The Demon Cult Forces Guixu to Choose Sides, Resentful Souls Press Against Dragon-Suppressing Pass

After the Three Lives Gate gained Merit, even more refugees gathered outside Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

Once the news spread, countless living beings driven to desperation by the Great Tribulation began making their way to the Northern Sea.

Some brought young clan members.

Some supported the wounded.

Some carried the last ancestral tablet of their clan on their backs.

They did not ask Guixu to avenge them.

They only asked the Three Lives Gate to give them a way to survive.

As a result, Guixu grew busier by the day.

The Bureau of Cause and Effect operated day and night.

The old grievance registers in Calamity-Resolution Hall piled up like mountains.

The Treasury Bureau rapidly depleted its healing pills.

Nearly all the medical cultivators from the Academy were sent into the rescue zones.

The Young Clans Court expanded again and again.

Watching Guixu grow increasingly lively, Lu Chen felt conflicted.

The Three Lives Gate truly was useful.

But there were more and more people.

Sometimes, he even wondered whether Guixu Minor World would turn into a refugee city of the Primordial World if this continued.

Still, the system rewards were always tempting.

The Guixu Womb Membrane had strengthened, and the Old Shell's bearing of destiny had stabilized.

The Chaos Shell-Shedding Method advanced.

The fate of the Young Clans Court increased.

The Three Lives Gate received Merit's blessing.

All these benefits had genuinely fallen into his hands.

Lu Chen could only keep allowing Lan Shuang to conduct strict screenings while nursing a headache.

"We can take them in."

"They must pass through the Three Lives Gate."

"Those with too much blood on their hands will not be accepted."

"Those seeking hegemony will not be accepted."

"Demon cultivator spies will be suppressed immediately."

Lan Shuang carved the Emperor's decree before the Three Lives Gate.

Upon seeing it, the refugees instead felt more at ease.

Because Guixu was not accepting people without limits.

The more rules there were, the more reassured those who truly wanted to live felt.

But Guixu's rules made the Demon Cult increasingly uneasy.

That day.

The Blackwater outside Dragon-Suppressing Pass suddenly turned cold.

A patch of gray-white mist drifted over from the distant sea.

Countless low cries came from within the mist.

At first, the cultivators guarding the pass thought they were merely remnant souls fleeing the battlefield.

But they soon realized something was wrong.

The cries grew more numerous.

Denser and denser.

It was as though the resentment of the dead had filled the entire sea.

Ao Lie opened his eyes atop the black reefs outside the gate.

"Demonic qi."

Han Jue quickly arrived, spear in hand.

Feng Li, Lin Yue, Ancestor Xuan Jia, and Lan Shuang arrived one after another as well.

Before the Three Lives Gate, the Realm Guard led all the refugees inside the pass.

The distant gray-white mist drew ever closer.

At the center of the mist, Youdu's figure slowly emerged.

He had already condensed a demonic body anew.

Only, he was colder and stranger than before.

Behind him stood a dense mass of resentful souls.

Dragon Clan resentful souls and Phoenix Clan resentful souls.

Qilin Clan resentful souls.

Resentful souls from the small clans of the Northern Sea.

There were also many battlefield dead whose forms were incomplete.

Driven by demonic qi, they wailed as they rushed toward Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

When that sound entered their ears, many Guixu cultivators turned pale.

This was no ordinary attack.

This was an army of resentful souls pressing upon the border.

If these resentful souls were allowed to charge into Guixu, the Three Lives Gate, Northern Darkness Sea, and Young Clans Court would all be struck by their resentment.

But if Guixu acted to destroy them, it would become tainted by another layer of karma from slaughtering souls.

Youdu stood before the tide of resentful souls and coldly gazed toward Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

"Mysterious Abyss Emperor."

"Didn't you claim you wanted to save all living beings?"

"All those I have brought today are living beings who died during the Great Tribulation."

"They resent. They hate. They are unwilling."

"Will you save them or not?"

Everyone atop Dragon-Suppressing Pass looked grim.

Han Jue shouted angrily, "Youdu, you're using resentful souls to force Guixu's hand?"

Youdu smiled. "How can that be called forcing?"

"I am merely giving Guixu a choice."

"If you continue opening the Three Lives Gate and accepting the surviving bloodlines of the three clans, I will lead even more battlefield resentful souls here."

"Then Guixu will have to endure the washing of resentment day and night."

"The Young Clans Court will hear the screams of parents before their deaths."

"Academy disciples will see their clansmen being slaughtered in their dreams."

"The Northern Darkness Sea will be filled with resentful souls."

He raised a hand, and the demonic mist churned.

"If you close the Three Lives Gate and cut off the path of escaping calamity."

"The Demon Cult can spare the Northern Sea for now."

Once those words spread, deathly silence fell before the Three Lives Gate.

All the refugees revealed terrified expressions.

They had only just seen a path to survival.

If Guixu closed the Three Lives Gate, where else could they go?

Lan Shuang's expression turned icy.

