Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

Three days later, news of the destruction of the Sea Sand Gang spread throughout the East China Sea.

Sha Tongtian's head was hung on the highest wooden stake at the Bibo Island pier, next to the heads of Han Tao and several grandmaster-level elders.

The Sea Sand Gang's twenty-year-old foundation was completely destroyed in this battle. The Underworld then occupied the Sea Sand Gang's headquarters on Iron Shark Island and its seven branch headquarters. The salt transport routes, smuggled salt ledgers, dock berths, and shipyard craftsmen all fell completely into the Underworld's hands.

A huge rock stands at the Bibo Island pier. The rock is eight feet high and five feet wide, and its entire surface is dark blue-black. It was specially quarried from the island's quarry. Two large characters are carved on the rock: Underworld.

Ouyang Feiying took up his post on Iron Shark Island, officially assuming the position of Prince Qin Guang. Yang Dingtian remained on Bibo Island, overseeing daily affairs. The four Underworld Marshals each commanded a department: Dai Qisi in charge of criminal law, Yin Tianzheng in charge of warfare, Xie Xun in charge of intelligence, and Wei Yixiao in charge of inspection. The Underworld's structure began to operate; although only a rough outline had been built, it was already taking shape.

The East China Sea was shaken.

Although the Hai Sha Gang is not the strongest force in the East China Sea, it is the most deeply rooted and extensive. Sha Tongtian has been operating for more than 20 years, with salt routes spanning seven prefectures and thirty-six counties, and intricate connections with various powerful figures—officially, in the martial arts world, and in the commercial world—so that a single move can have far-reaching consequences.

Such a behemoth was uprooted overnight, with even the gang leader's head hung on a stake—the ruthlessness and efficiency of the operation drew the attention of the entire East China Sea. Merchants large and small along the salt route changed their flags overnight, and the powerful figures who used to fawn over the Hai Sha Gang's fleet all sent invitations and gifts to Bibo Island, afraid of being left behind.

After the news spread, various forces in the East China Sea received secret reports in their own territories, and their reactions were completely different.

Giant Whale Island, the Island Lord's Residence.

Master Whale Roar put down the jade slip in his hand and remained silent for a long time.

Behind him, the Grand Steward of Whale Island stood bowing, waiting for a long time before finally unable to resist asking in a low voice, "Master, should we send someone to Azure Wave Island? Send a congratulatory gift and find out their situation."

Master Whale Roar shook his head and stood up. He walked to the window with his hands behind his back. Outside the window were the masts of giant whale harbor, with more than a hundred ships of all sizes neatly moored in the harbor, and the giant whale flags hanging on the masts fluttering in the sea breeze.

His gaze passed over the masts and looked toward Bibo Island.

Although the Sea Sand Gang was not as powerful as the Giant Whale Island Gang, Sha Tongtian himself was a Grandmaster Level 2, with five Grandmasters under his command and eighty warships—a force that would be considered a behemoth anywhere in the East China Sea. Yet, they were completely wiped out overnight, and Sha Tongtian couldn't even escape.

"What did the man who killed Sha Tongtian call himself?"

"King Qin Guang, Ouyang Feiying. He is said to be one of the Ten Kings of Hell in the underworld," the chief steward answered cautiously.

Master Whale Roar tapped lightly twice on the window frame. The tapping was slow and rhythmic, one after another.

The Ten Kings of Hell. That's at least ten Grandmasters. The depths of this underworld are unfathomable.

He remained silent for a long time before finally stopping his fingers.

"Let's wait and see," he said calmly, only uttering four words.

The chief steward bowed deeply, answered "Yes," and silently withdrew.

Penglai Island.

When the message arrived, the elders on the island were playing chess.

It was an ancient banyan tree that had lived for countless years. Its canopy blocked out the sun, and under its shade was a stone chessboard, on which black and white pieces were laid out, and a fierce battle was taking place.

The white-faced, beardless old man picked up the secret letter, glanced at it, and casually placed it on the edge of the chessboard, as if it were an unimportant book. He picked up a white piece and slowly placed it on the chessboard with a crisp "snap".

"The underworld? Never heard of it."

"It's not unusual for a Grandmaster Level 2 to kill another Grandmaster Level 2."

The old man placed another piece, saying, "That idea of ​​'Ten Kings of Hell' is quite interesting."

