A thousand miles of desolation—an abandoned city, long since destroyed, lies deep in the mountains. War has reduced it to ruins; graves dot the landscape, each a lonely mound hastily built wherever the dead fell.
Under the cold, clear moonlight, Hollowbelly and Miss Wen May walked quietly along the narrow path.
"Why don't we just fly over?"
"Our friend doesn't appreciate people dropping in unannounced. If you're eager to die, go ahead and try flying over."
Hollowbelly chuckled. He wasn't angered by Miss Wen May's mocking tone; as long as money wasn't involved, he didn't care. This had always been his way—whether dealing with humans or ghosts, as long as his path to wealth remained open, nothing else mattered.
Not only did Hollowbelly avoid killing the innocent, he even helped those who prayed for harvest or fame. Posing as a god, he'd grant their wishes—then demand generous payment once the deed was done.
"Who exactly are we looking for?"
Miss Wen May kept walking, silent. Lately, nowhere in the living world had been peaceful—not only was war rampant, bringing disaster and suffering, but the ghost realm was in turmoil too. Countless souls wandered, homeless; vengeful spirits of those slain in battle fought each other for dominance.
"This is boring. How much farther do we have to walk?"
Hollowbelly plopped down atop a pile of graves. Miss Wen May stopped, glancing around. She wasn't entirely sure this was the right spot, but one thing was certain: many had died here, yet there wasn't a single ghost in sight.
"Old friend, if you're here, please show yourself."
Miss Wen May called out several times, but no one answered. Hollowbelly glanced around, eyes glittering with greed. With a wave of his hand, more than a dozen graves burst open; burial goods flew out—paper money and silver trinkets—which Hollowbelly immediately pocketed.
"I'm here on serious business. Don't make a mess of things."
Hollowbelly didn't reply and kept searching for grave goods, opening one tomb after another.
"These folks really are paupers—not much worth taking. Still, anything is better than nothing. Ha ha..."
Suddenly, Hollowbelly sensed something—he darted past a heap of graves and arrived at the entrance of a tomb, excitement flashing in his eyes.
"Looks like the owner of this tomb was rich. I’ve hit the jackpot."
Just as Hollowbelly reached out, a strong hand suddenly grabbed him.
"Even the dead's possessions tempt you? You really are as greedy as the rumors say."
In the moonlight, a ghost in leather armor, short-haired and sharp-eyed, gripped Hollowbelly’s hand. His lively eyes glinted with amusement.
"They're dead—these things are useless to them. But in my pocket, they're much more useful. Don’t block my fortune, or else..."
A streak of green ghostly energy spilled from Hollowbelly’s body. With a bang, Hollowbelly stared in shock at the man before him—his cheek stung, blood spurted from his mouth, and he was sent flying, crashing far away. He staggered to his feet, suddenly sober; this guy was stronger than him. On the man’s forehead, a bizarre black eye had opened, cold and merciless, staring right at him.
"You could've just said no—you didn’t have to hit so hard. You damaged my ghostly spirit, friend."
"Three-Eyed."
Miss Wen May called out, hurrying over.
"Wen May, I told you not to come looking for me again."
Hollowbelly looked at Miss Wen May in surprise and asked,
"Is this the person you’re looking for?"
Miss Wen May ignored Hollowbelly and walked up to Three-Eyed.
"It’s been years since we last met. The young man you were interested in has made a name for himself in the ghost world—his name is Meng, right?"
Three-Eyed smiled and sat at the entrance to the tomb. Hollowbelly noticed a large character, 'Meng', inscribed above the doorway, which Three-Eyed deliberately blocked with his body.
"So it’s that kid—I’ve met him. There’s something odd about his power."
"So tell me, Wen May—what brings you here this time?"
"I want you to join us—to help restore order in the Spirit Realm. The Underworld Court has already started to act."
Three-Eyed chuckled, and Hollowbelly immediately nodded, his eyes shining.
