What Primordial Heavenly Venerate considered a trump card was naturally not Haotian's cultivation or supernatural abilities.
As for cultivation, Haotian had already reached the limit of what he could achieve.
The Six Sages of the Primordial World had all relied on Primordial Violet Qi to take a shortcut and become Sages.
Primordial Heavenly Venerate didn't believe Haotian could surpass them and attain Hunyuan through his own efforts.
The same went for supernatural abilities.
No matter how powerful they were, under the limits of one's cultivation, they couldn't withstand a Sage's casual wave of the hand.
The only thing that could make Primordial Heavenly Venerate wary was Merit.
As luck would have it!
Haotian was now entering a phase of raking in Merit at a mad pace.
The more you worried about something, the more things seemed to go in exactly that direction.
Compared with Primordial Heavenly Venerate's worries, the other Sages were far less concerned.
They had only come forward to apply pressure; they weren't the masterminds behind the events that had just unfolded.
The other Sages thought there was still room to make amends with Haotian.
And the price of making amends wouldn't be too high.
There was no need to worry about it at all.
At most, they felt a little awkward about losing face.
Given the circumstances, the Two Sages of the West weren't focused on that at all.
Zhunti looked regretful as he said, "Sigh!
"Senior Brother, we were careless for a moment.
"We never expected to miss out on such an opportunity in the Underworld.
"If we had been the ones to propose dealing with Yin Si, we could have eased the pressure of repaying our Karmic Debt to the Heavenly Dao.
"We let our guard down and Haotian seized the initiative.
"Now that the Underworld's Yin Si has been established, even if we get involved in the Underworld, it'll be difficult to earn great Merit."
After Zhunti finished speaking, Jieyin fell into thought.
After a brief pause, Jieyin said slowly, "Junior Brother!
"The matter of the Underworld is settled. There's no way for us to claim a great share of the Merit.
"But.
"We can still make plans to earn Merit in a steady trickle.
"Such Merit may be of no use to us.
"But it would still be a rare opportunity for our disciples.
"However, we'll need to consider this carefully."
At this, Zhunti immediately asked, "Oh?
"Have you already come up with a plan, Senior Brother?"
Jieyin looked at Zhunti and replied calmly, "I have a few ideas, but it's too early to say whether they'll work."
"Please explain, Senior Brother!"
"Here's what I'm thinking. The Underworld's basic structure is now in place.
"It wouldn't be appropriate for us to get directly involved anymore.
"So I plan to send one of our disciples to the Underworld first.
"First, we can test Pingxin's attitude.
"We can also find out whether Haotian and Pingxin reached some kind of agreement during their recent encounter.
"Second, we can see whether the Underworld is a suitable place to send large numbers of our disciples.
"Accumulating Merit is important, but we can't let it interfere with our disciples' cultivation.
"If Merit accumulates too slowly in the Underworld, it won't be suitable to send large numbers of disciples there.
"We can only send those who have reached a bottleneck in their cultivation."
After Jieyin finished speaking, Zhunti immediately began to think it over.
Test Pingxin's attitude?
That was indeed necessary.
The Underworld was different from the Primordial World.
Great God Pangu, who had created the Primordial World, had already fallen.
Although the Three Pure Ones and the Witch Clan had inherited Pangu's Legacy,
the Primordial World was, in the end, still without an owner.
But the Underworld was different.
Houtu, who had transformed into the Underworld, had now become Empress Pingxin.
But no matter how her identity had changed, the fact remained that Pingxin controlled the Underworld.
Since the Underworld already had an owner, barging in was
no longer a question of whether it was polite.
The real question was whether it would provoke resistance from its ruler.
And Pingxin's strength and trump cards in the Underworld
were troublesome even for Sages like them.
If she strongly resisted, it would cause them no small amount of trouble.
If the Three Pure Ones then got involved as well,
the situation would only become more complicated.
Besides, Haotian had visited not long ago, and Pingxin had established Yin Si soon afterward.
The two sides might well have reached some kind of deal.
Given Haotian's status, if he really had made some sort of plan,
it was certainly worth investigating.
That position might not pose much of a threat to the Sages themselves,
but it could be a major threat to their disciples.
The Sages weren't the only ones making plans in the Primordial World.
Who could say that other cultivators were just sitting around doing nothing?
After pondering for a while, Zhunti asked the crucial question.
"Who do you think would be suitable to carry out this task, Senior Brother?
"This won't be simple.
"If anything goes wrong, the cultivator could be trapped in the Underworld forever at best.
"At worst, they could be burdened with Karmic Debt and end up dying in some future tribulation.
"Only someone with great resolve and wisdom can undertake this task.
"And there are only a few cultivators in our sect who meet the requirements."
After hearing Zhunti's words, Jieyin weighed the matter before replying, "No matter how difficult it is, we still have to do it!
"This concerns whether our sect can secure a steady source of Merit in the future.
"Even if we have to make some sacrifices, we can't refuse to eat for fear of choking.
"In my opinion, only Ksitigarbha is suited to this task."
Hearing Ksitigarbha's name, Zhunti immediately began weighing the options.
Was it worth betting on him for a chance at success?
A moment later,
Zhunti spoke. "All right!
"Ksitigarbha is indeed suited to this task.
"Steadfast and unmoving as the earth, deep and still in contemplation like a hidden treasure.
"Ksitigarbha has great wisdom, great resolve, and great compassion. He's the best person for this task.
"We shouldn't delay. Shall we make the arrangements now?
"Acting at this moment, when everything is still so recent, is the best way to find out what we want to know."
"Good!"
A short while later,
Ksitigarbha answered their summons and arrived.
"Ksitigarbha pays his respects to Master and Martial Uncle!
"May Master and Martial Uncle enjoy boundless longevity!"
Jieyin replied coolly, "Rise."
Once Ksitigarbha was standing, Jieyin spoke slowly. "I summoned you here because I have an important task for you."
"Please give your orders, Master!
"Your disciple will not hesitate!"
Jieyin nodded in satisfaction.
Whatever else one might say, Ksitigarbha's attitude was excellent.
Jieyin then continued, "Although the Underworld's Yin Si has now established a fairly complete path of Reincarnation for Lost Souls,
all living beings suffer, unable to escape delusion.
"I cannot bear to see this, and wish for you to go to the Underworld.
"Save living beings from the very beginning of Reincarnation, and guide them out of their sea of suffering.
"Are you willing to go?"
After hearing Jieyin's words, Ksitigarbha considered them for a moment.
Then he replied, "Master!
"Your disciple is certainly willing.
"However, the Underworld is no safe place, and my cultivation is somewhat lacking.
"If I go alone, I fear I won't be able to fulfill your expectations."
Hearing Ksitigarbha's reply, Jieyin couldn't help but think it over.
With cultivation at the Golden Immortal level, Ksitigarbha was indeed among the stronger disciples of the Four Sects.
But after entering the Underworld, that level of cultivation wouldn't be enough.
Never mind the Lost Souls he would have to face.
The Yin Gods appointed by Yin Si alone would be more than enough to keep Ksitigarbha from acting freely.
Just look at those Pingxin had appointed as Yin Gods.
The Great Witch Jiu Feng held the Divine Position of Great Emperor of Fengdu.
The Five Directional Ghost Emperors beneath her were also members of the Witch Clan and Great Witches.
As for the Ten Hall Yama Kings, they were Great Witches as well.
Those key positions were almost all held by Great Witches.
Without some other source of support, Ksitigarbha would be facing a dire situation.
Going to the Underworld would be like a lamb walking into a tiger's den.
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