Di Ting nodded, his heavy breathing matching the weight of his voice as he spoke.
"The moment you struck me that day, I sensed the power within you quietly shifting, sinking deeper. I never expected you'd stop after destroying Mingde's arm."
I chuckled and replied.
"Just because I spared Chen this time doesn't mean I'll spare him next time. Grandmaster Mingde has spoken with Zhang Qingyuan many times before. To Zhang Qingyuan, he's a benefactor, so I let him go. After all, I owe Zhang Qingyuan a great deal for this—without his death, my power would never have reached this level."
Di Ting laughed.
"You three are truly peculiar, especially that Heaven Soul fellow—he's still watching you and Human Soul from the sidelines."
I turned my head, gazing into the distance. Under the supervision of many Hell's Registrars—hulking figures with red, blue, and black skin, twisted faces, and wrinkled flesh—the ghosts were busy digging up rocks with their tools.
"What's this place for?"
"These rocks are from the fifteenth layer of the Underworld Court—a vital raw material for forging weapons. This place used to be for torturing sinners, but now the Underworld Court has excavated everything for weapon production. Given the scale and intensity of this war, this level of preparation is nowhere near enough."
I grunted in acknowledgment. I understood what Di Ting meant—even if every ghost in the Underworld Court were armed, the enemy's numbers would still be overwhelming.
"Be honest with me, Di Ting. What did you hear when you first saw Ghostworm?"
Di Ting looked at me with a grave expression, as if deep in thought.
"Earthly Soul, can I ask you not to cause any disturbances for now?"
I stayed silent for a moment before nodding.
"I saw that guy's past, future, and present. The malice hasn't faded—in fact, it's only grown. Especially after coming to Hell, Master Lucian's inner demons have started to sprout again."
I looked at Di Ting with a serious expression. As expected, Ghostworm hadn't changed from before.
"From here on, it's up to Master Lucian himself whether he can purge his own inner demons."
I chuckled and shook my head.
"You really are stubborn. If this keeps up, the disaster that once struck your Zen Order might repeat itself someday."
Di Ting grunted in response.
"It's true—I heard such a future too. But right now, nothing can be judged hastily. Besides the issue of war, there's another major problem quietly fermenting beneath the surface."
I looked at Di Ting in surprise, but quickly realized what he meant by a 'major problem.' If anything could be more troublesome than war, it had to be the Wraithlord.
"There are three problems. First, the Earth Soul of the Wraithlord, sealed in the Sanctuary of Harmony, has begun to resist the power of the Buddhist and Taoist Orders. The Buddhas and Taoist gods have no way to deal with the Wraithlord's power. For now, they're relying on external force to suppress the Earth Soul, but if this continues, the entire Sixfold Cycle will eventually be corrupted."
"How could this happen?"
My eyes widened—the Wraithlord's power surpassed anything I had imagined. Sealing the Earth Soul in the Sanctuary of Harmony had seemed like the safest move, but even the combined force of Buddhist and Taoist Orders couldn't contain it.
"What's the second problem?"
Di Ting continued.
"The second problem is the Human Soul of the Wraithlord. The soul imprisoned beneath the Lake of Desire has already escaped."
Both problems sent ominous signals, making me feel something strange—something was silently changing.
"The third problem is this: not long ago, Ksitigarbha and I encountered the Heaven Soul of the Wraithlord. After being gone for so long, the Heaven Soul has returned to this world."
I immediately stood up. This situation was already more troublesome than any war. Since even the combined powers of Buddhism and Taoism couldn't suppress the Wraithlord, if he achieved the Union of Three Souls and the Seven Souls gathered, everything would be finished.
"What exactly did the Heaven Soul of the Wraithlord say to you all?"
Di Ting nodded, then a stream of bluish energy swept toward me. I raised my hand, and in an instant, I was transported to a place of endless darkness, desolate and boundless. Not far away, I saw Di Ting carrying the Saint of the Underworld, wandering across this barren land.
Suddenly, a pale figure appeared in front of the two—sure enough, it was the Wraithlord, though he looked much older. Both Di Ting and the Saint of the Underworld were visibly shocked.
"Young man, we meet again."
The Wraithlord spoke with a smile as he opened his mouth. The Saint of the Underworld dismounted from Di Ting and bowed.
"Amitabha. Indeed, it has been quite some time, honored one."
"All these years, I remembered nothing, but now it seems some memories have returned. Young man, do you believe this world still has a future?"
The Saint of the Underworld nodded.
"Amitabha. As long as there are people still living, there is a future in this world."