Intercepting Sect's True Spirit Returns!

"Help you?"

Seeing Xiruan's expectant little face, Empress Houtu felt a stir. As the ruler of the Underworld, she shouldn't have interfered in such karma.

Firstly, she felt an immense closeness to the Pangu aura on Xiruan.

Secondly, she had long been displeased with the Western Religious Sect's constant proselytizing of souls and expansion of influence within her Underworld.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in particular, emboldened by the backing of the Two Sages, acted with increasing impunity, even daring to interfere with the cycle of reincarnation and intercept true spirits.

Empress Houtu had merely endured this because her fusion with the cycle of reincarnation made it inconvenient to act directly.

Today, the appearance of this little one presented her with an opportunity to break the stalemate.

Perhaps... using her to give the Western Religious Sect a warning wouldn't be a bad idea.

Furthermore, owing Tongtian a favor might also be beneficial for the future situation of the Witch Clan.

With this thought, Empress Houtu made up her mind.

She looked at Xiruan and slowly nodded.

"Alright."

"I'll help you."

This statement, like a decree from the Heavenly Dao, instantly spread throughout the entire Underworld.

For a moment, all gods and spirits were shaken to their core, a tempestuous wave surging within them!

Empress Houtu... had actually agreed to the little Devil King's request!

She was going to personally assist the Intercepting Sect!

The Ten Yama Kings were terrified out of their wits, burying their heads even lower.

They feared Empress Houtu might remember their complicity and settle old scores with them.

Disciples of the Intercepting Sect, such as Wuyun Immortal and Wudang Holy Mother, after a brief moment of shock, erupted in unprecedented ecstasy!

"Your Majesty is merciful!"

"Heaven bless our Intercepting Sect! Heaven bless our Intercepting Sect!"

Countless true spirits of the Intercepting Sect bowed from afar, tears streaming down their faces, overcome with emotion.

"That's great! Thank you, Auntie!"

Upon hearing Empress Houtu's agreement, Xiruan immediately jumped for joy. She knew this beautiful auntie was a good person!

"Don't thank me just yet."

Empress Houtu smiled and shook her head, her slender jade hand lightly drawing a line in the void.

Another scene appeared in the air.

A vast, boundless, blood-red ocean churned with turbulent waves. From time to time, strange, monstrous Asura figures would emerge from the sea, letting out roars.

It was the Youming Blood Sea, adjacent to the Underworld!

"Most of the true spirits of the Intercepting Sect disciples were indeed imprisoned by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the City of the Wrongly Dead and the eighteen layers of hell."

Empress Houtu's voice slowly sounded.

"But a portion of them, due to their overwhelming resentment and killing intent, could not be fully purified even by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Buddha Light. He cast them into this Youming Blood Sea, intending to use the sea's corrupting power to erode their true spirit imprints."

"What?!"

Hearing this, Wudang Holy Mother's eyes widened in fury, her gaze burning with immense hatred.

"Ksitigarbha! What a venomous heart you have!"

Casting true spirits into the blood sea, what was the difference between that and directly scattering their souls?

The blood sea was formed from the impure blood of Pangu the Great God's navel. The corrupting power it contained had the strongest erosive effect on divine souls and the Primordial Spirit.

Let alone incomplete true spirits, even a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal at their peak, if they fell into the blood sea, would soon lose their minds and become part of the blood sea!

"Auntie, you mean, I still have a lot of employees locked up in that stinking ditch?"

Xiruan pointed at the blood-red ocean, her small face also filled with anger.

That bald factory manager was truly evil to the core!

Not only did he lock up employees in a sweatshop, but he also threw some of them into this foul-smelling ditch that looked so dirty!

It was utterly inhumane!

"Yes." Empress Houtu nodded. "But you don't need to worry."

Her gaze fell upon the surging blood sea, her eyes suddenly becoming majestic and indifferent.

"Styx, come out and see me."

Her voice echoed throughout the entire Youming Blood Sea.

"Boom!"

The blood sea churned, raising waves tens of thousands of feet high!

A colossal palace, built from piled white bones, slowly rose from the depths of the blood sea.

A figure clad in crimson robes, with a grim face and an immensely powerful aura, appeared atop the palace.

He held two swords radiating killing intent, standing upon a twelve-petal blood-red lotus platform (the one belonging to Ksitigarbha was merely a cutting exchanged long ago).

