The bitter blood feud of the past, the resentment and rage he had once felt, all seemed to have gathered in those few words.
He had not forgotten his own death.
He had not forgotten the charges those nobles had once laid upon him.
Still less had he forgotten the oath he had sworn before his death!
Now, he had finally returned.
And what he had to do was carry on the judgment he had failed to complete in the past!
When the scene on the heavenly screen reached this point, another group of people on Douluo Star fell into utter panic.
They were the nobles who had once taken part in Zhong Tian's trial!
Although long years had passed, and those nobles no longer looked as young as they once had,
Some had graying hair, some had aged faces, and others had long since handed their family affairs over to the younger generation, retiring behind the walls of their grand estates to enjoy their twilight years.
But Soul Masters were different from ordinary people, after all.
As their cultivation advanced, they often lived far longer than ordinary people.
Even after decades, or longer, quite a few of those who had taken part in persecuting Zhong Tian were still alive.
Originally, they had long regarded what had happened back then as a thing of the past.
As far as they were concerned, Zhong Tian had been dead for years and could never threaten them again.
Besides, they had long since covered up that trial through various means.
As long as they did not bring it up themselves, no one would pursue the matter.
But now, as they saw Zhong Tian return on the heavenly screen with their own eyes, saw the judge who had once died a gruesome death seated at the judge's post, settling the sins of departed souls one by one, every one of them felt a chill deep in their bones.
"H-how is this possible?"
Inside a luxurious mansion, a white-haired nobleman shot to his feet.
He stared fixedly at the heavenly screen, the blood swiftly draining from his face.
Scene after scene from the trial platform seemed to rise before his eyes again.
That figure, tortured until he was covered in wounds, yet still refusing to submit.
That oath he found impossible to forget even now.
To the azure heavens above, to the Yellow Springs below!
He had thought it was nothing more than the impotent rage of a dying man.
But now...
It had not been the ravings of a man in despair.
It was an oath Zhong Tian truly meant to fulfill!
"No! That's impossible!"
In another mansion, a nobleman was so frightened that he staggered backward.
"He's dead! He was clearly dead! How could he come back?"
No one could answer his question.
But the scene on the heavenly screen had already given him the answer.
Zhong Tian had indeed died.
But now, he had become a judge of the Underworld!
More frightening still, he had not forgotten his old grudges after gaining a new identity.
On the contrary, that obsession had become one of the important reasons he wielded the power of judgment.
Those who had once taken part in persecuting him did not even know whether their names had already appeared in the Book of Life and Death.
Still less did they know when Zhong Tian would point the Judge's Brush at them!
Fear began to spread through the noble class.
Some summoned their family members overnight, trying to find a way to fight the Underworld.
Some began combing through old records, hoping to destroy any evidence they might have left behind.
Others simply shut their doors and stayed inside, not even daring to mention Zhong Tian's name again.
But no matter how they struggled, they could not change one fact.
The man they had personally sent to the execution grounds had returned!
And this time, he was no longer alone.
Behind him stood the entire Underworld!
The Divine Realm.
After watching what Zhong Tian had gone through in the past, Ma Hongjun could not help exclaiming,
"Zhong Tian is a real man!"
"He knew full well he was facing a group of nobles whose power reached the heavens, yet he still dared to stand up and judge evil."
"That courage alone is enough to earn my admiration!"
As soon as Ma Hongjun finished speaking, Dai Mubai whipped his head around.
"Ma Hongjun, what are you saying?"
"Zhong Tian is our enemy! How can you praise him in front of everyone?"
Dai Mubai's expression was decidedly ugly.
In his view, the rise of the Underworld had already threatened the Divine Realm's standing.
And Zhong Tian, ranked eighth on the Underworld Powerhouse Rankings, was a formidable enemy who could not be ignored.
Now Ma Hongjun had actually praised him openly. How could Dai Mubai accept that?
Beside them, Yu Xiaogang immediately assumed the manner of a teacher.
"Exactly! Dai Mubai has a point!"
"Ma Hongjun, you must distinguish friend from foe. No matter what Zhong Tian went through in the past, he is a member of the Underworld now!"
"There is a fundamental conflict between us and the Underworld. How can we forget where we stand because of what he went through in the past?"
Yu Xiaogang spoke with righteous indignation, as though he had already claimed the moral high ground.
Ma Hongjun was annoyed by what he heard.
It was not as if he did not know Zhong Tian belonged to the Underworld.
But did admiring a man's courage mean he intended to join him?
"Hmph!"
Ma Hongjun snorted coldly and turned his head away.
"I only said he was a real man. I never said I wanted to join the Underworld!"
"There are some things I'm not so blind that I can't see them clearly!"
Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened, and he clearly wanted to continue scolding him.
But just then, Tang San suddenly raised his head.
His gaze did not linger on Zhong Tian, but fell upon the panic-stricken nobles.
A strange glint gradually appeared in Tang San's eyes.
To him, Zhong Tian's strength was certainly something to fear.
But there was something else he cared about more.
Now, Zhong Tian's presence had thrown the nobles of Douluo Star into a panic.
These people possessed wealth, power, and all manner of resources, but now, fearing judgment from the Underworld, they urgently needed a new backer.
What if I take this chance to win them over?
At that thought, Tang San's mind sprang into motion.
If he could gather the strength of these nobles to his side, perhaps he could provide the Divine Realm with a group of people it could use.
He might even be able to use their influence on Douluo Star to expand his own influence further.
"Perhaps... this might be an opportunity."
Tang San murmured to himself.
Hearing him, Xiao Wu, who stood beside him, immediately looked at her Third Brother.
In only a moment, she guessed what Tang San was planning.
"Third Brother, do you want to use those nobles to fight the Underworld?"
Tang San did not answer immediately, merely nodding slowly.
But Xiao Wu frowned slightly.
"Those nobles include quite a few people who have committed all manner of evil themselves."
"If we really are going to work with them, we should at least be selective."
"Otherwise, if winning them over drags us into those sins, wouldn't the loss outweigh the gain?"
Xiao Wu's words were not particularly forceful, but they left Tang San silent for a brief moment.
Soon, however, he regained his composure.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
That was what Tang San said, but inwardly, he had already begun to plan.
No matter what, he had to find a way to fight the Underworld as soon as possible.
And those panic-stricken nobles might be just the opening he could exploit.
As the nobles of Douluo Star trembled with anxiety and everyone in the Divine Realm harbored their own thoughts, a grand voice finally rang out once more from the heavenly screen.
[Underworld Powerhouse Rankings, eighth place: Hell Judge Zhong Tian!] [First reward: Soul Power increased by four levels!] [Second reward: physical body reconstructed!] [Third reward: Good and Evil Reward and Punishment Token!] [Fourth reward: the right to travel freely to and from Douluo Star!]
As the four rewards were announced in succession, a brilliant netherworld radiance suddenly burst across the entire heavenly screen.
The rewards belonging to Hell Judge Zhong Tian had finally descended!