Chapter 471 - 470: Netherworld
It was an independent stigmatic space floating in the rift between dimensions. The moment Lu Jingming set foot in this place, he felt as if the entire space had come alive. What was once an endless expanse filled with cold, dead silence and darkness gradually began to brighten.
A solitary figure slowly emerged from the deepest part of the darkness.
It was Castorice.
At this moment, she was fundamentally different from her past self. Although she still possessed her serene and beautiful appearance, the breath of the living could no longer be sensed from her body. Every movement, frown, or smile exuded the allure of silence and rest. Her very existence embodied death itself.
With the help of Lu Jingming and the immense deathly concept of this planet, she had successfully condensed her divine position—the Throne of Death. From now on, she was the only rightful Goddess of Death on this world, overseeing the end of all life.
"Ah, Xiao Ming, you came." Castorice's voice was ethereal, as if echoing from the depths of the Nine Hells. Yet, as she faced Lu Jingming, there was a warmth that only he could feel.
"I'm here," Lu Jingming replied, walking up to her and gently holding her hand. "Are you ready? Let's begin the most important event."
Castorice nodded, a trace of anticipation flickering in her eyes. Becoming a god was not the end for her. The very first thing to do after attaining godhood was to open the true realm of the dead—the Netherworld—with Lu Jingming's help.
"Then, let's begin." Lu Jingming released her hand and took a step back. "Herta, Ruan Mei, Buer, Miku... everyone, please."
As his words fell, several powerful wills descended into this space.
"Hmph, there's no way I'd miss such an interesting project." A confident voice echoed—it was The Herta.
"The ultimate end of life is death. Witnessing the birth of the 'afterlife' is of great significance for my research," said Ruan Mei, her voice elegant and intellectual.
"The cycle of all things, of life and death, is the responsibility of the World Tree. I am glad to build a peaceful home for the children of this world," said the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, her voice filled with kindness and benevolence.
"The Astral Computer is connected to the stigmatic space. Computational power is now outputting at 100% and can begin modeling the laws of the Netherworld at any time," reported Miku, efficient and precise.
Thus, the creation of a world—an unprecedented grand project—began.
The first step: expand the space.
"Castorice, use your divine position as the core and expand the stigmatic space to its limits," Lu Jingming commanded.
Castorice closed her eyes. The black divine power of the God of Death surged from her body like a tidal wave. What was once just an independent sliver of space began to expand endlessly and violently, infused with the holy power of death. The boundaries rapidly stretched into infinity. Inside, the darkness deepened, and the silence of death became even purer. Countless "stars" formed from the laws of death slowly appeared and vanished within this dark cosmos.
Here, the "space" was transforming into a real "world."
The second step: anchor the ley lines.
"Buer, it's your turn."
"Leave it to me."
An apparition of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata appeared at the heart of the Netherworld. She extended her hand, and behind her, the illusory World Tree—glowing emerald—slowly manifested. In the next moment, the roots of the World Tree seemed to pierce through the dimensional barrier, stretching from the Netherworld into the real world—the planetary core of Douluo Star.
The subterranean ley line network spanning Douluo Star, like the planet's veins, was fully activated by the power of the World Tree at that instant. Countless ley line paths, invisible to the naked eye and made of spiritual energy, forcibly connected the real world to this new Netherworld.
From that moment, the Netherworld was no longer a rootless floating weed. It was now intimately bound with Douluo Star, an indispensable part of the planet's ecological cycle.
The third step: establish order.
"Herta, Ruan Mei, Miku—lay down the fundamental laws of the Netherworld."
"Understood."
Suddenly, a massive blue curtain of light composed of billions of data streams unfolded in the sky of the Netherworld—the computing interface of the Astral Computer. Herta and Ruan Mei stood before the light curtain, as if they were two designers planning the cosmos.
"First and foremost, there is the 'River of Souls.' Every soul entering the Netherworld must be baptized in its waters, forgetting the past and leaving behind only the purest origin of the soul."
"Then comes the 'Plains of Silence,' where souls await reincarnation. Depending on the merits and demerits of their lives, and the purity of their souls, they are sorted into different waiting zones."
"Finally, there is the 'Gate of Reincarnation.' The Astral Computer will macro-control the number and quality of souls invested into reincarnation each day, according to the dynamic balance of the real world's population."
Their instructions translated into complex lines of code, inputted into the core of the Netherworld by Miku. Behind them, the entire Netherworld underwent tectonic changes. A great river flowed through the Netherworld, radiating a dark blue glow from nowhere. At the river's end lay a vast plain of shimmering white flowers. At the edge of the plain stood a grand and solemn portal, constructed of black and white pillars.
The basic framework of the Netherworld was established.
The fourth step: infuse souls.
"Now it's my turn."
Lu Jingming gazed at this forming realm of the dead, taking a deep breath. He reached out, and a white flower, like a black abyss, appeared in his palm. He gently plunged a lance into the void at his feet.
"In my name, I summon those lost between life and death—the returnees."
His voice seemed to pierce through time and space. At that instant, all across the Douluo Continent, those who had died in war or accident, or for various reasons, whose souls had not fully dissipated due to attachments, grudges, or other reasons, and who had been wandering the world... all heard an irresistible call.
