As the vision of the Eighteen Levels of Hell gradually faded, the gloomy clouds that had shrouded the sky finally began to change once more.
A vast torrent of golden light poured down from the depths of the sky.
Mysterious runes intertwined in the void, as though supreme laws were rearranging themselves, causing heaven and earth to tremble.
Then that magnificent, majestic voice rang out once again across the Douluo Continent and the Divine Realm.
[Ninth place: Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo!] [Congratulations to the ranked individual on receiving the following rewards!] [Reward one: Soul Power increased by one level!] [Reward two: Soul-Summoning Banner upgraded!] [Reward three: physical body reconstructed!] [Reward four: the right to travel freely to and from Douluo Star!] [Reward five: special talent-Soul Devouring!]
Boom!
The instant the final reward was announced, the light in the sky blazed.
Countless gazes turned in unison toward the figure clad in black Impermanence robes, a Soul-Summoning Banner in his hand.
Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo!
The former elder of Spirit Hall, now a Yin God of the Underworld, had finally received his own rewards!
And just as when Yue Guan had received his rewards, the rewards this time shook countless people to the core.
Soul Power increased by one level!
The Soul-Summoning Banner upgraded!
A reconstructed physical body!
Free passage to and from Douluo Star!
And on top of all that, the mysterious Soul Devouring talent!
The first few rewards alone were enough to make countless Soul Masters green with envy.
What was more, Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo had already displayed formidable means of suppressing countless evil souls.
In the vision of the Eighteen Levels of Hell, he had needed only a gentle wave of his Soul-Summoning Banner to capture countless evil souls and send them to the Underworld for punishment.
Such strength had already struck fear into countless experts on the Douluo Continent.
If the rewards from the sky strengthened him further, just how powerful would Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo become?
No one could answer.
But everyone understood one thing.
Black Impermanence could never remain at his former level now!
"More rewards!"
In a city on the Douluo Continent, a young Soul Master couldn't help crying out in alarm.
"White Impermanence Yue Guan was already ridiculously strong, and now Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo has received rewards too. Just how many experts does the Underworld have?"
"An increase of one level in Soul Power is one thing, but even the Soul-Summoning Banner can be upgraded!"
"The most important rewards are the reconstructed body and the right to travel freely to and from Douluo Star!"
At that point, the Soul Master's voice grew noticeably more excited.
"Does that mean Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo can return to the Douluo Continent, just like White Impermanence Yue Guan?"
At those words, the people around him immediately caught on.
That was right!
A reconstructed physical body meant that Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo would have the foundation he needed to return to the mortal world.
And the right to travel freely to and from Douluo Star opened the connection between the Underworld and the Douluo Continent completely!
This was more than just an increase in one person's strength.
It meant the experts of the Underworld could finally appear on the Douluo Continent more freely!
If Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo returned one after another, and with those former Spirit Hall experts in the Underworld, could Spirit Hall's revival be far off?
At that thought, the gazes of countless ordinary people grew fervent.
"Good! That's wonderful!"
"I knew Spirit Hall would never disappear so easily!"
"White Impermanence has already appeared, and now Black Impermanence is returning to Douluo Star too. It seems the day Spirit Hall rises again really isn't far off!"
"As long as Spirit Hall can come back, ordinary Soul Masters like us will have hope again!"
Cries rang out through the crowd.
Some were beaming with excitement, some clenched their fists, and others gazed at the sky as though they could already see Spirit Hall standing tall on the continent once more.
To these ordinary people, Spirit Hall had never been merely a Soul Master faction.
It had once given countless commoners the chance to awaken their Martial Souls, and given Soul Masters without powerful backgrounds a path to climb.
Even if Spirit Hall had made mistakes, that could not erase the mark it had left in many people's hearts.
And now, the Underworld's appearance seemed to have given that hope a chance of becoming reality once more.
Their conviction only grew stronger after they saw Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo display strength surpassing what they had possessed before, one after the other.
Spirit Hall had not vanished completely.
Those once-familiar figures had not truly left this world.
They had merely continued to exist in the Underworld in another form!
If the Underworld truly returned to the Douluo Continent, then an unprecedented upheaval would surely await the entire continent.
For those sects that had once stood high above everyone else, it might not be good news.
After all, no one could guarantee that Spirit Hall would not settle old scores once it returned.
For a time, the rulers of the major factions fell silent.
They gazed at the rewards in the sky, each making their own calculations.
Some worried, some were wary, and others began to consider how they should face the Underworld experts who were about to return.
But no matter how they pondered, they could not change one fact.
The Underworld had become a colossus the Douluo Continent could not ignore!
