Xuan Bei was momentarily taken aback and asked, “Do you know where he went? Can we contact him?”
For instance, he could directly communicate using the All-Seeing Token of Myriad Realms. Given the omnipresence of Legendary figures, once he knew the situation, what difference would it make whether he was out or not?
The Great Green Root swayed its branches, with the sleek-furred Xiaotian Quan following behind, and said with a smile, “Venerable Master, please come in. Allow me to explain in detail. Some matters are not suitable for outsiders to hear, hehe. Once inside the Jade Void Palace, the ripples caused by the All-Seeing Orb of Myriad Realms can shield us from many eavesdroppers.”
Xuan Bei nodded slightly and followed the Great Green Root into the Jade Void Palace, arriving at the guest reception area. Outside the window, flowers and trees flourished, and the surroundings were serene.
The Great Green Root looked around theatrically, deliberately lowering its voice, “Venerable Master, you may not know this, but our Sect Leader recently heard a secret from the Demon Emperor Qi Zhengyan. He learned that the ancient evil deity Huang Quan has returned and appeared on the banks of that blood-yellow river, seemingly heading toward the Origin of Life and Death…”
At this point, it smirked obsequiously again, “Such matters are considered great secrets of the heavens and should not be disclosed to outsiders. But how could Venerable Master be considered an outsider? Not only does our Sect Leader always remember your mentorship, but even I have long admired your compassion and felt a deep affinity for you. Meeting you today has far exceeded my expectations.”
Beside them, Xiaotian Quan’s tail stood on end, as if it had the urge to bite the Great Green Root. Fortunately, seeing Xuan Bei’s unchanged expression—apparently unimpressed by its flattery—the Great Green Root quickly returned to the topic, “Venerable Master, you must also know that our Sect Leader possesses the remains of Huang Quan. He cannot ignore the return of the ancient evil deity Huang Quan. Therefore, he specifically inquired about several secret entrances to the Nine Nethers from the Demon Emperor. His current absence is likely related to this pursuit. Since he is in the Nine Nethers, the All-Seeing Token of Myriad Realms may not reach him.”
“Amitabha, I see,” Xuan Bei nodded, finding the explanation clear and logical. Since the Great Green Root’s thoughts were protected by the Jade Void Palace, making it impossible to discern its true intentions with his mind-reading abilities, he chose to believe it.
He had witnessed his disciple’s character and consistent behavior over the years and knew he would never avoid meeting him intentionally.
At the same time, he silently repeated phrases like “ancient evil deity Huang Quan” and “blood-yellow river,” as if deeply moved and lost in thought.
If he could comprehend the secrets of Huang Quan and integrate them into his Pure Land, could he then save the suffering souls in the Netherworld? Could he liberate all beings from the torments of hell? Could he use Buddhist teachings to dissolve all sins, resentments, and attachments? Those who wished to reincarnate could be sent to the cycle of rebirth, while those who wished to cultivate Buddhism could remain in the Pure Land—no coercion necessary…
Seeing that Meng Qi was indeed absent, Xuan Bei stood up and said, “This old monk has disturbed you. I still have matters to attend to and must take my leave now.”
The Great Green Root hastily replied, “Venerable Master, please wait! If the Sect Leader finds out I treated you so poorly, I’ll surely be punished. May I ask what troubles you? Do you need the Sect Leader’s help?”
Then, with a shameless grin, it added, “Some matters don’t necessarily require the Sect Leader’s intervention. After all, I’ve lived for countless ages and seen much of the world. Perhaps I can offer advice or solutions to ease your burdens.”
Hearing the phrase “lived for countless ages,” Xuan Bei’s expression softened slightly. He clasped his hands and said, “Then I shall trouble you, lay devotee.”
After Xuan Bei recounted the plight of Tian Wanzhe’s father suffering in hell, the Great Green Root chuckled confidently, “If Venerable Master wishes to save all the souls in hell and liberate all suffering beings, I truly have no solution. But if it’s just one soul, then it’s quite simple.”
Without waiting for a response, it pointed at Xiaotian Quan, “Venerable Master, this is the Jade Void Palace’s guard dog, a Legendary being. One of his ‘other selves’ is connected to hell. With this, you can use the All-Seeing Token of Myriad Realms as a medium to manifest the Ksitigarbha’s divine power within your Pure Land, directly pulling that soul from the Netherworld and having it listen to your Buddhist teachings to dissolve its attachments.”
“Woof…” Xiaotian Quan had not expected to be dragged into this and was momentarily stunned. Then it heard the Great Green Root continue, “For other souls bound to the Netherworld, Venerable Master can follow the same method one by one. There’s no need to rush Xiaotian Quan back to the Jade Void Palace.”
Eager to save the souls, Xuan Bei saw the feasibility of this plan and turned to the black-furred dog, “Lay Devotee Xiaotian, would you be willing to accompany this old monk in liberating the departed?”
All beings are equal—one cannot force another to act simply because it is a dog. More importantly, this was a Legendary-level dog!
