On the Dragon-Slaying Platform, I was executed and became Yang Jian's brother-in-law.

Inside the Great Thunderclap Temple on Mount Ling, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it felt as if the calm before a storm had been completely shattered.

Jin Chanzi's frenzied and demonic state was like a resounding slap across the face of every Buddha. The once unbreakable Buddhist community finally showed cracks due to this enormous upheaval.

"This isn't salvation; it's clearly coercion! Which idiot arranged those Dharma Protectors? They're more trouble than they're worth!"

"What's the use of saying all this now? Jin Chanzi's Daoist heart has collapsed. The Journey to the West hasn't even begun, and the pilgrims have already gone mad. How can this show possibly continue?"

The sounds of arguing rose and fell, and the solemn and dignified appearance of the Buddhas was completely destroyed. However, before they could reach a conclusion, the simulation image suspended in mid-air changed drastically again, forcibly pulling the attention of all the Buddhas back to the present.

This time, the scene shifts back to the underworld.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is sitting cross-legged on a shady mountain, attempting to suppress the restlessness of the underworld and maintain Buddhism's last bit of control over the cycle of reincarnation.

However, the void trembled, and the Dharma body of Lady Pingxin manifested, with Su Bai holding the military talisman and standing beside her.

This time, instead of taking direct action, Lady Pingxin threw out a scroll of Netherworld decree exuding an ancient and primordial aura.

"Ksitigarbha!" The voice of the Goddess Pingxin was clear and cold, exuding an unquestionable majesty. "In the past, you made a great vow: 'I will not become a Buddha until hell is empty.' This is your vow, and it is also the reason why you remain in the underworld."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's expression changed slightly, and he clasped his hands together, saying, "What do you mean by this, Your Majesty? This humble monk is guiding the souls of the departed, just as I have vowed to do."

"Since you are here to guide the departed souls, you must abide by the ancient laws of the Netherworld." Su Bai sneered, stepped forward, and pointed to the scroll of decree, saying, "According to Article 365 of the ancient laws of the Netherworld, deities stationed in other realms must return to their place of origin to report on their duties and verify their merits before they can continue to serve when a great calamity is about to occur."

"Now that the great calamity of the Journey to the West has begun, you have lingered in the underworld for countless years without ever returning to Mount Ling to report for duty. This constitutes 'absenteeism' and violates ancient laws and procedures!"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's eye twitched: "This...this humble monk has never heard of such a law."

"Of course you haven't heard of it, because this is an ancient method from the Lich Wars era. Back then, your Western Cult was probably still playing in the mud somewhere!" Su Bai retorted without any politeness. "Now that Lady Pingxin has awakened and the order of the Underworld has been rebuilt, everything is done according to the ancient methods!"

"Ksitigarbha, please return to Mount Ling to report on your duties! It's not too late to come to this hell after you've finished your investigation."

This is a blatant conspiracy! It's an expulsion order that exploits loopholes in the rules!

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva looked at Lady Pingxin and saw that the power of the Six Paths of Reincarnation was surging around her, as if she was about to forcibly "send off" her at the slightest disagreement.

This is the underworld, Pingxin's home turf. If a fight were to break out, even if Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva possesses profound magical powers, he would definitely not come out on top and would instead lose face.

"Amitabha..." Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sighed deeply, knowing that all was lost. "Since it is the Empress's decree, this humble monk... will obey."

As Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva departed on a cloud, the faint Buddhist light that had enveloped the entrance to the six realms of reincarnation vanished instantly.

Buddhism has lost control over the cycle of reincarnation!

In the scene, Su Bai watched the departing figure of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, a wild and arrogant smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Now that the biggest nail has been removed, it's time to clean house."

Su Bai turned around, his gaze sweeping over the eerie ghost realm. The military talisman in his hand suddenly burst forth with a dazzling ghostly light, and his voice, resonating through the Six Paths of Reincarnation, spread to every corner of the entire underworld.

"All judges, underworld generals, ghost messengers, and wandering souls, proceed immediately to the Hall of Yama to receive orders!"

A moment later, the plaza in front of the Hall of the Underworld was densely packed with low-level public officials from the underworld.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Black and White Impermanence, Day and Night Wanderers, and countless judges and ghost messengers of all ranks looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering what this newly appointed "representative" was going to do.

On the high platform, besides the phantom images of Su Bai and Consort Pingxin, there were also the Ten Kings of Hell.

Among them, several Yama Kings who were pro-Western, including King Qin Guang, were pale-faced, restless, and had unfocused eyes.

Su Bai looked around and said loudly, "Brothers, after serving in the Underworld for so many years, are you tired?"

There was a deathly silence below; no one dared to speak.

"I'll answer for you: Tired! So damn tired!" Su Bai waved his hand abruptly and shouted, "Catching ghosts and conducting trials day and night, and having to put up with those bald monks! And what have you gotten in return?"

"Meager offerings? Pitiful acts of merit?"

