"B-bind Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?"
"Did we hear that right?"
If they really bound him, would they still be alive when he woke up and the Two Saints of the West found out?
"What? You don't want to?"
Xiruan's gaze turned dangerous again.
"We do! We're more than happy to!"
King Qin Guang's survival instinct kicked in, and he immediately shouted at the top of his lungs.
As if they had time to hesitate!
They could tell perfectly well who would kill them faster: the future Ksitigarbha or the Little Devil King standing right in front of them!
"What are you waiting for? Hurry!"
At King Qin Guang's command, the other nine Yama Kings snapped to attention and pounced on the unconscious Ksitigarbha like a pack of wolves.
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who had lorded it over the Underworld for countless epochs, was now tied up like a giant rice dumpling by the Ten Yama Kings, using all sorts of magical treasures.
Xiruan nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Immortal Wuyun and the others.
"You, go fix all the broken toys!"
She pointed at the blade mountain they had ruined while using it as a slide, the sea of fire they had nearly boiled dry while treating it as a swimming pool, and all the other Underworld facilities destroyed by the aftershocks of the battle.
"Huh?"
Immortal Wuyun and the others were stunned too.
F-fix the Underworld?
Little Senior Sister, we're Interception Sect disciples, not craftsmen!
Besides, these were torture grounds for punishing evil spirits. Why were they fixing them?
"Hurry up!" Xiruan urged them. "These are such fun toys. What a shame to break them! Once they're fixed, I can play with them again next time!"
Immortal Wuyun and the others: "..."
They looked at one another, then could only trudge dejectedly toward the ruins of the Eighteen Levels of Hell.
An even more absurd scene unfolded in the Underworld.
The Ten Yama Kings surrounded an unconscious quasi-sage and gleefully drew on his face.
Thousands of Interception Sect True Spirits were hard at work... repairing the blade mountain, patching up the sea of fire, and rebuilding all sorts of torture facilities.
Xiruan, the culprit behind all of it, dragged the thoroughly numb Holy Mother Wudang along and swaggered toward Ksitigarbha's lair.
She wanted to see just how many good things the bald factory manager had hidden in his office.
Cuiyun Palace stood in the deepest part of the Underworld, on a pure land bathed in Buddha Light that clashed with the gloomy surroundings.
It was Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's temple.
For countless years, it had been one of the most sacred and solemn places in the Underworld.
Any ghost that came near would be cleansed by its boundless Buddha Light, and the resentment and attachments in its heart would be washed away.
"Bang!"
"I'm here to collect the rent!"
Xiruan swaggered inside, walking with an utterly carefree gait.
The Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats stationed in Cuiyun Palace rushed out in unison the moment they heard the commotion.
When they saw the shattered mountain gate, every one of them flew into a rage.
"Impudent demon! How dare you defile the pure land of Buddhism!"
"Where is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva? Quickly, seize this fiend!"
They had been cultivating here for years and had no idea that the outside world had already been turned upside down.
"I knocked your boss out. I'm in charge of this company now!"
Xiruan announced in her childish voice, hands on her hips.
"Utter nonsense! The Bodhisattva is a mighty quasi-sage. How could you possibly—"
An Arhat hadn't even finished speaking.
Xiruan was already impatient.
"So noisy."
She thrust the Chaos Baby Bottle in her hand against the ground.
"Thud!"
The Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats who had been roaring about subduing demons fell silent mid-sentence.
Then the Buddha Light around them rapidly faded, and cracks began to appear in their golden bodies.
"Thump! Thump!"
The deities in the sky lost all their cultivation and fell from the air like dumplings dropping into a pot.
"Much quieter now."
Xiruan nodded in satisfaction and began wandering around the resplendent Cuiyun Palace.
"Wow, this big bell is made of gold! It must make a really loud sound! I'm taking it!"
"Ooh, the water in this lotus pond smells so good! I'll pour it all into my baby bottle!"
