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Chapter 96 The Road of Life and Death, the Bridge of Helplessness, the Stone of Three Lives, the Terrace of Longing for Home! (Please Subscribe)

"Reincarnation!"

The assembled Yama Kings paled and fell silent.

The Six Paths of Reincarnation is the most important place in the underworld, and even in the entire universe.

Although every ghost goes through the Six Paths of Reincarnation before being reincarnated, this does not mean that the Six Paths of Reincarnation are open to the public and allow other immortals and gods to study them closely.

In particular, this immortal is a powerful immortal who has attained the Primordial Chaos Realm.

If a powerful being at the Hunyuan level were to try to disrupt the cycle of reincarnation, the entire Three Realms would likely be thrown into chaos!
So this is not something they can decide at all.

They didn't dare to make the decision either.

"We hope that the Heavenly Venerable will forgive us. It is not that we, the humble gods, intend to obstruct you, but the Six Paths of Reincarnation is a very important place in the Underworld. Even we Yama Kings cannot get close to it. If the Heavenly Venerable wants to comprehend the Six Paths of Reincarnation, I'm afraid he will need the permission of the Earth Goddess Houtu."

The Yama Kings exchanged glances, and in the end, it was King Yama, who was in charge of reincarnation, who reluctantly answered.

Houtu Huangdiqi is a deity in Taoism with many titles such as Houtu Huangdiqi who follows the laws of Heaven, Houtu Huangdiqi who is the master of all things, and Houtu Zhangjie Tianzun. She is in charge of the earth and mountains, yin and yang, fertility, life and death, and reincarnation. She is regarded as the mother of all things and the earth mother.

Just as he said.

The Six Paths of Reincarnation is the core principle of the Netherworld.

Let alone a deity like Niu Jun who is not from the underworld.

Even within the underworld, those of high rank like the Ten Kings of Hell are not qualified to approach the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

Other things, such as the six paths of reincarnation used by the souls of the dead, are merely external projections of the six paths of reincarnation, not the true core of the six paths of reincarnation.

In the Three Realms, the only one who truly governs the Six Paths of Reincarnation and allows other immortals and gods to comprehend the Six Paths of Reincarnation is Empress Houtu.

“It’s alright!” Niu Jun said calmly, “You can tell the Empress Houtu my purpose. If the Empress Houtu does not agree, I will naturally not make things difficult for you.”

What is the cycle of reincarnation in the six realms?

Niu Jun was perfectly aware that this was not something the Ten Kings of Hell could decide.

He did not make things difficult for the Yama Kings before him, but instead expressed his understanding and asked them to report their purpose to the Empress Dowager Houtu.

As for why Niu Jun didn't directly consult with Hou Tu Huangdidi.

This is because the Earthly Palace of Empress Houtu had long since faded from the Three Realms. Apart from the highest-ranking gods of the Underworld, no other immortals or gods knew its whereabouts. Even Niu Jun could not deduce its location.

Furthermore, he only wanted to comprehend the Six Paths of Reincarnation, not to become an enemy of the Underworld.

That's why I came here in person.

"Please wait a moment, Heavenly Venerable!"

The Ten Yama Kings exchanged glances and ultimately decided to report the matter to the Emperor of Fengdu, who would then decide whether to report it to the Empress Houtu.

Unlike the Eastern Peak Emperor of Heaven and the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva who entered Buddhism.

The Emperor of Fengdu is the supreme deity of the underworld lineage, in charge of the netherworld, the ancestor of all ghosts in the world, and the only deity who can contact the Earth Goddess Houtu's residence.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

The Ten Yama Kings returned.

King Qin Guang, who was at the head of the group, cupped his hands and congratulated Niu Jun with a smile, saying, "Congratulations, Heavenly Venerable! The Empress has issued a decree allowing you to go to the Palace of Reincarnation to comprehend the Six Paths of Reincarnation."

"We pay homage to the Heavenly Emperor and emulate the Earthly Sovereign!"

Niu Jun smiled slightly, bowed to the void in praise, and then turned to look at the Ten Yama Kings, saying with a smile, "Please rest assured, my Lord Yama, I am merely observing and will not do anything presumptuous."

"Thank you, Lord!"

Upon hearing this, King Qin Guang and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

What they feared was that Niu Jun might do something bad on a whim while comprehending the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

Hearing Niu Jun's assurance, even though he didn't know if it was true or not, he was greatly relieved.

"Heavenly Venerable, please!"

King Qin Guang waved his long sleeves and gestured for him to enter.

