"It's strange. Why would the Great Netherworld compete with Lunhui Sect for control over the Samsara order of the mortal world? What benefit could there possibly be in that?
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If there weren't some huge benefit involved, I don't believe the Great Netherworld would waste so much time and effort on this," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm said with curiosity.
"Indeed. Maintaining the Samsara order of the world would require a tremendous expenditure of time and effort, along with long-term upkeep. Who would do it if there were no benefits?
There must be extremely lucrative gains behind this, enough to make the Great Netherworld so actively pursue dominance over the world's Samsara order," Hun Lao chimed in.
"That sounds right," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Anything worth fighting over between two major powers must have great interests involved. However, that's not my concern right now. What I need to do is find Old Huang and make the Great Netherworld pay the price they deserve," Ye Yunfei continued.
"Old Huang went missing in the Fifth Void. He's not necessarily here in this Netherworld of the Fourth Void," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm pointed out.
"This Netherworld is a branch base of the Great Netherworld. Since I can't find the way to the Great Netherworld itself for the time being, I'll explore this Netherworld first.
I have a feeling there should be a passage leading to the true headquarters of the Great Netherworld within this Netherworld," Ye Yunfei said after some thought.
Ye Yunfei had been inactive since entering the Netherworld, allowing the Soul-Hook Envoy under his control to proceed with routine activities, all with the primary purpose of probing the Netherworld's defenses and hoping to discover something useful.
Before long, the Soul-Hook Envoy controlled by Ye Yunfei finally delivered all the souls he had captured to different hells.
There were eighteen layers of hell in the Netherworld. The Soul-Hook Envoy controlled by Ye Yunfei only visited eleven of them before settling all the souls.
After handling the souls, the Soul-Hook Envoy received a new mission: to depart the Netherworld immediately and capture a batch of souls from a designated World Cluster.
However, he was allowed a period of rest before setting out.
The Soul-Hook Envoy under Ye Yunfei's control returned to his dwelling.
It was an eerie black hill resembling a tomb, topped with a small black cabin.
This was where the Soul-Hook Envoy usually lived. Several Formations surrounded the outside of the cabin.
Some of these Formations absorbed the death energy and death laws of the world, while others served for defense or concealment.
Naturally, these Formations were negligible to Ye Yunfei.
Surrounding this small black hill were countless identical small black hills. Each was small in size, but their numbers were terrifyingly vast, stretching across the land as far as the eye could see, resembling one black tomb after another.
Ye Yunfei had his controlled Soul-Hook Envoy enter the cabin to rest, while he himself concealed his aura and hid his form, beginning to move about the Netherworld.
"If there really is a passage to the Great Netherworld's headquarters within this Netherworld, it's highly likely hidden within those hells.
Because after the souls are sent into those hells and receive their corresponding punishments, they can undergo Samsara and reincarnation.
So, I think you should go back and investigate those hells further," Hun Lao said to Ye Yunfei.
"Alright. I'll go probe the hells again now," Ye Yunfei agreed with Hun Lao's reasoning and nodded.
Then, Ye Yunfei returned to the area where the hells were located and began quietly investigating them one by one.
Since Ye Yunfei had previously devoured the Soul Bodies of many Sovereign Gods from the Great Netherworld and gained their memories, he already had some understanding of the Netherworld's structure. Now, having personally walked through it once, his understanding deepened.
Moreover, Ye Yunfei himself had cultivated many techniques and secret arts of the Great Netherworld. By releasing Great Netherworld energy now, he appeared like an ordinary member of the Great Netherworld moving within the Netherworld, not attracting any attention.
Using one of his Soul Power planets, Ye Yunfei simulated the aura of a Soul Body belonging to a Great Netherworld Sovereign God he had devoured previously. This made his disguise even more secure.
Thus, even as Ye Yunfei continuously entered and exited one hell after another, he didn't draw any notice.
Ye Yunfei sensed that many powerful beings were lurking within each hell, likely maintaining order in these realms.
"Let's settle in this Ice Mountain Hell. Take a good look at how souls, after receiving punishment, manage to be reborn through Samsara," Ye Yunfei thought as he entered one of the icy, snowy hells, recognizing it as the Ice Mountain Hell among the eighteen layers.
This hell specifically punished souls who had been cruel, merciless, unfilial to their parents, abandoned family, or harmed their wives and children in life. Souls sent here were pushed onto ice mountains, frozen into ice sculptures, enduring extreme cold and the agony of having flesh torn from bone.
Upon entering the Ice Mountain Hell, Ye Yunfei saw many souls already frozen into ice sculptures on one of the mountains.
These souls trembled violently from the mountain's severe chill. Even Ye Yunfei felt a penetrating cold upon arrival, let alone these weakened souls.
It was hard to imagine the cruelty of the cold these souls endured on the ice mountains.
At every moment, countless souls emitted piercingly mournful screams.
