The Hell's Registrars and the ghostly laborers all looked at us in astonishment.
We had already left the site of the Eye of Hell, exited through the Styx Gate, and finished our negotiations with the Infernal Judges. Lady Meng was to escort us to the Triple Crossroads, from where we would proceed directly to the Divine Law. Redmond would use his powers to seal off the Divine Law, preventing it from continuously releasing pure energy. The process was extremely perilous, as it meant that no new births would occur in the living world. Therefore, while ensuring the Divine Law could be sealed, souls from the Animal and Hungry Ghost Realms had to enter the cycle of reincarnation.
The Divine Law continuously releases pure energy into reincarnation, so once we cut off that flow, we must rush to the Animal Realm and find a way for some souls there to enter the cycle. According to the Infernal Judges, after the connection between the Divine Law and the reincarnation channel is severed, the pure energy within the channel will last at most one hundred days. If the living world does not receive enough pure energy within those one hundred days, no new life will be born.
After drifting for a while, we arrived at the edge of the Bridge of Remorse, where Xuehan Yi was still sitting by the river, not having left.
"This journey is exceptionally dangerous. If you anger the Divine Law, things will get very ugly. Redmond, do you really have what it takes?"
Lady Meng asked.
"Since ancient times, the only force that could contend with the Divine Law and complement it has been disaster. Unless you have another way?"
Redmond said smugly, then glanced over at us.
"You’ve already received good stuff from the Infernal Judges. Make sure to protect your king."
I sighed helplessly as Redmond burst into hearty laughter, one hand excitedly clutching his long red hair that hung over his forehead, his whole being caught up in an almost manic excitement.
I stared blankly, raising a hand. The Infernal Judges had indeed given each of us a Warden's Treasure.
Warden's Armor, Soulreaper Blade, Abyssal Mirror, Nether Thorns, Wailing Spirit Bell, Infernal Judge's Seal, Soulbinding Seal—seven in total, each with its own effect. Especially the Infernal Judge's Seal, which lets us enter the Triple Crossroads with ease. Only Redmond didn’t get one; we need to create the conditions for him to seal the Divine Law.
"Alright, let's move."
Redmond spoke, and Lady Meng shot him a glare before floating upward.
"Ethan Zhang, come with me."
I responded with an 'oh' and followed Lady Meng. Soon, we landed beside Xuehan Yi, who was sitting sideways on the ground, her gaze icy as she looked at us.
"Xiao Yi, just as we discussed before, the Soul Cleansing Water can no longer remove the impurities from souls. You must have a way now that your instincts are whole."
Xuehan Yi nodded slightly.
"Lady Meng, I’ll go to the Animal Realm and wait for you. I’m not concerned with anything else. Also, tell the Infernal Judges that if they go back on their word..."
Xuehan Yi didn’t finish her sentence. She began to float upward, and immediately the Red Spider Lilies around us swayed. I could sense that these lilies were moving with Xuehan Yi, as if they had fully merged with her. The feeling was especially intense now.
"Go with peace of mind, Xiao Yi. I’ll pass the message along. Your conditions aren’t difficult—we’ll do our best to fulfill them. After this war, I should retire anyway. The Bridge of Remorse will be yours to watch over."
Xuehan Yi nodded, then looked toward the Bridge of Remorse.
"John Chou, remember this—just this once. If you try to play dumb with me again, don’t bother coming to me in the future."
I glanced over, having no idea why Xuehan Yi harbored such resentment toward John Chou, but it wasn’t my place to ask.
"Silly little sister, I know. Just go without worry."
Xuehan Yi turned and instantly drifted toward Netherhell, aiming to enter the Animal Realm. She’d have to go to Purelands and find the Wild Boar King first—only there could she gain entry.
"Get on."
With a wave of her hand, Lady Meng sent a yellow leaf flying into the River of Forgetfulness. It slowly transformed into a small boat, and we climbed aboard. The boat grew larger and began to drift slowly along the current.
"We have a few hours left. Now’s the time to discuss how to seal the Divine Law."
Lady Meng spoke, and John Chou was the first to reply.
"It's still the same question—what do we do about the Asura Realm?"
Yuna Ji sat at the bow, looking bored, inspecting herself in a golden mirror with a swastika border.
"Why did things get so complicated?"
After Yuna Ji muttered, I gave a helpless smile. She turned and beckoned me over with a finger, so I went to her side.
