"Wait, the goddess is gone?!


    System, help me locate Goddess Sylvia."


    [Ding!


    Sorry, host. The Netherworld suppresses spiritual senses, so the system is temporarily unable to activate the search function.]


    Timothy''s expression grew serious as he slowly picked up the snow lotus from the ground. Even with the Heavenly-level artifact, the Bonded Heartlock, the spatialws within the Sepulcher of the Sacred and the Netherworld were severely restricted, making it impossible to use.


    The snow lotus was still here, which meant Sylvia hadn''t been teleported far. Her strength surpassed his, so she should''ve woken up a bit earlier after the teleportation. But why had she disappeared?


    A bad feeling crept into Timothy''s heart. After all, this was the Netherworld, a ce where countless souls resided after death. There might be strangews at y here. If real danger arose, even a Holy Emperor-level expert might not be able to guarantee their safety.


    It seemed like there was no time to waste.


    Finding the culprit behind the chaos in the Sepulcher of the Sacred was now secondary. The most important thing was to locate Sylvia as soon as possible and ensure her safety.


    Timothy immediately activated his Nether Eye, scanning the surroundings.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Soon, thendscape within a hundred-mile radius came into view. The area was mostly t and barren, devoid of any signs of life. It was so deste that even nts seemed unable to grow here.


    But not far from his location, there was a city!


    The city looked almost identical to those built by humans. The only difference was the thick ghostly aura that constantly emanated from it, rising into the sky and spreading in all directions. The eerie blue ghost energy enveloped the entire city, making it clear that not only were there many ghostly beings inside, but there were likely some incredibly powerful ones as well.


    There were no clues about Sylvia''s whereabouts, but for now, the only option was to head to this ghost city and investigate.


    Timothy stood up, having made his decision. He cloaked himself in ayer of ghostly energy, and in an instant, his body turned a translucent blue, almost like a real spirit.


    He sped toward the city, flying with the wind. Thanks to his Ocean''s Gate level speed, it didn''t take long for him to approach the city.


    As he slowed down, the scene before him became clearer. On the massive stones below the city and on the ck banners hanging from the walls, the word "Ereboth" was written.


    At the city gates, ghost soldiers d in armor were guarding the entrance, checking the souls that were entering. None of the beings entering Ereboth were living creatures,they were all ghostly blue souls. The ghost soldiers didn''t seem to be conducting strict inspections, merely ncing at the souls and sniffing the air before allowing them to pass.


    "Who would''ve thought the Netherworld had a ghost city like this?"


    The order and structure were almost identical to the human world. But this made things easier for him.


    After observing for a while, Timothy stepped out from the shadows and blended into the line of souls heading toward Ereboth.


    The line moved quickly, and before long, Timothy reached the city gates.


    Two ghost soldiers stared at him for a moment. Then, one of them leaned in closer, sniffing Timothy carefully before muttering, "Weird. Why does he smell a bit like a living person?"


    "Are you out of your mind? This is the Netherworld. Where would a living persone from? Stop wasting time."


    The other ghost soldier shot him a re, clearly annoyed.


    The ghost soldier, still a bit suspicious, sniffed Timothy a few more times. In the end, he shook his head in confusion and sighed, "Alright, I must''ve smelled wrong. Go on in."


    "Thanks, appreciate it," Timothy replied with a nod, relieved that things hadn''t escted. He walked straight into the city.


    These ghost soldiers were only at the Energy Foundation level. If he wanted to, Timothy could easily crush them with a single p. But since he was new to the Netherworld and even the goddess had gone missing, he decided to y it safe for now.


    Entering the city turned out to be surprisingly easy.


    Once inside, Timothy was taken aback by the scene before him. It was nearing dusk, and the massive city of Ereboth was bustling with activity. Ghosts were moving about everywhere, and the streets were lined with shops and stalls. The ce was lively,pletely different from the eerie, deste ghost towns he had imagined.


    There were even street vendors selling food and snacks, though Timothy had no idea what these ghostly beings nned to do with them. Aside from the fact that the "people" walking around were all ethereal, blue-tinged souls, the city of Ereboth looked almost identical to a regr city on the continent of nt.


    "So, this is the Netherworld?" Timothy couldn''t help but feel a bit intrigued. He wondered if this was unique to Ereboth or if the entire Netherworld was like this.


    Either way, the city gave off a surprisingly "peaceful" vibe, far from the chaotic,wless ce he had expected.


    But the most important thing right now was to find Sylvia. Timothy scanned his surroundings, and soon his gazended on a tavern.


    A good number of ghostly beings were inside, drinking and chatting idly. Taverns like this were usually the best ces to gather information.


    Without hesitation, Timothy made his way inside.


    "Hey, boss, get me a beer," Timothy called out as he found a seat in a corner where a lot of ghosts were gathered.


    "Coming right up!"


    The tavern owner, who looked like he had been around sixty years old when he was alive, responded warmly. He had a kind, grandfatherly appearance.


    In no time, a mug of beer was ced in front of Timothy. The rich aroma of malt filled the air, and just from the smell, Timothy could tell it was going to be good.


    ''This beer smells pretty decent,'' he thought.


    Taking a sip, Timothy immediately felt the beer transform into pure spiritual energy, flowing through his body.


    "No wonder there are food and drinks here. These things are made from spiritual energy."


    The intelligence of these Netherworld ghosts impressed Timothy. It seemed that the Netherworld, where countless souls ended up, wasn''t as chaotic and disorganized as people imagined. In fact, it was quite orderly, almost like the living world.


    As he drank half the beer, Timothy noticed that, along with the spiritual energy, there were faint traces of ghostly energy in the drink. For souls, this ghostly energy was probably highly nourishing.


    While savoring his beer, Timothy''s attention was suddenly drawn to a conversation between the tavern owner and a regr customer. Their voices cut through the general noise of the tavern. Discover more stories at empire


    "I heard a rumor that tonight, the city lord''s eldest daughter is nning to capture a soul to take as her husband."


    "And as a wedding gift, the city lord is supposedly preparing a living being."


    "A living being in the Netherworld? No way. Are you sure you''re not joking?"


    The regr customer soundedpletely incredulous, clearly unable to believe what the tavern owner was saying.