Youdu

Overview

Youdu (幽都, literally "Dark Capital") is the capital city of the Chinese underworld in traditional mythology. It is the seat of power for Yanluo Wang and the Ten Courts of Hell. Given Zhong Kui's origin story (he was sent to Youdu after his death and appointed King of Ghosts there) it is widely expected to be a major explorable location in Black Myth: Zhong Kui.

In the Shanhaijing

Youdu appears in some of the oldest Chinese texts. The Shanhaijing (山海经, Classic of Mountains and Seas), which dates to the 4th-2nd centuries BCE, describes it in the "Classic of Regions Within the Seas" (海内经) section. The text locates Youdu as "a mountain in the North Sea from which black water flows, inhabited by dark-hued creatures", the black bird, black snake, black leopard, black tiger, black fox, and pufftail.

The Chuci (楚辞, Songs of Chu, 3rd century BCE) places Youdu under the governance of Houtu (后土), an earth goddess who also served as sovereign of the underworld. The poet Wang Yi described Youdu as the capital of the underground world, with Tu Bo (土伯), a fearsome guardian, stationed at the gate of the underground administration.

The underworld bureaucracy

Later Taoist and Buddhist elaborations expanded Youdu from a place of shadowy darkness into a vast bureaucratic city with courts, judges, and officials who process the dead. The underworld in Chinese mythology is not a simple pit of punishment. It is a functioning government. Souls arrive, are judged by the Ten Courts, and are assigned to reincarnation, reward, or punishment based on their earthly deeds. Youdu is where this bureaucracy operates. Think of it less like the Christian Hell and more like a supernatural courthouse with prisons attached.

Expected role in the game

Zhong Kui's entire mythology revolves around the underworld. His appointment as King of Ghosts happened in Youdu. His relationship with Yanluo Wang is based there. His army of 80,000 ghosts is stationed there. It would be hard to tell his story without it.

The Chinese New Year 2026 video hinted at underworld elements: a dark feast, a masked prisoner, and an atmosphere that felt distinctly afterlife-adjacent. Whether that footage represents actual Youdu locations is unclear, but the aesthetic fits.

Notable landmarks in mythology

• The Ten Courts Each presided over by a different Yama King who evaluates specific categories of sin.

• Naihe Bridge The three-tiered bridge all souls must cross. Those with heavy sins fall into the River of Oblivion.

• Meng Po's Pavilion, Where the goddess of forgetfulness serves her Five Flavored Soup to souls before reincarnation, erasing their memories of past lives.

• The Wheel of Reincarnation Overseen by King Zhuanlun Wang in the Tenth Court, sending souls into new bodies after judgment.

Any of these could make for game areas or narrative beats. The Chinese New Year video's cooking scenes may be a nod to Meng Po's soup tradition.