"Alright, Ethan, open the Shadow Realm. Relax—if things really do get violent, this old man will give it everything he's got this time."
Ghost Painting Book Immortal spoke. The entire Blackfang group was present, as was James Grant. We were all holding onto each other's sleeves, while Felix Zhou yawned repeatedly as he watched us.
"If a fight breaks out, Ethan, remember to protect me."
"I know, you coward."
I teased Felix Zhou, and he shot me an awkward glare.
Ray Lin nodded at me, and with a thought, I opened a rift in the Shadow Realm. In an instant, we were transported to the upper level of the Central Tower—a vast, empty, circular space.
Luna Quay and Lance Quinn were both there, with Loy Yichen and Loy Yu behind them. Emperor God Xiaoyan and Phantom Sage were present as well.
"Let's begin. Since this is a negotiation, I just hope everyone brings some sincerity to the table."
Emperor God stepped forward and spoke. I watched him quietly, then glanced around at the others.
"There's still another party that hasn't shown up yet, right?"
"Are you talking about me, Ethan Zhang?"
A sinister laugh echoed. I turned in shock—it was Xu Fu. He had already appeared.
"Now the fifth faction is stepping in. I personally represent the Immortality Society, and I very much hope to take part in this negotiation."
Everyone stared at Xu Fu in surprise. His form was still a bit translucent, which meant only his consciousness had emerged from the seal. What truly unsettled me was that he was trying to project his sealed body while letting his consciousness appear—a nearly impossible feat. In my Shadow Realm, he could manifest because of my power, but now he was outside.
"No need to be surprised, everyone. How I managed to appear is irrelevant. Among us—the Emperor God's faction, Blackfang, Nether Syndicate, Dark Banquet, and my Immortality Society—there's only one goal: to see this negotiation succeed. Though I may be unworthy, let me, Xu Fu, serve as the intermediary. Of course, our Immortality Society needs to benefit as well. That way, everyone profits. Emperor God, you wouldn't deny us a seat at the table, would you?"
Emperor God nodded. He didn't reject Xu Fu's proposal. I glared at Xu Fu, my heart brimming with hostility toward him.
At that moment, Loy Yu stepped forward, crouched down, and with a gurgle, a lump of mud bubbled up from the ground. He reached into the muddy patch on his body and pulled out a glossy, jet-black stone, placing it into the mud figure.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I come from the Dark Banquet. Please, call me Shade."
The dark figure calling itself Shade kept emitting a jagged, saw-like laughter, as if something was being ripped apart.
"What are you laughing at, asshole?"
Felix Zhou couldn't help but curse, while Shade bowed to all of us.
"This time, I represent the Dark Banquet. I simply hope we can all work together smoothly."
The agenda this time was for Emperor God and his side to reveal the core of this world to us, and then for us to decide based on what they showed.
"Before we show you the core of this world, I just hope you can all set aside everything from before and stay quiet until this negotiation is over. If anyone breaks this rule, the three of us will expel them immediately."
Emperor God said this as he swept his gaze over all of us. I nodded in response.
"Phantom Sage, you explain. I'm not good with these tedious speeches."
Phantom Sage drifted forward. At that moment, chairs appeared behind each of us, and everyone sat down. Phantom Sage stood in the center, with a small platform rising beneath his feet.
"First, as you all know, the three of us were once rulers of Hell. In the war of succession, we lost and were destroyed in both body and soul, but in this world, we regained our consciousness."
Phantom Sage raised his hand, and a three-dimensional image appeared above us. I stared in astonishment—it was the current layout of Hell. Below the two crimson characters for 'Hell' were interconnected regions, each governed by one of the Ten Judges, from the First to the Tenth, with brief descriptions beside them.
Surrounding Hell were the Eight Realms of Hell. Phantom Sage pointed toward Hell.
"Let's talk about our goal. First, it's to reclaim control over Hell."
As soon as these words were spoken, Xu Fu, sitting alone beside us, burst out laughing, clapping his hands repeatedly. Emperor God's expression soured.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing, I just admire your courage. Trying to overthrow the current Hell—those ten old bastards aren't pushovers. With your abilities, breaking even with them would be impressive, not to mention that old witch and that monk Ksitigarbha, covered in lumps... Tsk tsk..."
