After leaving Hell, Tsubasa and Tian Flying Swallow stood at the entrance of the high-level tower, the Immortal Power at their fingertips flickering. He could sense that the auras of his wives outside the tower were steadily increasing, occasionally punctuated by violent fluctuations, indicating that they had encountered bottlenecks, but quickly stabilized again.
"It seems none of them have disappointed me; they've all shown signs of breakthrough after surviving life-or-death battles." He chuckled softly, his gaze once again fixed on the depths of the Gate of Hell. The Ghost Emperor's probing gaze remained, even more intense than before, as if filled with both fear and excitement.
Suddenly, the aura emanating from the crack in the tower gate changed. It was no longer deathly aura and malevolent energy, but a destructive, emperor-like pressure. Tsubasa's expression turned solemn. He recognized these auras—they belonged to the ruler of the Ten Directions of Hell, Ghost Emperor powerhouse whom even he had to be wary of.
"So you finally couldn't resist coming to see me in person?" He clenched his fist, his immortal Immortal Power surging. "Very well, I'd like to see what your Lord of Hell is trying to achieve by breaking the agreement and taking action personally."
Tsubasa's eyes sharpened, and the immortal fire at his fingertips surged violently. "Anyone who dares to lay a finger on Flying Swallow, I will overturn your Ten Directions of Hell!"
From the cracks in the bronze doors of the high tower, the imperial pressure emanated like a branding iron dipped in ice, scalding the air itself. Tsubasa's fingertips crackled with immortal fire, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught Tian Flying Swallow's hand resting on the Nine Dragons Jade Seal at her waist—the sweat on her palms made the Nine Dragons Jade Seal gleam, yet she didn't step back.
"Don't push yourself too hard," Tsubasa whispered, turning his head. "This aura is more than ten times stronger than the Ghost King you fought. It's the Ghost Emperor himself who has come out in force."
"Who's putting on a brave face?" Tian Flying Swallow raised an eyebrow, her Adam's apple bobbing. "Do you think I've been on the throne all these years for nothing? I'm the Empress of the Mortal Realm." Though her words were firm, the stray hairs at her temples were whipped about by an invisible wave of air.
The portal inside the tower creaked open, and three figures stepped out from the thick, inky black mist. The Ghost Emperor's avatar, who was in the lead, was extremely thin. His hands, hidden beneath his black robe, had distinct knuckles and bluish-gray fingernails. Only his eyes shone with a terrifying light—two flickering ghost flames that paused as they swept Tsubasa.
"The strongest among humans," the Ghost Emperor's voice was like two pieces of rusty iron rubbing together, "You're quite calm and collected, actually daring to declare at the gates of Hell that you'll overturn the Ten Directions of Hell?"
Tsubasa scoffed, his fingertip condensing immortal fire into a longsword. "Enough nonsense. You spied on my wife's aura and broke your agreement to attack in Hell. What exactly are you trying to do?"
"Are we going to make a move? No, we're just curious and want to investigate." Another fat, black-mist-like avatar of the Ghost Emperor suddenly laughed, his belly fat jiggling. "Human powerhouse, you overestimate yourself. If we really made a move, how would that little girl escape from Hell? We're here to talk business."
"Talk business?" Tsubasa frowned. "What business can you talk about between Hell and the human world?"
The tall, thin Ghost Emperor's avatar raised his hand, and a phantom image suddenly appeared in the black mist: the scene depicted a continuous stretch of human cities, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, and pale golden clouds swirling above them like a thin veil. Tian Flying Swallow's pupils contracted. "That's... the National Fortune?"
"Indeed," the tall, thin Ghost Emperor nodded, his ghostly flames flickering, " The National Fortune of your human race is the purest power of faith among all living beings in the world. We ghost cultivators rely on death energy for cultivation, but once we reach the King Realm and Emperor Realm, it becomes extremely difficult to advance further. This time, we sensed that this National Fortune is actually helpful for us to break through. Whether Hell can make any breakthroughs depends on this power of faith among living beings."
"You want to seize the National Fortune of the human realm for cultivation?" Tsubasa shouted fiercely, drawing his immortal fire sword and pointing it directly at the Ghost Emperor. "I warn you, the fate of the Empress of Yan Nation concerns the lives of countless beings in the Shinobi World. If you dare to touch Empress Flying Swallow, I will ensure that your Ten Directions of Hell never have peace!"
