145: Chapter 145 The Great Celebration of the Underworld Symbol: Sharing the Vast Land with You

The Climax Begins:

The celebration began with the River of Oblivion flowing backward.

This was no metaphor—at a certain moment, the entire River of Oblivion, which traversed the Underworld, suddenly came to a standstill and then truly began to flow backward. The blood-yellow river water surged toward the sky against gravity, exploding at the highest point of the Underworld and turning into billions of droplets of golden light rain.

Every drop of light rain that fell on a ghost made its soul form a bit more solid.

Every drop of light rain that fell on the ground caused a deep blue Equinox Flower to bloom from the barren nether soil.

In just three seconds, the entire Underworld—from the furthest wilderness to the central Hall of Reincarnation—turned into a sea of flowers.

"Quite the grand gesture," Zhang Hao murmured as he stood before the rebuilt Yama Hall, looking up at the continuing light rain. "The Boss is releasing all the power of samsara accumulated by the River of Oblivion over a thousand years in one go."

"It's not releasing," Su Qingyu said as she stood beside him, wearing a black-and-gold Queen of the Underworld robe and a simple yet majestic coronet. "It's an investment."

She looked at Lin Chen, who was walking toward them from a distance, with a smile in her eyes. "He's giving out 'equity dividends' to all the citizens of the Underworld."

Lin Chen wasn't wearing his usual combat gear today, but a deep black ceremonial robe embroidered with a complete map of the Underworld's territory in gold thread. He walked slowly, but with every step, white jade steps automatically formed beneath his feet. On both sides of the steps, kneeling ghosts fell like toppled dominoes, the line stretching all the way to the horizon.

The feeling of invincible gratification was pushed to the max from this moment on.

This was because all the ghosts could clearly feel that every time they bowed, a certain "shackle" in their soul form loosened a bit. That was Lin Chen's modification of the laws of the Underworld after the samsara seal was reforged: from now on, as long as one contributed to the Underworld, they could naturally accumulate "merit." With enough merit, they could not only receive priority for reincarnation but even obtain an "official post" in the Underworld and become a formal Nether God.

"Greetings, Lord of the Underworld—!"

"Greetings, Queen of the Underworld—!"

The mountain-shaking and tsunami-like sounds of worship made the entire plane tremble.

Lin Chen walked to Su Qingyu's side, naturally took her hand, and then turned to face the billions of ghosts.

He didn't speak.

He simply raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

Snap.

The sound was soft, yet it echoed in the depths of everyone's soul.

In the next second, three things appeared in the sky of the Underworld:

The first was the phantom of the samsara seal—as huge as a mountain, rotating slowly, casting a soft light that purified souls with every rotation.

The second was a panoramic map of the Underworld—clearly marking reclaimed areas, undeveloped wilderness, and planned "new development zones."

The third... was a ranking list.

[Underworld Merit List]

The first name at the top of the list: Su Qingyu.

Contribution Description: Assisted the Lord of the Underworld in reforging the samsara seal, cured the thousand-year curse, and stabilized the origin of the Underworld.

Reward: Status of the Queen of the Underworld, shared Netherworld Authority, and the power to mobilize thirty percent of the Underworld's resources.

The list scrolled in real-time.

The second name: Zhang Hao.

Contribution Description: Established the intelligence system, screened for internal moles, and assisted in multiple battles.

Reward: Governor of Intelligence, concurrently serving as Director of the Special Projects Department of the Underworld Group, an annual salary of one million nether talismans, and assigned a dedicated Ghost General guard unit.

The third name: Little Red Clothes (and the Skeleton Doll).

Contribution Description: Construction of the arsenal, equipment innovation, and a 300% increase in production efficiency.

Reward: Permanent ownership of the arsenal, granted the honorary title of "Minister of Military Industry" (with actual power), and the authority to recruit a research and development team.

The fourth name: Lei Xiao.

Contribution Description: Led troops to reclaim lost territory, provided key intelligence, and trained the new army.

Reward: Reinstatement of the title "Nether-Suppressing Ghost General," command over one hundred thousand Nether Soldiers, and concurrently serving as the Minister of the Underworld Security Department.

The fifth name: Lin Chens Mother.

Contribution Description: Stabilized the rear, assisted in the construction of civilian livelihoods, and cultivated the education system for the new generation of ghosts.

