Journey to the West: I am the fiercest bird under Bodhi's seat

The Heavenly Court is intricately interwoven with various factions vying for power and striving for balance; the Underworld is merely one link in this chain.

Let's focus on the underworld.

In the eyes of ordinary people, the Ten Kings of Hell are the rulers of the underworld, governing all affairs of the netherworld.

This statement is correct.

But people often overlook one person—Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Many people believe that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's position is above that of the Ten Kings of Hell.

This is a misunderstanding.

Although Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva far surpasses Yama, the ten kings of hell in terms of cultivation, they are actually equal in status.

The Ten Kings of Hell are officially appointed as the Sons of the Underworld by the Heavenly Court and belong to the Heavenly Court's pantheon.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is one of the four great Bodhisattvas of Buddhism. He was a pawn forcibly inserted into the underworld after Buddhism reached its peak.

In theory, the two are not subordinate to each other and belong to different systems.

The Ten Kings of Hell are directly under the Lord of Mount Tai, also known as the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, a righteous god of the Heavenly Court who holds power over the underworld.

This person is the first spokesperson of Heaven in the Underworld.

Lord Taishan has always been dissatisfied with the Buddhist community's involvement in the cycle of reincarnation, hence the Ten Kings of Hell have always been indifferent and distant towards Ksitigarbha.

Normally, in case of any unforeseen circumstances, one would never seek help from this Buddhist bodhisattva.

Now that Ye Feng has personally come to ask for help, Ksitigarbha immediately began to consider the matter:

Could it be that the incident happened so suddenly, and the Lord of Mount Tai happened to be away from the underworld, leaving the Ten Kings with no choice but to turn to me?

This is a golden opportunity! If handled properly, it can not only ease tensions with the Ten Courts, but also expand the influence of Buddhism.

Once the thought was made up, he turned his head to look in the direction of the Netherworld, his all-seeing eyes instantly discerning the chaos there.

He immediately proclaimed loudly, "Indeed, a demonic monkey has disturbed the Netherworld! You disciples will remain here to guard; I will personally go to subdue this demon!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he landed on a strange beast beside the lotus platform.

The beast lay sprawled on the ground, fast asleep. It had a peculiar appearance: a tiger's head, a single horn, dog's ears, a dragon's body, a lion's tail, and unicorn's feet. It was none other than Di Ting.

Seeing that he was asleep, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva did not wake him up. Instead, he used his Buddha light to lift up the lotus platform, soared into the air, and headed straight for the City of the Underworld.

Ye Feng stood still, watching him leave, without getting up after him.

Just as Ksitigarbha's figure disappeared into the distance, Di Ting, who had been in a deep sleep, quietly opened his eyes.

Her eyes flickered slightly, and she glanced at Ye Feng without making a sound.

He didn't know the man's true identity, but he already sensed that this "judge" was definitely not from the underworld.

Furthermore, due to his innate ability to hear the voices of the three realms, he vaguely sensed:

This person seems to have come for him.

However, even though Ksitigarbha has left, many Buddhist disciples are still protecting the area.

More importantly, the Bodhisattva has not gone far, and can return in an instant should anything change.

After weighing the options, Di Ting silently closed its eyes and returned to its peaceful state.

Ye Feng also withdrew his gaze, looking in the direction where Dizang had left, silently calculating in his mind.

At that speed, the Bodhisattva will soon arrive at the City of the Underworld.

I just hope that monkey will behave itself and not be suppressed so quickly.

However, given the monkey's stubborn nature, even if he only takes the beatings without fighting back, he can hold out for a while.

At this moment, a Buddhist disciple saw that he was still standing still and stepped forward and said, "Judge, you have been traveling hard. Now that the Bodhisattva has gone, he will surely be able to quell the chaos. Why don't you rest at Mount Fo for a while and return after the matter is over?"

Ye Feng glanced sideways and saw that the person's golden body was glowing. He was a disciple of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and had the cultivation level of an early-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal.

He smiled slightly: "Thank you for your thoughtfulness."

The disciple immediately arranged a chair for him and served him fruits and tea, showing him impeccable manners.

Ye Feng did not refuse, but accepted it readily and enjoyed it peacefully.

