Chapter 478 - The Second Turn of the Three-Path River
Chapter 478 The Second Turn of the Three-Path River
Under the sea of blood, several streams of light shuttled back and forth, crushing the ferocious beasts in the sea of blood into powder.
A large number of Asuras gathered in various places and looked outside the sea of blood. At that moment, they did not dare to show their heads.
Daoist Duobao, Zhao Gongming, the Goddess of Golden Spirit, Fairy Yun Xiao, and Perfected Yu Ding. The auras of the five experts suppressed the entire sea of blood. Whenever they discovered an expert from the Asura race approaching, they would retreat or kill him.
At the edge of the sea of blood, Li Changshou sat cross-legged on a cloud. He was a little worried and troubled.
In front of him, there was a thirty-feet-tall pagoda. The pagoda was still on the 360th floor, but it was already dim and there were cracks on its base. Below him, there were huge shadows that looked like willow catkins in spring. They were at a loss and lost their spiritual light. There were less than seven days left.
It should be said that they were even more fragile than Liu Xu.
Just as the old Daoist priest of the Western Sect, who had lost his mind, had said, 80% of the souls there would not last more than seven days. Due to the many years of ‘delay’, if the True Spirit was not nourished by the power of living beings, it would soon shatter…
Reincarnation was their only way out.
At that moment, most of the path in front of Li Changshou had been severed. Fortunately, although the sea of blood was a place where dirty springs flowed, and the turbid power was showing signs of sinking, it did not pose much harm to his soul.
Why didn’t they throw them into the Six Paths of Reincarnation?
The Six Paths of Reincarnation were not simply meant for souls to be thrown in.
The Six Paths of Reincarnation Disc, the Book of Life and Death, and the Magistrate Brush were a complete set of reincarnation systems. The soul had to walk on them before they could be reincarnated. In that case, there would always be an “upper limit”. No matter how he deduced, the full power of the Six Paths of Reincarnation could only reincarnate ten percent of the souls in this place.
Moreover, the Six Paths of Reincarnation were already blocked…
However, the Reincarnation Pagoda was different. It was divided into 360 levels. There were no restrictions on the Book of Life and Death. Every level could be used as one. The place where one reincarnated was the various incense kingdoms. If the Western Sect controlled the Reincarnation Pagoda and entered the Reincarnation system, it would be equivalent to completely controlling the Divine Kingdom of Incense. It would imprison living beings and turn them into merit Dharma artifacts. Now, the plans of the Western Sect had been destroyed.
Li Changshou had already represented the Heavenly Courts and agreed to the conditions with the Western Sect’s Saint Jie Yin.
However, he did not expect…
A retarded old Daoist priest could become a loser in this battle.
It also proved that the “0.2” that Li Changshou had always been afraid of existed. At that moment, the Primordial World was still extremely dangerous. At the same time, the Goddess of Golden Spirit attacked angrily but only killed the old Daoist priest. A small portion of the old Daoist priest’s essence soul was saved by the Western Sect.
However, this fellow’s outcome should be extremely tragic…
The Reincarnation Pagoda was shattered by the people of the Western Sect. Those souls were schemed by the people of the Western Sect. Moreover, they were the main characters of the world, the human race.
There were countless souls there. As long as they dissipated, they would become a negative karma of the Western Sect.
The Western Sect had already entered the calamity. Today, the Heavenly Dao had just taken advantage of the situation to plot against the Western Sect. Everyone from the Western Sect who appeared today had to bear this negative karma.
There were so many living beings and many human souls. He did not know if the twelfth-grade golden lotus could withstand it.
However…
The Heavenly Dao was heartless, and all living beings were born.
The souls of so many humans could be casually used as the catalyst to push the Western Sect into the calamity.
“I’m whispering in the deepest corner of my heart: I really lack balance.” Li Changshou activated his clear Dao heart and entered the moment of enlightenment. Some Dao runes revolved around him as he sat there and pondered quietly.
That question was really difficult to solve.
A white figure flew over from the side. Her skirt and long hair fluttered slightly as she landed behind Li Changshou. Li Changshou asked, “Where are the Westerners?”
Yun Xiao said softly, “They have already left the Netherworld. They said that they are returning to the spiritual mountain to think of a solution, but there’s no need to count on them.”
