"Wait."
Just as the two ghost messengers were dragging Ksitigarbha like a dead dog, preparing to hang a sign in the direction of the Ghost Gate Pass, Qin Feng suddenly spoke.
The voice was soft and languid, yet it froze the two ghost messengers in their bent-over, dragging posture, unable to move an inch.
Qin Feng slowly walked down the steps and stood with his hands behind his back in front of Ksitigarbha.
Although Ksitigarbha had been severely injured by that palm strike, he was still Quasi-Saint, and his consciousness had regained some clarity.
He struggled to lift his eyelids, looking at the pair of white boots with cloud patterns so close to his eyes. A hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but he forced himself to calm down.
"Qin... Qin Feng."
Ksitigarbha panting heavily, his voice hoarse, but a bleak and threatening smile appeared on his lips.
"You... you wouldn't dare kill me."
"This humble monk is a direct disciple of the two saints of the Western Teachings, bearing the great vow that hell will never be empty, and is further blessed with heavenly merits."
"If you kill me, it will mean a complete war with the Western Teachings, which is going against the will of Heaven... You can't bear the consequences, and neither can Houtu, who has just Houtu a saint!"
He's gambling.
It's possible that Qin Feng only wanted to establish his authority, but didn't dare to truly break off relations.
After all, they were two saints!
In the Primordial World, who wouldn't give the Two Saints of the West some face? Even the Three Pure Ones wouldn't easily kill the core disciples of the Western Teachings unless there was an absolute conflict of interest.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the Ten Palace Yama Kings around him changed slightly.
really.
Although Ksitigarbha is a scoundrel, his masters are far too powerful—two unreasonable saints. If Ksitigarbha were truly killed, the enmity would be immense.
Qin Feng smiled upon hearing this.
He crouched down, his gaze level with that of Ksitigarbha. In his deep eyes, there was no murderous intent whatsoever; instead, there was a playful, cat-and-mouse-like quality to them.
"I will not become a Buddha until hell is emptied."
Qin Feng murmured the slogan that resounded throughout the Primordial World, his tone full of amusement.
"This wish is great, truly great, and I admire it."
Ksitigarbha was overjoyed.
There's hope!
This kid is indeed still wary of the power of the Western Teachings!
"Since you appreciate it, why don't you..."
A glimmer of hope flashed in Ksitigarbha's eyes. He was about to go along with it and propose some conditions for "compensation" or "reconciliation," such as letting him return to Spirit Mountain to recuperate.
"Since you're so eager for hell to be empty, then I'll grant your wish."
Qin Feng interrupted him, his smile vanishing instantly, replaced by a chilling indifference that seemed to change the very fabric of the world.
He slowly extended his right index finger.
On his fingertips, a dark, deep gray light, seemingly containing the greatest terror at the end of reincarnation, quietly gathered.
"I've been thinking about it. Hanging you at the Ghost Gate Pass as a mascot might feel satisfying, but it's too easy on you."
"Kill you? That would only dirty my hands."
"The best way to deal with a hypocrite like you who spouts platitudes about morality but actually steals luck is to help you 'fulfill your dreams'."
Before he could finish speaking...
Qin Feng's finger, carrying an unquestionable decree, gently touched the blood-stained brow of Ksitigarbha.
Buzz--!!!
The entire Netherworld trembled violently.
This upheaval did not stem from a clash of forces, but from a change in the rules.
That was the Six Paths of Reincarnation Plate responding to its true master; that was the will of the Earthly Dao executing its supreme judgment.
"I, with the highest authority in the Earthly Dao, hereby decree—"
Qin Feng's voice was grand and solemn, like divine music descending from the heavens, instantly spreading throughout the Three Realms and Six Paths.
" Ksitigarbha Great Vow Bodhisattva from his status and remove him from the Western Teachings community!"
"He shall be given the name ' Hell Ferryman,' and eternally imprisoned in the deepest part of the Netherworld Blood Sea!"
"As long as hell remains empty, and as long as there is even one evil spirit in the world, Ksitigarbha cannot leave the Blood Sea, cannot attain Buddhahood, cannot be reborn, and cannot be liberated!"
Words Manifested into Law.
As Qin Feng finished speaking, the Buddhist light on Ksitigarbha, which, though broken, still retained a trace of sacred aura, instantly transformed into pitch-black chains of karma.
Click!
That was the sound of some kind of shackles falling.
No... no!!!
The hope in Ksitigarbha's eyes instantly turned into utter despair. He struggled frantically, only to find that the power within his body was undergoing a strange transformation.
The Merit Golden Lotus that originally belonged to the Western Teachings withered and shattered in his sea of consciousness, turning into a lone boat.
