Hell Emperor.

Chapter 622 The Ritual of Completion

Sensing the determination to sacrifice himself in Juzuyi's words, Ye Jie couldn't help but rub his forehead.

Although he disliked interfering with other people's decisions, especially when it came to the fate of others, Ye Jie couldn't let the ceremonial staff die. He still needed to give him the lotus petal that would protect his life in the future Vajra City, so how could he die here so easily?
Ye Jie then asked, "Do you know where the Sun and Moon Divine Lamp is located?"

The man with full reverence replied, "It is inside the Ksitigarbha Hall."

Ye Jie understood: "Fine... I won't force you. Since you refuse to tell me where Fairy Zixia is, could you please take me to the Ksitigarbha Hall so I can find her myself?"

Juzuyi nodded, as he also had this intention: "That's good. The Ksitigarbha Hall contains profound Buddhist teachings. Even someone as stubborn as you might be enlightened and willing to return the Book of Life and Death for the sake of all sentient beings."

Ye Jie shook his head. Didn't he understand that he could never hand over a first-grade divine artifact to someone else? No matter how much he wanted this extraordinary book, he would only be disappointed in the end.

"The Ksitigarbha Hall... In my original era, that Yama Hall had long since disappeared into the river of history, and it's probably about the same in this era. With my current strength, I shouldn't be afraid of the people there."

Ye Jie was terrified by the many true immortals and powerful figures of this era. He originally thought that the cultivation techniques at the level of the Great Dao were the symbol of invincibility, but he never expected that it was only the beginning. If he wanted to fight against the strongest people in this world, Ye Jie would need to improve his cultivation level as well.

Although I have never been to the Ksitigarbha Hall, I imagine that with its strength, no one there should be able to defeat Ye Jie, otherwise the Ksitigarbha Hall would not have completely disappeared in later generations.

Ye Jie grabbed the Juzuyi and set off under its guidance. Mountains, rivers, towns and cities turned into blurry phantoms behind them. The Xuan Ying Bu at the Great Dao level was fully activated, and the distance of ten thousand miles was only a moment away.

Soon, a low-lying town came into view. The town was surrounded by sandstorms, and the buildings were mostly made of earth, making it quite dilapidated. Only the distant chanting of Buddhist hymns invigorated Ye Jie.

"We've arrived... This is the place where the remaining members of the Ksitigarbha Temple are gathered, Kashmir City."

Ye Jie surveyed the city, taking in all its sights. He saw that the city's residents all had devout expressions, some kneeling in reverence, others enduring strict rules. The streets, which should have been bustling, were now eerily quiet.

In the distance, a figure caught Ye Jie's attention. He saw that the man was carrying thorns on his back, the thorns piercing his skin and the blood staining the ropes binding the thorns a bright red. The man seemed oblivious to this, continuing to move forward. With each step, he would kneel down in front of him, his movements meticulous even in pain. Blood left a shocking trail behind him.

Ye Jie frowned: "What crime did that person commit to deserve such a severe punishment?"

Juzuyi said, "He didn't commit a crime. This is his ascetic practice, and he did it voluntarily."

Ye Jie carefully examined the man and said, "What kind of arduous cultivation is this? He has no spiritual power at all, and there is no sign of him circulating his cultivation technique. Doing this will only result in serious injury and will not achieve any results."

Ju Zuyi pointed out, "You don't understand. He's not cultivating worldly techniques, but a higher level of Dao." Ye Jie's lips twitched. After all, he was someone who had mastered countless Dao-level techniques. No one had more authority to speak on matters of Dao than him. Even so, he couldn't tell what Dao that person was cultivating.

Ye Jie shook his head: "That is not the Dao."

That is the Tao.

Juzuyi glanced at Ye Jie: "What he cultivates is the path of liberation from reincarnation. The suffering a person will experience in his life is measurable, predetermined, and finite. As long as one can endure all that suffering in advance, one can be free from suffering and attain happiness in the rest of one's life, and will never have to worry about pain again."

After a pause, Juzuyi continued, "It's not just the suffering of this life; he must also endure the suffering of the next life, and the life after that. Only in this way can he be liberated from the cycle of suffering, until he has endured all the suffering and will never enter the cycle again. Not only him, but liberation from the cycle of reincarnation is the goal of all practitioners in the Ksitigarbha Hall, only the methods they use are different. Some choose to endure the suffering, while others choose to abandon worldly distractions. This is the holy path of liberation, this is the path of the Arhat."

Ye Jie observed the state of the people in the city, seeing that they were all harming themselves. Some wore thorn rings on their heads, their foreheads covered in blood; others had made grand vows and knelt in prayer for decades without ever rising, their legs atrophied without a second thought. He couldn't help but shake his head.

“I see that the people in this city are mostly foolish. Why bother to escape the cycle of reincarnation? If you can’t succeed in one life, you can try again in another. Life after life, there will always be a lucky one. Why waste your precious life as a human being? It’s not too late to suffer when you are reborn as an animal.”

Juzuyi glared at Ye Jie: "What a coincidence. When they see you, you mostly look foolish. You are clearly suffering in the cycle of reincarnation, yet you are unaware of your suffering, and even find pleasure in it."

Ye Jie shrugged: "No matter what, reincarnation is very beneficial to the world. If everyone were freed from reincarnation, would anyone still exist? Besides, without the reincarnation of each soul, where would the good karma come from?"

"Yin De? What is that?" Ju Zuyi was stunned, somewhat confused.

Ye Jie suddenly remembered that there was no such thing as Yin virtue in this era. Even the Emperor of the Underworld was dead, so there was probably no Yin virtue to be found. Of course, Ju Zuyi couldn't understand what he was saying.

Then, the complete ritual master said, "Reincarnation is inherently a sea of ​​suffering. No matter what sentient beings do in this life, it is meaningless. Some people do good deeds in one life but suffer endless torment in the next, while others commit heinous crimes but enjoy abundant blessings in the next life. Reincarnation is unpredictable, and no one knows what their next life will be. All sentient beings struggle endlessly in this cycle, so isn't it just a sea of ​​suffering?"

After a pause, Juzuyi looked at the ascetic in the distance carrying thorns: "Even if he is not able to attain Arhatship and be liberated from the sea of ​​suffering in samsara, at least he can suffer less in his next life, and that is worthwhile."

Ye Jie was deeply skeptical: "Really? You just said that reincarnation is clearly unpredictable. In that case, the suffering he endures in this life has nothing to do with his next life. I don't believe that just by practicing asceticism, he can alleviate the suffering in his next life."

The ritual master simply said, "Whether you believe it or not, as long as he believes it, that's enough."

Ye Jie withdrew his gaze and was about to speak when a group of fully armed and guarded people suddenly appeared in front of them and surrounded the two of them. Among them were Venerables who wore brown robes and had shaved heads, like Ju Zuyi, as well as Immortal Soldiers who held long swords and had cold and sharp eyes. They seemed to be up to no good.

(End of this chapter)