Where do you think you're going?
The Ten Yama Kings felt an invisible aura locking onto them. They had no doubt that if they so much as moved, they'd be the next ones sent flying.
"Gulp."
King Qin Guang struggled to swallow. He glanced at his nine brothers and saw that every one of them had gone deathly pale.
What were they supposed to do?
What could they do now?
Hand over the people?
They were all with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Even if they wanted to hand them over, they couldn't!
Pay wages?
What wages?
The Underworld's treasury did have plenty of special local products, like merits and resentment, but would this Little Ancestor want any of that?
Judging by how money-mad she looked, she definitely wanted the treasures of heaven and earth from the mortal realm!
They didn't have any!
"We... we..."
King Qin Guang stammered, unable to get a single word out.
He truly regretted it now—regretted it so much he could have kicked himself.
If he'd known Master Tongtian had been hiding such a powerful weapon, he never would have offended the Interception Sect!
And now look at them. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"Hm?"
Xiruan grew impatient when they remained silent for so long.
"What? You want to find out how powerful my Milk Bottle is, too?"
She even gave the Milk Bottle a little toss in her hand.
The Ten Yama Kings' hearts quivered along with it.
"No, no! Please calm down, Little Ancestress! Holy Mother, please calm down!"
King Chujiang hurriedly waved his hands, forcing a smile.
"We'll hand them over! We definitely will!"
"We'll pay their wages, too! We definitely will!"
They had to calm her down first!
"Oh?" Xiruan tilted her little head. "Then what are you standing around for? Hurry up and bring them out, and bring the money!"
"Well... um..."
Cold sweat ran down King Chujiang's forehead. "Little Ancestress, there's something you should know."
"The Interception Sect... employees you're looking for really aren't here with us."
"They were all taken to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's own temple."
"We... we don't have the authority to demand that he hand them over!"
As he spoke, he carefully watched Xiruan's expression, afraid she might start swinging at them without warning.
Xiruan thought for a moment. "You mean the bald factory manager's office?"
"Yes, yes! That's his office!" King Qin Guang hurriedly chimed in.
"Look, this really has nothing to do with us. We're victims, too!"
"Just look at this hall! You— I mean, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva—crashed into it and wrecked the place!"
"Oh..." Xiruan nodded when she heard that.
The Ten Yama Kings immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed this Little Ancestor might be violent, but she wasn't very bright. She was easy enough to fool, at least.
But before they could fully relax, Xiruan's next words made them jolt.
"Then take me to him."
"You're the locals here, so you must know where that bald factory manager's office is."
"Show me the way. I'm going to get those people from him!"
The Ten Yama Kings: "..."
Show her the way?
Take her to cause trouble for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?
Were they insane?
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had to be furious by now. He was probably hiding in some corner, gathering strength for a big move.
If they went over now, wouldn't they be walking straight into the line of fire?
When immortals fought, ordinary people suffered. They'd be the first to die!
"What? You don't want to?"
Xiruan's gaze turned dangerous again.
"No, no! We do! We'd be more than happy to!"
King Zhuanlun was especially eager to stay alive, and spoke up first. "It's our brothers' great honor to show the Holy Mother the way!"
As he spoke, he gave the other Yama Kings a look and sent them a telepathic message.
Are you idiots?
Now's not the time to refuse!
Agree first, then lead her to Cuiyun Palace!
Once she and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva are at each other's throats... ahem, I mean, once those two Great Beings continue their sparring!
We can slip away and ask the Jade Emperor at the Heavenly Court and the Two Saints of the West for help!
There's no way we can stay in the Underworld any longer!
The other Yama Kings immediately understood and nodded in agreement.
"Exactly! We'll take you there right now!"
"Holy Mother, this way, please!"
As the ten Yama Kings, each with their own motives, set off with Xiruan—the harbinger of disaster—to find Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, an incredibly terrifying, scorching aura erupted from the deepest reaches of the Underworld!
"BOOM—!"
The entire Underworld shook violently.
The sky turned a strange blood-red.
Countless ghosts waiting in line on Yellow Spring Road were caught in the blast of that aura. Before they could even scream, they burst into flames and turned to ash!
"That's... karma fire! It's Crimson Lotus Karma Fire!"
King Qin Guang cried out in shock, all color draining from his face.
"Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva... H-how did he bring out the Red Lotus of Karma?!"
The eyes of the Ten Yama Kings were filled with boundless terror.
The Red Lotus of Karma!
It was a Top-grade Innate Spirit Treasure, formed from one of the four lotus seeds left behind when the Chaos Green Lotus shattered during Pan Gu's creation of the world!
It was as famous as the Western Merit Golden Lotus and the Daoist Pure World Green Lotus!
But the Red Lotus of Karma was the most sinister and bizarre of them all.
It didn't harm the body. It burned karma!
Any living being burdened with karma would, upon being touched by the Crimson Lotus Karma Fire, burn from the deepest part of their karmic burden. The flames would consume them for all eternity, never ceasing until all their karma and even their True Spirit had been reduced to nothingness!
No one knew how Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had managed to wield Ancestor Minghe's treasure. He used it to suppress the countless resentful, evil ghosts deep in the underworld.
The Red Lotus of Karma was his ultimate trump card! He had actually brought out this deadly weapon!
It was easy to imagine how furious he'd been after Xiruan had knocked him flying with a single swing of her Milk Bottle!
"It's over... It's all over... We're completely finished..." King Chujiang muttered. "The Bodhisattva's getting serious now!"
"With the karma fire unleashed, the entire Underworld is going to suffer!"
Holy Mother Wudang's expression grew grave, and she said solemnly, "Senior, be careful!"
"The Red Lotus of Karma is incredibly sinister. It burns karmic ties and karma. Whatever you do, don't let it get close to you!"
She was frantic with worry.
Although the Great Dao's incarnation was powerful, she was still very young.
The Red Lotus of Karma was also one of the most bizarre forces in the Primeval World, impossible to guard against.
If anything happened to the incarnation, Holy Mother Wudang would never be able to atone for it, even if she died a thousand times over!
"Karma fire?"
Xiruan curiously watched the distant sky, now dyed red, and sniffed the air.
"Why does this fire smell like roasted sweet potatoes?"
Her little head couldn't make sense of lofty concepts like karma and cause and effect.
That bald factory manager she'd sent flying seemed to be angry now.
Was he... going to set people on fire?
How barbaric!
"Wretched creature!"
"You've succeeded in enraging this monk!"
A voice filled with boundless fury and murderous intent rang throughout the Underworld.
"Today, this monk will let you experience what it's like to have your soul burned by the Crimson Lotus Karma Fire, never to be reincarnated!"
Before the words had even faded—
A gigantic red lotus platform, blazing with blood-red flames, appeared above Yanluo Palace!
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva stood atop it, a trace of golden blood still at the corner of his mouth. Half his face was swollen, with a clear Milk Bottle mark on it.
He looked nothing like the solemn, dignified Bodhisattva he was supposed to be. He looked like a demon that had crawled out of the deepest depths of hell!
Consumed by boundless fury, he stared fixedly at Xiruan, wishing he could tear her apart with his bare hands.
(Thanks~~ If you like Le You, please leave a five-star review with a comment! I've added four extra chapters for you today!)
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