Chapter 158: Underworld Duty Report

After taking the post, the first thing to do is of course to report on his duties; after all, he has entered the largest system in Jiuzhou, and Mu Yi does not dare act recklessly, since he is currently only a seventh‑rank petty scum.

Although it can be said that his background barely reaches the heavens, trying to emulate the Great Sage Equal to Heaven in causing trouble would probably not even get him past the Giant Spirit God stage.

However, just as he feared before, Mu Yi poured all his Universal Experience into Tenfold Versatility, and after Iron-blooded Slaughter, it became the second ability to reach LV5.

"Upgrade Elite Talent – Tenfold Versatility to LV5? This operation requires 400,000 points of Universal Experience!"

"Yes!"

During the Hundred Schools lectures, Mu Yi accumulated a large amount of Universal Experience, and now is the time to put it to use.

"System notice: Tenfold Versatility has been upgraded to LV5!"

"Tenfold Versatility's talent effect has been updated!"

Tenfold Versatility (LV5)

Talent Effect 1: All attributes +1, all domains increased by 50%, all Elite Talent effects increased by 20%.

Talent Effect 2: Combat and training can raise the talent level (this talent can be upgraded with Universal Experience, maximum level LV10).

Thus the highest tier of the Underworld is the Imperial Palace, which governs the five directional Ghost Emperor Mansions—east, south, west, north, and center—and under it are the Luofeng Six Heavens and the Ten Courts Yama.

This immeasurably large portal stands on the Yellow Springs Road that connects the Underworld and the mortal world, serving as the mandatory passage to the Underworld, much like the Southern Heavenly Gate that one must pass to reach the Heavenly Court from the human realm.

Beneath the towering Ghost Gate, tens of thousands of underworld soldiers stand guard, patrolling the coming and going underworld couriers and wandering souls.

"Transport to Jiuzhou – Underworld – Ghost Gate?"

"Is this... the Yellow Springs Road beneath my feet?"

Mu Yi gave it only a glance yet dared to conclude that these underworld soldiers, armed with knives and spears, clad in armor and exuding a strong killing aura, must have been trained by some senior Military Strategist; they are exceptionally elite, each likely not inferior to a red‑haired zombie.

These souls that were specifically ordered to be captured are far from harmless; they are essentially grievously sinful, constantly seeking ways to resist the nether realm, unwilling to reincarnate, and hoping to live another life in a ghostly body.

"Is this the Underworld?"

However, at such moments, the nearby underworld messenger responsible for transport will swing the mourning staff in his hand, delivering a timely strike to the back of the soul, urging these unruly spirits to continue onward.

In short, the Judgment Office acts as the judges, and the Inspection Office serves as the supervisory unit.

Talent Effect:

Moreover, their equipment appears even finer than the attire currently worn by Cao Ming.

Fivefold Sacrifice (LV2)

"Transferring character to Jiuzhou – Underworld – Ghost Gate..."

And the seventh‑rank Underworld Commander position that Mu Yi holds also falls under the jurisdiction of the Underworld Department.

Mu Yi took a deep breath; instead of feeling any discomfort, he felt as comfortable as a fish in water, as if he had returned home.

Although it was his first time seeing it, when Mu Yi previously held a post, these facts had already been implanted in his mind.

After all, there is a certain common method between them: offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, which is undeniably a form of sacrifice, thereby unintentionally fostering the ascension of the Fivefold Sacrifice's power.

The Judgment Office spends the year stationed in the various Yama Halls of the Ten Courts, judging souls, while the Inspection Office patrols the City Gods, Ghost Kings, and the various ranks of underworld soldiers and generals.

During the Underworld's regular operation, the highest tier is the Great Emperor of Fengdu.

When Mu Yi opened his eyes again, he found himself in a nether region, with countless detained souls being escorted before him.

However, what Mu Yi did not expect was that another Elite Talent—Fivefold Sacrifice—had silently increased in level.

Looking up, Mu Yi saw a magnificent, unfathomably large portal; although it was clearly far away, he could not discern its full shape, as if the portal were embedded between heaven and earth, separating the whole world.

On either side of the city gate, endless underworld soldiers radiated, and beneath the helm that covered the entire head, only two crimson‑glowing eyes were visible.

Double Sacrifice: Offer an enemy's power to oneself or allies; the current sacrifice effect is 40%.

Mu Yi recognized its name—Ghost Gate.

"Yes!"

Hou Tu Niangniang hardly intervenes, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is busy eradicating the Underworld's evil ghosts' sins, leaving no time for administration.

The clerks are essentially the Underworld Department; in most cases they act, pulling souls back to the Underworld, handing them to the Judgment Office for trial, and then, based on the verdict, consigning them to the appropriate eighteenth layer of Hell.