"As expected, the Demon Cult only knows how to use the suffering of all living beings as bargaining chips."

Youdu looked at her.

"Fate Overseer Lan Shuang, you can manage the living, but can you manage the dead?"

The cries of countless resentful souls suddenly soared.

The light of the Three Lives Gate shook violently.

The Book of Cause and Effect began flipping madly as well.

The karma upon these resentful souls was far too chaotic.

They came from the Three-Clan Battlefield and had died at the hands of different powerful figures, their hatred tangled together into a single mass.

Ordinary purification methods could not handle them.

Deep within Guixu.

Lu Chen watched the sea of resentful souls outside Dragon-Suppressing Pass, his mood sinking to rock bottom.

This move by the Demon Cult was truly disgusting.

Close the Three Lives Gate?

Impossible.

The Three Lives Gate had only just been established, and Merit had only just descended.

If he closed it now, not only would Guixu's reputation collapse, but the system rewards might disappear as well.

Keep the gate open?

With resentful souls pressing against them day and night, Guixu would sooner or later be polluted by resentment.

Take the initiative and kill Youdu?

The other side stood behind countless resentful souls. If they fought, it would inevitably involve Demonic Dao and battlefield karma.

The system's voice rang out.

"Detected that Youdu is using the resentful souls of all clans to force Guixu into closing the Three Lives Gate. Please choose."

"Option one: Close the Three Lives Gate and temporarily avoid the Demonic Dao's edge. Reward: a complete Calamity-Averting Pearl."

"Option two: Take the initiative and kill Youdu. Reward: Demon-Suppressing Mysterious Halberd."

"Option three: Use the Three Lives Gate to purify the resentful souls and transform their resentment into Realm-Guarding Yin Soldiers. Reward: Three Lives Gate upgrade."

When Lu Chen saw the third option, his eyes immediately lit up.

Purify the resentful souls.

Transform resentment into Realm-Guarding Yin Soldiers.

Not only could this resolve the crisis, it could also strengthen Guixu's defenses.

Was Youdu delivering materials right to his door?

Lu Chen immediately steadied himself.

"Choose option three."

"Congratulations, Host. The Three Lives Gate is beginning its upgrade."

The next moment.

The Three Lives Gate lit up at once.

The Gate of Illuminating Cause and Effect shone brilliantly with black-and-white radiance.

The Gate of Testing Nature of Mind unfolded like a water mirror.

The Gate of Severing the Killing Tribulation sent dark-golden ripples surging toward the outside of Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

Lu Chen's dharma body appeared above the Three Lives Gate.

His calm voice carried outward.

"Guixu will not close its gates."

Youdu's expression darkened.

Lu Chen continued, "The living pass through the gates."

"The dead enter the register."

"Those with resentment shall have it cleansed."

"Those with grudges shall have them recorded."

"If they are willing to guard Guixu, even dead souls may protect the realm."

The instant those words fell, the sea of resentful souls outside Dragon-Suppressing Pass shook violently.

Lan Shuang abruptly raised her head.

Even dead souls could protect the realm!

The Emperor intended to seize these resentful souls back from the Demon Cult.

Youdu's expression changed drastically.

"How dare you!"

Lu Chen ignored him.

The Three Lives Gate opened wide.

The Book of Cause and Effect flew above the Three Lives Gate, its black-and-white radiance shining down upon the sea of resentful souls.

The Northern Darkness Sea surged with waves.

The Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl suppressed the impact of the resentment.

The Sea Devourer Beast Spirit burst from the Northern Darkness Sea and swallowed the outer demonic mist in a single bite, separating the resentful souls driven by demonic qi.

The Frostflame Parasol Tree scattered icy-blue sparks, purifying the frenzied killing intent upon the resentful souls.

The earth veins of Mysterious Peak Mountain lit up, giving those damaged souls a temporary place to rest.

The Ancestral Dragon's Reverse Scale, Yuanfeng's Frost Feather, and the Primordial Qilin Earth-Vein Seal shone at the same time.

The resentful souls of the three clans sensed the fireseed tokens left behind by their respective rulers, and their wailing weakened slightly.

Lan Shuang immediately activated the Book of Cause and Effect.

"Bureau of Cause and Effect, open the Dead-Soul Register!"

"Calamity-Resolution Hall, record their grudges and enmities!"

"Realm Guard, defend the Three Lives Gate!"

"Clear-Heart Pavilion of the Academy, recite the Guixu Stillness Art!"

The entire Guixu began operating once more.

Countless resentful souls were guided in by the Three Lives Gate.

The first gate illuminated causality, revealing the causes of their deaths in life.

The second gate examined their heart-natures, suppressing the madness amplified by demonic qi.

The third gate severed killing tribulations, stripping away the battlefield Demonic Sha clinging to them bit by bit.

Some resentful souls clung too deeply to their obsessions and refused to enter Guixu.

The Three Lives Gate sent them to the shores of the Northern Darkness Sea for temporary sealing, to be resolved later.

Some resentful souls wanted only revenge, even seeking to charge into Guixu and kill.

