Chapter Forty-Five: The Five Generals

Wu Ming threw a hard punch at Cross-Eyed’s revolting face, unable to contain his disgust.

“Damn it, this is the first time I’ve seen someone as sickening as you. You’re a complete lunatic, worse than any beast. Why don’t you just die?” Wu Ming wasn’t a born hero, but after hearing Cross-Eyed confess his deeds, his view of humanity was shattered. This creature was a true pervert. Killing his own wife and her lover for their affair was extreme, but at least somewhat understandable. Yet Wang the Widow’s husband hadn’t done anything to him and was inexplicably beheaded. When they’d asked about the Nine Infant incident, they’d heard that Wang’s husband was known as a good-hearted man.

With a smack, Cross-Eyed caught Wu Ming’s fist, and with his other hand, clamped Wu Ming’s throat. The hand, shrouded in black smoke, could hardly be called a hand anymore; it was more like a chicken’s claw, slick with a foul-smelling fluid that dripped to the ground.

With a roar, the revolting monster that was once Cross-Eyed opened his blood-soaked maw and bellowed at Wu Ming.

The stench hit Wu Ming like a wall, making his head spin and nearly knocking him out.

“Roar!” A shockwave struck Cross-Eyed’s face, sending him flying. Wu Ming seized the moment to leap back.

Director Tyrannosaurus stood poised, his breath deep and steady, constantly adjusting his stance, ready to strike at Cross-Eyed.

“Ugh, this monster is disgusting! I don’t want to fight him. He’ll dirty my hands. Forget it, I’ll go fight the green-skinned beast!” Music, seeing Cross-Eyed approach, quickly ran far away.

“He is pretty revolting. That’s why I’m prepping for a ranged attack!” Wu Ming swiftly formed hand seals, pinched a yellow talisman between his fingers, and chanted, “Om kou bu mu hai kou qi duo li kou qin hong, om kou bu mu hai kou qi duo li kou qin hong…” The “Fire Banner Talisman” grew larger mid-air, finally transforming into a massive flaming banner that burned toward Cross-Eyed. Cross-Eyed, evidently terrified of the talisman’s power, dodged nimbly.

“Did you really think I’d let you kill him so easily?” At this moment, Painted Skin—the poser—fluttered down from the air, wings beating, landing before the crowd.

“How’s Xiao Mei?” Wu Ming’s heart skipped a beat, and he hastily looked back.

Xiao Mei was limping toward them, her office attire torn in places, but otherwise unharmed. Wu Ming was relieved, and despite his usual lecherous tendencies, had no time to ogle the exposed skin.

Before Painted Skin could finish his words, Monk Lokong slammed him to the ground with his staff.

“Amitabha!” Lokong recited a Buddhist blessing, then gripped his staff and hammered down ferociously, repeating the blows with no trace of a monk’s mercy.

“Calling upon the God of Possession!” Director Tyrannosaurus began stomping his feet, and after repeated attempts, he seemed to succeed.

Strangely, this display felt more sinister than Cross-Eyed’s grotesque transformation. With a thunderous crash, as if something heavy had fallen, the earth began to gush with foul, bloody water, spilling everywhere. The ground then erupted with a huge, hairy hand reaching for Cross-Eyed.

Cross-Eyed rolled away with a roar, unable to speak now that he’d become a monster.

The hand stretched further and further, then braced itself against the soil and hauled up an enormous figure—over ten feet tall, covered in thick black hair. The giant resembled a hairy ape or a demon.

Step by step, the giant advanced on Cross-Eyed, each movement echoing like a massive weight falling from the sky. The once agile Cross-Eyed lay flat on the ground, too terrified to move.

“The God of Death—the General of Five Paths! Once he appears, death is inevitable. If Director Baolong can summon him, he must be more careful in the future!” Lingmei frowned, her expression grim.

“The General of Five Paths! Impossible!” Painted Skin, too, was terrified by the hairy giant. “Who is this General?”

“The General of Five Paths is the assistant deity of the Eastern Emperor, overseeing life and death—a true God of Death. He’s inflexible and shows no mercy. When he appears, someone always dies—no exceptions. Cross-Eyed is doomed!” Old Dog sat seriously on the ground, watching the General approach Cross-Eyed.

“Never mind, half-ripe is better than nothing!” Painted Skin gestured, and a black fruit shot out from Cross-Eyed’s body, landing in his hand.

“Farewell, everyone! Until we meet again!” Painted Skin flapped his wings, preparing to escape, but the General of Five Paths reached out into the void, caught him, pointed to the ground, and slammed him down. Painted Skin coughed up blood, staring fearfully at the General, not daring to breathe, terrified that the General might crush him as easily as an ant.

In front of the General, you dare act up? For your emperor’s sake, I’ll spare you. Now get out!” With a wave, Painted Skin was ejected from the Dream Realm, vanishing without a trace.

“The fruit of the World Tree, and you dared to steal it? You must be tired of living!” The General picked up the black fruit Painted Skin had dropped and swallowed it whole.

“This man has committed many crimes, worse than beasts. I judge him guilty—cast him into the eighteenth level of Hell!” The General pointed at the ground, and a red-hot iron chain emerged from the bloody water, piercing Cross-Eyed’s shoulder. His flesh smoked, his body twisted in agony, but the chain dragged him underground without mercy. In an instant, the ground returned to normal—no blood, no chain. Yet everyone knew Cross-Eyed had been condemned to that hellish, bloody purgatory.

“As for you?” The General pondered.

Hearts leapt into throats. Would their lives be taken with a single word? Against such a deity, they had no resistance.

“Ha! Don’t be afraid!” The General’s savage face broke into a rare smile. Wu Ming felt an odd familiarity, as if he’d known him before, yet the thought was absurd—how could he have ever known a God of Death?

“Hm? Is it you? Wait, that’s not right… Give him this.” The General glanced at Wu Yue, a look of puzzlement in his eyes.

“Well done. Take this—my General’s Token. In the future, you may summon and command the Ghost Army!” The General tossed a shadowy token at Wu Ming’s forehead; it flashed and vanished. Then, with a chuckle, he disappeared.

Everyone gasped in astonishment.

Lingmei exclaimed, “The General of Five Paths commands the elite Death Army, and you just got his token by meeting him? There’s definitely something mysterious about your background, Wu Ming!”