Their forms appeared one by one from their places of death, transformed into streaks of light, drawn unconsciously along the newly created ley lines into this new Netherworld.
Millions of soul-lights, each shining in different colors, plunged into the "River of Souls" like a dazzling meteor shower. After the baptism of the river, their grudges, attachments, and memories were gradually stripped away. At last, one by one, they became pure soul bodies, glowing softly white as they entered the "Plains of Silence" and quietly waited.
At last, the Netherworld welcomed its first "residents."
The final step: perfect the cycle.
"Mobius, please take the final step," Lu Jingming called out to the last specialist who had not yet acted.
"Hmph, finally my turn." A voice, slightly sickly and fanatical, slithered like a serpent. Mobius appeared before the "Gate of Reincarnation," her eyes shining as she gazed at the pure souls awaiting rebirth.
She extended her hand, and countless emerald "snakes" made of life energy emerged from her palm, coiling around the massive "Gate of Reincarnation."
"In the name of 'Infinity,' I grant you the chance to live again."
With the injection of her power, the cold "Gate of Reincarnation" seemed to come alive, slowly opening a crack. Beyond the door was not emptiness, but a world brimming with hope and vitality, woven from the cries of countless newborns.
The souls drawn into the gate vanished, and somewhere far away in the real world, a newborn fell to the ground. Reincarnation—successful.
...
With the opening of the Netherworld and the establishment of reincarnation, a new, fully closed-loop ecosystem was formed on Douluo Star. From now on, whether human or soul beast, after death, their souls would automatically return to the ley lines, follow their guidance into the Netherworld, wash away the dust of the past, and await rebirth.
To control the Netherworld and the cycle of reincarnation was to fundamentally control life and death in this world.
Resurrection? It was possible. But to resurrect someone, you would first need the ability to snatch their soul from the hands of the Goddess of Death. Moreover, you would need to bypass the unbreakable reincarnation system built by the planet's ley lines, the World Tree, the Astral Computer, and digital god-level powerhouses. Even if you did all that, you would still face the ultimate and most terrifying barrier: the trial of the Supreme Council of the Haiyuan League.
Because, on the second day after reincarnation was established, a new supreme law was inscribed in the "Basic Law of the Haiyuan League":
"Resurrecting the dead without the approval of the Supreme Council of the League is considered a violation of the fundamental laws of the world, a challenge to the highest authority of the League, and a top-level 'First-Class Rebellion'... to be completely erased."
The enactment of this law put a complete end to the chaos of the past, when a god's whim or the protagonist's fortuitous encounter could casually break the boundary between life and death. What Tang San did to revive Xiao Wu could never happen again under this new world order.
Death meant death. Without the permission of the Haiyuan League, honestly, queuing for reincarnation was now the only and ultimate destination for all life.
Lu Jingming not only unified the kingdom of the living, but also established an eternal and orderly realm for the dead.
…
…
Time is the fairest and most relentless metric in the universe. The establishment of the Netherworld, and the determination to reincarnate, several years quietly passed, like a white horse flashing past a gap.
For those who experienced the old wars and chaos, these years felt like a strange yet vivid dream. The changes reached every aspect, deeply rooted in the marrow, and were completely transformative.
Once, even the strongest like Douluo at the peak would take months to traverse the continent. Now, thanks to the maglev railway network, anyone could reach the world's major cities within twenty-four hours. The teleportation sites formed from the fusion of Soul Guide technology and space technology cut journeys of tens of millions of miles down to minutes.
The League headquarters, Haiyuan City, floating in the sky, became the ultimate hub of the world's transportation network, moving hundreds of millions of people and goods daily, beating like the strong heart of the planet.
In the past, the fate of commoners was as fleeting as duckweed in the wind. A sudden blizzard or prolonged drought could kill thousands by cold or by hunger. Now, with the scientific support of Herta and Ruan Mei, a global "ecological regulation system" had been established, fine-tuning each area's temperature, humidity, and rainfall, preventing disastrous weather in the cradle.
Automated ecological farms around the world, managed by the AI Hatsune Miku, could produce food for ten times the existing population. Hunger and cold—those two ghosts that haunted human civilization for tens of thousands of years—had been swept into the garbage heap of history.
Once, there was an unbridgeable gap between nobles and commoners. Nobles held knowledge and power, treated commoners as weeds, oppressing and killing at will without punishment. Now, the supreme basic law of the Haiyuan League—"All men are created equal"—is no longer an empty slogan.
In the founding year of the Haiyuan League, the slave system that had existed for ten thousand years was abolished with thunderous momentum. All slaves were freed by the League, given education, housing, and work, and integrated back into society. Immediately after, a land and property reform swept the world. The hereditary territories and privileges of the old nobility were all inherited by the League. After strict review and liquidation, part of the assets became pensions for former families, while another part was invested in national welfare and infrastructure.
Of course, the League was not a one-size-fits-all system. Individuals or families who distinguished themselves in war, science, technology, culture, and other fields were awarded new Haiyuan titles as symbols of honor by the League.
...
PS: I can smell the ending.