"This cushion feels so nice to sit on. I'm taking it too! Daddy can use it as a cushion!"
"If you like this book, add it to your bookshelf so you can find it again next time."
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"And these glowing beads are so sparkly. They must be worth a lot! Pack them all up for me!"
Under Xiruan's "scorched-earth policy," the once solemn and magnificent Cuiyun Palace was soon left in complete disarray.
Just as Xiruan was thoroughly enjoying her pillaging and had turned Cuiyun Palace upside down,
something on a lotus throne in the middle of the main hall suddenly caught her eye.
A golden, fist-sized pearl, radiating an aura of profound mystery.
Twelve smaller beads, also glowing with Buddha Light, encircled it.
They were Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's innate spiritual treasures: meritorious relics formed from his severed good and evil corpses.
"Wow! What a pretty marble!"
Xiruan's eyes lit up, and she ran over at once.
The big one was definitely the "marble king"!
She reached out to grab it.
But just as her fingers were about to touch the Dinghai Divine Pearl,
the entire Underworld suddenly shook violently, without the slightest warning!
"Rumble—"
The Yellow Spring Road trembled.
The Wangchuan River roared.
The Naihe Bridge cracked apart.
The Interception Sect disciples and the Ten Yama Kings all stopped what they were doing and stared around in alarm.
"What's going on?!" King Qin Guang's face turned deathly pale. "This power... It's terrifying!"
In Zixiao Palace, Master Tongtian stared fixedly at the Water Mirror.
"This... This is... a tremor in the origin of reincarnation!"
"What... What exactly did she do?!"
"Could it be... she really woke Houtu?"
Master Tongtian felt as if his scalp were about to explode.
He was afraid of offending Hongjun, his Elder Brothers, Haotian, and the Two Saints of the West, but at least he could handle it.
They were all saints, after all. They saw one another often, so there was still room to negotiate.
But Houtu was different!
She was invincible in the Underworld!
Most importantly, she was beyond the Heavenly Dao's authority. She acted solely according to her own will and didn't care whose face she had to give!
If they really angered this venerable lady...
Master Tongtian couldn't bear to think about it.
Xiruan's full attention was fixed on the beautiful marbles in front of her.
She snatched up the largest one, the Dinghai Divine Pearl, along with the twelve Sariras around it.
"Hee-hee, got them!"
She happily tossed the marbles in her hands, making them clink together.
The moment she grabbed the beads,
the Underworld's trembling reached its peak!
A phantom of the Six Paths of Reincarnation appeared above the Netherworld!
The Heavenly Dao, Human Path, Asura Path, Beast Path, Hungry Ghost Path, and Hell Path... Six enormous wheels spun wildly, radiating an aura so terrifying that even saints would pale.
At that moment, the entire Primordial Three Realms felt a terrifying tremor rising from the depths of reincarnation!
Countless Great Beings who were in seclusion jolted awake from meditation and turned their horrified gazes toward the Youming Blood Sea.
"Something's happened to reincarnation!"
"What on earth is going on?!"
"Has a saint started a fight in the Underworld?!"
And just as the Three Realms trembled and countless immortals stared in horror,
an ancient, distant sigh rang out, as if it had come from the far end of the River of Time. It carried a hint of drowsiness, a hint of confusion, and yet an awe-inspiring majesty.
It sounded in the depths of every living soul in the Underworld.
"Sigh..."
"Who... disturbed my slumber?"
The voice was gentle as water, yet weighty as a mountain.
With just one word, the entire tumultuous Underworld fell silent.
The roaring Wangchuan River grew calm.
The shattered Naihe Bridge mended itself.
The trembling Yellow Spring Road stood firm as a mountain.
The phantom of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, suspended in the air, stopped spinning wildly and bowed its head respectfully.
The Ten Yama Kings dropped to their knees in unison the instant they heard the voice.
"W-welcome... Empress Pingxin!"
Before you continue