"Please, I beg you, let me go back!"
I stood quietly at the edge of the Human-faced Forest, watching Jade Zeng slowly transform into a tree. The disappointment I felt for her was absolute. I had already changed her fate, but she still failed, unable to serve as a vessel for an Infernal Weapon.
"Boss, I don't think there's any need to rush."
Black Moon muttered behind me, and I shook my head.
"You idiot, always playing clever. Now that Rachel Lan knows, you probably won't be able to return to them."
Black Moon scratched his head, Black Shade sneered from the side, and even Black Stone revealed a rare smile. The two seemed genuinely delighted by Black Moon's reckless failure.
I can't forge it myself. I need to find a master smith to personally craft the Infernal Weapon.
As I spoke, I looked up. By now, Jade Zeng could no longer make a sound; she had once again become a Human-faced Tree. I turned and led the three of them toward the Heart of Hell. Gradually, I saw Fiona Blaze still overseeing the Second Qualification Trial.
Master Ethan, it's almost time to begin the Second Qualification Trial.
I gave a brief hum, then quickly shook my head.
"Black Moon, help me call Henry and Nina Underwood down here."
Black Moon bowed, and I sat down on a white stone seat, resting my chin on my hand, lost in thought. My dilemma now was how to forge an Infernal Weapon. The weapon I crafted myself had already failed—not because of the vessel, but because the weapon itself was flawed.
"Master Ethan, the other Hell Wardens also wish to see you."
Fiona Blaze said, and I shook my head.
"Don't let them in. I'm already troubled enough—don't let them bother me. You're all clamoring to go to the mortal world, but I've said before the time isn't right. It's not your turn yet."
A warm yellow light and a faint green glow landed before me. Henry Underwood looked at me with surprise, while Nina Underwood glared at me angrily.
"You found out so quickly?"
"I've told you before, Huang Quan, don't try to hide things from me. It's useless. Whatever you do, I will know immediately. As long as you bear the Hell Mark, you will always be nothing more than a tool in my hands."
I glared sternly at Huang Quan, who knelt on one knee, while Jiu You reluctantly stood aside. At this moment, Hei Xie moved closer, looking ready to stir up trouble.
"Yo, Jiu You, what are you dissatisfied about? Your husband is with you every day, you two can be together all the time. Isn't that nice? Judging by your frustrated look, could it be..."
"Get lost, I don't want to talk to you, Hei Xie."
Seeing the two women about to start arguing again, I shouted.
"Can you quiet down a bit?"
"Tan Tian has already made contact with Lan Ruoxi. He's now taken her to the shadow world."
I blinked.
"That was quick. He was just a half-dead corpse, after all. I bet that old Ghost Ancestor is regretting it now. I wonder how he feels, knowing that his key to resurrection has betrayed him. Ha!"
I clapped my hands happily, then turned serious as I looked at the wardens. After thinking for a moment, I spoke.
"Help me find Ou Yezi."
"Boss, that's going to be tough. He should have been completely reduced to fragments by now. Huang Quan and Jiu You should know about this."
I looked at Huang Quan, who nodded and said:
"Back then, the Yama Kings had him forge a weapon for each of them, promising to free him and let him reincarnate. But when the tenth weapon was finished, the Underworld demanded an eleventh. He complied, but in the end, he sacrificed himself to the sword, becoming one with it. The sword, however, was filled with murderous energy and was ultimately destroyed, turning into fragments that sank into Hell. Finding him now is difficult, because he and the sword have become one. If he were just a dead soul..."
"I don't need to hear all that. I don't care what method you use—find Ou Yezi and bring him to me. I need him to forge eighteen Hell Weapons for me."
As I spoke, all the wardens bowed. I smiled and said:
"Notify the others: whoever finds Ou Yezi first will earn the right to enter the mortal world. There is only one chance..."
Before I finished speaking, there was a flurry of movement. Except for Jiu You, Huang Quan, and Hei Yue, everyone else left at once. I pressed a hand to my forehead.
"Boss, even with that incentive, it's still going to be tough. If an ordinary object doesn't have a soul, once it's shattered, it's almost impossible to find—it becomes just a dead thing."
I hummed in response. It really was impossible to find—maybe he had already become part of the Hell Stones. I'd tried searching before, but couldn't find anything.
