The Netherworld Path of the Ninth Layer, that will be the power truly touching the threshold of immortality, perhaps able to contend with an immortal existence.

And yet, it's merely a slight possibility.

Then, with a mere thought, Gu Qingfeng saw the Yellow Springs surge, the rushing river water flooding the entire void of the great hall.

The muddy river water flowed within the hall, emanating a thick aura of death.

Compared to before, the aura of the Yellow Springs at this moment was undoubtedly much weaker.

The once surging waters now appeared somewhat listless.

The extremely dense aura of death had also become much thinner.

Even the number of struggling yin souls in the river had visibly decreased by more than half.

"Countless yin souls have perished, and the Yellow Springs has also been severely damaged. With this, entering the third stage seems to be an indefinite prospect!"

Gu Qingfeng shook his head, a look of helplessness on his face.

The ascension of the Yellow Springs requires devouring a massive amount of yin souls, especially those of strong beings.

Originally, after devouring many Evil Gods from the Immortal Domain, the Yellow Springs had accumulated enough foundation, just one step away from the third stage.

In the end, a single finger from the Immortal God Master severely wounded the Yellow Springs.

To resist that finger, the Yellow Springs not only expended a huge amount of accumulated yin souls but also suffered significant damage itself.

Although the Yellow Springs did not fall back to the first stage, it was severely injured, and its power was barely enough to maintain the level of the peak of the second stage.

Comparable to the time when thirty trillion Evil Gods' armies were annihilated.

This means all the efforts Gu Qingfeng made to destroy numerous Evil Gods' Immortal Domains, slaying Evil Gods and seizing their yin souls, became futile.

The painstakingly accumulated foundation was almost exhausted in this battle.

Yet—

It's not entirely useless.

At least, without those Evil Gods' yin souls to enhance the Yellow Springs' power, he might not have survived that battle.

It was precisely because of those yin souls supporting, the Yellow Springs could unleash enough power to give him a chance to escape.

Next, Gu Qingfeng entered the Underworld with his Divine Thought.

At this moment, the Underworld had expanded significantly, the yin energy more dense, and the cycle of reincarnation even more complete.

In the previous battle, a portion of the Evil Gods' yin souls became nourishment for the Yellow Springs, while another portion fell into the Underworld, becoming its nourishment.

Although the quality of these Evil Gods' yin souls varied, the sheer quantity greatly promoted the growth of the Underworld.

Adding to that, the constant influx of a large number of yin souls into the newly established Underworld, even without deliberate manipulation by Gu Qingfeng, the Underworld's strength is steadily increasing.

This is the mysterious nature of the Underworld, as long as the order of reincarnation is established, it can operate on its own and grow endlessly.

Gu Qingfeng's Divine Thought covered the entire Underworld, taking in everything at a glance.

There was an unending stream of wandering souls on the Naihe Bridge, cries incessant on the Wangxiang Platform, the Eighteen Layers of Hell filled with continuous wailing—

The entire Underworld operated in an orderly fashion, maintaining the balance of yin and yang.

"A million Ghost Soldiers!"

"Ten thousand Ghost Generals!"

"It seems that the strength of the Underworld has improved a lot over the years—"

Gu Qingfeng raised his eyebrows slightly, quite satisfied with this outcome.

Ghost Soldiers are the basic force of the Underworld, responsible for maintaining its order.

Ghost Generals are the backbone of the Underworld, each having the capability of handling affairs independently.

Originally the Underworld had only a hundred thousand Ghost Soldiers and five hundred Ghost Generals, but now, after so many years, the number of Ghost Soldiers had increased tenfold, and Ghost Generals had increased a full twentyfold.

This growth rate is already quite astonishing.

In other respects, the two Judges, the four Yin Generals, and the twenty-four Yin Cha such as Oxhead and Horseface, Black and White Impermanence, are all in place.

The only pity is that in this vast Underworld, the number of strong individuals in the Heavenly Venerate Realm is limited.

Even if all Yin Cha are Heavenly Venerates, their numbers are still not many.

Counting them all, the Underworld has thirty Heavenly Venerates.

No—accurately speaking, it should be thirty-one.

After all, Gu Peng as King Qinguang must be included.

But the problem is, thirty-one Heavenly Venerates, such a number would be significant for an ordinary faction.

