Zhong Tian

Biodata

Power Progression

Events from his mortal life and appointment are revealed through heavenly-screen flashbacks.

Background / History

Mortal Life and Persecution

Zhong Tian began as an ordinary commoner on Douluo Star. His cultivation allowed him to become a noble, initially giving him opportunities and resources unavailable to people of his birth. Exposure to noble society also revealed widespread oppression, concealed crimes, and officials who protected offenders rather than their victims 28.

Believing the existing rules could secure justice, he gathered evidence and brought influential wrongdoers to judgment. His early successes ended when his investigations implicated his superior and uncovered a network of nobles and officials who destroyed evidence and shielded one another. Refusing to abandon the investigation made Zhong Tian the target of a conspiracy 28.

The nobles tortured him and tried him on accusations of betraying the nobility, his family, and his kin. He rejected their claims and swore to pursue their crimes even beyond death. A Soul Master then executed him on the judgment platform 29 30.

Appointment to the Underworld

Chen Yuan appeared before Zhong Tian’s fading soul and offered him the office of judge. Zhong Tian accepted, pledging to vindicate wronged souls and punish the wicked. The Judge’s Divine Seal solidified his soul and established him as the Hell Judge 30 31.

In the Underworld’s hall of judgment, he examined crimes committed during life and exposed wrongdoing that mortal authorities had concealed. One case concerned a commoner murdered for witnessing a young noble’s abuse; the Book of Life and Death and Judge’s Brush revealed both the crime and its cover-up. Zhong Tian later declared that he had endured thirty years of hardship to pass judgment again 31.

Appearance

• Eyes: Described as deep as an abyss, giving the impression that they can discern good and evil 27.
• Beard: Frequently strokes the beard on his chin, including when enjoying praise from fellow deities 28 29.
• Clothing: Wears a pitch-black judge’s robe that first manifests during his divine appointment 31.
• Reconstructed body: His formerly illusory form becomes solid as netherworld energy and runes rebuild his bones and flesh 34.

Personality

Zhong Tian refuses to treat status, family loyalty, or superior strength as excuses for wrongdoing. Even torture and execution do not make him retract his accusations. As Hell Judge, he presents impartial judgment as an Underworld rule rather than merely a means of settling his personal grievances 29 30 34.

Outside the courtroom, he can be genial and visibly pleased with himself. Praise from other ghost deities prompts a smug, beard-stroking reaction that surprises Bibi Dong. He also reassures Qian Daoliu that he is not ungrateful and will remember his old friends 28.

His demeanor hardens when addressing offenders. He rejects the condemned nobles’ offers of wealth and promises of reform, judging their pleas to arise from fear of punishment rather than genuine remorse 39.

Abilities & Skills

Taotie Devours Heaven

A divine devouring ability associated with Zhong Tian’s Taotie Martial Soul 27 28.

• Manifests a ferocious Taotie described with a sheep’s body, human face, tiger’s teeth, and human claws 27.
• Devours evil souls; the heavenly-screen spectacle also shows it swallowing surrounding clouds 26 27.
• Converts sin and evil spirits into nourishment for continued advancement 27.
• Targets souls directly, making his abilities a particular concern to Tang San and the Divine Realm 27.

Judicial Authority

As Hell Judge, Zhong Tian examines the deeds of the dead and determines their treatment within the Underworld’s system 31.

• Uses the Book of Life and Death and Judge’s Brush to display a soul’s experiences and expose concealed crimes 31.
• Distinguishes wronged souls from offenders, including corrupt officials and murderous nobles 31.
• Must judge on conclusive evidence without favoritism toward rank or strength, as explicitly ordered by Chen Yuan 34.
• Does not oversee the final arrangements for reincarnation; that responsibility belongs to Meng Po 45.

Good and Evil Reward and Punishment Token

A black-and-white treasure awarded by the heavenly screen, also referred to as the Edict of Good and Evil, Reward and Punishment 34 37.

