104: Chapter 104 The Truth About the Underworld

Buzz—!!!

Just as Lin Chen used the Netherworld Authority to reshape the new city, bringing all things back to life, and as all survivors knelt on the ground, immersed in this heaven-and-earth-changing miracle, a sudden change occurred!

The phantom of the King of Hells Palace that had just descended, symbolizing Lin Chen's absolute authority, suddenly began to tremble violently! The ancient and mysterious runes on the palace's body flickered crazily, brightening and dimming unpredictably, as if the energy core within was undergoing some extremely unstable and violent conflict!

An aura far more ancient and profound than the Lord of the Ultimate End, carrying the sorrow and madness accumulated over endless ages, erupted from the depths of the King of Hells Palace, like a fierce beast awakening from an eon-long slumber!

Boom—!!!

The tightly closed giant gates of the King of Hells Palace were struck violently from the inside by an invisible force, letting out a deafening roar! The two intertwined Nether Dragon reliefs on the door panels actually emitted pained cries, and fine cracks appeared on their draconic bodies!

"What's happening?!" The color that had just returned to Su Qingyu's face instantly turned pale again. This sudden turn of events was even more heart-wrenching than the Lord of the Ultimate End's attack! It was a fear of an unknown ancient existence originating from biological instinct.

The Former Nether Kings Phantom abruptly looked up at the violently shaking King of Hells Palace, an expression of extreme shock and... a touch of realized solemnity appearing on his illusory face. "As expected... is it still impossible to suppress it..."

The three Ghost Generals, Bai Qi, Xing Tian, and Ying Bu, instantly entered a combat state, their killing intent soaring as they stared fixedly at the palace gates that looked like they could burst open at any moment.

Lin Chen's brow furrowed slightly as he felt the newly unified Netherworld Authority within him surging violently in response to the palace's movements. He clearly sensed that the source of the disturbance was not from the outside, but from the King of Hells Palace itself—or rather, from the Core Restricted Area deep within, where the dormant consciousness of the Former Nether King's true body resided!

"Old King of Hell! What the hell are you doing?!" Xing Tian, with his explosive temper, roared using his navel as a mouth.

The Former Nether Kings Phantom (in his janitor state) shook his head bitterly, his voice carrying a helpless sense of age: "It is not my true body... it is the 'ancient nether regrets' that have been suppressed by the King of Hells Palace for countless eons, which even my true body at its peak could only barely seal and dared not allow into the world!"

ancient nether regrets?!

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and alarm—

"Heh... heh..."

Countless distorted, blurry whispers, radiating extreme malice and madness, poured out from the gaps in the King of Hells Palace like a tide, drilling into the consciousness of every living being!

Following that, the gates of the King of Hells Palace were forced open a crack amidst a tooth-aching sound of twisting metal!

No physical entity emerged.

But from that gap, a massive, mirage-like... memory illusion was projected!

In the vision, it was no longer the orderly Underworld Lin Chen had seen before, but an indescribable, cosmic-level... shattered battlefield!

The sky was fractured, flowing with foul, blood-like turbulent laws.

The earth had split apart, and countless massive, mountain-like eerie corpses were piled high. The shapes of those corpses were beyond imagination—some like rotting stars, others like the very rules of reality torn to shreds!

The core area of the Underworld, which should have governed reincarnation, was torn open by a massive wound spanning heaven and earth, radiating ominous black Qi! Countless distorted, mad shadows seeped out of that wound like pus, letting out howls that made one's Sanity Points plummet!

And at the very center of that battlefield, Lin Chen saw it!

He saw the Former Nether King's true body (more solid and majestic), covered in blood, his black robes tattered, holding a broken Nether King's Scepter, leading an overwhelming army of underworld soldiers and divine generals in a bloody battle against those unspeakable, distorted shadows emerging from the wound!

Those shadows had no fixed form; they were like malignant tumors bred from "Death" itself, monstrosities created when the concept of "The End" spiraled out of control! They polluted souls and twisted rules, and wherever they passed, everything turned into mad chaos!

