I Am Hades, Lord of the Underworld!

Buzz~~~

Buzz~~~

Endless ripples began to spread throughout the darkness as the World Seed trembled. Accompanied by Hades's inexhaustible infusion of divine power, the World Seed started to take root and sprout. A massive dark purple tree began to spread, deeply rooting itself in the darkness and growing rapidly. Words could not capture the duration of the World Seed's growth.

Hades's strength was nearly depleted, along with the divine power contained within the demonic stars, almost drained entirely. Only then did the World Tree in its infancy halt its growth. Throughout this process, Hades also fed it numerous divine artifacts and treasures to ensure its proper development.

Finally, as everything settled, a dark purple giant tree, seemingly reaching its peak, stood tall within the endless darkness, piercing from top to bottom through the void. This, however, was only what could be seen with the naked eye. The true scale of the World Tree was beyond description, much like the towering Jianmu. What you could see was merely a fraction of its reality.

"The first step is successful," Hades murmured softly, as he gradually recovered his divine power. The demonic stars greedily absorbed the endless divine energy.

The newly born World Tree began to reciprocate immediately. In an instant, countless divine powers were absorbed into the darkness, and both Hades and the demonic stars were fully replenished in no time.

This demonstrated the terrifying power of the World Tree. Even in its nascent state, it could instantaneously restore the nearly exhausted divine energy of Hades and the demonic stars. Subsequently, countless divine powers perfectly merged into the darkness.

Hades, fully restored, absorbed the divine energy swiftly. Next, he continued with his plan. Establishing the World Tree was only the first step; the core task awaited him.

The Underworld?

The Netherland?

Tartarus?

Frankly speaking, Hades could transform any of these realms into his own underworld, the main base for overseeing reincarnation. But he was not interested in these places. With the World Seed, his ambition was to create his own Underworld and forge it into his divine kingdom—this was his long-standing aspiration.

Now, with the World Seed taking root and sprouting, having initially grown into a World Tree, his plan could begin.

Hades ascended to the crown of the World Tree, looking down at its bottomless depths. Apart from the dark purple demonic stars dotting the crown and the Contract Hell floating in the darkness, nothing else was visible.

Next, Hades began the act of creation. With a wave of his hand, divine power flowed from the World Tree, forming four rivers.

The River of Flames, created from fire, filled with endless flames: the Phlegethon.

The River of Lament, gathering sorrow and embodying the boundless grief of the dead: the Cocytus.

The River of Woe, dividing life and death, stripping souls of any hope of returning to life: the Acheron.

The River of Oaths, embodying suffering, keeping promises, anger, and other emotions, governed by nine laws: the Styx.

These four Underworld Rivers originated from the crown of the World Tree, winding downwards and encircling it, finally converging at its roots. The birth of these four rivers marked the true beginning of the Underworld's creation.

Hades descended to the roots of the World Tree. Upon touching the ground, a withered land appeared beneath his feet, a place where countless souls wandered—this was the Yomotsu Hirasaka.

Surrounding the Yomotsu Hirasaka was endless void. Falling from Yomotsu Hirasaka would lead one into one of the Underworld's four rivers: the River of Lament.

Hades walked on the Yomotsu Hirasaka. A massive gate appeared before him, the Gate of Hell, symbolizing the abandonment of all living breath.

Crossing the Gate of Hell, Hades found himself before the Acheron River, one of the four Underworld Rivers.

Stepping onto a raft that appeared out of thin air, Hades was ferried across the river. On the other side, a vast hellscape unfolded beneath his feet.

The First Hell: The Underworld Tribunal.

The Second Hell: The Hell of Violent Rain.

The Third Hell: The Hell of Greed.

The Fourth Hell: The Feather Lake.

The Fifth Hell: The Hell of Burning Fire.

The Sixth Hell: Divided into three valleys—Ichinotani: The Blood Pond Hell, Ninotani: The Forest Hell, and Santotani: The Hot Sand Hell.

The Seventh Hell: Comprising ten trenches—First Trench, Second Trench, Fourth Trench, Fifth Trench, Sixth Trench, Seventh Trench, Eighth Trench, Ninth Trench, and Tenth Trench, each uniquely distinct.

The Eighth Hell: The Hell of Ice.

Within the Eighth Hell, there were four circles: The Circle of Cain, the Circle of Antenora, the Circle of Ptolemy, and the Circle of Judas.

Hades walked through each realm, finally stopping at the last circle, the Circle of Judas, where a grand palace emerged, symbolizing his dominion.

One of the Underworld's four rivers, the Styx, encircled the World Tree and the Eight Hells, forming nine complete circles, each representing one of the nine emotional laws of the Styx.

And!

Behind Hades's palace stood a vast wall symbolizing endless darkness and death: the Wall of Sighs.

Additionally:

Between the First Hell and the Second Hell was the Valley of Black Winds.

Between the Second Hell and the Third Hell was the only flower garden in the Underworld, representing the sole hope within this realm.

Between the Sixth Hell and the Seventh Hell flowed the Great Waterfall of Blood and Tears, one of the branches of the River of Flames.

Thus, the preliminary Underworld was formed, consisting of the Underworld's four rivers, Yomotsu Hirasaka, Eight Hells, Three Valleys, Ten Trenches, and Four Circles.

Of course, this Underworld was merely in its infancy. There were many elements yet to be perfected, including the addition of death gods and other essential figures.

However, this Underworld already surpassed the one Hades had created in the original story. Using the World Tree as the foundation, it held boundless potential.

In the future!

As the World Tree grew into a true World Tree, this Underworld could evolve into a new Mythic World, brimming with infinite possibilities. At that point, the nourishment from his divine kingdom alone would propel Hades to the level of an Absolute God.

But that was a prospect for the distant future.

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