One could even say that, among all the factions that had revealed themselves so far, the Underworld had displayed enough strength and depth to make the entire continent take notice.
And it was not the Underworld's existing power that truly unsettled the many experts.
It was how many trump cards the Underworld had yet to reveal!
As the various factions on the Douluo Continent entertained their own thoughts, the Shrek Seven Devils' expressions turned particularly grim in the Divine Realm.
Tang San's most of all.
After hearing the five rewards announced by the sky, he fell silent for a moment.
For an ordinary Soul Master, an increase of one level in Soul Power might have been no more than an improvement in strength.
But for Ghost Douluo, who had already reached the God King level, what did that one-level increase mean?
Not to mention that the Soul-Summoning Banner was already the core magical artifact Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo used to suppress evil souls.
Now that the artifact had been strengthened once more, Ghost Douluo's way of fighting would surely change as well.
And the Soul Devouring talent gave Tang San a faint sense of foreboding.
Soul Devouring!
Those two words alone were enough to bring countless terrifying possibilities to mind.
If the talent could strengthen Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo's control over souls, then against such an enemy, relying solely on divine power in a direct clash might not give them an advantage.
His earlier fight with Yue Guan had already cost Tang San dearly.
Now Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo had received rewards from the sky, and his strength was sure to rise again.
Tang San had to admit that his earlier assessment of the Underworld might have been wildly off the mark.
"Alas..."
Tang San slowly closed his eyes and couldn't help letting out a sigh.
"As expected, what had to come has come."
He had hoped to find the Underworld's weakness in their next confrontation.
But now, it seemed that would not be so easy.
Yue Guan was already difficult enough to deal with.
And Ghost Douluo had been strengthened in every respect.
If the Underworld's other ghost gods possessed similar means, then even if the Shrek Seven Devils joined forces, they would probably struggle to gain the upper hand.
At that thought, Tang San's expression grew increasingly grave.
Beside him, Xiao Wu noticed the change in his mood and couldn't help taking his hand.
"Third Brother..."
Tang San forced a faint smile, but offered no words of comfort.
He knew very well that the situation no longer allowed him to remain blindly optimistic.
"It seems we have to find a solution as soon as possible."
Tang San spoke in a low voice.
Before anyone could respond to Tang San's words, however, another voice suddenly rang out.
"What is there to fear?"
Everyone turned toward the voice and saw Yu Xiaogang slowly step forward.
Yu Xiaogang had also been shaken by the vision of the Eighteen Levels of Hell, but compared to before, his face now bore a measure of unusual resolve.
"So what if the gods of the Underworld are strong?"
Yu Xiaogang raised his head and swept his gaze over the Shrek Seven Devils, his voice growing increasingly impassioned.
"I refuse to believe that with so many gods of our Divine Realm joining forces, we could lose to a mere Underworld!"
The Shrek Seven Devils were stunned by his words.
Even Tang San had not expected his teacher to say such a thing at a time like this.
Yu Xiaogang, however, seemed not to notice their surprise.
He took a deep breath and continued.
"Everyone, think carefully!"
"The Underworld is indeed powerful, and White Impermanence Yue Guan and Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo do indeed possess power beyond our expectations."
"But what does that prove?"
"Just because they're powerful, should we admit defeat and let the Underworld do as it pleases with us?"
Yu Xiaogang's voice rose higher and higher.
"Absolutely not!"
"Our Divine Realm has many God Kings, as well as a system of order maintained by countless gods together!"
"As long as everyone unites, we may yet find the Underworld's weakness!"
His words were so fervent and impassioned that the Shrek Seven Devils present were left speechless for a moment.
Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang's eyes flashed with self-satisfaction.
He had finally found his chance!
When faced with Yue Guan and the Eighteen Levels of Hell earlier, Yu Xiaogang had indeed been filled with fear.
The thought that the Underworld might judge him an evil soul had left him particularly anxious.
But after a brief moment of thought, Yu Xiaogang realized that there seemed to be another path open to him.
Since he could not change the Underworld's strength, he should find a way to unite more forces.
As long as the Divine Realm was willing to stand together, it might yet be able to contend with the Underworld!
Moreover, if they could bring the Douluo Continent within the Divine Realm's sphere of influence and gain more resources and faith, they would have an even greater advantage.
The more Yu Xiaogang thought about it, the more convinced he became that his idea was absolutely right.
"We can't keep sitting here waiting to die!"
Yu Xiaogang raised his arm and cried out.
"The Douluo Continent has already changed because of the Underworld's appearance."
"Those ordinary people and low-level Soul Masters are placing their hopes in Spirit Hall again!"