Mu Yi followed the main flow in an orderly march toward the Ghost Gate.

Scrolling through the cluttered information prompts, Mu Yi found that, apparently due to a heavenly sacrifice ceremony, Fivefold Sacrifice had autonomously advanced.

Searching his mind, Mu Yi discovered that the best way to improve Fivefold Sacrifice is through continual offerings; the larger the scale and the higher the quality of the sacrifice, the more it can amplify the sacrificial power.

After tidying his appearance, Mu Yi answered the Underworld's divine call.

The entire Underworld portal.

The Ten Courts Yama oversee three offices: the Underworld Department, the Inspection Office, and the Judgment Office.

Talent Effect 3: Skill-type abilities can be mimicked through observation, achieving 90% effectiveness.

Mu Yi nodded with satisfaction, having grown stronger; it was no wonder, given the repeated draining of his Elite Talent, the effect remained consistently powerful.

In the conventional sense, the ten great Underworld Commanders are the most renowned commanders within the Underworld Department, including Black and White Impermanence and Ox‑Head and Horse‑Face.

Even the souls scanned by that crimson glow, despite being heavily shackled, couldn't help but shrink back.

The Luofeng Six Heavens report directly to the Great Emperor of Fengdu; if a malicious ghost attempts to flee the Underworld or a Yama neglects duty, such matters are handled directly by the Luofeng Six Heavens.

The Yellow Springs Road, the path linking the Underworld and the mortal world, and the region where Mu Yi now stands even connects to the nether realms of other worlds.

Ordinary souls, guided by the cycle of reincarnation, pass through places like City Gods into the Underworld, where they are judged according to their earthly deeds, then undergo the appropriate reincarnation or punishment.

They need not be bound like these souls, captured from the mortal realm and escorted to the Ghost Gate.

Under the watch of underworld soldiers and messengers, the souls on the Yellow Springs Road are constantly ushered into that pitch‑black portal; a single step across and they vanish.

Like a black hole, not a ripple is visible.

In a brief moment, over a thousand souls poured in, yet despite this speed, the portal showed no sign of overflowing.

This tranquil terror further unsettles some souls, making them even more resistant to entering the Ghost Gate; they know full well that, based on their deeds, they are certain to be cast into the eighteenth layer of Hell to suffer.

Precisely for this reason, they cling to the mortal world, refusing to leave, but the law is vast and unyielding; with so many night‑wandering spirits in the Underworld, if they truly managed to escape, it would indeed be a real nightmare.

If ordinary underworld messengers or soldiers fail to capture a soul, the Underworld Commander takes over, and the case may even be handed to the mortal realm, assisted by practitioners from the Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, and other schools, as well as Free People like Zhong Kui.

Without Legend or demigod abilities, trying to escape the Netherrealm's pursuit is pure fantasy.

Of course, there are restless scoundrels everywhere; even knowing the Underworld's might, even shackled, even intimidated by shadow soldiers, the closer they get to the Ghost Gate, the more they struggle.

There are also some recklessly bold scoundrels who have secretly reached an agreement, preparing to join forces for a desperate gamble.

Act!

The evil aura boils; there will always be some special beings that the Underworld's standard shackles cannot bind.

Moreover, because of these restless souls' peculiarity, the proportion is not low; they have secretly reached an agreement and launched an attack simultaneously.

The surrounding shadow officials were caught off guard; some of them do not capture personally, but merely take over these restless souls from the living world, press them into the Ghost Gate, and lead them to judgment.

If we speak of a fight, they are not necessarily opponents of these restless souls; after all, those who can linger in the living world must have some special abilities.

These restless souls break free from the shackles, gather together, and attempt to escape the Netherrealm through cooperation.

Hold!

The shadow soldiers, originally standing guard like sculpted puppets, swiftly formed a formation and rushed at these restless souls like fish scales.

The dense evil aura instantly gathered above the sky, cutting off these restless souls' thoughts.

The dense evil aura is also a form of Cloud Energy, condensing the shadow soldiers' vital spirit, acting like an invisible shackles that firmly suppress these restless souls.

Hold!

The restless souls that had intended to make a desperate stand collapsed at the slightest touch, scattering and fleeing.

Hmm?

Mu Yi suddenly noticed at this moment that among these restless souls, there was a group of distinct figures.

They looked, somewhat like Zongwang Players?

"Crazy? Running here to do a quest?" Mu Yi blinked, feeling his eyes were getting old.

Finding a small-world Underworld to try? Still okay, running here for excitement?

This is the center of the Multiverse Jiuzhou Underworld, although it is outside the Ghost Gate, and these Zongwang Players appear to be exceptionally powerful.