Xu Fu curled his lip in contempt, staring at Phantom Sage.
I didn't say anything, just watched quietly, though inside I was stunned.
"You're right, Xu Fu. As the current rulers of Hell, the Ten Judges have deep roots. They've established laws and rules, controlling life and death in the Living World. Toppling them and reclaiming what's ours really is a fantasy."
No sooner had Phantom Sage finished speaking than Xu Fu stood up.
"Can we skip this agenda item? I'm not interested in getting involved. What our Immortality Society seeks is different from yours—if our paths diverge, there's no point in working together."
Phantom Sage ignored Xu Fu, instead looking over at Luna Quay and his group, then at the Dark Banquet side, and finally at us.
"Since this is a negotiation, we'll lay everything out on the table."
Phantom Sage spoke, and then I saw red dots appear on the Eight Realms of Hell.
"Years ago, we sent Wraith Enforcers into Hell to investigate. We've mapped out its layout and everything inside, so we possess vast intelligence. Now, I'm formally inviting you all to join this plan. If we succeed, a portion of Hell—or certain powers—can be given to you."
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With a sudden motion, I stood up.
"We're not interested in something like that."
I said resolutely. Phantom Sage smiled and pointed to the air.
"Right now, Hell faces the same problems we did back then. Even with the Eight Realms, Hell is saturated—countless ghosts are imprisoned, unable to reincarnate, tortured forever. And now Sanzu Force is causing major trouble. These two issues are enough to be fatal for Hell."
A hand pulled me down, and Isabelle Frost looked at me.
"Let's hear what they have to say first."
"Internal and external threats—right now, Hell's control only really covers the Wildlands and one other region among the Eight Realms. The other six provinces are neglected. In those places, the victors of the old Hell wars have become local rulers; many powerful ghosts reign as overlords, and most don't interact with Hell at all. So if chaos breaks out in Hell, even if those twelve are strong, they can't handle everything."
Xu Fu gave a cold laugh.
"No matter how strong, they're not stronger than the Seven Ghost Sovereigns, are they?"
That remark seemed to hit the mark. Shade suddenly laughed.
"What you say could very well succeed. If our Dark Banquet and the Nether Syndicate join forces with you, that's already half the battle won."
Shade looked over at us.
"Ethan Zhang, this proposal is excellent. If you agree, go convince your friends. If our three sides join together, the Immortality Society will be isolated and wiped out first. That way, your revenge will be complete—two birds with one stone."
Xu Fu looked a bit restless, smiling at Shade.
"Heh, want to give it a try? Do you really think you people from the Dark Banquet can control everything?"
"Luna Quay, what do you think?"
I looked at Phantom Sage in surprise; he actually seemed quite respectful toward Luna Quay.
Lan Jiuxing looked restless, about to stand up, but Luna Quay waved him off.
"Go on. The most crucial thing is: how do we deal with the Ten Judges?"
Phantom Sage smiled happily. I looked at Luna Quay, who met my gaze coldly. I had no idea what he intended to do.
"I can reveal a little about this. The Ten Judges' power has become fixed. Hell's current structure is the result of their strength—what we call the Domain of the Dead. They can't withdraw it; what you see as Hell is their Domain, shaped by mutual influence. If they try to withdraw it, you can imagine the consequences."
"Hell would collapse."
Luna Quay said this calmly.
Just then, Luna Quay stood up.
"Our Nether Syndicate agrees to join your plan."
In an instant, I glared at Luna Quay, but he said nothing, just tilted his head, still pondering over the map.
"In this world, what we possess is the key to the future. As long as everyone works together, anything you desire will be within reach."
"Aren't you afraid we'll go back and inform the Underworld Court?"
Isabelle Frost suddenly asked, but Phantom Sage just smiled and shook his head.
"The Underworld Court isn't stupid—they already know. As for certain things about the Ten Judges, only those who make a pact with us will learn them. That's the heart of our strategy to reclaim Hell. Next, I hope our factions can negotiate, set terms, and trade."
Phantom Sage said this, looking at us. At that moment, I felt a strong aversion to his idea of negotiation.