After they had eaten their fill, and estimating that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva should be approaching the City of the Underworld, he suddenly spoke, his tone casual: "I say, don't you find it annoying to hear these people chanting sutras all day long?"

A sudden sentence, without any warning.

The Buddhist disciples who were chanting scriptures all stopped and turned to look.

The disciple who had spoken earlier frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that, Judge?"

"I can hear the sounds of the three realms, yet I view the clamor of sentient beings as mere filth; what is there to be bothered by?"

A deep voice suddenly spoke. Everyone looked over in surprise and saw that the previously sleeping Di Ting had quietly gotten up, its eyes bright and full of energy.

The disciple of Ksitigarbha suddenly stood up, his pupils shrinking, and pointed directly at Ye Feng: "You are not a judge of the underworld, so who are you?"

"Who am I?" Ye Feng's lips curled up slightly, his smile frivolous. "Aren't I the underworld messenger who came seeking help?"

Before he finished speaking, his figure subtly shifted, instantly returning to his original appearance.

The disciple of Ksitigarbha's gaze turned icy, his face ashen: "Demon! How dare you impersonate someone and deceive the Bodhisattva!"

Ye Feng shrugged: "I wasn't lying. There are indeed demonic monkeys causing trouble in the Netherworld, but unfortunately, the Ten Kings of Hell haven't asked for help—tell me, if Ksitigarbha suddenly appeared, what kind of expressions would they have?"

The disciple, enraged, clasped his hands together and roared, "The demon shall be slain!"

Buddhist light surged between his palms, condensing into a dazzling cross seal, which pressed down on Ye Feng's head with the force of thunder.

The Buddha's light was vast and its oppressive power was as deep as an abyss, containing supreme magical energy that even demons of the same level would find difficult to resist.

Ye Feng remained standing with a smile: "If Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva himself were to come, perhaps we could take it a little more seriously. You? You're far from it."

He extended only one finger and touched it lightly.

Without a sound, the Buddhist seal collapsed.

In an instant, an invisible force swept out. The disciple of Ksitigarbha groaned and his body flew backward out of control. When he landed, he staggered a few steps and looked down to find that his chest had collapsed. A golden flame was leaping incessantly under his flesh, as if trying to drill into the depths of his primordial spirit.

"You fiend! How dare you—!"

The exchange was lightning fast; from the moment of attack to the moment of defeat, it was only a breath away.

At this moment, the Buddhist disciples chanting scriptures on the mountain finally came to their senses. They all glared angrily and stood up in unison. Countless rays of Buddhist light gathered from all directions, like a celestial river pouring down, overwhelming Ye Feng.

The boundless radiance merged into one, impenetrable, illuminating the Yinshan Mountains with overwhelming power, as if it could crush even the vast world into dust.

Ye Feng lowered his eyes and looked calmly, his mind clear: There are more than ten thousand Buddhist disciples here. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has been preaching for many years, and hundreds of thousands of people have listened to his teachings. Over time, even the most aptitude disciple has ascended to the path of immortality.

Among them, the strongest, such as the Asura Buddha and the Demon Buddha, have even cultivated to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.

Now that they are attacking together, even a Great Immortal would not dare to confront them head-on.

With his current cultivation level, he is in a truly dangerous situation.

But he did not flinch, nor did he even raise his eyes.

Since we're here, we've already made thorough plans.

Even if Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva doesn't fall for the trap and turns on him on the spot, he shows no fear.

Because he... has that ability.

Just as countless rays of Buddha light were about to descend upon him, he pointed a single finger at the sky.

boom--!

A terrifying aura, ancient and vast, originating from the primordial era, surged into the sky!

Twelve jet-black flagpoles burst forth from the sky, encircling the entire structure before firmly planting themselves into the earth.

"The Great Array of Heavenly Gods and Demons, activate!"

The malevolent aura surged like a tide, as if an ancient evil god had awakened. The twelve flag gates opened in response, protecting Ye Feng in the center.

A series of deafening roars followed as countless Buddhist supernatural powers bombarded the flag gate, but all that could be seen was surging black mist and a wall of malevolent energy. The power, capable of destroying the heavens and the earth, could not be shaken in the slightest.

