bookbashuk Chapter 109 General Amendment Tribunal
Chapter 109 General Amendment Tribunal
It felt like the sky was falling down.
Before the black platform had even settled, a series of crisp sounds rang out from all sides of the Correction Department.
Like a lock fastened.
The next instant, everyone's feet lost their footing.
Chen Fan's vision went black, and when he opened his eyes again, he was standing on a cold, hard stone.
The stone surface was ridiculously large, with no visible edges.
There was no sky above, only layers upon layers of imperial seals. Each seal slowly turned, like a millstone, pressing down on one's chest with a suffocating pressure.
As soon as Sun Wukong landed, his golden cudgel stood horizontally.
"I, Old Sun, will smash this lousy courtroom first!"
The stick had only been raised halfway when a loud bang shook the surroundings.
A cold sound came crashing down from above.
Fighting is prohibited in the courtyard.
The golden cudgel seemed to have struck an invisible iron wall, stopping in mid-air. Sun Wukong's arm sank, and the stone beneath his feet cracked three inches, yet he couldn't move forward even an inch further.
Pigsy's face turned pale, and his throat tightened.
"Something's not right here. It's like Old Pig's magic is being suppressed by a weight."
Ao Lie frowned as well. He reached out and grabbed, but the dragon energy that had just gathered in his palm was extinguished on its own.
Tang Sanzang glanced around and said in a low voice, "It's not about sealing your cultivation. It's about setting the rules first, and then seeing if you can still move."
Chen Fan didn't rush to speak.
He saw it.
The worst thing about this place isn't the oppression.
It means "to recognize".
Wherever someone stands, a line of words will appear beneath their feet.
Beneath Sun Wukong's feet lies: the variables of Journey to the West.
Beneath Tang Sanzang's feet was: the original pilgrim had seriously deviated from the intended path.
Pigsy, Ao Lie, Bull Demon King, Red Boy—they're all there.
Even Lady White Bone couldn't escape; a light appeared at her feet: "Already unmuted demon."
Chen Fan lowered his head.
There was still empty space beneath my feet.
Not a single word.
The Master stood below the high platform, his figure now much more solid. The crack on his forehead, which had previously lacked facial features, had grown longer, resembling a closed eye.
He pointed at Chen Fan, his voice icy.
"The General Amendment Court has taken over the case."
"Case details: Abnormal script spreads. Main storyline damaged. Template out of control. Journey to the West order collapses."
"The main culprit is Chen Fan."
As soon as those two words were spoken, a ring of black patterns instantly lit up on the stone surface beneath Chen Fan's feet.
Xuan Gong suddenly looked up, his face showing surprise even through the dust on his face.
Should we identify the main culprit first?
This is a direct and irrevocable decision.
Tang Sanzang understood as well, and his expression darkened slightly.
On the high platform, a tall, imposing figure slowly sat down.
I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, or even their faces.
Only one hand was visible, resting on the armrest, with long fingers, and the fingertips tapped lightly.
thump.
The entire trial space trembled.
A rule was immediately imposed on everyone.
"The trial begins."
"First determine the nature of the crime, then examine the evidence."
"The case is fixed for those who are first involved."
Upon hearing this, even the Bull Demon King swore.
"You bastard, you haven't even conducted a trial, and you're already putting a coffin lid on him?"
The chief gave him a cold look.
"The Supreme Court only corrects the outcome; it doesn't care about sentimentality."
Sun Wukong grinned, his smile laced with rage.
"Good, very good. No wonder you kinds of people treat all living beings like clay every day."
The chief clerk ignored him and continued speaking.
"Chen Fan, starting from Wuzhi Mountain, maliciously contacted key figures. He turned Sun Wukong against his cause. He corrupted Tang Sanzang's beliefs. He severed the White Dragon Horse template. He induced former Heavenly Court officials to deviate from the original storyline. He plundered the Correction Department's template library and tampered with a large number of predetermined nodes."
"His behavior has gone beyond the realm of ordinary abnormality."
"This gang has already jeopardized the stability of the three realms."
As soon as he finished speaking, layers of light curtains lit up the surrounding stone walls.
The playback started.
At the foot of Wuzhi Mountain, Chen Fan fed Sun Wukong fruit.
A flag is raised at Huaguo Mountain.
Tang Sanzang started cursing Buddha.
The white dragon horse sheds the shackles of the dragon race.
The Bull Demon King and his son are included.
There are also scenes showing the rear warehouse of the repair shop being emptied and the templates being broken into pieces.
With each section placed, the courtyard becomes more oppressive.
Sweat beaded on Pigsy's forehead as he muttered under his breath, "That bastard only releases those who can be convicted."
Chen Fan smiled.
"Let it go, keep letting it go. Make sure you show us exactly how I robbed their warehouse."
The chief's voice turned somber.
"No noise or disturbance is permitted in the courtroom."
Chen Fan looked up at him.
"You've already started writing down my crimes, am I not even allowed to say a word?"
The master stared at him, a slight crack appearing on his forehead.
"You will have your moment to speak."
Chen Fan clicked his tongue.
"Then stop talking nonsense. You say I'm jeopardizing the stability of the Three Realms. Where's the evidence? With your shameless mouth?"
Many people around gasped.
Chen Fan is probably the first person to dare to confront the Chief Justice like this in the General Revision Court.
The master was indeed furious.
"The evidence is chaos. Seventy percent of the Heavenly Court's legal lines have collapsed. Four Buddhist wishing wells are now closed. Countless side quests in the mortal realm have fallen apart. A large number of characters have lost their bindings. Protagonist templates cannot be deployed in batches."
"Chen Fan, you have ruined the entire Journey to the West."
He spoke faster and faster, and his voice became increasingly harsh.
"All living beings originally had their proper place. Demons were demons, humans were humans, Buddhas were Buddhas, and immortals were immortals. But you insisted on causing chaos. Now the Three Realms are in turmoil, instances are overflowing, and characters are no longer obeying commands. If this continues, this world will rot away on its own without anyone else's intervention."
"You're not saving people."
"You're undermining us."
These words caused a brief moment of silence in the courtroom.
Xuan Gong and the remaining members of the Correction Division all felt as if they had found their backbone, and their eyes lit up.
In their view, this is the greater good.
Chen Fan was about to speak.
Tang Sanzang stepped forward first.
His robes were already quite worn out, yet he stood the straightest in this Black Stone Courtyard.
"This humble monk filed a countersuit."
The chief judge suddenly looked at him.
The judge in the courtroom paused slightly, as if he hadn't expected it.
The next moment, a cold voice rang out.
"allow."
Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together, but his eyes no longer looked like those of a monk; they looked like those of an accountant.
"You say Chen Fan ruined Journey to the West."
"Then this humble monk asks, whose Journey to the West is it really?"
"Is it from Buddha? The Jade Emperor? Or your Cultivation Department?"
He walked forward step by step.
The line at my feet, “The original pilgrim has deviated significantly,” kept flashing.
"When I left Chang'an, it was to save people, not to pawn my goods. But what have you done?"
"Mass-produced protagonist".
"Buying and selling life."
"You've already written down, sealed up, and sold off who should suffer, who should become a Buddha, who should be a stepping stone, and who should reap the rewards of merit."
With each word spoken, the stone wall in the courtyard would tremble.
The master drank it coldly.
"nonsense."
Tang Sanzang raised his hand and pointed to the light screens around him.
"Aren't these things evidence?"
Why did Sun Wukong have to be imprisoned for five hundred years? It wasn't to teach him, but to smooth out his rough edges.
"Why does Ao Lie have to become a horse? It's not to atone for his sins, it's to reduce his price."
Why does Pigsy always make a fool of himself? It's not because of hardship, it's because of the template he's being used as.
