The Idea of an Underworld Bureaucracy

The eerie wind still howled through the mass grave, whipping up the withered yellow grass and causing it to surge back and forth.

Gao Yunyi sat atop the White Flood Dragon Divine Throne amidst the desolate graves, a Little Ten Thousand Souls Banner swirling with black smoke around him.

Beside him, a giant tiger, entirely black, lay prone on the ground, its fur as black as ink, its eyes half-closed, exuding a chillingly fierce Sha Qi.

At this moment, it was lazily sharpening its claws, occasionally glancing into the distance, its eyes filled with undisguised ferocity.

Behind Gao Yunyi, a snow-white Jiaolong emerged, its scales gleaming with a cold silver light in the night. The dragon raised its head high, its vertical pupils slowly turning, filled with indifference as it looked down upon all living beings.

A tiger and a dragon, one black and one white, Jingjing guarded his side.

Gao Yunyi sat with his chin resting on his hand, looking languid, and waited quietly.

Until the distant horizon, a thick, impenetrable black mist, accompanied by mournful wails, rapidly approached from afar, landing before the grave and transforming into a solidified ghostly figure.

After landing, Zhao Bufan's bloodshot eyes swept across what was in front of him, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

The first thing he saw was a giant, dark tiger, over ten feet tall, lying in the night.

The giant tiger raised its head, its beastly eyes, glowing with an eerie green light, staring straight at him, and a low roar rolled from its throat.

The roar, carrying a strong masculine energy, rushed towards him, causing even this vengeful ghost to involuntarily take a half-step back.

Immediately afterwards, he looked up and met the sight of the White Flood Dragon coiled and raised behind Gao Yunyi.

The White Flood Dragon slowly lowered its head, its cold, vertical pupils falling on him.

In that instant, Zhao Bufan felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, and a primal tremor rose from the depths of his soul.

The Jiaolong exhaled a wisp of white mist, which gently landed on his soul, seemingly freezing the surging resentment and yin Yin Qi around him.

"This, this is..."

Zhao Bufan's voice trembled slightly.

He had thought that the figure in blue robes he had seen tonight in front of the pile of rocks was the most mysterious and unpredictable being in the world.

But the Black Tiger and the White Flood Dragon before him at this moment were both telling him that this man's true strength far exceeded his imagination.

These two ferocious creatures alone are enough to plunge the world into chaos and overthrow dynasties.

And they were merely that person's mounts and pets.

Zhao Bufan dared not look at the two terrifying figures any longer. He suppressed his resentment and anger and bowed deeply to Gao Yunyi with utmost respect.

"Thank you for your mercy, Demon God, for allowing me to avenge my great grudge. It is you who bestowed upon me power and gave me the opportunity for revenge. From now on, this wretched soul of mine will be at your command, even unto death!"

Behind him, dozens of dazed and lifeless gray soul shadows floated Jingjing, like puppets on strings, completely devoid of independent consciousness.

Gao Yunyi glanced indifferently at the row of ghosts, then his gaze fell on Zhao Bufan, and a slight movement appeared in his eyes.

These souls were all members of the Zhou Family, forcibly drawn out by Zhao Bufan. Their souls were dim and devoid of intelligence, becoming nothing more than mindless and confused vengeful spirits.

The low-level soul soldiers used as substitutes for the Ten-Thousand-Souls Banner are acceptable, but they cannot support the core of the Law Treasure and cannot serve as the main soul.

He raised his hand slightly, and the Little Ten Thousand Souls Banner that surrounded him suddenly trembled. Thick black smoke surged out from the banner, swirling in the air and emitting the faint howls of thousands of ghosts.

The dozens of Yin spirits behind Zhao Bufan were instantly enveloped in black smoke and sucked into the Ten-Thousand-Souls Banner.

Your grudge is settled.

Gao Yunyi's voice was calm, revealing no emotion.

"You possess a rare power to capture souls. Ordinary vengeful ghosts only know how to devour and kill, but you alone can directly seize a person's soul. This ability is perfect for my use."

Zhao Bufan lay prostrate on the ground, his crimson ghostly eyes trembling slightly. He vaguely guessed what was going on and respectfully said:

"Please give your orders, my lord, and I will obey even at the cost of my life!"

"Enter my Ten-Thousand-Souls Banner, and become the master soul within it."

