"It really is desolate—no matter where I go, it's always the same."
I looked around. I was almost back at the Heart of Hell, and the Forest of Faces had come to an end. Not far ahead was the massive pit separating the Forest of Faces from the Heart of Darkness. I stood at the edge of the pit and sat down.
What I can't figure out now is—what exactly does John Chou want? I walked here directly, but even after reclaiming Ethan Zhang's memories, I still don't know what John Chou's goal is.
Thinking back, before my consciousness awakened in the Living World—when I was still in the imitation stage—John Chou once said something: "Do you want to see? Do you want to know? Everything about this world."
I stood up, my expression suddenly changing. It seemed he knew everything from the start, yet he still chose to guide my consciousness out, letting my vessel in the Living World develop cognition and intelligence.
"What is that guy really trying to do?"
I scratched my head and slid down the slope in front of me. After a while, I arrived at the central area, where black vapors occasionally streamed out of a small hole. I sighed and crouched in front of it—the servants hadn't returned yet. I could only keep waiting for them to bring back the finest materials from Hell so I could start forging weapons.
"I might as well just go over."
I slowly floated up and flew toward the place connected by black links ahead. This was the Heart of Hell—the core of Hell itself. I drifted among these connections and vaguely saw a flash of white. I went straight toward it. Hades and Nina Underwood were still there—the couple stood at the edge of the platform, which was now covered in a thick layer of black gravel. I hadn't been gone long, but already so many victors from each battle had gathered.
"You've worked hard. It looks pretty good."
As we spoke, Nina Underwood turned and glared at me fiercely, flying at me again. Her hand sliced sharply past my head, and instantly my head went flying.
"Feel better now? Women really are impossible to understand sometimes!"
Before my head could fly off, I grabbed it with one hand and pressed it back onto my neck. Nina Underwood shot me a cold, sidelong glance, her beautiful face twisted with anger.
"I think you should just give up. You can't kill me. Besides, when you and Henry Underwood died and fell into Hell, did you ever consider who was kind enough to wake you up? Back then, you begged me for help, and I only agreed because you asked. In this world, if you want something, you have to give something—where else would a fair trade come from?"
I sat down in a chair, pressing my head with one hand. Nina Underwood snorted coldly and returned to Hades's side. The battle was nearly over—Hades used his power to turn the surviving nine men and nine women into black gravel and placed them on the platform. As the wailing began, a new round of fighting started.
"I need to change the plan a little—or maybe the strategy."
I explained that I planned to use karma to reach the Yin-Yang Realm, and then directly insert the eighteen weapons into the souls chosen in the Living World. I told Hades and Nina Underwood everything.
"Is it really necessary to make it so complicated, Ethan Zhang? If you’re going to embed souls into the cycle of reincarnation, wouldn’t it be safer to just let them enter the Living World directly? No need to rush—unless you’re afraid the plan will fail? So..."
"Success or failure, it doesn’t matter—I won’t worry too much about that. I just want the plan to go smoothly. If you two have nothing better to do, go to the gates of Hell and find me some pure hearts. I need to use condensed heart fragments to engrave marks on the weapons, to ensure their stability and make them a bit more human."
Nina Underwood turned her head.
"Are you really planning to destroy everything?"
"Aren't I? What’s the point of my existence, and what about yours? Enough talk—just go. If you can't find it here, search the Living World. I need pure hearts, whether it’s love, hate, jealousy, sorrow, or anger. Gather all these pure hearts, extract them into stones, and bring them back to me."
Hades nodded.
"I'll have my people in Hades look for them."
"Is that reliable? Is it safe? Don’t forget—besides your own undying power separated from Hell’s force, there are also the powers of the Ten Judges and the Four Guardians."
Hades nodded and said:
"Don’t worry. In Hades, I’ve had plenty of followers since the early days—they’ll follow my will completely."
I nodded.
"So, is Leon Lane really dead?"
"Why ask about that all of a sudden?"
Confused, I pressed my head, thinking for a while but couldn’t recall any interactions with Leon Lane. Ethan Zhang should've had some connection with him. When Hades arrived here, I saw him personally kill Leon Lane—the kid Hades had high hopes for, but in the end, he still died.