Why is Sha Wujing always silent? It's not because he's loyal, it's because you're too lazy to give him any other roles.
Zhu Ganglie's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Master, well said."
Tang Sanzang didn't stop.
"What you find most disgusting is not revisionism."
"It's about turning the choices of the masses into price tags on a shelf. Whoever listens gets an upgrade. Whoever doesn't listen is marked as an anomaly, sent back for revisions, and sold again."
"Now that Chen Fan has dismantled the shelves, you're all panicking."
"It's not that the Three Realms are about to collapse."
"It's your ledgers that are about to fall apart."
This last sentence, like a knife, pierced directly into the Master's face.
The aura emanating from the Master suddenly exploded.
Xuan Gong was so frightened that he knelt down even lower.
"How dare you! You, a mere template from the pilgrimage, slander the Revision Department!"
Tang Sanzang sneered.
"template?"
"This humble monk will return these two words to you today."
After saying that, he raised his hand, pulled off the Buddhist prayer beads around his neck, and smashed them on the ground with a thud.
The bead rolled away and came to rest at the feet of the master.
"Come."
"If you say this humble monk is a template, then take this humble monk apart in court and see for yourself. See if inside is a Buddhist identification number or the bones of a living person."
Even Sun Wukong grinned at the sight of him falling.
"Monk, you're acting like a normal person today."
Although the Master's face was not visible, the crack had widened considerably.
He was clearly very angry.
The judge on the high platform remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
"Counterclaim record".
"Both sides have their own version of events."
"The trial has moved into evidence verification."
The chief immediately raised his hand.
"Our company requests access to the revised general ledger."
As soon as he finished speaking, a huge black book fell from the sky.
Before the book could be turned, a ray of light suddenly shone in from outside the courtyard.
Very fine.
Like a needle.
It passed through the triple seals of judgment, grazed past the judge's sleeve, and landed with a snap in front of Chen Fan.
It's a single sheet of paper.
The corner was scorched by half an inch, and it was covered with accounts.
Chen Fan glanced down and his eyes lit up immediately.
Correcting the black accounts of the Bureau.
Template batches, character flow, merit conversion, Buddhist sect's share, and Heavenly Court's name registration.
There's another column after that.
Problematic characters recover their rewards.
There was a mark on top that was so well-known it couldn't be more obvious.
Drain the estuary.
Sun Wukong saw it too and laughed.
"Yang Erlang has such a temper; he's all talk and no action."
The judge suddenly turned his head and looked out of the courtyard.
There was nothing outside.
Only a faint glimmer of silver light appeared in the distance, flashing and disappearing in an instant.
The chief's voice turned cold.
"Submitting evidence outside of court is a violation of regulations."
Gao Tai Shenying spoke calmly.
"The evidence has been brought to court and is available for examination."
The chief paused for a moment, then forced himself to suppress it.
Chen Fan shook the black booklet and held it up.
"Come on, continue."
"You say you are responsible for the stability of the Three Realms."
"So what's recorded here? 360 Class B protagonist copies, flowing to Jambudvipa. 1200 tragic templates, wholesale to the mortal realm. 80 sets of demonic calamity upgrade packages, exclusively for the westward journey."
"Tsk."
"You've got quite a comprehensive business."
The courtyard was deathly silent.
Xuan Gong stared wide-eyed, completely dumbfounded.
The Bull Demon King was the first to react and burst into laughter.
"I was wondering why those same old clichés were everywhere; it turns out you guys were the ones releasing them in batches."
Lady White Bone stared at the black tent, her eyes turning cold.
"So my past lives, one after another, were not ordained by fate. They were simply orders."
The veins on the back of Ao Lie's hands were bulging.
"Was that atonement at the Dragon Palace also a price?"
Chen Fan flipped to the next column, his smile growing even colder.
"More than that. Every one of you who fell has earned them a profit."
"The more miserable someone is, the more money they make."
The chief finally spoke, his voice extremely deep.
"That's necessary regulation. Without large-scale deployment, the narrative of the Three Realms would become unbalanced."
Chen Fan slammed the black tent to the ground with his backhand.
"Did you hear me?"
"He admitted it."
This silenced even the judge on the high platform for a moment.
Clearly, this account exceeded what it originally possessed.
The chief judge also sensed something was wrong and immediately took a step forward.
"Our company requests a preliminary ruling. Chen Fan's gang disrupted the trial and maliciously misled the public. The main culprit should be identified first, and the others should be tried."
Gao Tai, the judge, slowly raised his hand.
The oppressive atmosphere in the courtyard intensified.
The black markings around Chen Fan's feet began to climb upwards, as if trying to lock his legs in place.
Sun Wukong almost crushed his staff.
"Old Chen!"
Tang Sanzang took a step forward, and a halo of Buddha's light rose from beneath his feet.
"How can the principal offender be arrested before the court has fully investigated the matter!"
The master sneered.
"The rules of the Grand Chamber are not set by you."
The film critic opened his mouth.
"The trial has moved to the witness test."
"The first witness—"
As soon as he uttered those words, everyone looked up.
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.
The chief judge remained silent.
The entire courtyard held its breath instantly.
The voice continued to fall from the high platform.
"Send word, the principal debtor."
boom!
In the very center of the courtroom, a long crack appeared in the ground.
There was no fire or light in the crack.
Only a huge old deed slowly rose up.
The paper was covered with names.
The very top line clearly reads—
Chen Fan.
Chapter 161 Creditor Testifies
The old contract paper rose into the air, and its four corners unfolded on their own.
The paper was yellowed and the edges were curled up, as if it had been touched by countless hands.
Chen Fan's name is written at the very top.
The list of debts below is frighteningly long.
Old debts, losses, compensation, misappropriation of star cores, and disruption of accounting procedures.
Each one is more ruthless than the last.
The courtroom erupted in chaos.
Xuan Gong knelt on the ground, his head raised, his face full of joy.
"The principal debtor testifies personally; how can you retract this now?"
The master stood to the side, and the crack on his forehead slowly closed up a little.
It was as if they had finally breathed a sigh of relief.
On the high platform, the judge spoke.
"Witness, give your statement."
Behind the old contract paper, a figure gradually materialized.
The man was very thin, dressed in a long gray-black robe, his face wrinkled and dry like an old ledger page. Most strangely, his eyes lacked vitality, only displaying a cold, abacus-bead-like glint.
He raised his hand.
A seal appeared in the palm of his hand.
The principal debt is sealed.
The whole court fell silent.
This thing can't be faked.
The principal debtor's voice was hoarse, like paper scraping on a table.
"Chen Fan, on loan for many years."
"The initial debt amount is not high."
"Subsequently, irregular fines, illegal misappropriation of funds, embezzlement of compensation payments, and the amount spiraled out of control."
He glanced at Chen Fan and twitched the corners of his mouth upwards.
"The most crucial point."
"Steal the core of the annihilation star."
A buzzing sound came from all around.
Even the censors in the audience couldn't sit still.
"Annihilation star core?"
"Isn't this sealed-off material?"
"How could a nobody from another realm possibly come across that thing?"
"It's one thing to run into them, but to actually dare to swallow them?"
The chief clerk took a half step forward, his voice cold and hard.
"Your Honor, the testimony is clear."
"Chen Fan did more than just resist detention."
"He also broke the old rules and stole the sealed core."
"According to the General Court's laws, this is sufficient grounds for nailing him to the ground."
Xuan Gong quickly responded.
"That's right! This man has been making excuses the whole time. Now that the principal creditor is testifying, let's see how long he can keep up his stubbornness!"
The Bull Demon King stood next to Chen Fan, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
"Old Chen, this old bastard is going all out from the start."
Sun Wukong, carrying his staff, didn't even lift his eyelids.
