Howling Celestial Hound immediately accepted the order and left the hall, returning to its own dwelling to activate the “Primordial Emperor’s Edict.”
A crimson glow surged, surrounded by brown mist, transforming before its eyes into an ancient stone gate intertwined with the essence of life and death, hazy and indistinct.
The stone gate was slightly ajar, revealing a glimpse of the scene beyond—a world of profound darkness, a vast river of blood and brown flowing endlessly, and a shroud of deathly mist enveloping heaven and earth.
Howling Celestial Hound channeled its divine powers, summoning a projection of its other self connected to the underworld to merge with its form. Its body gradually faded, completely blending into the void as it passed through the gap, attempting to step into the dreamlike realm of the Netherworld’s Ghostly Court.
After a fleeting sensation of illusory coldness, Howling Celestial Hound found itself inside. The blood-brown river stretched through the entire underworld, its origin and destination unknown, filled with countless wailing souls and malevolent spirits, their anguished cries echoing endlessly as if they could never find release.
Along the riverbanks, flowers of the Other Shore bloomed in serene silence, evoking a tranquility that made one forget sorrow, pain, and the past. Towering ancient stone bridges spanned the river, leading deep into the Netherworld where the wheel of samsara turned silently.
At this moment, every stone bridge was heavily guarded, with judges leading the watch and ghost kings and underworld marshals assisting. Not even a single fly from the outside world could slip through unnoticed.
Howling Celestial Hound had long sensed something amiss in the Netherworld. A few days prior, when Master Xuan Bei used the All-Worlds Communication Talisman to guide the souls here, everything suddenly became smooth, devoid of the usual stealthy atmosphere. According to escaped spirits, the underworld was in chaos, with the ghostly officials in constant panic, too distracted to keep watch over them.
This anomaly lasted until yesterday, when things seemed to return to normal.
Blending into the void like an invisible presence, Howling Celestial Hound trotted cautiously toward the stone bridges, seeking any chance to slip through. However, the bridges were not only guarded by judges and marshals but also fortified with powerful prohibitions against all forms of concealment. Even with its mastery of the Void Seal, passing unnoticed would be extremely difficult.
The slightest misstep would expose it immediately. Though it feared none of the current Ten Hall Ghost Emperors since the fall of Fengdu—none of whom matched its strength—who knew what changes had occurred in the underworld these past few days? Could a new, formidable ruler have emerged?
Just as Howling Celestial Hound was at a loss, it noticed that the “Primordial Emperor’s Edict,” which had conjured the ancient stone gate earlier, had not vanished. Instead, it silently floated over and attached itself to its back, exuding the aura of the Yellow Springs—where death concealed life, and life harbored death.
With a sudden realization, Howling Celestial Hound moved away from the bridges and tentatively stepped into the blood-brown river.
The wailing souls and malevolent spirits paid it no heed, as if it were truly part of the void. The river water, which normally eroded consciousness and offered no buoyancy, now seemed to embrace it with a strange affinity.
Thus, Howling Celestial Hound crossed the Yellow Springs of the underworld unnoticed, stepping into the depths of the Netherworld.
If not for knowing better, it would have barked in triumph.
Even some Heavenly Venerables dared not touch the waters of the Yellow Springs, yet I, Howling Celestial Hound, can traverse them without sinking!
Without delay, it headed toward the area where the dark halls connected to the myriad realms of the universe. Halfway there, it suddenly halted, sensing an overwhelmingly terrifying presence beyond the halls. Even without direct attention, the mere aura made its heart race. Approaching the wheel of samsara would surely expose it.
“Is this the new ruler of the underworld?” Howling Celestial Hound pondered, circling the area around the wheel of samsara and the dark halls before abandoning further exploration.
After a while, it encountered two patrolling judges whispering to each other in hushed tones.
Seeing this, the hidden Howling Celestial Hound grinned, revealing a bright smile as it silently activated the “Mind Seal,” eavesdropping on their conversation through their thoughts.
“Ah, I thought the Great Emperor would ascend to the highest throne, but who knew he would fall so soon,” sighed the judge clad in black robes.
The judge with blood-brown cuffs replied with equal complexity, “Below the Other Shore, death comes swiftly. Well, the change of the underworld’s ruler doesn’t affect us much. Whoever takes over the Netherworld will still need us. They can’t handle everything personally, can they?”