His Kesa became a raincoat, and his staff became a boat oar.
This moment.
He is no longer a high and mighty bodhisattva.
He became the lowest, most toilful, and perpetually hopeless ferryman in this netherworld.
" Qin Feng! Kill me! Kill me!!!"
Ksitigarbha roared mournfully, his hands clawing at the ground, his fingernails breaking and bleeding profusely.
That's too harsh.
This is a thousand times more cruel than killing him!
Even if you kill him, he can still return to the Investiture of the Gods the Gods or be reincarnated to start anew, or at the very least, return to the Western Pure Land.
But now?
Qin Feng directly used the Reincarnation Authority to turn his grand ambition into a curse.
How can hell be empty?
Where there is evil in people's hearts, hell will exist forever.
This means that Ksitigarbha will ferry souls across that dark, sunless Blood Sea day after day, year after year, until the end of time, until the end of the eon, forever watching over the endless evil spirits, forever watching over the unattainable Buddhahood.
This is attacking the heart.
This is the ultimate punishment in a world that values cause and effect.
"Take him away."
Qin Feng stood up, took the handkerchief Houtu Tu handed him, and gently wiped his fingers, which were not covered in dust, with an indifferent expression as if he were dealing with a piece of trash.
"Remember to send two clever ghost messengers to keep an eye on him. If he slacks off and fails to perform the soul-crossing ritual, you will be held responsible."
The Ten Palace Yama Kings were already terrified out of their wits.
They watched as the once arrogant and powerful Bodhisattva now resembled a stray dog, dragged slowly by the invisible chains of rules, sinking into the abyss of the Blood Sea beneath the earth.
That fear, emanating from the depths of their souls, brought their awe of their new Lord to its peak.
This is hardly the second-in-command.
This is clearly a demon lord in human skin!
Their ruthlessness and cunning are enough to terrify even ghosts.
"Yes... yes!"
King Qin Guang led the way in kowtowing, his forehead banging against the ground with loud thuds, fearing that if he kowtowed too slowly, he would be rewarded with the job of " Hell Ferryman ".
As Ksitigarbha's desperate howl completely disappeared into the depths of the earth.
Qin Feng clapped his hands and exhaled a long breath.
"That feels better."
He turned his head and looked at Houtu, who had been quietly watching him from the side.
His originally domineering and cold gaze softened the moment it met that stunningly beautiful face.
"What? You think I'm too ruthless?"
Houtu shook her head.
She stepped forward, reached out her hands, and gently straightened Qin Feng's clothes, her beautiful eyes filled with admiration and dependence.
"No."
"He deserves to die."
"If it weren't for my husband's intervention, this Ksitigarbha would be like a nail, firmly driven into the artery of the underworld, sucking blood day and night."
"I really like this method of cleaning house."
In the end, a rare blush and excitement appeared on Houtu's face, clearly captivated by Qin Feng's domineering power that had just been displayed.
Qin Feng smiled and casually put his arm around her slender waist.
They didn't rush back to the newly renovated palace.
Instead, it raised its head, its gaze passing over the thick, dark clouds of the Netherworld, piercing through the endless barriers of time and space, and looking towards the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss of the western Primordial World.
There.
There are two majestic, cloud-piercing sacred mountains that radiate a nauseating, false golden light.
Mount Sumeru.
"The small one is done."
Qin Feng's voice became somewhat deep, and that carefree smile gradually froze, transforming into a tangible sharpness.
"It's time to settle accounts with the old man."
Houtu's body trembled slightly, and following his gaze, a long-suppressed anger surged in her eyes.
" The Two Saints of the West..."
She murmured softly.
If those two old bastards hadn't schemed behind the scenes, manipulating her into reincarnation, and if they hadn't intervened at the last moment to steal her merits and even tried to forcibly convert her true spirit, how could the Underworld have fallen to this state?
She remembered this debt perfectly.
Previously, due to limitations in their strength, they could only swallow their anger.
"They stole your treasures, occupied your territory, and even want to turn you into a puppet of their Western Teachings."
Qin Feng gently stroked Houtu's waist, his tone calm, yet the surrounding space began to crack slightly.
"This debt must be repaid with interest."
"My woman, only I can bully her."
"No one would dare to lay a finger on us..."
Qin Feng sneered, the chill in his smile even more intense than the Netherworld's Yin Wind.
"I'll chop off his claws, even if he's a saint."
"Walk."
Qin Feng waved his hand, took Houtu's hand, took a step forward, and his figure instantly disappeared from the spot.
Only one domineering sentence remained, echoing for a long time in the ears of the Ten Palace Yama Kings and countless ghosts and gods.
"Prepare the car, let's go to Mount Sumeru."
"Rent collection!"