"If this continues, sooner or later the Underworld will gain complete control of the Douluo Continent!"
"When that happens, how will our Divine Realm maintain its position?"
At those words, Tang San's gaze changed.
What Yu Xiaogang had said was indeed a problem.
The relationship between the Underworld and Spirit Hall had become one of the most important variables in the current situation.
If Spirit Hall rose again, backed by the Underworld's power, the balance of power on the Douluo Continent would surely be turned upside down.
And if the Divine Realm remained silent, it would probably find itself increasingly on the back foot.
"Teacher, you mean..."
Tang San spoke slowly.
Yu Xiaogang immediately turned to him, his expression solemn.
"Unite every force we can!"
"We must make the people of the Douluo Continent understand that the Divine Realm is their true future!"
"Only by making the Douluo Continent our foundation and gathering every resource we can use will we have the means to contend with the Underworld!"
As Yu Xiaogang spoke, it was as though he could already see their future victory.
"The Underworld is indeed powerful, but they are our enemies all the same!"
"As long as we can unite, we may yet have a chance to turn defeat into victory!"
It had to be said that his words touched on exactly what troubled Tang San most.
Faced with an unfathomable enemy, fear alone served no purpose.
If they wanted to change the situation, they had to act.
And Yu Xiaogang's idea of allying with the Divine Realm and winning over the Douluo Continent had indeed shown Tang San a path worth trying.
"Good!"
Tang San finally nodded.
"Teacher, you're right."
"We have no way back now. We must act as soon as possible!"
Hearing Tang San approve of his idea, Yu Xiaogang was immediately reinvigorated.
He hurried to strike while the iron was hot, elaborating on his plan.
"In that case, we can't continue fighting on our own!"
"First, we must make the gods of the Divine Realm understand the threat the Underworld poses and secure the support of more gods."
"Second, we must establish contact with the various forces on the Douluo Continent as soon as possible. We can't just stand by and watch them all side with the Underworld!"
"Finally, we must find the Underworld's weaknesses. Only by understanding their system of power will we have a chance of truly standing against them!"
Yu Xiaogang grew more excited as he spoke, as though he had already become the strategist directing the Divine Realm's affairs.
Though the Shrek Seven Devils were still somewhat worried, they had to admit that Yu Xiaogang's proposal had at least pointed them in a direction.
And so, with Tang San's approval, the Shrek Seven Devils finally began to act.
They decided to stop merely watching the heavenly screen passively and instead take the initiative to find a way to deal with the Underworld.
As for whether the plan would ultimately succeed, no one could answer that yet.
But at least for now, the Divine Realm was no longer content to sit and wait for death.
And just as Tang San and Yu Xiaogang were discussing countermeasures, the rewards from the heavenly screen finally began to be delivered.
Inside the Fengdu Grand Hall.
Netherworld Qi surged, and ten thousand ghosts bowed their heads.
Chen Yuan sat upright on the throne, his expression calm as he looked down at the gods in the hall.
Below him in the grand hall, Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo held the Soul-Summoning Banner, quietly waiting for the heavenly screen's reward to descend.
The next moment, a vast pillar of light descended from the heavenly screen, piercing straight through layer upon layer of space and falling upon Ghost Douluo.
A tremendous force swept through the entire Fengdu Grand Hall in an instant!
Ghost Douluo's presence suddenly surged, and his once chilling, profound divine power became even more concentrated at that moment.
At the same time, the Soul-Summoning Banner in his hand began to change as well.
The eerie patterns that had once been barely visible on the banner gradually grew distinct, and countless illusory figures of evil souls appeared within it, as though a netherworld were slowly awakening!
As the power of the reward continued to pour into him, Ghost Douluo felt an unprecedented change.
His Soul Power increased.
The power of the Soul-Summoning Banner was enhanced.
His divine body, which had already been reforged, also grew sturdier under the influence of the heavenly screen's power.
Most importantly, the special talent known as Soul Devouring was quietly awakening in the depths of his soul!
Ghost Douluo slowly raised his head, a dark light flashing in his eyes.
He could clearly feel that his perception and control of souls had entered an entirely new realm.
It was as though the souls between heaven and earth had all become clearer to him.
With the Soul-Summoning Banner in hand, he could more easily discern the presence of evil souls and even turn the suppressed evil souls into part of his own power.
This was the Soul Devouring talent!
And at that moment, Ghost Douluo finally understood what the reward bestowed upon him by the heavenly screen truly meant.
He slowly raised his head and looked toward Chen Yuan on the throne.
Then Ghost Douluo cupped his fists and bowed respectfully.
"Great Emperor, allow me to take my leave."