The moment Ye Liuyun stepped into the cave, he heard the wails and furious roars of the yin spirits

He could tell they were warning him not to come any closer

But as he pressed deeper, every spirit inside sensed the aura of the Lord of the Underworld radiating from him

That aura had grown even more pronounced—his realm had expanded, its population and power had soared, and as its master his presence naturally grew stronger

A few curious spirits darted off to investigate, then rushed toward the cave’s depths

The He clansmen and their guards, glimpsing the spirits from afar, felt their calves tremble

Along the way they passed several withered corpses, each sight tightening the knot of fear in their stomachs

Yet Ye Liuyun strode forward without hesitation; he could feel that none of the spirits dared attack him

He wanted to reach the bottom quickly and see what treasures lay hidden there

The spirits kept retreating until Ye Liuyun herded them all the way to the end of the cave

At the very bottom, the strongest spirit fixed its gaze on him

“Ninth level of the Unity Realm? You’re no match for me. Kneel and I’ll take you back to the Underworld. Refuse, and every soul here will be scattered.”

Ye Liuyun gave it a cool glance and spoke without preamble

The He clansmen and their guards were so overwhelmed by the spirit’s pressure they couldn’t lift their feet

Ye Liuyun’s avatar ignored them, stepping past to stand at the fore

Behind the strongest spirit waited several hundred others of varying strength, all silent, clearly waiting for their leader’s decision

In the deepest recess lay a pool of black water, thick with yin energy

From it rose a single black lotus bearing two jet-black seeds that gleamed like obsidian

The spirits survived only by drawing on the lotus and the pool—obviously soul-cultivating treasures

The leader wavered

The aura radiating from Ye Liuyun filled it with dread, yet the human’s cultivation was merely the fourth level of the Unity Realm—far too low—and his body held no trace of yin energy

It couldn’t decide whether to fight

Seeing its hesitation, Ye Liuyun cloaked himself in ghostly Netherflame crackling with lightning, then unleashed a curse

Buddha-light erupted from within the spirit, rapidly burning away its yin essence

“Aaaargh!”

With a scream the spirit knew it was outmatched and dropped to its knees

“Mercy, Lord of the Underworld! We were ordered by this secret realm’s source-spirit to ambush you. We did not know your identity.”

“Oh?”

Ye Liuyun had never intended to kill it; he halted the spell and asked,

“What do you know about that source-spirit? Why does it want me dead, and how strong is it?”

The Buddha-light vanished. The spirit bowed gratefully and began:

“The spirit was sealed inside a great hall by the realm’s original master to keep it from being stolen. After it gained sentience, it couldn’t escape

It’s using the blood of living intruders to forge a physical body. Each time it spares a few He clansmen so the He family will keep sending people

It likely wants your power of bloodline as well

For now it can’t leave the hall, but it controls everything in this realm and can draw upon its source energy.”

Ye Liuyun grasped the creature’s plan, yet asked,

“Then why doesn’t it simply use that source power to crush me?”

The spirit replied,

“It is the source power. Every attack it launches consumes part of itself. The more it expends, the harder escape becomes

So it relies on the realm’s suppression and the creatures within to kill intruders, sparing its own strength.”

“That means it could still use the source force if it had to?”

“Yes. As the realm’s origin, it can summon every shred of source power at any moment.”

Ye Liuyun nodded and asked about the strength of the experts inside the secret realm. The ghost answered every question, telling him there were more than ten peak Ninth-Layer Return-to-One demonic beasts, plus several deadly zones. It even gave exact locations and listed every danger.

Ye Liuyun was very satisfied with the information.

Inside his spatial world, a gate to the netherworld slowly opened. Zhuge Feiyu stepped out holding a soul-banner, released by Ye Liuyun.

“Enter the soul-banner. He’ll take you back to the netherworld.”

Ye Liuyun beckoned all the ghosts into the banner. Zhuge Feiyu waved it, gathering them inside before escorting them home.

The ghosts bowed in thanks and rushed into the banner. They had lingered here long enough; unable to leave, they would have eventually dissipated once the black lotus and black water were exhausted. Returning to the netherworld was exactly what they yearned for.

After collecting them, Zhuge Feiyu briefed Ye Liuyun on the netherworld’s current state.

“More and more gates to the netherworld are opening, and our overall strength keeps rising. Ever since your battle in the Desolate Sea, we’ve gained quite a few peak Ninth-Layer ghosts, and the variety of specters has expanded.

Your Purple Kirin has been a huge help. Asura has also boosted the army’s power. Rest assured—the netherworld is stable.”

“That’s great! Thanks to you, I’m not overwhelmed. Call me anytime you need.”

Ye Liuyun felt genuine gratitude for Zhuge Feiyu’s efforts.

“Shall I send some ghost troops to help you deal with the elemental spirits here?” After sealing the ghosts, Zhuge Feiyu had learned about the native spirit creatures.

Ye Liuyun considered it. His own spatial world’s source energy was strong, and he still had temporal power; the elemental spirit didn’t worry him. He declined the offer.

“No need—handle your side. I have a way to manage that spirit.”

He also had Zhuge Feiyu take the entire pool of black water and the black lotus away to strengthen the netherworld. The black water could refine specters and enhance their power, while the lotus—capable of devouring souls—would serve as a perfect weapon against unruly ghosts.