With a piercing whoosh, the Yuna Ji that Quentin Kue stabbed unraveled into a wisp of black, spectral smoke—her form dissipating in a chilling instant before his eyes. Yet my vision revealed a different reality: the Ghost Sovereigns had already lifted Yuna Ji, bearing her away into the shadowed distance. Quentin Kue, however, remained trapped in the illusion that the Ghost Sovereigns were still poised to strike.
I muttered under my breath, and the primordial ancestor of ghosts—the Wraithlord—laughed as he spoke.
"Didn't you sense anything at all? Take a good look around."
Puzzled, I swept my gaze around, finding nothing amiss. Then the Wraithlord pressed his palm to my brow—and in that instant, the ground was revealed, blanketed in countless black Ghost Arrays, intricate and foreboding. The portion Quentin Kue had destroyed, crafted by Basil Bertram—the Ghost Sovereign of the Woodbound Pact—was but a fragment. The vast formation now suffused every layer of Abyssal Hell, and even in distant realms, Basil Bertram's Ghost Arrays proliferated.
"Indeed. For more than a century, they have plotted ceaselessly—scheming how best to entrap any soul who dares intrude."
Even as I spoke, Quentin Kue hurled himself toward the Ghost Sovereigns gathered beneath the Bone Tower. A deafening crash resounded—their forms erupted into plumes of black, spectral dust, vanishing amid the chaos. Quentin Kue's eyes widened with dread as, once again, the skeletal legion surged forth, a relentless tide bearing down on him.
"Cycle of vengeance."
Quentin Kue spat out the words with venom, then rose, his body drifting upward as he instantly materialized at the volcano's rim. Below, the skeletal horde twisted as one, redirecting their assault with unyielding intent—granting him not a moment's respite. Though these abominations could not fly, the climb posed no true hindrance; for creatures that neither tire nor perish, such obstacles are but fleeting illusions.
After several hours, Quentin Kue finally descended into the forest. Throughout those restless hours, he could only wait until the skeletons drew near, then flee to another hiding place—yet always, the undead would resume their hunt. With no escape, Quentin Kue was forced to take refuge among the tangled trees.
Although the skeletons couldn't fly, they weren't stupid. Now, they had completely spread out, and green doors had opened around the volcano. More and more skeletons poured out, searching everywhere for Quentin Kue.
Quentin Kue crouched on a tree, watching as the skeletons began a carpet search for him, shouting as they came. Though these skeletons weren't strong, their inability to tire or die made them a real headache.
Quentin Kue was still searching for the Ghost Sovereigns, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't sense their ghost aura. The only possible place was those caves, but Quentin Kue refused to go down. He seemed to know that there would be no space-time shifts down there, and once a week passed and the shift occurred, he might never find the Ghost Sovereigns again. The token was in the hands of those seeking vengeance, so it was easy for them to find Quentin Kue, but nearly impossible for him to find them. Now, all he could do was wait for the Ghost Sovereigns to come out on their own.
As more and more skeletons arrived, Quentin Kue's form began to shrink, gradually transforming into the shape of a skeleton. He jumped down from the tree.
Soon, the skeletons approached, and Quentin Kue blended into the crowd. None of the skeletons noticed anything amiss. What amazed me was Quentin Kue's ability to precisely control the amount of ghost aura a skeleton should emit. Clearly, the Ghost Sovereigns were no match for Quentin Kue right now.
At that moment, the Ghost Sovereigns were gathered in an underground cave. Lord Shenyan and Yuna Ji were already severely wounded.
"That corpse-freak is still sleeping like a log. Let me wake him up."
Redmond walked over and kicked Mona Ouyang a few times, but she didn't react at all. He slapped her face, but still got nothing.
"Let's see if you wake up now."
Redmond picked up a stone, intending to smash it into Mona Ouyang's forehead, but Yvonne May stopped him.
"What are you doing, Yvonne May? I need to wake this guy up. He gets to roam free in the living world, while we've been trapped here for a hundred years."
Redmond seemed to realize it himself—even if they all fought together, they weren't a match for Quentin Kue. The key problem was that Yuna Ji and Lord Shenyan were already injured; it would take at least ten days or half a month to recover. Their ghost souls were damaged. Over the past hundred years, the Ghost Sovereigns had fought many times, and Redmond knew those two were strong. A direct confrontation would require relying on them, plus John Chou and two others from the cycle of vengeance.
"Don't rush, Redmond. Take it slow. Haven't you felt anything at all deep inside?"
John Chou was still smiling. Redmond had no idea what John Chou meant by 'feeling'; all he felt was discomfort and a desperate urge to leave. Watching him fidget, it was clear he couldn't stand Abyssal Hell any longer.
"Brother Yin, I suppose you've already thought of something?"
Basil Bertram smiled and said, and John Chou nodded.
"What solution could there be? The door is sealed. Basil Bertram, what are those chains Quentin Kue used to seal the door?"
Yuna Ji asked, clearly annoyed.
"Miss Yuna, I'm not sure myself. The time was too short, and now most of the ghost arrays on that side have been destroyed by Quentin Kue. I can't get close for now. From what I've sensed, those chains are part of Abyssal Hell itself, forged from the section that was originally cut open to make the exit."
Indeed, the Ghost Sovereigns had tried every other part of Abyssal Hell, but no matter what they did, they couldn't escape. The only exit was that gate, which turned out to be made from a piece cut by The Unreal. The control, it seemed, was in Quentin Kue's hands. So unless they killed Quentin Kue, there was no way to break through that gate.
The Seven Ghost Sovereigns had all witnessed Quentin Kue's strength—none of them were his match now. Even if they unleashed their primal powers, it would only be fleeting. This place favored them, but it favored Quentin Kue even more. No matter the method or means, they could not defeat the legendary exorcist.
"I'll go out and take a look first, Brother Yin. After all, just waiting here for doom isn't an option."
Basil Bertram, the Ghost Sovereign of the Woodbound Pact, spoke, but the Bloodshade Sovereign, John Chou, immediately stopped him.
"If that Quentin Kue bastard were to become one of Yuna Ji's skeletons, what do you think would happen?"
Basil Bertram, the Ghost Sovereign of the Woodbound Pact, nodded immediately.
"Exactly. At that level, a Ghost Sovereign can command spectral energy so precisely that they could perfectly mimic one of Yuna Ji's skeletal servants."
It dawned on me why the Seven Ghost Sovereigns had been trapped in Abyssal Hell for almost two centuries before finally escaping. After decades of hiding, the moment they appeared in the world, they possessed overwhelming power—enough to challenge the Underworld Court itself. The Underworld Court could do nothing against them, and everyone in the occult world lived in dread.
Here, the Seven Ghost Sovereigns truly came into their own. In their battles with Quentin Kue, the legendary exorcist, it was as if he had forged them through fire and adversity. He repeatedly petitioned the Underworld Court, warning of the Seven Ghost Sovereigns’ danger, which eventually drew the Court’s attention. Quentin Kue had originally hoped the Seven Ghost Sovereigns would serve the Underworld Court, so their power could be controlled and their threat made invisible.
Yet for all his calculations, Quentin Kue’s plans clashed with the will of the Fifth Tribunal Yama. In the end, the Fifth Tribunal Yama sentenced the Seven Ghost Sovereigns to Abyssal Hell, never giving Quentin Kue a chance to plead their case. It felt like fate itself was at work—only such relentless adversity could have shaped the Seven Ghost Sovereigns into what they became.