“These guys.” Li Changshou pursed his lips. “If they don’t respond to the tribulation, the heavens will not tolerate them! Saints…”
“They should have already left,” Fairy Yun Xiao said. “Master and the others don’t want to fight the Heavenly Dao directly.” Li Changshou raised his hand and wiped his face. He sat there and fell into deep thought. Yun Xiao sighed softly and pressed her slender fingers gently on Li Changshou’s shoulder. “Don’t force yourself. There are times when human strength is exhausted. There are many things in the world that even Saints can’t do.”
“Let’s wait for Senior Brother Taiyi to return first.”
As soon as Li Changshou finished speaking, faint ripples appeared in the universe beside him. Two figures flew out from the ripples.
Perfected Taiyi had already changed into a light pink Daoist robe and looked even more dazzling. Yun Zhongzi walked over quickly from behind. When the Golden Immortal Fu Yuan saw the previous scene, his body trembled. “Ah, why did the Western Sect commit such sins!?!”
“Senior Brother.” Li Changshou stood up and bowed with a Dao salute. “Senior Brother, you’re good at refining artifacts. Please take a look and see if the Reincarnation Pagoda can be repaired.” Yun Zhongzi bowed and returned the greeting. He took two steps forward and sat in front of the pagoda to consider carefully. Perfected Taiyi strolled over with his hands behind his back. It was rare for him to be serious. He pretended to be relaxed and asked, “Changgeng, what do you plan to do? These souls here can be the negative karma of the Western Sect. After discussing the God Conferment, the Great Tribulation will descend. Most of the Western Sect will definitely be destroyed.” Li Changshou pursed his lips and continued to ponder.
Perfected Taiyi said, “If you don’t do anything now, no one will blame you. You have even contributed greatly to the Dao Sect. Moreover, what can we do? These souls are already extremely weak. I just tried using merit. Even the most gentle Heavenly Dao merit can’t withstand a wisp of it. At that moment, they are like… Willow catkins. Apart from allowing them to reincarnate, there is no other way to save them. The Western Sect is very thorough in this aspect.” Li Changshou said, “But it’s better than not doing anything.”
Yun Zhongzi said, “The spirit of the pagoda has been destroyed. There are a total of 326,000 restrictions around it. It will take at least a few months to fully understand these restrictions.”
Li Changshou raised his hand and rubbed his eyebrows. He said softly, “Senior Brother, please think of another solution.”
“Alright.” Yun Zhongzi agreed. Wisps of golden light emitted from his forehead and covered the pagoda. Li Changshou turned around and asked, “Is anyone from the Western Sect willing to come over?” Perfected Taiyi cursed, “Are we still counting on them? These guys must be thinking about how to escape responsibility!”
“The Western Sect is unreliable,” Li Changshou said softly. “They don’t care about the living beings. Don’t forget the Divine Kingdom of Incense. Their thoughts are very simple. No matter how many negative karma there are, there won’t be many of them. They can quickly wash them off with incense merit.”
A cold voice sounded.
“We should start a massacre.”
As he spoke, the Five-colored Divine Light bloomed from the sky. Kong Xuan rushed over quickly and resolved his momentum in an instant. He slowly landed in front of Li Changshou.
“The luck of the Shang Clan is insufficient,” Kong Xuan said. “It’s difficult for them to help.”
The atmosphere became even more oppressive. Li Changshou pondered for a while and sat down to continue thinking.
Rescue was equivalent to helping the Western Sect.
However, the difficult part was how to save him.
The soul in that place was so weak that it could not withstand any torture. Daoist Duobao had tried to put his soul into the Dharma treasure that was used to nurture his essence soul, but he had lost 30% of it.
Yun Xiao pursed her lips. “If I use the power of these souls to protect my True Spirit and reincarnate with it…
That’s not right. Their True Spirits are damaged.” Kong Xuan said calmly, “When the Western Sect was plotting this matter, they definitely only left behind the path of reincarnation.”
“We only have seven days.” Li Changshou rubbed his eyebrows. “Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, please discuss again.” As soon as he finished speaking, Li Changshou’s wristband let out a soft sigh. A shadow slowly condensed, scaring Perfected Tai Yi so much that he almost jumped out. The figure looked to be in his twenties. His long hair was tied up and he was dressed in a light blue Daoist robe. As soon as he appeared, he could not stand steadily and looked like he wanted to collapse. He was naturally sad.
Tears glistened in her eyes.
“I’m too miserable! There are clearly seven of them, but they want me to send a message… Everyone.”
Little Grief’s voice suddenly changed and became much more stable. Naturally, the Lady of Earth used Little Grief to communicate with them.