Xiaotian Quan paused, recalling the Sect Leader’s attitude toward this venerable monk, and replied, “Woof… I, I have no problem with that.”
With the matter settled, the Great Green Root stood at the gates of the Jade Void Palace, watching as Xuan Bei and Xiaotian Quan departed, their figures vanishing in an instant.
After a brief moment of silence, the Great Green Root suddenly placed its branches on its hips and burst into laughter:
“Stupid dog! No matter how strong you are, you’re no match for my boundless wisdom! Without even lifting a finger, I’ve sent you far away from the Jade Void Palace—and you won’t be back for a long time!”
Freedom! Freedom! I, the Great Green Root, can finally enjoy some leisure time!
Before its laughter faded, a shadow of a dog appeared beside it, lifting a hind leg and releasing a yellow stream that landed squarely on the Great Green Root’s base.
At the same time, Xiaotian Quan asked in confusion, “Woof, what are you laughing about?”
The Great Green Root’s smile froze. Only one thought crossed its mind: This dog is everywhere. Everywhere…
…
In Tian Wanzhe’s home, Xuan Bei sat cross-legged in meditation, manifesting the golden form of Ksitigarbha. His radiance filled the room, casting a translucent, pure, warm, and serene glow over everything, as if coated in glazed glass.
Beneath him rose a golden lotus throne, surrounded by former vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts, all attentively listening to his Buddhist teachings and absorbing the sacred sounds. Much of their past attachments and sufferings had dissipated, and in the gaps between them, golden flowers of the Other Shore bloomed, eradicating their sins. Tian Wanzhe, watching from the side, felt a deep reverence and couldn’t help but softly chant the Buddha’s name.
Once the miniature Ksitigarbha Pure Land took form, Xuan Bei formed a mudra and pressed it onto the All-Seeing Token of Myriad Realms. A surge of Zen light transformed into a black-and-white treasure wheel, as if grasping the mysteries of life and death across the heavens.
Seeing this, Xiaotian Quan stepped forward, standing before the lotus throne. Above its body emerged the projection of a giant dog with dozens of heads, its magma-like crimson eyes exuding an aura of death.
Roar!
The giant dog howled, and a faint, shadowy gate slowly opened, releasing the aura of hell.
The black-and-white treasure wheel in Xuan Bei’s hand descended, enveloping the All-Seeing Token of Myriad Realms. One golden Buddhist swastika after another formed, infused with black-and-white light, and drilled into the token.
Suddenly, the glazed golden light intensified, overshadowing the shadowy gate. A human figure gradually materialized, outlining the image of an elderly man with white hair.
At the sight of this figure, Tian Wanzhe’s eyes welled with tears as he cried out urgently, “Father!”
Meanwhile, in the Netherworld, a flash of Buddhist light momentarily blinded several ghostly attendants. When their senses returned and they took stock, they realized one soul was missing.
“Those bald monks again! Always stealing souls from us!” The lead ghost attendant gnashed his teeth in frustration.
In the past, when the Emperor of Fengdu slumbered and the Netherworld operated in secrecy, they dared not confront monks or Taoists who summoned and liberated souls, fearing exposure. After the incident involving the Wang Clan of Jiangdong, the Netherworld became partially visible to powerful figures, removing some constraints. Yet, this also invited Buddhas and Immortal Venerables to retrieve souls connected to them.
The one who started this trend was the Immortal Venerable Yuanhuang of the Jade Void Palace on Mount Kunlun. He nearly destroyed the Netherworld to forcibly retrieve the soul of a man named Luo Shengyi!
Frustrated by such humiliations, ghost attendants couldn’t help but rage at these incidents—though their anger was all they could muster. A few missing souls were insignificant even to the judges of the Netherworld, hardly worth noting.
…
In the secluded meditation chamber of the Jade Void Palace on Mount Kunlun, Meng Qi had not left. He remained seated in the dim stillness.
He had never expected his earlier divinations—timing the introduction of the All-Seeing Token’s soul-binding feature—to escape the notice of powerful figures. But as a disciple, it was only natural for him to secretly assist his master in perfecting his Pure Land and fulfilling his wish to liberate vengeful spirits, thereby hastening the refinement of his golden body. As long as he didn’t overstep, it wouldn’t attract undue attention or obstruction.
His refusal to meet Xuan Bei was a deliberate stance, signaling that he had no ulterior motives regarding the Netherworld.
Using plausible actions to conceal true intentions was a tactic he had learned from the Golden Emperor’s schemes—openly aiding his master’s ascension while secretly advancing his own agenda!
Of course, he couldn’t match the Golden Emperor’s flawless subtlety. Those particularly concerned with the Netherworld might suspect he was using Xuan Bei as a decoy to divert attention while pursuing other goals.
Thus, on this level of thought, he went one step deeper: the overt focus was on his master, and the covert key was also his master—not himself!
The seemingly weak and unpromising Pure Land could effectively deceive many powerful figures.
As for whether this could fool the Other Shore figures, Meng Qi honestly had little confidence. However, with the concealment provided by the Green Emperor and even the Primordial Heavenly Lord, his hopes were not small.
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