The Terrifying Place Where Hundreds of Great Saints Gather

With Wendy "Wako" Chiba leading the way, the two of them quickly left the Mitsui family’s territory. Before leaving, they once again used wood-type arts to erase all traces. Meanwhile, Chiharu Mitsui stayed behind to further consolidate her control over the family—not only stabilizing the situation, but also preparing a solid base for Ryan Ling in Japan, ensuring he’d always have a way out if things went south.

This time, Ryan Ling was basically charging into Japan solo. Sure, he’d planned everything out, but you never know what kind of curveballs life will throw at you. That’s why having an escape route is essential. The Mitsui family has both docks and a private airport, so if things blow up, getting out of Japan would be a breeze.

After half an hour of fast marching, Ryan Ling and Wendy Chiba finally arrived at Chiba Peak—the highest point in Chiba Prefecture. It’s not as famous as Mount Fuji, but for Japan’s onmyōji and martial artists, it’s basically their holy ground. Over the years, countless warriors have chosen to become shrine lackeys and killers here, and who knows how many young women have willingly sacrificed themselves to the evil gods in the shrine. Chiharu Mitsui was one of them—well, until Ryan swooped in and took advantage.

"This Chiba Shrine really has its own flavor!" Ryan exclaimed as he reached the summit. A complex of buildings in full-on Tang Dynasty Chinese style appeared before him. The Japanese have always been obsessed with Tang China, so you’ll find all kinds of ancient Chinese architecture and customs here that you wouldn’t even see in China itself.

"Master, you might not know, but these buildings are at least seven or eight hundred years old—they’re second only to the Imperial Palace in terms of historical value in Japan!" Wendy Chiba quickly explained beside him.

“It’s a great place, but too bad what they worship inside is basically a pile of crap!” Ryan snorted. Just one glance and he could feel the oppressive yin energy; at least a hundred evil gods were enshrined here, and every single one was a spiritual spark for Japan’s wars. All of them were evil, greedy, savage, and depraved to the core. Keeping Chiba Shrine around is basically poisoning the whole country—wiping it out would be a public service, and might even make Japanese society a little less crazy.

And of course, besides those evil gods, there were memorial tablets for the instigators of war. Seeing all those notorious names, Ryan couldn’t help but want to skin them alive on the spot and toss them straight into the eighteenth level of Hell.

But right now, whether it’s the evil gods or anyone else, this isn’t the time to deal with them. The main thing at this moment is just four words—Primeval Heavenwood!

Only if he could successfully get his hands on the Primeval Heavenwood would Ryan have a guaranteed shot at victory!

Ryan didn’t hesitate—he was just about to head inside when the Ghost Elder’s voice suddenly stopped him: "Hold up! Take your reward first—your Judge and Ghost Generals have arrived. Bring them along, and your chances of grabbing the Primeval Heavenwood from Chiba Shrine will go way up!"

"Nice, perfect timing!" Ryan perked up instantly. Chiba Shrine, also called the Ghost Shrine, works kind of like a City God Temple in China, but its role is to control the yin-yang flow of the whole country. That’s why having the Judge and Ghost Generals right now is just what he needs—they’re the perfect emergency shield against the evil gods and onmyōji inside.

If anything goes sideways, they’ll be the first line of defense!

"Subordinate Zhong Xi pays respects to the Crown Prince of Hell!" Just as Ryan was getting hyped, a stunning female ghost in red appeared before him.

Ryan blinked, clearly not expecting to see such a gorgeous female ghost in this world.

"Who’s this?" Ryan stared in surprise at Zhong Xi, totally caught off guard by her beauty. Ghosts are supposed to be seductive, but Zhong Xi was on another level—drop-dead gorgeous, a real showstopper.

"She’s Zhong Xi, the younger sister of Marshal Zhong Kui, chief demon-warden of the Underworld. This raid on Chiba Shrine in Japan is super risky, so your old man handpicked Zhong Xi as your Judge, to guard you at critical moments. Plus, he gave you ten elite Ghost Generals—all of them Great Saint-level heavy hitters!" the Ghost Elder quickly explained.

Ryan couldn’t help but feel warm inside—his old man really did treat him well. Every time things got dicey, he’d step in and send the best resources his way. And somehow, Ryan could sense Guihai One-Blade’s selfless help was also linked to the Underworld.

He owed them all a debt he could never repay.

Ryan let out a quiet sigh.

"Crown Prince of Hell, why are you sighing? Are you not satisfied with your subordinate?" Seeing Ryan sigh, Zhong Xi immediately locked eyes with him, her personality shining through.

"Not at all—it’s just me getting a little emotional. Thank you, Miss Zhong, and thanks to all the Ghost Generals for your help. Really appreciate it!" Ryan cupped his hands in gratitude.

"No need for all that, my lord! This is what we’re here for!" the ten Ghost Generals shouted in unison.

"That’s right, you don’t have to be so formal. We’re all your subordinates now—just say the word and we’ll do whatever you ask!" Zhong Xi added, her cheeks reddening as she realized she might’ve gone a bit overboard. She coughed lightly, then continued, "And you don’t need to call me Miss Zhong—just call me Zhong Xi!"

"Fine, but then you don’t have to call me Crown Prince of Hell either—it sounds weird. Just call me Ryan!" Ryan replied quickly.

"I wouldn’t dare!" Zhong Xi immediately dropped to her knees and bowed low.

"That’s an order!" Ryan shot back.

"Zhong Xi, our lord is a wise ruler, you don’t need to be so stiff. Just call him by his name from now on—besides, you two..." the Ghost Elder chimed in.

But before he could finish, Zhong Xi cut him off, "Ghost Elder, that’s enough! I’ll do as I’m told!"

"Alright, alright!" the Ghost Elder laughed awkwardly.