The widow becomes a fairy, and the time-traveling girl counterattacks and becomes the queen

The dense array of steel needles gleamed with a chilling light, piercing deep into the flesh one after another.

The man convulsed in pain, his pig-like screams echoing through the gloomy corridor, sending chills down one's spine.

This excruciating pain was ten times more unbearable than the minor tortures inflicted by Granny Xie!

Wang Xinyao subconsciously took a half step back and unconsciously covered her mouth.

Even the well-informed Immortal Venerable Chen Qingfeng's eye twitched slightly.

Zhao Haoxuan stared at the man writhing in agony on the rack, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, and asked, "Is this Gou Hongying, the former Minister of Personnel?"

"Yes, this is the guy."

King Yama stood with his hands behind his back, toying with the Book of Life and Death in his fingers, and coldly nodded, saying:

"He used the power given to him by the imperial court to do all sorts of dirty things, like taking money and selling official positions!"

Talented scholars had no way to serve their country, while cunning and sycophantic people rose through the ranks.

The corrupt officials below were incompetent, causing countless people to be displaced and even lose their lives.

"Throwing him into the fifth level of hell would be too lenient for him!"

“Cheap? I think it’s more than cheap.” A sharp glint flashed in Zhao Haoxuan’s eyes, his tone as cold as ice.

Wang Xinyao stood aside, recalling Gou Hongying's relentless torment of Yin Zhizi for twenty years.

And the thought of Yang Hui giving birth but not raising him made her feel suffocated, and her anger surged up.

She clenched her fists, couldn't help but take two steps forward, and pressed Yama for answers.

"How many years will a wicked fellow like him have to suffer in hell?"

"Not much, just ten years!" Yan Jun coldly uttered a few words.

Seeing that Gou Hongying's palm had been pierced by another steel needle, he slowly added.

"But these ten years are just an appetizer; after we get through them..."

He must first endure the cycle of reincarnation through the twelve zodiac animals, then suffer the tribulations of ten animal realms, before finally being qualified to be reborn as a human.

"He truly deserved it!" Zhao Haoxuan sneered, his eyes showing no pity whatsoever.

The group continued their journey deeper into hell, their feet sinking into the icy air.

As soon as I stepped into the sixth level, a strong smell of blood hit me – this is the Hell of Execution!

The gleaming steel blades flashed up and down, and the screams of the tortured were even more piercing than those on the fifth floor.

Wang Xinyao's eyes sharpened as she pointed at one of the figures enveloped in the light of a knife.

"Haoxuan, look! Isn't that Wei Feng, the commander of the Northern Army?"

Zhao Haoxuan looked in the direction she pointed, and his face immediately darkened.

"That's right, it was him! If it weren't for him, Sister-in-law Su and her two children wouldn't have almost lost their lives."

This man dared to embezzle even military supplies, ruining countless families like Sister-in-law Su's. Now, this predicament is entirely his own doing.

Wang Xinyao nodded in agreement.

But then she looked at King Yan and asked with a puzzled expression, "Logically speaking, Wei Feng's crimes are less serious than Gou Hongying's, so why did he suffer a heavier punishment?"

Yama stroked his beard, looking completely at ease.

"That's the principle, and the rules are set by people, but cause and effect can't be faked in the slightest."

None of Wei Feng's descendants had any meritorious service, so naturally no one could atone for his sins.

But Gou Hongying is different. His son, Yang Hui, is the commander of the Miao Kingdom's guards and has done a lot of good things for the country and the people over the years.

His daughter, Gou Chunmei, reformed herself and followed Yin Ping'an to recover the Yinlie Kingdom, turning that land into the Yinlie Prefecture of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Now that Gou Chunmei has become a princess, she is even more concerned about the people and strives for the well-being of the world.

Furthermore, given that her son is a holy son of the divine race, and considering these connections, based on his sins in his previous life, he should at least be at the tenth level by now.

After hearing this, Wang Xinyao couldn't help but chuckle softly, but there was no real smile in her eyes.

"I never imagined that even the underworld would be such a place that believes in cause and effect and retribution. He really got off easy."

In fact, on the one hand, she felt it was extremely unfair, but on the other hand, she had to admit that this logic of cause and effect was quite good.

Yan Jun straightened his back and replied with a smug look, "Of course!"

"I have ruled the underworld for a thousand years, always impartial and selfless. What I value most is the karmic cycle of blessing and calamity that extends to five generations!"

The group didn't say anything more and continued walking forward, stepping on the bloodstains on the ground. Soon they arrived at the eighth level of the oil cauldron hell.

The scalding hot oil was bubbling and splattering, making a sizzling sound as it hit the ground.

The people in the pot were boiled until their skin was torn and their flesh was torn apart, but they couldn't die. They could only endure the excruciating pain of being boiled in oil, and their screams were enough to make anyone's scalp tingle.

Wang Xinyao glanced around and noticed many familiar faces among them.

They were all palace maids and eunuchs who had committed numerous evil deeds around Consort Yin, as well as the wicked generals who had fought on the battlefield of Li Kingdom.

"Hmph, she deserves it!" she sneered, her eyes filled with satisfaction.

King Yama explained from the side: "These people bullied others and committed all kinds of evil deeds in the mortal world. They deserve to end up in this state."

They have to be boiled in oil for a full twenty years, and then go through thirty-six different animal reincarnations before they have a chance to be reborn.

The group continued down, and the eighth level, the Blood Pool Hell, soon came into view.

Dozens of people were soaking in the thick blood, including Taoist Priest Li, Commander Yin, Teng Yuanhu, and Chen Yingtao.

Chen Qingfeng pointed at the struggling figure in the blood pool and asked in a deep voice, "When did this brat die?"

"Oh, the Immortal Venerable is referring to Chen Yingtao, the former eldest prince of the Miao Kingdom."

King Yama hurriedly pulled out the thick Book of Life and Death, flipped through several pages before finding the name, and slowly began to speak:

"When the Immortal Venerable's son, Chen Jingyuan, ascended the throne, he spared his life out of consideration for their brotherhood, and only sentenced him to exile."

But this guy didn't know what was good for him and colluded with his old subordinates to escape on the way to exile.

He gathered a group of bandits, fought his way back to the capital, and even captured members of the imperial family to threaten the new emperor into abdicating.

King Yama paused here, his tone tinged with a hint of melancholy.

"In this time of crisis, it was fortunate that Queen Muyun returned to Miao Kingdom in time, which quelled the rebellion."

After this incident, Emperor Chen Jingyuan of the Miao Kingdom was utterly disheartened and personally ended his life.

"Mu Yun has returned to Miao Kingdom?" Upon hearing this name, Chen Qingfeng was momentarily lost in thought.

He recalled a night many years ago when Mu Yun sewed his dragon robe under the lamp.

Furthermore, her soft promise as she left, "Your Majesty, I will wait for you to return," finally softened the tension in her lips.

"That's good... With her here, I can finally rest easy." As he finished speaking, his eyes were filled with undisguised affection.

He truly missed Mu Yun terribly after being separated from her for so long.

Now that the danger has passed, once the "Scorpion" is sealed, he will definitely take Mu Yun back to the Third Heaven and hold the grand Empress Ceremony he promised her.

Wang Xinyao stared at the people wailing in the blood pool, then turned to ask Yama, "How many years would people like Master Li and Chen Yingtao have to soak in the blood pool?"