Nether Office

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Nether Office
Original Name	阴司
Alias(es)	Fengdu's Nether Office; land of the netherworld
Affiliation	Great Emperor Fengdu; formerly a separated portion of the Underworld Bureau; later allied with Great Xia
Occupation / Role	Independent netherworld responsible for the Profound Yellow Realm's cycle of life, death, and reincarnation; administrator of the City God system
Status	Active; an independent netherworld and one of the Profound Yellow Realm's foremost powers 325 378

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Founding as an independent netherworld	426 427	Shen Yuan, acting through the Mount Tai Throne, severed a corner of the Underworld Bureau and established it as the Nether Office for the Profound Yellow Realm. It received portions of the Eighteen Hells, Yellow Springs, Three Lives Stone, and Six Paths of Reincarnation.
Ten Yin Marshals appointed to govern	427	Ox-Head was named chief of the Nether Marshals and charged with leading the Ten Great Nether Marshals in maintaining life-and-death order.
Liberated from the Karma Mirror's control	273 274	King Qinguang used the Karma Mirror to seize the Nether Office's rules, but the Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda suppressed and shattered the mirror, restoring the Office's independence.
Unified under Great Emperor Fengdu	277 278	Following the Nether Office upheaval, Shen Yuan gained recognition as Lord of the Netherworld. The Nether-Piercing Divine Ability enabled full control over the Office's authorities.
Expansion through the Incense-Fire Divine Domain	324 325	The Incense-Fire Divine Domain, nearly as large as Great Xia and containing 3,651 City Gods, was merged into the Nether Office. This transformed it from a limited underworld centered on Fengdu City into a true netherworld.
Awakening of ancient forces	378	As heaven and earth revived, ancient ghost gods awakened and the restrictions on the Gods of the Six Luofeng Heavens loosened, greatly increasing the Office's military strength.

Background / History

The Nether Office originated during the Heaven-Earth Severance ten thousand years before the main era. Shen Yuan, seated upon the Mount Tai Throne as a dark-robed Netherworld Emperor Lord, cut away a portion of the Underworld Bureau and declared that the Profound Yellow Realm would maintain its own land of the dead, guarded by the Ten Yin Marshals. The new realm seized part of the Underworld Bureau's reincarnation authority, allowing the Profound Yellow Realm to leave the wider heavens' reincarnation system. 426 427

Its foundation was the City God system fueled by incense-fire faith. Land Gods, county City Gods, prefectural City Gods, commandery City Gods, and the Imperial Capital's City God formed a hierarchy of divine domains governing departed souls. The Ten Nether Marshals were crucial enforcers within this system, ranking beneath only a dynasty's capital City God. 249

Despite its independence, the Nether Office remained weaker in substance than its status suggested. It was restricted by the Underworld Bureau, and much of its core territory was concentrated around Fengdu City. The Underworld Bureau's Ten Halls Yama Kings retained overwhelming authority over the wider netherworld and repeatedly attempted to interfere with the Profound Yellow Realm. 249 325

During the Nether Office upheaval, King Qinguang used the Underworld Bureau's Karma Mirror to judge the Office's ghost gods through their accumulated karma and forcibly manipulate its rules. The Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda—whose interior had evolved into an independent system of Eighteen Hells—countered the mirror, broke its control, and freed the Nether Office. 273 274

After quelling the crisis, Shen Yuan was acknowledged as the Lord of the Netherworld and Great Emperor Fengdu. Although the System's achievement description exaggerated his victory as the slaying of all Ten Yama Kings and Ten Nether Marshals, Shen Yuan had directly slain six Nether Marshals and the King of Samsara, while other Marshals submitted and surviving Yama Kings lost portions of their divine souls. 277 278

Authorities and Functions

Reincarnation and the Netherworld Order

The Nether Office maintains the Profound Yellow Realm's cycle of death and rebirth independently from the Underworld Bureau.

• It holds a portion of reincarnation authority separated from the Underworld Bureau. 427
• Its foundations include projections or spiritual traces of Yellow Springs, the Three Lives Stone, the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and the Eighteen Hells. 426
• The Ten Yin Marshals enforce its order and oversee the capture of souls. 249 427
• Its Eighteen Hells imprison vicious ghosts; the Zheng Beast was appointed Beast of the Prison to guard them. 274 279

City God System

The Office's divine path is tied to the incense-fire faith of the living world.

• Its City God hierarchy extends from village Land Gods to the capital City God. 249
• After absorbing the Incense-Fire Divine Domain, the Office gained access to all 3,651 City Gods of Great Xia. 325
• This merger removed its dependence on borrowing authority from the human dynasty and allowed its incense-fire prayer power to grow with far fewer restrictions. 325

Ghost Domains and Military Force

The Nether Office can project ghost domains into the mortal world and deploy large numbers of ghost soldiers and deities.

