So, the sudden backstabbing from the Realm of the Dead, aside from me consuming the Watcher Death Hound, is it related to historical grievances between the Cleanup Bureau and the Realm of the Dead?

After seriously listening to the explanation of the red-haired director, Leon temporarily pressed down his anxiety from receiving the bad news and gazed into the small mirror, where the face of the Taurus Director appeared helpless.

"Lord Taurus, I want to know what you think of this matter? Or rather, what is the bureau's current plan regarding the Realm of the Dead?"

"As for the bureau...everyone still wants to try negotiating with them again..."

Seeing Leon's slightly dissatisfied expression in the mirror, the Taurus Director, who had remained silent from the start, couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh, then replied:

"After discovering the situation there in the Thousand Sails Maritime Country, a few of us directors discussed it once. At that time, Pisces did not express an opinion, but Cancer and Sagittarius both believed that if the covenant could be maintained, it was best to try and keep stability for now.

After all, unlike the polluted Heavenly Mountain and the inherently chaotic Abyss, the Realm of the Dead has always been the most united realm among the 'Four Great Realms.' This time, although only three Overlords have acted, if we make a move, the other Overlords of the Dead Realm are unlikely to stand by.

And many of the Overlords of the Dead Realm are older than the Cleanup Bureau, and among them, the strongest ones are no less powerful than the Pillar Gods. Now the bureau is already stretched thin and truly lacks the capability to go to war with them."

"But wasn't that before? Isn't it still possible now?"

Upon hearing this, Leon raised his eyebrows slightly, then pointed to the three-headed black dog lying on the ground beside him, squinting his eyes and said:

"This time, besides capturing one of the Pillar Gods, I managed to take down a total of thirty-nine True Gods. Although I returned the souls of fifteen True Gods, those True Gods who lost their physical form will at least need a year or two to recover. They definitely don't have the ability to take action in the short term.

Lord Taurus, if the Realm of the Dead has been long contemplating a fight with us as the director said, why don't we take advantage of the Slaughter King Association's weakened state and strike first, giving them a daunting lesson?"

"..."

He truly is a remarkable youngster among the board of directors in recent generations, so full of drive, but some matters require balance and not just brute strength to be resolved.

Looking at Leon in the mirror, full of "murderous intent" in his eyes, the Taurus Director couldn't help but show appreciation but ultimately shook his head slightly and said:

"Leon, after seeing the situation on your side, Sagittarius and I have had similar thoughts, but still feel it isn't appropriate."

"Why not appropriate?"

"Because the cost is too high, we can 'hurt' those Overlords of the Dead Realm, but cannot completely 'eliminate' them."

Taking up the conversation, the red-haired director sighed and said:

"The reason they are called 'Overlords' and not True Gods of the Netherworld is that they each preside over at least one 'location' on the No Return Path, playing an auxiliary role in returning the dead to the world's origin, having inherently become a part of the Realm of the Dead's rules.

If we were to go directly to war with the Realm of the Dead, winning wouldn't be hard, but the real problem is figuring out what comes after winning; if it ends with just simple killings without destroying the corresponding 'locations,' they will eventually resurge.

However, if we strike with heavy hands like the third director did by obliterating the Oblivion Spirit Valley, we must also destroy the locations associated with the Overlords of the Dead Realm, and then 'build' a new location with similar functionality on the spot, like how he established the Sage's Cemetery.

And it doesn't end there; to ensure the new location can function normally and guarantee that the process of returning the dead to the world goes smoothly, at least one Zodiac Bureau-level Cleaner must be stationed there long-term, so winning wouldn't offer benefits and might even require more substantial manpower."

I see...

Upon hearing this, Leon furrowed his brow and then countered:

"But they've already openly sided with the Slaughter King Association. If we don't hold down those restless Overlords of the Dead Realm now while the Slaughter King Association is wounded, once they recover, we'll be facing threats from both sides!"

"Indeed, I'm also worried about such an occurrence..."

The Taurus Director sighed as well and continued to explain:

"However, though the Realm of the Dead is united, it hasn't completely sided with the Slaughter King Association. Several Overlords of the Dead Realm still hold a neutral stance. If we are too aggressive, Pisces and I are concerned that we might push the neutral Overlords to the opposite side.

Therefore, for now, we still need to focus on negotiations, not only to ensure the safety of the captured Cleaners and try to get them back but also to probe the depths of the Realm of the Dead, ascertain the Overlords' attitudes, and identify who are enemies and who might be allies."

"Alright."

Seeing that aside from himself, the other directors Taurus, Pisces, Sagittarius, and Cancer seemed inclined to continue negotiations, Leon reluctantly furrowed his brow and temporarily halted the topic, turning to inquire:

"Then who are the neutrals among the Overlords of the Dead Realm, and who has clearly sided with the Slaughter King Association?"

"The neutral ones are hard to say for sure, but the four Overlords of the Dead Realm who attacked the royal ship in the Moonless Sea have definitively sided with the Slaughter King Association."

Raising four fingers, the red-haired director said with a displeased look:

"First is the Flesh Deer who controls Burial Garment Mirror Lake, Corpse Soil Black Forest, and Baigu Palace. Aside from attacking the royal ship, it also severely wounded the Cancer Director, undoubtedly a member of the Slaughter King Association.

Then there's the Yellow Eel, who oversees Yellow Springs River, the Mountain Guardian-Woman, who watches over Zhanhuai Mountain, and the Wailing Puppet, who established the City of Regret and Ghostly Mire, all confirmed to have sided with the Slaughter King Association. The Undead-type Cleaners sent for support were apprehended by them."

The Mountain Guardian-Woman, Yellow Eel, Wailing Puppet... Was Emma senior captured by them?

Memorizing the four names firmly, Leon nodded silently, then turned to the Taurus Director and said:

"Lord Taurus, I still hold to my previous stance; now is the best time to address the problem with the Realm of the Dead. So, after my return, can we convene the other directors for another round of discussions?"

"Certainly; that is your right as a director."

With a gentle smile towards Leon, the Taurus Director glanced at the three-headed black dog groaning from overeating and sighed:

"Leon, I've always known you're outstanding, but I didn't expect you to be this extraordinary. You are now a competent director… though your usage of secret techniques could use a bit of refinement."

"..."