It has never been said that having more gods is inherently better; they must bring about improvement. If they cannot, then they are merely a waste of resources. No one truly believes that an abundance of gods is beneficial.
Remember!
In the realm of the gods, there is no notion that too many ants can overwhelm an elephant. For the gods, no matter how many ants there are, they can be dismissed with a wave of the hand.
They are not worth mentioning at all.
So why bother subduing so many ants that squander resources? No god possesses infinite resources, and even a personal god requires a supply of resources.
For any existence, resources are essential.
Terms like poor, rich, powerful, and wealthy hold true even among the gods. Never think that gods lack anything; even the supreme saints in some ancient tales compete for luck. Aren't they also vying for innate treasures? To put it bluntly, the treasures at higher levels differ only in quality.
This is an undeniable truth, one that will never change.
"My lord!"
Kushi Inada Hime considered, "I believe you should address the matters of hell swiftly. The benefits are immense—not only for the improvement of the Underworld but also in terms of belief."
Hades stood up and, with Kushi Inada Hime, disappeared without a trace. The two gods returned to the world of Japanese mythology, where three gods had gone berserk, sending all of Takamagahara's gods to search for Hades across the realm.
Hades' Pluto helmet is not easy to find; it was forged by the three brothers of the one-eyed titan and rivals Chu Zhen's artifacts. Even if they are Primordial gods, Hades' current divine power ensures that unless he is careless, there will be no results.
Moving forward, Hades walked at a deliberate pace until he reached an abyss—the passage to hell.
In the great world of Japanese mythology, it is referred to as hell, not the Underworld.
Here, it is called hell in the East, Hades in the realm of Hades, and hell again in the West.
Even in the grand world of Japanese mythology, it is known as hell. Though they have different names—hell, underworld, netherworld—they all represent the same essence: the habitat of the dead.
"Hell..."
Hades whispered softly, stepping forward and entering hell. In an instant, he disappeared, only to be replaced by a stunning sight: countless blooming flowers, too beautiful to behold. This is the death flower of hell, the flower of the other shore!
The blooming red flowers mirror the color of fresh blood. Their beauty is captivating, yet these flowers claim lives without warning! Unbeknownst to those who wander near, they can be consumed by this blood-red bloom, losing their lives in the process.
This flower field on the other side serves as the first line of defense surrounding hell. Anyone who steps into it will lose their life. After all, this is the realm of the dead; how can the living dare to enter?
Much like the datura flower tamed by Hades, the other shore flower is one of the flowers of death. Lily of the valley is also a flower of death, representing mortality.
"There is a god in the flower field on the other side."
Hades' divine thoughts flicked across the scene, spotting a beautiful woman in a blood-red kimono sleeping amidst the flowers. She was not a naturally born god but one created through faith.
A god of faith; such beings lose their existence if they lose their belief. Unlike typical life controllers, their very essence relies on faith. Should they lose that faith, everything disappears.
Standing beside Hades, Kushi Inada Hime remarked respectfully, "My lord, that is a red spider lily! A god born from the flower of Hell, representing human's fear of death."
Hades nodded slightly, stepping across the flower fields toward the depths of hell, with Kushi Inada Hime following closely. The pace of the two gods was measured as they traversed the vast flower fields, eventually arriving at Santuchuan, where countless souls wailed.
With just a glance, the two gods crossed the Styx River and continued deeper. For Hades, crossing the Styx River, which poses great difficulty for most gods, was effortless! After all, he is Pluto!
Likewise, Hades noticed a ferryman on the Styx River. Compared to the true ferryman like Charon, the ferryman in the grand world of Japanese mythology resembles more of a concept.
Kuish Inada Hime spoke up to explain: "My lord, the ferryman of hell represents a kind of power. Periodically, such ferrymen are born. They are children drawn to hell, who abandon all love from birth, becoming solitary ferrymen. This is why they bear the surname of the highest lord of hell, Yan Mo."
"They are called: Yan Moai!"
With Kushi Inada's explanation, Hades nodded slightly and continued deeper into hell. The two gods pressed on.
In the grand world of Japanese mythology, hell is divided into eight hot hells and eight cold hells, serving to punish the wicked. There is also a complete system of six reincarnations, making hell a comprehensive realm.
Strangely, hell in this world seems to bear similarities to Eastern concepts of hell. Hades guided Kushi Inada Hime along their path, where they encountered two races: the bull-headed and horse-faced, who represent different aspects of hell.
"Ox-head and horse-faced," Kushi Inada explained further. "My lord, when hell was born, they emerged from it. These two races originated from demons but transformed into gods with the birth of hell."
In this era, the distinction between demons and gods is foolishly blurred!
As they moved deeper, Hades saw many black and white ghosts, known as Heibai Wuchang in the eastern Hell, and as black and white ghosts in hell.
Kushi Inada Hime elaborated: "The black ghost and the white ghost are brothers. They entered hell after death. Yan Mo admired their brotherhood, and since then, they became messengers of hell, responsible for guiding souls and taking the dead's essence. Now, everything in hell is under their influence."
Kushi Inada Hime knows a great deal, almost everything there is to know about the grand world of Japanese mythology.