35: Chapter 35 The Hall of Impermanence, Fate's Decline!

Two figures collided in the darkness.

No fancy techniques, no complex moves.

Only pure, primitive slaughter.

Ghostly energy intertwined with darkness; domains clashed with space.

The Shadow Demon King's spatial affinity was indeed terrifying; he could fold space at will, making the Ghost King's attacks miss while launching counterattacks from inconceivable angles.

But the Ghost King's Ghost Domain was even more fearsome.

Within the domain, the Shadow Demon King's speed and reactions were suppressed by 30%. Those originally precise Space Foldings now became somewhat sluggish; those originally fatal shadow ambushes now became somewhat slow.

Meanwhile, the Ghost King's speed and power were boosted by 30%.

As one waxed, the other waned.

Thirty rounds.

Fifty rounds.

One hundred rounds.

Finally, a flaw appeared.

The Shadow Demon King was a fraction of a second slow when folding space, causing a slight ripple in the distorted waves around him.

Just that one instant.

The Ghost King's Nether Slash struck down.

The pitch-black blade light tore through the darkness, slashing into the Shadow Demon King's neck.

The Shadow Demon King's body froze.

Those purple eyes went wide, filled with utter disbelief.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but could not make a sound.

In the next second, his body turned into countless fragments, dissipating into the darkness.

The Tier 4 Shadow Demon King was dead.

The battlefield fell into a deathly silence.

Those Tier 3 elite shadow demons who were still resisting froze in place upon seeing their king's fall.

White Impermanence's funeral staff stopped before the forehead of a Tier 3 shadow demon.

Black Impermanence's soul-locking chain stopped at the neck of a Tier 3 shadow demon.

The Ghost Bride's red silk threads...

All the shadow demons knelt down simultaneously.

Surrender.

Su Bai stepped out from the passage and stood in the center of the battlefield.

His gaze swept over the kneeling shadow demons, finally landing on the spot where the Shadow Demon King had dissipated.

After a few seconds of silence, he raised his hand.

[Brand]

Grayish-white light surged from his palm, sweeping across the entire battlefield like a tide.

The shadow demons' bodies trembled slightly, but no one resisted.

They had personally witnessed the fall of their king and the terror of these invaders.

Resistance meant only death.

Surrender might offer a way to live.

One by one, the depths of the shadow demons' souls were stamped with the Netherworld's Brand.

Eight thousand seven hundred and twenty-three.

This was the number of surviving shadow demons.

Those who had died had already vanished forever into the darkness.

Su Bai withdrew his hand, turned around, and looked at the portal leading to the Netherworld World.

Raising his hand, the mark of the Netherworld World appeared in his palm.

Grayish-white light soared into the sky.

[Devouring Commencing]

The darkness began to shatter.

That eternal, pure darkness was forcibly torn apart by the grayish-white Yin Qi. Space began to collapse, darkness began to dissipate, and every inch of the Shadow Demon Realm was being devoured, absorbed, and transformed by the Netherworld World.

[Devouring Complete]

[Obtained Power Of Faith: 1,300 points]

[World Diameter Expansion: 213 km → 408 km]

[New Map Generated: Shadow Demon Abyss]

Su Bai stood in the core area of the Netherworld World, looking at the new map appearing in his palm.

It was an abyss.

A pure, dark, bottomless abyss.

But above the abyss, grayish-white Yin Qi drifted. Deep within the abyss, the shadow demons could be faintly seen busily building their new home.

Shadow Demon Abyss.

Diameter: 408 kilometers.

Eight thousand seven hundred and twenty-three shadow demons.

Adding the remaining two thousand points of Power Of Faith from before, plus the 1,300 points obtained from devouring, and subtracting combat consumption...

[Current Power Of Faith: 3,311 points]

Three thousand three hundred and eleven points.

Su Bai stared at that number, unable to look away for a long time.

This was the most Power Of Faith he had ever possessed since his awakening.

Three thousand points.

It was enough for him to do many things.

He looked up at Black and White Impermanence standing not far away.

White Impermanence still wore a smile, and Black Impermanence still looked fierce.

But their auras were much stronger than before they entered the Shadow Demon Realm.

Peak Tier 3.

Only a hair's breadth away from Tier 4.

A thought surged in Su Bai's mind.

Hall of Impermanence.

In legends, it was the residence and office of Black and White Impermanence.

There, they judged souls, reaped lifespans, and maintained the order of Yin and Yang.

If he created the Hall of Impermanence in the Netherworld World...

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the world core.

[Operable: Environmental Transformation]

[Current Power Of Faith: 3,311 points]

[Constructible Building: Hall of Impermanence]

[Power Of Faith Cost: 3,000 points]

[Description: Exclusive building for Black and White Impermanence. Upon completion, Black and White Impermanence's potential cap will increase to Six Stars, and they will gain new skills. Additionally, Hall of Impermanence will automatically generate the item 'fate-reversal ledger,' which Black and White Impermanence can use to modify lifespans.]

Su Bai opened his eyes.

Three thousand points.

This was almost all of his Power Of Faith.

Once spent, only three hundred and eleven points would remain.

But was it worth it?

He looked at Black and White Impermanence, at those two figures standing side by side.

