As the ancient Ferocious Beast in the heavenly screen opened its gaping, bloody maw, countless people witnessed the terrifying sight of it devouring heaven and earth.
The entire Douluo Continent erupted in an uproar in an instant!
Whether they were ordinary citizens of the Heaven Dou Empire, sect Soul Masters secluded within their mountain gates, or Titled Douluo who prided themselves on their extensive knowledge, all of them stared wide-eyed.
What had they just seen?
It had devoured countless souls in a single gulp!
Those were no ordinary Soul Beasts, much less mere apparitions that could be dispersed with a wave of the hand. They were evil souls, staggering in number!
Yet before that Ferocious Beast, the evil souls had been utterly powerless to resist. It was as though, once that enormous maw had locked onto them, they were destined to end up in its belly.
The sight was simply inconceivable!
"My heavens, what kind of monster is that?"
"The body of a sheep, the face of a man, the teeth of a tiger, and the claws of a man... Could that be the legendary Taotie?"
"Taotie devours heaven; nothing is beyond its appetite! If that truly is the legendary ancient Ferocious Beast, just what terrifying power does the Hell Judge Zhong Tian command?"
An elderly Soul Master gazed at the heavenly screen, his voice trembling slightly.
As a Soul Master who had cultivated for many years, he believed he had seen plenty of powerful Soul Skills and had heard many legends about ancient Ferocious Beasts.
Yet seeing with his own eyes a power capable of devouring countless souls still left him more shaken than ever before.
What was even harder to understand was that the Ferocious Beast did not exist independently.
Behind it stood a figure clad in a black judge's robe.
He held a Judge's Brush, with the Book of Life and Death hanging at his waist.
His eyes were deep as an abyss, as though they could see through the good and evil in all things.
The Hell Judge, Zhong Tian!
At that moment, everyone's attention was fixed on this ghost god of the Underworld.
They finally realized that the title of Hell Judge was no empty distinction.
Ranked eighth on the Underworld Powerhouse Rankings and possessing level 154 Soul Power, this being's strength was probably far beyond anything they had imagined!
"Devouring..."
A Soul Master murmured to himself, then suddenly jerked his head up as if a thought had struck him.
"Could it be that the source of Zhong Tian's power is devouring?"
At those words, the people around him fell deep into thought.
From the scenes the heavenly screen had shown earlier, Zhong Tian seemed capable of swallowing evil souls directly.
And the Taotie Ferocious Beast had not appeared merely to display its might.
If this power of devouring was connected to Zhong Tian's own cultivation, then everything seemed to make sense.
To ordinary Soul Masters, evil souls were a danger they could not avoid quickly enough.
But to Zhong Tian, these dreaded beings might not even be a threat.
They might even be a resource that could make him stronger and stronger!
At that thought, many Soul Masters sucked in a sharp breath.
If that really was the case, then the Hell Judge Zhong Tian's method of growing stronger was simply astonishing!
Others needed Soul Rings, resources, and long years of accumulation to cultivate.
But as long as Zhong Tian had enough evil souls, he could grow stronger by devouring them?
That was a completely different path of cultivation!
What's more, the one thing Douluo Star was probably not short of was the sin born from greed, hatred, and slaughter!
For a time, countless gazes grew increasingly fervent.
They feared Zhong Tian's strength, but they were also eager to learn just what trump cards this ghost god of the Underworld possessed.
The Divine Realm, Asura God Temple.
Tang San's expression had already changed when the Taotie Ferocious Beast appeared on the heavenly screen.
At first, Tang San had merely thought the Hell Judge's methods rather strange.
But when the scene of it swallowing countless souls in a single gulp appeared, he seemed to recall something, and a flicker of shock flashed through his eyes.
"Devouring souls and stealing spirits..."
Tang San murmured the words, his gaze fixed intently on the figure in the heavenly screen.
A moment later, he seemed finally to connect certain memories in his mind and could not help crying out in surprise.
"Zhong Kui?"
"Could this Hell Judge have something to do with Zhong Kui?"
As his words fell, the Shrek Seven Devils all turned to look at Tang San.
Xiao Wu could not help asking, "Brother, do you know this Hell Judge?"
Tang San slowly shook his head.
"I wouldn't say I know him. It's just that his name and abilities remind me of certain legends."
At this point, Tang San's expression grew increasingly grave.
"In those legends, Zhong Kui was no ordinary ghost god. He was a being responsible for driving out evil, suppressing ghosts, and punishing evil spirits."
