As soon as these words were spoken, there was a sound like clashing metal, as if golden words of wisdom had been uttered, deafening to the ears. The timid, upon hearing this shout, would feel their limbs go weak and unconsciously fall to their knees.

Thud—James Carter, however, paid no heed and went straight up to deliver a kick. Would the soul of a Grand Luo Golden Immortal care about a mere mortal emperor? With one kick, he sent the middle-aged man sprawling to the ground, stepped on him firmly, and then raised his blood-red ghost-headed broadsword.

“Every injustice has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. You and I have no old grudges, nor recent enmity. I am simply doing my duty, acting on orders—my apologies!” With these formal words, James Carter suddenly brought his broadsword down, and the self-proclaimed emperor’s head rolled far away.

Clink—a crisp sound rang out, and beneath the fallen emperor’s corpse, a small white jade pendant was revealed. The jade was smooth and lustrous—clearly a rare and precious item.

James Carter glanced around. Seeing no one nearby, he sneered inwardly, reached out to grab the jade pendant, and tucked it under his belt. Then he stood quietly, waiting for the next instructions.

“There were only two executioners—one kept his eyes straight ahead, the other took the jade pendant.” The voice in the void, unheard by James Carter, was making the final tally.

“Good! James Carter, the Celestial Execution Platform still lacks an executioner like you. Are you willing?” The The Executioner, who had not appeared until now, finally stood before James Carter, asking kindly while holding a white ring, which he slowly handed over.

Chapter 7: I Am the Executioner (Part 1)

“At your command, sir!” James Carter bowed and accepted the ring. At the The Executioner’s gesture, he slowly slipped it onto his finger.

As soon as it was on his finger, the ring emitted a gentle glow, enveloping James Carter’s entire body. Then it vanished from his finger, leaving only a mark like a tattoo, still visible on James Carter’s finger.

“This is the token of the Celestial Execution Platform. With it, you may enter the platform to execute immortals!” The Executioner gave his instructions expressionlessly, then pointed behind James Carter: “Within the Celestial Execution Platform, all but you are to be executed. Go now!”

James Carter turned around, only to find that at some point, a road had appeared behind him, leading to a magnificent golden gate tower. The gate tower was more splendid than any in the mortal world, with massive pillars entwined by two golden dragons, their heads raised to the sky in a furious roar. At the very top, three blood-red characters, written in wild, dragon-like strokes, spelled out “Celestial Execution Platform.” Looking closer, he saw that the three characters were actually formed from living flesh and blood, still writhing incessantly. Beneath the gate tower stood four fully armored soldiers, guarding the entrance.

“Halt! Who dares trespass upon the Celestial Execution Platform?” As soon as James Carter approached, someone shouted loudly.

James Carter extended his hand, revealing the mark of the ring on his finger. Strangely, at this point, the ring itself suddenly materialized, clearly visible to the gate guards. After seeing it, the four soldiers stepped aside and allowed James Carter to enter.

Passing through the gate tower, he was met with a field of white light, making it impossible to see anything clearly. James Carter reached forward, but grasped only empty air. After a moment’s thought, he strode boldly into the white light. The light offered no resistance, letting him pass through freely.

It was only after witnessing this that the four soldiers outside finally relaxed. One of them suddenly turned and asked in confusion, “Sir, his hands aren’t clean—he took something from a corpse. Why choose him?”

Unbeknownst to them, The Executioner had also appeared beside the four, gazing at the unremarkable ball of light for a long while before finally saying, “You all know who is to be executed on the Celestial Execution Platform this time. Only he and one other can execute the criminals without favoritism, and are ruthless enough to behead the demoness. He even dared to kick over the supreme emperor and behead him, while the other one kowtowed before executing. The rest either let the criminals go, couldn’t bring themselves to kill the demoness, or simply lacked the courage. There is no one more suitable for the Celestial Execution Platform than these two. Taking something from the dead is still better than taking from the living.”

“What’s more, once inside the Celestial Execution Platform, aside from food, water, and the executioner’s blade, as long as you don’t touch any immortal’s flesh or belongings, you can walk out.” The Executioner fixed his gaze on the four gate guards. “Do you think, as a mere mortal, after killing so many immortals, he’ll really be given a chance to leave? His unclean hands have already cut off his own way out, haven’t they?”

Only then did the four guards suddenly understand. So all these tests were just to select a suitable candidate—not only bold, but also with a weakness. Someone who met all these criteria was as rare as a phoenix feather or a unicorn’s horn. It was truly remarkable that such a person had been found.

James Carter stepped into the white light, and it was as if he had crossed into another world. Suddenly, his vision cleared, and an unimaginably vast execution ground appeared before him.

To be honest, even in his previous life, James Carter had never had the chance to see the Celestial Execution Platform. As the name suggests, the Celestial Execution Platform is where the Heavenly Court executes immortals. The only immortals who can enter here are those awaiting execution. In his previous life, James Carter was neither an executioner nor a condemned immortal, so naturally, he had never seen it.