“Do you have a good plan?” Li Changshou could not help but fall silent. He lowered his head and did not say anything. Little Grief sighed softly and turned to look at the layers of human souls on the sea of blood. Two drops of tears fell from her eyes. However, Little Grief did not say anything. She only sighed softly. “Two days later, there will be a gap in the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Save as many as you can. Changgeng, don’t be troubled. You have already done many things.”
After saying that, Little Grief turned around and bowed slightly to Li Changshou before flying back to the grass ring. Li Changshou hurriedly returned the greeting. He knew in his heart that the Goddess did not want to pressure them.
Perfected Taiyi asked again, “Teachers, what do you mean?”
Yun Xiao answered, “Master will definitely not turn a blind eye to the suffering of all living beings. If we want to attack, we can attack.”
“Senior Brother, call everyone over to discuss.” Li Changshou’s heart lit up. However, the spiritual light disappeared too quickly and he could not catch it.
Not long after, streams of light flew back. The group of nine immortals and Yun Zhongzi, who had just been invited, discussed the matter at that moment. After discussing for a long time, they came up with a sentence that Li Changshou had said previously. He would do his best.
In the lonely corner of the array formation on the spiritual mountain, Ksitigarbha sat cross-legged under the tree. Truth Listener used its long tail and body to conceal Ksitigarbha’s figure. Occasionally, leaves would fall from its head.
The tree was gradually withering. Beside the spiritual pool in the distance, a group of disciples from the Western Sect were gloomy. Since an hour ago, the disciple who was usually close to the old Daoist priest, Shi Lezhi, was scolding the old Daoist priest the most fiercely.
They were naturally thinking of countermeasures, but they only said a few words about the consequences of that matter before they fell silent. “We have the merit of incense offerings to protect ourselves. There’s no need to worry.”
When the old Daoist priest said that, most of the old Daoists’ expressions relaxed.
Ksitigarbha looked down at the prayer beads in his hand and was a little lost in thought.
Truth Listener muttered via voice transmission, “Master, don’t think about it. The Great Sage is on your side. That’s enough. In the future, cultivate in peace. Even if the Western Sect suffers losses in the Great Tribulation, Master will still live.”
“When did it become like this?”
Ksitigarbha muttered to himself. A fallen leaf landed on his palm, causing Ksitigarbha’s eyes to waver. “Why is the Dao Sect the main character of the world while the Western Sect is just a supporting role? Teacher, I will definitely make the Western Sect prosper!”
“The Dao Sect of the Three Thousand Worlds is disdainful of managing it. However, if we build a foundation and develop believers, we can use this to condense merit from incense offerings. We can also teach the human race.”
“Teacher, please leave some leeway for everything. We can use the Kingdom of Incense to control the entire Chiliocosm. This is not compatible with the Heavenly Dao.”
“Truth Listener, how many living beings are there on the Blood Sea this time?”
“I can’t plan in detail either. Therefore, I’ve schemed for too long. These souls have been accumulating for a long time,” Truth Listener said via voice transmission. “It’s roughly equivalent to the total number of humans in the sixty Sectors.”
“Sixty…” Ksitigarbha slowly clenched his fist and crushed the dead leaf in his hand.
Truth Listener said, “Master, don’t worry. The Saint will definitely not ignore this matter.”
“It was clearly the Heavenly Dao that attacked just now. If the two teachers directly interfered, they would be treated as confronting the Heavenly Dao. Teacher will probably stabilize the twelfth-grade Golden Lotus.”
“Even the Saints can’t do anything about it. Master, what can you do?”
III. “I
Ksitigarbha paused and sighed dejectedly. He held his forehead with both hands and lowered his head in silence.
His expression was the same as Li Changshou.
A moment ago, Daoist Duobao said, “Changgeng, I know that you can’t bear to do this, but we might as well not do it. Just as you said, you can do your best and not feel guilty. There’s no need to force yourself. This is a variable. It’s difficult to be thorough.”
“Senior Brother Yun Zhongzi also said that the pearl is strange. The surrounding restrictions were not destroyed, but the Reincarnation Pearl shattered on its own.”
“Be careful with your words.”
“Everyone.” Li Changshou lowered his head and held his forehead. His two index fingers gently rubbed his glabella. “I…” Two soft sighs were heard above the sea of blood and under the spiritual mountain tree.
Then, there was a long silence.
He was silent because he was thinking. He was thinking because he did not want to go with the flow and did not want to believe the so-called “destiny”. “What can I do?”
Li Changshou asked while Ksitigarbha searched.
