I drifted over. The four of them had already landed on the ground. The scenery around us began to change—we were now inside Lucas Dao's home, peach blossoms swirling, a small bridge over flowing water. In an elegant little pavilion, I stood outside while the four sat down.
Lord Shenyan looked pale, utterly exhausted, his hands bracing himself against the table. Lucas Dao placed a hand on his back.
"Lord Shenyan, it seems my ghostly energy can't repair the damage to your spirit. Nathan Chung, can't you think of something?"
"What do you expect me to do? Lucas Dao, Judge Quinn—about what you just mentioned regarding the City of the Dead, it sounds like you've uncovered something. Why not share it with us?"
Quentin Kue shouted, while Victor Wei glared at Lord Shenyan, his face full of fury.
"Brother Wei, this has nothing to do with Lord Shenyan."
"Judge Quinn, what exactly did you mean by what you just said?"
Judge Quinn turned his head and glanced at me.
"Ethan Zhang, where is John Chou right now?"
I let out an 'oh' and pondered carefully, debating whether I should reveal John Chou's whereabouts to them.
"Tell us. The four of us swear here—if any of us betray this secret, we will die without a grave."
Victor Wei looked at me thoughtfully, then suddenly turned to Judge Quinn in panic.
"Could it really be John Chou's doing?"
Judge Quinn shook his head.
"He's at the Dark Banquet—maybe. I'm not sure."
Apparently, the Immortality Society and the Nether Syndicate had joined forces to take down John Chou, but it seems they don't know about that yet.
The three judges' expressions changed instantly—they clearly knew about the Dark Banquet.
"That's something that existed even before the new hells began—a relic from ancient times. I've heard rumors about it in recent years. Those born in darkness are always invited."
Lucas Dao muttered to himself. I stared at them, desperate to know what John Chou had gone through in the City of the Dead to rescue Mr. Brown.
"Have you heard the rumors about the City of the Dead, Ethan Zhang?"
Lord Shenyan looked at me and asked a question. I nodded—I'd heard some things, at least.
"The City of the Dead was originally a barren land. After the new hells were established, its unique geography placed it right at the boundary between the living and the dead. The energies of both realms could mingle without harming each other, so humans and ghosts alike could settle in Fengdu without conflict. That’s why the Underworld Court chose it as their base in the living world. Long ago, condemned souls were sent to Fengdu before entering the Underworld."
Judge Quinn glanced at me and continued.
With Fengdu as a base, the Underworld Court could efficiently capture the souls of those who died alone, preventing them from becoming wandering ghosts. If trouble broke out somewhere, help could arrive quickly. But now, without Fengdu, getting from the underworld to the living world is restricted by the forces of the living, and requires extensive paperwork.
It's nowhere near as efficient as when Fengdu was the base. The activation of the Underworld Denizens only began after the fusion of Fengdu's energies was completely shattered.
Back then, Fengdu had an administrator whose rank was equal to the Ten Judges. He oversaw his own great prison, dedicated to short-term condemned souls, working closely with the other hells. It was efficient, and the hells weren't as overcrowded as they are now.
At this point, I saw the three judges looking helpless, and a long sigh came from Quentin Kue.
"What exactly happened?"
"The Emperor of the Dead is dead."
I gasped, staring at them in shock. If the Emperor of the Dead held powers equal to the Ten Judges, he was a god—his strength and status far surpassed the Four Grand Judges.
I'd once seen the Emperor of the Dead impersonated by the Ghost Spider, and had heard some stories before.
Lucas Dao sighed, took a sip of tea, and spoke.
When disaster struck Fengdu, the entire Underworld Court was shaken. The Four Grand Judges and the Ten Marshals of Hades all rushed there, and everyone was shocked by what they saw—the City of the Dead had become a wasteland.
Every ghost perished, except for a single black shadow standing in the ruins.
"Was it John Chou?"
I asked, and Judge Quinn nodded.
"At the time, it was unbelievable. The Ten Judges let us go straight to the living world and granted us full power. They must've sensed something major had happened in Fengdu. The investigation lasted several days, and we kept interrogating John Chou. All he ever said was, 'I don't know.'"
After that, John Chou was treated as a regular ghost and escorted back to hell by a few ghost officers.
No matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find any trace of the Emperor of the Dead. Even the two subordinates of his rank vanished without a trace.
The whole Underworld Court was stunned. The Four Grand Judges and the Ten Marshals of Hades remained in the living world, investigating for years, but no one could figure out how the catastrophe had happened.