I stared unblinkingly at the screen in front of me, where Jerry Li was fiercely battling the Bullheaded Keeper and the Horsefaced Sentinel. He showed no sign of being at a disadvantage. Marshal Leopard was still standing off to the side, not yet joining the fight, and seemed to have sustained some injuries.
A wild look flashed across Jerry Li's face. He laughed loudly as he kept blocking attacks from the Bullheaded Keeper and the Horsefaced Sentinel, immediately counterattacking each time.
With two heavy thuds, the Bullheaded Keeper and the Horsefaced Sentinel were sent flying once again.
Watching all of this unfold before my eyes left me deeply shocked. After all, the Bullheaded Keeper and the Horsefaced Sentinel are members of the Ten Marshals of Hades, yet they can't even defeat a single evil ghost under John Chou's command.
"Surprised, aren't you, Ethan Zhang? The reason the Underworld Court can't capture those seven is because of the hundred ghosts behind them. Most of these ghosts have already broken through the limits of their kind. Some are even stronger than the Ten Marshals of Hades, and a select few can rival the Four Grand Judges. If they're not within the Underworld Court's domain, capturing them is nearly impossible."
I let out a sound of acknowledgment, and Judge Bane continued speaking.
"That's exactly why we can't do anything about them, letting them reign supreme in the mortal world for hundreds of years."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
I looked at Judge Bane. At first, my memory of him only went back to when I first died and arrived at the City of Wrongful Death, where I met him.
"If you want to thank someone, thank that distinguished person instead."
I looked at Judge Bane in confusion, and he nodded.
"The Saint of the Underworld?"
Judge Bane nodded. With a wave of his hand, a red halo appeared beside me, shimmering with different colors. I glanced back at the screen—the red-haired one still hadn't joined the fight, and everyone was watching Jerry Li battle the Bullheaded Keeper and the Horsefaced Sentinel.
"This battle is going to last a long time."
Judge Bane said, and I nodded, stepping into the red halo. Instantly, strange lights flickered all around me, as if I were immersed in a vat of swirling colors. I felt a little dizzy and disoriented, and gradually, the colors around me faded.
In a daze, I opened my eyes. The three characters for 'Hall of Lost Souls' appeared right in front of me.
"Who dares to act so brazenly in my hall? Are you all useless?"
Atop the grand hall, Judge Bane glared furiously at the ghosts kneeling below. Several underworld officials were drenched in sweat, bowing their heads in terror.
"Hollowbelly, seal off the area around the Great Wailing Inferno. I must find that person."
Seated on the left side of the grand hall, Hollowbelly stood up, his large belly wobbling, but he shook his head.
"Judge Bane, if that person managed to sneak in, they surely have a way to escape. Don't waste your effort. I have a pile of things waiting for me!"
Immediately, Judge Bane glared angrily at Hollowbelly. At this moment, an underworld official stood up and stepped forward.
"Reporting to Judge Bane of the Sixth Tribunal, I think we should seal off the area around Mount Shade. That kid named Ethan Zhang is marked as an unjust death, and the one who took him away killed many little ghosts—clearly trying to bring him back to the Living World. Either they'll head to the Bridge of Remorse, slip into the water and use those secret channels Yuna Ji excavated to enter Netherhell and find a way back, but if that's the case, Ethan Zhang is as good as dead."
"And then?"
Judge Bane asked, and the underworld official smiled as he replied.
"The only way is the Underworld Path. The outer section isn't finished yet, but as long as they follow the Underworld Path, it's easy to return to the Living World. The Forest of Wailing has recently been fortified with powerful barriers, so ordinary souls needn't worry about being harmed by the resentment on either side of the road. Besides, ghosts from Mount Shade often travel to the Living World, which means there are routes we don't know about. From Mount Shade, it's possible to reach the Underworld Path."
Judge Bane burst out laughing.
"Send the order—deploy more people along the edges of Mount Shade and the Underworld Path. We cannot let that person escape."
Hollowbelly floated up with a helpless expression, clearly unwilling, and shot a cold glare at the underworld official who had just spoken.
"Forget it. Let them handle it."
Suddenly, everyone looked up. A gentle yet resonant voice floated down from above. Judge Bane waved his hand, and all the underworld officials except Hollowbelly left the grand hall.
"Saint of the Underworld, why is this? It's so rare for you to appear in person."
"Form arises from the heart, the mirror turns with the mind. Some things can be seen but not encountered, can be heard but not listened to, can be understood but not explained. Let them go. Amitabha."
Judge Bane raised a hand and bowed. Gradually, the voice faded away. Hollowbelly sat down, and Judge Bane looked puzzled.
