My son is about to break through.

Chapter 617 Changes in the Underworld

In the vast and boundless chaotic void, the flames of war have temporarily subsided.

Shattered stars, floating corpses, and turbulent energy currents that have not yet fully subsided silently tell the story of the devastation of the great battle that took place not long ago.

The expeditionary force of the Xuantian Immortal Dynasty is currently resting in this star field stained with blood.

Enormous warships hovered in the void, like lurking beasts, their hulls covered with traces of battle and still-dried divine blood.

Although they won the victory, the Immortal Dynasty also paid a heavy price and needs time to heal its wounds and recover.

Now that the Seven Deadly Sins God Kingdom's allied forces have been defeated and the surrounding evil god forces are terrified, they dare not invade again for a short time, and the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty has gained a precious respite.

While the army outside was resting, deep within the Immortal Realm Palace, Gu Qingfeng's mind had already sunk into the depths of his sea of consciousness, into the underworld he controlled, which was constantly evolving and improving.

The underworld today, compared to when he last observed it closely, has undergone earth-shattering changes in scale and atmosphere.

If we say that the newly formed Underworld was only powerful enough to barely suppress an Eight Tribulation Celestial Venerable, then...

Now, in Gu Qingfeng's perception, this Netherworld has become stable and powerful enough to directly rival the level of an ordinary Nine Tribulation Heavenly Venerable, and the Netherworld Dao contained within it is even more complete.

The reason why the Underworld was able to achieve such rapid growth in such a short period of time lies in Gu Qingfeng's large-scale conquest and slaughter of the evil god clan during this period.

In every war, countless evil gods perish.

Their fates can be broadly divided into two types.

A portion of the evil gods' souls were directly devoured by the River of the Underworld, transforming into nourishment for the Underworld.

Meanwhile, another group of evil gods, especially those with heinous sins, were directly sent to the underworld by Gu Qingfeng to suffer hellish punishments. Their sins and soul power were absorbed by the underworld during the punishment process, becoming the foundation and resources for their growth.

While the sins of a single low-level evil god may not be too many, their sheer number is simply too enormous!
As the saying goes, little by little, great things are achieved; and many grains of sand can be piled up to form a tower!

Gu Qingfeng has slain countless evil gods in this campaign.

This way.

The steady growth of the underworld was a natural consequence.

A glance across the underworld reveals a well-ordered system, which has already begun to form a complete ruling system.

The number of ghost soldiers has exceeded one hundred million!
The number of ghost generals has reached a million!

The number of the unpredictable underworld officials responsible for taking souls, judging good and evil, reaches over a thousand.

The four judges and twelve underworld generals at the higher level are now all present!

however.

At the very top of the underworld's power, the position of the Ten Kings of Hell, symbolizing supreme judgment and rule, has so far been occupied only by King Qin Guang of the First King.

The remaining nine positions of Yama, the King of Hell, remain vacant.

This is not because the underworld is weak, but because the positions of the Ten Kings of Hell are of utmost importance, as they relate to the very lifeline of the underworld and the distribution of the Great Dao's authority.

To be promoted to Yama and take charge of a court, ordinary people are destined to be unqualified.

Nowadays, although Gu Qingfeng basically doesn't directly interfere in the specific affairs of the Underworld, letting it evolve and develop on its own, he has been secretly paying attention to the changes within the Underworld and those outstanding Yin Gods.

Among the many underworld officials, judges, and even underworld generals, he did indeed see some who had potential and might be qualified to compete for the position of Yama in the future.

However, this matter is of great importance and still requires careful investigation and prudent decision-making.

The position of Yama, the King of Hell, should be left vacant rather than filled with unqualified individuals.

"The Underworld is now comparable to a Nine Tribulation Celestial Venerable, and as a foundation and support, it is already powerful enough. However, if it truly wants to step into the realm of immortality and become an existence capable of influencing supreme combat power, it still has a long way to go!" Gu
Qingfeng thought to himself, having a clear understanding of this.

But he was in no hurry.

The Underworld is currently in a golden period of steady improvement. As long as it continues to conquer evil gods, provides them with nourishment, and gives them time to settle and evolve, then in his view, advancing to a level comparable to immortality in the future is not a problem at all.

Of course.

If we're talking about comparing it to the old underworld at its peak, the difference is enormous.

After all, during its most prosperous period, the Old Underworld contained a large number of beings at the Immortal level.

Besides the mysterious and unpredictable Lord of Mount Tai and the Ten Kings of Hell, Gu Qingfeng even suspected that there might be other unknown immortal Yin gods in the old underworld.

Such a force, placed in the modern era, is simply astonishing.