He paused, picked up a white chess piece, and twirled it between his fingers twice. "But it's none of our business. Penglai Island has a thousand-year history; what storms haven't we weathered? Let them make a scene."

The woman laughed, a very soft laugh, as if she were laughing at an ant trying to shake a tree: "Indeed. If they really dare to foolishly barge in, the island's protective formation will give them a run for their money. The restrictions that person set up have yet to be broken."

The old man didn't reply, he just nodded.

Ten Thousand Snake Island, the headquarters of the Five Poisons Sect.

When the Five Poisons Immortal received the secret report, he was feeding the snakes in the snake cave.

The snake den was over ten zhang deep, its walls densely covered with all sorts of venomous snakes—bamboo vipers, five-step snakes, golden-ringed snakes, silver-ringed snakes, and several other exotic species whose names were unknown, their colors so vibrant it was chilling. The bottom of the den was covered with a thick layer of dead leaves and snake molts, and the air was filled with a strong, fishy stench.

After reading the secret report, a sinister smile slowly spread across his face. His teeth were yellow and uneven, making his smile resemble that of a dried-up corpse.

"Sha Tongtian is dead? Good riddance."

He crumpled the secret report into a ball and casually tossed it into the snake pit. The paper was still in mid-air when the small red snake sprang up, bit the paper ball, and swallowed it whole, paper and venom, before falling back into the snake pile, creating a hissing sound.

Beside the Five Poisons Master, his eldest disciple cautiously asked, "Master, the Underworld has seized Iron Shark Island, and the Salt Road has also fallen into their hands. Should we—"

"Of course." The voice of the Five Poisons Master suddenly became sharp, like a snake flicking its tongue.

"But there's no rush."

He licked his lips, "The fact that the Underworld could kill Sha Tongtian shows they have some skill. Let them keep an eye on the salt route for us first, and once we've figured out their capabilities..."

His smile deepened, a greedy glint in his eyes: "The Five Poisons Sect wouldn't mind having a few more islands and a few more ships."

The eldest disciple shuddered, lowered his head, and dared not look his master in the eye again.

Black Wind Island.

The leader of the Thirteen Great Thieves of the East Sea, the Sea Demon King, was sitting shirtless on a tiger-skin chair.

His body was like an iron tower, broad-shouldered and thick-backed, with arms as thick as an average person's thighs. His body was crisscrossed with scars—knife scars, sword marks, gunshot wounds, claw marks—each one a story, each story a life lost. His hair was loose, thick and black, making his dark red, menacing eyes appear even more terrifying.

Grandmaster Level 4. One of the highest known cultivation levels in the entire East China Sea.

The scout knelt below the hall, his forehead pressed to the ground, his voice trembling: "...The underworld has ten Kings of Hell. So far, King Qin Guang, Ouyang Feiying, and King Biancheng, Yang Dingtian, have appeared, both Grandmasters. Rumor has it that the other eight Kings of Hell have yet to appear..."

"Has not shown up yet?"

The Sea Demon King grabbed a wine jar from the table and took a large gulp. The wine dripped from his lips, down the scar on his chest, and onto his abdominal muscles. He wiped his mouth, his voice booming like thunder: "That means it hasn't appeared yet. Just rumors. I've roamed the East Sea for thirty years; haven't I heard enough of those intimidating names like 'Ten Kings of Hell' and 'Eighteen Hells'?"

He said that, but his fingers unconsciously rubbed against the armrest. His rough fingertips repeatedly brushed against the tiger stripe pattern, making a soft rustling sound.

A Grandmaster at level four can kill a Grandmaster at level two as easily as killing a chicken.

But the secret report clearly stated that Ouyang Feiying caught the Sea-Splitting Blade's energy with his bare hands, handling it with complete ease, without even using his full strength. What did this mean? It meant that Ouyang Feiying's true combat power was far beyond the second level. And there were at least eight more people like him in the Underworld—if the rumors were true.

"Boss, should we gather the brothers and take advantage of the fact that we're not yet firmly established in the Underworld?" The second-in-command, Seal King, stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.

Sea Demon King raised his hand to interrupt him.

There was a moment of silence. The torches below crackled, casting alternating shadows on his sharply defined face.

"No rush." ​​His voice suddenly lowered, no longer the rough one from before, but carrying a rare caution. "Let's take a look first."

The thirteen notorious bandits roamed the East Sea not because of brute force, but because of their pragmatism. They knew when to rob and when to back down. The Sea Demon King's survival to this day, and his cultivation reaching the fourth level of the Grandmaster realm, was precisely due to this caution.

