Ksitigarbha Enters the Fray in the Western Region

What Primordial Heavenly Venerate referred to as his trump card was naturally not Haotian's cultivation or divine abilities.

In terms of cultivation realm, Haotian had already reached a point where no further progress was possible.

All Six Sages of the Primordial World had relied on the Primordial Violet Qi to take a shortcut and attain sagehood.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate did not believe Haotian could surpass them and achieve Hunyuan on his own.

The same went for divine abilities.

Bound by the limits of cultivation realm, no matter how powerful one's divine abilities, they could not withstand a casual wave of a sage's hand.

What truly made Primordial Heavenly Venerate wary was only Merit.

How unfortunate!

Haotian was now entering a state of frantically accumulating Merit.

Truly, the more one feared something, the more it unfolded in that very direction.

Compared to Primordial Heavenly Venerate's worries, the other sages were much better off.

They had merely stepped forward to apply pressure; the instigators of the earlier events were not them.

In the other sages' minds, there was still room for reconciliation between them and Haotian.

The price for this reconciliation would not be too great.

There was absolutely no need for worry.

At most, they felt a bit embarrassed about losing face.

Given this situation, the Two Sages of the West were not focused on this matter at all.

Instead, Zhunti said with a face full of regret: "Alas!

Elder Brother, we were careless.

Who would have thought we'd miss out on such an opportunity in the Underworld.

If we had been the ones to propose this matter of Yin Si, the pressure to repay the Heavenly Dao's Merit would have been greatly reduced.

We failed to notice, and let Haotian seize the initiative.

Now that the Underworld's Yin Si has appeared, even if we intervene in the Underworld, it will be hard to gain great Merit."

As Zhunti's words fell, Jieyin's face showed a contemplative expression.

After pondering for a moment, Jieyin slowly said: "Junior Brother!

The matter of the Underworld is already settled; we cannot obtain great Merit.

But.

We can still scheme for a steady stream of Merit.

Such Merit may be useless to us, but for our disciples, it is a rare opportunity.

However, this matter requires careful long-term planning."

Upon hearing this, Zhunti immediately asked: "Oh~?

Elder Brother, do you already have a plan?"

Jieyin looked at Zhunti and said calmly: "I have some ideas, but whether they will succeed is hard to say."

"Please elaborate, Elder Brother!"

"In my view, the Underworld's structure is now largely complete.

It is no longer suitable for us to intervene personally.

Therefore, I plan to first send a disciple to the Underworld.

First, to test Pingxin's attitude, and to see if Haotian and Pingxin reached any agreement during that previous incident.

Second, to assess whether the Underworld is suitable for sending many disciples there.

Although accumulating Merit is important, we cannot neglect our disciples' cultivation.

If the speed of accumulating Merit in the Underworld is too slow, it is not suitable for sending many disciples.

Only those disciples who have reached a bottleneck in their cultivation should go."

As Jieyin finished speaking, Zhunti immediately began to ponder.

Test Pingxin's attitude?

That was indeed necessary.

The Underworld was a place different from the Primordial World.

The Great God Pangu, who opened up the Primordial World, had already fallen.

Even with the Three Pure Ones and the Witch Clan inheriting Pangu's Legacy, the Primordial World ultimately remained masterless.

But the Underworld was different.

Houtu, who had transformed into the Underworld, was now Empress Pingxin.

Yet no matter how her identity changed, it could not alter the fact that the Underworld was under Pingxin's control.

As a claimed territory, meddling rashly in its affairs was no longer a matter of politeness.

It was a question of whether it would provoke their resistance.

And coincidentally, Pingxin's strength and hidden cards, within the Underworld itself, made even these Saints find her troublesome.

Once she strongly resisted, the trouble would be far from trivial.

If at that time the Three Pure Ones also intervened, the situation would become even more complicated.

Moreover, not long ago, Haotian had paid a visit, and soon after, Pingxin had established the Yin Si.

The two parties might have struck some deal between them.

Given Haotian's status, if he truly had a scheme in place, it was worth probing.

That position might not pose a threat to the Saints themselves, but to their disciples and followers, the danger was immense.

In the Primordial World, it wasn't just the Saints who were laying plans.

Who could say that other cultivators were simply idling away their days?

After some deliberation, Zhunti raised the key question.

"Elder Brother, who among our disciples do you think is suitable for this task? This matter is no simple affair.

If things go awry, at best the cultivator would be trapped in the Underworld forever; at worst, they would be burdened with karmic sin, and might even fall in some tribulation.

Only those with great perseverance and great wisdom could undertake this task.

Among the cultivators of our sect, only a few meet the criteria."

Hearing Zhunti's words, Jieyin weighed the options before replying, "No matter how difficult, it must be done! This concerns whether our sect can secure a stable path to Merit in the future. Even if there is sacrifice, we cannot give up eating for fear of choking. In my view, the one suited for this task is none other than Ksitigarbha."

At the mention of Ksitigarbha's name, Zhunti immediately began to weigh the pros and cons in his mind.

Was it worth gambling on him for a mere possibility?

A moment later.

Zhunti spoke, "Very well! Ksitigarbha is indeed suitable for this task. Serene and unmoving like the earth, profound in contemplation like a hidden treasury. Ksitigarbha possesses great wisdom, great perseverance, and great compassion—he is the best candidate for this task. There's no time to lose; shall we arrange it now? Only by acting at this most opportune moment can we better probe what we wish to know."

"Excellent!"

In a short while.

Ksitigarbha answered the summons and arrived.

"Ksitigarbha pays respects to Master and Uncle! May Master and Uncle enjoy boundless longevity!"

Jieyin replied calmly, "Rise!"

Once Ksitigarbha stood steady, Jieyin spoke slowly, "I have summoned you today because there is an important matter I need you to undertake."

"Please instruct me, Master! Your disciple will not shirk this duty!"

Jieyin nodded with satisfaction upon seeing this.

Regardless, Ksitigarbha's attitude was excellent.

Then Jieyin spoke: "Though the establishment of the Yin Si in the Underworld has created a more complete path of reincarnation for lost souls, all beings suffer, and it is difficult for them to escape the path of delusion.

This Seat cannot bear it, and wishes to send you to the Underworld.

To save all beings at the very start of reincarnation, and guide them out of the sea of suffering.

Are you willing to go?"

Hearing Jieyin's words, Ksitigarbha pondered for a moment.

Then he spoke: "Master!

Your disciple is naturally willing to go.

However, the Underworld is no place of kindness, and your disciple's cultivation is somewhat lacking.

If I were to go alone, it would be difficult to fulfill Master's expectations."

Hearing Ksitigarbha's reply, Jieyin also began to consider.

With Ksitigarbha's Golden Immortal cultivation, he was indeed quite accomplished among the disciples of the four teachings.

But once he entered the Underworld, this level of cultivation would be somewhat insufficient.

Not to mention the lost souls he would have to face.

Even the Yin Gods enshrined by the Yin Si this time would be enough to suppress Ksitigarbha and make it hard for him to act.

Just look at who Pingxin had enshrined as Yin Gods.

The Great Witch Jiu Feng received the divine position of Great Emperor of Fengdu.

Below her, the Five Ghost Emperors were also members of the Witch Clan, all Great Witches.

As for the Ten Hall Yama Kings, they too were existences at the level of Great Witches.

These key positions were mostly occupied by Great Witches.

Without some additional support, facing such a situation, going to the Underworld would undoubtedly be like a lamb walking into a tiger's den.