In this deep corner of Hell, a strange yet quaint solitude has taken its place. It gently hides the torment which had once plagued this land. The reason behind that torment lived on that high mountain, close to the murky clouds. Many shed their blood and soul to drag that man down from those clouds. While those warriors took the place of a mere line in the books of history, that man continued to tower over the crowd.
This fear inducing estate is called The Last Fortress. The symbolism being that this would be the last and only authority ruling over hell.
Guarded by all sorts of terrors brought from the Kaigan Pit, this warm establishment currently housed only two people and a few millions of ghosts.
Its grandeur being too grand to put into words, its opulence has reached above the petty shine of gold and silver. Its ethereal beauty lied in its spirit. The estate honed the ancient energy of hell in each and every cell. This energy was so old that the word 'evil' had never contaminated it. It flowed from the crust of Hell's land, similar to the origin of natural gas in the mortal world.
This energy lit up the palace with spiritual flowers that glowed brightly, along with the pods that looked like winged insects. But as one went deeper inside the palace, the environment turned darker. The surroundings are akin to a cave underneath a river.
The reason behind such dampness lies approximately sixty feet below the "ground level". Deep down below this fortress a pot was brewing. This tightly sealed pot was as big as two floors in the modern-day apartment complex.
Several pipes extended from the pot, reaching towards the roof. This broiling pot resonated with the loud wailing of multiple souls, which would now resemble nothing but black tartar.
The pressure in the pot was comparable to the deepest level in oceans, where man could never reach.
A mystery liquid flowed down the pipes, further increasing this pressure by tenfold. The wailing screams turned louder, making the ground shake.
Unaffected by this, Yutao stood in a room located thirty feet above this pot smoking his pipe. He stood there waiting for Zhang Xiyu to finish pushing in the remaining thousand souls down the pipe. Zhang Xiyu coughs as he applies a considerable amount of spiritual pressure over it. This time even the walls shake under the force, making the shelves around them collapse over each other.
This state, fortunately, lasted for only a few seconds before Zhang Xiyu heavily shuts the pipe hole. He hoarsely coughs while his hands move at a rapid speed, applying top grade seals over the cover. The process didn't end there. He immediately brought in multiple iron chains, their girth as thick as a person, and locked the pipe behind it.
With the last chain locked in place, Zhang Xiyu took a few steps back and stood silently.
Yutao leisurely approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "So?"
Zhang Xiyu grinned at Yutao with his blood-stained teeth. "Your replacement will be here any time soon."
"Mr. Zhang, I asked for a subordinate, not my dismissal." A nerve twitches on his forehead.
Zhang Xiyu spits out a mouthful of blood and rearranges his robes, "Take care of this for a while. I will be back by tomorrow."
"You are going to tell them now?"
"I have to. I don't expect anything less of a catastrophe hitting hell when this guy comes around." He points at the tightly sealed gate.
Yutao's face drops while he sulks away to the centre of the room.
Zhang Xiyu stifles his laughter. "Hey! You are going to be alright. It's going to be fine."
"I hope she drops you down that cliff. Again."
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In another location which has been hiding in the deepest and trickiest parts of hell's forests for as long as hell existed, there is a stone temple. This seemingly simple and quaint temple shows its temper within its cracked walls. Multiple cracks covered the temple and between these cracks grew sapphires of the excellent grade, making the plain terrain glow faintly blue.
A boot stepped right over these precious gems and stomped its way inside. Zhang Xiyu ignores the decoy altar that is featured in the centre and goes behind it. Behind the sculpture of the "goddess", Zhang Xiyu knocks six times.
A few seconds later the ground beneath him cracks open to reveal the long winding steps underneath it. Zhang Xiyu barely goes down ten steps before he reaches out towards the cavern's wall. His hand slowly sinks inside followed by his body, leaving no trace of his existence.
Yet, the ground above is still cracked open. The steps are still inviting new visitors. A few heads peek in from behind the altar.
"Hey! He's gone already. Hurry up, follow him."
The three soldiers stand at the steps watching the floor close up with a resounding slam.
Silently, they walk down the stairs into the darkness. Previous torches burnout while new torches light up. With their steps muted, only the sound of these flickering flames echo through the cavern. As time passes, their huffing breaths also join the medley. Soon their silent steps turn into urgent stomps, curses fly amongst companions and one of them falls from exhaustion.