Niu Jun nodded, and surrounded by a group of Yama Kings, headed towards the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

……

"Heavenly Venerable One, this is the path of life and death!"

Leaving the Supreme Yama Palace, King Qin Guang pointed to a road that was infinitely wide and endlessly deep in front of him and spoke.

At this moment, on that path of life and death, countless ghostly processions were slowly advancing, like an endless tide of ghosts. As far as the eye could see, they were shrouded in gloomy mist, eerie and terrifying, making it difficult to see the end.

"The Road to Life and Death, the River of Oblivion, the Bridge of Helplessness, the Stone of Three Lives, the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and the Eighteen Levels of Hell!"

"I had heard of him before I embarked on my cultivation journey, but seeing him today, I realize that his reputation is well-deserved and truly extraordinary."

Niu Jun nodded and praised him.

It can only be said that it truly lives up to its name as the Netherworld, possessing extraordinary depth and resources.

Putting everything else aside, the very path of life and death before him was a top-tier innate spiritual treasure, even surpassing the Lotus Lantern in rank. Now, without anyone activating it, it gave Niu Jun an extremely dangerous feeling.

He could well imagine it.

Once the Path of Life and Death unleashes its full divine power, it will be earth-shattering, capable of directly obliterating a Primordial Taiyi Immortal.

If the path of life and death is so terrifying, how much more terrifying must other places be, such as the Yama's Palace, the River of Oblivion, the Bridge of Helplessness, the Three Lives Stone, the Eighteen Levels of Hell, and even the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the core of the Netherworld?
Niu Jun was secretly alarmed when he thought of this.

I just feel that the lineage of the Netherworld is truly unfathomable.

Despite its profound and terrifying accumulation, the Netherworld lineage was still firmly suppressed by the Heavenly Court, the Taoist sect, and the Buddhist sect.

This reveals the true strength and resources of those three forces.

After Niu Jun finished speaking, he glanced at the many souls on the path of life and death and couldn't help but ask, "Judging from the souls on this path of life and death before me, and the souls of the human race who will perish, is there perhaps another path of life and death?"

"I dare not conceal this from the Heavenly Venerable, for there are six paths of life and death, each corresponding to one of the three good paths and one of the three evil paths of the six realms of reincarnation!" King Qin Guang answered truthfully.

The Three Good Paths are: the Path of the Devas, the Path of the Asuras, and the Path of the Humans.

The three evil realms are the hell realm, the hungry ghost realm, and the animal realm!

Sentient beings in the world experience karmic retribution for their good and bad deeds. This karmic retribution leads to six destinations, which are known as the six realms.

A path of life and death corresponds to a cycle of reincarnation.

It's unclear whether these six paths of life and death are derivatives of a top-tier innate spiritual treasure or six independent top-tier innate spiritual treasures.

The former is fine too.

If it is the latter.

Niu Jun felt he needed to reassess the strength and resources of the major powers in this world.

After exchanging a few words, the group soon arrived at a huge, muddy river.

This river is the River of Oblivion.

The River of Oblivion is many times wider than the River of Flowing Sand.

Along the riverbanks, crystal-clear, jade-like flowers bloom. A massive stone bridge connects the two sides of the river, where countless ghosts wails and howls in the blood-yellow water, baring their fangs and claws.

The river is called the River of Oblivion, and its waters are the Yellow Springs.

The flower is the red spider lily, and the bridge is the Bridge of Helplessness.

"Time here"

Niu Jun's heart stirred slightly as he realized that the flow of time here was much slower than that in the normal underworld.

His gaze swept over countless soul shadows, then fell upon a crystal at the end of the Bridge of Helplessness. Whenever a soul shadow passed by the crystal, it would pause briefly.

"The Stone of Three Lives, the Terrace of Longing for Home!"

"This must be the last bit of kindness the underworld has left for the souls of the dead."

"However, this kindness is not free. When the souls of the dead look at their past, present, and future lives, their fates will fall into the Three Lives Stone, and their various thoughts about their past lives will be integrated into the Terrace of Longing for Home."

"The one in the underworld is using the power of all living beings to forge the most precious treasures of destiny and the soul."

Looking at the Three Lives Stone and the Longing for Home Terrace on the other side of the Bridge of Helplessness, Niu Jun suddenly had a sudden realization.

From the initial path of life and death, to the Bridge of Helplessness, then to the Three Lives Stone, the Terrace of Longing for Home, and finally the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the various arrangements made by the gods of the underworld are not superfluous, but rather are to use the power of all living beings to refine supreme treasures.

The path between life and death contains the yearning for life even in the face of extreme death.

