One person above Qing Huang Ting

Chapter 897 The Underworld Cleared
After breaking through all the defenses and restrictions of Zhou Jue Yin Tian Palace, Erlang Shen did not rush forward.

Instead, he raised his left hand, his three eyes looking down at his palm, and a spiritual light emanated from his pupils. Like a hummingbird leaving its nest to collect honey, the light was swift and arrived in an instant, then hovered over his palm.

The light of the water, reflecting the nature of the earth, was sculpted into the shape of a lotus lantern in Erlang Shen's palm.

The bright lights, in five natural colors, are gentle and translucent, dispelling the darkness.

The seal on the Lotus Lantern was broken, and it was relit, just like before.

Without needing to return to Flower Fruit Mountain, Hu Xiuwu used a divine and demonic seven-killing order—the Wind and Fire Order—and the spirit of Erlang Shen after sweeping away a thousand years of pent-up emotions as lamp oil to light the Lotus Lantern, breaking the seal placed by Laozi.

This seal was placed by Laozi through the Celestial Master Zhang Daoling, not by Laozi himself.

However, although Laozi was a man of profound thoughts and harbored venomous intentions, he did not incorporate any insidious restrictions or vicious methods into the creation of the Lotus Lantern.

The Lotus Lantern is a magnificent and righteous divine lamp, dedicated to vanquishing demons and monsters.

Sometimes, an author's character is unrelated to the attributes of their work. Just because a work is good and its core message is full of positive energy doesn't mean the author is a virtuous person.

A treacherous minister can paint beautiful landscapes, a corrupt official can write a masterpiece expressing compassion for farmers, and a foolish emperor can even master the art of "slender gold" calligraphy.

When Laozi (Taishang Laojun) was refining the Lotus Lantern, he transformed into the goddess Nuwa, driven by a sense of benevolence and compassion for all living beings in the Three Realms.

The first ray of dawn after the sky was mended was preserved in a lotus lantern made of five-colored stones, which became the [Lotus Lantern].

Therefore, one can use the youthful spirit of Erlang Shen Yang Jian, who showed compassion for all living beings and vanquished demons, to ignite the Doushuai Fire, which will heat the flame inside the Lotus Lantern, attacking from both inside and outside, and breaking the seal of Laozi.

Actually, Sun Wukong guessed wrong.

From beginning to end, Hu Xiuwu never intended for Nuwa to intervene and break the seal on Laozi.

While that would be simple, it carries the risk of exposing the existence of Nuwa to Laozi and the Jade Emperor.

At this point, the Jade Emperor and Laozi only believe that Hu Xiuwu has the super strength to defeat a Grand Luo Golden Immortal, and they are unaware that there are other Grand Luo Golden Immortals who have secretly sneaked in.

Laozi had long known that Hu Xiuwu was a visitor from outer space, but he never believed that Hu Xiuwu had a powerful immortal behind him.

It's very simple. If Hu Xiuwu had a powerful immortal backing him up, then he shouldn't have acted so cautiously in the first place. Spreading clues and lying in wait for a thousand years would have been a huge waste of time.

A Great Immortal's time is extremely precious; it's impossible for him to waste it like this.

They judged others by their own standards and never imagined that someone would abandon a Great Luo Golden Immortal to serve or utilize them, but instead treat them as an ally; nor did they ever imagine that a Great Luo Golden Immortal would discover an opportunity to traverse the heavens and radiate influence across countless worlds without being tempted.

It's not that they lack intelligence, but rather that their selfishness has become an obstacle. They are not the truly just, selfless, and compassionate Jade Emperor and Laozi of classical mythology.

Long You, the second prince of the Demon Clan and Yaksha Royal Family, was greatly excited to see Erlang Shen's divine eyes open and release a divine lamp that pierced through the thirty-three layers of palace walls' restrictions.

"Thank you for your help, True Lord."

Chang Hao, the white-robed scholar among the six brothers of Meishan, learned the truth about the extinguishing of the ever-burning Lotus Lantern and secretly communicated with Erlang Shen telepathically:
"Brother, is there anything unusual about the Lotus Lantern?"