It should be noted that the existing evil god race only has thirteen immortal god lords in charge on the surface.

On the human side, including the Ziwei Heavenly Emperor, there are only about nine known immortal beings.

This shows just how terrifying the old underworld was during its heyday.

Although the current underworld is growing rapidly, the accumulation and time required to develop to the level of glory and prosperity of the old underworld will be an astronomical figure, and it cannot be achieved overnight.

unless--

The underworld has the opportunity to devour the souls of several truly immortal beings, allowing the sins accumulated by the immortal celestial beings over countless eras to become the ultimate nourishment for the underworld's advancement!
Therefore, the growth of the underworld will surely usher in a qualitative leap, enough to save hundreds of millions of years of accumulation time and directly skip several levels.

After all, any immortal being is an ancient being that has lived for countless years.

They overlook the changing of eras and wield the power of the Great Dao. The karmic force they are tainted with is destined to be astonishing.

At that level, often there is no need to deliberately do evil; a mere fluctuation of a thought or a manifestation of the Great Dao can indirectly lead to the collapse of a celestial realm.

If he were to personally take action, even just a slight aftershock of his power would be enough to shatter countless immortal realms into dust and instantly annihilate billions of living beings.

It can be said.

The sins borne by each immortal are no less than those of the stars themselves; they are karma powerful enough to engulf the entire cosmos.

If the underworld could swallow an immortal being, the benefits would be self-evident.

but.

Gu Qingfeng was also aware that this idea was just a thought at the moment.

To suppress an immortal being, one must send him to the underworld to suffer punishment.

The difficulty involved is self-evident.

The Immortal Celestial Venerable is an existence that has merged with the Dao, and in a sense, its life form is infinitely close to the level of immortality.

Aside from the Immortal God Tribulation and the legendary Transcendence Tribulation, there are few forces in the universe capable of threatening immortal life.

The difficulty of killing or even capturing an immortal being is as high as ascending to heaven.

and so.

Gu Qingfeng chuckled to himself, thinking that if one day he were truly qualified to send an immortal being to the underworld...

At that time, his own strength and realm had probably already reached the pinnacle, and he might no longer need to rely too much on the power of the underworld.

This is a seemingly contradictory, yet realistic, cycle.

After quietly observing the underworld for a long time, feeling its increasingly perfect rules and vigorous vitality, Gu Qingfeng nodded in satisfaction, and then his mind slowly withdrew and returned to his body.

……

A month later.

Steady footsteps echoed outside the main hall of the palace. Luo Tian strode into the hall and bowed to Gu Qingfeng, who was sitting at the head of the table with his eyes closed in meditation.

"Your Majesty, the Holy Lord Taiyi is outside requesting an audience!"

"The Holy Lord of Taiyi?"

Gu Qingfeng slowly opened his eyes, his expression shifting slightly. Luo Tian respectfully continued his report: "Your Majesty, according to intelligence gathered from various sources, not long ago, the Taiyi Holy Land, which borders our Immortal Dynasty's territory, suddenly mobilized a large army, dividing its forces into several routes to launch a fierce crackdown on several evil god forces entrenched behind and on the flanks of the Immortal Dynasty's army."

This implies a strong intention to clear obstacles for the Celestial Dynasty, pacify its rear, and provide full support.

He paused slightly: "Now that this Holy Lord Taiyi has come to pay his respects in person, I wonder if Your Majesty will receive him?"

Hear the words.

A knowing glint flashed in Gu Qingfeng's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure, smiled calmly, and spoke with a casual tone that carried an undeniable determination.

"Since you're here, you're a guest, so let's get to know you!"

"Yes!"

Luo Tian nodded in acceptance and then respectfully withdrew from the main hall once again.

Not long after.

Then they saw a figure, led by Luo Tian, enter the main hall of this temporary palace.

Upon entering the main hall and seeing Gu Qingfeng seated on the imperial throne, his aura as deep as the sea, the Taiyi Saint Lord quickly took a few steps forward, bowed respectfully, and lowered his posture considerably.

"Greetings, Immortal Emperor Gu. Congratulations on your recent great victory over the evil god, which has brought honor to our human race!"

Gu Qingfeng smiled slightly, raised his hand to help, and appeared quite easygoing, without any arrogance.

"Fellow Daoist Taiyi, you are too kind. We are both Heavenly Venerables of the Human Race, there is no need for such a grand ceremony. Please sit down."

After the Holy Lord Taiyi was seated at the lower seat, Gu Qingfeng asked casually and without making a sound.

"I just don't know, why would you, fellow Daoist, suddenly come to this dangerous front line instead of cultivating in the holy land?"

