Nether Mountain, Two Overgods

The Netherworld, the Undead Holy Mountain.

This was a massive mountain tens of thousands of meters high, its surface the color of bone. Countless skeletons covered its slopes, and the air all around it reeked of death.

At the mountain's peak stood an ancient, unadorned palace that had existed for who knew how many billions of years. A gigantic magic array operated ceaselessly, while a group of Chief God Army soldiers in white robes bustled about.

"Only a Saint Realm expert, and you dare come to the Netherworld? You're practically asking to die!" A green-haired young man watched two black dragons emerge from the teleportation array and gave a mocking smile.

The black dragons seemed to have been respected for too long in the Material Plane. Caught off guard by the taunt, they didn't react at first. Then one of them suddenly lashed out with its enormous tail.

"You're asking for death!"

A cold glint flashed in the green-haired young man's eyes. He clenched his right fist and punched, sending powerful ripples surging from it. The impact struck the dragon's tail, and before the dragon could make a sound, it was reduced to dust.

The other dragon froze for a moment, then abruptly came to its senses and quickly prostrated itself on the ground. Its voice rang out, low and trembling. "Please spare me, sir!"

"Mm, good. Now that's the right attitude!" The green-haired young man nodded emphatically, wearing a satisfied smile.

"Hey, Bierde, can you stop picking on every newcomer? We're all sick of watching it." A crisp voice spoke up. Several members of the Chief God Army sat around a round table, and one of them grumbled at him.

"I'm teaching them. In the Netherworld, Saint Realm experts are everywhere. If they don't learn to hold back, they'll die on their first day." The green-haired Bierde replied without a care, as if he were a kindly senior teaching newcomers.

The others snickered but didn't call him out. The truth was, Bierde was simply bored and wanted to amuse himself by picking on clueless Saint Realm newcomers. Though serving in the Chief God Army was prestigious and safe, their missions were incredibly dull.

Those responsible for guarding the teleportation array had to stay on duty for a hundred million years before being replaced. Newcomers arrived in droves every day, and after a while, it all became monotonous. So naturally, some of them started using the rookies from the Material Plane for amusement. The others refrained not because they were kind, but because they'd already tired of the game.

"Whoosh!"

All at once, a brilliant light flashed from the teleportation array leading from Hell. A blurry figure slowly appeared.

"Hmm? Someone from Hell?"

Bierde immediately put away his playful attitude and grew much more serious. Although teleporting between Divine Planes didn't cost as much as returning to the Material Plane, it was still beyond the means of an ordinary Mid-God. Those arriving from other Divine Planes were generally Highgods traveling the planes.

The light gradually faded, and the figure of a black-haired young man slowly took shape. His refined eyes swept over the Chief God Army.

"Sir!"

Seeing that the newcomer was a Highgod, Bierde quickly lowered his head and bowed slightly, not daring to slack off in the slightest for fear of offending him.

"Is this the Undead Holy Mountain? Which way is the nearest city?" Ren glanced at the green-haired young man and asked. It was his first time in the Netherworld, so he needed to ask for directions.

"Sir, the nearest city is Hela City. Just head that way. It's the city in North Skeleton Prefecture closest to the teleportation array. Here's a simple map of North Skeleton Prefecture and several nearby prefectures. Please take it, if you don't mind."

The green-haired young man's eyes shifted as he quickly took a detailed map from his Spatial Ring and handed it to Ren.

"Oh? You're a clever one." Ren took the map, glanced over it, and nodded. Members of the Chief God Army usually stayed within one area, never venturing beyond a single prefecture. Yet this young man had maps of several surrounding prefectures, which clearly meant he'd prepared in advance.

The map wasn't very expensive, but it was still a considerable expense for a Mid-God. The green-haired young man had clearly bought it ahead of time, waiting to offer it to a Highgod traveling the Divine Planes. Then he'd bet that the person would be reasonably generous and might casually reward him with some money.

Those who could travel the Divine Planes could toss out more money than he could earn in a lifetime. There was a risk, of course—the other person might give him nothing at all—but if his gamble paid off, the reward could be tremendous.

"I'll take the map. Keep these Inkstones." Ren took out a Spatial Ring and casually tossed it to the green-haired young man before turning into a streak of light and vanishing on the horizon. He couldn't even remember how many Inkstones were in the ring. These days, he no longer cared about money.

"Damn, that sir's really generous!" Bierde quickly opened the Spatial Ring to take a look, his eyes widening. There was no way he could earn that many Inkstones in several billion years.

Nether Mountain was known as the tallest mountain in the Netherworld. It stood a million meters high and stretched for more than ten thousand miles. Three-colored clouds encircled it, while chains of natural energy formed along the surface of the clouds and wrapped around the mountain.

Even from more than a hundred thousand miles away, the pressure could be felt. Through the Metal Lifeform, Ren could see a towering peak in the distance, wreathed in a blue radiance and dazzling to behold.

A layer of hazy purple clouds covered the mountaintop, obscuring everything within. Beyond the purple mist stood a black palace floating in midair. The purple-black palace was hundreds of meters high, like a small mountain. A gigantic orb atop its spire radiated lightning, while countless chains stretched down along the mountain.

"Oh? Priestley, you say the Four Divine Beasts Clan sent dozens of Seven-Star Demons and seven Asuras to hunt down a Prefect named Ren, and that Ren has now come to the Netherworld?" A blurry figure sat high upon a throne inside the purple-black palace. Her cold voice rang out from above.

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"Yes, Overlord. The news came from Lester's messenger. He and Pash confirmed it together. That Ren should be in the Netherworld now." Below the Death Palace, an elderly man in a gray robe spoke respectfully, a note of helplessness in his voice. He found the Four Divine Beasts Clan's grand display rather baffling.

The old man wore a green robe, and a fresh vitality emanated from him. His gray-white beard fell from his chin in a thick cascade, like countless branches, making him seem completely out of place in the death-filled Netherworld.

Since he could address Blood Peak Sovereign Pash and Bifu Sovereign Lester by name, the old man was clearly a Sovereign himself. Though he was the Life Ancient Tree, he lived on Nether Mountain in the Netherworld, at the Nether Fruit Tree: the life Overgod, Priestley.

The blurry figure seated high in the palace was none other than the Netherworld's strongest being: the ancient existence born countless ages ago, the Netherworld's first living being, and one of the Four Rule Overlords—the Sovereign of Death.

"How interesting. It's been many years since the Four Divine Beasts Clan made such a grand fuss. That little fellow named Ren certainly knows how to stir up trouble. I wonder where he'll flee next." The Sovereign of Death gave a soft laugh, as though she'd thought of something amusing.

After living for endless ages, most Overgods found their everyday lives extremely dull. This was especially true of the Sovereign of Death. Though she was among the strongest beings, she lacked the patience to study ultimate techniques like the Fate Overlord and the Destruction Overlord. So she spent most of her time trying to find ways to amuse herself.

The affair between the Four Divine Beasts Clan and Ren had stirred the faintest glimmer of interest in her otherwise boring life. She'd suddenly become a little curious about Ren.

At the same time, inside the Nether Hotel, a young man in a blue robe named Kewen chattered on about how wonderful his hotel was as he led Ren inside.