Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

Along the way.

Flames shot from the ground from time to time.

Those who couldn't outrun it were immediately charred black, hissing as they burned.

But after a while, these people would recover.

Shen Ye watched in amazement.

"Hell is a place that tortures you over and over again; it won't let you escape that easily," the giant skeleton said.

Shen Ye thought it made sense.

Being burned to death by the fierce flames was an extremely painful and torturous experience.

Then you had to recover.

To burn again.

——After all, there was no way to leave this hell.

They continued forward for a while.

Suddenly, the ground breathed out a violent wind.

Everyone was "whisked" into the sky, losing control over their bodies, and then——

Thump. Thump. Thump.

All fell from thousands of meters high, shattered to pieces, becoming pained masses of flesh.

After a while.

Their shattered bodies recovered once more.

Shen Ye watched with lingering fear and couldn't help but sigh:

"Is this Windfire Hell?"

"No, these are just appetizers——the torments of Windfire Hell are far from just these," the giant skeleton said.

Shen Ye shrugged and continued walking with the undead souls.

But no one knew why they were walking forward.

"Damn vampires, you stepped on my foot!"

A ghoul roared angrily.

"Hm? I don't think so," said Shen Ye.

——He was far away from it.

But it and a few other ghouls around it showed a malicious intent.

"You dare talk back after stepping on me?"

The ghoul pulled out a dagger from its waist and made a couple of vicious gestures.

Shen Ye silently drew out the Night Hidden Sword.

This sword had advanced from "Nightfall" and was no longer a short sword; its size was comparable to a normal Sword Artifact.

As soon as this sword was taken out, the undead souls around him showed greed.

"It's difficult to bring things down from the living world; that Sword Artifact of yours is a treasure," the giant skeleton whispered.

"Ha? Am I a fat sheep now?" Shen Ye joked to himself.

No wonder they were picking a fight with him.

"Go, kill him and take that sword!" the ghoul roared loudly.

Shen Ye simply launched "Flowing Moon," holding the Night Hidden Sword, and created seven or eight watery afterimages, cutting through the ghouls.

He was not afraid of getting hurt at all, moving elegantly among the various attacks, dancing the "Tai Bai" swordsmanship.

In a few moments.

All seven ghouls were annihilated.

Shen Ye sheathed his sword and looked around.

The undead souls lowered their heads and continued walking forward.

No one approached Shen Ye again.

Shen Ye himself was somewhat disinterested.

Fighting these undead souls wasn't really meaningful.

——Any undead soul with real ability wouldn't be fleeing here like a refugee.

Besides, he was here to solve problems.

Now he had two problems——

One, where exactly is the Underworld Lord Miket Tikaxiwa?

Two, why do the Main World and the Nightmare World share the same hell?

As for the tree, or the weird singer chasing after him, these weren't important.

I'm too busy with my own issues.

I don't care about yours!

Shen Ye took out his phone and glanced at it.

Just past three in the morning.

Not bad.

He was still in good spirits.

Back in the day, when he went to the internet cafe for all-nighters with a bunch of brothers, many were loud but would hit the sack by midnight.

Some would inevitably succumb by two or three in the morning.

He, blessed with unique talent, always lasted till breakfast, maintaining a clear state of mind until he went home to shower and hit the bed.

It seemed this talent had carried over.

At this moment, he was full of energy and could continue uncovering the secrets of hell.

As Shen Ye lost himself in various thoughts, he passed through the noisy undead souls, gradually leaving the chaotic area behind.

Sometimes when he saw an unusual corpse on the ground, he would squat down and ask, "Who are you?"

After they answered, he would then ask, "Do you know the Underworld Lord Miket Tikaxiwa?"

——The answer was always no.

Shen Ye did not get discouraged, walking and stopping, continuing to question.

Line by line, repeating his inquiries.

On the way, he did encounter many monsters that took an interest in the long sword at Shen Ye's waist.

They blocked Shen Ye's path, wanting to devour him and seize his sword.

Shen Ye taught them about civility and manners.

But this was not a long-term solution.

After happening numerous times, he became so annoyed that he simply sheathed his sword and continued on his way empty-handed.

——"I should be fine now, right?"

He walked for a while.

"Hey you, the vampire who doesn't look like much, stop right there!"

Someone else yelled.

At this, Shen Ye truly lost his temper and barked, "What now? Being handsome isn't my fault, are you looking for a fight?"

