"From this day forth, our Underworld shall formally rebuild in the mortal world!"
As Black and White Impermanence's voices rang through heaven and earth, all of Douluo Star beneath the sky was shaken as never before.
Rebuild in the mortal world!
Those few words seemed to hold the power to change the balance of power across the continent.
For ordinary Soul Masters, they meant that an entirely new power was about to descend upon the mortal world.
But for the common folk who had long suffered oppression, those words meant far more than that!
They knew full well that the Underworld was home not only to a terrifying existence like the Great Emperor of Fengdu, but also to familiar powerhouses such as Spirit Hall's former Pope Bibi Dong, Great Enshrined Qian Daoliu, Yue Guan, and Ghost Douluo.
In other words, the Underworld as it stood was practically a continuation of Spirit Hall!
No, to be precise, it was an entirely new power that possessed Spirit Hall's foundations yet far surpassed it!
In the past, Spirit Hall had at least been held in check by numerous factions.
But what about the Underworld now?
The Great Emperor of Fengdu was unfathomable, Black and White Impermanence had both displayed God King Level power, and the Eighteen Levels of Hell had struck fear into the hearts of even the gods of the Divine Realm.
If such a power truly set foot in the mortal world, who could stop it?
"Good! That's wonderful!"
"Spirit Hall is finally coming back!"
"Hahahaha! This time, let's see how those high-and-mighty nobles keep bullying us!"
A ragged middle-aged man threw back his head and laughed, his eyes red with excitement.
Once, he too had dreamed of becoming a Soul Master, hoping to change his fate through Martial Soul Awakening.
But reality had dealt him a crushing blow.
With no background and no resources, he had struggled to obtain even the most basic cultivation conditions.
In the eyes of those nobles, ordinary people were nothing more than ants to be ordered about at will.
As for the so-called fairness?
Heh!
That was nothing but pretty words the strong used to whitewash themselves!
Yet Spirit Hall's existence had once given countless ordinary people at least a chance to change their fates.
Now that the Underworld had inherited part of Spirit Hall's foundations and possessed power far beyond what Spirit Hall once had, how could they not be excited?
"Let's go! We're going to Spirit City!"
"That's right! Since the Underworld is going to rebuild in the mortal world, we'll go there! Even if we can only lend a hand, we can't miss this chance!"
"I'm going too! Let's see how much longer those gods can keep acting so arrogant!"
More and more ordinary people began to take action.
Some packed their bags, some gathered friends and family, and others simply took what little they owned and headed toward the former site of Spirit City.
They wanted to become the Underworld's first followers in the mortal world.
Even more, they wanted to see with their own eyes whether the power that had once given countless ordinary people hope could burst into new life under the Underworld's power!
For them, this was not merely a change of powers.
It was also a chance to change their fates!
In stark contrast were the nobles and sect Soul Masters across the continent.
When they saw Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo wave the Soul-Summoning Banner and suppress countless evil souls in one stroke, the last trace of hope in their hearts was utterly shattered.
Those were countless evil souls!
Many among them were steeped in resentment and difficult to deal with.
Yet before Black Impermanence, those evil souls could not even put up a decent fight!
One sweep of the banner, and ten thousand ghosts were put to death!
Such strength was enough to drive people to despair.
More importantly, Black Impermanence and White Impermanence were only the Underworld's powerhouses who had already been revealed.
Above them sat Chen Yuan in the Fengdu Grand Hall!
If the Underworld had more beings like them...
At the thought, quite a few noble Soul Masters felt a chill run down their spines.
"Two God King Level powerhouses... Just what is the Underworld's origin?"
"Could Spirit Hall really have sought refuge with some existence beyond the Divine Realm after it was destroyed back then?"
"We're finished! If the Underworld reestablishes order, what will become of us?"
Some turned pale, some fell silent, and others had already begun secretly planning a way out.
They finally realized that the days when they could do as they pleased on the strength of their status and background were probably coming to an end.
And this was only the beginning!
Just as the various factions on Douluo Star were occupied with their own thoughts, a grand, icy voice suddenly rang out once more from the sky.
[Underworld Powerhouse Ranking, eighth place!] [Hell Judge-Zhong Tian!]
As the voice fell, the noisy continent fell somewhat quieter.
Another ghost god of the Underworld!
And one ranked eighth at that!
"Hell Judge?"
Someone repeated the name under their breath, their eyes full of confusion.
"Aren't judges responsible for judging the souls of the dead? How did one make it onto the Underworld Powerhouse Ranking?"
"Isn't that a stupid question? How could anyone the Underworld puts on its powerhouse ranking be ordinary?"