"Let him speak first."
The white dragon horse muttered a curse under its breath from behind.
"He looks like a debt collector, but he has a sharp tongue."
Chen Fan wasn't in a hurry.
He looked up at the creditor and smiled.
"continue."
The principal creditor seemed to have been waiting for these words.
With a flick of his sleeve, a series of projections immediately fell from the sky.
The first image shows Chen Fan's name entering into the old debt book.
The second image shows a corner of the annihilation star core fragment disappearing.
The third image depicts the chaotic flow of funds rushing through the several layers of the repair department's warehouse.
The last one is the most ruthless.
It was a blurry mark, stamped right next to Chen Fan's account.
Illegal merger.
The four characters are like a red-hot branding iron.
The principal debtor raised his chin.
"The chain of evidence is complete."
"This person first swallowed old debts, then borrowed money to arbitrarily seize star cores, and then disrupted the order of accounts, intending to use the chaos to escape."
"If the Correction Department had not discovered it in time, the consequences would have been much worse."
He paused deliberately at this point.
Then he uttered a sentence.
"I suggest that the accounting records be stripped away and sealed in court."
At this, everyone in the gallery gasped.
ruthless.
It's too cruel.
This is not a trial.
This could be fatal.
A glint flashed in the eyes of the chief judge, and he spoke on the spot.
"Your Honor, I request to skip the sequential calculation and proceed directly to the determination of punishment."
On the high platform, the silhouette of the judge remained motionless.
Those indistinct eyes seemed to scan between the debtor and Chen Fan.
Before it could even respond.
Zongwu Wenshi suddenly took a step forward.
His head was chipped, but he still spoke the same old way: slow, harsh, like someone slowly tapping it with a hammer.
I have a question.
The chief official's face darkened.
"Who interrupted during the court hearing?"
Zong Wuwenshi didn't even look at him; he only looked at Shen Ying.
"According to the General Court's Testimony Law, if a witness has a conflict of interest, the chain of agents can be questioned."
The audience remained silent for a moment.
"allow."
The chief's eye twitched.
The principal debtor also turned his head slightly and glanced at Zong Wuwenshi.
Zong Wuwenshi reached out and pointed to the old contract paper.
"You say you are the primary debtor."
"I ask you, are you the real creditor?"
A single sentence was uttered.
The atmosphere in the courtyard changed instantly.
Xuan Gong was stunned at first, then sneered.
"Nonsense. He's holding the principal debt seal; who else could it be but the principal debtor?"
Zongwu asked Shi but ignored him.
He continued asking.
Have you ever held a claim on behalf of another party when the actual creditor has not yet appeared?
The principal debtor's eyes narrowed.
There was no immediate response.
When this pause occurred, many people realized something was wrong.
Chen Fan's lips curled into a smile.
coming.
The judge said coldly, "The principal debt can be entrusted to a nominee holder; this does not affect the validity of the testimony."
Zongwu asked Shi to turn his head and look at him.
"Unauthorized agency is not allowed."
"Hiding the real creditor doesn't count."
"Adding penalties privately during the agency period is even less acceptable."
Each sentence is heavier than the last.
The final sentence struck so hard that a ring of fine lines appeared on the courtroom floor.
The rules are in response.
The faces of the censors in the audience all changed.
Someone whispered, "He's poaching a witness."
The other person reacted even faster: "No, he's trying to pry open the entire tent chain."
The principal debtor finally spoke.
"I held the shares on behalf of someone else for a period of time."
The company head immediately added: "Compliant nominee shareholding."
Zongwu immediately pressed Shi for answers.
"Who approved it?"
The principal debtor remained silent.
"How long will the shareholding arrangement last?"
The principal debtor remained silent.
When will the real creditor disappear?
The principal debt seal in the principal debtor's hand suddenly swayed slightly.
That sway was too obvious.
A cold voice immediately rang out from the courtroom.
"Witness, answer directly."
The creditor's face was lined with wrinkles that looked as if they had been cut open with a knife.
"Relevant files have been lost."
The moment those four words were uttered, the entire audience fell silent, then erupted in uproar.
Lost?
How could something like this be lost?
Xuan Gong's smile froze.
The chief's eyes also turned cold.
Zongwu Wenshi took another step forward.
"You cannot prove that you legally held the shares on behalf of others from beginning to end."
"You cannot prove that the penalty application process was complete."
"You cannot prove that the real creditor approves of this rollover."
"Then why do you insist that Chen Fan owes this debt?"
At this point, the principal debtor finally couldn't hold on any longer.
He moved his fingers, as if trying to flip through a file, but found nothing.
The thin line above the courtroom became brighter and clearer.
The rules have begun to loosen.
The head of the department suddenly spoke up, trying to steer the situation back on track.
"Even if the proxy chain has flaws, it doesn't affect his accusation that Chen Fan stole the star core."
"That's another crime."
"right."
Chen Fan then smiled and replied.
"Then let's talk about another crime."
He raised his hand and flicked it.
Snapped.
A ray of light flew into the air and exploded.
A projection appeared in the air.
The person in the picture is the principal debtor.
The scene resembles the outside of an old warehouse.
The principal creditor lowered his voice and spoke to Chen Fan at that moment.
"I can cover 30% of your debt."
"The conditions are simple."
"Hand over that fake star core."
"If you don't pay, I'll put up another fake star-seeking notice for you."
The projection is not long.
Just a few words.
But every single word is crystal clear.
The entire courtroom was eerily quiet after the hearing was over.
The Bull Demon King was the first to react, and he grinned widely.
"Well, so you yourself have been involved in fraudulent debt collection!"
The white dragon horse was also amused.
"He looked so righteous just now, but it turns out he extorted money from others first."
Sun Wukong finally raised his eyelids.
"Tsk."
Just that one sound.
It's even worse than swearing.
Xuan Gong's face turned completely green.
He stared intently at the principal debtor.
"This...this projection is fake, isn't it?"
Chen Fan didn't even look at him.
"By the Supreme Court, the evidence remains; can you say it's fake?"
This time, the film critic didn't wait for others to argue before speaking out.
"The photo is authentic."
In a word.
The creditor's reputation collapsed on the spot.
The seal of the principal debt in his hand had darkened somewhat.
The chief's expression turned completely ugly.
He clearly hadn't expected the witness to be so exposed.
The audience was already buzzing with discussion.
"Did the principal debtor actively and falsely claim creditor status?"
"So, how much of his accusation against Chen Fan for stealing stars is true?"
"If he added to the debt himself to make up for old debts, that would be a big problem."
"It's not about making a big deal out of it, it's about overturning the verdict."
The principal debtor gritted his teeth and stared at Chen Fan.
"That's a fake star core."
"I was just testing the waters."
Chen Fan smiled.
"Did they find out they were going to put up a fake star-summoning tent for me?"
"Your probing is quite professional."
The Bull Demon King slapped his thigh.
"pretty!"
Zongwu asked Shi to finish the job.
"The witness is suspected of unlawful representation."
"There is suspicion that fines were imposed privately."
"There are false satellite search records."
"His testimony regarding Chen Fan should be downgraded for verification."
The judge remained silent for three breaths.
At the edge of the high platform, lines of scrutiny pressed down.
Finally, it issued a ruling.
"Testimony alone cannot stand."
"The original debt certificate needs to be verified."
The entire audience was stunned.
The master suddenly looked up.
The creditor's face also looked tense.
Chen Fan took in both of their reactions and immediately understood what was going on.
There's a ghost.
And it's a big demon.
The judge continued, "Retrieve the original debt certificates and verify them in court."
This time, the principal creditor finally changed his tone.
"The original debt certificates have been sealed for a long time. Opening them easily would damage the financial records."