"Why did that old guy come out and interfere with all this? Maybe he took the wrong medicine, instead of reciting his scriptures, he runs over here..."
With two sharp slaps, Hollowbelly clutched his swollen, chubby cheeks, looking resentfully at Judge Bane.
"You always spout filth. Get out."
"Fine, I'll go. Why take your anger out on me if you're upset?"
Judge Bane widened his eyes as he watched Hollowbelly crawl along the ground, rolling away like a wheel. His plump body spun quickly and soon left the Hall of Lost Souls.
"Who could it be, knowing so clearly the layout here and the ways to escape? Ordinary folks couldn't pull it off."
Judge Bane still looked displeased as he returned to his seat.
"I can't trace Ethan Zhang's origins. Why is that?"
Suddenly, my memory completely cut off here. I fell into a black space, surrounded by total darkness. I looked around.
"What are you trying to tell me?"
"Ethan Zhang, since you've come here, I want to speak with you."
The Saint of the Underworld's gentle voice seemed to come from all directions. A warmth rose in my heart as I stared in surprise at the faint golden light slowly approaching from nearby.
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"This is emotion—the most fundamental thing in humanity, and you've already lost it."
"Saint of the Underworld, do you have a way? Can you help me recover..."
"Amitabha. There is no difference between living Buddhas and true nature. The hearts of all beings have, from the beginning, neither birth nor death. Innate purity, free from obstacles, is like the void. Free from discrimination, equal and universal, reaching everywhere. Perfect in all directions, ultimately one form, not two or separate, unchanged and undifferentiated, neither increasing nor decreasing. The hearts of all beings and all Buddhas are of the same true nature."
Buddhist chants echoed in my ears as I sat quietly on the ground. The sound was warm, like ripples spreading from my heart, gradually enveloping my whole body in comfort.
Suddenly, I opened my eyes wide. With one hand, a surge of ghostly energy burst forth; with the other, I snapped my fingers, and a black space split open, revealing a sliver of moonlight, a residential building, and the cherry blossom grove ahead—perfectly clear.
"Why are you helping me?"
I asked, still finding all this unbelievable. My Shadow Realm had been restored, and my damaged ghost soul was whole again, as if I had been reborn.
"Thank you."
At last, I stood up and said this. A burst of golden light flashed before my eyes, and within its gentle glow appeared an ordinary-looking monk. He wore a blue-grey robe, eyes closed, fingers moving over a string of prayer beads.
The figure before me was the Saint of the Underworld, a great figure from the deepest part of Hell. Yet he didn't look as imposing as I'd imagined—just an ordinary monk.
"All beings are equal. Buddha exists in the past, future, and present. Buddha, Buddho, Xutu, Futuo, Futu, Futu, Futou, Meituo, Botuo, Botuo, Buta, Buda, Buda—these all mean 'the awakened one.'"
I couldn't understand all this, but I knew one thing—the Saint of the Underworld wanted me to grasp something important.
"Benefactor Zhang, you have no connection to my Buddha, only to Heaven and Earth. Becoming human is no easy feat; everything depends on one's efforts, and man can overcome fate. I hope you can let go of some of your prejudices."
"What is it, exactly?"
"The place you're about to go is already in ruins, and your heart is like a desert—no seed can ever grow there again. I hope you understand: loss and gain are separated by a single thought. As they say, one thought to Heaven, one thought to Hell."
I quietly watched the Saint of the Underworld. I half-understood what he was saying.
"I help you not for your sake, but so your thoughts have a better foundation for making choices."
"Is it the Four Sacred Realm?"
I asked. That was all I could think of—the Four Sacred Realm. The Saint of the Underworld's earlier words seemed to be asking me to make a choice.
"A single thought is not formed in a day; it is shaped by cause and effect. People often make choices based on outcomes, even before those outcomes arrive—guided by what they see, hear, feel, and think. That is thought. I do not wish to stop you."
I shook my head and bowed.
"Thank you, Saint of the Underworld. No matter what you say, I won't change the choice I've made."
The Saint of the Underworld smiled faintly and raised a hand. My body slowly began to float.
"In the past, future, and present—go, Ethan Zhang."
"What do you mean?"
I called out, but the Saint of the Underworld grew more and more indistinct. He opened his eyes—clear, pure, and filled with laughter—as he looked at me.
My body slipped into a streak of bright white light, dazzling and intense. I raised my hand as my consciousness began to blur.
The moment I opened my eyes again, I was stunned. Black and red lightning intertwined in the sky, with shouts and screams echoing all around. I looked down to see a sea of fire below, where countless ghosts were fighting fiercely.