• White Tiger and Vermilion Bird led a procession supported by more than one hundred Spirit Transformation ghost gods when the Office entered the Imperial Capital region. 300 301
• Its forces include Ghost Kings, Spirit Transformation ghost generals, the Ten Yin Marshals, and the Gods of the Six Luofeng Heavens. 300 309
• Within the Nether Office, the Ten Yin Marshals can draw on their home-ground authority to wield power comparable to Return-to-Void Great True Persons, though this authority makes leaving the Office difficult. 309
• Following the revival of heaven and earth, the Office awakened ancient ghost gods with strength comparable to high-level cultivators and possessed four Gods of the Six Luofeng Heavens who had entered the Immortal Realm. 378

Organization

Rank / Group	Known Function
Great Emperor Fengdu	Supreme ruler of the Nether Office and holder of its Netherworld authorities. 277 278
Gods of the Six Luofeng Heavens	High-ranking subordinate deities appointed to assist in controlling the Office; White Tiger and Vermilion Bird are among them. 278 300
Ten Yin Marshals / Ten Nether Marshals	Enforcers and governors of Nether Office order; Ox-Head was appointed their chief. 249 427
Ghost Kings	Major ghost-deity commanders capable of leading operations and entering dangerous domains such as the Square-Inch Secret Realm. 307 309
City Gods and Land Gods	Local divine officials whose incense-fire domains form the Office's network throughout the living world. 249 325
Eighteen Hells	Prison system for vicious ghosts, guarded by Ksitigarbha and the Beast of the Prison. 279 378

Relationships

• Shen Yuan / Great Emperor Fengdu — Founder, supreme ruler, and source of the Office's restored authority; his Nether-Piercing Divine Ability permits him to fully control its authorities. 277 278 426
• Ox-Head Nether Marshal — A surviving ancient Nether Marshal who sought Shen Yuan's aid during the Office's crisis; later appointed chief of the Nether Marshals. 249 427
• White Tiger and Vermilion Bird — Gods of the Six Luofeng Heavens and loyal followers of Great Emperor Fengdu; they represented the Office in negotiations with Great Xia. 300 302
• Ksitigarbha — Guardian associated with the Eighteen Hells; later assisted Shen Yuan in suppressing the bizarre aura within the Incense-Fire Divine Domain. 324 378
• Zheng Beast — Former prisoner of the Eighteen Hells who submitted to Shen Yuan and became the Beast of the Prison. 279
• Underworld Bureau — The greater netherworld system from which the Office split; its Five Ghost Emperors and Ten Yama Kings opposed the separation and later attempted to reassert control. 249 426 427
• Great Xia — A politically useful but tense ally. The dynasty sought Nether Office support against external cultivation factions, while the Office sought incense offerings, City God offices, and access to the Square-Inch Secret Realm. 302 304 305

Story Role / Major Arcs

Nether Office Unrest

The Office became destabilized when the Ten Halls Yama Kings intervened in Mount Be mang and sought to reclaim underworld authority. Ox-Head appealed to Shen Yuan for help, recognizing him as a figure connected to the Office's ancient ruler. 249

King Qinguang escalated the crisis by wielding the Karma Mirror against Fengdu City's ghost gods. The Karma Mirror's karmic fire disabled ghost gods' divine abilities and enabled King Qinguang to tamper with Nether Office rules until the Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda shattered it. 273 274

Alliance with Great Xia

The Office entered the Imperial Capital under White Tiger and Vermilion Bird, demonstrating enough force to intimidate lesser blessed lands and force major factions to reassess their plans. 300 301

Its representatives demanded that Xia Yunqiu, rather than the Crown Prince, preside over the Grand Rite of the Human Path. Emperor Xia accepted the demand to preserve the alliance, despite fierce opposition from his court. 302 303

The Office initially pursued seven provinces' incense offerings and City God offices across five provinces. Xia Yunqiu instead used knowledge of the Square-Inch Secret Realm—and the Netherworld Great Dao within it—to negotiate a reduced arrangement. 304 305

Square-Inch Secret Realm

The Office deployed heavily into the Square-Inch Secret Realm, sending Ghost Kings, Spirit Transformation ghost gods, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Leopard-Tail Yin Marshal to contest its opportunities. 307 309

Expansion into a True Netherworld

When the Incense-Fire Divine Domain faced collapse from the Eye of Dusk, Shen Yuan sealed it inside the Nether Office. The resulting merger gave the Office territory nearly equal to Great Xia, integrated it with the entire City God system, and restored Great Emperor Fengdu's position. 324 325

Provincial Guardianship

When Great Xia later faced military and supernatural crises, several ghost gods rejected the idea that earlier agreements bound the Nether Office itself. Shen Yuan responded by erasing Wei Kui for disrespect and ordering the remaining ghost gods to guard Great Xia's provinces. 375 377 378

Notable Quotes

“The Underworld Bureau shall return the order of life and death for the beings of the Profound Yellow Realm. Let a realm form its own land of the netherworld, guarded by the Ten Yin Marshals, carrying on rebirth and continuing reincarnation.” 426

“Its name shall be: the Nether Office!” 426