"No, it's not that," said a Night Demon Fishman from the Undead Race, "I'm here to give you directions."

The Fishman pointed towards a thorny path.

"If you go through here, you'll reach Chaotic Bone Land, where our master has built a shelter."

"I'm giving you directions because you look handsome and capable."

"...May I know how to address you, brother, and what position you hold in Chaotic Bone Land?" Shen Ye asked with a bow.

"Slave Transport Envoy of Chaotic Bone Land." The Fishman said with hands on hips and chest puffed out, proudly.

"..." Shen Ye.

Dammit.

So you're sending the slave to join up on his own, right?

You're really clanging the cymbals here!

"Don't get me wrong, I saw your swordsmanship—you'd definitely make a strong right hand for our master—we treat you pretty well, y'know." The Fishman said.

"It dares to look into your eyes, seems quite sincere," the big Skeleton whispered.

"Nonsense, fish eyes can't blink," Shen Ye murmured.

He sized up the Fishman and inquired:

"You say the treatment is good—does that mean your master is generous?"

"Of course, the last time a Ghost Princess had a falling out with our master, before she left, our master gifted her a set of Excellence Level equipment, a mount, and a big bag of Bone Coins," the Fishman said loudly.

"Is there any more of this activity?" Shen Ye asked.

"Cut the chatter, that Ghost Princess had saved our master's life!"

"Seems like you also need to be capable," Shen Ye mused.

"That's a must!"

Fine then.

It's hard enough to find an "organization" in Hell, so it wouldn't hurt to take a look.

He continued in the direction the Fishman had pointed.

About an hour later.

A massive fortress appeared ahead.

The moment the fortress appeared, the walking speed of the surrounding Undead slowed down considerably.

The once fugitive-like procession regained some order.

The Undead, who looked fierce and vicious, were no longer randomly picking fights with others.

"Gate."

Shen Ye found a hidden corner and silently uttered the word in his mind.

The coordinates he had set in the air earlier were immediately overridden by his current location.

——Next time I cross a gate, I'll come directly here.

After taking care of this, he felt relieved and confidently approached the fortress's main gate.

A notice was posted at the gate:

"Enlistment Notice."

"Chaotic Bone Land is recruiting all types of close-combat and ranged soldiers; those interested please gather at the castle square."

Shen Ye thought for a moment and then headed towards the castle square.

Some people were already waiting there.

"Here for the enlistment?"

A werewolf eyed Shen Ye.

"Yes, I need a job," Shen Ye said.

"Name?"

"Baxter—Zhong Baxter."

"Middle?" The werewolf looked at him, puzzled.

"Right, I'm second in my family; my older brother is still alive," Shen Ye explained.

"That should be 'second,'" said the werewolf, holding up two claws to form the number "two."

"We prefer 'middle' where I come from, don't like 'second,' it's an insult," Shen Ye said firmly, waving his hand.

"Middle Ba, what's your profession?" the werewolf asked warmly.

"Please, call me Zhong Baxter, I'm an archer," Shen Ye declared.

"Perfect, we need some long-range fighters—Middle Ba, shoot that bell three hundred meters away."

Shen Ye drew and released an arrow without hesitation.

Dong——

The bell swayed and made a ringing sound.

"Good, I'm satisfied," the werewolf said, "Chaotic Bone Land welcomes you—tell me your salary requirements."

Shen Ye bowed slightly: "I haven't been dead long and still don't quite understand the situation in Hell, so if you could arrange for someone to explain things about Hell to me, I would be very grateful."

The werewolf looked around and, seeing no one else coming to enlist, started chatting:

"Hell, well, used to have many levels, but now only the first level is functional, that's why you see so many souls of the Undead battling for territory on the surface."

"But you're lucky."

"Me?"

"Yes, you arrived unscathed—this place is a big shot's property, and he's very lenient and generous with his subjects. You'll find out soon enough."

"Thank you for the information. Have you heard of the Underworld Lord Miket Tikaxiwa?" Shen Ye inquired.

"Divine Spirit? No, they've all gone into hiding for safety—no one knows where they are. Don't waste your time searching in the future," said the werewolf. Discover more stories at mvl

In a sympathetic tone, the werewolf continued:

"You might have had faith before, but now you must understand that in Hell, you need to look out for yourself more."

Just then, another person came to report.

The werewolf patted Shen Ye on the shoulder and went to receive the newcomer.

"At this rate, we're probably going to have a hard time finding my mother," said the big Skeleton, looking somewhat disheartened.