Netherworld City.

Deep into the night, the silence was profound. The cold wind, blocked by the towering city walls, could not help but roar and rage outside, causing even greater unease among the already anxious inhabitants within.

Everyone knew that a great battle was imminent. However, since the Ghost King had ordered a lockdown of Netherworld City, no one could leave. The only hope for the people was that the flames of war would not spread to the city itself.

More than ten thousand years ago, when the Ghost King and the Eight Great Law Kings besieged Netherworld City, the Second Generation Nether King had opened the city gates to let the Ghost King Battalion in, then led the people into Hell to take refuge. This was how the city had escaped a destructive calamity at the time.

Now, with the soldiers of the seven great families surrounding the Ghost King Battalion within Netherworld City, it was natural for the people to hope that the Ghost King would follow the example of the Second Generation Nether King.

Therefore, outside the eastern courtyard, numerous elderly people who were not afraid of death kneeled outside the walls, pleading with the Ghost King to lead his soldiers into Hell after breaching Netherworld City, to draw the battle into Hell itself.

However, the Ghost King was not in the eastern courtyard. In charge were the Dark Law King entrusted with a critical mission by the Ghost King in the face of danger, and King Qingyu, who had just been ordered by the Dark Law King and had promptly returned from the ginkgo woods dozens of miles to the north.

"Qian Feng has already started to move, and it is estimated that he will reach the Hundred Mile Slope by noon tomorrow. So, King Qingyu, you must hurry to the Hundred Mile Slope and command the soldiers in battle!" the Dark Law King told King Qingyu.

"Got it! I'll go right away!" King Qingyu nodded in agreement. "The forces from the five great families have also reached Sunset Pass! There's no avoiding battle come tomorrow."

"Indeed!" The Dark Law King's tone suddenly became very grave. "The key to victory or defeat will lie in whether we can withstand their fierce attack tomorrow. I will assess the situation then to provide you support!"

"Understood!" King Qingyu nodded. "Then I'll take my leave!"

After speaking, King Qingyu turned and strode away. Just as he was about to reach the doorway, a figure suddenly blocked his path.

"Wait a moment!"

"Ghost King!" King Qingyu exclaimed in surprise. After a moment of shock, he came to his senses and said ecstatically, "Ghost King, you've returned!"

At that moment, the Dark Law King also approached behind King Qingyu, speaking in an excited and incredulous tone, "Ghost King, is that really you? I didn't expect you to come out from the Demon-Sealing Scroll so quickly this time."

"Indeed!" the Ghost King responded with a meaningful utterance. The reason he had been able to come out of the Demon-Sealing Scroll so quickly this time was partly due to his concern over the situation in the Netherworld, but more importantly, it was due to his hatred and anger.

It was his hatred and anger that ignited his fury, enabling him to defeat the straw man—the embodiment of the power of the Ancestor of the Nether King.

After entering the house, the Ghost King sat down in a chair, took a sip of hot tea, then looked at the Dark Law King and asked, "Tell me about the current situation."

"Tomorrow, the allied forces of the five great families and the combined forces of the Qian and Li families will begin their attack on us."

"It seems I've come back just in time." The Ghost King said, his tense face slightly relaxing before he abruptly changed the subject, "It seems quite noisy outside, what's going on?"

"It's some respected elders from the city, pleading... pleading..."

"Pleading for what?" The Ghost King's expression suddenly turned stern.

A twinge of bitterness appeared on the Dark Law King's face. "They're pleading that, should Netherworld City be breached, you, Ghost King, could lead the battle into Hell as the Third Generation Nether King did."

"Ridiculous!" the Ghost King rose from his seat with a slam. "The battle hasn't even started and they're already conceding defeat. Send the order out - execute those old fools who are undermining morale, not one shall be spared!"

The Dark Law King's eyes lit up with intensity, saying, "Ghost King, this..."

"Dark Law King!" The voice of the Ghost King grew deeper and more furious.

"At your command!" The Dark Law King hurriedly agreed. He had noticed that the Ghost King who had returned from the Demon-Sealing Scroll was different; his aura was extremely vicious, and his gaze was filled with rage and intent to kill.

"King Qingyu and Dark Law King, the two of you are to wait for orders inside the eastern courtyard for the time being. I'm going to see someone first."

"Who are you going to meet, Ghost King?"

"Qian Feng!"

..

..

Half an hour later.

Qian Feng and Li Zuole led an army of seventy thousand and thirty thousand ghost soldiers out of the Redwood Forest.

Just then, the sound of the wind suddenly intensified around them, causing the branches and leaves of the Redwood Forest behind them to sway violently.

After the gust had passed, Qian Feng, sitting on his horse, furrowed his brow, since he had felt an extremely powerful yet concealed Spiritual Power within that gust of wind.

Only someone of his caliber in Spiritual Power could perceive this force, which was no less formidable than his own. Therefore, the soldiers behind him had no reaction, taking it merely as a sudden gust of wind in the cold winter.

"Could it be him!" Qian Feng had already thought of the owner of that Spiritual Power.

After traveling a short distance, another gust of wind suddenly struck. In the wind, Qian Feng once again felt that concealed and powerful Spiritual Power.

He closed his eyes, using his senses to locate the position of the owner of that Spiritual Power.

Then, after covering some more distance, another gust of wind followed.

"Clan Leader Li, I will take my leave for a while!" Qian Feng said to Li Zuole at his side, unable to restrain himself any longer.

Before Li Zuole could respond, Qian Feng had already vanished from the saddle.

A quarter of an hour later, he arrived at a tall mountain, more than ten miles away. At the mountaintop, under the moonlight, he saw the figure of the Ghost King.

"Clan Leader Qian truly has courage, coming to meet me alone!" the Ghost King turned back, looking at Qian Feng with a smile.

"You're not bad yourself, Ghost King! You should know that my hundred thousand-strong army is nearby!" Qian Feng said with a smile, while his left hand caressed the jade ring on his right middle finger. He was actually somewhat afraid, fearful that the Ghost King would really make a move against him, so he was prepared to throw the ring at any moment to release the most powerful beast he had on hand.

"Clan Leader Qian, you always have an uncanny foresight; tell me then, what is the special reason for my seeking you out?"

"With the great battle imminent, your position is weakening, and it appears you've come to persuade me to submit to you. If I'm not mistaken, you plan to tempt me with the position of Dharma King, even suggesting that I assume the role of the first-ranked Dharma King."

"That's exactly right!" the Ghost King exclaimed, astonished. "Indeed, that is my intention. However, I don't understand why you said it is 'as it appears.' Do you think I have some other ulterior motive?"

"You should be very clear in your heart that it is impossible for me to agree to submit to you, which I look down upon. Yet, you proceed with something you know to be impossible, indicating you have some other, more important matter to discuss with me," Qian Feng explained.

The Ghost King was left speechless, for every single word Qian Feng had said was correct.

"Then can you say what that matter is?"

"You want to see how my morale is? But that's not the most important thing; you came to me, probably because of a person."

"Who?" The Ghost King's eyes narrowed into a fierce glint.

Qian Feng looked up at the dark clouds overhead and said, "The Second Generation Nether King, because I know a lot of things about him that you don't know."

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