On the spiritual mountain, Truth Listener swayed its tail gently, as if it was chasing away the surrounding mosquitoes. It also seemed to be indicating to the old Daoists beside the spiritual pool not to disturb it.
On the sea of blood, Yun Xiao sighed and said softly, “Eldest Senior Brother, please go to Fengdu City with my elder brother first. Suppress those fierce souls and free the Six Paths of Reincarnation as soon as possible.”
“Sure!”
Duobao agreed and turned into a stream of light with Zhao Gongming and the Goddess of Golden Spirit. They shot towards Fengdu City. Yun Xiao continued, “I’ll continue to wait here. Please go to the sea of blood again. Don’t let the ferocious beasts in the sea of blood harm living beings.” Kong Xuan cupped his hands and sent a voice transmission. “Don’t worry. Just take good care of Changgeng. He is from the human race and has never seen the tragic state of living beings when the great calamity descended. I’m afraid he will not be able to endure this scene.”
“Yes.” Yun Xiao nodded slightly. “Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist.” The streams of light flowed again, and the people gathered there to discuss the fruitless matter scattered again. They were all busy doing what they could. Half a day later, the sky of the Netherworld seemed to be getting shorter. The sea of blood was silent. The helpless lonely souls wandered numbly, as if they wanted to drown the sea of blood. Li Changshou slowly heaved a sigh of relief. The confusion and hesitation in his eyes disappeared.
“I can still do something.”
Yun Xiao asked gently, “Can you discuss it with me?”
“It’s just some thoughts. I’m not sure if I can succeed.” Li Changshou stood up. “No matter what, it’s better than waiting here. The longer I wait, the longer I have to wait. I’ll go to the Fire Cloud Cave and return in two hours. Two hours later, please ask Senior Brother and the others to come back. I want to discuss something important.”
“Yes.” Yun Xiao smiled faintly. “Don’t leave any regrets for your Dao heart.”
“Definitely.”
Li Changshou’s figure was wrapped in the Taiji Painting. He jumped into the realm outside the painting and rushed from the Netherworld to the five continents.
An hour later, Li Changshou hurriedly entered the Fire Cloud Cave.
In just a moment, Li Changshou and a burly man in a fisherman’s suit rushed out!
Li Changshou used the Taiji Painting to open the Void Gate and rushed to the Blood Sea with Emperor Da Yu!
At the spiritual mountain, Ksitigarbha released his palm. Small pieces of ashes scattered out. The confusion in his eyes retreated, and the light in them flickered continuously.
He understood everything.
That was a tribulation.
That was the tribulation of the Western Sect and the Heavenly Dao. However, it was also the opportunity of the Western Sect!
The Saint was still playing the game and plotting! Those living beings were the focus of the Saints’ game. The Saints’ silence was because they were waiting for their disciples to step forward. Would the Water God give up on those living beings? No, definitely not. No matter how dirty this fellow’s heart is, he had a deep sense of belonging to the human race. He, the Water God, would definitely not ignore the souls of the human race in the sixty Sectors! Ksitigarbha stood up and walked forward. Truth Listener trembled and hurriedly said, “Master, what are you doing? Stay there obediently.”
“Shut up!” Ksitigarbha shouted softly and looked at the group of old Daoists. He continued to walk forward and said loudly, “Senior Brothers and Junior Brothers, do you know how to repair the Reincarnation Pagoda?”
“Senior Brother, we don’t know…”
“Junior Brother Ksitigarbha, why are you asking this? Even if you can repair the Reincarnation Pagoda, it will not take a few days. It’s too late.”
“That’s right. Even if we are tainted by negative karma because of this, we can use incense merit…” Ksitigarbha’s expression darkened instantly. He said calmly, “If no one knows, I’ll go and ask Teacher. Everyone, don’t say anything.”
After saying that, Ksitigarbha cupped his hands and bowed. He turned around and was about to head deeper into the spiritual mountain.
However, Truth Listener stood up. Its eyes were filled with hesitation. It ignored the warning that was beating wildly in its heart and shouted via voice transmission, “Master! The Saints are not at home!” Ksitigarbha replied, “Teacher must have an incarnation guarding beside the golden lotus.”
“Ah! Master!”
Truth Listener wanted to say more, but two gazes shot over like knives from the side, making it tremble. Truth Listener subconsciously looked over and saw an old Daoist priest in the spiritual pool smiling at him with a warning gaze. When Truth Listener returned to its senses, it could no longer find Ksitigarbha. It had already entered the mystic realm of the spiritual mountain.
Truth Listener immediately put on a bitter expression and silently lay down. It waved its long tail in boredom.