• Senses traces of good and evil when supplied with Zhong Tian’s divine power 35.
• Demonstrates a reach of one thousand li around the City of Wrongful Death during the first mortal tribunal 36 37.
• Draws souls into its judgment and reveals memories as visible scenes, bypassing destroyed records and concealed testimony 36 37.
• Exposes both virtuous deeds and wrongdoing; Zhong Tian delivers verdicts according to the evidence it reveals 37.
• Marks the condemned nobles’ crimes before their final punishment 39.

Access to the Eighteen Levels of Hell

• Opens a massive portal above the City of Wrongful Death to deliver the tribunal’s final punishments 39.
• Uses black chains to drag condemned souls into the Eighteen Levels of Hell 40.

Travel Between Worlds

• Receives the right to move freely between Douluo Star and the Underworld 34.
• Uses this access to return to the mortal world and conduct judgment in person 34.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Judge’s Divine Seal — Enters his fading soul during his appointment, stabilizing it and establishing his divine office 31.
• Book of Life and Death — Used to examine souls and reveal their experiences during judicial proceedings 31.
• Judge’s Brush — Accompanies the book in exposing crimes and carrying out judgment 31.
• Good and Evil Reward and Punishment Token — Heavenly-screen reward engraved with “Good” and “Evil” on opposite sides; assists in distinguishing deeds and enforcing rewards and punishments 34.

Relationships

• Chen Yuan — Sovereign and benefactor. Preserves Zhong Tian’s soul, appoints him Hell Judge, and entrusts him with demonstrating the Underworld’s impartial justice to the mortal world 30 31 34.
• Qian Daoliu — Old friend and fellow Underworld deity, addressed by Zhong Tian as Lord King Yama. Teases him about his ranking and supports his judicial role 28 29 36.
• Bibi Dong — Fellow deity serving as Meng Po. She recognizes the persecution behind his resolve; Zhong Tian, in turn, respects her indispensable authority over reincarnation 29 45.
• Yue Guan and Gui Mei — Fellow Underworld officials who support his return and agree that the Hell Judge should take the first step in the Underworld’s mortal-world rebuilding 33.
• Ma Hongjun — An opposing-camp admirer who openly praises Zhong Tian’s courage despite rebukes from Dai Mubai and Yu Xiaogang 32.
• Tang San — Political opponent who regards the tribunal as a threat to the existing order and seeks to recruit frightened nobles against the Underworld 38 40 41.
• The nobles who condemned him — Former persecutors. Several remain alive decades later and panic when they discover that he has returned with the Underworld’s backing 32.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Ranking Revelation

• The heavenly screen names Zhong Tian the Underworld’s eighth-ranked powerhouse and reveals his level 154 Soul Power 26.
• His devouring-based growth alarms the Divine Realm. The God of Destruction and Goddess of Life begin reconsidering cooperation with Tang San after witnessing his potential 27.
• The broadcast of his persecution wins sympathy from commoners and Soul Masters while exposing the nobles’ misuse of judicial power 28 29 30.

Return and the Noble Tribunal

• Chen Yuan dispatches him to judge proven wrongdoing without regard for an offender’s standing 34.
• He begins in the City of Wrongful Death, established on the former site of Spirit City, and extends the token’s scrutiny across the surrounding thousand li 34 36.
• The tribunal exposes crimes including a noble’s seizure of a poor family’s field and Soul Masters robbing and beating a vendor 37.
• He rejects the condemned nobles’ pleas and sends their souls into the Eighteen Levels of Hell, prompting public celebration and further panic among noble families 39 40.

Divine Realm Countermoves

• Tang San decides to offer threatened nobles protection, turning their fear of Zhong Tian into a recruitment opportunity 40 41.
• Yu Xiaogang subsequently contacts those factions to draw their wealth, Soul Masters, and connections into the Divine Realm’s camp 46.

Notable Quotes

“No matter what position they hold or how much power they wield, so long as they have committed sins, they must face the Underworld’s judgment!” 29

“Today, you can kill me, but you will never be able to prove yourselves right!” 30

“For thirty years I slept on brushwood and tasted gall, all so that I could pass judgment again!” 31