"This mirror shows the truth."
I blinked, puzzled as I looked at the mirror. For some reason, I couldn’t see myself—only Yuna Ji’s image was clear, and she appeared as a white skeleton. She moved the mirror from side to side, inspecting herself.
"Hideous. Here, Ethan."
Yuna Ji tossed the Abyssal Treasure Mirror to me, and I hurried to catch it with both hands. Lady Meng glanced over with a sideways look.
"Careful—that’s a treasure Ksitigarbha left behind. It’ll be crucial later."
I looked around from every angle, but the mirror only reflected a black sky. When I looked up, the sky was clearly orange with the sunset, but in the mirror, it was pure black. My own image didn’t appear at all.
The discussion began. We were all waiting for Lady Meng to explain the situation with the Divine Law, but from her expression, it seemed she was hiding something difficult to say.
"The only thing I can tell you is that if the Divine Law feels threatened, it will unleash overwhelming power to destroy you. So, the only way is for Ethan Zhang to make contact with the Divine Law."
I stared at Lady Meng in surprise, and all the Ghost Sovereigns looked at me.
"Will it be safe for me to approach?"
I asked, and Lady Meng shook her head.
"You now possess the power of the Divine Law in your body, so as long as you use that power to approach, there shouldn’t be a problem. When the time comes, just bring out the Infernal Judge's Seal. Even though the Divine Law is out of control, if you have the Seal, it won’t harm you."
I acknowledged with a sound, and Lady Meng continued.
"The next part is critical. Of the Three Good Paths, only the Human Realm doesn’t exist in that space. Beneath the Divine Law is the Asura Realm. What we need to confirm is whether the Asura Realm will intervene. If it does, we’ll be overwhelmed. That’s your job, John Chou."
John Chou waved his hand helplessly.
"Right now, I have no idea what’s going on with Mr. Brown. I can’t say for sure, but I’ll do my best."
Mona Ouyang pulled out a black bell, each side carved with a different menacing ghost face, and a smooth stone dangling beneath it.
"This thing is actually pretty good. It can boost my power—otherwise, I’d be helpless. In that kind of space, my abilities are useless."
"Save what the Infernal Judge gave you for later. Right now, the issue is the Asura Realm. Once we enter, the Divine Law will immediately notice us, and so will the Asura Realm. We won’t be able to hide there. So, when Ethan Zhang draws the Divine Law’s attention, if the Asura Realm acts up, we’ll have to work together—the first thing to seal is the Asura Realm."
Lord Shenyan looked serious, while Yvonne May seemed lost in thought as she gazed into the distance.
"If anything happens, I’ll hold off the Asura Realm myself."
At that moment, Basil Bertram spoke, and we all looked at him.
"Are you confident?"
Lord Shenyan asked.
"Let Mona Ouyang help me—together, we should be able to hold off the Asura Realm for a short time."
Lady Meng nodded.
"As long as we seal the Divine Law, everything will go smoothly. Earlier, Xiao Yi managed to use her instincts to send some souls into reincarnation. Next, we need to separate the animal ghosts mixed with human ghosts in the Animal Realm. Once those animal ghosts enter reincarnation, they’ll be prioritized for the Human Realm."
After a lengthy discussion, we reached a consensus: we just need to create the conditions for Redmond to freely use his Bloodbane Power to envelop the Divine Law, and we’ll be able to suppress it completely.
"John Chou, everything’s going just as you wanted!"
At that moment, Yuna Ji suddenly spoke. I looked at John Chou, who smiled and shook his head.
"Isn’t it great to kill two birds with one stone?"
Only now did I remember, staring in shock at John Chou. He’d said countless times that his power was suppressed because he’d angered the Divine Law. That’s why he hasn’t been able to reclaim his Bloodbane Power. But once the Divine Law is sealed and the Sanzu Force problem is solved, he should easily get his power back.
"Nothing else matters, haha! As long as the Divine Law is sealed, my power will grow again. The Sixfold Cycle System was flawed from the start—I’ve never liked it."
Redmond growled, and Lady Meng glanced at each of us before speaking.
"Take these few hours to familiarize yourselves with the items the Infernal Judge gave you."
I nodded, found a spot, and raised my hand. What I’d received was the Soulreaper Blade. With a thought, a streak of red light emerged from my palm. I swallowed—it was the power of the underworld, and I could wield it naturally.