Chapter 125: Returning to the Underworld

Dear subscribing readers, I just finished dealing with my grandmother's funeral and came straight home to edit and fix the mistakenly uploaded Chapter 133. The overall sequence has been adjusted somewhat, and the chapters posted at noon have been updated into a 2-in-1 version, including a 100-page extra release. Please manually trigger your time-reversal function~~

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"Scream, and you die." Qin Ye’s eyes returned to normal, and he waved his hand. "Let go."

He was very well aware that, regardless of his persona in the realm of the living, here he could only maintain one persona.

Indifferent.

Impartial.

This place was the Underworld.

It was the ultimate end of all sins, and the absolute beginning of all new life.

This was the land of karmic reincarnation, and also... the Tribunal.

As the ruler of the Underworld, one of the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, he could not present a casual attitude. He was the god of this place, and gods had no need for emotions.

Su Dongxue released her grip with lingering reluctance, her tongue seductively tracing a circle around her full lips as if reminiscing. Meanwhile, the college student was already panting, supporting his weight on the ground with both hands, gasping with breathless rasps.

It was impossible to tell whether it was fear, nervousness, or lingering aftertaste.

It wasn't until he caught sight of a pair of shoes right in front of him that he snapped rigid as if struck by lightning.

"M-m-m-m-master..." His voice was trembling, and his legs shook uncontrollably. "I-I-I-I..."

"It’s fine. No need to be afraid. This official had some urgent business, which is why I arrived a bit late," Qin Ye said calmly. "What were you about to say just now?"

*This official had some urgent business, this official...* Upon hearing these words, the college student’s legs went limp, utterly failing to support him. His eyes rolled back—if ghosts could faint, he certainly would have passed out right then and there.

Unfortunately, they could not.

Thus, he remained fully conscious.

And with mounting horror, he discovered that the bizarre woman who had stolen his first kiss had somehow wrapped her arms around him in an intensely intimate posture, supporting his body as if he were resting in her embrace.

"M-m-m-master..." He took a few deep breaths to steady himself, straightened his posture, and gritted his teeth. "You can't... you can't go over there!"

"Take a closer look." He pointed his finger ahead toward the screen of light. "Those people... they are not to be trifled with."

Qin Ye looked over, and at that single glance, his eyes narrowed instantly.

A crowd of people had blocked off the end of this tree-lined path.

At the lead stood a tall man with bulging muscles, a fierce expression, and a prison uniform. Surrounding him were four others similarly dressed in prison uniforms, all uniformly bald—at a glance, none of them looked like decent folk. Further out in the perimeter were nearly a hundred individuals: clueless rebellious youths, societal vagrants, and a handful of expressionless, able-bodied young men.

There was a vacant buffer zone of at least a dozen meters around them, and no one dared to approach.

"Dressed in prison uniforms and arriving in the Underworld... are these... death-row inmates?" Qin Ye asked with a cold smile.

"Yes, my lord," the student said respectfully. "Haven't you read the papers? During the crackdown on organized crime in Daishan City, the Gao family gang, who tyrannized the surrounding villages, were sentenced to death three days ago. I really didn't expect... that they could end up here too."

A flash of chilling intent crossed Qin Ye's eyes. Death-row inmates were nothing special; the critical issue was that, without the Six Paths of Reincarnation and the Eighteen Levels of Hell, this represented a massive, volatile source of instability!

Heaven only knew how many vicious criminals might arrive in the future!

"Tell me about them," he said concisely.

The student understood immediately. "The Gao family gang... well, frankly speaking, it's rather laughable, probably the result of watching too many gangster movies. They made up the name themselves. The leader's uncle was the village chief of Gao Village and later was promoted to deputy county magistrate; that was how their so-called gang leader, Gao Dahu, got his start. Later on, their business grew, and they operated as debt-collectors and security for Tenglong Real Estate—that was when they truly made their fortune."

"I heard—this is just what I've heard... they played extremely rough, breaking limbs was a daily occurrence for them, and you could say they terrorized everywhere from the townships around Daishan City right into the urban districts. High school classmates of mine had all heard of this gang, and people would always talk about how 'I know so-and-so from the Gao family gang,' making it sound so badass, just like *Crows Zero*. Thinking about it now... how childish."

He rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment. Qin Ye couldn't help but chuckle. "What gang... China's soil is simply incapable of breeding a genuine mafia. They were just high on their own supply."

He glanced at the student. "Keep up the good work. If you want to go with her, just let this official know."

The student cast a terrified glance at the smiling Su Dongxue and shook his head frantically.

"My lord... can I follow you instead?"

Qin Ye: "???"

"Well..." the college student said somewhat bashfully, "I'm already dead..."

*Are you trying to find yourself a patron?*

*But are we even close enough for that?*

The college student gave a light cough. "My boyfriend would be heartbroken... would you mind helping me appear in his dreams? Aren't you a ghost messenger... isn't that how they do it in TV shows...?"

Qin Ye: "!!!"

*Wait no... brother, your plot twist is quite terrifying... So you mean your rejection of this flirtatious little vixen just now was a genuine, dual resistance of body and mind...?*

Su Dongxue’s smile instantly froze. A few seconds later, she said coldly, "No need."

"Huh?" Qin Ye confessed he couldn't figure Su Dongxue out anymore. "You aren't planning to squeeze every ounce of utility out of him?"

Su Dongxue gnashed her teeth and turned away. "No... this concubine fears she wouldn't be able to win a man away from him..."

