I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

Can this news be confirmed?

Zhong Yingmei's knuckles turned white as she gripped her phone. The reappearance of the underworld in the mortal realm was earth-shattering news; if reported to higher authorities, it would likely overturn the tables of the higher-ups.

"Absolutely reliable!"

Master Changdeng patted his chest and said, "The Li family's relatives can talk a better game than the village loudspeaker. I've circled Guiling City three times, and the versions I've heard are all pretty much the same, except some people are just spouting nonsense like 'the gods casually unleashed hundreds of bolts of lightning.' That's pure bullshit. If they really had that ability, the Huida Building would have been reduced to dust long ago, haha."

He paused, then added, "I even asked Li Wanqiu in person. The little girl cried her eyes out, saying that she felt the deity was farther away than the clouds in the sky, yet she couldn't even reach the hem of his clothes."

"Tsk tsk, this is the true spectacle of a god."

Master Changdeng shook his head with a wry smile, "The problems that make us lose our hair are solved by the gods with a wave of their hands. The difference in their power is truly like heaven and earth."

Zhong Yingmei's heart sank. When the Soul Soldiers destroyed three level-two ghosts, some people questioned the strength of the Underworld. Now, however, they wiped out the lair of a level-four vengeful ghost with a single move, directly slapping the doubters in the face.

The word "gods" is both familiar and unfamiliar.

Evil spirits have driven humanity to the brink, and now legendary gods have suddenly appeared. This world is more thrilling than a suspense drama.

"Call Li Wanqiu."

Zhong Yingmei pondered for a long time, her fingertips tapping rhythmically on the table. She had to get some real information from the only person who had ever come into contact with the gods.

The moment the call connected, Zhong Yingmei went straight to the point: "Ms. Li, you're the only one who's ever met that person. Could you tell me what it was like?"

Li Wanqiu was silent for a few seconds, then said with awe, "He was standing right in front of me, but it felt like there were thousands of mountains and rivers between us. Even if I jumped up with all my might, I still couldn't reach the hem of his clothes."

Zhong Yingmei frowned. This answer was as good as saying nothing. So, gods are at the level of "only to be admired from afar and not to be trifled with"?

"Do you remember where the temple is? Is there any landmark?"

She persisted in asking.

"Back then, the Soul Soldiers carried my soul through the mountains and valleys; I've long since forgotten the details."

Li Wanqiu's voice was full of apology, "I only remember that the temple was in a particularly dangerous place, surrounded by black winds."

Neither answer was helpful, but Li Wanqiu genuinely didn't know, and Zhong Yingmei was at a loss.

After hanging up, she immediately dialed the special operations department's hotline in the provincial capital, her voice heavy as if weighed down by lead: "Teacher, the underworld has truly reappeared on earth!"

……

The conference room of the Special Operations Department in the provincial capital was so quiet that you could hear the sound of pens hitting the ground.

Zhang Yunxiao, seated at the head of the table, stood with his arms crossed, like a silent statue, his eyes unfathomable.

He had been in charge of the Special Operations Department for ten years and had seen all sorts of storms, but the words "divine intervention" still made his heart clench.

"Does the underworld really exist?"

Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer and spoke up, their voice trembling.

This sound was like stirring up a hornet's nest; the office instantly erupted in chaos.

"It can't be fake! Over a hundred members of the Li family saw it; they couldn't all be hallucinating, could they?"

"My God, the legend has come true! Is this a blessing or a curse?"

"We can't even control the evil spirits, and now a god who controls them has appeared. We can't live like this anymore!"

The authorities are most wary of "uncontrolled power." Evil spirits are already a headache enough, but now there's an even more mysterious deity involved, pushing the risks to the limit.

"Don't be pessimistic, everyone!"

A middle-aged woman wearing glasses slammed her hand on the table, her eyes shining. "We're about to be devoured by evil spirits! The underworld is in charge of this! Isn't this a savior descending to earth?"

These words struck a chord with many people. When humanity is driven to the brink, it inevitably places its hopes on the stronger, especially since the underworld is supposed to be in charge of demons and monsters.

"I hope we don't gamble on someone else, even if that person is a god."

Zhang Yunxiao finally spoke, his voice not loud but carrying an imposing aura.

The argument stopped instantly, and everyone sat up straight, waiting for his orders. The old leader's words were the direction for the Special Operations Department.