The head of the department also spoke up.
"This case involves cross-jurisdictional arrest, and the process is urgent. We can first determine the nature of the crime based on the existing evidence, and then conduct supplementary verification later."
These two people, one in front and one behind, were actually blocking the way.
Even Xuan Gong noticed something was wrong and stood there dumbfounded, not daring to say a word.
Chen Fan burst out laughing.
"One witness, one presiding judge."
"His face changed the moment he heard he had to get the original document."
"You two have pretty good chemistry."
The chief judge stared at him, his voice cold.
"Chen Fan, stop trying to stir up trouble in court."
"Me, fiddling with it?"
Chen Fan raised his finger and pointed at the principal debtor.
"He just tried to nail me to the ground with a copy of the document."
"Now they get so anxious when they hear about checking the original documents."
"Everyone can see who has a guilty conscience."
The film critic ignored the argument and simply repeated it once.
"Retrieve the original debt certificate."
As soon as the rule was announced, an evidence collection platform immediately rose in the courtroom.
The countertop is empty.
Waiting for someone to put something away.
The problem is coming.
Where are the original debt certificates?
The principal debtor's lips tightened, and he didn't move.
The chief official didn't move either.
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes, suddenly remembering the accusation from earlier.
Stealing the core of an annihilating star.
Then connect it to the old debts, the proxy chain, and the reactions of these two people.
A thought suddenly popped into my head.
He looked up at the principal debtor.
"Could the original debt certificate be inside that fragment of the annihilated star core?"
In a word.
Like a knife stabbing into paper.
The principal debtor's pupils contracted sharply.
The crack on the lord's forehead suddenly split open by half an inch.
The entire courtroom fell into a deathly silence.
Chapter 162 Star Core Activation
The deathly silence lasted only a moment.
The courtroom erupted in chaos the next moment.
"He has the stellar core fragment?"
"The original debt certificates are hidden inside the star core?"
"Who is behind this whole setup?!"
The clerks in the gallery, who had been maintaining their composure, all stood up. Some craned their necks forward, some stepped directly onto the stone steps, and even the chains that maintained order swayed.
The creditor's lips twitched, and for the first time, he couldn't respond.
The crack on the master's forehead continued to spread downwards, like a mask with a tear, and his voice became even deeper.
"Chen Fan, for unauthorized testing of court evidence, shall be punished more severely."
"Come on."
Chen Fan raised his hand, directly retorting with those words.
"Whether I am good at divination or not, you know best in your heart."
"When I asked where the original debt certificate was, you wouldn't tell me, and neither would the principal debtor. Now that I've mentioned the star core, both of your faces have changed."
"That's called confessing."
As soon as he finished speaking, another low murmur rippled through the audience.
Someone is watching the master.
Someone is watching the principal debtor.
Some people were staring intently at the shard of light in Chen Fan's hand, their breathing quickening.
On the high platform, the judge finally spoke.
"Chen Fan".
Do you hold any original debt certificates related to this case?
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.
It became.
The most disgusting thing about the General Amendment Court is that it respects the rules, not personal relationships. Whoever establishes the rules first gains an edge in the competition.
"Hold a portion."
Chen Fan raised his hand.
The star core fragment in his palm was originally only the size of a fingernail. It was black with silver undertones, and its edges looked as if they had been forcibly broken off, with a few specks of starlight hidden in the broken surface.
All eyes in the court turned to him.
The chief steward took half a step forward.
"This item is a sealed document of the Correction Department and should be retrieved immediately."
As soon as he finished speaking, several black magic chains sprang up from both sides of the steps, grabbing Chen Fan's palms.
Sun Wukong grinned and slammed his golden cudgel on the ground.
"Trying to steal from me right in front of Old Sun?"
boom!
With a tremor of the staff, three of the magic chains shattered on the spot, while the remaining two flew past Chen Fan's clothes and embedded themselves in the stone wall behind him, instantly creating a ring of fine cracks on the wall.
The entire courtyard gasped.
The sound of the reviewer was lowered.
Fighting is prohibited in the courtyard.
Wukong rolled his eyes.
"Then you should take better care of your dog's leash first."
The Chief Judge stared at Sun Wukong, ignoring the question, and turned to Shen Ying, saying, "According to the sealing regulations, the fragments of the Annihilation Star Core have the highest priority for recovery and should be temporarily taken over by the General Court."
The film critic remained silent for a moment.
On the high platform, a gray-white pattern descended, directly covering the star core fragments.
Everyone was watching.
As soon as the inscription touched the fragment, it bounced away as if it had hit a block of iron.
The gray and white patterns crumbled inch by inch.
The fragments were still in Chen Fan's hands, without even being shaken.
The entire room fell silent for a moment.
Then, an even louder uproar erupted.
"The main court's attempt to retake the area failed?"
"What's the hardness of this?"
"Even the Grand Amendment Council can't lift it?"
Xuan Gong, who had been kneeling below, turned pale and his lips trembled: "No, it's impossible... How could the General Court's authority not be able to confiscate the sealed items..."
Chen Fan looked down at the fragments in his hand and felt reassured.
The closed loop six is complete.
This thing was only used as a weapon clue before, but now it's finally showing another use.
It can hit more than just people.
They can also enforce the rules.
The chief's voice was noticeably colder.
"Surveyor, this object is unusual; the court must be sealed off immediately."
Chen Fan laughed.
"Sealing the court?"
"The evidence has barely been presented, and you're already in a hurry to close the courtroom?"
"Master, your reaction was a bit too quick."
The principal debtor finally spoke, his voice strained.
"Chen Fan, if the item in your possession is truly related to old debts, it should be handed over to the court for verification, not opened by you privately."
"Okay."
Chen Fan looked up at him.
"Then tell everyone first, why are the original debt certificates in the star core?"
The debtor's Adam's apple bobbed, and he stopped.
No one spoke up for him.
This changed the way many of the censors looked at him.
Chen Fan didn't waste any more words. He clapped his five fingers together and directly activated the fragment.
Click.
That tiny fragment actually unfolded a layer on its own.
Like a folded piece of black paper, slowly unfolded. No words appeared first; instead, an old light emerged. It wasn't gold, nor white, but the old bronze color of something stored at the very bottom of a warehouse.
As soon as the light spread out, a tattered list appeared in mid-air.
The top five words immediately caught everyone's attention.
List of old debts of the Three Realms.
Wow!
This time it wasn't just a low murmur; it was an uncontrollable uproar.
The audience erupted in chaos.
"Is there really a complete list of old debts?"
"Didn't we say it was lost already?"
"Who sealed the lost seal?!"
"Shut up! Read the contents first!"
Chen Fan also stared at the list.
The handwriting was old, with chipped edges, as if it had been scorched by fire. But the key lines were still clearly legible.
first row.
The Department of Revision has been temporarily reassigned the deletion authority. Number of times: seven.
second line.
Lingshan Foreign Affairs Department jointly signed off on the temporary transfer of boundary deletion permissions, three times.
Third line.
The Heavenly Court's Ministry of Works jointly approved the secondment of the power to delete boundaries, two times.
Fourth line.
Joint guarantors: Chief of the Correction Division, Supervisor of Lingshan, and Left Supervisor of the Ministry of Works.
The entire courtroom seemed to have been overturned by someone kicking it over.
"Jointly borrowing the deletion permission?"
"Can the permission to delete boundaries be lent out?"
"Hasn't the Amendment Department always said that all boundary removal orders were signed independently and in accordance with the law?"
"What about that boundary-deleting decree from Flower Fruit Mountain?"
"They're calculating the cost of their own falsified accounts!"
I don't know who shouted that last yell.
After he shouted, the whole place became even more chaotic.
