Shen Qingzhou once again carefully examined the Treasure Seal. The seal’s body was dark and smooth, exuding a dignified and majestic aura.

Combining it with the familiar aura from earlier, he could confirm that this was definitely a Great Seal owned by a high-ranking Divine in the Netherworld. Mastering it would mean gaining the corresponding authority of the Yin Department.

He suddenly remembered the Qiong State Governor’s Seal in his hand.

When he first obtained that Great Seal, he also faced similar obstacles. It was by relying on accumulated Merit that he successfully refined it and gained control of the Qiongzhou Netherworld’s authority.

Since this Treasure Seal is also a precious possession of the Yin Department, perhaps the same method could be applied.

Thinking of this, Shen Siyuan hesitated no more.

He held his breath, concentrated his mind, sat cross-legged, and slightly closed his eyes. Instantly, in the Sea of Consciousness, a massive wave surged.

The vast Divine Sense, like a rushing river, carried wisps of Merit. The Merit Golden Light was brilliant, most yang and righteous, like a beacon in the darkness, gently exuding from his brow, reaching toward the Treasure Seal on the desk again.

This time, there was no resistance at all.

As if piercing a thin membrane, the Divine Sense carrying Merit smoothly infiltrated the Treasure Seal.

Upon entry, Shen Siyuan felt a powerful pull. His Divine Sense seemed to be dragged by an invisible force, uncontrollably surging deep into the Treasure Seal.

This feeling was very similar to the process when he refined the Qiong State Governor’s Seal in the past, so he did not panic. Instead, he relaxed his mind, allowing this force to guide his Divine Sense to explore the mysteries inside the Treasure Seal.

The scene in front of him suddenly changed.

It was no longer the cramped space of a study, but an endless, magnificently beautiful world.

This land was far vaster and more majestic than the Qiongzhou Netherworld.

Rolling mountains lay like sleeping giants, towering high. The peaks were covered in a thin layer of silver light, whose origin was unclear whether it was moonlight or some unique glow of the Yin Department.

Lakes dotted between the mountains, but the waters were not the clear, emerald green of the Mortal World. Instead, they shimmered with a faint blue hue, like blue sapphires embedded in the earth, with specks of light floating on the surface.

Rivers meandered and crisscrossed, with water rushing endlessly, shining with an inky luster. These were tributaries of the Forget River unique to the Underworld. On the river’s surface, ancient stone bridges were faintly visible, offering passage to dead souls across the river.

The entire world was enveloped in a soft glow, neither dazzling nor obscuring, illuminating all things, free from the turbidity and decay of the Yangzhou Netherworld’s surface, radiating an air of solemnity and grandeur instead.

This was the core of the Yangzhou Netherworld, the area under the legitimate jurisdiction of the Yin Department, far more complete and magnificent than the peripheral areas he had seen before.

In the void, a large Treasure Seal hovered there, identical to the one in his hand, only magnified a thousandfold, towering like a mountain. The six seal characters on its face shone brightly, exuding a vast aura.

Shen Siyuan’s Divine Sense gently touched the floating giant seal, and instantly, a stream of information rushed into his mind like a tide.

He finally understood the meaning of those six seal characters.

[Qin Guangwang’s Treasure Seal]

King Qinguang, head of the Ten Halls Yama in the Underworld, was in charge of the First Hall, overseeing the lifespan, life, and death of the Mortal World, determining the merits and faults of dead souls, being one of the highest Divines in the Netherworld.

This Treasure Seal was the legitimate authority seal of King Qinguang wielding the authority of the Yin Department in the Earth Realm, representing one of the highest authorities of the Netherworld, with extraordinary significance, far more noble and powerful than the Qiong State Governor’s Seal.

The "Governor Seal, Ruling Ghosts and Gods" characters on the Qiongzhou State Governor Seal were proudly displayed, directly pointing to the power of governance.

While the six characters "Qin Guangwang’s Treasure Seal" seem simple, they carry the reincarnation of the Yin Department, symbolic of judgment, Order, and rules, with authority far deeper than mere governance.

Shen Siyuan was ecstatic.

With this Qin Guangwang’s Treasure Seal, it meant he had gained the legitimate authority of King Qinguang in the Yangzhou Netherworld.

Although he couldn’t fully master the Treasure Seal yet, and it required considerable Merit to slowly cleanse and refine it,

But even the portion he currently controlled was enough for him to hold this land firmly in his grasp.

This would provide immeasurable assistance in completely purging the evils and turbidities of the Yangzhou Netherworld. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

More importantly, with the authority contained in this Treasure Seal, he might be able to take another step forward, exploring the mysteries of reincarnation.

Just as Shen Siyuan’s Divine Sense was immersed in the immense joy and shock brought by the Treasure Seal, a more vast and eerie aura suddenly emanated from deep within the Treasure Seal.

His Divine Sense was irresistibly drawn by this aura, exploring deeper into the Treasure Seal.

Through a hazy light curtain, the scene before him transformed dramatically once more.

It was no longer the grand and magnificent Underworld lands, but a sinister and terrifying, nerve-wracking world.

The illusion of eighteen layers of Hell appeared before him.

These eighteen layers of Hell cascaded down like stairs, stretching infinitely, each layer shrouded in dense Yin Sha, emanating a soul-chilling terror.

The first layer, the Hell of Tongue Extraction.

Numerous dead souls were pinned down by evil ghosts, their tongues forcibly extracted, held tight with iron pliers, and viciously torn. The heart-wrenching screams were enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

The second layer, the Hell of Scissors.

The fingers of dead souls were severed one by one by evil ghosts with sharp scissors, bleeding profusely and wracked with agony, faces full of despair and regret.

...

Further down, there were the Sword Tree Hell, the Sin Mirror Hell...

Each layer of Hell had its unique method of punishment, specifically chastising the various sins committed by souls in their lifetimes.

Knife mountains and fire seas, freezing cold piercings, boiling oil pots, stone mill crushings... such tortures were unbearable to behold. The cries, wailing, and repentant voices of dead souls interwove.

These sounds combined into a terrifying wave that shook the soul.

Even though it was just an illusion viewed through a light curtain, merely a Divine Sense-level glimpse, the terrifying aura still penetrated the light curtain, causing Shen Siyuan’s Divine Soul to tremble slightly.

He could clearly feel that each layer of Hell contained a powerful rule force, seeming to be the cornerstone upholding the Order of Reincarnation.

Shen Siyuan’s Divine Sense lingered over the illusion of the eighteen layers of Hell for a long time, utterly amazed.

Though terrifying, causing even the soul to tremble, it profoundly impacted his spiritual cultivation.

Especially for Taozi’s cultivation practice of the Luofeng Twelve Floors, it could offer significant insights.

After a long while, Shen Siyuan slowly retracted his Divine Sense, opened his eyes, and looked at Qin Guangwang’s Treasure Seal on the desk, his gaze unable to hide his joy any longer.

The moonlight outside the window was still bright, and the sound of waves by the sea remained gentle.

Shen Siyuan closed his eyes again, and the Merit Golden Light surged in the Sea of Consciousness, continuously reaching toward the Treasure Seal on the desk, commencing the long and crucial refinement process.

In the study, the glow on the Treasure Seal grew increasingly intense. In the eyes of the Bian Seal Button, a trace of scarlet light gradually brightened, as if a life was reviving.