"But we must not offend the gods."

Zhang Yunxiao walked to the table and tapped his finger heavily on Guiling City on the map. "Notify the Guiling City Special Operations Team to suspend all missions and focus all their efforts on finding the Underworld! We must see that person at all costs!"

He held up three fingers, his tone resolute: "First, find out if this 'underworld' is real, or if it's just evil spirits playing tricks on us; second, figure out their purpose, why they suddenly reappeared after disappearing for so many years; third, find a way to use their power to wipe out the evil spirits!"

After saying that, he walked to the window with his hands behind his back.

Outside the window, dark clouds billowed into the sky around the provincial capital, like a giant net slowly tightening. The city of millions, seemingly peaceful, was actually already surrounded by evil spirits.

Who can save this world?

Is it really that mysterious underworld or the netherworld?

……

Zhong Jiu had no idea how much trouble he had stirred up; all he could think about now was "leveling up."

Thirty Soul Soldier minions are ready-made tools. If he doesn't hurry up and level up, he'll become someone's dinner when that old ghost Yan Xiao comes.

But reality slapped him in the face. He had almost wiped out all the evil spirits in Guiling City. The arrogant ones were all wiped out, and the low-key ones hid deeper than rats. The soul soldiers searched every nook and cranny, but couldn't even find a ghost.

"Zhou Sheng, take your men out of the city!"

Chung Kau made the decision: "There are countless evil spirits outside the city. Be careful and don't mess with any tough guys above level four."

Zhou Sheng accepted the order and left, but Zhong Jiu was not idle. The wisdom of the living is boundless. Since he could not find the soul weapon, he changed his approach to the search.

He believed he could cross the boundary between the living and the dead, so he returned home, turned on his computer, and clicked on the "paranormal section" of the local forum in Guiling City.

This place is practically an "intelligence station" for evil spirits. Citizens post complaints about strange things they encounter. The original owner of this body even posted a plea for help here.

Sure enough, the posts were spot on as soon as they were posted: "There's a crying sound coming from my closet at night," "I always see a shadow wearing white clothes under the streetlights in my neighborhood," and so on.

The Soul Soldiers followed the clues to the addresses at night and, sure enough, they caught them all.

The only downside is that there are always some "drama queens" mixed in. Some people have nightmares in the middle of the night and post that they are haunted by evil spirits; others make up stories to attract attention, saying that they have become sworn brothers with a female ghost.

Every time Chung Kau sees a post like this, he gets so angry he wants to crawl through the internet cable and smash the poster's head in.

He spent every day browsing forums, and unexpectedly bumped into an "old acquaintance"!

A private message popped up, instantly catching everyone's attention: "Holy crap! You're still alive?"

Zhong Jiu looked at the IP address and saw that it was labeled "Master Qingxu".

He suddenly remembered that when the original owner posted for help, it was this Taoist priest who replied. At that time, the two opened a video chat. The Taoist priest looked at the original owner with a serious expression for a long time, and finally said that the original owner's forehead was dark and that he would be haunted by evil spirits within three days.

As a result, the original owner was so frightened that he committed suicide before the evil spirit even arrived, which benefited the parallel universe version of himself who had traveled through time and space and got a new body for free.

"You haven't been online for days. I thought you'd become a snack for the devil long ago."

Master Qingxu's messages came one after another, faster than a machine gun: "I just saw your IP was lit up, and I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was seeing things. How did you survive? I clearly calculated it to be a dead end!"

Zhong Jiu raised an eyebrow. This Taoist priest was quite something; he could tell that the original owner was being targeted by an evil spirit. He was definitely a cultivator with real skills.

He wants to strengthen the underworld, and getting to know more people like that won't hurt.

His fingers flew as he fabricated a flawless excuse: "I thought I was going to die too, but when the evil spirit came, my family's heirloom jade pendant suddenly glowed and killed it."

The reply came instantly, filled with exclamation marks: "Holy crap! Your luck is incredible, like your ancestors' graves are emitting auspicious smoke!"

"Your ancestors must have been extraordinary to leave behind such a magical artifact; this is a great opportunity for you."

Master Qingxu's tone was full of envy, "With this jade pendant, you at least have the ability to protect yourself, which is much better than many rogue cultivators."

The Taoist priest had no doubt that this kind of "ancestral artifact saving the master" scenario was very common in the cultivation circle.