Reward: Minister of the Underworld Education Department, in charge of all ghost enlightenment, skill training, and ideological construction work.

The list continued to scroll down, listing a full thousand names.

Each name was followed by a detailed contribution description and reward content.

The most ridiculous was the 563rd name—a wandering soul who had only been dead for three months. The contribution description was "found a reincarnation seal fragment (extremely small) while salvaging in the River of Oblivion and proactively handed it over."

Reward: Priority reincarnation VIP channel (can choose own family), and an additional reward of ten thousand nether talismans.

"See that?" Zhang Hao lowered his voice and said to Lei Xiao beside him. "The Boss is setting the rules. The greater the contribution, the greater the reward. Even if you're as weak as an ant, as long as you're useful to the Underworld, you can turn your life around."

Lei Xiao nodded heavily, the eyes of this former Underworld Ghost General shining. "This is what you call... true order."

Melodramatic Twist:

Just as the rewards reached their climax—

A discordant voice suddenly rang out.

"I refuse to accept this!"

The voice came from within the crowd of ghosts.

An old ghost wearing the tattered robes of the Thousand Faces Cult struggled to stand up. His soul form was very weak, but his eyes were full of resentment. "Why! Why do they get titles and rewards while those of us who once served the Thousand Faces Cult are branded as 'war criminals' and forbidden from ever being reincarnated?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the scene instantly fell silent.

Countless gazes focused on him.

Seeing that he had drawn attention, the old ghost became even more agitated. "Yes! We followed the wrong person! But we were forced! The Thousand Faces Cult controlled us; we had no choice! Now that the Underworld is being rebuilt, can't you give us a chance to turn over a new leaf?!"

He shouted hoarsely, even deliberately squeezing out a few soul tears. "This is unfair!"

Some former Thousand Faces Cult soldiers who had surrendered also began to have flickering eyes.

Yeah, why...

But in the next second.

Lin Chen laughed.

It wasn't a cold laugh, but the kind of laugh one has when seeing a farcical performance, tinged with a hint of mockery.

"Are you finished?" he asked.

The old ghost was taken aback and braced himself. "I'm... I'm finished!"

"Good." Lin Chen nodded, then looked toward another direction in the crowd of ghosts. "What about you? Do you think so too?"

He was pointing at a young female ghost huddled in a corner, her soul form almost transparent.

The female ghost shuddered in fear, but after glancing at Lin Chen and then at her trembling companions, she suddenly plucked up her courage, knelt down, and said in a trembling voice, "No... that's not it!"

She looked up, tears in her eyes. "Like him, I was also captured by the Thousand Faces Cult. But the difference is—three months ago, when the Underworld army attacked the Memory Maze, I secretly pointed out the location of the traps to the Nether Soldiers leading the way! Although... although I still didn't dare to openly resist, I did what I could!"

Several ghosts beside her also nodded repeatedly. "We also secretly passed on intelligence!"

"I helped hide medicine for the wounded Nether Soldiers!"

"I..."

Lin Chen raised his hand, stopping their words.

Then, he looked back at the old ghost. "Did you hear the difference?"

The old ghost's face turned pale.

"It's not that you had no choice." Lin Chen's voice was calm, yet it stabbed into every ghost's heart like a knife. "You simply chose the safer, more self-serving path. When you were being controlled, you didn't dare to resist; when the Underworld counterattacked, you watched coldly from the sidelines; and now that everything is over, you jump out demanding 'fairness'."

He paused, saying word by word:

"The fairness of the Underworld is only for those who have bled and worked for the Underworld."

"As for you—"

Lin Chen didn't even lift a finger.

He simply glanced at the old ghost.

The old ghost's soul form was like pencil writing being erased by an eraser, disappearing inch by inch starting from the feet. It wasn't a painful crumbling, but rather his "existence" itself being erased.

Three seconds later, nothing was left in his place.

Not even a speck of ash remained.

The entire place was dead silent.

"Who else refuses to accept this?" Lin Chen asked.

No one dared to speak.

"Very well." He nodded. "The celebration continues."

Thrilling Gratification:

As the rewarding ceremony reached its end, an accident still occurred.

It wasn't an internal rebellion—after the previous display, no one dared to jump out again.

