"That's right!" Zhao Chong nodded, his eyes flickering with a strange light. "If, as I suspect, the Ghost King is really hiding and cultivating with the Demon-Sealing Scroll that contains a fragment of the map to the ancient city, then by the time he emerges from his retreat, his power will have soared by leaps and bounds. Therefore!"

Zhao Chong looked at Ye Yuqiao, his expression filled with worry as he said, "Your Majesty, it would be best to eliminate the other seven Dharma Kings before the Ghost King comes out. Then you can regain control over the Netherworld! By then, even if the Ghost King emerges with great strength, as long as we unite the power of the great clans, we can easily defeat him!"

Ye Yuqiao looked up at Zhao Chong, her eyes veiled by a layer of mist, and said, "Are you suggesting that Chen Hao should take out the seven Dharma Kings one by one?"

"Hmm!" Zhao Chong nodded, "Exactly, isn't he supposed to be cultivating the Nether King's Heart? The seven Dharma Kings are the most suitable opponents for him. By the time the Ghost King comes out, we'll still be relying on him to use the Nether King's Power to defeat the Ghost King!"

"Isn't that too risky?" Ye Yuqiao's face was filled with concern, and her gaze involuntarily fell upon Chen Hao's face. "He just killed King Ning not long ago, and all seven Dharma Kings want to kill him to avenge King Ning! Now that King Ning's Manor is under your control, Zhao Chong, so they dare not attack, but if he leaves King Ning's Manor, I fear that all seven Dharma Kings will come knocking on his door!"

"You don't have to worry about that!" Zhao Chong said confidently, "Don't forget that the Netherworld in the mortal world is managed jointly by the clan leaders of the Eight Great Clans and the Eight Great Law Kings. Now there's deep resentment between the Eight Great Clans and the Law Kings; if any Dharma King dares step onto another's turf, the Eight Great Clans will certainly not let it pass!"

"But we recently disrupted the ghost fair in Dao County, offending the Qian Family! You know full well that among the four ancient families, aside from your Zhao Family, the other two families, the Sun and Li, are completely at the Qian Family's beck and call."

"Then let's tackle the other four domains first! Once this youngster has killed the seven Dharma Kings governing the four other areas of the Netherworld, we can proceed to the domains controlled by the Qian, Sun, and Li Families. By then, with his power, he should be able to contend with any clan leader of the Eight Great Clans." Zhao Chong said.

"Of course, except for Qian Feng!" Zhao Chong added.

Just how powerful was Qian Feng? Zhao Chong wasn't sure; he only knew that Qian Feng was definitely not inferior to him. Since Ye Yuqiao ascended to the throne as the Nether King, Zhao Chong had never seen Qian Feng take action nor heard any tales of it.

Eighteen years ago, when the Ghost King led the Eight Great Law Kings to escape through the Gate of the Nether King, there might have been a chance to witness Qian Feng in action. Unfortunately, because of the hidden conflicts between the ancient clans and the newly risen clans among the Eight Great Clans, this opportunity was missed.

Back then, Qian Feng urgently convened the clan leaders of the Eight Great Clans to discuss dealing with the Ghost King, intending to unite the power of the Eight Great Clans against the Ghost King. However, since the Fourth Generation Underworld King, Ye Yu, had no spouse or children, the newly risen clan leaders of the Zhou, Wu, Zheng, and Wang families feared Qian Feng would take the opportunity to become the Nether King, so they didn't support Qian Feng's proposition and instead chose to side with the Ghost King.

At that time, Zhao Chong was concerned about the possibility of chaos in the Netherworld causing disorder in the mortal world. But more importantly, he feared Qian Feng might exploit the situation to become the Nether King, so he chose to side with the Ghost King.

Zhao Chong did not wish for Qian Feng to become the Nether King because Qian Feng had once led soldiers to massacre a city, killing tens of thousands of innocent Netherworld civilians in one night. Zhao Chong worried that Qian Feng could become a tyrant, and the first to fall prey would certainly be the major clans that could threaten the Nether King's position.

...

The night had grown deep.

Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao snuggled on the sofa in the living room.

Snow was still drifting outside, and the air inside the living room was so cold it made one shiver. Thankfully, Chen Hao pushed out the Yang Energy within his body, wrapping it around them, allowing them to feel as if they were in a greenhouse.

"You jerk, what are you thinking?" Ye Yuqiao, lying on Chen Hao's chest, asked with eyes full of mist.

"Are you talking about Zhao Chong's proposal from earlier today?" Chen Hao whispered in Ye Yuqiao's ear, "I think it's pretty good, it's time for me to go out and make a splash. Besides, didn't you say that eighteen years ago, when the Ghost King escaped through the Gate of the Nether King, there was a great upheaval in the Netherworld? Many fierce and evil spirits took the opportunity to escape to the mortal world. In that case, I can use this chance to eliminate them!"

Ye Yuqiao chuckled, then turned over to lie on top of Chen Hao. After pinching Chen Hao's nose lightly with her hand, she said with a smile in her eyes, "Sounds like my Chen Hao is going to be a knight-errant, saving the world from suffering and injustice!"

"Of course!" Chen Hao said with a proud face, his eyes shining with a resolute light. "The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. Since I have the ability, I must certainly shoulder this mission, lest I waste the sincere trust you bestowed upon me in the beginning. Also, there's another matter, which is that there are still sixteen protectors with the Hand of Death, and I want to find them to learn more about the secrets of the ancient city."

Ye Yuqiao smiled again and then rested her cheek on Chen Hao's chest, listening to Chen Hao's heartbeat full of passion and fighting spirit. After a brief silence, Ye Yuqiao spoke with a serious tone, "Then you must be ready to face danger at any time!"

"Haha!" Chen Hao laughed, not taking it too seriously, "Ever since I met you, when have I not lived through danger?"

"Hmph!" Ye Yuqiao frowned displeasedly, lifting her head to glare angrily at Chen Hao, "Is meeting me such a grievance for you!"

Having said that, Ye Yuqiao got up from the sofa and walked away angrily.

Chen Hao quickly stood up and grabbed Ye Yuqiao's hand, saying, "Meeting you is the greatest fortune of my life."

"Fine then."

..

..

The Netherworld, Hell.

The Eighteenth Level.

Eighteen years ago, after the Ghost King escaped with the Eight Great Law Kings through the Gate of the Nether King, he also released all the fierce ghosts and evil spirits that were locked in the Eighteen Levels of Hell.

Now, the Eighteenth Level of Hell was eerily deserted.

Walking with light steps, Zhao Chong came to stand before the Gate of the Nether King. Most people who knew Zhao Chong were aware of his affection for Ye Yuqiao, the Fourth Generation Underworld King, so his monthly visits to the Eighteenth Level of Hell did not surprise them.

Even though he had seen Ye Yuqiao again in the mortal world, to avoid suspicion, he still had to visit the Gate of the Nether King on this day of the month, just as before.

However, in reality, Zhao Chong had another purpose for being here.

"Thud!" A splashing sound emanated from the Purgatory Fire Pool beside the Gate of the Nether King, and then a fair back emerged from the pool.

This was a woman with a delicate and exquisite face.

"Did you tell Chen Hao about the Ghost King cultivating in the Demon-Sealing Scroll?" she asked.

"Yes!" Zhao Chong nodded, "It looks like they will leave Y City to look for the Seven Great Law Kings."

"Good!" The woman let out a cold laugh, "They haven't suspected you, have they?"

"Not for the time being!"

"Chen Hao!" the woman continued to sneer, "I'm waiting for you, to come to the Netherworld!"

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