The Bridge of Helplessness bears the weight of endless humanity.

The Stone of Three Lives reflects the cause and effect, and destiny of all beings. The Terrace of Longing for Home holds the final thoughts and prayers of all beings.

There is also the Yellow Springs, which absorbs the endless resentment and evil thoughts of ghosts; the eighteen levels of hell, which strip away the karma and sins of all living beings through various means; and finally, the Six Paths of Reincarnation, which absorbs the spiritual power of countless deceased souls.

"hiss!"

"This Netherworld has practically squeezed every last bit of value out of the living and the dead."

"I wonder if the Six Paths of Reincarnation have tampered with the reincarnated souls of the dead."

"If someone were to tamper with the reincarnation of a deceased soul, that would truly be to devour the soul completely and squeeze it clean."

“Borrowing the six realms of reincarnation, the earthly path erodes the human path and the heavenly path.”

"That's a really big deal!"

After observing the entire process of a soul entering and leaving the underworld, Niu Jun suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Generous!
Absolutely generous!

If anyone dares to say that the Earthly Path is weak among the three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Man, Niu Jun will definitely slap them in the face.

Using the six realms of reincarnation, the earthly path erodes the human and heavenly paths.

Even Niu Jun had to marvel at this grand gesture, feeling that the Empress Houtu, who was in charge of reincarnation, was no less terrifying than the Jade Emperor.

The ghosts descended from the Viewing Platform and then entered the endless mist.

"Heavenly Venerable One, that is the manifestation of the human realm within the Six Paths of Reincarnation!"

King Qin Guang pointed to the mist where the souls had finally disappeared and spoke in a deep voice.

Niu Jun glanced at the reincarnation passage in the human realm, as if he had thought of something, and asked, "When I was in the human realm, I heard that after the souls of the dead descend from the Looking-Homeward Terrace, Meng Po would give each soul a Meng Po soup to wash away their memories."

Why didn't I see it?

But Niu Jun suddenly thought of the legendary Meng Po.

Although he knew that Meng Po's soup-making was unreliable and that it was impossible for her to offer a bowl of Meng Po soup to every one of the countless souls who had passed away.

However, he was also very curious about the legend of Meng Po, wanting to know which great supernatural being this Meng Po was also a pseudonym of.

"Your Majesty is unaware of this!"

Upon hearing this, King Qin Guang smiled and explained, "The Meng Po you speak of was once an incarnation of the Goddess Houtu. When the Six Paths of Reincarnation were first established, many souls were reincarnated without having their past life memories washed away, causing great chaos in the Three Realms."

"The Goddess Houtu, out of compassion, set up a mist before the six realms of reincarnation to wash away the memories of the deceased souls from their previous lives."

"Thus, the legend of Meng Po and Meng Po soup came about."

As he spoke, King Qin Guang pointed to the mist behind the Wangxiang Terrace.

The mist is not only used to conceal the path of reincarnation, but also possesses the divine power to cleanse the memories of the deceased, making it an indispensable element of the six realms of reincarnation.

After King Qin Guang finished speaking, he paused slightly, and then continued, "This mist is tainted with the power of reincarnation, which even a Golden Immortal cannot resist. Therefore, we can only escort the Heavenly Venerable this far. The rest of the journey is up to the Heavenly Venerable to walk on his own."

Why didn't the underworld set up ghost soldiers to guard the opposite bank of the River of Oblivion?

That is the reason.

Because the opposite bank of the River of Oblivion is completely shrouded in mist, even a Golden Immortal at the peak of power would have their memories wiped away and their immortal will dissolved if they entered, ultimately losing themselves and falling into the cycle of reincarnation in a daze.

As for the great supernatural beings of the Primordial Chaos Realm?
If a powerful being at the Primordial Chaos Realm were to forcibly enter the Land of Reincarnation, no matter how many ghost soldiers were deployed to guard it, even if all ten Yama Kings were stationed there, they would probably be unable to stop it.

Of course, since the establishment of the Netherworld and the opening of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, there have been instances of powerful beings at the Primordial Chaos Realm forcibly breaking in.

However, those people never appeared again after forcibly breaking in.

Over time, the Netherworld, the place of reincarnation, became a forbidden area in the Three Realms, and no immortal, Buddha, demon, or monster dared to enter it anymore.

Niu Jun was the first person since ancient times to want to enter the Land of Reincarnation to comprehend the Dao.

"It doesn't matter!"

Niu Jun nodded, took a step forward, and arrived in front of the Three Lives Stone.

A cool, divine light descended.

The Three Lives Stone was a blur, and nothing could be seen.

