The atmosphere in the room was tense. I noticed Matron Noon leaning over to whisper something in Yvonne May's ear. Yun Fei nodded occasionally, his gaze cold and fixed on the two of them.
"Hey, hey, since we're all here, let's sit down and have a proper talk."
Mona Ouyang began to explain. As soon as we left, the Underworld Court sent word to all Ghost Sovereigns in the living world, ordering them to come here and serve as protectors of the defensive outpost. After all, if the fortifications were attacked midway through construction, things would get very ugly.
However, Lord Shenyan summoned the Judges away. No one knows what was discussed, but when Lord Shenyan returned, he had the Ten Swordmasters pulled from their skeleton-training duties, planning to take them directly to the Realm of Heat as the Underworld Court's vanguard.
"Can we not do this? John Chou, Lord Shenyan, did you both take the wrong medicine today?"
Yuna Ji glanced around. Everyone had noticed the disagreement between the two, and now Redmond stood up and spoke.
"If our opinions differ, let's all share our thoughts. I don't mind—I'm ready to fight whenever. No need to keep the atmosphere so stiff. Come on, have a drink."
Redmond poured a bowl of wine for both Lord Shenyan and John Chou. The two drained their cups in one go, then slammed them down on the table with a bang.
"Let's make this clear: if we start fighting now, we'll be a laughingstock. The war hasn't even begun and we're already turning on each other—what does that look like?"
Mona Ouyang looked around at the crowd. There were plenty of Hell Troopers and officials from the Underworld Court present. Everyone sensed something was off with our group and watched from a distance.
“Can you give me a reason, John Chou? Why are you stopping me? There's no way to negotiate with Old Hell anymore. They’ve already moved the Ghost Ancestor’s Earth Soul to somewhere Old Hell can’t reach, and they have no intention of returning the Human Soul. Even the whereabouts of the Heavenly Soul—Old Hell is questioning whether the Underworld Court is behind all this.”
John Chou let out a sound, tilted his head back, then spoke.
“It’s true, war is the only way to resolve this conflict, but not yet. Right now, nothing is ready. I don’t know what Yanluo told you, but the Underworld Court just wants to use you as a vanguard—to clear out the ghosts in the Realm of Heat as fast as possible, push the front lines forward, so when the real war starts, we’ll be able to take the initiative.”
Lord Shenyan nodded.
“Speed is crucial. We must clear out all Old Hell forces within the Realm of Heat before they can fully react. That way, we gain another battlefield, instead of being squeezed into this tiny place so close to the Underworld Court.”
Yuna Ji scoffed and muttered under her breath.
“Sorry the place is so small! Hmph.”
“Even if we take the Realm of Heat, it’s meaningless. Can’t you see, Lord Shenyan? The Underworld Court has already brought out the punished souls from Hell and assigned them tasks. All this is just a rush to achieve their goals too quickly. If a rebellion breaks out from within, what do you think will happen?”
Lord Shenyan rose to his feet and turned around. Instantly, the Ten Swordmasters seated behind him opened their eyes and stood up, each of them radiating a fierce fighting spirit.
At that moment, I sensed movement from Lord Shenyan. His expression tightened immediately.