When it was an auspicious beast that knew too much…
It was really difficult.
In the sea of blood.
As soon as Li Changshou and the Great Yu Emperor appeared, Duobao and the other immortals, who had been waiting for a while, surrounded them. Kong Xuan continued to patrol the various parts of the sea of blood. He used his pressure to force the ferocious beasts in the sea of blood to not dare to float. The Asura race did not dare to make any abnormal movements.
Emperor Da Yu and the immortals of the Dao Sect addressed each other as Dao friends. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Changshou cut to the chase.
“I’ve thought of a solution. There are still six days left. There are actually many things that we can do. First, let me explain my thoughts. There are three things we can do. The first is to extend the lives of these souls. Everyone can continue to think in this direction. The second is to increase the speed of reincarnation of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. I have already made preparations. I invited Emperor Da Yu for this matter. Thirdly, I have to repair the Reincarnation Pagoda in time. I have to rely on Senior Brother Yun Zhongzi.” Yun Zhongzi, who was sitting cross-legged in front of the Reincarnation Tower, looked up and gave an ugly smile. Daoist Duobao asked, “How do we increase the speed of reincarnation of the Six Paths of Reincarnation?”
“Don’t forget my position in the Heavenly Courts.”
Li Changshou drew a long blue river with his left hand. “I want to build a long river. It will temporarily be from the sea of blood to Fengdu City. If this method can be used later, it can be built everywhere in the Netherworld. Previously, I had modified a river in the mortal world to contain the True Spirits of many children of the Magi. This method can be used here after some slight changes.
I want this river to be divided into three levels. If a soul’s merit is counteracted by negative karma, or if there is not much merit or negative karma, it will be in the middle level. The middle level will flow normally and directly connect to the Ten Yama Kings. There are more merit points in the upper levels. The upper levels flow the fastest and are connected to the Six Paths of Reincarnation! The flow of the lower levels is the slowest. They are directly connected to the Eighteen Levels of Hell.
The most important thing about this idea is to let the “kind ones” enter the reincarnation early and use the space in the Eighteen Levels of Hell and the Six Paths of Reincarnation as a buffer. That way, the pressure on the Book of Life and Death would be much less. In that case, we would be able to save at least 30% of the souls in this place. Moreover, kind people would be a priority! Why are you all looking at me like that?”
“Ss…”
Daoist Duobao took a deep breath and asked in confusion, “Why do you have so many ideas?”
Li Changshou smiled and said, “Previously, I heard from the mortals that there are three rivers in the Netherworld. However, there are clearly no rivers in the Netherworld. I was inspired by that.” What a joke. The concept of assembly line and automatic screening could not be said directly. Li Changshou said, “Pardon my offense. Can you let me give the order directly?”
Zhao Gongming smiled and said, “Of course! Speak!”
“Why don’t you tell us what you want to do?” The Goddess of Golden Spirit snorted and expressed her dissatisfaction.
Perfected Yu Ding added, “If we can save more living beings, it will be a merit for us.” Li Changshou nodded slowly. His eyes flickered, and his clear Dao heart was activated again to ensure that he would not be affected by the calamity. “Emperor Da Yu, I’ll leave the exploration of the river to you.” Da Yu nodded with a smile and casually held the Mountain-Splitting Axe, indicating that it was his specialty. “Senior Brother Duobao, Senior Brother Yu Ding, please help Emperor Da Yu together,” Li Changshou said. “This river needs to connect to Fengdu City from the edge of the sea of blood. We have to ensure that there is a sufficient distance between us and the souls.”
“Okay.”
“Leave it to me.”
“Senior Sister Jinling, Senior Brother Taiyi, follow me to Fengdu City.” Li Changshou said firmly, “The key to resolving this matter is whether I can use the Heavenly Courts’ Deity Position to create a river that can distinguish the negative karma of the soul.”
Zhao Gongming asked, “What should I do?”
Li Changshou smiled and said, “Brother Gongming, go to the Heavenly Courts with Yun Xiao and meet the Jade Emperor directly. Tell him that I need a million troops to set up a river here.”
“Sure!”
Fairy Yun Xiao said, “There’s no need for us to invite him.”
She slowly opened her slender hand and a cloud surged out from it. She naturally used the Cloud Mirror Spell. The Cloud Mirror Spell shone directly at the edge of the world and the edge of the East Ocean. There were streams of light that filled the sky and followed the pillar downwards. Among the streams of light were Heavenly Soldiers, Heavenly Generals, and Fairy Chang’e. At the front, General Dongmu and a few third-rank orthodox gods were riding a cloud. Qin Tianzhu’s figure could be seen from behind. Li Changshou was stunned. Then, he laughed.