"Large team Dungeon? Or some quest commission?" Mu Yi rubbed his chin, looking at the Zongwang Players with curiosity.

A quick glance showed they were mostly Level 19, Zongwang Players on the verge of breaking through Legend, and they seemed to coordinate very smoothly.

They came here for thrills to break through Legend?

If we must say, these dozens cooperating could easily cut through a Legend.

But... Mu Yi shook his head. Honestly, if only shadow soldiers and shadow officials were here, perhaps these scoundrels would actually manage to escape.

After all, they haven't entered the Underworld yet; they're only on the Yellow Springs Road. Most of the Underworld's forces are probably occupied suppressing the Eighteenth Hell. Compared to the restless souls that ordinary shadow officials outside can escort, the inside is the main event.

But... a crucial place like the Ghost Gate couldn't possibly be left unwatched.

If all these Zongwang Players were upgraded to Legend, perhaps there would be a chance to escape.

Just as Mu Yi expected, when these Zongwang Players broke through the shadow soldiers' encirclement and raced toward the mortal world, the big shot intervened.

Hmph!

A cold snort, and immediately a portal of the Ghost Gate seemed to come alive; the gate's surface writhed, spawning countless shadows. In the next instant, innumerable shackles formed from the gathered Netherrealm energy extended outward, enveloping the Zongwang Players, then dragging those troublemakers into the gate.

The shadow soldiers and shadow officials bowed to the Ghost Gate, then each performed their duties, restoring order before the Ghost Gate.

Shen Tu, Yu Lei!

The two gate deities of the Ghost Gate,

There are many legends concerning Shen Tu and Yu Lei, recorded in documents such as the He Tu, Ku Di Xiang customs and universal meanings, etc. However, combined with the earlier whispers of these two, Zhang Ke feels another legend is more reliable.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas says: In the East Sea there is a mountain called Du Suo. Upon it stands a great peach tree, coiled for three thousand li. To the northeast is a gate called Ghost Gate, where ten thousand ghosts gather. The Heavenly Emperor sent divine beings to guard it, one named Shen Tu, one named Yu Lei, who oversee the ten thousand ghosts. If a ghost harms a person, it is bound with a reed rope, shot with a peach bow, and thrown to a tiger to eat.

In short, in the East Sea there is a mountain called Du Suo, atop which stands a massive peach tree; on the tree's northeast side is a gate named Ghost Gate, a gathering place for monsters.

The Heavenly Emperor dispatched Shen Tu and Yu Lei to this place to guard it, commanding the monsters; if a monster harms a person, it is bound with a reed rope, shot with a peach-wood bow, then fed to a fierce tiger.

However, this Heavenly Emperor has nothing to do with the current ruler of the Jiuzhou Heavenly Court.

Because this Heavenly Emperor in the Classic of Mountains and Seas generally refers to the ancient sovereign, and at that time the ruler happened to be the Yellow Emperor among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

Shen Tu and Yu Lei were originally great generals under the Yellow Emperor; according to rumors, when the Underworld was first established, Lord of Mount Tai had no one to use, so he asked the Yellow Emperor to borrow Shen Tu and Yu Lei.

Later, due to their merit in guarding the Underworld, Shen Tu and Yu Lei were enfeoffed as the Eastern Ghost Emperor among the Five Ghost Emperors.

The Eastern Ghost Emperor blocks the gate, which is why the Ghost Gate's defenses are not strict; only some shadow soldiers and shadow officials handle the lower tasks.

However, in most cases, Shen Tu and Yu Lei are not needed; the well‑trained shadow soldiers alone are enough to rope the troublemakers into law.

Disrupting the Underworld's order is a grave crime; these restless souls, in the hands of the shadow soldiers, lack even the qualification for rebirth and have their soul power directly divided by the shadow soldiers.

In any case, after judgment, the number of these restless souls that obtain rebirth qualification is not just scarce—it can be said there are none.

The Underworld simply tacitly accepted this de facto unwritten rule; after all, it is a mature organization and must provide some benefits to its subordinates.

When these restless souls' spirits fall into the shadow soldiers' hands, whether used to boost strength or as currency, it is excellent.

The shadow soldiers are eager for daily troublemakers; they can use the chance to become ghost generals or shadow commanders.

They are just the grassroots of the Underworld, but they also have dreams.

As for petty maneuvers, colluding with shadow officials for illicit trades, if they can evade the Inspection Department they're fine; if not, they await judgment.

By then, they will become currency in the hands of other shadow soldiers and shadow officials.

The cycle of cause and effect, retribution is unsatisfying.

Within the Underworld, if one wishes to pull a deceitful trick, one must first gauge whether they can withstand the big shots' snap judgments.