Gao Yunyi slowly opened his mouth:

"From this day forward, you will be the soul core of this banner, commanding countless vengeful spirits within. Your strength will also increase exponentially with the aid of this Law Treasure."

Zhao Bufan shuddered. Entering the banner as the main soul meant being eternally dependent on this Law Treasure, never to be separated again, which was equivalent to completely handing over his remnant soul.

But when he thought of the divine power of the Black Tiger and the White Flood Dragon he had just witnessed, and the fact that this Demon God could create vengeful ghosts and control yin energy with a flick of his hand, he felt no resistance whatsoever.

To be able to follow such a person and wield the power to collect souls is far better than being a aimless, wandering ghost.

He kowtowed heavily, his ghostly voice resolute:

"I am willing! I am willing to become the chief soul of the Ten-Thousand-Souls Banner, and will obey your orders to suppress countless evil ghosts Yin Spirits!"

As soon as he finished speaking,

Buzz--

The black smoke from the Ten-Thousand-Souls Banner surged, transforming into a massive black vortex, with a powerful suction force erupting from its opening.

Zhao Bufan stopped resisting, transformed into a black streak of light, and plunged into the black smoke.

Countless floating and roaring souls within the banner moved aside, automatically making way for the center.

Zhao Bufan's ghostly figure landed on the heart of the banner, and the crimson soul light slowly settled, merging with the Ten-Thousand-Souls Banner itself.

Within the banner, the thousands of soul howls that were originally just special effects illusions have now become incredibly real. Streams of Yin Sha Power emanate from the banner and spread outwards, no longer just an empty illusion of power.

[Law Treasure: Ten-Thousand-Souls Banner]

[Crafted from the dark, yin energy of the underworld, the remnants of countless corpses and souls, and tempered with thousand-year-old yin-scented wood, this banner of vengeful spirits is designed to capture souls. Its power is absolute, moving with the thought of its owner; as the banner unfurls, the wind rises, and a chilling aura sweeps across the land.]

[Skill: Soul Hooking and Spirit Seizing.]

[Skill Description: Relying on the power of the main soul within the banner, it remotely locks onto the target's soul, unleashing invisible chains of yin spirits to strip away the physical body and capture the soul.]

[Skill: Myriad Souls Tide Surge]

[Skill Description: Divine Sense draws upon countless remnant souls within the banner, transforming them into a boundless tide of souls that sweeps across all directions. This tide can devour the souls of living beings, dissipate Yin energy, and wherever it passes, the soul is wounded, and the physical body withers.]

[Skill: Dark Realm Gate.]

[Skill Description: The endless Yin Sha Power within the banner tears through space, opening a Netherworld gate at a designated location that connects to the Dark Realm. Enemies can be dragged into the Dark Realm and imprisoned for destruction.]

Seeing the changes in the Ten-Thousand-Souls Banner, Gao Yunyi slowly raised his hand and grasped the Little Ten Thousand Souls Banner that was floating in mid-air. His fingertips touched the banner.

He lowered his eyes and stared at the banner with billowing black smoke in his hand, a very interesting thought arising in his mind.

Originally, this world had no ghosts or demons; life and death were determined by fate. After death, the soul would scatter, and there was no reincarnation or judgment. In the end, good and evil would both turn into a handful of dust.

A wicked person commits evil deeds throughout their life, and upon death, all is over without any retribution; a virtuous person suffers throughout their life, and upon death, they vanish without a trace.

Heavenly Dao has no rewards or punishments, and there is no reincarnation in the human world.

Why not let him establish an order himself?

Gao Yunyi gazed at the dark land in the distance, and his thoughts gradually took shape in his mind.

Since he can create vengeful ghosts and possess the power to snatch souls, why doesn't he emulate the legendary Underworld Bureaucracy?

We will no longer let the wicked die without a fight, nor will we let the suffering die with nothing.

This is not a naturally formed underworld, but a human underworld created by him, controlled by the Ten-Thousand-Souls Banner, and with vengeful ghosts as messengers to collect souls.

He doesn't need to copy the legendary Ten Kings of Yanluo and the Judge of the Underworld system.

Everything is kept simple, with the Ten-Thousand-Souls Banner as the foundation. Zhao Bufan serves as the chief soul-collecting messenger, and subsequently, capable Yin souls are continuously recruited, each performing their own duties.

Soul-collecting, judgment, and suppression of evil spirits gradually built up a complete set of underworld regulations.

Isn't that interesting?