"Don't rush," the short, stout Ghost Emperor hurriedly waved his hand, "It's not about stealing, it's about using. Look," he pointed to another spot in the phantom, the border of the blood-red plains of Hell, where countless Oni Clan and ninja souls were fighting, "Your ninja warriors come to Hell for training, calling it 'using Hell as a whetstone,' and we not only didn't stop you, we even protected your lives, didn't we?"
Tsubasa was taken aback—indeed, he had intended to use Hell as a training ground, where his disciples could slay evil spirits, both to hone their skills and to obtain Soul Crystal and rare ores. The Hell Emperor's side had not made any demands.
"You Oni Clan die in Hell and are resurrected after a few years. Even without strong human warriors, your fighting never stops. Turning a blind eye only serves to hone each other's skills," Tsubasa sneered. "And now you're bringing that up?"
"That's not how it works," the tall, thin Ghost Emperor said, his tone turning serious. "We gave you opportunities to train, and you were rewarded with Soul Crystal and ores, and even had the chance to cultivate in the Hell environment. Now, we need to break through using the National Fortune, so you should at least offer some benefits, right? That's what a mutually beneficial arrangement is."
"Benefits?" Tsubasa narrowed his eyes. "Trading the National Fortune for it? Do you know the consequences of devouring the National Fortune's destiny? The world will be thrown into turmoil, disasters will be frequent, and people will be displaced—I can't help with that."
"Who wants to devour us?" The third Ghost Emperor, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. Her voice was clear and crisp, unlike the hoarse voices of the first two. "We only want to 'borrow' it. Just like you human cultivators use the Hell energy to cultivate, we want to use the aura of the faith of living beings to cultivate, without damaging our foundation, only taking that layer of aura of the power of the faith of living beings."
Tian Flying Swallow interjected, "Easy for you to say. The allure of National Fortune is too great; a single move can have far-reaching consequences. Your Oni Clan simply can't resist. What if you lose control and make a move?"
The Ghost Emperor tilted her head, revealing half of her pale face through the black mist. "We can Heavenly Dao Blood Oath. If we harm the Queen or the National Fortune of the human world in the slightest, may we be condemned by Heaven and Earth, and our souls scattered."
Tsubasa fell silent. The Immortal Power at his fingertips flickered, and he could sense that the Ghost Emperor meant no harm; they genuinely only wanted to draw upon the power of the living beings' faith...
"But the National Fortune cannot be recklessly borrowed," Tsubasa still refused to budge. "I have a responsibility to the common people on Earth."
"We can sign Heavenly Dao Contract," the Ghost Emperor said, taking out a black leather scroll from her sleeve. " The Ghost Emperor of Hell swear an oath that they will only use the aura of the National Fortune's destiny for cultivation and will never harm the queen in the slightest. If they break this oath, their souls will be scattered and they will never be reborn."
The scroll was unfurled, revealing densely packed clauses written in ghostly script, exuding a sinister power of contract. Tsubasa glanced at it and found the clauses to be indeed rigorous, even specifying clearly that "one can only borrow the National Fortune on the night of the full moon each month, and each time it cannot exceed three hours."
"Even with a contract, I can't make all the decisions alone," Tsubasa pondered. "For matters concerning the human world, we must consult the Empress of Yan Nation and Konoha. They are the true leaders of the human race and control the National Fortune of Yan Nation."
" Yan Nation and Konoha?" The short, stout Ghost Emperor curled his lip. "Those weaklings from Konoha? What right do they have to talk to an emperor? Last time, Konoha sent an envoy to sue for peace, and we drove them away immediately. Hell only recognizes the strong."
Tsubasa laughed, "The human world and your Hell are of course different. The strong are here to protect the people, and those who govern the people are those recognized by the people. Only in this way can the National Fortune prosper. I will convene a meeting of human leaders to discuss cooperation with Hell. I will give you an answer in three days."
After the Ghost Emperor's avatars agreed, they returned to Hell. Tsubasa summoned the Seven Shadows and Tian Flying Swallow to discuss Hell's demands. Ultimately, they all agreed that it was feasible, as the only remaining source of human faith was the Empress's cultivation. They could accept Hell's demands without interfering with the Empress's cultivation.