"Three-Eyed, if the three of us work together, we’ll be invincible in the Spirit Realm. As long as we suppress the chaos in the living world, the Underworld Court won’t object."
Three-Eyed shook his head.
"Actually, I was hoping to ask you two for a favor."
"Go ahead, Three-Eyed."
A cold glint flashed in Three-Eyed’s eyes as he spoke, enunciating each word.
"After the Underworld Court finds their location, help capture the Seven Ghost Lords."
Hollowbelly blinked, looking confused.
"Why catch them? That kind of riffraff—I could handle them myself..."
"You’d die. They’ve been hiding their true strength—the reality is far more dangerous than it seems."
Hollowbelly didn’t say anything more. Miss Wen May looked puzzled.
"Tell me—why do we have to do this?"
Wen May asked.
"My third eye can see the future."
Three-Eyed pointed to the eye on his forehead. Hollowbelly, curious, released his ghostly tendrils, but as soon as they approached Three-Eyed, they were severed.
"If this continues, you and I will both have to choose one of the Seven Ghost Lords to serve."
Hollowbelly still looked unconvinced, staring at Three-Eyed with suspicion.
Wen May nodded.
"Understood. Let’s get started, then."
I woke up abruptly, startled by the swirling memories around me.
"Why?"
It was all orchestrated by Three-Eyed—the reason the Seven Ghost Sovereigns were cast into the Ninefold Abyss was his doing. Even the drama between Meng Ouyang and Old Ouyang was masterminded by Three-Eyed. He made Meng Ouyang trust him deeply, but in the end, the one Meng Ouyang caught was Three-Eyed himself.
"After all my effort capturing those seven, aren’t you going to reward me?"
Hollowbelly puffed out his belly and stared at the Twin Reapers before him. Above the gate, the sign read 'Styx Gate' in seven bold characters.
Once again, Hollowbelly abandoned Wen May. He knew full well that staying in the living world would eventually lead to his end—not just in the Spirit Realm, but in the world of sorcery, anyone could take his life at any time. He’d long planned to enter the Underworld Court, and now the time was right.
Thanks to his achievement in capturing the Seven Ghost Lords, Hollowbelly was recruited into the Underworld Court. When it came time to choose, he joined Judge Bane in the Sixth Tribunal, which only accepts souls who died unjustly.
Hollowbelly had long been brewing his own plans. Soon, thanks to his efficiency and the merit of capturing the Seven Ghost Lords, he rose quickly to a high position in the Sixth Tribunal under Judge Bane.
After waiting for the right moment, Hollowbelly approached Judge Bane with his idea—to establish a Greed Hell, where souls consumed by greed for money would be sent, forced to live and die for wealth forever.
Judge Bane immediately agreed, and due to a recent transfer of a Hell Marshal, Hollowbelly was quickly given the position. Judge Bane did everything he could to secure it for him.
Gradually, Hollowbelly City emerged—a so-called paradise for the wealthy dead, but in reality a hell. It became the first choice for those who had power and wealth in life, and the Underworld Court tacitly approved Hollowbelly’s approach. Opposition grew quieter and quieter.
I carefully observed these memories. I’d heard most of what happened afterward, but some parts remained shrouded in darkness—no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t see them.
"Hey, Zhang Qingyuan, that’s enough. Some things are better left unseen."
Suddenly, I snapped awake. King Hollowbelly appeared behind me, and my mind raced, recalling what Judge Yan of the Fifth Tribunal had told me—that someone in the Underworld Court was using the Seven Ghost Sovereigns for a hidden agenda. Could Hollowbelly know something?
"I do know a little, but the ones who truly know the truth are Three-Eyed and Bone Wraith. I was just their pawn. That’s enough—no need to fight me anymore. Scarlet has agreed to pay."
I gasped in surprise at Hollowbelly. By now, Zifeng had appeared behind him, holding a short blade.
"Little girl, you don’t need to point that thing at me. Your boss has already decided to pay. I’ll make sure you all leave here safely."