Silence.

Li Lanzhi looked at the people beside her. They were all Freemasons that had been elected by the people, and there were countless Yin spirits watching this scene from their caves.

Truth be told, everyone had some level of ambition. Hell was making no effort to keep the current state of affairs a secret, and from their words, Li Lanzhi and the others could tell that the Underworld was currently in a state of warring turmoil. This army was proclaiming itself to be the regular army of Hell, but who could verify the authenticity of that claim? The old Hell was already gone; the one who seized the throne in the end would automatically be the one in charge, regardless of whether they had divine artifacts or the Harken on their side.

However, ambition was one thing, but pragmatic considerations also had to be made. In the face of such a formidable army, Deadsend City was completely powerless to resist.

Thus, Li Lianzhi and the others suddenly fell silent, and the Hellguards were becoming more and more displeased by the second. Lü Fang appraised the Yin spirits and asked, "Could it be that you really think you can oppose us?"

His hand was already creeping subtly toward the hilt of the longsword on his waist, and the eerie black light reflecting off his carapace of blight vermin armor struck chilling fear deep into the hearts of the Yin spirits present.

"What are they thinking about?! Hurry up and join them!" Inside one of the caves, a Yin spirit sprang up in an animated manner and yelled, "I don't want to live this kind of life anymore! The mortal realm has already been united, so why are we still fighting? Do we have nothing better to do?"

"Indeed, how are we supposed to resist?" A middle-aged Yin spirit beside him shook his head and sighed, "Our equipment and weapons are on completely different levels. Also, didn't they say that they had a Yama-King and an Abyssal Prefect on their side? Besides..."

He stood up and cast his gaze outside the cave. On the earth far away, he was greeted by the sight of a vast expanse of extremely organized and well-trained black-armored soldiers, as well as those familiar bright red flags.

"We were all from the same nation during our lifetimes. We all stemmed from the roots, so why are we in such a hurry to strike one another down?"

The Yin spirits in this cave weren't the only ones watching the unfolding scene; countless Yin spirits in all of the other caves were also looking on in anxiety and anticipation.

Why aren’t they saying anything? Could it be that they really intend to resist?

"Look at their city; that's a city! What are they thinking about? Don't tell me they actually enjoy living like this!"

"How could anyone enjoy this lifestyle? We're constantly living in fear of our lives. It's either a monster attack today or a beast tide tomorrow; I've had enough of living like this!"

Countless pairs of eyes were glued to the screens, and Li Lanzhi seemed to have sensed the collective wishes of the people as she took a deep breath, then asked, "A.. After we surrender, what will become of us?"

"You won't have to do anything aside from remain in your respective provinces. All types of resources will be delivered to you very soon, and there will be designated construction teams and Hellguards arriving to take over the management of the city."

The netherworldly citizens could be left untouched, but the leaders surely had to be taken back to Hell.

After a brief silence, one of the leaders of Deadsend City asked, "What will happen to us?"

Lü Fang replied in an unhurried manner, "You'll travel to Ashmound to be educated. You're not the only ones; all leaders of any settlements that we encounter along our crusade will be sent to Ashmound for further studies. Once you graduate, you'll be sent to other places and continue to undertake leadership roles. Rest assured, Hell definitely won't mistreat you."

Of course, there was no way they would be sent back to Deadsend City. After all, Qin Ye wasn't an idiot.

Li Lanzhi hesitated momentarily, then licked her lips nervously before asking in a low voice, "So... what happens to the settlements that refuse to surrender? What will be the consequences of resistance?"

She was extremely anxious as she asked this question. Even though she was asking in a very careful and subdued manner, such a question could easily lead to her execution.

"There's no need for you to ask these probing questions," one of the Hellguards chuckled, "To be frank, the power of your Deadsend City is nothing more than a joke to our West Vanquishing Army, but I can tell you the intentions of the leaders of Hell."

He looked deep into the eyes of the Yin spirits, and continued, "Anyone who dares to resist will be killed with no exceptions. All those who participate in rebellions will be executed without mercy, and their souls will be subjected to a century of sky lantern punishment. Once the six paths of reincarnation are complete, they'll be relegated to the path of the beast for 10 lifetimes, and if their descendants were to enter Hell, they would be deprived of the possibility of pursuing a career in politics and business for three lifetimes."

