaps or offenses.

Black and White Guardians could only see the deceased's current life. To check three lifetimes, Black Guardian, as the squad leader, had to file a report for permission.

Black Guardian, staring at the black light on Mu Bai's chest, hesitated, then said, "No need to check."

"I know who's backing him."

"Who?"

"You know this big shot too," Black Guardian said, his expression complex. "Remember the stone tablet at the River of Forgetfulness?"

"Of course." The stone tablet at the River of Forgetfulness was familiar to all underworld officials. "Ling Ji and dogs not allowed."

They say even the Ghost Emperor himself erected it.

"Yes, he's protected by Ling Ji." Black Guardian dropped this bombshell calmly, making White Guardian jump.

"The Ling Ji who caused more trouble in the underworld than the Great Sage himself?"

"Yes." Black Guardian nodded.

The troublemaker herself.

Black Guardian vividly remembered her chaos in the underworld: flooding the Bridge of Helplessness, submerging the Yellow Springs, turning the Hall of Yama into a vast ocean where boats were needed to get around.

"Wait." White Guardian, recalling tales from elders, said, "Wasn't she imprisoned on Yushan, unable to leave without a divine pardon?"

Black Guardian: "..."

Right, he had forgotten.

That troublemaker's influence was still strong.

"I'll count to three. We'll pull his soul out together." Knowing Ling Ji couldn't leave Yushan, Black Guardian's confidence returned. They moved swiftly.

The scythe and chain struck together, expecting an easy capture but were blocked again.

"Who dares interfere with the underworld's business? Do you have a death wish?" White Guardian, enraged by two failures, glared at the figure blocking his target, then froze.

"Black, she's not human, is she?" The girl in red, with braided hair and an apple face, looked more serious than them.

"A demon." Black Guardian identified her aura.

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