The Buddhist disciples were stunned and their faces were filled with horror.

The next instant, the twelve flag gates soared into the sky, instantly expanding to a height of ten thousand feet, completely enveloping the entire Yinshan Mountain, isolating it from the outside world, and causing the sky and earth to change color.

Inside the gate, the world was in chaos, filled with malevolent energy, even the ever-burning Buddha light on the mountaintop was suppressed and dimmed.

Standing at the center of the formation, Ye Feng activated the Dutian Divine Fiend Formation for the first time, and a strange feeling arose in his heart—as if this world was now under his complete control.

This formation is one of the three great killing formations of the primordial world, and a secret of the Wu clan.

In the past, the twelve Ancestral Witches gathered together and set up this formation, which traversed the Three Realms and shook the primordial world, almost annihilating the demon race.

Until its peak and subsequent decline, Gonggong and Zhurong fought amongst themselves, Mount Buzhou collapsed, the ancestral witches perished, leaving only ten survivors, making it difficult to complete the great formation again.

The demon race then seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack and turn the tide of battle.

Aside from the presence of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, only by crafting the "Capital God and Demon Banner" can this formation be recreated.

What the system bestowed upon Ye Feng were these twelve flag gates.

Today marks its first use.

He still raised his hand but didn't bring it down, and lightly snapped his fingers.

boom--!!!

The heavens and earth trembled, and the malevolent energy swept in all directions like a raging sea. The Buddha's light was almost extinguished, and countless Buddhist disciples trembled in their hearts as if the end of the world had come. Fear surged into their hearts like a tide.

Immediately afterwards, phantom images appeared above the twelve flag gates, imprinted on the black flags—some with six legs and four wings, some with bird heads and human bodies, some with human faces and tiger bodies, each with a different form, yet all exuding a world-destroying sense of oppression, like the source of calamity.

Those are the shadows of the Ancestral Witches. Each flag represents an Ancestral Witch who was once the strongest being in the world.

Unfortunately, it now only has the form but not the soul; it possesses power but no supernatural abilities.

The current state of the Dutian Divine Fiend Array is less than one ten-millionth of its peak strength.

However, this power has far exceeded the limits that Foshan can withstand.

The malevolent energy erupted suddenly, and the entire Buddha Mountain began to collapse. Countless Buddhist disciples were suppressed and had no chance to even raise their hands in resistance.

Everything was silent. Buddha Mountain slowly melted within the great formation, and all the Buddhist disciples were transformed into the most primordial chaotic power.

But in the blink of an eye, everything vanished.

The Buddhist mountain and Buddhist kingdom built by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva over countless years, along with his disciples, have all become pure sources of energy.

This power was as vast as the sea. With a slight thought, Ye Feng raised his hand and guided this energy straight towards one of the flag gates.

Above the flag gate, a phantom image of a six-legged, four-winged demon god appeared—the Ancestral Witch, Dijiang!

As the energy drew near, the phantom naturally opened its enormous maw, as if swallowing the heavens and earth, absorbing all the chaotic power. In an instant, the gate grew even darker, and the malevolent energy surged ceaselessly.

The phantom of Dijiang roared silently, its outline showing signs of solidifying.

Ye Feng's gaze sharpened, and he suddenly realized: This Heavenly Divine Fiend Formation can actually devour living beings and energy to continuously evolve! If it devours enough things, it might truly be able to condense the forms of the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Unfortunately, the Twelve Ancestral Witches perished in ancient times. Even if they were to reappear in their original forms, they would be nothing more than soulless and mindless puppets. Their strength would depend entirely on the amount of energy they absorbed, and they would never be able to reproduce the unparalleled power that once dominated the Three Realms.

Just as the illusory image of Dijiang began to take on a trace of substance, Ye Feng suddenly felt several profound marks appear in his mind.

A brief investigation sent a jolt through my heart.

It turned out to be a partial inheritance of the divine powers of the Ancestral Witch Dijiang, with only one aspect remaining—the art of flight.

Dijiang, whose body is like chaos, is swift and unparalleled in the three realms, and has always been known as "the first in flight".

If this method is successful, one can travel 129,600 li in a single stride.

It surpasses even the Golden-Winged Roc.