I quietly watched as the last rays of sunlight faded from the horizon. Night was about to fall. There are thirty pathways in this city that lead directly to Midway Town, all designed so that, when someone dies, the denizens of Hades can swiftly process them. Hell's Registrars wait at the entrances to receive souls, saving a great deal of time.
The Underworld urgently needs a massive workforce and soldiers. Most souls, after death, are taken below to participate directly in the war that is about to erupt.
I planned to head to Midway Town after nightfall, then check the Forest of Wailing on both sides of the Hades Path to see if any wraiths were present. I also wanted to find out what happened to the Earthly Soul—I could feel a sense of relief throughout my body, and I knew there must be a reason for it.
The ghost souls left behind by Ethan Zhang had always been a burden for us. I even helped the Earthly Soul share some of their power. Unlike Ethan Zhang, we lack that innate ability, so the power of these ghost souls clashes completely with our own, easily causing internal chaos and making it impossible to harmonize with them.
I also worry that those ghost souls might go looking for Rachel Lan. After all, they've lingered in their original place for so many years—they probably don't want to go back, since that place is nothing but torment for them.
They are products of all kinds of negative emotions among ghosts, forced to endure endless suffering every day. Strangely, they have developed self-awareness—and even feelings.
I discovered this long ago by observing them inside Ethan Zhang. Every day, they endured extreme pain—the suffering of ghosts. Yet, after becoming Ethan Zhang’s ghost souls, their torment eased somewhat. It wasn’t because Ethan Zhang had the instinct for coexistence, but because of his deep longing for humanity and the lingering warmth within him. Bit by bit, this freed the ghost souls and lessened their pain.
To me, it was a miracle—a real miracle. But after Ethan Zhang died, their pain erupted all at once. Maybe the suffering had become unbearable, suffocating them, so it naturally affected my Earthly Soul.
That sense of relief I felt before—now that I think about it, I can’t detect any trace of the ghost souls Ethan Zhang left behind.
As the last ray of sunlight disappeared from the earth, I instantly moved toward one of the passageways that the Underworld opens after sunset, leading to Midway Town. I soon arrived at the entrance to a passage, where many Hell's Registrars were waiting to receive souls. I flew straight in, and though the Registrars looked surprised, they didn’t stop me.
After passing through a pitch-black tunnel, a bustling scene unfolded before me—countless minor judges were busy registering souls, and the gate to the Hades Path stood wide open. I flew straight through, spotting Marshal Leopard sitting atop the city tower, watching everything. Upon seeing me, he called out.
"Heavenly Soul, what brings you here?"
I signaled with my eyes and flew straight into the Hades Path. It had been greatly widened, now a broad avenue to ease transportation and the movement of souls. The original path was too narrow—wandering souls could easily be ensnared by the surrounding resentment and dragged in, becoming part of the Forest of Wailing.
I kept flying forward, needing to reach the place where the resentment was thickest. The wraiths were likely nearby.
Gradually, I stopped and stared quietly at a place where the resentment was so dense it seemed to wail. The forest was saturated with resentment; passing souls and Hell's Registrars all avoided it, not daring to approach. The Underworld had even put up warning signs.
Black resentment would surge out of the forest from time to time, crashing onto the stone slabs of the Hades Path. Soon after, the Underworld’s power would force it back into the Forest of Wailing, as if it wanted to break free but was powerless to do so.
I stood behind the warning sign as the cries from the Forest of Wailing suddenly grew louder, as if countless resentful spirits wanted to drag me in and make me one of them. Black resentment spilled out, clawing like monsters, stretching onto the Hades Path.
With a roar, a mass of resentment lunged straight at me, but just as it reached me, it let out a giant wail and was dragged back.
I glanced back at the far side of the Forest of Wailing. The forest itself wasn’t large, and to allow for faster passage, the Underworld had widened the road. Now the Hades Path was over 500 meters wide and straight, leading directly to the Gates of Hell and the Abyssal Hell.
