Xiruan held out a Peach of Immortality to Houtu and said in her babyish voice, "Auntie, you can have this!"
"You helped me so much, so take this as a thank-you gift!"
When someone helped you, you had to repay them.
The best way to repay someone was to give them the thing you loved most, the most precious thing you had.
Of all the delicious things she'd borrowed from that big company called the Heavenly Court, this peach was the biggest, most fragrant, and prettiest!
She'd meant to save it for her Daddy's birthday and surprise him with it.
But today, this pretty auntie had helped her so much. She'd not only helped her teach the bad guys a lesson, but also helped her find so many employees.
She thought this auntie needed the peach more than Daddy did!
Empress Houtu was taken aback.
How long had it been since anyone had given her a gift?
Ever since she'd transformed into the cycle of reincarnation and begun guarding the Underworld, all the beings of the Three Realms had felt toward her was awe and fear.
Even her brothers and the Wu Clan warriors from back then had always treated her with the utmost respect, never daring to overstep.
She was the exalted Empress Pingxin, the ruler of life and death, the master of reincarnation.
Yet she was also the loneliest person, imprisoned in this eternal darkness.
Houtu gazed at those clear, untainted eyes, and the softest place in her heart seemed to stir gently.
She tenderly ruffled Xiruan's fluffy little head.
"Silly child, keep something this precious for yourself."
"No! I want you to have it!"
But Xiruan was stubborn. She shoved the huge Peach of Immortality into Houtu's arms.
"Auntie, hurry and eat it! It's really sweet!"
Houtu looked at the weighty peach in her arms and fell silent for a moment. Then she smiled helplessly.
"All right, I'll accept it."
She didn't refuse again. She really did like the gift.
She carefully put the peach away.
"Well, I helped you find your people, and I've accepted your gift."
Houtu looked at Xiruan and spoke gently. "Shouldn't you take these... employees of yours home now?"
"Your Daddy must be worried sick."
"Oh, right!"
Xiruan patted her little head, finally remembering how long she'd been gone. Daddy must be terribly worried in the Small Dark Room!
She had to hurry and take all these newly recovered employees back to surprise Daddy!
Then he'd see how capable his daughter was!
"Auntie, we're off!"
Xiruan waved her little hand energetically at Houtu.
"I'll come visit you again!"
"All right. I'll be waiting."
Houtu nodded with a smile.
Xiruan didn't waste any more time. She turned to the assembled Jie Sect Disciples behind her and called, "All right, underlings! Let's go home and tell the boss the good news!"
"Yes, Little Senior Sister!"
The Jie Sect Disciples answered in unison, their voices shaking the Nine Netherworlds.
Under Empress Houtu's smiling gaze, they flew toward Zixiao Palace.
They didn't vanish from the Underworld's horizon until every last one of them was gone.
Only then did the smile slowly fade from Houtu's face.
She turned around, her expression instantly turning cold and detached.
"From this day forth, the Western Religious Sect is not welcome in the Underworld."
Her voice was quiet, yet the words were etched into the Underworld's fundamental laws in an instant.
The next moment,
Cuiyun Palace, along with all the Buddhas and Arhats knocked to the ground inside it, as well as Ksitigarbha, who had passed out, was wrenched out of the Underworld.
They were thrown out of the Netherworld, back toward Spirit Mountain in West Cattle He Continent.
After doing all this, Empress Houtu's figure slowly faded from the air.
It was as if she had never appeared at all.
Far away, at the Great Thunderclap Monastery on Western Spirit Mountain,
Tathagata Buddha's expression changed as he lectured the All Buddhas. He stared in shock toward the Netherworld, his eyes full of disbelief.
"Ksitigarbha... He... He's been expelled from the Underworld?!"
"Rumble—!"
A thunderous crash came from beyond Spirit Mountain.
Then a vast complex of buildings woven from Buddha Light and the power of vows fell from the sky, slamming into the foot of the mountain and sending dust billowing everywhere.
It was Cuiyun Palace, thrown back from the Underworld by Empress Houtu!
"Bodhisattva! Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, he..."
A sharp-eyed Bodhisattva spotted a figure in the ruins, bound like a dumpling and unconscious.
Tathagata Buddha flashed into the ruins in an instant.
He saw that Ksitigarbha's holy body had been shattered, and a strange look flickered in his eyes.