The Underworld's army was retreating step by step, and countless powerful ghosts and gods screamed under the erosion of the shadows, either being annihilated or polluted into even more terrifying monsters.

The eyes of the Former Nether King's true body were filled with endless fatigue, sorrow, and... a hint of despair!

Finally, at the moment before the Underworld was about to be completely swallowed and polluted, the Former Nether King let out a world-shaking roar and made his final choice—

He burned almost all of his origin and authority, not for an attack, but to transform into an incredibly massive black palace covered in sealing runes!

It was the King of Hells Palace!

The King of Hells Palace crashed down like a giant coffin lid, deathly sealing that terrifying wound that tore through the Underworld and flowed with "ancient nether regrets"!

And thus, the majority of the Former Nether King's consciousness and power merged with the King of Hells Palace, falling into a near-eternal silence, using his own body as a cage and seal to suppress the infinite "ailments" and "madness" within the palace that had existed since the birth of the Underworld!

The wisp of origin and consciousness he stripped away and cast into reincarnation (which was Lin Chen) was not just to find a chance at life, but because... his main body had long been deathly bound to this most terrible "lesion" and could not escape at all! The so-called "coming back to work" was actually to have Lin Chen return and continue this eternal flesh-and-blood seal!!

The memory illusion came to an abrupt end.

But the tragic despair and indescribable ancient madness contained in those images were already deeply branded into everyone's minds.

The entire new city was deathly silent.

Everyone was so shocked by the revealed truth of the Underworld that they were speechless.

So... the Underworld had already been shattered! So the Former Nether King was not simply dormant, but had single-handedly transformed into a coffin to suppress the most terrifying "cancer" bred by the Underworld itself!

The so-called Lord of the Underworld was not some supreme king at all, but an eternal prisoner and human seal who needed to use his own existence to fill a hole?!

"Hahaha... do you see now, little guy?" The Former Nether Kings Phantom looked at Lin Chen, whose expression was shifting, and let out a bitter and complex laugh. "This is the truth! This is the 'throne' you must inherit! A position of despair destined to eternally struggle with this endless madness and pollution until you are completely swallowed and assimilated by it!"

"Now, do you still think... you've won?"

The massive psychological gap was like ice water being poured over their heads.

The crowd, who had just been immersed in the invincible thrill of controlling the Underworld and rebuilding the new city, was instantly dragged into a bottomless abyss of horror and despair by this cruel truth!

Even Su Qingyu felt a bone-chilling cold, and her gaze toward Lin Chen was filled with worry.

However, Lin Chen, who was in the frozen state of the "humanity anchor" and possessed absolute rationality, did not show despair or retreat after digesting this shocking truth. Instead... his eyes suddenly lit up!

Like a top-tier market manipulator who had discovered a seemingly collapsed, but actually opportunity-rich... super distressed asset package!

He ignored the Former Nether King's mocking and pitying gaze, and ignored the atmosphere of despair permeating the surroundings.

His brain was working at high speed, coldly analyzing:

Asset Status: Underworld (heavily distressed asset), core assets (Reincarnation Authority, etc.) are severely dragged down by pollution (ancient nether regrets), value is extremely undervalued.

Liability Situation: Requires continuous investment of massive resources (the Former Nether King's origin) to maintain the seal and prevent the spread of pollution (further asset depreciation).

Potential Value: The Underworld's authority itself is supreme. If the pollution problem can be stripped or resolved (completing asset restructuring/stripping bad assets), the value will soar exponentially!

Current Advantage: Already obtained absolute controlling interest (55%) and possesses partial disposal rights.

A crazy and bold "business plan" instantly took shape in his absolutely rational mind!

He looked up at the King of Hells Palace, which was still vibrating and seeping out mad whispers, and then at the bitter Former Nether Kings Phantom. The corners of his mouth slowly curled into an aggressive and excited... arc, diametrically opposed to the Former Nether King's despair!

"Despair?"

"No."

"In my eyes..."

"This is a fucking massive—business opportunity!"