Tan Tian carried me onward toward the summit. The distance seemed deceptively short, yet after drifting for quite a while, we still hadn't reached the Wall of Lost Souls.
"Is it the density of Yin Energy?"
I asked, and Tan Tian nodded.
"The path we're walking is a space formed by a surge of Yin Energy flowing toward the underworld. The denser the power within this space, the harder it is to move. It only looks like we're moving quickly—actually, we're very slow."
"So you mean to use me as bait, to lure them into the underworld to find me?"
Tan Tian nodded again.
"Do they have the power to take this place?"
I recalled the massive ghost outbreak from before—this must be the signal of the Old Hell attacking the living world.
"Most ghosts suddenly emerge from people's bodies, and after death, there's no trace of them. Yet, after a while, they reappear elsewhere, making them hard to deal with. Their constant unrest is meant to drag down those in the arcane world—it's the most effective method. And once someone is killed by a ghost, you Underworld Denizens are dragged down as well."
I swallowed hard. It really was a clever plan.
"What about John Chou over there? Do you have a way to help him?"
Tan Tian shook his head.
"I've already been to Sky Burial Valley. That place is strange—far beyond my understanding. Maybe John Chou noticed something and that's why he went in. He can only rely on his own luck now."
I gave a helpless smile.
"But it's not impossible to get out—maybe he just doesn't want to. He might've found something in there. After all, John Chou is accompanied by Isabelle Frost, who's an expert in ritual arrays and spell formations."
I slapped my forehead. That was true—Isabelle Frost really knew her stuff.
Finally, after half an hour, we arrived before the Wall of Lost Souls. The wailing grew louder. I saw the ghostly soldiers on the city gate notice us; they seemed to be discussing something and had no intention of opening the gate.
"Can't we just use the Blood Path to go straight through? Aren't you zombies supposed to have that?"
I asked, and Tan Tian shook his head.
"The Ten Judges have restarted the Yin-Yang Purification Cycle, fixing it so only eight entrances lead to the underworld. The Blood Path I use connects to some of the old channels into Hades, but I can't enter through these eight new channels—I'm excluded by the Yin-Yang laws."
We returned to the earlier topic: whether Emperor God and his forces truly have the power to take this place. Tan Tian wasn't sure either. To attack here, they'd first have to deal with the suffocating Yin Energy, but the sheer volume of Yin Energy naturally generated by the living world is enormous. It's almost impossible to eliminate it all. Plus, the Arcane Society stationed on the outskirts won't let Emperor God's people pass so easily.
This Yin Energy acts like a natural barrier. All the Yin Energy produced by the living world flows toward these eight channels, and its quantity only increases. Add to that the countless unknown ritual arrays on the ground—reckless attacks would be pointless.
I glanced back at the city behind us, still clearly visible. Smoke rose from several places—the ghost outbreak was escalating. Yet the ghosts causing trouble in the living world weren't strong, actually quite weak. According to what those Underworld Agents said, there were hardly any Yellow Ghosts or Shade Ghosts to be seen.
"Why don't they just create Shade Ghosts directly? Wouldn't that cause even more chaos?"
"Because the total amount of power isn't unlimited. Reviving a Shade Ghost requires far more power than a Yellow Ghost. The more times they're revived, the stronger they get. If this keeps up, the Arcane Society will eventually be overwhelmed."
Just then, the wall before us slowly began to shift to both sides, opening a small gap. Tan Tian and I went straight in. Inside, I saw a swarm of busy ghost soldiers, constantly fishing out solidified Yin Energy from round pools and feeding it into the Wall of Lost Souls. At that moment, I saw Marshal Leopard approaching us.
Watching the ghost soldiers, I realized they were using the massive Yin Energy from the living world to reinforce the Wall of Lost Souls. No wonder it took us at least dozens of meters to get inside—the wall keeps getting thicker.
"Why did you come to Hades, Tan Tian?"
Marshal Leopard asked, but Tan Tian didn't answer. Instead, he lifted me up and flew away. Marshal Leopard didn't press further, just kept directing his officers to fetch solidified Yin Energy balls from the pools and stuff them into the Wall of Lost Souls, reinforcing its thickness.
