Nine-Rank World-Ending Black Lotus, Encountering Luohu

Jieyin naturally sensed the demonic qi within the core of the earth vein below, but he did not take it to heart. As the former headquarters of the Devil Race, it would have been strange if Luohu had left behind no contingencies.

He summoned his accompanying spiritual treasure, the Six Roots Pure Bamboo. This treasure contained forty-five Innate Restrictions and ranked among Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures. It could seal the six senses and deliver sentient beings from suffering, and it was inherently effective at restraining demonic qi.

With his accompanying spiritual treasure protecting him and Senior Brother Randeng guarding him from the side, Jieyin felt considerably more assured. His figure tunneled ten thousand zhang underground, and the crushing pressure of the surrounding earth immediately intensified.

The primordial world had yet to shatter and still possessed an exceedingly high status. Even Jieyin, with his late Primordial Unity Golden Immortal cultivation, felt faintly rejected upon reaching ten thousand zhang below the ground. Likely only the Witch Clan, the Kylin Clan, and the Earth Dragon Clan could move through these earth veins like fish in water.

After erasing several minor remnants of the Annihilation Law, Jieyin finally arrived before the core of the earth vein. The ochre core pulsed slowly like a heart, while demonic qi spread through it like tangled roots, burrowing deep into the earth-vein core and preventing the earth-vein power from circulating.

Jieyin sat cross-legged. While circulating his mana to form a layer of spiritual-light barrier around his body against the erosion of the surrounding baleful qi, he also guided the purifying power of the Six Roots Pure Bamboo to continuously scour away the demonic qi.

The Six Roots Pure Bamboo truly lived up to its reputation as the bane of demonic qi. The demonic qi atop the earth-vein core melted away like snow, swiftly exposing the seal at its center—a five-pointed-star restriction with a black lotus at its heart.

Jieyin knew this was Luohu's final measure to prevent the earth-vein core from repairing itself. He thus released a trace of Annihilation Law and slowly touched the restriction.

Who would have thought that the earth-vein core would be like a fuse being lit? With a boom, it burst apart, revealing a mysterious black lotus with nine blooming petals. Annihilation Dao patterns were engraved upon its petals, and as they rotated, the underground baleful qi began to churn.

"Nine-Rank World-Ending Black Lotus!"

Jieyin could not help crying out, light blazing in his eyes. If he refined this World-Ending Black Lotus, he was confident that his comprehension of the Annihilation Law would catch right up to Randeng's.

Before Jieyin's mana could touch the World-Ending Black Lotus, an utterly emotionless voice rang out through the underground space.

"So it was you, Innate Bitter Bamboo."

Invisible ripples spread outward from the World-Ending Black Lotus. Jieyin's movements instantly froze, and the pupils in his eyes were replaced by black lotuses.

"Devil... Devil Ancestor!"

Jieyin's final voice echoed through the underground space.

Meanwhile, atop the mountain peak, Randeng was still "expounding the Dao" to Zhunti.

"Junior Brother, let me ask you this. If you encounter a spiritual treasure or spiritual root that you particularly fancy, and someone else happens to discover it as well, what should you do?"

Zhunti pondered for a moment before answering, "I'd weep to him about how impoverished the West is and ask him to yield the spiritual treasure or spiritual root to me."

Randeng's mouth twitched. That really was Zhunti's style.

He shook his head and said, "Wrong, Junior Brother. Not only will that make others dislike you, they will not yield it to you either."

Randeng silently added in his heart, Except for that old softhearted fellow Hongyun.

"Then what should I do? Please teach me, Senior Brother."

Zhunti continued to ask without shame.

"At such a time, you should tell him that this thing is fated with our West. Fellow Daoist, you don't look like you want to become entangled in Karma either, do you?"

Zhunti suddenly understood, but quickly asked again, "What if the other person also says that this thing is fated with him?"

Randeng smiled approvingly.

"Very good, Junior Brother. You have already learned to draw inferences from one instance. Since both sides are fated with it, naturally, you compare whose fate is greater."

"Senior Brother, are you asking me to discuss the Dao with the other party?"

Like a student attentively listening in class, Zhunti immediately asked another question.

