I Am Hades, Lord of the Underworld!

Thousands of years passed in an instant.

Hades had stabilized his divine power, mastering and controlling every law he wielded. As he truly stepped into the realm of the Chief God, the magnitude of the transformation became clear.

The gap in power between different tiers of gods was vast. Originally, there was no classification for Chief Gods when the divine hierarchy was established. 

Why was this tier added later? The reason is simple: the Twelve Titans were overwhelmingly powerful, to the point of absurdity. Although they couldn't match the God-King, they were far superior to Major Gods, hence the classification of Chief Gods.

Now, as Hades stood on this level, he could fully grasp the depth of each law he controlled. His previous understanding and mastery seemed almost laughable.

"This is the law of a Chief God," Hades murmured, opening his hand. Countless lights, representing the myriad laws he controlled, swirled around him. With a thought, he retracted all the power.

Sitting on his throne outside the Elysium Palace, Hades quietly observed, "But these laws are still too numerous and unfocused. Even specializing in one law is meaningless without reclaiming my true source."

The Elysium was now teeming with life. The pure souls transformed into angels lived there, and as Hades pondered these matters, he also awaited the forthcoming changes.

As expected.

In a few years, the World Tree began to tremble. Its thick trunk continued to expand, and the already lush tree grew even more vigorously. This indicated that the World Tree was undergoing a massive transformation. Hades' breakthrough into the realm of the Chief God had provided a feedback loop, causing the World Tree to grow and elevate further.

Moreover, as the World Tree grew, the Underworld — from the eight major hells to the Elysium — expanded rapidly. In a short time, each hell grew from roughly the size of a small world to vastly surpassing that scale.

This rapid expansion was a direct feedback from Hades' ascension to Chief God. For the Underworld, fulfilling its role of managing life and death and completing the Mythical World would earn it special rewards akin to merits in the Primordial World. These rewards, although not abundant, accumulated over time, enhancing the Underworld and promoting the growth of the World Tree, which in turn fed back to Hades.

Hades, the World Tree, and the Underworld had formed a perfect cycle.

However, this cycle had not yet begun to operate because of the unique era. The concept of life and death reincarnation was currently useless. In the future, when reincarnation becomes relevant, everything will naturally fall into place.

This was the fundamental core. Hades was not in a hurry; it was a slow and steady process, which is typical in divine cultivation — a gradual and continuous journey rather than a rush.

"The Underworld's formal operation will take time. Until then..." Hades pondered many things but quietly whispered, "It's pointless for now. The creation of Reapers and the operation of the Underworld can wait."

The creation of Reapers, the invention of hellish torments, and other aspects were all things Hades needed to develop. The Underworld was currently an empty shell, requiring future additions.

However,

Hades considered it briefly and decided there was no urgency. The Golden Age of humanity meant no death, and even if someone died, they would return to the world's source and be reborn. Titans, if they died, faced the obliteration of their souls, making it all somewhat moot.

"The Witches of the Great Sins have mastered their respective Sin Laws and perfectly integrated the emblems of the Seven Deadly Sins into their bodies, allowing them to wield the Sin Crowns."

"Mephistopheles has benefited from the World Tree's growth, enhancing the Contract Hell."

"The faith provided by the angels has been purified through the divine idol and stored within it."

Hades observed the entire Underworld. The seven Witches of the Great Sins had mastered seven sin laws, reaching the level of Third-tier Gods, and had seamlessly merged the Sin Emblems into their bodies, akin to Hades' bond with the magic stars.

This progress was impressive. According to his plan, upon returning to the surface world, Hades would place the Witches in the Underworld, allowing them to merge with the Seven-Headed Ten-Horned Red Dragon, becoming integral parts of it.

Initially, his idea was merely to control the dragon, but now he had a more advanced plan: the Witches would become the Seven-Headed Ten-Horned Red Dragon, able to separate as Witches or unite as the Apocalyptic Red Dragon. This approach seemed highly feasible and would be developed further in the future.

Mephistopheles, meanwhile, was enjoying unprecedented ease. Every day, he basked in the growth of the Contract Hell brought about by the World Tree's expansion. Previously, he had painstakingly contracted exceptional souls, but now, even idling, he could feel the Contract Hell's improvement, which in turn enhanced his understanding of the laws. He was practically grinning from ear to ear.

As for the power of faith provided by the angels, it was stored in the divine idol for the time being. Hades didn't urgently need to use this purified faith. Even though the quantity was small, it was not significant for someone at his level as a Chief God.

"Finally..."

Hades shifted his focus to the magic stars. As expected, with his advancement to the Chief God level, the magic stars also underwent a transformation. They expanded, their essence increased, and the divine power they contained grew stronger.

The enhancement from the magic stars was reflected in the Specters. Initially, the lowest human candidates transformed into Specters only reached the level of Third-tier Gods. Now, they could reach the peak of Third-tier Gods.

Hades, the World Tree, and the Underworld.

Hades, the magic stars, and the Specters.

These two perfect cycles represented the divine kingdom and Hades' own essence, respectively, and had now come into full formation.

And.

In Hades' vision, this was just the beginning. He aimed to create his unique, most perfect path of cultivation, forming a truly flawless cycle.

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