Shameless

Before the grand palace gates, two rows of guarding soldiers stood splayed out in a figure-eight formation, every one of them clad in jet-black iron armor. Most bizarre of all, every face was covered by a black iron mask. The masks were savage and terrifying, like evil ghosts, and the indifferent gazes fixed upon them from the two eyeholes sent chills down one's spine.

It was Liu Pao's first time here, but he knew that these black-armored soldiers were officers drawn from the Black Nether Army. The Black Nether Army was a formidable force that made the masses of the Netherworld tremble at the mere mention of its name—Madam Black Pool's personal guard.

Many enormous fireflies crawled over the palace gates, illuminating the scene before them with perfect clarity while laying bare the oppressive atmosphere outside the gates. A general clad in heavy armor stood at the center of the gates, his gaze behind the mask examining the two of them as tangibly as substance.

Liu Ben, the elder of the twin brothers, had clearly been here before. He gave his younger brother Liu Pao a slight nod, and Liu Pao took out a green token and handed it to him. Holding the two tokens in both hands, Liu Ben respectfully said, "Liu Ben and Liu Pao have come to report back to Madam."

"You may enter. You stay behind and wait." The general at the center of the gates pointed at the two of them, then shifted aside to make way. Liu Ben signaled his brother to wait patiently, then strode inside...

Beyond the palace walls lay a vast and grand expanse, yet it was cold and deserted, seemingly without a single soul in sight. Along both sides of the central passage leading straight to the towering Black Pool