Essentially, there was only one option!

All of the leaders present drew a sharp breath upon hearing this, and they fell silent again as they exchanged a few hesitant glances.

The Hellguards appraised the leaders of Deadsend City with an intense gaze, while the netherworldly citizens of Deadsend City were watching anxiously with bated breath.

Only after a full five minutes had passed did Li Lanzhi grit her teeth before making her decision. "I accept. From this day forth, Deadsend City will become a subsidiary to Hell! I'll issue an order for our citizens to lay down their arms right away!"

Lü Fang heaved an inaudible sigh of relief upon hearing this. "You've made a wise choice."

Third Era of Hell, Year 4, Deadsend City of the West Shan Province submitted to the authority of Hell. The former Grand Master of the Freemasonry, Li Lanzhi, as well as the Freemasons, Zhao Songlan, Ming Tao, Gao Xiangqian, and Liu Fan were immediately sent to Ashmound City for further study. A total of 2.45 million netherworldly citizens of Deadsend City also submitted to the authority of Hell in a peaceful surrender.

After leaving a protective formation in Deadsend City, the army continued to march, and not long thereafter, war resources began to arrive from all directions like a flurry of snow.

2nd October. Arthis eradicated Shadowend City of the Mongolia Province.

16th October. Arthis subjugated Gulong Village.

28th December. Oda Nobunaga conquered Yellow Crane Tower, slaying 3,000 rebellious Yin spirits.

In March of the next year, Su Daji fulfilled her orders, officially eradicating the nest of 10,000 captive ghosts located in the three eastern provinces, following which she continued to lead her Hungry Ghost Legion on a march toward the Yuzhou Province and the Ganzhou Province.

In April of that year, the provinces of Jingzhou, Mongolia, and West Shan were declared to have been completely liberated. All monarch beasts had been wiped out, and all areas where monarch beasts could be bred and nurtured had been completely sealed away, while all of the main roads in the provinces had also been opened up.

The army of Hell only traveled along the main roads of those two provinces, eradicating monarch beasts and opening up all main roads, leaving the rest for the Hungry Ghost Legion to mop up.

In June of that year, the Hungry Ghost Legion subjugated Fleetglance City of the Yuzhou Province.

In July of that year, Arthis officially entered the Longxi Province, where she encountered fierce resistance posed by over 700,000 Yin spirits led by four Infernal Judges. The two sides faced off at Dunhuang City. In the same month, the army led by Qin Ye and Zhao Yun also entered the Longxi County, where they joined up with Arthis and commenced the final showdown at the location corresponding to that of the Longxi County's Faquan Temple in the mortal realm. This showdown lasted a full four months and was recorded in history books as the Battle of Faquan Temple.

In August of that year, General Jin Rui of the Hungry Ghost Legion conquered White Deer Dam of the Ganzhou Province. During that battle, 15,000 rebellious Yin spirits were slain, forming a sky lantern that stretched to over 100 meters in size in which their souls burned day and night. A month after the conclusion of that battle, all of the remaining Yin spirits of the Longxi Province gathered and surrendered to the army of Hell.

During the fifth month of the second year since the commencement of the war of unification, Qin Ye and Zhao Yun's army arrived and set up camp in the northeastern region of the Westriver Province. In December of that year, Arthis's army also arrived in the northwestern region of the Westriver Province. During the first month of the third year, Oda Nobunaga's army arrived in the southeastern region of the Westriver Province, and thus the three armies had the Westriver Province surrounded from three different directions.

The Underworld had already been ravaged by the flames of war for just over three years, and progress was a little slower than Qin Ye had anticipated. After all, the roads of each province had to be opened up, while the monarch beasts also had to be eradicated, and unfortunately, not everyone could fly like him.

However, he wasn't in a rush. As the war progressed, he continued to train his army. His troops had been whittled down from 80,000 to around 58,000, but those that remained were all elite soldiers!

At this point, only the Westriver Province, the Cloudriver Province, and the Rich Province were left to be conquered. As for everywhere else, including even the cities that had surrendered the earliest such as Deadsend City, the first round of major development had already concluded, and preparations to expand the cities were underway. The entirety of Hell was becoming connected at a slow and steady rate.

………………………………………………

Westriver Province, northwestern region.

