Within the Gloom-Shade Netherworld, specifically in the Nine Depths—the lowest and most sprawling region of that realm—stood an ancient, imposing city shrouded in perpetual darkness, rising from the vast, black earth. At its highest point floated a palace, heavy in style, yet imbued with solemn mystery.

This palace was universally renowned within the Gloom-Shade Netherworld as the foremost of the Four Great Perils, seemingly even more perilous than the Abyss of Nine Hells itself.

The Netherworld Palace. A structure steeped in long history, traditionally serving as the sleeping quarters for successive Ghost Emperors, symbolizing the supreme authority of the Ghost Clan. It hung there, silent and still.

Yet, on this particular day, the Netherworld Palace, rarely graced by visitors, was receiving guests of a very special nature.

Inside the cold, deeply shadowed halls, ranks of palace guards, composed purely of Ghost Kings, patrolled diligently, standing sentinel duty. But then, a brilliant cloud of fire drifted across the distant sky, staining half the heavens a fiery crimson, as if ablaze.

“Hah! Old Ghost of the Netherworld, you old fossil, your brother has come to pay a call!” A deep, somewhat boisterous voice erupted from the heavens. A massive fireball plummeted earthward like a meteor, its trajectory aimed squarely at the Netherworld Palace.

The Ghost King guards instantly snapped to high alert, assuming battle readiness. These capable Ghost Kings knew well that their visitor was no ordinary entity; otherwise, they would never dare approach the Netherworld Palace with such brazen arrogance and open display of power.

“Hmph!” A cold, authoritative voice echoed from within the Palace. “Demon Lord of Purgatory, if you dare chip even half a tile from my Netherworld Palace, I swear you will never return.”

The guards of the Netherworld Palace collectively sucked in a sharp breath. Though they had gauged the visitor’s immense power, they had not expected the arrival of the most notorious figure from the Purgatory Domain: the Demon Lord of Purgatory. This fiend, known throughout the land for his formidable strength… (Bookstore reference)

“Hey, hey, old ghost, you can’t be that stingy. Forget it, forget it, so boring. This is your turf, I can’t be bothered arguing with you. Hmph, hmph, after all these years, you still have that foul temper. Don’t you ever change? Is this how you treat guests?” The ball of flame halted abruptly, freezing mid-air just as it was about to impact the Palace.

What was revealed, however, was not the Demon Lord of Purgatory himself, but a Flame Elemental entity entirely wreathed in fire, yet bearing a striking resemblance—seven or eight parts similar—to the Demon Lord’s appearance. This Flame Elemental gloated, openly mocking the Ghost Emperor of the Netherworld.

“Hmm?” The Ghost Emperor’s voice drifted out, laced with confusion. “Old Demon? What is this thing? Why is your primordial spirit residing within this mere early-stage Spirit Transformation Flame Elemental? Did your physical body perish, forcing you to possess the shell of a Flame Elemental?”

“Hahaha, old ghost, you’re startled, aren’t you?” The Flame Elemental laughed heartily, clearly delighted. “And you guessed wrong! How could someone as mighty as I have my body destroyed? This Flame Elemental is my avatar, understand? You country bumpkin, heh heh heh.”

The Ghost Emperor’s figure flashed—silent, creating not the slightest ripple in space—and he suddenly materialized before the Flame Elemental. With his hands clasped behind his back, he examined the Elemental from top to bottom with the scrutinizing air of someone watching a caged ape at the zoo, then pursed his lips dismissively. “Old Demon, you’re truly living backward. Why bother cultivating a Flame Elemental avatar? That will cause a split in your primordial spirit. Instead of this pointless fuss, you’d be better off focusing on breaking through to the late stage of Spirit Transformation.”

“Late stage? That’s not so easy. If it were, why aren’t you pushing through, old ghost? How many years have our entire cohort been stuck at the peak of the mid-stage? And who among us has heard of anyone actually clearing that hurdle? Hmph, hmph, I think you’re just jealous, old ghost. Jealous that I have a Flame Sovereign avatar. Splitting off a part of my spirit does reduce my main body’s strength slightly, but overall, my power has increased substantially. Furthermore, Elemental lifeforms are favored by Heaven and Earth, granting them immense lifespans. Cultivating this avatar has massively extended my own vital longevity. With that surplus lifespan, if I don't manage to reach the high stage before I die of old age, I’d be failing Heaven and Earth!”

The Ghost Emperor paused, realizing the Demon Lord had a point. Cultivating a standard avatar by splitting the spirit was indeed a risky venture with little reward. But the subject here was a Flame Elemental. With shared longevity, the benefits were considerable. It seemed the old Demon had stumbled upon a stroke of luck. After thinking it over, the Ghost Emperor frowned. “Old Demon, this Flame Sovereign avatar of yours—did you forge it after acquiring the Flame Elemental Core during your trade with Lei Dong? I recall reading mentions of such methods in ancient texts.”

“Cackle, cackle, old ghost, you are too slow! Truly old now; you only just figured it out.” The Demon Lord’s avatar roared with laughter; with his surging vitality, he naturally felt youthful.

The Ghost Emperor inwardly acknowledged he was at a disadvantage and cursed angrily. “You are an elder figure! How could you deceive Lei Dong like that? By rights, you should have given him even more in compensation.”

