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

"System, give me the rewards for the Swiftwind Hall!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhong Jiu directly spent two million incense points to acquire the complete Jifeng Hall.

This wave of spending hurts, but it's worth it!

Once he acquired the Gale Hall, his City God's Mansion finally had "eyes and ears".

The configuration of the Gale Hall is quite impressive. In addition to the official head, assistant officials, and fifty soul messengers, it also comes with two special Yin gods - the Day Wanderer and the Night Wanderer!

These two are leaders of the same caliber as the Shackled General of the Inspectorate, except that the Shackled General is a fierce general who speaks with his fists, while the Day and Night Wanderers are top-notch "intelligence agents" in the underworld, whose ability to gather information is unparalleled.

The leader of the Gale Hall is also an impatient person; he went all out as soon as he took office.

The first step was to send a Soul Envoy with a token to the Supervisory Council to issue an order for immediate expansion, as the existing thirty Soul Soldiers were not even enough to guard the outer perimeter of the Gale Hall.

Immediately afterwards, the Night Wanderer transformed into a black shadow and plunged into the night outside the city.

Although evil spirits roam outside the city, for someone like him who lives in the shadows, it's no different than strolling through his own backyard.

Just as dawn was breaking, the Night Wanderer returned with a bellyful of intelligence to report, and the Day Wanderer immediately took over, transforming into a streak of light and disappearing into the horizon.

Their goal was clear: to thoroughly investigate the "Soul General Army" mentioned by Monk Naran, including the number of ghost soldiers, who the commander was, and when they would attack, leaving no information out.

Zhong Jiu took a few extra glances at these two famous folk deities.

In terms of appearance, they were much more pleasing to the eye than the fierce-looking General in Shackles. They even had a friendly feel, like the uncles next door. They were both wearing short, coarse cloth shirts with their collars open and their hair casually draped over their shoulders. The day patrol god held a wooden plaque in his hand with the words "Day Patrol" written on it, while the night patrol god's plaque was engraved with "Night Patrol." It was simple, direct, and easy to understand.

After settling things at the Gale Hall, Zhong Jiu took the newly acquired Yin-Yang Division Boundary Token and made his escape.

He had long been curious about the legendary underworld, and now that he had the pass, how could he possibly hold back?

"Everyone says the underworld is a hellish place of wailing ghosts and howling wolves, but what does it actually look like? I have to see it for myself today!"

……

Just as Zhong Jiu stepped into the underworld with the boundary token in hand, the Chief Clerk of the Gale Hall was riding on a black cloud and landing in the sky above the Supervisory Office outside the city.

Since Chung Kau left last time, the Inspectorate has become like a forgotten corner, growing more deserted day by day.

It wasn't that Inspector Zhou Sheng was being lazy; the situation had simply changed. The Shackled General of the Inspectorate had taken over the ghost-catching work in Guiling City, and the Soul Soldiers of the Inspectorate couldn't even enter the city gates without the order from the Gale Hall. They could only stay outside the city and wage guerrilla warfare.

However, the situation outside the city was ten times more dangerous than inside. Not only were there hordes of evil spirits, but each one was also extremely ferocious.

The inspectors' soul soldiers are few in number and weak in strength. They have to be extremely careful every time they make a move, and their efficiency is pitifully low.

To make matters worse, recently the evil spirits outside the city have suddenly gathered together as if on command.

Zhou Sheng led his men to investigate, but even from twenty miles away they could feel the chilling aura of menace, and could only grit their teeth and retreat.

These hardships are nothing compared to what truly frustrated the Soul Soldiers: they felt abandoned.

Since Chung Kau left, no one has given them any orders, not even a messenger. They're like a bunch of orphans.

A soldier slumped on a rock, asking weakly, "Brother Sheng, are we going out on patrol again today? If we keep patrolling, we'll become a 'fixed sight' outside the city."

"Patrol! Why don't you patrol?"

Zhou Sheng's face darkened, his voice carrying an undeniable seriousness, "We are the soul soldiers personally appointed by the City God. Guarding the city's defenses is our duty. How can we slack off just because no one is watching us?"

Seeing that Zhou Sheng was angry, the soldier immediately jumped up to apologize, scratching his head and saying with a wry smile, "Brother Sheng, don't be angry. I was just venting. I'll do my job without hesitation, it's just... the brothers are all wondering, do you think the City God has forgotten about us?"