Many Ghost Bailiffs holding black or white weapons patrolled back and forth within this Ice Mountain Hell, while others dragged black, clinking chains as they moved.
Every so often, many Ghost Bailiffs would herd batches of souls into this Ice Mountain Hell, driving them onto different mountains.
Those souls driven onto the mountains would quickly be frozen into ice sculptures.
At the same time, many Ghost Bailiffs would climb the mountains to retrieve souls who had completed their punishments and whose sentence periods were over.
On the mountain, these souls were ice sculptures. Once off the mountain, they began to melt and regain their original forms immediately, then were escorted by the Ghost Bailiffs deeper into the hell.
Ye Yunfei concealed his aura and hid his form, quietly following behind those souls whose sentences had ended.
"What is going on?
I keep sensing a powerful aura entering my Ice Mountain Hell, and this aura seems to belong to a powerhouse from our Great Netherworld because it's extremely potent.
Who could it be?
Could it be a higher-up sent from headquarters for an undercover inspection? If so, I'd better put on a good show.
It's said that headquarters dispatches higher-ups periodically to inspect the Netherworlds in different Voids. These dispatched inspectors wield great authority and can impose punishments or demand rectifications on the spot if they find any Netherworld lacking."
At that moment, in a certain location within the Ice Mountain Hell, atop a massive, pitch-black ice mountain, a black figure slowly materialized. He glanced in Ye Yunfei's direction and muttered softly.
"There seems to be a powerful being within this hell who is currently sensing and attempting to deduce your presence," Hun Lao suddenly warned Ye Yunfei.
While his Mental Force Energy and Soul Power might not necessarily surpass Ye Yunfei's, Hun Lao's spatial perception was actually slightly superior.
After all, as a member of the Primal Chaos World Tree tribe, he possessed a powerful natural aptitude for spatial manipulation—it was the very foundation of his race.
"It must be the lord of this hell. Since I currently appear to be a powerhouse of the Great Netherworld, what does it matter even if he senses me?
He wouldn't dare come and confront me directly," Ye Yunfei replied.
"Pass down the order: A higher-up from headquarters is conducting an inspection within our hell. All Ghost Bailiffs must be alert and maintain the normal operation of our hell without any slip-ups. Whoever causes a problem will be held accountable personally," the black figure on the distant massive black ice mountain quietly transmitted this command to all Ghost Bailiffs in the hell.
"This inspector from headquarters is conducting his tour secretly. Since he chose this covert method, it means he prefers not to be disturbed.
Forget it, I won't go pay my respects unless he shows himself and approaches me.
Otherwise, I might risk offending him," the black figure thought initially about paying a visit to Ye Yunfei but reconsidered and suppressed the impulse.
His figure then gradually faded away.
"Looks like even though that guy sensed your presence, he has no intention of coming to deal with you.
This fellow knows his place. Otherwise, given his strength, daring to provoke us would be a death sentence," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm remarked.
"The reason he isn't coming is probably because he thinks I might be a powerhouse from the Great Netherworld, perhaps here on a covert inspection. That's why he didn't approach me. If he suspected otherwise, he certainly wouldn't be afraid of me.
If he felt something amiss, he could just send out a message, and all the powerhouses in this Netherworld would rush here in moments," Ye Yunfei stated.
"That's a good point.
Nevertheless, we shouldn't let our guard down. This Netherworld is a branch of the Great Netherworld and surely has its own powerhouses personally stationed here.
If we're discovered, we'll face a siege," Hun Lao cautioned.
At that moment, Ye Yunfei was quietly tailing several escorted souls deeper into the hell, eventually arriving at the depths of the Ice Mountain Hell.
Up ahead, on a black ice mountain, there was a spatial passage. This passage appeared gloomy and saturated with an aura of death.
The escorted souls were herded by Ghost Bailiffs into this spatial passage.
Around the passage sat dozens of black figures that seemed eternally motionless, each shrouded within a black robe.
"Could it be that souls pass through this spatial passage to be reborn through Samsara?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm couldn't resist asking curiously.
"Hard to say. We'll need to follow and investigate to know for sure," Ye Yunfei replied.
"However, before entering this passage, I want to subdue some Ghost Bailiffs."
Ye Yunfei mulled it over, then began retracing his steps.
Soon after, he came across several Ghost Bailiffs herding groups of souls toward the black ice mountain he'd just observed.
Lurking nearby, Ye Yunfei stirred his will and began secretly casting the Mind Reading Art and the Puppet Soul Thread Secret Art, targeting the Soul Body of one of the Ghost Bailiffs.
Before long, he successfully subdued this Ghost Bailiff, turning him into his slave.
Then, using the Puppet Soul Thread Secret Art again, Ye Yunfei subdued several other Ghost Bailiffs, making them all his slaves.
Only after subduing a total of six Ghost Bailiffs did Ye Yunfei follow these bailiffs back toward the front, soon returning to the vicinity of the black ice mountain once more.