The cool breeze brought a refreshing sensation, the crescent moon hung high, and the pure silver glow illuminated the night, making it serene and beautiful. Meng Qi still knelt behind the table as if nothing had changed since earlier. However, his current cultivation of “Yuanshi Jin Zhang” and “Bay Jue Xuan Gong” to this level undeniably confirmed the appearance of Niu Tou and Ma Mian, along with Judge Cui.
The end of an era was marked by the complete destruction of the Celestial Court and the Nine Heavens, one of whose foundations was the “Seal of Immortals,” a unique treasure. In other words, obtaining the Seal of Immortals and reestablishing the Celestial Court could very well be the key to successfully surviving the final catastrophe or gaining a crucial advantage. Correspondingly, unifying the afterlife world, establishing a true Underworld, and completing the cosmic balance might also be an equally significant step.
This could be vaguely discerned from numerous myths and ancient records. Meng Qi had previously been oblivious, but recent encounters with the Seal of Immortals and the Underworld had finally enlightened him.
Earlier, when he had spoken to the evil spirit disguised as “Old Fu,” saying, “Above lies the Celestial Realm, below the Nine Netherworlds, where ghosts and demons coexist, and the Yellow Springs flow through all—where is the Underworld?” it had genuinely reflected his belief at the time. However, after everything settled and he carefully reconsidered, he was startled to realize a flaw in his words. Indeed, there was no true Underworld, yet notions such as the Yama’s Court, the Underworld, King Yama, and the God of the Eastern Peak had already spread widely among mortals. There was also the vow of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva: “I will not attain Buddhahood until all hells are emptied!”
So where did these notions of the Underworld and Hell originate?
Buddhism speaks of eighteen levels of Hell; Daoism has the Eastern Peak God overseeing the Underworld. Similar myths and legends had already taken deep root in people’s minds, not to mention other concepts emphasizing the afterlife, such as the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and the Void Home.
“It seems this is the struggle among Buddhism, Daoism, the Celestial Court, and other sects regarding the true Underworld,” Meng Qi murmured, nodding slightly. He had seen through the surface myths to the underlying reality.
If that were the case, then the Monkey King’s mysterious capture by the Underworld, his great disturbance of the Yama Court, and his erasure of the Book of Life and Death were probably not as simple as they appeared. They likely involved the power struggles between Buddhism, Daoism, and the Celestial Court regarding the Underworld and Hell. Did Sun Wukong’s rebellion against the Heavenly Emperor, while the latter was gravely wounded, imply that powerful figures from the other side were also playing their game?
Perhaps the Heavenly Emperor did not actually capture the Great Sage, or even attempt to do so, because he feared someone behind the scenes and instead summoned the yet-to-attain-Buddhahood Buddha to suppress the rebellion. Was this a declaration of allegiance or a forced submission to the Lotus Pure Land of Sakyamuni?
The more Meng Qi pondered, the more he felt the intensity of the ancient struggle. The seemingly inexplicable events were merely manifestations of the deeper chess game being played behind the scenes. The Great Sage was naturally rebellious and proud, and perhaps precisely because of this, he had been used as a pawn. Only after being imprisoned under Five Elements Mountain and going through the journey to the West, eventually attaining Buddhahood, did he finally understand the truth, planting the seeds of his eventual rebellion against the Lotus Pure Land.
Meng Qi exhaled deeply. The methods of these powerful figures were truly extraordinary. Their struggles were conducted without a trace of overt conflict. Unless the truth was revealed or something similar occurred to trigger awareness, one might remain a pawn for life without ever realizing it.
“Hmph, how the Wang family patriarch pitied the scattered souls trapped within the Seal of Immortals, lacking a home and wandering as lonely ghosts, and forged the Ghost and God Soul Chart to house them. And how mysteriously this scroll vanished, only to reappear recently. The ‘Great Deceiver’ Wang truly lives up to his reputation as a master of deception, capable of turning truth into lies. In fact, the Wang patriarch had glimpsed the heavenly signs and sought to establish a true Underworld amid the chaos of the Celestial Court’s fall, hoping to profit from the murky waters of the struggle among the powerful beings. Unfortunately, his strength was insufficient, and there were hidden hands at work, so his achievements were simply taken over by someone else,” Meng Qi mused inwardly, finally piecing together the rough truth.
Of course, this was a separate matter from the “Heavenly Dao Monster,” which was likely the source of the Wang family patriarch’s confidence in involving himself in this murky affair. Yet he had failed to foresee, or only realized before his death, that the “Heavenly Dao Monster” was actually the source of the Wang family’s calamity!