"really!"

Niu Jun smiled inexplicably, showing no surprise at the outcome.

The Three Lives Stone can illuminate the past, present, and future lives of all beings in this world.

But this applies only to beings in this realm.

Furthermore, although the Three Lives Stone is the most precious treasure of this world, it ultimately did not break through the Taiyi level. Niu Jun has the Enlightenment Mirror to suppress his own fortune and destiny, so he is naturally not affected by the Three Lives Stone.

Such is the Three Lives Stone.

The same applies to the Terrace of Longing for Home!
When Niu Jun arrived at the other side of the Naihe Bridge, he did not enter the mist directly. Instead, he stood in front of the Three Lives Stone and the Looking-Home Terrace, using the wonders of the Enlightenment Mirror to carefully comprehend the profound principles within these two treasures of the underworld.

As he expected.

Although these two treasures are innate, they were not born in the Netherworld, nor are they indispensable to the Netherworld.

They were placed here primarily to draw upon the fate and prayers of the souls of the dead in the underworld, using the power of all living beings to enhance and refine these two supreme treasures.

However, over time, influenced by the Heavenly Laws of the Netherworld and the Six Paths of Reincarnation, it became a problem.

These two foreign innate spiritual treasures thus became supreme treasures of the Netherworld.

Because Niu Jun had long ago comprehended the great principles of time, space, destiny, cause and effect, and mind in the Journey to the West world.

Therefore, it was quite simple for him to comprehend these two Netherworld treasures.

Or rather, what he needs to comprehend is not the Great Dao Law contained in the two treasures, but the formula for combining these Great Dao Laws, and the method of refining the two Netherworld treasures, the Three Lives Stone and the Looking-Home Terrace.

"Past life, present life, future life!"

"Past, Present, Future!"

"Using the present cause and effect as the anchor point and destiny as the chain, we can determine three lifetimes and control the past and future to achieve our true and unique self in the present."

Niu Jun kept deducing in his mind, and seemed to have figured out the true purpose of the Three Lives Stone and the Longing for Home Terrace.

By using the Looking-Homeward Terrace to preserve one's true self in the present, and by using the Three Lives Stone to lock in one's past and future, one can unite the past self, the present self, and the future self into one, and ultimately reach the other shore.

"This concept seems to be the same as the concept of the Three Buddhas of the Three Worlds in Buddhism."

"Could it be that the Three Lives Stone and the Terrace of Longing for Home are Buddhist artifacts?"

As Niu Jun continued to deduce the origins of the two Netherworld treasures, he also began to have some doubts about their origins.

Are these two treasures truly from the Netherworld lineage?
It looks exactly like a Buddhist artifact!

Think back to the path of life and death we faced, the River of Oblivion, and the Bridge of Helplessness!
Niu Jun suddenly thought of this possibility.

Perhaps the Netherworld lineage isn't that powerful, and these treasures don't belong solely to the Netherworld; they were crafted separately by forces such as the Heavenly Court, Buddhism, Taoism, and the Underworld.

The Six Paths of Reincarnation belong to the Netherworld.

The path of life and death may belong to the Taoist school.

The Three Lives Stone and the Longing for Home Terrace belong to the Buddhist community.

As for the Gates of Hell, the River of Oblivion, the Bridge of Helplessness, the Eighteen Levels of Hell, etc.?

Perhaps they belong to the Heavenly Court, perhaps to the Underworld, or even to the Asura Demon Clan, etc. In any case, it's impossible for them all to belong to the Netherworld.

Therefore, it was not the underworld that devoured the souls of the dead, but rather these forces that joined forces to devour the souls of the dead, and even all living beings.

"But what does that have to do with me!"

"This world is destined to be destroyed, and I cannot become a savior."

"So the state of humanity is not of much concern to me. What I need to do is absorb the essence of the Great Dao of this world to improve myself and pave my own path to enlightenment."

"It's better for many forces to join forces and divide up humanity than for the Netherworld to erode humanity and control so many top-tier innate spiritual treasures."

As Niu Jun looked at the Three Lives Stone and the Terrace of Longing for Home, various inspirations and ideas surfaced in his mind.

The Buddhist doctrine of the Three Buddhas, the Taoist theory of Yin and Yang, the theory of relativity in the technological world, the bizarre and distorted laws of a mysteriously resurrected world, the Great Luo that gathers the past and future, transcending time and space, achieving eternal freedom...

All sorts of inspirations surfaced in his mind, and countless sparks of wisdom were ignited.

He seemed to vaguely see a path to transcendence.

(End of this chapter)