"But this time, he's ranked even higher than Black Impermanence! Could this Hell Judge be stronger than Black Impermanence?"
As the discussions continued, everyone's gaze remained fixed on the sky.
The Soul Masters who had only just come to fear the Underworld were especially eager to see every image that followed with perfect clarity.
After all, each time another Underworld powerhouse was revealed, everything they knew about this mysterious power was overturned.
No one knew how many more astonishing trump cards this power hidden in the depths of the netherworld still held!
The Divine Realm, Asura God Temple.
When he heard the name of Hell Judge Zhong Tian, Tang San could not help raising his head.
Another Underworld powerhouse!
And judging by the pattern of the previous revelations in the sky, this Hell Judge probably possessed terrifying strength as well.
Tang San's expression gradually grew grave.
He knew full well that the Divine Realm was no longer in a position to look down on the Underworld.
If they could not restore their strength and unite the forces within the Divine Realm soon, they would probably only find themselves increasingly on the defensive.
At that thought, Tang San turned to Yu Xiaogang.
"Teacher, there's something I need you to do."
Yu Xiaogang immediately perked up.
More than anything, Yu Xiaogang now wanted to see the Divine Realm united again.
After all, only if the Divine Realm possessed sufficient strength could he find some measure of security in the coming storm.
But before Tang San could finish, the voice from the sky rang out again.
[Hell Judge, Zhong Tian, ghost god of the Underworld!] [Soul Power Level: 154!]
Boom!
That single statement shook all of Douluo Star once again!
Level 154!
What did that mean?
Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo, revealed earlier, already possessed level 151 Soul Power and could suppress countless evil souls with his Soul-Summoning Banner.
Yet this Hell Judge Zhong Tian had reached the even more astonishing level 154!
A full three levels higher!
Although Soul Power Level could not entirely determine victory or defeat, when both possessed divine offices in the Underworld and special means, such a gap was still enough to make people's hearts tremble!
"This is madness! How many God King Level powerhouses does the Underworld have?"
"Black Impermanence was terrifying enough, and now a level 154 Hell Judge has appeared!"
"Could it be that God King Level powerhouses aren't even at the very top in the Underworld?"
Countless Soul Masters stared in disbelief.
If there were a few more powerhouses like him, who on all of Douluo Star could stand against the Underworld?
What about the Divine Realm?
At this moment, even the gods of the Divine Realm wore grave expressions.
The God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life exchanged a glance, each seeing deep apprehension in the other's eyes.
They had originally thought that what made the Underworld terrifying was the Great Emperor of Fengdu and powerhouses like Black and White Impermanence, who could dominate others at their level.
But now it seemed that the Underworld clearly possessed a more complete system of power!
Black and White Impermanence were responsible for collecting souls and suppressing ghosts.
Then what authority did this Hell Judge wield?
As everyone wondered, the next lines of text finally appeared in the sky.
[Taotie Devours Heaven, nothing is beyond its maw!] [Judging sin, with heaven and earth as witnesses!]
As the two lines appeared, the scene in the sky abruptly warped.
An indescribably fierce, baleful presence suddenly surged through the once-deep netherworld!
The presence was so terrifying that countless Soul Masters watching the sky fell under an illusion.
It was as though an ancient Ferocious Beast that had slumbered for endless ages was slowly awakening at this very moment!
The next instant, an immense black shadow emerged from the depths of the void.
A sheep's body and a human face, a tiger's teeth and human claws!
Its body was so enormous that it almost filled the entire sky!
Boundless ferocity turned into billowing black clouds that swirled around the figure.
A pair of scarlet eyes slowly opened, as though they could see through everything in heaven and earth.
Then the figure opened its enormous, bloody maw!
It swallowed heaven and devoured earth!
An endless suction force erupted!
The countless souls floating in the sky were forcibly dragged toward the beast's mouth before they could even scream!
Soul after soul vanished in succession.
Cloud after dark cloud was devoured.
Even the surrounding space seemed to warp beneath that terrifying maw!
In an instant, the countless souls were swallowed whole!
Heaven and earth fell silent.
Only the ancient Ferocious Beast's figure remained, looming in the heavens and radiating a pressure that made souls tremble!
Behind the Ferocious Beast, a figure in black judge's robes slowly emerged.
He held a judge's brush, with the Book of Life and Death hanging at his waist.
His gaze was icy, his expression solemn.
He merely stood there in silence, yet he seemed capable of judging every sin under heaven!
Hell Judge, Zhong Tian!
Taotie Devours Heaven, nothing is beyond its maw!
At this moment, the entire Douluo Continent erupted!