Qin Ye shrugged, unbothered, and led the student along the path.

Today, he was here to delegate power.

The lingering spirits were scattered—some leaning against trees, others sitting on the ground, with very few standing up. Qin Ye’s figure walking straight toward the Ghost Gate Pass was exceedingly conspicuous. As he approached the light screen, the gazes of the gathered Gao family gang and countless ordinary spirits all turned toward him.

Those leaning against trees straightened up; those sitting on the ground stood. Spirits who had been drowsy moments before widened their eyes.

When he reached the end, the people in front silently parted a path for him. Among the crowd, the members of the Gao family gang all glared over with venomous eyes—except for the man at the very center, who had not yet turned around.

"Halt." Just as Qin Ye stepped out of the crowd and entered the dozen-meter vacuum zone, a lean man with a small blade spinning at his fingertips eyed him sideways. "Brother, what turf are you from?"

Qin Ye smiled.

"This official is a bit late," Qin Ye said, his hands clasped behind his back as he scanned the crowd. "I truly didn't expect that the Ghost Gate Pass of Daishan City, where you normally wouldn't see a soul, would suddenly welcome so many people in a single week."

"Heh..." "What... th-this official?" "He is... the person in charge here?!" "A ghost messenger? The legendary ghost messengers? Ox-Head and Horse-Face? Impermanence Guards?"

As these words left his lips, the burly man at the very front abruptly stood up. However, upon turning around and seeing that it was only a single person—a young man of eighteen or nineteen—his expression instantly shifted from shock to calm.

"You?" The other four split up, drawing sharp intakes of breath, but the burly man looked at Qin Ye and laughed. "The person in charge? A nether-official?"

Qin Ye smiled and nodded.

The burly man stared at him deeply for several seconds before suddenly bursting into hearty laughter, walking straight over and looming like a small mountain in front of Qin Ye. "Brother, you fucking take me for a fool?"

Qin Ye continued to smile without acknowledging him. Instead, he turned around, let go of his smile, and swept his gaze across the assembled crowd. Then, his voice rang out like thunder into every corner.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Underworld."

*Whoosh!!*

In the central area, no matter how intense things got, those on the outer periphery wouldn't normally be able to see. But this voice was like a great bell, echoing across the wilderness, completely detonating the atmosphere over this expanse.

"Th-this is..." An elderly man leaning on a walking stick stared with a gaping mouth at Qin Ye's figure, his entire body trembling. "Law enforcement personnel from the netherworld?"

"The Impermanence Guards? Ox-Head and Horse-Face?" A middle-aged male spirit in his forties gasped sharply and backed up against a tree. Everyone around him simultaneously retreated several paces.

"Someone has come... someone has finally come!" "Is that him? He looks about the same age as a student in the living world..." "I-is this someone from the Underworld? Could it... could the Eighteen Levels of Hell actually exist?"

Gao Dahu’s expression also shifted repeatedly. If he hadn't believed it a moment earlier, this kind of projection... could it not be considered divine might?

In such a vast space, a voice ringing out like a deity's—how could they not believe it?

*Swish, swish, swish...* Gaze after gaze focused on the center like spotlights, yet no one dared to take even half a step forward. Gasps of astonishment, faint at first among a single voice, gradually swelled among tens of thousands into a deafening tidal wave!

At this moment, they finally believed, completely, that they were truly dead.

"But you are both fortunate, and unfortunate." He glanced at Gao Dahu and the others before continuing, "The old Underworld collapsed when Ksitigarbha attained Buddhahood; the Ten Courts of Hell, the Eighteen Lesser Hells, and the Six Paths of Reincarnation have all vanished. That is why you are able to stand here retaining your memories from life. This official has been ordered to rebuild the Underworld. And there is only this official here. Without further ado, you only need to understand one principle in this place."

He raised a single finger.

"This official is the law here. The ruler of the new Underworld. You all need only follow this official's arrangements. Rest assured, the new Underworld will only grow better. And those of you who participate in the reconstruction of the new Underworld will all secure a favorable reincarnation."

"Any questions?"

When the question fell, the wilderness was dead silent.

"None? Excellent. First of all, everyone..."

"Hold on." At that exact moment, Gao Dahu’s voice rang out. Wearing a smile that didn't reach his eyes, he looked at Qin Ye. "Before you arrived, mister, our Gao family gang has already done quite a few things for you."

Qin Ye’s smile grew even more pleasant.

Su Dongxue quietly stepped back half a step.

"Such as?"

"Such as..." Gao Dahu whistled. Immediately, within the crowd, figures began to rise—one hundred, two hundred... In the end, three to four hundred able-bodied men stood up!

They were all strapping young men, standing in silence as they slowly converged toward the center. Compared to hundreds of people, Qin Ye and the other two appeared utterly minuscule. The college student cowered desperately behind him, the sound of his frantic swallowing echoing loud in his ears as his legs shook slightly.

Invisible pressure weighed down.

*Thud, thud-thud...* Hundreds of people formed a human wall, with Gao Dahu standing at the center with folded arms, staring fixedly at Qin Ye.

"A threat?" Qin Ye said indifferently.

"Of course not." Gao Dahu smiled, stepping forward, his words slipping out from between his teeth. "It's just that since we've already rallied so many people to the Underworld side, shouldn't... we be allowed to continue managing them?"

Qin Ye looked deeply at the other man. This was the attitude of the Underworld's new arrivals.

They were forcing the nether-authority to show its hand!

*(End of Chapter)*