Upon hearing this, the Holy Lord Taiyi's expression turned serious. He cupped his hands again, his tone carrying a hint of sincerity.

"The Taiyi Holy Land and the Xuantian Immortal Dynasty are both human forces, and should naturally be of one mind and support each other."

I have heard that Emperor Gu, in order to protect the human race, did not hesitate to personally lead an army deep into the territory of the evil gods and fight a bloody battle.

Later, the Seven Deadly Sins Kingdom and other evil god forces, harboring wolfish ambitions, dared to join forces, attempting to cut off the Immortal Dynasty's retreat, which was detrimental to the Xuan Tian Immortal Dynasty.

"We, the Taiyi Holy Land, cannot stand idly by and watch such despicable acts!"

Therefore.

The Holy Lord Taiyi said decisively.

"I will personally lead 136 billion cultivators from the Taiyi Holy Land to help the Xuantian Immortal Dynasty clear away obstacles!"

This is the small contribution the Taiyi Holy Land has made to the human race, and it is also our duty!

The Holy Lord Taiyi spoke these words with righteous indignation and passionate fervor, leaving no room for criticism. It was as if his military expedition was entirely for the greater good of humanity and for the sake of his allies, without any selfish motives.

Gu Qingfeng gave the other person a deep look, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate all pretense and reach the heart.

Taiyi Saint Lord felt an invisible pressure, but he still maintained his sincere appearance.

After a moment, Gu Qingfeng slowly nodded, a smile returning to his face, and his tone became much gentler.

"I am well aware of Fellow Daoist Taiyi's deep affection for the human race and his strong support for my Xuantian Immortal Dynasty, and I am deeply gratified."

He hesitated for a moment.

"If the Taiyi Holy Land ever needs the help of the Xuantian Immortal Dynasty, please feel free to ask."

As long as it's within my capabilities, I will definitely not refuse!

"Immortal Emperor, you are too kind. This is merely Taiyi's duty, how could I dare to ask for anything in return!"

Upon hearing this, the Holy Lord Taiyi quickly responded humbly, but the fleeting joy deep in his eyes betrayed his true feelings.

Why would he risk everything and send troops at such a high cost?

All for this very sentence from Gu Qingfeng at this moment.

Although Gu Qingfeng said "please feel free to speak," it was just a polite remark.

However, it cannot be denied that Taiyi Holy Land's timely assistance has satisfied the Xuantian Immortal Dynasty.

With such a friendship and connection, the future relationship between Taiyi Holy Land and Xuantian Immortal Dynasty can take this opportunity to get closer and become even more intimate.

and this.

This is precisely the fundamental purpose behind the Taiyi Holy Lord's visit.

He is very clear.

It is unrealistic and naive to expect the Xuantian Immortal Dynasty to be grateful to the Taiyi Holy Land and obey its every command based on just one instance of military assistance.

For the Holy Lord Taiyi, it was enough to simply bring them closer together.

Many things require a gradual approach; rushing things can backfire.

Suppressing his excitement, the Taiyi Saint Lord asked again, "I've heard that Immortal Emperor Gu defeated the Taixu God Lord and suppressed the Seven Sins Divine Kingdom. I wonder what Immortal Emperor's plans are next?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingfeng's smile faded considerably, and his eyes became deep and thoughtful.

"The evil god clan is deeply rooted, and its strength and resources are not as simple as they appear on the surface."

The Seven Sins Kingdom is just one of many evil god kingdoms. If they want to truly suppress the evil god race and revitalize the human race, it is destined to be a long and difficult task.

The Xuantian Immortal Dynasty has already suffered considerable losses in this battle.

Therefore, I intend to focus on recuperation for the time being, and only after accumulating sufficient strength should I launch an attack on the evil god clan!

Hear the words.

The Taiyi Holy Lord remained expressionless and said in a deep voice, "If the Xuantian Immortal Dynasty makes any further moves, please inform the Taiyi Holy Land at any time, and I will do my utmost to assist you."

"With your words, fellow Daoist, that is enough!"

Gu Qingfeng smiled calmly again.

Subsequently.

After exchanging pleasantries, the Holy Lord Taiyi took his leave.

Watching the other person's departing figure, Gu Qingfeng's smile gradually disappeared, and his expression returned to indifference.

Gu Qingfeng could tell at a glance what the Taiyi Saint Master's purpose was.

But none of this matters.

This action by the other party precisely proves that the Xuantian Immortal Dynasty is powerful enough.

In other words.

If the Xuantian Immortal Dynasty were not strong, it would not have been qualified to allow the Taiyi Holy Land to act in this way.

and so.

This action by the Taiyi Sacred Land.