This was none other than the master of the Youming Blood Sea, one of the top Great Beings in the Primal Wilderness, second only to the Saint, known as -- Patriarch Styx!

"Fellow Daoist Houtu, for what reason do you summon this humble one?"

Patriarch Styx's voice was hoarse and sinister. He looked at Houtu with a deep sense of apprehension.

He and Houtu had been neighbors for countless eons, and he knew well the terror of the Underworld's sovereign.

Though she could not leave the Underworld, within this netherworld, she was invincible.

Therefore, he usually tried his best not to provoke this neighbor.

"Styx, I will not waste words with you."

Houtu's tone was indifferent yet commanding.

"Hand over what does not belong to you from your blood sea."

Patriarch Styx's brow furrowed upon hearing this.

He instantly understood what Houtu was referring to.

He knew that Ksitigarbha had sent the true spirits of those Intercepting Sect disciples into the blood sea back then.

He had intended to refine all those true spirits into his own Blood God Spawn clones, thereby strengthening himself.

However, he hadn't expected that the Intercepting Sect disciples would be so unyielding, refusing to yield even in death. Despite his best efforts, he had failed.

In the end, he had suppressed those true spirits at the eye of the blood sea, using the blood sea's primordial power to wear them down day and night.

He had thought this matter was unknown to anyone.

He never expected that today, Houtu would personally come knocking for this very reason!

"Fellow Daoist Houtu, what do you mean by that?"

Patriarch Styx's eyes darted around as he decided to feign ignorance.

"In my blood sea, besides the warriors of my Asura clan, there are only lonely wandering souls. What could possibly be here that doesn't belong to me?"

He had no intention of spitting out the meat that was already in his mouth for no reason.

"Is that so?"

Houtu's gaze instantly turned cold. She raised her right hand and gently pressed down towards the Youming Blood Sea.

"RUMBLE--!"

The entire Youming Blood Sea seemed to be forcefully held down by an invisible giant hand at that instant!

The countless waves of blood that had been surging incessantly were, at this moment, forced to sink tens of thousands of feet downwards!

The entire sea level had dropped significantly out of nowhere!

An supreme power, originating from the earth and the cycle of reincarnation, a power that suppressed all things, descended upon the blood sea!

Patriarch Styx's expression changed drastically!

He clearly felt that his connection with the blood sea's primordial essence was being forcibly suppressed... and severed by an even more powerful force!

"You!"

He looked at Houtu in horror, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He knew Houtu was powerful in the Underworld, but he hadn't expected her to be this strong!

She could forcefully suppress even his home-field advantage, the blood sea!

"I will say this one last time."

Houtu's voice was as cold as a knife.

"Hand over the people."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't mind letting this blood sea have a new master."

Patriarch Styx's face instantly turned darker than the bottom of a pot.

He knew Houtu was not joking.

She truly possessed the strength to do it!

Within this netherworld, she was invincible!

Weighing the pros and cons, Patriarch Styx forced an ugly smile onto his face.

"Fellow Daoist, please calm down, calm down! This humble one was foolish!"

He quickly relented.

"This humble one will immediately invite those Intercepting Sect Fellow Daoists out!"

With a thought, a blood-red vortex appeared in the depths of the blood sea.

Thousands of incredibly weak true spirits, enveloped in blood-red light, were sent out from the vortex.

Empress Houtu flicked her finger, and a gentle, earth-yellow divine light flew out, enveloping those true spirits and instantly pulling them back into the Underworld.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Minghe."

Houtu said faintly, and with a wave of her hand, the spatial rift that had been torn open disappeared.

From beginning to end, she had prevented Xiruan and the infamous Patriarch Styx from meeting.

She didn't want this little one to come into contact with an existence like Minghe, who was so unrestrained in his killing, too early.

Xiruan, looking at the employees who had suddenly appeared, clapped her little hands with joy.

"Wow! Auntie, you're so amazing!"

She felt like this auntie was like a sorceress, conjuring people out of thin air with a wave of her hand.

"Alright, I've found everyone for you."

Houtu looked at the returning true spirits of the Intercepting Sect. There was nothing more she could do.

The rest depended on Tongtian and this little one themselves.

"Thank you, Auntie! You're such a good person!"

Xiruan rummaged through her small bellyband for a long time before finally pulling out something she was most satisfied with.

It was a top-grade innate spiritual root that ripened every nine thousand years from the Queen Mother's Peach Garden—a dewy, plump Peach of Immortality!

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