The Lotus Lantern was sealed by Laozi. No matter how much Chang Hao, the scholar in white, admired and respected Erlang Shen, he would not believe that Erlang Shen could break Laozi's seal.

That wasn't admiration; it was just an old man's blind faith in an evil god.

Unable to perceive Hu Xiuwu's methods, Chang Hao's perspective was that the Lotus Lantern suddenly broke free of its seal on its own, which inevitably made him suspect whether it was a conspiracy by Laozi.

Erlang Shen put away the Lotus Lantern and said succinctly, "It's that one from Flower Fruit Mountain."

The six brothers of Meishan were all intelligent men; with just a simple reminder, they understood the truth. Chang Hao suddenly realized, "So that's how it is, no wonder."

Erlang Shen Yang Jian said, "Let's go, let's get rid of the Northern Yin Emperor of Fengdu and completely end this underworld!"

Long You and the Meishan brothers had no objections.

After only a short period of cooperation, Erlang Shen Yang Jian had already won Long You's trust, giving him the feeling of meeting his elder brother Long Ming.

Erlang Shen led the demon army straight in, following the passage opened by the Lotus Lantern, and entered the depths of the Zhou Jue Yin Heaven Palace without any hindrance, finding the entrance to the palace where the Fengdu Beiyin Emperor was hiding.

Erlang Shen raised his hand and summoned his mountain-splitting axe, which flew out and soared high above Erlang Shen's head.

The axe, imbued with the spirit of heaven and earth, became a giant axe capable of splitting mountains.

Erlang Shen suddenly waved his hand.

The axe fell immediately.

The axe that splits mountains can even cleave Mount Peach, and even Sun Wukong has to avoid its sharp edge. A mere palace without anyone to manage it is no match for it.

The giant axe cleaved down, splitting the mountain and shattering the palace.

Not only the outer palace walls and gates, but even the main six-story hall itself was cleaved in two by an axe.

The magical runes on the golden tiles and wooden beams were all cut off and rendered useless, just like the scene when a normal palace collapses in the mortal world.

Jade shattered and pearls sank; the magnificent palace collapsed. Golden tiles and wooden beams fell like a torrential downpour of hail, crashing against the golden bricks, causing them to crack and shatter, all perishing together.

Zhu Zizhen, the wealthy man in yellow robes from the Meishan brothers, stepped forward. He was proficient in all kinds of martial arts and had the supernatural ability to conjure weapons. Even Erlang Shen had taught him a unique skill.

Zhu Zizhen stepped forward and exhaled a breath of yellow vapor that landed between his hooves. The yellow vapor grew outwards, like flowers blooming and leaves unfurling.

Before long, it grew into a banana leaf fan as tall as a person.

Zhu Zizhen held the fan in both hands and suddenly fanned it, creating gusts of wind.

This fan is a banana leaf fan conjured by Zhu Zizhen, and its power is certainly not comparable to that of Princess Iron Fan or the banana leaf fan of the Tushita Palace.

However, even with his fan, Taiyi Xian could stir up a strong wind that uprooted trees, sweeping away all the broken pieces smashed by the collapsed ruins, leaving only a spotless expanse of gold-paved ground!

The Meishan brothers cheered.

When Zhu Zizhen mustered all his strength and fanned away the entire palace, the indestructible and impervious-to-water-and-fire Fengdu Beiyin Emperor was naturally revealed.

The Great Emperor of Fengdu Beiyin slumped onto the futon, closed his eyes and remained silent, seemingly unaware of the changes around him. Even the palace where he was hiding had been blown away, yet he still hadn't reacted.

The Great Emperor of Fengdu Beiyin was more affected by Hu Xiuwu than imagined, falling into a state of emptiness and stillness, completely unaware of the outside world.

"Turns out he's a living dead, no fun."

Despite saying it was pointless, Jin Dasheng, the strongman of Haofu, simply raised his Xuanhua ox-head axe, intending to cut off the head of the Fengdu Beiyin Emperor to prevent future troubles.

clang!
"No!"

With a shout, the axe of the Haofu Warrior was stopped.