Red Dust Sword Dao! Empress Pingxin!

Her delicate body was disheveled, her smile bleak.

Under Yunxiao's remorseful gaze, Lingxiao headed deeper into the Netherworld. She and Colored Cloud Immortal could only follow, but an obsession took root in her heart.

Even if she had to exhaust every means and bow her proud head, she would obtain Lingxiao's forgiveness and be happily together with him!

"Fellow Daoist Lingxiao, Lady Serenity is waiting for you at the Department of Reincarnation."

"Before any deceased soul that enters the Netherworld can be reincarnated, it must have its seven emotions and six desires washed away there. Only then may it go to Meng Po's Inn, drink Meng Po Soup, and enter the Six Paths of Reincarnation to be reborn."

Led by Taixuan and Xingtian, Lingxiao came to understand the layout of the Netherworld.

The Yellow Springs Road, Bridge of Helplessness, City of Wrongful Death, Eighteen Levels of Hell... these places were all vital regions of the Netherworld, controlled either by descendants of the Witch Race or by the Asura Clan.

Back then, when Ancestral Witch Houtu transformed herself into the Netherworld and created the Six Paths of Reincarnation, it had taken place in the depths of the Nether Blood Sea.

Thus, Lady Serenity owed Patriarch Styx and the Asura Clan a karmic debt. Allowing living beings of the Asura Clan to wield part of its authority was the result of discussions between her and Patriarch Styx.

The Department of Reincarnation washed away the seven emotions and six desires of deceased souls.

Meng Po's Inn erased the will and memories of deceased souls.

It could be said that the Netherworld possessed a complete process for governing everything that happened to living beings after death. It was an essential link in the operation of the order of the Heavenly Dao, Earthly Dao, and Human Dao.

"Hehe... Fellow Daoist Lingxiao, there's something else I need to tell you!"

"Whenever disciples of the Interception Sect perish, their souls must undergo every single step. In particular, they must repeatedly endure the punishments of the Eighteen Levels of Hell. Those burdened with especially grave sins suffer even more miserably."

"So in the future, you can simply cast the disciples of the Interception Sect into a place of eternal damnation..."

Xingtian's mouth split nearly to his ears, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

Even Lingxiao felt a shiver run down his spine.

His divine sense stirred!

Every corner of the Netherworld fell under Lingxiao's perception.

Before long, Lingxiao saw many familiar figures, such as Interception Sect disciples suffering amid mountains of blades and seas of fire, as well as the several dozen Phoenix Clan quasi-Saints, including Yan Chi. All of them had to atone for the sins they had committed.

Of course, the Netherworld had not truly engaged in any underhanded manipulation. It had merely imposed punishments according to the sins those Interception Sect disciples and Phoenix Clan quasi-Saints had committed in their previous lives.

At times, punishments and sins alike could be light or heavy.

Some things weighed less than four taels when not placed on the scales, but once weighed, even a thousand jin could not measure them.

Originally, Lady Serenity could have given Lord Tongtian some face and merely gone through the motions. But now, those punishments and sins had landed squarely upon their heads.

Especially those several dozen quasi-Saints—normally, so long as their cultivation in their previous lives had reached the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm, they could be exempted from all punishment. They would only need to have their seven emotions and six desires washed away, their consciousness and memories erased, and then be reincarnated.

But now, Lady Serenity and the people of the Netherworld were not giving them any shortcuts.

Therefore, even quasi-Saints had to endure torment day and night, meeting the same fate as ordinary deceased souls.

"Too brutal!"

Lingxiao sucked in a cold breath, though inwardly, he felt a surge of secret delight.

Of all people Lord Tongtian could have provoked, he had dared to provoke Lady Serenity. Now wasn't this splendid? Any living being entangled in karma with the Interception Sect would be made to suffer petty persecution after death.

"Lady Serenity is boundlessly compassionate and impartial beyond self-interest. This poor Daoist admires her immensely!"

Lingxiao wore a look of emotion as he spoke in a respectful tone.

At that moment!

A cold, mechanical electronic voice echoed in his mind.

[ Ding! The god-level selection task has been successfully refreshed! ]

[ Choice One: Help Yunxiao persuade Lady Serenity and save the Interception Sect disciples from their sea of suffering. Reward: one high-grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure. ]

[ Choice Two: Kick them when they are down and add fuel to the flames, urging Lady Serenity to cast all disciples into the Path of Beasts. Reward: the supreme-grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure, Nether Profound Heavy Ruler. ]

[ Choice Three: What does the Interception Sect have to do with me? Decisively lie flat. Reward: Mortal World Sword Dao Laws. ]

Three god-level choices!

Lingxiao's thoughts stirred as he pondered them.

From the delight revealed through the system's god-level choices, Lingxiao inferred the purpose behind Yunxiao and Colored Cloud Immortal's visit to the Netherworld: they had come to ask Lady Serenity to show mercy and spare the disciples of the Interception Sect.

"The seven emotions and six desires are all part of the mortal world. This poor Daoist chooses the third option!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Lingxiao made his choice.