At some point, an encampment had been set up here. The entire surrounding area was littered with tents, and at the center stood an extremely ostentatious palace that was over 20 meters tall. Order was enforced very strictly in the entire encampment, and countless black-armored soldiers were patrolling the area in an organized and methodical manner. Meanwhile, one red flag after another flapped in the wind.

"Your Excellency, I bring a message from the mortal realm." On the top level of the central palace, Qin Ye was reclining on his bed, carefully reading through the huge pile of letters on the table.

He slowly opened the envelope, revealing a hexagonal crystal inside. This crystal had been created by Zhao Yun, and it allowed for communication between the two realms, but only Yama-Kings were able to see the enclosed message.

Countless runes lit up on the surface of the hexagonal crystal following an injection of Yin energy, and it quietly exploded to form a Yin energy screen that appeared in mid-air, depicting the image of General Lei Jun.

"We meet again, Prefect Qin. During these past three years, we've met on many occasions. Even though we've been unable to communicate in real-time, I still must express my gratitude to you."

Lei Jun was wearing a Mao suit, and even though he knew this wasn't real-time communication, he was still presenting himself in a very official fashion. He cupped his fist as he extended a deep bow and said, "Thank you for everything you've done for Hell."

After standing straight again, his gaze pierced directly through the screen, as if he could see the person on the other side. "It's been three years. Add the year of preparation to that, and it's already been over four years. Currently, over half of Cathay has already awakened, and only the final few provinces are left. Thanks to the City God you've created and the land policies you've implemented, the supernatural events occurring in all of the provinces and cities have almost been entirely wiped out. Over 95% of the cities have returned to normal."

He smiled, then continued, "During these past few years, we've laid off many members of the Special Investigations Department, and most of the department's members have now entered grass-roots establishments. Once you unify Hell, it'll be time for the Special Investigations Department to fall into obscurity again. This world belongs to normal people; we shouldn't interrupt their lives. The resources that are to be sent to all of the provinces have already been prepared. I look forward to the day that you succeed in your crusade of unification. When that day comes, we'll be able to officially declare in the mortal realm that the supernatural disasters are over. Everyone, including myself, is very much looking forward to this day."

Qin Ye snuffed out the message there.

During the past three years, Hell had been developing rapidly. A large number of scholars and academicians had already gathered in Ashmound and Everburn, and they had all undertaken different duties and occupations. Unfortunately, Qin Ye still hadn't gotten the chance to see these cities in their current form.

Hell must've undergone a lot of changes... He rose to his feet. The black silk robe that he was wearing was embroidered with golden dragon designs. This wasn't from the treasure trove of the Zhu Clan. Instead, it had been sent to him a month ago from Everburn.

Has the textile industry already taken off? That makes sense. They have enough experience; all they were lacking was machinery and materials, so it's only to be expected that they would've made some progress in the span of three years...

He sat down beside his mirror, the reflection in it was still that of a young man. Having consumed the Taisui Fungus, he would never age or die, but his disposition had become a lot more mature and condensed. He had seen too much war and the eradication of too many Yin spirits. In the past, he had only harbored the mentality of a superior, but right now, both his mentality and disposition matched his status, and just a single glance from him was enough to strike fear and veneration into the hearts of others.

The process of maturing was inevitable, especially in such a monumental era.

His hair was already long enough to drape down onto his shoulders, and it was arranged into an antiquated bun. He wore an ornate tuinga in the design of a dragon extending its claws, and his hair was bound by what appeared to be a jade hairpin. This was also something that had been produced by Everburn. Two years ago, a precious Blood Spirit Jade mine had been discovered in Everburn, and the first hairpin crafted from jade from the mine had been sent to him.

The golden tuinga also had a similar story.

To his surprise, he preferred a more antiquated style for Hell's architecture. The architecture had been designed by Lu Ban and the other scholars, and not only was Qin Ye not averse to this style, he found it to be extremely fitting and harmonious.

He had only just taken a seat when a Yin spirit made his way over to him silently to help him adjust his clothes. Qin Ye waved him off and said, "Inform General Zhao, Arakshasa, Oda Nobunaga, Oda Nobutada, Su Daji, and Qin Hui to begin preparations for a pep rally. It's been three years; it's about time we unified this land again."