At dawn atop the Dark Wind Hills.

After enduring an extremely cold night, soldiers from both the Seven Great Families' camp and the Ghost King Battalion had to continue marching with their nearly frozen bodies.

Finally, after the sun was three rods high, the Ghost King Battalion's army of two hundred thousand met with the Seven Great Families in the northern part of the Dark Wind Hills.

Before King Wumeng and King Qingyu could approach the Ghost King to pay their respects, many soldiers suddenly fell onto the snowy ground.

Seeing this, King Wumeng's eyebrows furrowed, and he hesitated whether to advise the Ghost King to postpone the battle. The weather was simply too cold, and fighting under such conditions was a torment and ordeal for the soldiers.

However, as he approached the Ghost King and saw the murderous intent in his eyes, he knew that convincing the Ghost King was impossible, and a severe and inevitable battle loomed.

"Ghost King!" King Wumeng and King Qingyu saluted the Ghost King with the utmost respect, their faces marked with signs of hardship.

"Hmm!" The Ghost King acknowledged with a grunt and then said, "The allied forces of the five families and the coalition of the Seven Great Families are also about to meet at this time. The decisive battle is about to begin!"

King Wumeng and King Qingyu exchanged glances, their complexions turning ugly.

"What's the matter?" The Ghost King glared at them. "Do you two have something you wish to say to me?"

After hesitating for a while, King Wumeng lifted his eyes to the Ghost King. Just as he was about to speak, the Ghost King continued, "If it's something that will displease me, I advise you to keep it to yourself. I know the weather is terrible now, but it is the same for the enemy. Compared to them, we have more fighting spirit, so such weather is more to our advantage!"

Hearing the Ghost King's words, King Wumeng abandoned his intention to dissuade him and then lowered his head, glancing at the soldiers on his left. Amid the harsh wind and snow, all the soldiers looked utterly exhausted.

"Let's set out!" the Ghost King ordered loudly. "We aim to eliminate them within half a month! At that time, all soldiers will be handsomely rewarded!"

"Yes!" The words of the Ghost King elicited responses only from King Wumeng and King Qingyu, failing to inspire the soldiers' morale.

On the contrary, most soldiers showed expressions of despair. Spending a day in this icy world was torment enough, and the Ghost King had just said they would have to stay for at least half a month. By then, many feared for their lives, and who would still care about rewards?

The Ghost King snorted in anger and then rode off on his horse.

King Wumeng noted that the legs of the horse the Ghost King was riding trembled, seemingly also weary.

After a pause, seeing the Ghost King had gone far, King Wumeng said to King Qingyu, "Let's move, otherwise the Ghost King will get angry."

King Qingyu nodded.

Then, the army of two hundred thousand slowly started marching northward.

After walking for nearly half an hour, the entire Ghost King Battalion had advanced only a little over a hundred li—a speed not even one-fifth of their usual. Moreover, the speed at which the army moved was noticeably slowing.

Turning back to look at the twenty thousand soldiers with low spirits, the Ghost King grew very angry and shouted at the soldiers, "Move faster, the snow will stop soon."

It was obvious to everyone that the Ghost King was bluffing. But to keep up appearances, the soldiers quickened their pace slightly.

Regrettably, the snowfall only grew heavier.

After a gale of icy wind had passed, some peculiar signs appeared in the white expanse of the sky. Soon, the gaze of nearly all the soldiers, including the Ghost King, King Wumeng, and King Qingyu, was drawn to it.

Before long, under everyone's watchful eyes, pink omen signs of the Netherworld's new king slowly drifted by.

Seeing this, the Ghost King frowned and muttered to himself, "This omen seems destined to fall into the Endless Sea. It appears a new Nether King is bound to emerge."

"Who will be the new Nether King?" the Ghost King mused to himself. The same question also arose among the two Dharma Kings and the two hundred thousand soldiers.

"You all saw it, didn't you? The new Nether King can be none other than me!" the Ghost King proclaimed to the crowd. Although he did not believe it himself, he said this to boost the morale and thus deceived himself along with everyone else.

The Ghost King's words caused a stir, as soldiers began to whisper to one another, their secretive murmurs turning the surrounding dead silence into a buzz of revived life.

A faint smile played on the lips of the Ghost King, seeming to appreciate the effect his words had elicited.

"Exactly!" cried King Wumeng, seizing the moment and loudly agreeing, "The Ghost King will be the new Nether King, and we are destined to triumph in the imminent fierce battle! The Ghost King has promised, every person here will be richly rewarded. Every soldier who bravely fights on the battlefield will be noted by the Ghost King!"

King Wumeng's words completely ignited the soldiers' fighting spirit, and then they chanted in unison, "Long live the Ghost King, long live the Ghost King!"

Their voices surged like waves, and morale soared accordingly.

...

...

As noon approached.

The allied forces of the Qian and Li families had arrived at the westernmost edge of the Dark Wind Hills; while the alliance of the five great families had already been waiting there for an hour.

Seeing figures appear atop the mountain not far ahead, Chen Hao, sitting in the carriage, spoke to Ye Yuqiao, "Yuqiao, I see them."

Ye Yuqiao hummed in acknowledgment, then said, "To avoid unnecessary trouble, I'd better go into the Nether Acupoint first."

"But won't you be very lonely staying in there by yourself?"

"Can't you talk to me?" Ye Yuqiao smiled, "Now, go on and unlock the seal on the Nether King's Heart."

Chen Hao hesitated for a moment before nodding. Just as he was about to cast the spell, a sudden exclamation arose from outside the carriage.

"What happened?" Chen Hao asked.

Ye Yuqiao opened the carriage window, stuck her head out, and saw the sign of the Netherworld's new king—a pink streak—appear in the southeastern sky.

Hers brows furrowed; this was not a good sign for her. The birth of a new Nether King meant she was about to be replaced.

"What's wrong?" Chen Hao immediately noticed the change in Ye Yuqiao's expression, "What did you see?"

"The sign of the Netherworld's new king." Ye Yuqiao answered, "It seems it's about to plunge into the Endless Sea, signaling the birth of a new Nether King."

"So, does this mean the Ghost King is about to be defeated? And a new Nether King will replace you, and you will join me to fulfill our eternal promise?" Chen Hao said with a smile.

In stark contrast to Ye Yuqiao, he seemed quite optimistic.

Ye Yuqiao forced a smile, pretending to be very much looking forward to it. She looked at Chen Hao, wondering if he might be the new Nether King. At that thought, a slight pain tugged at her heart; having been the Nether King for over ten thousand years, she knew all too well the loneliness that came with the title.

She did not wish for Chen Hao to bear the loneliness that was not meant for her, yet she had no other choice.

"The pink sign of the Netherworld's new king!" At that moment, Qian Feng's voice came from the front of the carriage.

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