When the voice of Chen Yuan, the Great Emperor of Fengdu, rang across the sky, countless citizens and low-ranking Soul Masters on Douluo Star immediately erupted with excitement.
They gazed at the figure wielding the authority to judge in the image, as though, amid boundless darkness, they had finally seen a ray of light illuminating the path ahead.
In the past, Zhong Tian, the Hell Judge, had been a Soul Master of humble birth who became a noble through his own efforts, only to be persecuted by the combined forces of the powerful because he insisted on judging evil.
He had done nothing wrong, yet he was branded a traitor to his family and companions, ultimately dying a tragic death on the execution platform.
But now, the Great Emperor of Fengdu had appeared in person. Not only had he kept Zhong Tian's obsession from fading, but he had also given him a chance to return!
What did that mean?
It meant that the nobles who had once used their power to bully others would finally face true judgment!
"Good! That's wonderful!"
"Hahaha, heaven has eyes! Someone is finally going to deal with those scoundrels who committed every evil!"
"Long live Lord Zhong Tian! Long live the Underworld!"
"I'd like to see whether those nobles who usually lord it over everyone can still put on those high-and-mighty faces when Lord Zhong Tian comes knocking!"
In streets and alleys everywhere, countless citizens could not help cheering at the top of their lungs.
Some Soul Masters who had suffered oppression at the hands of nobles even felt their eyes redden.
Among them were those who had lost cultivation resources for offending nobles, those forced to bow their heads because their families were weak, and those who possessed some strength yet still dared not seek justice from those overwhelmingly powerful people.
After all, on Douluo Star in the past, strength had certainly mattered, but birth and background could likewise determine a person's fate.
Even if ordinary Soul Masters managed to make a breakthrough by luck, they might still be unable to stand against the deeply rooted, entangled forces of the nobility.
But now, things finally seemed to be different.
The appearance of the Underworld had shown them another possibility.
The possibility of no longer having to endure oppression because of their lowly status, or give up seeking justice because their opponents wielded overwhelming power!
To these people living at the bottom of society, Zhong Tian had long been more than a name.
He was more like the upright magistrate they longed for in their hearts!
"Lord Zhong Tian, you must stand up for us!"
"Those villains will have to repay their debts sooner or later!"
"I refuse to believe they can remain beyond the law forever!"
As voices rang out one after another, it was as though a towering wave had swept across all of Douluo Star.
And amid everyone's anticipation, the image in the sky changed again.
Zhong Tian, as he had been in the past, stood before Chen Yuan.
Facing the Great Emperor of Fengdu from the depths of the netherworld, Zhong Tian accepted his invitation without the slightest hesitation.
"I, Zhong Tian, am willing to take up the office of judge and pass judgment on the evils of this world!"
"I wish to see wronged souls vindicated and wicked souls punished!"
"From this day forth, even should mountains and rivers collapse and the netherworld fall silent forever, I will never fail the name of judge!"
As Zhong Tian's voice fell, billowing netherworld Qi suddenly swept across heaven and earth.
A Judge's Divine Seal condensed from the void and became a streak of light, entering the depths of Zhong Tian's soul.
In an instant, heaven and earth changed color!
His soul, which had been on the verge of dissipating, solidified once more. A pitch-black judge's robe slowly appeared in the ghostly light, followed by the Book of Life and Death and the Judge's Brush.
Zhong Tian, who had once died a tragic death under the judgment of the nobles, had gained an entirely new identity!
Hell Judge!
From that day on, he was no longer merely an ordinary Soul Master powerless to change his fate.
As a ghostly deity of the Underworld, he would once again set foot on the path he had once been unable to finish!
And for the countless souls who had died bearing grievances, this meant something more.
They finally had a chance to obtain justice for themselves!