“I just fear all our past efforts will go to waste,” the black-robed judge fretted. “To advance on the Ghostly Spirit Diagram, I’ve always curried favor with King Yama, ignoring the other nine Ghost Emperors to show my loyalty. Now that the Nine Spirits Primordial Sage has become the ruler, he seems to favor King Zhuanlun and King Qinguang… Ah, I fear they might find fault and send me into the cycle of rebirth.”
The Nine Spirits Primordial Sage is the new ruler of the underworld? Howling Celestial Hound was momentarily stunned.
This outcome wasn’t entirely unexpected. The Green Emperor was currently the only one of the Other Shore active in the world. With Fengdu dead and the underworld leaderless, who could oppose Him if He chose to intervene?
And He had granted the position of underworld ruler to His mount, the Nine Spirits Primordial Sage, a Great Sage at the pinnacle of creation.
The judge with blood-brown cuffs glanced around before speaking in a grave, hushed tone, “I heard a rumor from King Yama’s hall. After the Nine Spirits Primordial Sage took over, he couldn’t find the Ghostly Spirit Diagram. It seems someone took it long ago.”
“What? The Ghostly Spirit Diagram is missing?” The black-robed judge paled in shock.
Their divine powers, official ranks, and even their existence were tied to the Ghostly Spirit Diagram. Without it, they were at the mercy of its true owner. If conflicts arose, they would be caught in the middle.
Worst of all, if the one who took the diagram saw no hope of ruling the underworld, they might erase all the spirits within, causing them to vanish into nothingness.
As they exchanged fearful whispers, Howling Celestial Hound, having obtained crucial information, quietly retreated. It crossed the Yellow Springs once more, left the Netherworld, and returned to the Jade Void Palace on Mount Kunlun, where it recounted everything in detail before the Sect Master, Immortal Venerable Meng Qi.
So the Green Emperor has his own plans, hence appointing the Nine Spirits Primordial Sage as the underworld ruler… Meng Qi nodded slightly. This was a critical piece of information.
The importance lay not in who ruled the underworld but in recognizing that the Green Emperor could not be simply dismissed as a subordinate of some ancient being.
Every being of the Other Shore embodies the will of heaven—none are mere puppets of others!
In the future, adjustments must be made in dealing with the Green Emperor. For now, he would avoid triggering the matters of the Hell Pure Land with his master, lest the will of heaven strike like a blade.
As for the disappearance of the Ghostly Spirit Diagram, Meng Qi could guess the answer without thinking. The Ancient Buddha of Bodhi must have sensed the fall of one of his Three Corpses and acted before the Green Emperor, using another pawn to retrieve the diagram.
No wonder the Ancient Buddha of Bodhi had sealed the Investiture of the Gods earlier, saying the time was not yet ripe. He was waiting for Fengdu Great Emperor to complete the Path of Life and Death and for his own full awakening and return.
From this, it could be inferred that the Ancient Buddha of Bodhi had temporarily yielded the Netherworld but held onto the Ghostly Spirit Diagram as a key leverage, biding his time rather than confronting the Green Emperor directly while He alone walked the world.
The only uncertainty was whether the Ghostly Spirit Diagram had already returned to the Ancient Buddha or remained with the pawn, concealed by His power…
After some thought, Meng Qi set the matter aside for now, avoiding conflict with the Green Emperor. He kept the Wheel of Life and Death hidden within the Origin Point as a reserve piece. Closing his eyes, he split his focus to a newly born universe, sensing the intent of creation to refine and elevate his “Heaven-Opening Seal.”
After an indeterminate time, he suddenly stirred, opening his eyes to gaze beyond the Daoist temple.
Amidst the trees stood a middle-aged man with an immortal’s demeanor, a long five-strand beard, and a golden complexion—Guangchengzi, one of the Nine Venerables of the Daoist tradition!
“Elder Brother Guangcheng, your presence honors me. I apologize for not welcoming you sooner,” Meng Qi said with a smile as he appeared before Guangchengzi.
Guangchengzi chuckled. “Sect Master, there’s no need for formalities. I’ve come to discuss a matter and hope you’ll agree to sound the Ancient Bell of Kunlun, summoning the disciples of the Jade Void to deliberate on our next course of action.”
Hearing this, Meng Qi felt a sense of comfort. At least Guangchengzi, a Heavenly Venerable, did not disregard him as Sect Master and act unilaterally but came to consult him personally.
“Our next course of action?” Meng Qi echoed.
Guangchengzi smiled, meeting Meng Qi’s gaze.
“Since our Jade Void lineage supports the Human Emperor, we must accumulate as much advantage as possible before the beings of the Other Shore return. With the Investiture of the Gods now in the Nine Nethers, what are your plans, Sect Master?”
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