It came from... the outside.

The sky at the edge of the Underworld suddenly cracked open.

It wasn't a spatial rift, but more like a "permeation" from a higher dimension. What poured out of the rift wasn't energy, but a thick, nauseating "silence."

All sounds would disappear as they approached that rift.

Even light would be swallowed.

"Alert!" Lei Xiao instantly drew his blade.

One hundred thousand Nether Soldiers formed their ranks simultaneously, their killing intent soaring to the heavens.

But Lin Chen raised his hand to stop them.

He stared at the rift, squinting his eyes. "It's not an attack."

Just as he finished speaking, a boat "squeezed" out of the rift.

It was a ferry boat from the River of Oblivion.

But at this moment, this ferry boat, which should have been operated by a Ferryman, was empty. The hull was covered in hideous claw marks, the lantern at the bow was shattered, and only a charred wick barely remained lit.

The boat stopped above the sea of flowers.

Then, on the deck, a line of words written in blood slowly emerged:

[Boss, the God Realm... something big seems to have happened in the God Realm]

The handwriting was very messy, clearly written in a hurry.

Even more terrifying—next to the writing, there was half a bloody handprint. The fingerprint of the handprint was... golden.

"Divine blood." Su Qingyu's expression changed slightly. "The Ferryman has come into contact with a being from the God Realm, and the other party bled."

Lin Chen walked to the side of the boat and reached out to touch that line of words.

Instantly, a fragment of shattered images forced its way into his mind—

The sky of the God Realm was burning, but it wasn't flames; it was a kind of black, viscous "light."

Countless angels were falling from the sky, their wings not broken, but... melting. Melting like candles, and what dripped down wasn't wax, but foul-smelling black blood.

In front of a magnificent divine hall, a tall figure whose face could not be seen was tearing open the chest of a six-winged angel with his bare hands, pulling out a still-beating golden heart.

Then, the figure turned its head.

Its face—if that could still be called a face—was a mass of constantly writhing nothingness. But Lin Chen could clearly feel that it was "looking" at him.

The final image was the Ferryman's terrified scream and a fragmented sentence:

"He is... consuming Godhood... the next one... is the Under..."

The image cut off.

Lin Chen withdrew his hand, his expression calm, but his gaze was already cold enough to crack a soul.

"Boss?" Zhang Hao asked tentatively.

"The celebration continues." Lin Chen turned around and faced the billions of ghosts who had fallen silent again, his voice spreading throughout the venue. "Today, eat what you should eat, drink what you should drink, and those who should receive rewards, receive them."

He paused and added:

"Starting tomorrow—"

"Everyone, prepare for war."

It wasn't "prepare to set out," but "prepare for war."

This meant that the enemy might come.

And the one coming was a monster that could even tear the God Realm apart.

The festive atmosphere was instantly cast in a shadow.

But Lin Chen's next sentence brought morale back:

"During the preparation period, the merit points of all participants will be tripled."

"If a fight really breaks out—for every enemy killed, depending on their strength level, the reward will range from one hundred thousand to one hundred million nether talismans."

"I will personally distribute the money."

After a brief silence.

"Long live the Lord of the Underworld—!!!"

The mountain-shaking and tsunami-like cheers were ten times more enthusiastic than before.

Fear?

In the face of a high enough bounty, fear only turns into excitement.

Su Qingyu walked to Lin Chen's side and asked in a low voice, "How bad is the situation?"

"Very bad." Lin Chen looked at the rift in the sky that was slowly closing. "That thing tearing the angels apart has a familiar scent on it."

"A Void Devourer?"

"No." Lin Chen shook his head. "It's something more troublesome than that."

He fell silent for a moment and spat out two words:

"Abyssal Lord."

"And... an Abyssal Lord who has consumed Godhood."

Su Qingyu's pupils constricted.

"The good news is," Lin Chen suddenly laughed, "an enemy of this level must have many 'valuable parts' on its body."

"Once we dismantle it—"

"The Underworld's military budget for next year should be taken care of."

The celebration continued in a strange and fanatical atmosphere.

Ten thousand ghosts caroused, and nether talismans fell like rain.

At the highest point, Lin Chen and Su Qingyu stood side by side, looking into the distance, as if they could already see the coming storm.

And... within the storm, that glittering "business opportunity."