“Everyone, let’s get to work!”
“Ahem.” Perfected Taiyi cleared his throat. “Changgeng, are you sure you want to do this? Saving the souls of the mortals here is helping the Western Sect resolve the calamity in the future.”
Li Changshou looked at Perfected Tai Yi and smiled. “I’ll take it that I can scold those Western Sect members in the future.”
The corners of Perfected Taiyi’s mouth twitched.
Li Changshou looked at the sky and took a deep breath. He said, “The Western Sect will definitely return what they owe. However… the immortals will not harm mortals.”
At that moment, Fairy Yun Xiao’s eyes were filled with splendor. The immortals nodded and chuckled.
Soon…
The sky was pulled open. A million Heavenly Soldiers came from the east. They each held their weapons and began to… dig the soil. Fengdu City. A group of disciples of the Saints of Chan School and Jie School rushed over after hearing the news. They helped to stabilize the surroundings and kill the evil spirits that were causing trouble everywhere.
Li Changshou walked in and out of the Six Paths of Reincarnation and kept trying and changing his thoughts. He quickly realized that it was impossible to stabilize the three completely different types of river water. The souls were extremely weak, and the river water that flowed at different speeds could easily destroy them.
Therefore, he only needed a river that could protect the souls. That way, the threshold would be much lower.
However, the design of the river was much more complicated and troublesome. Li Changshou summoned the Divine Power Treasure of the Water God and rushed to the “construction site” after meeting Qin Tianzhu. He kept thinking and studying it. He quickly proposed a plan before quickly dismissing it.
Qin Tianzhu was very open-minded. After encountering trouble, he shouted at the surroundings. Whoever could suggest a solution would return to the Heavenly Courts and directly advance.
What a group strategy. The Netherworld suddenly became extremely lively. From the sea of blood to the Netherworld, Ghost Messenger, the Magi of the Netherworld, and even a small number of Asura tribes had thrown themselves into the construction of digging the river.
King Chujiang could not help but tease him. He said that the Water God had really had the foresight to let him gather the army previously. It was exceptionally convenient when digging the river.
At the Six Paths of Reincarnation, ghosts had begun to transport the ghosts on the Blood Sea to reincarnate.
The Yama Lords rolled up their sleeves and left the stage. The judges were so busy that they were sweating profusely. The Big Ghost and Little Ghost had broken their legs from running, and Ox-head and Horse-face were exhausted.
In less than a day, the rivers that accepted the ghosts from the sea of blood were completed. In just two days, the main road was 80% completed.
Li Changshou had countless new ideas. At that moment, he had already opened up a huge lake beside the sea of blood. He used the Taiji Painting to attract the water of the Heavenly River and threw himself into it. The water in the place began to turn into “living water”. Water benefits everything but does not compete. Water benefits all living beings but does not go unnoticed.
The water is only used to hold the soul. Li Changshou racked his brains and used the Divine Power of the Water God to the extreme, allowing the water to reach a certain extreme purity.
That way, he would not hurt those souls. On the third day, the Three-Path River had been completed. There was only the last water source left.
Li Changshou and more than ten experts of the Dao Sect gathered beside the Great Swamp. At the same time, they attacked and lured the water of the Great Swamp into the river. On both sides of the river, the million Heavenly Soldiers followed General Dongmu’s orders and slowly accelerated the three-layered stream. The sea of blood began to connect the souls into the river.
When the first batch of hundreds of souls merged into a “tributary”, they were affected by the three types of Dharma artifacts that were stuck everywhere in the river. They slowly split into three layers. Deafening cheers sounded from all over the riverbank.
Li Changshou smiled faintly and heaved a sigh of relief. However, Li Changshou’s smile quickly froze. He frowned slightly and shouted, “Slow down the mainstream!” As soon as he finished speaking, the dozens of souls that had entered the main road from the tributary suddenly collapsed in the river that was flowing faster.
The cheers quickly fell silent. The Heavenly Soldiers hurriedly stopped casting their spells. Zhao Gongming activated the Sea-Calming Divine Pearl and stabilized the water flow before slowing down.
The water flow could not be too fast.
That affected the overall efficiency.
Li Changshou smiled bitterly. “In that case, I can only save 25%.”
“A quarter is already very good.” Daoist Duobao smiled and said, “This is a huge merit. Changgeng, don’t be too hard on yourself.”