"You guys. Go ahead. I...will catch up." He panted
And so, the remaining two cling to the walls and step down. One suggests they go back up already. But both remember the roof sealing away their entry. Suddenly, they hear someone crying. A man was crying softly, his muttering incomprehensible.
The two decide to go straight for the voice with no hesitation. Finally, we found that damned bastard.
They rush towards the sound, knees scraping between the narrow walls. Out of breath, they finally see a silhouette. The unbearable pain in their legs from endless walking pales in front of their goal. They can catch him and leave.
The soldier reaches his hand out. He can catch him and. . . .
"Malic?"
The crying man turns around, flames of torch reflecting on his tear-stained face.
"General Brinestalk?"
Chills ran down the soldier's back. Before he could come to the impending conclusion, Malic screams and rushes up the stairs. He turns to stop him only to find his other subordinate's cold body rolling down to his feet, staining each step with his blood.
"Gutdra. . . . . . he killed himself..."
Between these narrow walls with one subordinate's blood staining his shoes, General Brinestalk stood there with his tired and broken body with only one answer for his remaining companion.
"We have been walking in circles this entire time Malic."
A gruesome wail escaped Malic. "No no absolutely not no-"
"There was never a way out of here."
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Ignorant to what was made of his pursuers, Zhang Xiyu was escorted by a palace guard to stand in front of a tall wooden stage, its make similar to that of a court judge's table but twice in length.
He tilts his chin up. The bright sunlight lands softly on his pale face, his messy hair falls over his face, not letting the light reach his eyes.
"Not really fond of this setting." He puts his hand behind his neck and cracks it.
He lazily smirks at the entity sitting above this platform. "I prefer to look down on people."
"This place has stood here for a millennium."
Multiple feminine voices resound through the circular hall.
"It will not change for you. Get used to it."
He unattentively shakes his head while he thinks about this pure white light falling on him. Every rare time when he visits this place, this sunlight is the only thing he looks forward to. This small ray of light runs his imagination. Pale blue vastness covering his entire world while he stands in the mild breeze.
He wants grab onto it and yet he adjusts his sleeves to further cover his body. This is no sunlight. Just a cruel illusion.
A blue fragment floats out his pocket, moves up the platform and lands there. Soon it gets absorbed by the entity.
"I certainly hope to be here long enough to get used to it." A white lie escapes.
"Of course you will. You are our chosen one. The new King of Hell."
Zhang Xiyu sarcastically bows.
"We sisters have mostly recovered our strength, thanks to you. Your efforts over these past centuries, we will surely reward you for it."
Countless shards of blue crystals floated inside the hall from every nook and corner. These crystals gathered into a whirlpool on top of the tall stage. These formless shards were Zhang Xiyu's hard work over the past century. Looking at them all together, he felt a bit overwhelmed. Each tiny shard represented a difficult story for him, not one acquisition being easy. And now it was time for them to condense.
On top of the platform these shards had taken their place like pieces of a puzzle. This puzzle was in fact a supernatural flower, resembling a lotus. Zhang Xiyu turns stiff and forcefully removes his gaze from this phenomenon. He did not want to bleed from his eyes.
The voices turn turbid. "Speak child. You want something. So, we will not refuse."
The bright lotus implodes on itself and continues the struggle.
"Ask and you shall receive. The Blue Lotus promises."
The huge lotus had turned palm sized as it brushed over the air as if painting out an existence. It started with the feet and slowly painted out a sculpture like face.
Zhang Xiyu too looked back up; this has never happened before.
This should have failed again. The lotus should have collapsed.
Things were coming to the start a bit sooner than he anticipated. If he had known that the latest piece of this entity's scattered power would help her manifest a physical existence, he would have brought something else as a bargaining chip.
No, I had to give her the piece to get what I want. If I had entered this negotiation without it. . . . . .
Long blue hair resembling the one in his worst memory, materialized from thin air. Zhang Xiyu tightly clenched his fists.
Do not panic. Stay calm.
Blue light crystalized into turquoise silk as it revolved around the woman, wrapping her delicately, and the woman now became.
Her eyes which looked human from the outside were still, as if time had stopped for her. No matter how much the features resemble a woman she would still look completely unnatural.