It was worth it.

Extremely worth it.

Increasing their potential to Six Stars meant they could grow to even greater heights.

New skills meant their combat power would reach another level.

The fate-reversal ledger...

That thing was of immeasurable value.

Su Bai took a deep breath, his consciousness sinking into the world core once more.

[Confirm Creation: Hall of Impermanence]

[Power Of Faith Cost: 3,000 points]

The entire Netherworld World began to vibrate.

Grayish-white Yin Qi converged frantically toward the world core, swirling and compressing into the outline of a massive building.

The building became clearer and more real.

It was a grand hall.

Entirely pitch-black, it stood a hundred meters tall and covered tens of thousands of square meters. The main entrance consisted of two massive vermillion wooden doors carved with eerie runes that flickered with ghostly green light.

Above the main entrance hung a massive plaque.

Three words were written in large gold characters on the plaque:

[Hall of Impermanence]

On either side of the hall stood two massive stone statues. The one on the left was White Impermanence Xie Bian, always smiling; the one on the right was Black Impermanence Fan Wujiu, looking fierce.

The statues each held an object. White Impermanence held the funeral staff, and Black Impermanence held the soul-locking chain.

Yin Qi swirled around the statues, making them appear even more majestic and eerie.

Deep within the hall, a dark, long corridor was faintly visible. On both sides of the corridor were closed doors. Each door was carved with different names and dates.

Those were lifespans.

The lifespans of all living beings.

At the end of the corridor was a massive room.

Inside the room was a large desk.

On the desk lay a pitch-black ledger.

Three words were written on the cover in blood-red script:

[fate-reversal ledger]

Su Bai stood before Hall of Impermanence, looking at this towering structure, a wave of indescribable emotion rising in his heart.

This was the Hall of Impermanence.

The legendary Hall of Impermanence.

He turned around and looked at Black and White Impermanence.

The two figures stood quietly behind him, also gazing at the hall.

White Impermanence's smile had vanished.

For the first time, an unnamable expression appeared on his face.

It was awe, gratitude, piety—a complex mix of emotions that was hard to describe.

Black Impermanence remained expressionless, but within those fierce eyes, there was now a faint glint of tears.

They looked at the hall, the statues, the plaque, and the vermillion wooden doors.

A long time passed.

White Impermanence turned around and slowly knelt before Su Bai.

Black Impermanence knelt as well.

The two figures prostrated themselves before Su Bai, their foreheads touching the ground.

"Master."

Two voices—one gentle, one deep—yet both equally trembling.

"Thank you, Master."

Su Bai looked down at them without speaking.

He only raised his hands, gently pressing them onto White Impermanence's tall white hat and then Black Impermanence's tall black hat.

"Rise."

"That is your home."

Black and White Impermanence stood up, turned, and walked step by step toward Hall of Impermanence.

They pushed open the vermillion wooden doors and stepped inside.

The Yin Qi slowly closed behind them.

A moment later, the two figures walked out of the hall.

Their auras had completely changed.

[Black and White Impermanence (Twin Hero Unit)]

[Rank: Peak Tier 3]

[Grade: Six Stars (↑)]

[New Skill: Yin-Yang Judgment (Active) Black and White Impermanence strike together to perform a Yin-Yang Judgment on a target. If successful, the target dies immediately, and its soul is detained in Hall of Impermanence; if it fails, the target enters a weakened state for seven days. Cooldown: Three days.]

[New Skill: Pseudo (Passive) Black and White Impermanence can sense the remaining lifespan of all living beings within a hundred-mile radius through Hall of Impermanence and can perform limited modifications via the fate-reversal ledger.]

[New Item: fate-reversal ledger]

[fate-reversal ledger: An imitation of the legendary book of life and death, capable of modifying a living being's lifespan. For every character modified, the user will suffer a corresponding backlash from the Heavenly Dao. The severity of the backlash is proportional to the extent of the modification, ranging from severe injury to death.]

Su Bai's pupils contracted slightly as he looked at the new information.

Yin-Yang Judgment.

A three-day cooldown, and instant death if the judgment succeeded.

This cooldown was more than half as short as Life and Death Impermanence's.

While the success rate might not be as high as Life and Death Impermanence, a kill chance once every three days was enough to strike fear into any enemy.

And the fate-reversal ledger...

Modifying lifespans.

This was an ability that truly touched upon the laws of life and death.

Even with the severe backlash, it was enough.

Imagine if an enemy's hero unit suddenly died, or if the king of a rival world perished for no apparent reason...

What kind of effect would that have?

The corners of Su Bai's mouth curled up slightly.

The three thousand points of Power Of Faith were well spent.

Extremely well spent.

However, since his remaining Power Of Faith was low, Su Bai prepared to conquer all the Tier 4 worlds in the Creators Association.

Since the city Su Bai was in ranked in the lower-middle part of the province...

There weren't many conquests of Tier 4 unowned worlds.

Thus, the entire Creators Association only possessed five Tier 4 worlds.

He had already devoured one, leaving four.

Su Bai intended to devour all four of the remaining ones.

As for the evolution of the Shadow Demon Realm, that would have to wait until he had enough Power Of Faith.