“Nonsense! I gave that brat more than enough out of respect for you, old friend!” The Demon Lord cursed back. “You have no idea how infuriating that boy is! That Flame Sovereign Core was practically mine, yet that audacious brat dared to snatch my possessions!”

Hearing this, the Ghost Emperor felt a sense of balance restored. He scoffed. “What’s all the shouting about? Snatching or not, Lei Dong was just playing games with you. Besides, as an elder, it’s only proper to support a younger generation. Never mind that mess. Come, Little You, don't hide away, too shy to show your face. Come greet the legendary Demon Lord of Purgatory—or rather, his avatar.”

“Little You? Your rumored daughter?” The Demon Lord quickly dismissed the embarrassing tale of being outwitted. Upon hearing he would meet the Ghost Emperor’s daughter, he immediately declared, “This is a grand occasion! If the niece is to pay respects, the main body should be present.” With that, the mass of flame soared back into the clouds.

A subtle spatial fluctuation materialized before the Ghost Emperor, from which stepped forth a towering figure clad in armor the color of burning cinnabar, boasting a pair of defiant wings spread wide behind him. Compared to the Demon Lord of Purgatory of the past, he indeed seemed younger, brimming with vitality. Clearly, he had gained much from that Flame Sovereign avatar.

Once the Demon Lord stabilized his position, Little You gracefully floated out from the Netherworld Palace, retaining her charming and delicate appearance as a maiden in a green dress. She drifted silently before the Demon Lord, bowing gracefully. “Little You pays respects to the esteemed Senior Demon Lord of Purgatory.”

“Oh my, worthy of being the old ghost’s daughter! Tsk, tsk, you are truly beautiful,” the Demon Lord praised her before slipping back into his increasingly informal demeanor. “Little You, stop calling me ‘Senior.’ Look at me now, I’m so young. Just call me Brother.”

I’ll spit on your face. The Ghost Emperor’s expression darkened, feeling an urge to unleash a major offensive skill upon the old scoundrel.

Seeing the Ghost Emperor teetering on the edge of fury, the Demon Lord hastily corrected himself with a smile. “Just kidding, just kidding! Call me Uncle, that’s fine. I’m a few years younger than your father, you know.”

“Niece pays respects to Uncle,” Little You replied obediently, bowing again with a delicate curtsy.

“Oho, old ghost, I wasn’t looking closely before. Good heavens, my dear niece seems to have already—er, reached the early stage of Spirit Transformation?” The Demon Lord examined Little You closely, wearing an expression of profound shock.

“Old Demon, stop trying to change the subject with those tired tricks,” the Ghost Emperor retorted, rolling his eyes. “You know perfectly well how fast we Heavenly Spirit Ghosts cultivate. Early Spirit Transformation was a foregone conclusion. My daughter has bowed to you twice now. Hastily bring out the welcoming gifts you prepared. Don't let the gifts be shabby, lest you tarnish the reputation of the Demon Lord of Purgatory.”

“It’s true Heavenly Spirit Ghosts cultivate quickly, but not that quickly!” The Demon Lord was genuinely startled. “It seems you, old ghost, were extremely well-prepared, having stockpiled many good things beforehand?”

“Shouldn’t I be prepared? I’ve been searching for an heir for over a thousand years,” the Ghost Emperor countered, flicking his eyes sideways. “I say, Old Demon, you’ve been beating around the bush—are you planning to withhold the welcoming gift?”

“How could I do that? It’s rare enough that you Heavenly Spirit Ghosts produce one every millennium. If you were popping them out every few years, what chance would the rest of us races have?” The Demon Lord chuckled wickedly and conjured a storage ring as if by sleight of hand. “Knowing you old ghosts are crafty and would certainly demand compensation, I came prepared long ago. Niece, your Uncle is poor. Consider these small tokens as congratulations on your breakthrough to Spirit Transformation and your entry into the ranks of the powerful.”

As he handed over the ring, he put on an expression of deep pain, clearly indicating the immense value of its contents.

“Thank you, Uncle,” Little You accepted the storage ring happily.

“Say, old ghost, when are you going to visit my Purgatory Demon Palace?” The Demon Lord smirked cunningly. “Heh heh, you know, I have at least a thousand descendants, counting sons and grandsons.” The Demon Lord’s expression was sly. “Old Ghost, you can’t show favoritism.”

“Get lost. Cut that nonsense. Few of your descendants amount to anything. When one of them finally reaches the Spirit Transformation stage, I will certainly present a heavy gift,” the Ghost Emperor dismissed the boast with clear disdain.

The Demon Lord was momentarily frustrated. It was true that among his thousands of offspring, none had achieved significant accomplishments, certainly none who could match the rapid ascent of the Ghost Emperor’s adopted daughter, who had rocketed to Spirit Transformation in such a short span.

Seeing the Demon Lord’s dismay, the Ghost Emperor changed the subject. “Never mind that for now. Let’s go inside and sit. We need to discuss the details of the upcoming operation. If successful, we may not reach Void Refinement, but reaching the late stage of Spirit Transformation is almost certain. Then, you will have ample time to address the issue of your lackluster descendants.”

…… (To be continued)