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Yama's astonishment was not surprising. The Martial Arts Competition of Heaven and Earth is the highest level competition held among numerous spatial realms. It's akin to the Olympic Games among gods and demons. Strong beings from different planes and spaces, gods, demons, and others, all participate in this high-level competition! And this person... this human... was able to participate?!
The demon beside him peeked at the Book of Life and Death and muttered in Yama's ear -
"Lord, you didn't even pass the preliminary round..."
"Shut... shut up!" Yama, looking at Mengdie, had a somewhat panicked expression on his face. In contrast, Mengdie stood there, seemingly indifferent, yet with a hint of regret.
Regaining his composure, Yama continued with the Book of Life and Death -
"In the group stage of the competition, Mengdie was placed in the 'Group of Death.' His group included the previous champion - the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong; the runner-up - King of Chu, Xiang Yu; and the fifth-ranked - Demon God Lu Bu."
"In the first battle against Xiang Yu, Mengdie defeated him after 37 hours, 3 minutes, and 42 seconds. One win and three points. In the second battle against Demon God Lu Bu, he defeated him after 52 hours, 47 minutes, and 12 seconds. Two victories, six points, securing a place in the group!"
Yama, amazed, shifted his gaze from the Book of Life and Death to Mengdie, speechless.
"The... the third battle against the Great Sage Sun Wukong... maintained a tie until the end. Two minutes before the 72-hour fight time was about to end, and the referee was about to declare a tie, at 71 hours, 57 minutes, and 58 seconds... he died of a heart attack..."
With a "snap," the Book of Life and Death fell on the desk. Yama's hands began to tremble, his expression almost frozen, while Mengdie, hearing his cause of death, clenched his teeth in resentment.
Damn it! Just when I was about to defeat the strongest, I died at the last moment? But how could a human possibly fight against gods? The short 24-hour breaks between each battle might be enough for those gods and demons, but for humans, it's impossible!
No matter how he thought about it, Mengdie was furious about his sudden heart attack. Wasn't it because he was exhausted? If he had been in perfect condition to fight Sun Wukong, he might have won! At the very least, he wouldn't have died from a heart attack!
"What a pity, if you weren't of special fate, I would definitely recommend you to the Heavenly Court to become a godly general," Yama said, shaking his head, regretting the missed opportunity.
Mengdie, with his arms crossed, said, "Hmph, what's the use of talking nonsense? Anyway, I'm dead and waiting for reincarnation. Just hurry up and arrange it for me. In my next life, I will become stronger than in my last! Then, I will claim the title of 'The Strongest in the Universe!'"
Yama laughed awkwardly. The Strongest in the Universe? How distant a dream was that for him, a minor deity? Well, better get back to business. The being before him could challenge the Great Sage himself. Provoking him could be disastrous.
"Come, let's see what your special fate is." Yama looked down, "Ah, found it. Your special fate is... is... !!!!!!"
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Mengdie waited, but he was puzzled – why had Yama suddenly fallen silent? And why was he peering so closely at the Book of Life and Death? Did he want to eat it?
Faced with Mengdie's puzzled gaze, Yama's expression turned ashen. He glanced at Mengdie, then pointed at the Book of Life and Death, saying to the ghost official beside him, "Hey, what's this about?"
The official adjusted his glasses and looked at the Book. The next moment, his expression was equally shocked! Because it clearly stated the following line -
"The Fate of a Woman: Destined to be a peerless beauty in every life, captivating all beings. In minor cases, causing upheaval in the court, and in severe cases, toppling dynasties."
...
...
...
"What the hell?!!!!!!"
Yama and the official both let out a scream as if they were in a horror movie, leaving Mengdie below utterly baffled.
"Hey hey! Is there a mistake? The soul below is a man, right? How could he possibly have the fate of a woman?"
"Lord, is it a recording error?"
"Damn it, I'm the one who recorded it! Are you saying I made a mistake?"
"Then... then how could this be possible..."
Mengdie, arms crossed, was very displeased with the whispering of the two deities above: "Hey! What are you discussing? When can I get reincarnated?"