The lord took a step forward, and the crack on his forehead stretched all the way to his brow. For the first time, his voice carried a murderous intent.
"Fake projection!"
"Examine the footage and immediately determine its validity!"
Chen Fan felt a chill run down his spine.
The master was really anxious.
This suggests that the list is at least 80% accurate.
On the high platform, the judge did not act immediately, but only asked a cold question.
"Chen Fan, can this list be verified for its source?"
Chen Fan lifted the fragments.
"You couldn't take it away earlier, and now you're asking me about nuclear resources?"
"All I can tell you is that this thing opened itself."
"Whoever is anxious knows the answer in their own heart."
As soon as these words were spoken, the rules for attending the hearing began to become unstable.
The legal provisions that had been neatly hanging down on both sides were now misaligned. Several chains of rules flickered on and off, as if they had heard something they shouldn't have.
One of the clerks turned pale and couldn't help but take two steps back.
"The rules are being downgraded..."
The other person's voice cracked.
"The administrator's access badge is dropping!"
Everyone turned to look at the Chief.
Behind him, the black authority wheel, which originally had nine outer rings, was now gradually turning gray, as if someone had wiped it off.
The manager suddenly turned around and grabbed, trying to stabilize the power wheel.
Useless.
The outer ring road went dark again.
Eight rings.
It dropped from the Ninth Ring Road to the Eighth Ring Road.
This is even harsher than the list itself.
Because this isn't just lip service; it's a response given by the General Court's own rules.
In the middle of the trial, the principal debtor stumbled, causing the old contract to tremble. He stared intently at the list, his eyes seeming to want to devour the fragments.
Chen Fan saw things clearly, and felt more at ease.
This is how you slap someone in the face.
It's not that you're the one who told him there's a problem.
It was the rules that slapped him in the face.
Taking advantage of the situation, Sun Wukong stepped forward and spoke directly.
"I, Old Sun, request additional review of the film."
Shen Ying asked, "What is it?"
Wukong pointed his staff at the lines of text in mid-air.
"Decree to Delete Boundaries of Flower and Fruit Mountain"
"Since the boundary deletion permission was borrowed, who borrowed it, who signed it, and who guaranteed it are all clear to those in charge."
"That decree to delete boundaries isn't a heavenly law, it's a dirty law."
"I demand that it be withdrawn immediately."
These words were spoken quickly and forcefully, like chunks of iron being smashed down.
Immediately, someone in the audience joined in the shouting.
"Accepted!"
"Rescind the boundary deletion order!"
"Investigate the old case of Flower Fruit Mountain first!"
"The fact that the General Court dares not investigate means they're in cahoots!"
The magistrate suddenly turned his head, his voice somber.
"Monkey, you have no right to interrogate me in the General Revision Court."
Wukong laughed, revealing his fangs.
"You're now on the eighth ring road, but I have the license."
"What makes you think you're superior to me?"
"Would you like me to read the list of guarantors again for you?"
The crack on the Master's face widened again.
He didn't speak.
Because anything I say now will sound like I'm guilty.
On the high platform, the judges finally finished their hearing.
"Application for additional review accepted."
"The Huaguo Mountain boundary deletion order has been moved to the review process."
"The original enforcement effect is temporarily suspended."
As soon as he finished speaking, the faint sense of oppression that had been pressing down on Sun Wukong dissipated somewhat.
He shrugged, as if a heavy stone had been lifted from his shoulders, and casually twirled the golden cudgel, laughing fiercely.
"it is good."
"At least this time, we've gotten some interest back."
Chen Fan also let out a breath.
Phase-stage profits have been secured.
With the delimitation order temporarily suspended, Flower Fruit Mountain at least came back to life.
But he knew this wasn't over yet.
Since a list of star core fragments has been released, it must be more than just this one page.
Something even bigger is yet to come.
Sure enough, the fragments continued to unfold.
The second layer of black shell slowly peeled back, and the old bronze sheen suddenly became brighter. Below the list, new words were emerging.
The audience fell silent instantly.
Everyone stared wide-eyed.
The master stopped speaking, only raising his hand and slowly tightening his fingers.
The creditor stared intently at the fragments, his lips turning white.
Chen Fan saw the first line of text that had just surfaced, only half of it was visible.
"The Boundary Deletion Ledger..."
His heart skipped a beat.
If the whole story were revealed, this courtroom could be turned upside down.
But just then...
A very soft, crisp sound suddenly fell from the sky above the high platform.
It was like someone lightly scratching the edge of a book page with their fingernail.
The next instant, the entire projection went black.
It's not scattered.
It was cut off.
It was brutal and direct; the reviewer didn't even have time to react.
The star core fragment in Chen Fan's hand trembled violently, almost slipping from his grasp. The second shell, which had just unfolded, was suppressed by a higher authority, and with two cracking sounds, it was forcibly closed halfway back together.
The entire courtroom looked up.
A page of paper had appeared in the sky sometime during the night.
It really is just one page.
It was very thin, with yellowed edges, like it had been torn from an old booklet. It had no imposing presence or divine aura; it just hung there.
The film's voice changed for the first time during the screening.
"Who intercepted the evidence in court?"
No one responded.
The page was slowly turned over, and a line of text appeared on the back.
It is neither a Buddhist name nor an official seal.
Like a signature.
Western catalogers.
The moment those four words were uttered, the color drained from the creditor's face.
Chapter 163 Catalogers
That old piece of paper hung in mid-air.
It does not emit light.
It doesn't oppress people.
But as soon as it appeared, the principal creditor took a half step back.
The crack on the master's forehead also stopped, as if it dared not open any further.
Shen Ying looked up, his voice deep.
"The trial is currently underway at the General Court. External witnesses are not permitted to intercept evidence."
There was no reply from the paper.
It only gave a slight jolt.
The four characters above seem to have been re-spreading like ink.
Western catalogers.
The next instant, a row of golden characters appeared in the sky above the entire courtroom.
The characters are small.
Everyone can see it clearly.
"The second shell issuance in this case has been halted, and the case has been transferred to the abnormal sample registration."
With those words, the star core fragment that had just been pried open snapped shut.
Chen Fan's eyelids twitched.
This thing is even more sinister than the Chief Judge.
At the very least, the boss will still go out and bite people.
This person won't touch you, they'll just stick a note on you and stuff it into the booklet.
Sun Wukong, carrying his golden cudgel, looked up and began to curse.
"Where did this cowardly coward come from? Come out and talk!"
Another line of gold characters appeared.
"Sample 1, a fragment of the battle script, exhibits excessive emotional fluctuations; rewriting is recommended."
The whole court fell silent.
Sun Wukong was stunned for a moment, then grinned.
"Rewrite your ancestors' history."
The golden cudgel soared into the sky and struck with a single blow.
The stick struck the paper three feet in front of it, and it shattered as if hitting an invisible film.
It's not about blocking it.
The "record" of that blow was erased.
The officials watching all gasped.
Xuan Gong's Adam's apple bobbed, and he lowered his head even further.
He clearly knew what the name represented.
Chen Fan stared at the row of golden characters, his mind racing.
The trial is conducted in the courtroom.
Correcting and rectifying deviations in management.
The cataloger in front of me seems to be on a higher level, specializing in collecting all sorts of problematic versions.
It's responsible for all the mistakes, the derailments, and the distorted paths.
No wonder the creditor's face was so pale.
This is not an ordinary high-ranking member of the Buddhist community.
This is the section behind the Buddhist temple, specifically in charge of "how books should be written".
On the high platform, Shen Ying spoke in a deep voice.
"This court has not yet adjourned the trial. External agencies are not allowed to overstep their authority to accept cases."
The paper still lacks emotion.
The gold characters fell down in rows.
"This case involves the misalignment of scriptures."