Zhang Xiyu realised that this one body now holds the essence of an entire realm. Centuries of hunting through the universe has now brought this power back to life. This power that once handed the reigns to Lord Enma and went into slumber.
Now the roles have reversed. Lord Enma was the one "asleep" somewhere and the power could no longer rest. It wants to pass on. The princes of hell want it to pass on. The Blue Lotus swept her gaze away from the trembling Zhang Xiyu out of unusual kindness.
"Now that we have returned in flesh, we can finally take the matters of hell in our hands."
"Enma, that piece of work."
An ominous gong rang once, as if protesting at her words. But the Blue Lotus remains unaffected.
The atmosphere had suddenly turned tense between them, each keeping to their own thoughts. Zhang Xiyu could have kept his mouth shut but he didn't have all day. Back at home the pot was brewing and soon another creature of terror will be born.
And so, he asks, "What do you plan to do with him? Lord Enma?"
The Blue Lotus stands as if she never heard his question.
"You want to make me the king. You captured me, dragged me to the deepest pits of hell and made me a little too familiar with this realm. You made me."
"What next?"
"We awaken him."
"But he is not exactly asleep? It is just a ruse created by the first prince in order to keep the ministry in his control."
"So kill him."
"Not that simple. He created a problem, a big hole, and then became the only plug that keeps it from crumbling. If I kill him without preparations, this hell might cease to exist for the next millennia."
"The souls belonging to our domain will escape to other realms and the heaven will purge them forever."
"Oh, I haven't even talked about the other hells that might run us over before that."
"So before you kill him you need to stabilize the government, is that right?" Zhang Xiyu detected a hint of annoyance in her tone.
"Yes, I would require time. And people."
"I emptied the entire Kaigan Pit to make your army."
"Against the Princes? They won't last till the end. Moreover, they are the last thing hell needs if it wants order."
The Blue Lotus sensed a smile on his face and felt that something was wrong.
"You gave me a wish before."
"Yes, we did. Ask for it we won't refuse."
Zhang Xiyu's grin widens. "Oh, it's nothing too troublesome just. . . . . ."
"I have been cooking something."
The Blue Lotus looked in the distance inquisitively.
"A creature to be exact. Just wanted to lighten the General's workload."
"A fine subordinate, you have."
"He will be honoured. Now the creature is not normal per say. To be honest even I don't know what to expect."
The woman did not interrupt his rambling but it did bring her a little to the edge.
"I just want you to permit their existence."
"...That's it?"
Zhang Xiyu smiles innocently.
"Fine. You can have another direct subordinate. We don't mind."
"I just have another question."
"Speak."
"After we take over the government, what do we do with Lord Enma?"
Tensions arise again between them. The miniscule kindness that the woman exhibited receded sharply as her eyes landed on him. Like a predator toying with her prey.
But Zhang Xiyu got a little used to her spiritual pressure and hence, found her reaction interesting.
"Do we kill him?"
Clouds burst over the temple and the land cracked beneath him.
"I- "His head felt a little dizzy, someone was knocking on his head. The cursed pot flashed through his mind, visions of tormented murky souls coagulating together, their wails growing stronger and stronger.
Above him the Blue Lotus looked at the roof which was slightly trembling under some unknown force.
Birds of hell landed on her shoulder and they all whispered,
"A prince is born! A prince is born!"
"No silly! He's stronger! Not a prince!"
"It's a she!"
"Silence!"
The birds scrambled away and so did the quaking. Zhang Xiyu knew he had to get out of here immediately.
"Zhang Xiyu. What did you do?"
"Nothing. Apart from what we spoke about before which reminds me that my pot has just given birth to my new subordinate so I must leave-"
"This creature is stronger than a prince?!"
"Yes, but no more than two."
"Two Princes? Have you lost your mind? Didn't you speak about order this entire time?"
"Hey now you were the one who permitted this."
"You little-"
To help his poor case the roof of a building which had stood there for various eons started to collapse, the bricks bouncing off him as if made of rubber.
"We will talk later, okay? Goodbye." Zhang Xiyu took out a mineral stone from his pocket, gathered demonic energy in his palm and crushed it. The red malicious energy engulfed him inside its flames making him disappear.
Zhang Xiyu has teleported away.
The Blue Lotus silently looked at the crumbling roof feeling defeated.
Raising children is difficult.