A supreme-grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure was neither here nor there to him, but the Mortal World Sword Dao Laws were key to whether he could wash away the seven emotions and six desires and help Lady Serenity.

Why wash away and purify the seven emotions and six desires when turning them into his own cultivation and trump card was far more satisfying?

[ Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Mortal World Sword Dao Laws. ]

As the system's voice rang out, a strand of Sword Qi appeared within the boundless system space. It carried mysterious laws, continuously evolving and surging—it was precisely the Mortal World Sword Dao Laws.

A mere sweep of his divine sense made Lingxiao's Dao heart tremble faintly.

The Mortal World Sword Dao Laws were terrifying indeed and could not be underestimated!

"Fellow Daoist Lingxiao, we've arrived at the Department of Reincarnation!"

At Taixuan's words, Lingxiao's divine sense withdrew from the system space, and he quietly gazed ahead.

Netherworldly qi surged, the Dao rhythm of the Law of Reincarnation enduring without end. The qi of the seven emotions and six desires permeated the void, and at the very end of it all stood the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

The Path of Heavenly Gods, the Path of Humans, the Path of Asuras, the Path of Hell, the Path of Hungry Ghosts, and the Path of Beasts.

The six paths revolved, following the cycle of the Great Dao.

Before the Six Paths of Reincarnation stood the Department of Reincarnation.

Very soon!

Lingxiao followed Taixuan and Xingtian into the Department of Reincarnation. Its interior was incredibly vast, with a lake stretching more than ten thousand li across the earth, its surface rippling with waves.

After the departed souls washed away their seven emotions and six desires in the lake, they became utterly muddleheaded. Then, led by ghost officials, they proceeded to Meng Po Inn, drank Meng Po Soup, and were ultimately reincarnated according to the sins, merits, good, and evil of their previous lives.

The upper three paths were the Path of Heavenly Gods, the Path of Humans, and the Path of Asuras.

The lower three paths were the Path of Hell, the Path of Hungry Ghosts, and the Path of Beasts.

"Fellow Daoist Lingxiao, this is the Soul Cleansing Pool. It can cleanse the departed souls of their seven emotions and six desires!"

"But in truth, these seven emotions and six desires still remain within the Netherworld Underworld. They spread toward the four directions and eight desolations, and also cling to the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Lady Serenity's Primordial Spirit, and her body."

Xingtian pointed at the lake, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.

Over countless ages, an unknown amount of the seven emotions and six desires had accumulated. They had become a burden upon the entire Netherworld Underworld and Lady Serenity herself, like maggots clinging to the bone, impossible to erase.

Only after discovering Lingxiao's power of purification had Lady Serenity sought his aid, searching for a way to utterly destroy or purify the seven emotions and six desires.

"Greetings, Lady Serenity!"

At last, Lingxiao met this great mighty one.

He bowed slightly and made a Daoist salute.

Lady Serenity sat with dignified poise upon a throne condensed from dark-yellow qi and Netherworld laws. Her face bore compassion and serenity, though a trace of sorrow seemed to lie within her eyes. Her skin was fair as jade, and her black hair was dark as ink.

Her aura was transcendent and otherworldly, inspiring awe at first sight!

"No need for such formality!"

Lady Serenity's red lips parted slightly, and a stream of mana gently brushed over Lingxiao. He immediately straightened his back.

"Sit!"

A meditation cushion fell directly before Lingxiao, and he promptly sat down cross-legged.

"Little friend Lingxiao, can you resolve this qi of the seven emotions and six desires?"

Lady Serenity went straight to the point and asked Lingxiao.

Ever since the Netherworld Underworld had been established, she had endured the torment of the qi of the seven emotions and six desires. That obscure and tangled energy tore at her Primordial Spirit, true spirit, and body, as though it wished to rip her apart.

Had Lady Serenity not controlled Pangu Temple and enjoyed the protection of the Earthly Dao's laws, she truly would have descended into madness.

For within those seven emotions and six desires were also carried the pasts and obsessions of living beings.

Every last bit of it had a negative effect on her.

Hearing this, Lingxiao did not conceal anything. He said calmly, "This Daoist can indeed eliminate all qi of the seven emotions and six desires, and it will not take much time. However, I have one condition."

"May I ask, Lady Serenity, whether you can follow the tide of the greater destiny and connect the Netherworld Underworld with the earth veins of the Primordial World, allowing it to truly become a part of the Primordial World?"

His words fell with the weight of gold and stone, stirring up great waves.

Taixuan and Xingtian revealed shocked expressions. Even Lady Serenity's vermilion lips parted slightly as she lowered her eyelids and stared at Lingxiao with scrutiny.

Lady Serenity was already suppressed by the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun Dao Ancestor. If she were to hand over the Netherworld Underworld and the Six Paths of Reincarnation as well, would she not become fish on the chopping block?

As though sensing Lady Serenity's concerns, Lingxiao raised his voice and spoke again.

"Lady Serenity, do you not wish to break free of your shackles and see the world beyond?"