"It involves the breakage of the main axis of the pilgrimage."
"It involves the alienation of core characters."
"According to the old Western practice, cataloging is done first, followed by review."
The chief official's eye twitched when he heard this.
He originally intended to use this case to crush Chen Fan and conveniently wash away his old debts.
Now look what's happened.
Half of the case was taken over by someone higher up.
His face was grim, but he still bowed his head and clasped his hands in greeting.
"The Chief Judge requests permission to retain the preliminary enforcement results of the Amendment Division."
The letter "金" paused for a moment.
"Can be saved".
"Undeterminable".
The magistrate's face was slapped to pieces on the spot.
Just a moment ago, they seemed determined to nail Chen Fan to the ground.
Now that the statement above is uncertain, he doesn't dare utter a single word.
Sun Wukong was the happiest of all, laughing out loud while carrying his staff.
"Haha, weren't you being pretty arrogant just now?"
"What's wrong? You've got your tail between your legs now that you've met an even bigger corrupt official?"
The magistrate's face darkened, and the crack on his forehead twitched twice, but he didn't dare to retort.
This made the people in the Correction Division even more upset.
They relied on their boss for support, and they all acted arrogantly.
Even the head of the department has to stand and be reprimanded right now.
They're more like a joke.
Chen Fan didn't laugh.
He stared at the phrase "catalog first, then review," and the more he looked at it, the more something seemed off.
Cataloging sounds like registration.
If you actually get into this kind of booklet, you'll probably even have someone else decide how you died.
Tang Sanzang was also watching.
He stared at it for a long time, his face gradually darkening.
Chen Fan turned his head to the side.
"You recognized me?"
Tang Sanzang's throat moved, his voice dry.
"This is not an ordinary high-ranking member of a Buddhist sect."
"This humble monk... once glanced at an old file deep within the Sutra Repository of Mount Ling."
"The scriptures consist of main scrolls, side scrolls, and discarded scrolls."
"For anything that deviates from its original form, first record the differences, then file it."
"After archiving, we will decide whether to delete, modify, or block it."
He stopped even while he was talking about the prayer beads in his hand.
Sun Wukong turned to look at him.
Speak like a human.
Tang Sanzang looked at the paper in the sky.
"It doesn't govern monks."
"It governs the classics."
"Who can be included in the scriptures and who should be removed from them is decided by their respective lineages."
In short, even breathing became lighter in the courtroom.
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.
understood.
The image of the prison guard was revised.
The Chief Justice is like a judge.
This cataloger is the one who truly wields a pen.
No matter how much trouble you cause, winning the court hearing won't end the matter.
If you alter the dossier, you'll still be labeled a traitor, a demon, or a misprinted page.
No wonder it doesn't reveal its true form.
You don't need to fight this thing yourself at all.
Writing a single line about you is more painful than slapping you.
High above, the golden characters fall again.
"Request re-archiving".
"Targets: Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang, Chen Fan."
"New category: Traitorous to the Principality"
The moment the words "betrayed the principal" were uttered, the creditor immediately closed his eyes.
It's as if they've already considered the consequences.
Xuan Gong's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
The crowd erupted in chaos.
"Betrayal?"
"Isn't this a prelude to discarding papers?"
"Once you're on this list, all future testimonies can be considered tainted..."
"They're finished, they're really finished."
The officials whispered amongst themselves, their eyes filled with astonishment.
Previously, they only regarded Chen Fan and his group as troublemakers.
Now the cataloger himself has decided on a treasonous version.
That completely changed the nature of the situation.
This is not a mistake.
This means the entire scripture needs to be overturned.
Sun Wukong's face instantly turned cold.
"Old Sun has fought his way up to this point, and this is the first time I've heard someone decide my fate with a tattered book."
He stepped forward, stick in hand.
"You think you can intimidate me just by writing a few words?"
"You dare show yourself!"
The gold letter ignored him.
Another sentence.
"Sample No. 2, a fragment of the original text, has an off-axis; it is recommended to seal it away."
It refers to Tang Sanzang.
Tang Sanzang looked up, his lips twitched, and he actually smiled.
"This humble monk spent half his life chanting scriptures."
"In the end, in your eyes, it's just a flawed copy."
"Very good."
He crushed two prayer beads in one go and pointed to the sky.
"This humble monk would like to see today who will bestow titles upon me."
That's not a strong statement.
But the taste is very strong.
The creditors couldn't help but glance at him.
Clearly, no one expected that this monk would dare to confront the traps behind Mount Ling head-on.
Chen Fan smiled.
That's right.
We've already come this far, why pretend to be an honest person?
On the high platform, the judge remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"Cataloging applications require court approval."
"This court may hear one more round of objections."
This already counts as favoritism.
Anyone could tell.
He wanted to prove Chen Fan and his team right.
The master's eyes flickered, as if he also wanted to take this opportunity to stir things up.
But the gold character pressed down in the next instant.
"Review the footage and check your outstanding debts."
boom.
Behind the examination table, a small gray-white nuclear seal emerged.
Not big.
However, it was covered with dense, old patterns.
The sound of the reviewing was interrupted for the first time.
Chen Fan understood.
This is the old debt from the star core that Tang Sanzang mentioned earlier.
It's not that I don't want to help.
He himself had also been in debt.
Moreover, the debt is owed to the other party.
The gold lettering continued to fall.
"You have used Western versions as a shell to revise and resolve 1,746 cases."
"Not returned."
"If you vehemently refute this, this agency will pursue and recover the funds."
The reviewer remained silent for a long time.
That blurry face even swayed for a moment on the high platform.
The entire Grand Courtyard instantly felt a layer of pressure.
The master's lips twitched, and a hint of pleasure flashed in his eyes.
He just got slapped.
Now that I'm getting rejected even when watching films being reviewed, I feel much better.
Shen Ying remained silent for a long time before finally uttering a sentence.
"...The court proceedings continue."
"Follow procedure and hear objections."
This is the limit.
If he went any further, he would have to turn back himself.
Chen Fan stared at the high platform, but his heart grew even colder.
This game was dirtier than I expected.
You think you're in court.
As a result, the judge owed money to the publisher.
How can this be judged?
Suddenly, the chief judge spoke in a sinister tone.
"Chen Fan, aren't you the best at accounting?"
"Let's see, do the three of you deserve to be included in the main examination?"
"A demonic monkey, a traitorous monk, and a foreign miscellaneous book."
"The cataloger is giving you too much credit by classifying your work as a traitorous book."
Upon hearing this, the people from the Correction Department immediately joined in the laughter.
She laughed very softly.
But that mockery was very grating.
They were afraid that Chen Fan would overturn the verdict.
Now, seeing what happened to the catalogers, everyone feels like things are going well.
Chen Fan looked up at the Chief Judge.
"You really know how to choose your master."
"It just got beaten up, and now it's wagging its tail."
"No wonder you've been the head of the department for so long, you've lost all your composure."
The crack on the master's forehead twitched violently.
The onlookers were stunned at first, then some couldn't help but burst out laughing.
This smile made the Master's face even uglier.
Chen Fan didn't stop, and continued to stab him in the heart.
"You've been investigating me for so long, and what have you found out?"
"It turns out you're the dirty glove in the proxy debt chain."
"It has been discovered that the principal debtor possessed a star-studded certificate."
"Now that we've investigated, another cataloger has fallen from your superiors and is telling you not to talk nonsense."
"I'm ashamed of you."
These words are too harsh.
The magistrate stood ramrod straight, his sleeves trembling.
But he couldn't refute a single word of it.
Because every single word is true.
The paper in the air trembled.
New pyramids appear.
"Sample No. 3, foreign miscellaneous text, intervention main line, high pollution transmission capacity."