Qin Tianzhu said seriously, “Lord… Water God!”
“Huh?”
Qin Tianzhu slowly raised his right hand and flicked his thumb. “Yes!”
The Jade Emperor felt that it was very impressive. “Ah.” Li Changshou smiled and sighed. He stood beside the river and scanned with his immortal senses. He looked at the living beings there and said, “Open the gates and accept souls! The righteous gods of the Heavenly Courts rushed to Fengdu City to help the Netherworld deal with the ghosts. Please allow me to release the Book of Life and Death temporarily!”
With a rumbling sound, a little thunder appeared in the world. It was a response from the Heavenly Dao.
Suddenly!
“Water God, I have a method that can save the souls here.”
Li Changshou, the immortals, and the Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals turned their heads to look. They saw golden light shining above the sea of blood. A young Daoist was riding on the back of a green-furred dog. He smiled and walked down. Ksitigarbha.
Li Changshou frowned slightly and gestured for the experts behind to calm down.
Li Changshou said loudly, “Do you have a way to repair the Reincarnation Pagoda?”
“Yes.”
Ksitigarbha agreed and in the blink of an eye, he was already 500 kilometers away. He lowered his head and scanned the souls on the sea of blood. However, he jumped off Truth Listener’s back and patted it.
A talisman appeared in his palm and was shattered by Ksitigarbha. “I’ll set you free today. The immortal contract between us has been completed. Let’s go.”
Truth Listener was stunned for a moment. Then, it lowered its head and kowtowed to Ksitigarbha. Clouds appeared on its four feet as it stopped.
Ksitigarbha rode a cloud forward. His white robe fluttered gently, and his long hair fluttered in the wind. Daoist Duobao said loudly, “Ksitigarbha, why are you the only one here?”
Ksitigarbha said calmly, “I’ve already said that I have a way to repair the Reincarnation Pagoda.”
“The tragedy here is all caused by your Western Sect!” the Goddess of Golden Spirit cursed. “Why are you so high and mighty now? Do you really think that I don’t dare to kill you!?!” Ksitigarbha stared at the Goddess of Golden Spirit and whispered, “I’m different from them.” However, he smiled and said, “I’m the same as them.”
After saying that, Ksitigarbha bowed deeply to Li Changshou on the cloud and said loudly, “Ksitigarbha, the disciple of the Saint of the Western Sect, has come to sever karma for the Western Sect today. I hope that the Water God will allow me to repair the Reincarnation Pagoda for the Heavenly Courts on account of the innocent souls here!”
Li Changshou looked at Qin Tianzhu, who gestured for Li Changshou to make his own decision. “How confident are you?”
Li Changshou asked. “How long will it take?”
Ksitigarbha said, “I’m 100% confident. In a moment.”
“Oh?” Li Changshou raised his eyebrows and looked at Ksitigarbha from 50 kilometers away. One of them was dressed in a green robe, while the other was dressed in a white robe. When their eyes met, they were no longer as hostile as before. Li Changshou suddenly said something that no one else could understand. “I swear that the Reincarnation Pagoda will enter the Six Paths of Reincarnation and not be interfered with by anyone. I will only listen to the Lady of Earth’s orders.”
Ksitigarbha nodded slowly and sat down cross-legged. He raised his left hand and shouted, “I, the Western Sect’s Ksitigarbha, swear a Great Dao oath…”
As he shouted, a dark cloud flew over from the sky. The rich power of the Heavenly Dao enveloped Ksitigarbha, and his voice echoed in the world… An hour ago, in the secret realm of the spiritual mountain, beside the twelfth-grade golden lotus, the figure that had been kneeling for three days still refused to get up. The old Daoist priest, who had been sitting cross-legged beside the lotus pond with his back facing him, had been silent for two days. At that moment, he finally said, “Ksitigarbha, have you really thought about it?”
“I’m willing to do this. Teacher, please grant my wish and teach me the method to repair the Reincarnation Pagoda.”
“You are going to inherit my legacy.”
“Teacher, am I the only one who can do this?” The old Daoist priest was silent.
Ksitigarbha looked up and smiled. “It’s because of your stainless Dao heart.”
“Once you leave, it will be difficult for you to return to the spiritual mountain.”
“However, Teacher, if I don’t go, the living beings will be plunged into misery and suffering. How can the Western Sect continue to stand in the world? How can it continue to prosper? It was Teacher who brought me back here. I’m willing to go…” Ksitigarbha revealed a faint smile. “Teacher, I have already succeeded in my cultivation. It’s time for me to leave.”