Yama laughed awkwardly at Mengdie and continued to study the Special Fate Book of Life and Death. He stopped looking at Mengdie's name and instead looked at the name of his previous life...
"Chen Yuanyuan."
Yama swallowed and exchanged glances with the official, continuing to look further...
"Li Shishi."
Skipping a few names, looking a bit further...
"Diao Chan."
"Lady Bao."
"Da Ji."
Yama dared not flip further as he seemed to have seen the name of an ancient goddess...
"Hey! Are you done? It's just reincarnation, and you're making it so mysterious and slow. What's written in this booklet that has you all lost your souls?" Mengdie, unable to contain himself any longer, rushed forward to grab the Book of Life and Death.
This kind of situation had happened thousands of years ago with Sun Wukong. Since then, Yama had been very sensitive to the snatching of the Book of Life and Death. Reflexively, he tucked the book into his robe and grinned apologetically at Mengdie. He dared not dispatch his subordinates to capture this soul. Provoking someone on the same level as the Great Sage was not worth even three promotions.
"Hehehe, don't rush, little brother. You might not know, but reincarnation is not as simple as just wanting to be reborn. It requires meticulous investigation, adjusting the latitude and longitude for reincarnation, and then determining which family is suitable. If it goes wrong, and you end up in a snake or rat's body, you wouldn't want that, right?"
Mengdie thought about it and reluctantly nodded. After all, this was his first time in Yama's Hall. To get things done quickly, it was best to follow Yama's wishes.
Having pacified Mengdie, Yama continued to discuss the Special Fate Book of Life and Death with the official. The official was clueless, only shaking his head and twisting his neck. But the soul-reaping demon seemed to have thought of something, put down his fork, and whispered in Yama's ear: "Lord, I remember! This soul's previous life was the famous courtesan from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Chen Yuanyuan?"
Yama nodded. The demon became even more confident in his deduction and spoke aloud: "That's right. Lord, about 300 years ago, Chen Yuanyuan's soul came to the underworld to report. Following the principles of reincarnation, she needed to be placed in a new life. In the Senluo Hall, she pleaded with you about her tragic life and hardship, praying to be reincarnated as a man in her next life to avoid the misery of being a woman."
Yama thought for a moment, his expression blank.
The demon continued: "Normally, with the Fate of a Woman, Chen Yuanyuan would never be able to fulfill her wish. But at that time, it was right after the Pantao Banquet. You were drunk, slurring your words. After checking Chen Yuanyuan's Book of Life and Death, confirming her life was indeed full of hardships and without major faults, you vaguely agreed to her request to be reincarnated as a man. After waiting, Chen Yuanyuan was finally reborn 20 years ago. This... might be why this soul appears here in a male form."
Yama's eyes widened, his mouth agape...
After sorting things out, the cause and course of the matter became clear. However, the problem also emerged. As Yama, the supreme authority in the underworld who controls the power of reincarnation, he was acutely aware of the tragic consequences of a mistake in reincarnation! That's a demotion! No, maybe even dismissal and investigation for dereliction of duty!
If it were just an ordinary soul, maybe he could get away with it. But now it was a soul of special fate! Each of these souls was strictly limited by ancient deities. If the heavenly realm found out that he dared to violate the restrictions of the ancient gods...
Yama dared not think further. The goosebumps all over him made him realize what it meant to "be in the underworld, not knowing it's the underworld."
"What... what should we do? Lord, it's already clearly written in the Book of Life and Death, we can't change it!" The official was clearly panicked.
Yama was sweating with anxiety. He glanced at Mengdie below, who was looking at him with a puzzled expression. Yama immediately turned away, unable to bear looking at him. After silently thinking for several minutes, he raised his head and spoke in a resigned tone -
"There's only one way now."
"What way?" The official and the demon asked in unison.
"Don't let him reincarnate. Instead, create a new body for him to live again. This way, I can omit his 20 years as a man from the Book of Life and Death, correcting everything back to the right track!"
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