[From this moment on, Zhong Tian officially became the Hell Judge!] [From then on, he began to carry out his duties, examining the sins souls had committed in life, distinguishing good from evil and right from wrong, and vindicating those who had died unjustly!] [The good could rest in peace, while the wicked would surely be punished!] [And this was precisely the purpose of Zhong Tian's existence as the Hell Judge!]
The majestic voice from the sky echoed through every corner of Douluo Star.
Immediately afterward, the image abruptly changed.
A gloomy, solemn hall of judgment appeared before everyone's eyes.
Ghostly flames flickered along both sides of the hall.
Countless souls stood in a long line. Some looked sorrowful, some were filled with resentment, and others trembled over the sins they had committed in life.
On the raised platform, Zhong Tian sat upright in the judge's seat, the Book of Life and Death in his hand and his gaze blazing like a torch.
"Soul before this court, state your name!"
At Zhong Tian's stern shout, the entire hall of judgment fell silent.
A soul stepped forward, trembling, and recounted what had happened to him in life.
He had been an ordinary commoner, but after accidentally witnessing a young noble bullying the people, he had been killed to silence him.
After death, he could not accept his fate. His resentment lingered for a long time, and he eventually became a wronged soul, wandering the mortal world.
In the past, he had nowhere to appeal for justice.
Now, he finally stood before the Hell Judge!
Zhong Tian opened the Book of Life and Death and pointed the Judge's Brush into the air.
In an instant, everything the soul had experienced in life appeared.
Who had oppressed the people, who had committed evil in secret, and who had destroyed the evidence afterward and shielded the criminal-all became perfectly clear.
Zhong Tian's expression gradually darkened.
"You used your power to bully others and murder an innocent in life, and even after death, you know no remorse!"
"How could such sins be treated lightly?"
"Guards, pass judgment according to the law!"
As the sentence was handed down, the clatter of chains rang out beyond the hall.
The soul stared blankly at Zhong Tian, an expression of disbelief finally appearing on his face, which had been full of resentment.
He had waited too long.
So long that even he had nearly forgotten why he had died.
Now, at last, someone was willing to listen to him, willing to uncover the truth, and willing to uphold justice for him!
"Thank you, Lord Judge!"
The soul fell to his knees, his voice trembling.
Zhong Tian merely waved a hand.
"The Underworld will investigate the injustice you suffered."
"Good and evil each meet their recompense; cause and effect never come to nothing. Go in peace."
As his words fell, the resentment surrounding the soul gradually dispersed. The soul became a wisp of clear light and slowly left the hall of judgment.
Scenes like this did not appear just once.
Next, the sky showed one scene after another of Zhong Tian judging souls.
There were corrupt officials who had oppressed the people and whose crimes were finally brought to light.
There were young nobles who had used their power to kill and still tried to use their family backgrounds to escape judgment after death, only for Zhong Tian to expose them on the spot.
There were even wicked souls who had committed countless evils in life and continued to argue in their own defense after death, only to lose all courage to resist when faced with the ironclad evidence in the Book of Life and Death.
No matter who they had been in life.
No matter how much wealth and power they had once possessed.
In the Underworld's hall of judgment, they all had to answer for what they had done!
The Judge's Brush in Zhong Tian's hand was the judgment they could not escape!
Scene after scene made the blood of the people on Douluo Star boil.
"Good! That's how it should be!"
"Hahaha, even those villains have finally seen this day!"
"I knew Lord Zhong Tian wouldn't let us down!"
Many low-ranking Soul Masters stared intently at the sky, as though afraid of missing even the smallest detail.
They had never imagined that souls could receive such justice after death.
Still less had they imagined that Zhong Tian, who had once been driven into a dead end by the nobles, would return in this way.
And within the hall of judgment, Zhong Tian's voice rang out once more.
"For thirty years I slept on brushwood and tasted gall, all so that I could pass judgment again!"
Boom!
Those words seemed to carry boundless power, crashing into the hearts of countless people.
Thirty years of sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall!
All to pass judgment again!