The underworld is too deep; he doesn't want to become another Sha Tongtian.

"Send a few clever spies to keep an eye on Iron Shark Island and Azure Wave Island. Also, find out for me—how many Yama Kings are there in the Underworld, and what their cultivation levels are."

He raised his head, his dark red eyes sweeping over the crowd below. Wherever his gaze fell, everyone lowered their heads.

"No one is allowed to provoke the underworld before the matter is thoroughly investigated."

"Yes!" the crowd below responded in unison.

Haizhou Prefecture, Donghai Prince's Mansion.

Qin Zhao stood with his hands behind his back on the top floor of the Guanhai Pavilion, in front of him was a huge map of the East China Sea.

The sea breeze blew in through the window, making the map flutter, but Qin Zhao remained motionless, his robes clinging to his body like a sculpture.

Behind him, a dark figure knelt silently on the ground. The figure's breathing was almost inaudible, and its heartbeat was at its lowest. Unless one was consciously aware of its presence, it would be impossible to detect its existence.

"Your Highness, the Underworld has occupied Iron Shark Island. Ouyang Feiying is a Grandmaster Level 2, with combat strength around Level 3. Yang Dingtian is at the threshold of Grandmaster, and it is suspected that he has already broken through. The other four so-called 'Yin Marshals' are all at the Grandmaster level. Furthermore, according to rumors, the Underworld has a total of ten Yama Kings, and the identities, cultivation levels, and whereabouts of the other eight are unknown."

The shadowy figure's voice was soft, but every word was clear.

Qin Zhao did not turn around. His gaze remained fixed on the location of Bibo Island on the map for a long time, so long that the shadowy figure thought he had fallen asleep.

"The Ten Kings of Hell..."

"That's interesting."

The shadowy figure dared not reply, but simply lowered its head even further.

Qin Zhao turned around.

His face was remarkably young, appearing to be no more than thirty, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a face as handsome as jade. But his eyes were as deep as an abyss, as if they had witnessed centuries of time and weathered countless storms. Within the East Sea, no one knew his true cultivation level—for no one had ever seen him at his full strength. Those who had were all gone.

"Continue the investigation," Qin Zhao said calmly. "It's not just the Underworld. The Thirteen Great Thieves of the East Sea, the Five Poisons Sect, Whale Island, Penglai Island... we've been keeping a close eye on the movements of all these forces."

"Yes, sir." The dark figure responded, its form gradually fading away, like a drop of ink dissolving into water, disappearing in an instant.

"A golden age is coming."

He spoke in a low voice, as if talking to himself, yet also as if addressing the heavens, "All sorts of demons and monsters have appeared. The underworld, the Ten Kings of Hell..."

The news spread throughout the East China Sea, causing undercurrents to surge among various parties.

But on Iron Shark Island, Ouyang Feiying didn't care about any of that.

His gaze, sharp as an eagle's, pierced through the twilight and landed on the faint silhouette of a ship on the eastern sea—the reconnaissance speedboat of the Thirteen Great Thieves. It circled once in the distance before turning away, leaving a white trail of waves in its wake.

Yang Dingtian stood behind him, followed his gaze, and whispered, "The Sea Demon King didn't come."

Ouyang Feiying didn't turn around, but his lips twitched slightly: "A Grandmaster at the fourth level, still able to hold back, this person is much more difficult to deal with than Sha Tongtian."

"Then next—" Yang Dingtian stepped forward.

Ouyang Feiying turned around:

"Train the troops, expand the army, and secure the salt route. Let everyone in the East Sea know—the Underworld is not a dragon crossing the river, but one that intends to take root here."

He paused, but didn't stop, his gaze fixed on the distant north, towards Haizhou Prefecture. The last rays of twilight reflected in his pupils, like two dim flames.

"If someone wants to see our cards, let him see them. Wait until he's seen all of them..."

Ouyang Feiying's lips curled into a cold, sharp arc, devoid of any smile, only razor-sharp.

"He should regret it."

On Iron Shark Island, the black flag of the underworld slowly rises in the sunset.

The flag bears a large white "府" (fu, meaning government office) embroidered on it, which, illuminated by the last rays of the sunset, casts a long, heavy shadow, like a sharp sword stuck in the rocks.

The sky over the East China Sea is about to change.