"Dark Law King, you said the Ghost King will end his retreat next month, so you will—"

"Shush!" The Dark Law King quickly interrupted King Shuanglin, giving a sidelong glance and conveying through his eyes that walls have ears. Then, he nodded slightly, hinting that he was about to enter the Demon-Sealing Scroll to find the Ghost King.

King Shuanglin sighed helplessly, his head dipping slightly as he shook it repeatedly, "Now that King Wanfa has ventured into the Polar Ice Land, and his life or death is uncertain, and you have to—"

King Shuanglin stopped himself, stifled with worry, and let out another sigh.

The Dark Law King also heaved a sigh of helplessness. Originally, with the emergence of omens for the new Nether King, he planned to create the illusion that the Ghost King was cultivating in the Polar Ice Land while King Wanfa was there, and also take this opportunity to eliminate a Clan Leader from the Eight Great Clans, to deter them.

Unexpectedly, a prisoner under the Nether King's gate thwarted his plan. Although the Sun Clan Leader had been dealt with, the seven other clans seized this opportunity to bite back due to the escape of the prisoner, and in haste, he made a wrong move that put him in a passive position.

In addition to that, King Wanfa had already gone into the Polar Ice Land, and it was unknown whether he could return.

Now, when he calculated the losses, it was such a futile effort.

However, the Dark Law King could not think of a better solution; the prisoner under the Nether King's gate was a complete surprise! The most ironic part was, even now, he still didn't know the real identity of the escaped prisoner. Given the current state of affairs, capturing that prisoner again was an impossibility.

The present situation was beyond the Dark Law King's control.

Even though the Ghost King had entrusted him with the management of the Netherworld, aside from the two main legions outside the protective army and Netherworld City, he did not possess the Spirit Talismans of the other legions that truly had powerful combat capabilities.

Now, with the seven great clans mustering troops and eying him aggressively, he had no choice but to go into the Demon-Sealing Scroll and ask the Ghost King to end his seclusion.

..

Night fell.

In the eastern woods of Netherworld City, within the Zhao Residence.

Zhao Chong sat on the windowsill of the room, examining a painting closely.

The woman in the painting wore red garments and a crown; she was Ye Yuqiao.

Being on his home turf, the Qian Family's top expert did not dare to come any closer, but Zhao Chong could feel that this expert was nearby.

"Quite engrossed, aren't you!" Suddenly, a woman's low voice reached Zhao Chong's ears.

Zhao Chong was startled, came back to his senses, then quickly covered the painting in front of him.

Standing in front of the window was the woman from the Purgatory Fire Pool. Although she wore a white mask, revealing only a pair of bright eyes, Zhao Chong recognized her instantly.

It was the uniqueness of her gaze; in Zhao Chong's eyes, there was always a beauty that was second to none.

"You should forget her," the woman said, looking at the painting in Zhao Chong's hands.

"I wish I could," Zhao Chong gazed longingly into the woman's eyes, "but I can't forget her."

The woman did not respond.

After a silence, Zhao Chong furrowed his brow in concern and abruptly changed the subject, "Why have you come? Isn't this a bit rash of you?"

"A lot has happened these past few days, and you're not in a position to come and find me, so I had to come to you," the woman explained, with a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

The words Zhao Chong had just spoken were indeed awkward for her.

"Let's cut to the chase," Zhao Chong said with furrowed brows, his voice low, fearing that some people hiding nearby might overhear.

"First, it's true that King Nanlin Yao has escaped; second, in front of all the clan leaders today, the Dark Law King announced that the Ghost King will end his retreat in a month; lastly, someone has come!"

"Brother Zhao Chong!" At that moment, a voice as clear as a bell drifted in, accompanied by light footsteps.

And the woman who had been standing in front of the window was gone.

Zhao Chong's brows smoothed as he looked toward the end of the path in the courtyard outside the window, where Lin Huashan was seen carrying a cup of tea, walking toward him.

Ever since Chen Hao brought her out of the Demon-Sealing Scroll, Lin Huashan had been serving as a maid in the Zhao Residence.

Of course, the Zhao Residence was not short of maids. Zhao Chong did this solely because nobody would take an interest in a new maid.

Within the residence, no one besides Lin Huashan treated her as a maid, nor did anyone dare to have her serve them, aside from Zhao Chong. Consequently, she gradually became Zhao Chong's personal maid.

Unlike the other servants, Lin Huashan never called him "Master Zhao" but always "Brother Zhao Chong."

Although Zhao Chong felt it somewhat improper, he did not object, after all, Lin Huashan was entrusted to him by Ye Yuqiao for care.

After entering the room, Lin Huashan presented the cup of tea, smiling, "Brother Zhao Chong, it's hot lately; this is refreshing green tea to quench your thirst. Take a few sips."

Zhao Chong nodded and emotionlessly took the teacup, drinking a few sips.

"Hehe!" Lin Huashan smiled proudly, then left, leaving behind only the words, "Brother Zhao Chong, I'll be going then, not to disturb your thoughts."

Watching Lin Huashan's light and lively departing figure, Zhao Chong smiled slightly.

"It seems you treat this maid quite well," the woman from the Purgatory Fire Pool appeared at the window without notice.

Zhao Chong startled, explained, "She's the person entrusted to my care!"

"I've told you, you should forget about her."

Zhao Chong said no more.

After a brief silence, Zhao Chong asked, "What should we do next?"

"The time has not come yet!" the woman replied, "Chen Hao has not yet cultivated the Nether King's Power; moreover, we should be more concerned about King Nanlin Yao, he might seek out Chen Hao to snatch the Nether King's Heart. I need to stop him."

"You don't necessarily have to do this!" Zhao Chong seized the moment to say, "You could take the Nether King's Heart from Chen Hao and place it on someone more capable, like me."

"But she doesn't like you, the Nether King's Heart will reject you!"

Zhao Chong had no answer to that.

"Also, without the Nether King's Heart, Chen Hao can't stay alive, and I can't bear to see him die!"

Zhao Chong was even more at a loss for words.

"Next, I will go look for Yao, and we might lose contact for a while."

Zhao Chong hummed in acknowledgment, although he disagreed with the woman's actions, he knew he couldn't persuade her, especially regarding matters related to Chen Hao.

"Then, take care!"

"I will!" The woman nodded, "I'll come back to find you when it's time to return, don't forget, the Spirit Talisman in bird form that she left for you."

Zhao Chong nodded.

In the blink of an eye, the woman had disappeared. Because of her unique physique, Zhao Chong could not sense the mysterious power within her.

That was why the woman dared to appear in front of him despite countless eyes watching the Zhao Residence.

Not far away, Lin Huashan was hiding behind a wall, her brows slightly furrowed.

She had overheard the conversation between Chen Hao and that woman.

After a long moment, she returned to her room, then pulled a butterfly from her sleeve and whispered to it.

Not long after, the butterfly flew to Qian Mansion, landing in the hands of Qian Feng.

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