"Now Zhong Tian is a Hell Judge, and he has a way to devour evil souls. He can even summon a Taotie Ferocious Beast... This power is not to be underestimated!"
Tang San said no more.
But that information alone was enough to make him realize how serious the problem was.
Black Impermanence Ghost Douluo could use the Soul-Summoning Banner to suppress ten thousand ghosts.
And this Hell Judge Zhong Tian could devour countless souls and might even be able to turn them into nourishment for his own growth.
Although their abilities differed, both possessed terrifying methods that targeted the soul.
If the Underworld had more powerhouses like them...
Tang San felt a chill slowly rise from the depths of his heart.
What could the Divine Realm possibly use to contend with the Underworld now?
"Hiss!"
Dai Mubai could not help sucking in a sharp breath.
"This Underworld is ridiculous! First Black and White Impermanence, and now a Hell Judge has popped up!"
"And this guy can even grow stronger by devouring evil souls!"
Zhu Zhuqing's brows were tightly knitted, her voice cool and clear.
"If his ability is really what we suspect, then the longer a battle drags on, the more dangerous it will probably become for his opponent."
"After all, no one knows how many evil souls he can devour or how much stronger he can become as a result."
Tang San's expression grew even uglier at her words.
He knew very well that Zhu Zhuqing's assessment was no alarmist talk.
Perhaps the best way to deal with such an opponent was to suppress him before he grew stronger.
But the question was, did the Divine Realm really have the ability to do that now?
Even Tang San himself had no answer.
In another temple in the Divine Realm.
The God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life were also watching the heavenly screen.
After they saw Zhong Tian summon the Taotie Ferocious Beast and devour every one of the countless souls, both God Kings wore complicated expressions.
Especially the God of Destruction.
As a God King who commanded the law of destruction, he had always believed that power was the foundation that determined everything.
Yet the ability Zhong Tian had displayed before him made him realize for the first time that strength was not measured solely by direct combat.
The ability to devour an enemy's power and even grow continually stronger through one's enemies-that was truly a headache!
"Terrifying."
The God of Destruction slowly uttered the word.
The Goddess of Life nodded gently, a trace of worry appearing in her beautiful eyes.
"If this Hell Judge really can keep growing by devouring evil souls, then as long as the Underworld has enough of them, his strength may continue to increase."
"Such an ability is far too well suited to the Underworld."
The Underworld already held sway over the netherworld, with the authority to seize souls, suppress ghosts, and judge the souls of the dead.
To other factions, those evil souls were a danger and a nuisance.
But to the Underworld, they could become a power to be put to use.
And Zhong Tian was clearly someone who had brought that advantage to its fullest!
The God of Destruction fell silent for a moment, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
"What a pity."
"If a powerhouse like him could stand on the Divine Realm's side, we would have a better chance of winning against other threats in the future."
With that, the God of Destruction could not help shaking his head.
They had originally planned to draw up a new plan to deal with the Underworld once the Divine Realm recovered its strength.
But now, whether that plan could even be put into action had become a huge question.
Powerhouses kept emerging from the Underworld, one after another.
Each one revealed was enough to make them reassess their own situation.
What's more, Zhong Tian had the ability to grow stronger through devouring.
If such a being were allowed to grow unchecked, what heights would the Underworld reach in the future?
The Goddess of Life looked at the God of Destruction and said softly, "Perhaps we really need to reconsider joining forces with Tang San."
The God of Destruction did not answer immediately.
But judging by his expression, he had clearly begun to give the possibility serious thought.
They were not the only ones.
The God of Evil and the Godess of Kindness had also realized that something was wrong.
Originally, they had thought that while the Underworld was powerful, it could not be so strong that it was impossible to resist.
But now, with Black and White Impermanence and the Hell Judge appearing one after another, that confidence had begun to waver.
They finally understood that it was no coincidence the Underworld had been able to frustrate Tang San time and again.
The foundations of this mysterious faction were far more terrifying than the Divine Realm had imagined!
And the scene on the heavenly screen continued.
As Taotie devoured countless souls, the figure in the judge's robe grew increasingly clear.
An ancient netherworld presence flowed around him, as though even the laws of heaven and earth were making way for him.
The next moment, the voice from the heavenly screen rang out again.
[To the Hell Judge Zhong Tian, sin was his finest nourishment.] [Or rather, the evil of sin and ghosts were the steps by which he continually advanced!] [This was also one of the abilities he took pride in!]