Meng Qi closed his eyes, letting the intricate details of his deductions flow through his mind.
Who was the “Emperor” who had taken the “Ghost and God Soul Chart” and secretly established the Underworld?
Moreover, among the many ancient cultivators, only a select few could have wrested the scroll from the hands of the Wang family’s founding ancestor, who was nearly omniscient in his calculations at the time.
Was it the True Martial Emperor, one of the most powerful figures beneath the Immortal Realm? No, because during the fall of the Celestial Court, he had already vanished into the “Origin of Life and Death” for many years. It would be unlikely for him to emerge so soon.
If the events had occurred during the Middle Ancient Age, and given the clear reference to the “Origin of Life and Death,” which was obviously connected to the Dao of life and death, Meng Qi would have seriously suspected that the Underworld Emperor was indeed the True Martial Emperor. He had been cultivating the profound mysteries of life and death, nearing or having already attained the Immortal Realm, and had realized that establishing a true Underworld was the key to surviving the final catastrophe. Thus, he had acted secretly from behind the scenes. Of course, if the True Martial Emperor had indeed attained the Immortal Realm and emerged from the Origin of Life and Death during the Middle Ancient Age, he could have retroactively seized the Ghost and God Soul Chart, altering history. However, this would have clashed with the schemes of other Immortal Realm beings, making this possibility extremely slim.
Could it have been Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, the one who presided over Hell on behalf of Buddhism? As one of the Four Great Bodhisattvas, he was undoubtedly a being of great cultivation, and his attainment of the Immortal Realm depended on Hell. Discovering the Wang patriarch’s interference, it would have been natural for him to deal with it. But at that time, was his power and cultivation truly superior to the Wang family’s founding ancestor? Even if one was a being of great cultivation and the other merely a legendary figure, the Wang family still had the “Heavenly Dao Monster.” More importantly, the Wang ancestor had created the “Calculating Sutra,” excelling in divination. Would he truly be unprepared for enemies openly opposing the Underworld?
Meng Qi, lacking deep knowledge of ancient events, thought for a long time but could not determine who this mysterious “Emperor” of the Yama Court was. The only certainty was that this Underworld Emperor’s martial cultivation or Daoist techniques leaned toward dreams. Therefore, without fully awakening and only sending a small portion of his power, he had stealthily drawn Meng Qi into a dream world.
Moreover, his Underworld was likely established within this dream world itself.
The divine power of the gods on the Seal of Immortals came from residual energies and the divine positions granted by the Seal itself. The strongest among them could not exceed the Seal’s inherent level. The Ghost and God Soul Chart was no different. According to its level, the Underworld contained many Yama Kings at the Immortal level, while at most one or even none at the Legendary level, aside from the mysterious Emperor himself, and even then, they were only Legendary within the Underworld.
“You think you can just warn me and walk away? Do you truly regard the causes and effects as nothing?” Meng Qi sneered, suddenly opening his eyes. A strange lamp, indescribable in color, abruptly appeared, radiating alternating black and white light. The light spread outward in layers, like the birth of karma, illuminating all illusions and connections.
He gripped the hilt of his blade, “It is impolite not to reciprocate a visit!”
…
A hazy, indistinct world faintly existed within the all-encompassing chaos.
At its core flowed a dark crimson river, with towering stone bridges spanning its length and clusters of flowers that erased worries and sorrows. Numerous grand, dark-colored palaces stood there.
One palace bore the inscription “Zhuanlun Hall” in ghostly, eerie script. In front of its entrance were six bridges, solemn and majestic, with profound mysteries hidden beneath. Inside the hall sat a man in dark imperial robes. His features were gaunt, with a long beard reaching his chest and a pale complexion. His eyes were pitch black, devoid of any white, and before him lay a book where black and white intertwined. Standing below were Judge Cui, Ox-Head, and Horse-Face.
“Su Meng is formidable, an Earth Immortal rivaling a Heaven Immortal. We are unable to match him. Please, Your Majesty, use the Book of Life and Death against him,” Judge Cui pleaded.
Zhuanlun Wang’s expression turned grave. “Go and summon the rulers of the other halls to discuss this.”
As his words faded, a sudden light pierced his vision. Purple lightning surged into the sky, fangs and claws bared. A long blade flew from the void, cutting through dreams and descending directly upon him, accompanied by a cold snort:
“It is impolite not to reciprocate a visit!”
The voice thundered, deafening. Zhuanlun Wang’s eyes narrowed in shock.
Su Meng had actually found this place?
He had actually found it?
And he could strike from afar, just like in legends!
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