"I suggest re-recording immediately."
Chen Fan looked up and smiled.
"It's finally my turn."
"A miscellaneous book is a miscellaneous book."
"What you old writers fear most is that someone won't do what you wrote."
The letter "gold" paused for a moment.
It felt like the first time someone had ever dodged a blow like that.
Tang Sanzang suddenly looked at Chen Fan.
Sun Wukong grinned widely.
"Well said!"
"Just for that statement, Old Sun doesn't care who they are today, he's going to smash them first!"
The atmosphere in the courtroom immediately became tense.
Just then, a corner of the paper suddenly curled up.
A very fine strand of gold thread fell down.
It was not an attack.
Like turning a page.
The next moment, a booklet slowly fell from the sky.
It's very thin.
The cover is blank.
There were no words, no seals.
It landed in the courtyard with barely a sound.
But everyone in the audience was watching.
The principal debtor's breathing tightened, and he whispered, "A blank scripture..."
Tang Sanzang's expression changed.
"This is the blank book before it was filed."
Whoever gets to write their content first gets to be on the first page.
Chen Fan immediately asked, "What's the use of the first page?"
Tang Sanzang stared intently at the booklet.
"The first page sets the tone."
"Whoever sets the point first will be considered for the subsequent review, cataloging, and archiving processes."
Sun Wukong understood immediately.
"In other words, whoever writes first has the upper hand?"
"almost."
Even the Chief Judge's eyes lit up.
He was just being scolded.
Seeing the blank sutra now brings me back to life.
As long as he gets to the first page, he can turn all the disadvantages he faced back into advantages.
Even if the main creditor, the star core, and the old debts are all true, as long as the first page states "Chen Fan and the other two are the root cause of the rebellion and chaos," everything else can be whitewashed.
High in the sky, the last line of golden characters slowly emerged.
"This organization will not participate in the writing competition."
"Who can fill the first page?"
"Whoever does so has the right to leave the court alive."
The entire room fell silent.
next second.
The chief official was the first to act.
A black pen flew out of his sleeve and flew straight at the blank scripture.
Sun Wukong roared and swung his golden cudgel across.
Tang Sanzang ripped off his cassock, and the shattered prayer beads transformed into a string of small, blood-red characters, which he used to seal the opening of the book.
Chen Fan didn't rush.
He stared at the blank scripture and suddenly noticed a faint, almost invisible old mark on the bottom corner of the cover.
It's like someone has already written a word.
His pupils contracted, and he uttered two words in a low voice.
"broken……"
Chapter 164 Writing the First Page
The moment the blank sutra appeared, the entire Grand Chamber felt as if it had been choked.
No one dared to breathe loudly.
The booklet wasn't thick, the pages were old, and the corners of the cover were curled. Yet, it was precisely this thing that silenced the examiner, made the creditor's face stiffen, and even brought out the Western cataloger himself.
The chief clerk's black pen was the fastest.
The moment the pen touched the paper, before the ink even touched the book, the pages lit up.
It's not a block.
Yes, it is acknowledged.
A look of joy immediately flashed in the Master's eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
"The rule-making tool: first come, first served."
He stared at Chen Fan, his voice cold and sinister.
"You've been jumping around for so long, it's time to shut up."
As soon as he finished speaking, the black pen plunged into the first page.
He forced out a single line of text.
The abnormal character was executed.
The four characters first became three and a half.
The last character, "诛" (zhū), just wouldn't come down.
The magistrate's arms were bulging with veins, and his sleeves bulged out layer by layer, as if dozens of ropes were pulling him out of his body.
"fall!"
He gave a low shout and pressed the black pen down.
Click.
The penholder cracked first.
On the first page of the sutra, the few words that had just been written began to tremble.
The next instant, a dense rustling of pages turning filled the air.
It's not the scriptures being turned.
It's turning over from all directions.
In the courtroom, all the old deeds, case files, IOUs, loan seals, agency chains, and principal debt slips began to flip up on their own. The pages flew everywhere, one on top of another, crashing directly onto the first page.
boom!
The word "abnormal" was covered up first.
boom!
The word "role" is stuck in old debts.
In the end, only the character "伏" was half-hidden.
The master's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"How could this happen!"
The judge spoke in a deep voice: "Old debts are tied up in writing. You have no right to make a preliminary judgment."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Gong sat down on the ground, completely dumbfounded.
The chief, who had been so aggressive just moments before, now looked as if he had been struck on the head with a blow.
He didn't believe in superstition and raised his hand to press down again.
The moment the tip of the black pen touched the empty space for the character "诛" (execute), a large piece of contract paper fell from the sky and slapped him across the face.
There's only one line of old text above.
A final judgment cannot be made if the outstanding cases are not resolved.
The room fell silent for a moment, then many people's eyelids started twitching.
Even the courtroom's proceedings paused for a moment.
That's a quick slap in the face.
They said to write first and decide first, but they can't even write a single complete character.
Sun Wukong was stunned for a moment, then grinned and laughed.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
"You old bastard, weren't you so cocky just now?"
"Keep writing! Keep writing!"
He slammed the stick into the ground, causing cracks to appear everywhere.
"You'd better add the word 'execute' to it!"
The Bull Demon King also grinned, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
"Debts owed by officials will also be settled."
"We've finally seen one alive today."
The chief clerk ripped the contract off his face, half of his face turning purple with anger.
He wanted to rush again.
The scripture, however, floated away by itself, half a foot, as if it found him dirty.
This attempt to dodge only intensified the humiliation.
The expressions on the faces of the assembled correctional officers and former officials of the department were more interesting than the last. Some of them, who had been standing ramrod straight a moment ago, now had their eyes darting around, as if afraid that the department head would see them trying to suppress their laughter.
Chen Fan remained motionless.
He stared at the first page, and the unease in his heart intensified.
This booklet wasn't written casually.
The first page isn't about who grabs it first and who wins.
It's selective.
It also keeps accounts.
The reason the director couldn't finish writing wasn't because he lacked ability, but because the mess he was dealing with was too thick—so thick that he couldn't even recognize the first page.
Thinking of this, Chen Fan turned his head to look at Tang Sanzang.
"you go."
The moment those two words were spoken, the expressions around them changed.
Tang Sanzang raised his head, the shattered, blood-red prayer beads still hanging in his palm. His face was pale, his robe was torn in one side, and there was a crack on his shoulder from the earlier shock.
A person who has just been expelled from Buddhism.
A person whose name has been abolished by the Lord.
Should we have him write the first page?
In mid-air, the figure behind the old paper let out a cold laugh.
The voice of the Western cataloger slowly descended, thin, shrill, and grating to the ear.
"Anyone can touch it."
"He can't do it."
"Does a discredited scholar deserve to write scriptures again?"
That's a really harsh statement.
Many people in the courtroom looked at Tang Sanzang with a hint of mockery.
Abolish the scriptures.
This term is even harsher than calling someone a bald donkey.
That means he was kicked out of that system from the very beginning.
You are no longer a scribe.
You're just a piece of junk.
The cataloger's voice never stopped, scraping down like a knife.
"I gave you the name of the sutra back then because I knew you were obedient."
"Every page you write is a copy for someone else."
"Now that we're out of ink, you still want to touch the first page?"
"What will you use to write?"
"Are you going to use your meager, corrupted Buddhist heart, or the abnormal group behind you?"
Sun Wukong's face darkened, and he raised his staff to strike.
Tang Sanzang raised his hand to stop him.
He didn't look at the cataloger, but only glanced down at his own hands.
That hand wasn't very steady.
The back of my hand was covered with fine cracks, like the marks left from the previous times I stubbornly defied the rules.
Chen Fan looked at him without saying anything more.
"You didn't write it for them."
Write it for yourself once.
