Several hours had passed. I sat quietly in my chair, watching the shimmering surface of the lake. Sunlight warmed my body, and there was not the slightest sting.
Thinking back, Emperor God and his people had already created a sun suited for this world. That’s how it is on the Isle of Nine Shadows. This sunlight, instead of being harsh, feels comfortable on my skin.
I still couldn’t figure out my current state. It was definitely a thought-form; my consciousness had been transferred directly from the Underworld Court to this world of shadows.
Emperor God and the others had disappeared, off doing who knows what, and hadn’t returned for ages. Yet my mood was oddly excited. The rulers of Hell—though I had no interest in being one—I still thought about it.
If that day ever came, maybe I’d do a complete purge of the living world, reshuffle everything, scatter every soul, and then let them slowly reincarnate. The thought made me laugh out loud.
"That’s impossible."
Emperor God had suddenly appeared, sitting right in front of me. I stared at him in silence.
"I’m allowed to imagine, aren’t I? I have no interest in being the ruler of Hell."
"Then what do you want?"
I shook my head and replied.
"What I want is something you can’t give me. Can I go back now? Staying too long inside Hell’s Eye isn’t good for anyone, is it?"
Emperor God said nothing. After a long silence, he nodded.
"Do as you wish. Like I said, those people will stop at nothing for Hell’s stability. Have you really thought this through?"
"If you truly win, don’t you want to reclaim rule over Hell?"
Emperor God shook his head.
"We lost interest in Hell long ago. Our true goal is to reclaim everything our father left behind and walk the path of the gods."
I blinked, staring at Emperor God in disbelief.
"The place where the gods departed is called the Lifelong Path. It’s not something you can understand. I’ll send you back now."
As Emperor God spoke, the moment he raised his hand, I felt myself falling. In just a second, my vision filled with gray sky—and Lady Meng’s wrinkled old face.
"What exactly did those three say to you?"
"Nothing much. They tried to recruit me, and honestly, I’m tempted. After how you’ve treated me, I’m pretty dissatisfied right now."
Lady Meng’s face instantly fell. Without a word, she whacked me on the forehead with her cane.
"I get it. Can’t I just tell you?"
Soon enough, I told Lady Meng everything Emperor God had said to me. She stared at me in disbelief.
"That’s really all there is?"
I made a sound of agreement.
"Of course that’s all. Can you get me out of here now? What you’re doing won’t solve anything. This Rift can’t be healed by me alone. At the very least, both the Human Soul and the Heavenly Soul need to come here for the Rift to heal, isn’t that right?"
Lady Meng didn’t doubt a word I said. It seemed they already knew the real situation in Hell that Emperor God had spoken of.
"Are you planning to destroy Hell?"
I asked. Lady Meng shook her head.
"Not to destroy Hell, but to restore it to its original function—devouring only the dead. Since you know, I won’t hide it. Hell now consumes not just the dead, but the living too, and its appetite keeps growing. All the major hells are overcrowded. If we keep adding more prisoners, Hell won’t be able to take it. What you see is Surface Hell; this place is Inner Hell. The two are now strangers to each other. Everything here remains stable thanks to Ksitigarbha and the joint efforts of the Ten Judges. Most of the truly vicious prisoners have already been sent straight to the Hungry Ghost Realm."
"Whatever. Just do what you have to do. If you can, let me go quickly."
Lady Meng hesitated, then finally pointed her cane at me. Gradually, I regained feeling in my body, and bit by bit, I slipped out from behind my own eyes.
A flash of red light landed fiercely beside Lady Meng—it was the King of Reincarnation, glaring at her with anger.
"Even if we do this, it’s pointless. The influence we gain lasts only a few hours at best. Better to let him go, have him find the Forsaken, and make them our new fighting force."
The King of Reincarnation glanced at me. I floated upward in silence, then stretched lazily.
"Forget it, I won’t hold it against you. After all, I heard some pretty interesting things. And honestly, I actually approve of what you’re doing—if Hell collapses, there’ll be nothing left."
I said, floating straight out. The moment I reached the top, Ray Lin was already waiting for me.
"That’s more like it, Mr. Driver. Looks like I really misjudged you."
"I’ll hand the Specter Web over to Brother Sourcewell. Don’t worry, when he returns, I’ll give it to him directly, so you won’t have to bother."