“You really… Forget it.” The old Daoist priest slowly closed his eyes and a golden lotus seed flew out of his hand. “In the end, I still can’t resist the will of the Heavenly Dao.” Ksitigarbha’s hand trembled as he received the lotus seed. He slowly placed it in his mouth and swallowed it.
Then, he bowed three times and stood up to leave. His back view was no longer as bleak as before. It was tall and straight, and there was a hint of freedom in it.
On the sea of blood, the power of the Heavenly Dao dissipated.
Ksitigarbha slowly stood up and asked Li Changshou, “Is that okay?”
Li Changshou nodded and gestured for Yun Zhongzi to leave the vicinity of the Reincarnation Pagoda.
Ksitigarbha raised his hand and pointed. The Reincarnation Pagoda slowly expanded and floated above the sea of blood. It returned to its magnificent height of 10,000 feet. Ksitigarbha took a deep breath and looked up at the sky of the Netherworld. A thought flashed across his eyes, and he revealed a faint smile. He was about to jump down…
“Ksitigarbha.”
“Huh?”
Ksitigarbha turned to look at Li Changshou, who was standing before the immortal. The latter cupped his hands and lowered his head, bowing deeply. “I finally obtained the bow of the Water God.” Ksitigarbha smiled and said, “It’s hard. If they see this, they will not be able to explain themselves.” After saying that, Ksitigarbha bowed to Li Changshou and turned around to jump off the cloud. His body was engulfed by the golden light. He turned into a golden ball of light that illuminated the dark sky of the Netherworld and sank into… the towering top of the Reincarnation Tower. Burn this Dao Body, condense this essence soul, melt the golden lotus seed, and transform the Reincarnation Pearl. If I don’t enter hell, who will? If I want to prove myself, I have to live long enough to get rid of all the suffering living beings. I swear that I will do my best to face the tribulation in the future. I should be guilty and suffer all living beings. I will make it convenient for me to be free.
Teacher, I, Ksitigarbha, have not let the Western Sect down.
Five days later, the mighty Heavenly Soldiers returned to the Heavenly Courts. After digging for five days, they had completed the transformation process of the Three-Path River. The Three-Path River originated from the Great Pool beside the sea of blood. It accepted the water of the Heavenly River and flowed through the Gates of the East and South, heading towards Fengdu City. Three of the ten Yama Halls had been moved to the Three-Path River. The Reincarnation Hall stood on the Three-Path River, and beside it was the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
That way, the souls that floated over from the upper level of the Three-Path River would enter the process of reincarnation.
Apart from that, the lower layer of the Three-Path River flowed through the Netherworld, while the middle layer flowed through the periphery of the Reincarnation Immortal Island. As the Three-Path River continued to drift forward, they left Fengdu City and arrived at a fertile land. A tall tower stood there, shining with faint light. It was considered the last place for living beings to reincarnate. On the top floor of the tower, a young Daoist in white stood quietly. His figure was between solid and faint as he looked at the edge of the Netherworld.
That was good.
At least it was peaceful.
The Daoist seemed to have thought of something. He recalled that the last batch of souls in the sea of blood had been sent away by the Reincarnation Pagoda. When the Heavenly Dao bestowed merit, only a small bolt of Purple Heaven Divine Lightning had landed on the head of the Water God. He could not help but chuckle. What happened to the Water God?
Why did the Heavenly Dao not give him any merit?
Could it be that it’s owing him again? “This fellow said that he would look for me for tea later. It seems that he has gone to accompany his Dao companion. Sigh… I should do something.”
“Oh? Are you lonely?”
A familiar voice with a slightly cheap temperament suddenly sounded in his heart. The young Daoist frowned and turned around.
A green-furred dog squatted beside him and smiled with squinted eyes. “Do you want me to listen to the Three Realms and help you relieve your boredom?”
The young Daoist could not help but chuckle. “Let me say this first. I did not come back to be your mount. We don’t have an immortal contract now. If I see any good family, I will leave immediately. If you want to call me Master, I’ll reluctantly accompany you for a while.”
“Get lost!” Ksitigarbha cursed. “Go to Jie School and find your Goddess!”
“Look, look. Are you anxious? You are now working for the Heavenly Dao. You have some status, self-restraint, and bearing! Hey, don’t sharpen your saber. If I really leave, do you believe that I will become the mount of the Water God!?! Ah, I was wrong. Master, don’t die. I’ll tell you a good story, Master…”