Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
Finally, after repairing the central area of the City of Slaughter, the Ten-Headed Sunfire Serpent looked with satisfaction at the solemn architecture before it, which was now even more magnificent than before.
Due to the surge of underground magma during its advancement, even though it had absorbed a good amount of magma and leveled it, the original Hell Road had been submerged and could no longer be used.
The material used to repair the large hole was obsidian infused with its demonic power.
This could perfectly filter and isolate the scorching heat that was fatal to humans.
Two months, not a long time, but enough to bring about a complete transformation in the appearance of the entire City of Slaughter.
For the first half of this period, Tang Sui handed over the affairs of the City of Slaughter to the Ten-Headed Sunfire Serpent, Fox Mask, and the system, and then went into seclusion.
It was not for cultivation, but an attempt to use the energy core, which she had depleted to half its original crystal, to establish a bridge of communication with the Asura God.
The Ten-Headed Sunfire Serpent personally repaired the hole to prevent Tang Sui, who was underground, from being discovered by other sensitive beings.
He did not know what Tang Sui and the other party had discussed, only that, while he was leisurely repairing the hole, the entire City of Slaughter suddenly trembled.
When he looked up with a sense of premonition, the bloody aura that had permeated the City of Slaughter for years was gradually being covered by a familiar demonic power that was rising steadily.
It was like a chessboard where black pieces were slowly being pushed aside, their territory being replaced by white.
The Ten-Headed Sunfire Serpent was keenly aware of the significance of this change—Tang Sui had officially taken control of the City of Slaughter.
On that day, everyone in the City of Slaughter heard a voice.
It seemed to come from a very distant place, ethereal and distant, and only a female voice could be vaguely discerned, proclaiming the new laws and regulations of the City of Slaughter.
Law One: The Yellow Spring Dew is abolished and replaced with contribution points at a 1:10 ratio, requiring verification and registration at the Population Census Department.
Law Two: During the special period, the "entry only, no exit" rule still applies. However, there is no need to trouble oneself with advancement issues. For those with pure faith, cultivation will not only be unimpeded but they will also receive a God-bestowed Spirit Ring for free upon breaking through the maximum spirit power level.
Law Three: From this day forward, self-slaughter, theft, and robbery are prohibited. If there are any conflicts, one may agree to a duel at the Hell Slaughter Arena and sign a life-and-death agreement to resolve it oneself.
Law Four: The new rules for the Hell Slaughter Arena remain unchanged. Duels participated in outside of life-and-death agreements are prohibited from resulting in death. Additionally, 10 contribution points will be awarded for each victory.
Law Five: Those who do not meet the pure faith condition of Law Two can accumulate contribution points. Upon reaching 500, they will also receive a God-bestowed Spirit Ring for advancement.
Law Six: All law enforcers in the City of Slaughter must uphold the principles of impartiality and justice in their enforcement; the gaze of the gods is everywhere.
Law Seven: All law enforcement personnel will receive a God-bestowed Spirit Ring for free upon reaching a bottleneck in their spirit power level.
Law Eight: To apply for a law enforcer position, one must be a pure believer and pass the law enforcer assessment.
...
Over seventy laws, meticulously crafted by Tang Sui and the system, were carved by Tang Sui into a massive stele made of obsidian, infused with her demonic power imprint. It was erected where the main hall of Hell once stood, receiving the awe-inspiring gazes of those who passed by.
Regarding the matter of cultivation, Tang Sui and the Asura God's opinions had been reconciled.
Just as ancient times had contributions for assisting the rise of emperors, the current gods valued Tang Sui's potential to become a god herself after achieving her own path to enlightenment, the merit of being a witness.
The Asura God had transferred the City of Slaughter to Tang Sui, and in return, Tang Sui agreed to three conditions.
First, the existence of the City of Slaughter was originally intended to facilitate the Asura God's search for a successor to his divine position. However, since the authority of the City of Slaughter had now been given to Tang Sui, the task of finding a successor would fall to her. Tang Chen, the originally chosen successor, had lost his eligibility due to the Rakshasa God.
Second, the Asura God had previously used the Hell Road as a means to encourage those qualified to become his successor. Therefore, he had temporarily withdrawn the method of obtaining the God of Slaughter Domain. In the future, successors would have to figure out the God of Slaughter Domain themselves, and Tang Sui was not allowed to grant it.
Third, although the land of divine faith had changed, the City of Slaughter had always been a place of complex emotions for him. He wished for the City of Slaughter to endure, to be passed down with a new appearance while retaining its original characteristics.
There was originally a fourth condition, but regardless of whether the Asura God proposed it or not, Tang Sui would have done it.
In addition, the Asura God provided some guidance regarding God-bestowed Spirit Rings.
God-bestowed Spirit Rings were essentially the act of a god bestowing their power to another, who would then absorb it for their own use.
Divine power differed from spirit power because divine power contained Dao intent.
However, the divine power distributed to those qualified for God-bestowed Spirit Rings had its Dao intent filtered out and was converted into spirit power after dilution.
This was similar to Tang Sui's ability to convert between demonic power and spirit power, and also akin to how soul beasts, upon death, had their entire cultivation power condensed into spirit rings absorbed by soul masters. In essence, it was absorbing the power of others, which is to say, consuming to evolve.
Most individuals could not perform a sacrifice because of the difference in their existence and that of soul beasts.
However, they could be "sacrificed" by a minority of soul masters who could devour the energy of others, becoming their own strength and cultivation.
The amount of energy absorbed from a God-bestowed Spirit Ring depended on the soul master's maximum absorption capacity, similar to spirit pressure, only it was a matter of how much the individual could withstand.
This meant that even though Tang Sui had not yet become a god, she could, through this method, bestow the most suitable spirit rings upon others.
The skills and attributes required for a spirit ring would depend on the Dao intent of the bestower.
It was akin to an annual bonus application report. A subordinate would fill it out and submit it to the review department for vetting, and then upload it to the director's office, where the director would decide whether to approve the bonus.
The annual bonus was the God-bestowed Spirit Ring, the subordinate was the soul master, the review department was Tang Sui, and the director was the Heavenly Dao.
A bonus without the director's approval would forever remain an empty check, much like Tang Sui's stored spirit power that she could not use.
Power without Dao intent, when bestowed upon soul masters, could only form spirit rings but would lack any skills.
It was equivalent to an empty check.
The people within the City of Slaughter had been confined for years. Due to the "entry only, no exit" rule, they could not obtain the spirit rings required for the next realm through conventional means, causing countless individuals to be stuck at integer bottlenecks of their spirit power levels, unable to break through.
Dao intent would not be depleted due to expenditure; it was a fixed value based on the owner's own comprehension.
What Tang Sui needed to worry about was how to acquire such a vast amount of energy to advance her soldiers.
She wasn't a philanthropist, after all.
Thus, the conditions for obtaining God-bestowed Spirit Rings came into being.
The faith provided by her believers was also a form of energy. Although inferior to demonic power, it was purer than spirit power.
As an intermediary, Tang Sui happily earned the remaining energy after converting faith power into spirit power and bestowing it upon her believers.
Not everyone could withstand a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring; currently, the best were around seventy to eighty thousand years.
Having acquired a large influx of energy, Tang Sui smiled as she watched her two law enforcement team members who had advanced to the Titled Douluo level.
Excellent, killing multiple birds with one stone!
Thanks to the Asura God.