"Wrong again, Junior Brother. At such a time, you should quickly send word to me and your Senior Brother Jieyin. The fate of three people is always greater than that of one."

Randeng shook his head again. The two future Sages of the West were still rather immature at this point, not yet as shameless as they would become later.

At these words, even the branches and leaves of the Seven Treasures Bodhi Tree swayed.

"So that is how it is. Hearing Senior Brother Randeng's words has surpassed my hundred thousand years of contemplation."

By imparting these principles to Zhunti, Randeng still hoped to change the habits of the future Two Sages of the West—to cultivate steadily and avoid making enemies everywhere in the East.

Just then, Zhunti's pupils suddenly contracted. In his perception, the earth-vein core first erupted with a dense aura of the Annihilation Law, which ought to mean some Innate Spiritual Treasure had come into being.

But immediately afterward came a Demonic Dao aura that made his heart palpitate.

"Such pure Demonic Dao aura... Could the Devil Ancestor have been resurrected?"

Randeng suppressed the urge to flee at once. He had plotted in the West for so long; how could he be willing to leave just like that?

Randeng first summoned the Spirit Vulture Palace Lamp, laying down a layer of Annihilation Law around himself. Then he raised his hand and called forth the Green Lotus Treasure Banner, unleashing tens of thousands of rays of white light to envelop his body.

He held the Mid Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Qiankun Ruler, in his left hand, and the High Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Vajra Pestle, in his right.

The spiritual radiance of so many treasures made Zhunti incomparably envious. When he took form, he would probably have only a single Innate Spiritual Treasure.

"Junior Brother Zhunti, if Senior Brother Jieyin and I do not return, then no matter who comes back here, simply follow his instructions."

After giving this warning, Randeng did not wait for Zhunti's reply. Bathed in treasure light, he tunneled down toward the earth-vein core.

Upon arriving in the underground space, Randeng immediately saw Jieyin standing motionlessly.

"Junior Brother Jieyin?"

Randeng called out several times, but Jieyin showed no reaction.

Carefully, he attached a strand of Spiritual Sense to the Qiankun Ruler and moved it toward Jieyin. Should anything go wrong, he would immediately abandon the Qiankun Ruler, detonate the space, and flee far away.

"A cautious little junior, aren't you."

The sudden voice rang out beside Randeng, yet he had not sensed the slightest fluctuation of mana or trace of Dao rhythm.

In a flash, hand seals flew from Randeng's fingers. Using the Green Lotus Treasure Banner as its core, he laid down the Green Lotus World-Purifying Glazed Array; imitating the Innate Great Formation of the Vajra Pestle, he formed the Innate Devil-Subduing Array; then, with a backhand motion, he sacrificed the Spirit Vulture Palace Lamp and used Netherworld Ghost Fire to erect a barrier.

It was as if Randeng had rehearsed it ten thousand times in his mind. This entire sequence of arrangements was completed in but an instant.

"Was that really necessary? Am I that frightening?"

Only then did Randeng have time to see the newcomer's face clearly.

Aside from the black lotus mark between his brows, that man had a face identical to Randeng's.

Only then did Randeng recall that saints had no fixed appearance; what one saw was merely their manifestation within one's own heart.

"May I ask what instructions the Devil Ancestor has? Why have you imprisoned my disappointing Junior Brother?"

Randeng asked cautiously. The Devil Ancestor's reputation in the primordial world was, after all, far from good.

"How did you know that I am Luohu?"

Luohu studied Randeng with great interest. This Randeng had transformed from that Mysterious Coffin from the time of creation, bore Pangu's Fortune, and for some reason was deeply entangled with the Karma of our West.

And he acted with such caution—he had something of the flavor of those old fellows.

"In reply to the Devil Ancestor, this junior also cultivates the Annihilation Law. Your Annihilation Law, bearing the intent of destruction, has already reached perfection. Naturally, this junior can sense it."

Without making a show of it, Randeng slipped in a compliment.

"You little fellow are indeed different from the other Innate Divine Saints of this era. You have a bit of my style from back then."

Luohu's thoughts stirred. He had originally intended to pass the method of bewitching all living beings and harvesting fortune to Jieyin and Zhunti, but now it seemed this slippery little brat was better suited to it.