"On Oath Island, if you define it by life and death, then yes—he's dead."
I nodded and smiled.
"You used to talk about that kid all the time—why did you end up dealing with him yourself?"
Hades didn’t answer my question. Instead, after exchanging a look with Nina Underwood, he left. Those two are always like that—always scheming in secret. They want to dismantle Hell, but since they can't betray me, they’ll never succeed.
"Master Qingyuan, I think those two still harbor ulterior motives. It’s better to deal with them sooner rather than later."
Black Shade suddenly appeared beside me. I shook my head and smiled.
"If we dealt with those two, Hades's people would lose their undying power and be finished in no time. Besides, the establishment of Hades is a key part of my plan."
As I spoke, I glanced at the slowly appearing, floating black sphere beside me—the tears inside were finally enough.
"Please let me go to the Living World, Master Qingyuan."
I waved my hand.
"The time isn’t right yet. You wardens will eventually need to go to the Yin-Yang Realm, but not now—only at a certain moment."
Black Shade stared at me blankly. I sighed. She slowly walked to the edge of the platform, watching the souls fighting all around.
"This is far too slow, Master Qingyuan. I think we should move the selection to the Endless Abyss."
I shook my head and explained:
"Whether human or ghost, only when you give them a little time to struggle can they unleash their potential. The souls here are the same—if you move them to the Endless Abyss, they won't have any time to fight back. Look at them now, desperately trying to kill each other for a chance. Even if they're knocked down, they still have time to struggle. This is enough. As long as the process never stops, we'll eventually select the right souls."
As I spoke, I stood up. Black Shade resumed the work previously done by Hades and Nina Underwood, turning the victors into black gravel and placing them at the edge of the platform.
"So, Master Qingyuan, what kind of weapons do you plan to create?"
I walked over and squatted at the edge of the platform.
"The form of the weapons will be decided by the Eighteen Levels of Hell. As for their power, the most basic source will be the force of Hell. After that, it depends on what powers these souls manifest in the Living World."
"What if these weapons are used by someone else?"
I nodded.
"It doesn’t matter. After all, things like this bring me plenty of joy. Here’s the deal, Black Shade—once these weapons are finished, I’ll allow you and Black Stone to go with Black Moon to the Living World."
For a moment, Black Shade’s eyes widened in gratitude as she looked at me. I nodded and said:
"But the condition is that you and Black Stone must obey Black Moon’s orders absolutely—no acting out of line. If you do, I’ll pull you back from the Living World immediately."
Black Shade nodded and bowed. Just then, with a not-so-pleased laugh, Black Moon slowly landed behind me.
"Boss, I’m enough for the Living World. If you bring those two, it might cause trouble. Maybe you should reconsider."
Instantly, Black Shade stormed up to Black Moon and slapped his head, sending it floating into the air. It drifted slowly around me, the three crescent moons on the round black head shifting and emitting laughter.
"Your power isn’t as strong as mine or Black Stone’s—so why...?"
"True, I’m not as strong as you two, but I can accomplish a lot. Whether it’s infiltrating the Nether Syndicate, controlling the Celestial Hound, or stealing intelligence, spell structures, and forbidden arts from sects in the Living World—you two can’t do those things. Boss has already allowed you to go to the Living World. You should be satisfied. If you ruin our plan..."
With a rumbling sound, Black Stone emerged from beneath the platform, grabbing Black Shade with one hand.
"Let’s just listen to Black Moon. I want to see the Living World—it’s been so long since I last visited."
I nodded and smiled.
"Just treat it as a vacation."
Black Moon burst out laughing.
"Right now, the Nether Syndicate is ready to fight you, Boss. I was discovered by their little cat and had to leave, taking the Celestial Hound with me. How do you plan to deal with that cat, Boss?"
Resting my chin in one hand, I thought for a while before saying:
"That cat must have reached some sort of agreement with those guys in the darkness—the Founding Emperors, the Dark Banquet crowd—they’re all bad news. So, let’s make the Nether Syndicate the target. That sect is tricky, so I’ll leave it to you three. The moment you reach the Living World, get rid of the biggest threat to our plan!"