Compared to before, everything looked different. But this had increased the burden on the already small Forest of Wailing. Places like this, where resentment has started to change in nature, are becoming more common. I’m worried—if someone with ill intent harnesses this resentment, it could bring huge trouble to the Underworld.
Now, resentment is growing heavier. Countless souls are forced into labor or training as soon as they arrive—some become craftsmen forging weapons and building cities for the Underworld, some haul materials, some mine stone in Hell, and some are sent straight to the battlefield as Hell Troopers.
Under such intense pressure, the Forest of Wailing absorbs the resentment of these souls, but there’s no outlet for it. In the past, the forest was connected to the River of Forgetfulness, letting resentment flow into the Sixfold Cycle and dissolve naturally. But now, with the Sixfold Cycle severely overloaded, that healthy mechanism has collapsed.
"Heavenly Soul, what exactly are you here for?"
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Suddenly, Marshal Leopard was standing behind me. I turned around as he leaned in.
"Are you sure this is going to work? If all this resentment gets released, things will get ugly."
Marshal Leopard nodded. Of the Ten Marshals of Hades, he’s the most approachable, with a gentle temperament.
"You’re right. That’s exactly how it is. Unfortunately, we haven’t found a solution. We originally wanted to redirect the resentment here to Hell and let Hell absorb it, but that would take enormous time and manpower. We’d have to dig a new channel to let the resentment flow naturally to Hell, but as you can see, we just don’t have the people for it now."
"If you’re short on people, why not have your Marshals handle the construction?"
Marshal Leopard shook his head helplessly.
"There's nothing we can do—our abilities aren't enough. The resentment is too vast to purge, and controlling it is impossible. The Infernal Judges might have a way, but they can't leave Hell even for a moment. You know why. Heavenly Soul, what are you here for this time? The Underworld hopes you can help in the war."
I shook my head.
"I'm here to find Ethan Zhang's ghost souls."
As I spoke, Marshal Leopard nodded with a smile in his eyes.
"Follow me."
With that, Marshal Leopard took off. I followed closely, trailing him to a place saturated with resentment. I stared in shock—the strange trees of the Forest of Wailing had vanished, and the resentment now flowed like water, gathering and slowly swirling.
Looking closely, I saw powerful seals all around. I approached slowly—though I wasn’t sure, I could already sense the presence of wraiths.
Gradually, a humanoid shape emerged from the mass of resentment. I stepped forward, but Marshal Leopard immediately pulled me back.
"You’d better not go any closer."
Without a word, I stepped straight into the sealed formation. Instantly, there was a thunderous boom—a humanoid figure with golden-red eyes appeared before me, surrounded by swirling resentment. The resentment turned into sharp spikes aimed at my head. The figure grinned at me, looking deranged. I stared quietly—it was indeed a wraith, and it still carried traces of Ethan Zhang’s presence, so it seemed to recognize me.
"Wraith, what happened to the Earthly Soul?"
I asked, but the wraith just kept smiling at me, and the resentment around me grew heavier, as if it wanted to swallow me whole and completely assimilate me.
A thunderous boom erupted as a surge of resentment rushed toward me. My eyes widened—a flash of red light appeared, and Marshal Leopard dragged me back. The resentment crashed together like colliding currents, then gradually receded into the Forest of Wailing.
Stunned, I watched as the wraith turned to look at me, perched atop a wave of resentment, its golden-red eyes now empty of the light they once held—the light that only beings with thought, intelligence, and emotion possess.
Heavy-hearted, I watched as the wraith slowly sank into the black sea of resentment and disappeared.
"Don't bother asking. They have no intelligence left—they've returned to the most basic nature of resentment."
I floated up slowly, feeling more and more uneasy. That Earthly Soul must have run into trouble. The next soul I have to find is the Ghost Soul—the easiest to locate. She should be at the gathering place in the ruined Ghost Tomb Mountain. I don’t know the entrance, but someone does: Ghost Fiend Star. I plan to find her, and she’s in City H now.