The Book of Cause and Effect directly bound them and sent them into the Soul-Examining Formation of the Calamity-Resolution Hall.

Yet many resentful souls gradually calmed down upon seeing the Three Lives Gate.

A Dragon Clan resentful soul clutched a broken dragon scale and murmured, "My child... is it in Guixu?"

The watery mirror of the Three Lives Gate flashed, showing a little dragon sleeping in the Young Clans Court.

The Dragon Clan resentful soul suddenly fell silent.

It knelt before the gate, its voice trembling.

"I am willing to guard the realm."

"I only ask that it live."

A Phoenix Clan resentful soul saw a young bird cultivating beneath the Frostflame Parasol Tree, tears falling like sparks.

"I am willing to enter the Dead-Soul Register."

"To protect the Frost Phoenix fireseed."

A Qilin resentful soul looked toward Mysterious Peak Mountain and said softly, "If the young bloodline can live, I am willing to guard the mountain."

More and more resentful souls quieted down.

Their hatred had not necessarily vanished.

But they had finally found a place where they could lay down their obsessions.

The Three Lives Gate shone ever brighter.

Those resentful souls willing to guard the realm were registered in the Book of Cause and Effect, then transformed into streaks of dark-golden soul shadows standing along the inner side of Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

They wore tattered battle armor.

The traces of the battlefield still remained on them.

But the demonic qi in their eyes gradually faded, leaving behind only the obsession to protect.

The prototype of Guixu's Realm-Guarding Yin Soldiers had taken shape.

Youdu stared at the sight, his entire body frozen stiff.

He had brought the resentful souls of countless clans to pressure Guixu.

Yet Guixu had actually purified those souls into Realm-Guarding Yin Soldiers.

The resentful souls painstakingly gathered by the Demon Cult had become the force guarding the Three Lives Gate.

Han Jue could not help laughing loudly.

"Youdu!"

"Guixu accepts this grand gift of yours!"

Ao Lie spoke coldly as well.

"Go back and tell Luohou."

"The gates of Guixu are still open."

Frostflame rose around Feng Li.

The earth veins beneath Lin Yue rumbled.

Holding the Book of Cause and Effect, Lan Shuang's voice spread throughout Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

"All who are willing to protect Guixu's young and weak, enter the Dead-Soul Register."

"All who have been driven by the Demonic Dao, let the Three Lives Gate cleanse their demons."

"All whose obsessions harm the living shall be suppressed by the Calamity-Resolution Hall."

"This is the Emperor's decree!"

Tens of thousands of resentful souls knelt in unison.

"Thank you, Emperor!"

That was not the cheering of the living.

It was the kowtow of the dead.

Chilling, heavy, and shocking.

Everyone inside and outside Dragon-Suppressing Pass felt their scalps tingle.

Lu Chen watched the scene, deeply shaken as well.

He had originally only wanted to resolve the crisis.

He had not expected the Three Lives Gate to truly transform resentful souls into Realm-Guarding Yin Soldiers.

Guixu's defenses had grown stronger again.

The system's voice rang out.

"The Three Lives Gate has purified the resentful souls of countless clans."

"The prototype of Guixu's Realm-Guarding Yin Soldiers has been established."

"The Three Lives Gate has upgraded."

"The stability of the sixth-layer prototype of the Chaos Shell-Shedding Method has increased."

"The auspicious phenomenon of the Guixu Calamity-Averting Sacred Land has strengthened."

Lu Chen was immensely satisfied.

This move by Youdu was practically a delivery of warmth.

Outside Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

Youdu's face darkened to the extreme.

He knew he had lost again.

And this defeat was even uglier than the last.

Last time, Sea Devourer had merely swallowed the Demonic Sha.

This time, the resentful souls he had brought were directly forged by Guixu into Realm-Guarding Yin Soldiers.

Youdu did not dare linger any longer.

He swept up the remaining demonic mist, turned, and left.

Before leaving, he glared fixedly at the Black Tortoise Dharma Body above the Three Lives Gate.

"Mysterious Abyss Emperor."

"The Demon Ancestor will personally see this gate of yours."

Lu Chen replied blandly, "Take care."

Youdu's figure stiffened, then vanished into the depths of Blackwater in the Northern Sea.

The clans of Guixu erupted into unprecedented cheers.

Before the Three Lives Gate, the living knelt in worship.

The dead souls formed ranks.

In the Young Clans Court, many children woke from their dreams and stared blankly toward Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

They did not know what had happened.

They only felt that Guixu seemed to have gained a group of silent gatekeepers tonight.

Deep within Guixu.

Lu Chen dispersed his Dharma Body.

He murmured, "Luohou should be even angrier now, right?"

After saying that, he quickly shut his mouth.

He could not think too deeply about that.

But the next moment, he looked again toward the Three Lives Gate.

The Realm-Guarding Yin Soldiers stood in formation, while dark currents surged beneath the golden light of the Three Lives Gate.

His sense of security grew a little stronger.

"Let him be angry."

"Either way, I'm not going out."