Long ago, Hollowbelly City was nothing more than a small magistrate's office, and King Hollowbelly was its sole judge. Because it was so close to the Gate of Ghosts, with the Flaying Hell and Tendon-Pulling Hell just beyond, most of those judged here were people of wealth or officials in life.
To avoid unnecessary trials and trouble, these two types of souls were grouped together and handed over to King Hollowbelly for judgment. Afterwards, they would be sent to the appropriate hell based on their sins in life.
At first, everything went smoothly. But gradually, problems arose—these people began bribing King Hollowbelly to escape torture. King Hollowbelly, greedy by nature, happily accepted the bribes, suppressing the punishment of some souls who should have suffered and even secretly allowing them to enter reincarnation.
Under King Hollowbelly's protection, more and more greedy underworld officials and ghost officers gathered here. They began building places for wealthy souls to indulge themselves after death—this was the beginning of Hollowbelly City, which started as a small town.
After all, the truly wealthy or powerful were always few in any era. These filthy deals of money and power were suppressed by King Hollowbelly, who even bribed the junior ghost officers in the hells where these souls should have been punished. The rich not only avoided torment—they enjoyed luxury, while King Hollowbelly's subordinates scoured the city for souls to suffer in their place.
In just a few centuries, no one seemed to notice. But in truth, the Four Grand Judges of the underworld knew everything. Yet, following the old saying 'family shame must not be made public,' and with chaos erupting in the living world and seven Wraith Lords already appearing, they simply had no time to deal with such minor matters.
King Hollowbelly became even more brazen, bribing officials at every level in the underworld. All he needed was for them to bring him the souls of the wealthy, and he would reward them handsomely.
Gradually, Hollowbelly City took shape. King Hollowbelly developed an obsession: devouring money. Anything remotely related to money, he would swallow whole. The three rules posted at the city gates were established once Hollowbelly City was fully built.
After the city expanded, King Hollowbelly began planning to increase its population—not just with the rich, but with any ghost engaged in business. The wealthy were locked away in his private villas, provided every luxury imaginable, with the sole condition that they never set foot outside.
As the city grew, the culture of bribery in the underworld took root—this is how it all began.
"How do you know all this so well?"
I asked, puzzled, as I looked at the pickpocket ghost in front of me—Quentin Woo. He just chuckled.
"I died young. I did this kind of work when I was alive, so after death, I could only rely on it to survive. I never wanted to be some big shot—I don't have the talent, nor the guts. So I make a living stealing all over the ghost realm. After all, money makes the ghost turn the mill—even here, that's true."
According to Quentin Woo, the city was being built when he arrived, and he learned these things from an old ghost who had already died. That ghost had been wealthy but was eventually drained dry. Hoping for reincarnation, he was instead sent to hell. Unwilling to accept his fate, he cursed Hollowbelly a few times, and King Hollowbelly swallowed him alive on the spot.
King Hollowbelly’s hunger for money grew uncontrollable once peace returned to the living world and the wars stopped. More and more rich people appeared, and after death, they were all brought here and kept as his personal supply.
From what Quentin Woo said, the rich souls locked up here were like money trees—when the money grew, King Hollowbelly would come to collect it, then wait for them to grow more.
Everyone in the underworld knows about this place, but the Yama Kings have never said a word—they simply allowed King Hollowbelly to do as he pleased.
The most outraged were the Four Grand Judges. Each of them came here, but all left dissatisfied. Eventually, they ignored this place altogether. It was only after the collapse of the three major Blue Wraiths outside hell’s perimeter that King Hollowbelly opened a road to the outskirts, letting in a flood of ghosts.
Hollowbelly City, which had only hundreds of thousands of ghosts, suddenly grew by three million in just a few years. King Hollowbelly then implemented the Four-Badge Policy: any ghost wanting a good life here had to earn money. Those who provided enough could wear a gold badge and freely move between the living and ghost realms.
At this, Quentin Woo raised his golden badge and laughed.
"It took me years to get this, and now... I don't know what's going on anymore. These strange things keep happening, and even the ghost officers in the city are asking about King Hollowbelly's past. It's just..."
Quentin Woo glanced at us as he spoke, then broke into a laugh.
"You two look like serious players. Even Hollowbelly can't do much against you, huh? No wonder there's no sign of him."
After that, I told Quentin Woo about our time inside Hollowbelly's stomach. He looked at us with deep suspicion, then pointed eastward.
"Isn't that the way out?"
I shook my head. It's absolutely impossible to leave—some ghosts in the city have already tried. No matter how you walk, you always end up back in Hollowbelly City. There's simply no way out.
After leaving with Lin Rui, I flew straight back to Hollowbelly's mansion. The conclusion was the same: plenty of old ghosts here have lived for over a thousand years.
But I kept sensing something was off—especially those three things that entered the city.
"Let's check the very top."
I said, lifting off and flying straight up into the sky. Even here, my instincts couldn't pick up anything strange. I don't know how long I flew; Hollowbelly City became just a black dot beneath me, but I still couldn't find any walls or barriers.
Suddenly, I realized with a shock that I was back above Hollowbelly City, just a few hundred meters up. I kept trying, but every time, I ended up right back in the same spot. In a blink, I was hovering over the city again.
Suddenly, a surge of ghostly energy erupted from Hollowbelly's mansion. I flew over immediately. With a thunderous crash, a quarter of the mansion was sliced clean in half—buildings collapsed, clouds of dust rose, and it was all Zifeng's doing.
When the dust settled, I arrived at the palace entrance. Zifeng gripped his short blade, scanning the surroundings intently.
"Looks like we'll need a long-term plan."
Zifeng put away his blade. Li Jiayuan was nowhere to be seen; just as I left, he ran off looking cheerful—probably off to enjoy himself again.
Day after day, we searched every street and alley for clues, but found nothing. A week passed, and the city was gripped by panic.
No way out, all contact with the outside severed, and no one left in charge. The ghosts in the city were terrified, desperate to escape, but no matter what they did, they couldn't leave.
With no other options, Zifeng had to send ghost officers and ghost troopers to patrol the streets and maintain order.
"It's bad, really bad—some ghost just got eaten!"
A ghost officer rushed over, shouting in panic. The three of us were startled and hurried after him. On a street packed with ghosts, a huge empty space had opened up in the center, but no one dared to approach.