But for the Underworld, which can stand equal with the Endless Immortal Domain in terms of status, having only thirty-one Heavenly Venerates is somewhat inadequate.

It's known that any Divine Country of the Evil God Clan starts with at least dozens of Heavenly Venerates.

Not to mention, these thirty-one Heavenly Venerates are all at the One Tribulation Level.

In terms of strength, it's miserable to behold.

A One Tribulation Heavenly Venerate is truly at the bottom level among Heavenly Venerates, and the disparity in strength compared to veteran Heavenly Venerates is vast.

But Gu Qingfeng can understand, the situation is due to the shallow foundation of the Underworld.

The Underworld has only been established for over thirty million years, which for a Heavenly Venerate, could be a single seclusion period.

Many Heavenly Venerates enter seclusion for millions of years at a time; thirty million years is not much.

Therefore, the strength of the Underworld is naturally hard to enhance significantly.

After all, the growth of strong individuals requires time and cannot be accomplished overnight.

At this moment, when Gu Qingfeng appeared atop Yama Hall, Gu Peng as King Qinguang and other Yin Cha hurriedly saluted at the sight.

They could feel the unfathomable aura emanating from Gu Qingfeng, that was the majesty belonging to the Lord of Mount Tai.

"Greetings, Lord of Mount Tai!"

"Hmm, how is the situation of the Underworld now?"

Gu Qingfeng nodded slightly, while Gu Peng also wisely rose, stepping down from Yama's position, offering it to the former to sit.

Though Gu Peng is King Qinguang, he still must maintain sufficient respect in front of the Lord of Mount Tai.

Upon hearing this, Gu Peng stood aside and respectfully said, "Reporting to the Lord, the number of yin souls in the Underworld has increased greatly over the years, but everything is in order, with no major issues."

He paused, then continued, "However, some time ago, the Yellow Springs was in turmoil, causing some yin souls to enter the Underworld without crossing the Yellow Springs, creating some disturbances, but they were quickly suppressed."

"Following that, the collapse of the Eighteen Layers of Hell caused many punished yin souls to fall or escape, but no major chaos ensued. The Eighteen Layers of Hell is gradually recovering under the power of the Underworld's origin."

Gu Peng's words were clear to Gu Qingfeng.

The fundamental reason for the Yellow Springs' turmoil lay within himself.

To contend against the Immortal God Master at that time, he had no choice but to completely draw upon the Yellow Springs' power, causing the Yellow Springs in the Underworld to temporarily vanish.

In the past, although Gu Qingfeng wielded the power of the Yellow Springs, he never completely extracted it, always keeping some power in the Underworld to ensure no problems arose.

But in facing the Immortal God Master, Gu Qingfeng could not afford to hold anything back and had to exhaust his foundation.

This resulted in the complete disappearance of the Yellow Springs, leaving the Underworld without its shield.

Although such a disappearance was fleeting, the Underworld receives numerous yin souls every moment, and lacking the Yellow Springs as a shield, naturally, some disturbance would occur.

However, with the current power of the Underworld, such minor disturbances are insignificant.

A million Ghost Soldiers, ten thousand Ghost Generals, along with numerous Yin Cha, are enough to maintain the basic order of the Underworld.

The Eighteen Layers of Hell.

That needs no further explanation.

As the Lord of the Underworld.

Gu Qingfeng not only refined the Yellow Springs but also the Eighteen Layers of Hell.

When dealing with other cultivators, Gu Qingfeng only utilized the power projection of the Eighteen Layers of Hell, not its true presence.

But against the Immortal God Master, just relying on the phantom of the Eighteen Layers of Hell was not feasible.

Therefore.

In that battle.

Gu Qingfeng summoned the actual Eighteen Layers of Hell.

Unfortunately—

Even with the Eighteen Layers of Hell present, it could not withstand the might of the immortal.

In the end, the Underworld's foundation was too weak, and the Eighteen Layers of Hell's power insufficient.

If it were the Old Underworld's Eighteen Layers of Hell, the immortal would not have been able to easily break it.

After all, the Eighteen Layers of Hell are the main source of punishment in the Underworld, truly one of its foundational pillars, comparable in level with the Yellow Springs.

Even with the Immortal God Master's great power, destroying the truly peak Eighteen Layers of Hell would not be easy.

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