At the entrance to a cave, Tan Tian landed. The beast beneath him carried me as we followed him inside. It was a small cavern, its walls sticky and writhing—I knew it was the Hellstream. Tan Tian led me to a complex crossroads with more than ten tunnels. He took out a token—the Infernal Judge's Seal.
With a flash of red light from the Infernal Judge's Seal, we entered the sixth tunnel on the left.
"These paths to Hades and the Shadow Realm change every day. Without the Infernal Judge's Seal, you can't get through."
Soon enough, I saw an even larger city tower ahead, swarming with ghost soldiers in strict formation. They seemed to be training new spirits. Massive training grounds surrounded us. Tan Tian led me through half the distance, and we entered a pristine white avenue—the old Underworld Path was now fully widened. I still saw pairs of ghost soldiers marching down the road, and Tan Tian sped up. On either side, the Forest of Wailing looked the same as ever, filled with resentful ghosts.
"Are you taking me to the Hall of Judgment?"
I asked, and Tan Tian replied coldly with two words.
"Front lines."
I was surprised. In the distance, I could already see the Bridge of Remorse under the setting sun. Tan Tian stopped. I looked out—bone monsters ferried supplies through the air, circling under the black-green sky. Below, countless furnaces smelted weapons and armor, and ghosts swarmed like ants, all busy at work.
We entered Netherhell. I saw skeletons constantly crawling out of giant pits, immediately armed and armored. Once enough skeletons had gathered, they rushed toward the smoky battlefield ahead.
"The war's been raging for hours. Both sides have suffered heavy casualties."
I swallowed. When ghosts die on this side, they pass into the Shadow Realm—that's the law of the Yin-Yang worlds, even Hades can't defy it. Ghosts with armor and weapons survive longer, so Hades forges gear day and night. Once dead, ghosts in the Shadow Realm join the ranks of Old Hell's fighting force.
But Tan Tian had said before—even with all those ghosts in Old Hell, their power is limited. Reviving ghosts takes energy, and the reserves built up over so long aren’t infinite. That’s some relief, but Old Hell’s numbers are still overwhelming.
We crossed a massive fortress between mountain passes and saw the battlefield below—legions of Hell Troopers on the march, bone eagles flying overhead carrying skeletons. In the distance, at the chasm split by Lord Shenyan’s sword, I glimpsed something strange.
The ghostly aura grew stronger; I could faintly see flashes of green light.
We got closer. Eyes wide, I saw fiery red bridges spanning the chasm. On the other side, oddly dressed ghosts with crude weapons charged madly at us. Across the lava ravine, dense ranks of ghosts surged forward. I saw more flashes of green—the Swordmaster Guild under Lord Shenyan, slaughtering ghosts relentlessly. But it made no difference; the dead turned to ash, only for new ghosts to fill the gap. The ghosts of Old Hell feared nothing, attacking endlessly.
Ghosts from Old Hell kept falling into the lava pools after being struck. Arrows rained down on the enemies swarming over the wall, relentless as a downpour.
At the edge of the chasm, I saw weapons and armor scattered on the ground. Some armor bore clear battle scars; some weapons were broken. Yet many ghosts were still collecting gear. The fighting seemed endless, neither side willing to stop.
With a whoosh, I landed on a jutting ledge above the chasm. Lord Shenyan sat cross-legged there. Only now did I notice, on the enemy's side, the ground was scarred with giant sword marks—the Swordmaster Guild was still slaughtering ghosts.
"It's been six hours now."
Lord Shenyan spoke, standing and raising his sword.
"It's useless—even if you kill hundreds of thousands of ghosts with a single blow, it's a drop in the ocean. They'll just keep coming."
Tan Tian spoke as Lord Shenyan looked at a bridge to the left. I stared in surprise—the bridge was woven from vines, easily a hundred meters wide.
With a flash of fiery red light, the bridge was instantly severed and burned. But within seconds, the vines regenerated, forming a new bridge over two hundred meters long, and the enemy surged across.
"This place might fall soon. What will you do?"
Tan Tian asked. Lord Shenyan smiled.
"Hold this ground to the death. It's the only way."
Now I understood—the skeletons and Hell Troopers rushing over were about to face their fate. Some enemies who crossed the bridge were already fighting Hades' army. Though Hades' troops were strong, the enemy's numbers were simply overwhelming.