Just then,
Ksitigarbha slowly woke. Summoning the last of his strength, he managed to utter two words.
"Milk... bottle..."
No one could find a book by searching its title? Try searching for the author instead. Maybe the title was changed!
After saying those two words, his head lolled to the side, and he passed out completely.
Tathagata Buddha recalled what had happened at Spirit Mountain some time ago. The corner of his mouth lifted without him realizing it, but by the time he turned around, his expression had returned to normal.
"Guanyin, go inform the two saints at once."
"Yes, Buddha."
Guanyin Bodhisattva emerged from among the stunned Buddhas and left without a change in her expression.
Ksitigarbha had made the great vow, "Until Hell is empty, I will not become a Buddha," hoping to steal the Underworld's merit for himself.
But Xiruan had eaten Hell until it was empty.
His vow had failed to bring him merit. Instead, because he had broken it, he'd incurred the Heavenly Dao's backlash!
His merit had instantly dropped to zero, then turned negative!
And the deficit was astronomical.
From then on, Ksitigarbha would not only be unable to gather merit ever again, but would also have to endure the endless agony of karmic flames burning his soul, every moment of every day.
He would truly be unable to live or die.
The lecture at Spirit Mountain continued. No one noticed that Tathagata Buddha's gaze had somehow drifted toward the horizon.
Inside Zixiao Palace,
"What... what even was all that..."
Master Tongtian muttered to himself. He raised a hand and pinched his thigh hard.
Hiss—
That hurt!
It wasn't a dream!
It had all really happened!
He watched his daughter fly back with several Jie Sect Disciples in the Water Mirror, his feelings more complicated than ever.
"Fellow Daoist Houtu... How... how am I supposed to repay this karma..."
Master Tongtian shook his head with a bitter smile.
The scene in the Water Mirror shifted, switching to the Youming Blood Sea.
Ancestor Minghe was glaring darkly in the direction Houtu had left, his eyes filled with resentment and spite.
"Houtu! Just you wait!"
"I'll repay you a hundredfold for today's humiliation!"
As soon as the words left his mouth,
A gigantic palm came crashing down on him!
Ancestor Minghe's expression changed drastically. Without a second thought, he tried to split into Blood God clones and flee.
But the entire Blood Sea's space had been completely sealed!
His four hundred and eighty million Blood God clones, the very source of his pride, couldn't move a muscle!
"Houtu! You—"
"Smack!"
The sharp crack of a slap rang through the entire Youming Blood Sea.
Ancestor Minghe went flying from the blow.
"If you dare speak ill of me behind my back again, next time I won't stop at one slap."
Empress Houtu's cold, detached voice rang out slowly.
In the Blood Sea, half of Ancestor Minghe's face had swollen up. He clutched it, humiliated beyond measure, yet didn't dare utter a single threat.
Watching this, Master Tongtian's eyelid twitched violently.
He silently wrote "Never, ever provoke Houtu" as the first rule in his sacred-heart memo.
This lady was not only fiercely protective of her own, but... she didn't seem to have the best temper, either.
While Master Tongtian hid in Zixiao Palace, gloating and secretly pleased,
Xiruan and the others were already flying in grand formation out of the Thirty-Three Heavens.
Along the way, the Jie Sect Disciples were still caught up in a mix of excitement and disbelief.
They looked at Xiruan with boundless admiration and awe.
This was the hope of their Interception Sect!
This was the Little Senior Sister who would lead them to revival!
"Little Senior Sister! Little Senior Sister!"
Immortal Wuyun moved up beside Xiruan and asked, his face full of admiration,
"What was that move you used to eat that thing called Avici Hell? It was incredible! Could you teach us?"
At his question, all the Jie Sect Disciples around them pricked up their ears, their eyes filled with longing.
They wanted to learn it too!
If they mastered that move, who would they have to fear?
They could just eat anyone they couldn't beat!
How cool!
"That move?"
Xiruan stopped and thought for a moment, then answered very seriously, "It wasn't a divine ability."
"Huh? It wasn't?" Immortal Wuyun was stunned.
"Yep." Xiruan nodded. "I was just hungry, so I ate it."
Immortal Wuyun: "..."
All the Jie Sect Disciples: "..."
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(Wishing you smooth sailing and good fortune, with someone loving you at every moment!)
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