These words immediately struck a nerve with everyone.

The soul soldiers chimed in, all talking at once:

"That's right, Brother Sheng! We haven't received any orders from above for almost a month!"

"We used to be able to hope that the City God would come and visit, but now we can't even see a messenger. We're not soul soldiers, we're just wild ghosts that no one cares about."

"Even if someone just came and said, 'Keep guarding,' it would be better than this stalemate!"

As Zhou Sheng listened to his subordinates' complaints, he felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

He was more anxious than anyone else. As an inspector, he had never even met his superior and couldn't find a way to report his work.

But he is the leader, and discouraging words must never come out of his mouth.

Zhou Sheng had just cleared his throat to calm everyone down when he heard a gust of cold wind howl overhead, and a dark cloud crashed onto the open ground with a whooshing sound.

Where is Inspector Zhou Sheng?

The Chief Clerk of the Gale Hall, dressed in a brocade official robe, stepped forward, his voice booming like a bell, sweeping over the assembled soul soldiers from his high vantage point.

"Your subordinate Zhou Sheng greets Your Excellency!"

Zhou Sheng's eyes lit up instantly, and he knelt down on one knee with a thud, his movement so fast he almost tripped himself.

Although he didn't recognize the person, the official robe embroidered with cloud patterns couldn't lie; this was definitely a superior from the City God's Mansion!

Seeing those familiar official robes, Zhou Sheng felt a lump in his throat, and his voice trembled with excitement. They had not been forgotten!

"Inspector Zhou Sheng has been diligent and conscientious since taking office, holding the line even when no one was in charge. The Chief Inspector has witnessed this and is very satisfied. We hope you will continue to do your best and not let him down!"

The clerk's tone softened a bit, and his words were like a reassuring pill, striking the hearts of all the soul soldiers.

"Yes, sir!"

Zhou Sheng practically roared it out, the pent-up frustration in his chest vanishing instantly.

The clerk nodded in satisfaction and loudly proclaimed the order: "By order of the Chief Censor! Effective immediately, the Censorate will be expanded to full capacity. This matter will be jointly overseen by you and me! Once the expansion is complete, you may accompany me to the City God's Mansion to personally report to the Chief Censor!"

"yes!"

Zhou Sheng's voice was so loud it could startle crows flying in the distance. The soul soldiers behind him were so excited they jumped up and down. Not only did they have a new mission, but they would also get to see the City God himself. All the suffering they had endured was worth it!

Just as the Inspectorate was celebrating, Zhong Jiu had already found a deserted mountain valley and gripped the Yin-Yang Division Boundary Token tightly in his hand.

"The underworld, the netherworld, I'm coming!"

He rubbed his hands together, his eyes full of excitement. As a seventh-rank official in the underworld, he had never even been to his own "hometown," which was embarrassing to admit.

While excited, I was also a little puzzled. Logically, once I got the boundary token, I should have unlocked the underworld map. Why didn't the system make any move?

With no time to dwell on it, Zhong Jiu gripped the boundary token and slashed forward, creating a jet-black ripple that resembled a gateway to another world.

He took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The next second, the world spun around!

Endless yin energy seeped into his pores like a tide, chilling him to the bone, yet it also carried a sense of affinity belonging to the yin spirit, making him feel comfortable all over.

If it were an ordinary living person, being hit by this yin energy would cause their soul to be scattered on the spot.

Cold, desolate, and drowsy – this was Zhong Jiu's first impression of the underworld.

He looked up and saw a majestic city gate standing not far away, flanked by statues of evil spirits with blue faces and fangs. Above the city gate, three eerie characters exuded a terrifying majesty—Ghost Gate Pass!

"Goodness, the main event is right at the door."

Zhong Jiu smacked his lips and swaggered over.

The giant ghost guards at the pass, seeing that he was wearing a seventh-rank official robe with cloud patterns, did not dare to question him and simply bowed and let him pass.

Having passed through the gates of hell, what lay before me was an endless dirt road. The grass and trees along the roadside were all withered and black, without a single green leaf in sight, so desolate it was unsettling.

"Is this the Road to the Underworld?"

Zhong Jiu muttered to himself, "Legend has it that once a spirit embarks on this path, it can never return to the mortal realm!"