In the darkness, John Chou and I sped northwest, heading for a single destination: the City of the Dead. The Underworld Court had recently restored the mechanisms of Fengdu, making it the new transfer point for Hell Troopers to enter the world of the living and cooperate with practitioners. Everything was accomplished in utter silence.
From the City of the Dead, we could travel directly to Halfstep Crossing, then proceed to Yellow Springs Road. After reaching the Gates of Ghosts, we’d take a newly carved route that connects straight to Yuna Ji’s Netherworld Inferno. We’d soon find Lord Shenyan.
John Chou never explained why we had to stop Lord Shenyan, but I knew he had his reasons. However slight, John Chou must have felt that launching a war now was ill-timed.
Everyone knows the advantage of striking first, especially now, when the Underworld Court faces more than thirty billion ghosts. On the way here, Lu Zhi Dao told me that although they’d noticed Old Hell’s movements, they hadn’t intervened directly—partly because they were stretched too thin. In the world of the living, the Ghost Sovereigns had quieted down after infighting, but that was when the Immortality Society re-emerged. This group, thought to be finished, rose from the ashes yet again, feeding off the decay of human society.
In a world plagued by poverty and oppression, the Immortality Society quickly amassed countless members. These people gained wealth and power in its ranks, pledging unwavering loyalty to the Society’s banner. To them, transcending the boundary between life and death was a rare and priceless chance.
In no time, the Immortality Society grew larger than ever before. The Underworld Court was overwhelmed, shifting its focus to the world of the living in a renewed effort to eradicate the Society. Old Hell, meanwhile, couldn’t realistically launch a counterattack—they simply couldn’t control all the ghosts.
Besides, entering the Underworld Court from the shadow world isn’t easy. The only route is through the Sea of Forgetfulness. Back then, the Wraith Enforcer served as vanguard, but ended up working as a Hell Registrar for the Underworld Court, never to return. Old Hell’s plans were thwarted.
During this period, the Corpse Realm’s movements also demanded attention. Yuna Ji’s disappearance led the Corpse Realm to blame the Underworld Court, demanding her return. Both sides were on the brink of war. Internally, the Underworld Court was rocked by rivalry among the Infernal Judges, and the disappearance of Quentin Kue, the head of the Four Grand Judges, only intensified the crisis. The Court had no strength left to deal with Old Hell, and so the conflict dragged on until now.
Only in recent years did Old Hell’s influence finally reach these lands from distant hell provinces, prompting the Underworld Court to notice its movements. And just then, the Ghost Sovereigns suddenly reawakened.
The Underworld Court’s only recourse was to win over the Ghost Sovereigns. I remembered seeing, through Zhang Qingyuan’s memories, that an Underworld official had visited a housing block—sent by Emperor Song. Later, when Redmond hosted the Banquet of Ten Thousand Ghosts, the Ten Infernal Judges all sent representatives to recognize his status.