Tang Sanzang's eyelids twitched slightly.
This is not a big deal.
The sound, falling into the courtyard, was even more cutting than the string of taunts from before.
He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly walked toward the scriptures.
step.
Two steps.
The cataloger's shadow in the air watched coldly, as if he were watching a joke.
"If you dare to write, the first page will weigh your worth."
"Unable to bear it, before the words were even finished, the person shattered."
Tang Sanzang did not stop walking.
He walked up to the book and reached out his hand.
The scriptures did not hide.
The first page slowly unfolds.
That page was so white it shone, as if it were empty, yet also as if it were already filled with everything. The moment Tang Sanzang's finger touched it, a little blood immediately seeped from his fingertip, just enough to stain a corner of the paper red.
The cataloger scoffed.
"As expected. Once it's ruined, it's ruined."
The chief official suppressed his anger, his eyes darkening.
"If you can't write it, your qualification will be revoked."
"I'll make the judgment then."
Tang Sanzang finally raised his eyes and glanced at him.
This view is very flat.
Ping Desi felt a strange tightness in his chest.
The next moment, Tang Sanzang did not pick up the pen.
He simply raised his finger, using blood as ink, and wrote the first sentence on the first page.
There shouldn't be only one path for all beings.
Nine characters.
Unhappy.
It's not slow either.
Each stroke seems to be pressing down on something as it moves forward.
When the first character was written, the blank scripture book trembled slightly.
As the second word was uttered, a booming sound came from outside the courtyard.
As the third word fell, the Huaguo Mountain Boundary Deletion Order, which was still expanding in the sky, suddenly paused.
Sun Wukong suddenly looked up.
He was the first to feel it.
The boundary-deleting order that had been gnawing at the border had stopped.
It's not invalid.
It was blocked by the first page.
"It's stopped?"
The Bull Demon King noticed it too, and his voice suddenly rose.
"It's really stopped!"
The fourth and fifth characters continued to fall.
Deep within the Correction Department, the vast remnants of the template library began to turn gray, piece by piece. The rule framework, which had been automatically piecing together, began to fall apart like a puppet with its strings cut.
Xuan Gong's lips trembled as he watched.
"The missing part...the missing part has lost contact..."
"How could they have gone missing!"
No one cares about him.
Everyone was staring intently at the first page.
When the sixth word was uttered, the cataloger's blurry face darkened for the first time.
The shadow behind the paper flickered.
It seemed unexpected.
As the seventh word was spoken, the old contract in the principal's hand suddenly rolled up a corner on its own, as if it were giving way.
As the eighth character was written, the huge plaque with the character "审" (trial) hanging high in the courtroom shifted slightly by an inch.
The ninth character is finished.
There shouldn't be only one path for all beings.
The entire book suddenly glowed.
It wasn't a blinding light.
It has that kind of brightness and warmth that comes out of old paper after it has been dried in the sun, yet it carries an unyielding strength that no one can suppress.
As soon as the light swept out, the few fragmented characters that the Master had just written shattered instantly.
Abnormality, role, lurking.
It shattered into a dark ash.
Not a single one was left.
The chief's face turned ashen, and he swallowed hard, as if he had swallowed a mouthful of blood.
Sun Wukong watched with the most enjoyment, and immediately burst out laughing and cursing.
"This piece of trash can't write it. Now that it's a monk's turn, your few lousy characters won't even leave a trace!"
"Does your face hurt?"
The master clenched his teeth so tightly they were grinding, his eyes filled with murderous intent, yet he dared not rush to the first page again.
Because it is recognized by the scriptures.
The first page already contains Tang Sanzang's characters.
Shen Ying remained silent for a moment from his vantage point, then suddenly spoke.
"First page, stand."
The three words, once spoken, are equivalent to a seal.
Tang Sanzang swayed and almost fell over.
Chen Fan stepped forward and reached out to support him.
He could feel that Tang Sanzang's life force had been almost completely drained. He had only written one sentence, yet the energy expenditure was far greater than a direct confrontation with the Master.
It seems that this first page was not written in vain.
The cataloger looked at that line of text and suddenly smiled.
The laughter wasn't loud, but it was even more jarring than before.
"it is good."
"very nice."
"And yet, a useless scholar has taken up the first page."
The more he laughed, the colder everyone in the courtyard felt.
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.
This old man doesn't seem like he'll suffer a loss.
Sure enough, the cataloger changed the subject.
"Anyone can write the first page."
"Writing a nice sentence isn't difficult."
"The second page is the hardest."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong hoisted his golden cudgel onto his shoulder.
"What are you pretending to be? What's wrong with the second page?"
The cataloger lowered his voice little by little.
"The first page sets the tone."
"Page Two, Destiny."
"Write the first page, as long as you dare to speak."
"Write the second page; let's see if you dare risk your life to fill it."
As these words were spoken, the light on the scripture slowly faded.
The first page is still lit.
The second page, however, opened up by itself.
There were no words in the crack, only a cold, sucking force, like a deep well opening up.
Tang Sanzang had just steadied himself when he saw that page, and his expression immediately changed.
Not just him.
He didn't say anything more during the film screening.
The gloom in the master's eyes suddenly turned into schadenfreude.
"I thought you guys really won."
"It turns out it was just the beginning."
Xuan Gong felt like he had found a lifeline and quickly followed suit.
"Yes, yes, the real deal is on the second page!"
"Without the lives of those who dare, who among you would dare to write it!"
The Bull Demon King frowned and asked Chen Fan in a low voice, "We're not really going to put one of these in, are we?"
Chen Fan did not reply.
He stared at the crack, his mind racing through all the details of what had just happened.
Page 1 is confirmed.
The boundary deletion order has been suspended.
Template library fragments are invalid.
This shows that this scripture is not simply changing words; it is seizing the right to interpret reality.
The first page is merely a declaration.
On the second page, it seems the declaration will be pressed into ironclad evidence.
This kind of irrefutable evidence is indeed deadly.
Just then, the scripture suddenly flew up on its own.
The first page is closed.
It wasn't shown on the second page either.
The entire booklet spun around in the air, as if it were looking at people.
Let's look at the head of the department first.
The master instinctively took a half step back.
The scriptures skipped over him directly.
Let's look at the cataloger.
The shadow behind the paper tightened noticeably, but didn't reach out to touch it.
Then, it turned to Tang Sanzang.
Tang Sanzang stood up straight, but it didn't fall down.
The scripture paused in front of him for only a moment, as if confirming something, before suddenly veering off course and hurtling straight at Chen Fan.
Chen Fan's pupils contracted.
"Coming for me?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the book snapped open the star core fragment mark on his chest.
A rift was torn open in mid-air.
It's not a courtyard gate.
It wasn't a sewing inspection either.
It was as if a deeper interlayer of pages was hidden within the book, and now it had been forcibly pulled out.
The cataloger's voice changed for the first time.
"Stop him!"
The chief, disregarding all pride, roared and charged forward.
"We can't let him go up to the third floor!"
Unfortunately, it was too late.
A tremendous force emanated from the crack, as if someone had grabbed Chen Fan through the pages of paper and dragged him inside.
Sun Wukong swung his staff, and the moment the tip touched the edge of the crack, the entire staff was shaken open by half a foot.
"Chen Fan!"
Tang Sanzang also lunged forward, his fingertips only brushing against a corner of Chen Fan's sleeve before the fabric tore open on the spot.
Chen Fan's body was already half submerged in the crack.
With his last glance, he saw the scripture hanging above the tear, its cover having flipped open slightly.
A faint "old" character is visible inside.
It's not the mark on the first page.
It's newly released.
It's like a "debt".
The next instant, the crack suddenly closed.
Chen Fan was dragged inside.