"Boss, I don't think there's any need to rush. The situation in the worlds of yin and yang is already clear. The war has started, and they'll do everything they can to stop Ghost Ancestor's resurrection. As long as your vessel remains in the yin-yang world, we just have to wait for the war to end. Then we can descend to the mortal world, hide, and wait until your power reaches the mortal world. We can take out Ghost Ancestor before he revives."
I nodded, but then laughed and shook my head.
"That would be no fun at all. But Ghost Ancestor isn't stupid; he won't just sit and wait to die. Now that things have come to this, Tan Tian taking Lan Ruoxi over there must mean something. If the plans of Ghost Ancestor's three children in the shadow world are exposed, they'll definitely try to stop it. By then, Ghost Ancestor won't be able to revive."
I smirked wickedly as I stared at the warring souls before me. Hei Yue immediately understood and grinned.
(Irrelevant system message, skipping translation.)
"Is it Zhang Qingyuan's earth soul, Boss?"
I hummed in response. Even without thinking, I knew Ghost Ancestor could only resort to such low tricks under these circumstances—cultivating an earth soul and relying on it to resurrect himself. That was his only option.
"How's Yin Choujian doing? Any news?"
I asked, and Huang Quan shook his head.
"No news yet, still trapped in that seal."
I scratched my head in confusion. I wasn't sure what Yin Choujian was thinking, but I knew he was the only one besides Ghost Ancestor I needed to watch out for. If I wasn't careful, all my plans could fail—a result I least wanted to see.
"We've found Lord Qingyuan."
Suddenly, my eyes widened. Hei Shi held a lump of black mass in his hand. I stood up in surprise, and the three beside me looked on in shock.
"How could it be so fast?"
Hei Shi grinned widely.
"Whenever I have nothing to do, I like to go for walks among the dust below."
"Is it really Ou Yezi?"
I still couldn't quite believe it. Hei Shi placed the lump on the ground. Hei Yue walked over, squatted down, and opened his blood-red mouth, swallowing the black lump whole. Soon after, his body began to swell, his head grew sharper, and his crescent-shaped eyes turned blood-red.
With a loud bang, Hei Yue spat out the lump, now much smaller than before. Then, Hei Yue reached into his mouth and pulled out a streak of blackness.
Immediately, I sensed it—this was a lost soul. I raised a hand and lightly touched the black mass. Gradually, the soul that Hell had devoured began to regain its original form. An old man sat before me, his eyes vacant as he stared into the distance.
"It really is him. If it was so easy to find, why didn't you tell me sooner?"
I looked at Hei Shi, who scratched the back of his head.
"You never asked, so how would I know? I just noticed this soul was special, scattered among objects, so I gathered him up. But without your power to restore souls, Lord Qingyuan, I just kept him for now. Besides..."
"Enough, cut the nonsense."
I squatted beside Ou Yezi. It really was him, but he still seemed dazed. After a while, Ou Yezi stirred and regained his senses.
"Where is this place?"
"How should I put this, Ou Yezi? This is Hell. I brought you back. Can you help me forge weapons?"
I asked, and Ou Yezi gave a bitter smile, shaking his head.
"When I came down here, you threatened me. If I refused, I'd be sent to the Hell of Blades, tortured forever. So I did as you asked, and in the end, you..."
I nodded and placed a hand on Ou Yezi's shoulder.
"I'm not one of those who forced you. I think you should get used to things here first, and then we can talk about forging weapons."
As I spoke, I shot Hei Yue a glance, and he immediately helped Ou Yezi up and took him away in an instant.
"What are you planning?"
Huang Quan asked, seemingly wondering why I didn't use the Hell Mark to force Ou Yezi to help me forge weapons unconditionally. I shook my head.
"You can't force a melon to be sweet. I know that much. This time, I won't force him. Only when someone is willing can their talents truly shine. If they're unwilling, forcing them just produces inferior work."
I signaled Hei Yue to tell Ou Yezi what happened afterward, and what his son-in-law and daughter, Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, are doing now. The two of them are still forging weapons for the Underworld. Unlike him, the couple's treatment has improved—they've been given official positions and only need to forge weapons for a few ghosts.