"Where did all the merit you risked your lives to earn go?" Su Bai suddenly pointed to the several Yama Kings behind him, "It all flowed into their pockets! And then they used it to offer as tribute to those Bodhisattvas and Arhats in the West!"

These words immediately caused an uproar below. The ox-headed and horse-faced demons gripped their steel forks tightly, their eyes burning with rage.

This is an open secret in the underworld, but no one has ever dared to reveal it so openly!

King Qin Guang was greatly alarmed and shouted sternly, "Su Bai! Stop spreading your heretical rumors! We are all acting in accordance with the laws of Heaven..."

"Shut up!" Su Bai unleashed a six-path power, directly causing King Qin Guang to stagger back several steps, leaving him speechless.

"From this day forward, the underworld has changed!"

Su Bai pulled a new imperial edict from his robes and announced loudly, "By the decree of the Goddess Pingxin, effective immediately, the Underworld will implement the 'Performance-Based Merit System'!"

"The more you work, the more you earn; the less you work, the less you earn; no work, no pay!"

"For every evil spirit captured by a ghost messenger, one thread of merit is immediately awarded! For every case concluded without error by a judge, ten threads of merit are bestowed upon them on the spot!"

"All merits will no longer be stripped away through layers of Yama's palace, but will be directly distributed by the source of the Six Paths of Reincarnation! They will be distributed to each and every one of you!"

These words were like pouring a bucket of cold water into boiling oil, instantly igniting the entire underworld!

"What?! It's being distributed directly from the source of the Six Paths?"

"Catching a ghost earns you a wisp of merit? I used to catch a hundred and didn't even get a scrap of it!"

"Oh my god! Is this real?!"

The lower-level ghost messengers were in an uproar, and the judges trembled with excitement. Merit! That was the foundation of cultivation, a talisman to avert calamities! Previously, it had been completely exploited by those above, and now it could actually fall directly into their hands?

Su Bai looked down at the fervent faces below, opened his arms as if to embrace the endless darkness.

"I know some people will object, some will be unhappy, because I've taken away their interests!"

"But I must tell you, the underworld belongs to Lady Pingxin, and it also belongs to all of you who are loyal to your duties! It is not the backyard of Western Buddhism, much less an ATM for certain traitors!"

"Follow me, and as long as you are loyal to the Path and to the Empress, I, Su Bai, hereby swear—"

"I will not keep this glory to myself!"

boom--!

This last sentence, like a thunderclap, completely ignited the emotions of all the ghost soldiers and generals.

"I am willing to die for the Marshal! I am willing to die for the Empress!"

"Let's do it! Anyone who dares to stop me from earning merit, I'll take their soul!"

"Cleanse! Cleanse those vampires!"

Countless ox-headed and horse-faced demons, along with judges of the underworld, with bloodshot eyes, brandished their weapons and turned to look at the few trembling pro-Buddhist Yama Kings on the high platform. Their eyes no longer held any reverence, only the ferocity of hungry wolves.

This is not reform, this is clearly a mutiny!

Su Bai's move of "mobilizing the masses to fight against the masses" directly undermined the upper management and firmly grasped the actual control of the underworld.

The real world.

On Mount Ling, the Western Buddhas all looked ashen-faced, their expressions as ugly as if they had just swallowed hundreds of pounds of flies. Their faces were as long as donkeys', resembling the faces of Sima Yi.

"This...this is utterly disgraceful! A disgrace to culture!"

"How dare he? How dare he distribute merit like this? This is digging up the roots of Buddhism!"

"Those low-level ghost messengers have accumulated merit and their power has greatly increased. Why would they even care about us anymore?"

The Buddha remained silent, his heart bleeding. The merit pipeline of the underworld had been severed! Utterly severed! Su Bai's move, cutting off the source of the merit, was even more ruthless than killing Ksitigarbha directly!

In the real underworld, chaos has already broken out.

The Ten Kings of Hell were originally watching the simulation together in the main hall, the atmosphere awkward and subtle.

But when Su Bai uttered the word "liquidation," and when the ghost messengers in the scene turned against him, King Zhuanlun, King Song, and others, who had been holding back, finally stopped hiding the murderous intent in their eyes.

"Everyone, let's take care of what's happening in the video right now, shall we?"

King Yama sneered, and the Nether Wheel in his hand suddenly spun, directly blasting towards King Qin Guang beside him.

"The Empress is about to awaken; let's first eliminate the traitors of the Underworld! Cleanse our ranks today!"

"kill!!"

"Rotation wheel! Are you crazy? That was just a simulation... Ah!!"

In reality, the Yama Palace was instantly thrown into chaos, with magical artifacts flying everywhere and ghostly energy swirling. The Ten Kings of Hell were locked in a fierce battle, the pro-Taoist faction of Yama Kings fighting like they'd been injected with adrenaline, each move aimed to kill, determined to pledge their allegiance before Lady Pingxin truly awoke!

Laozi was also dumbfounded by what he saw.

His deduction... how come it even has a "remote control" function? The deduction isn't even finished yet, and a fight has already broken out in reality?

The most tragic figure was none other than Manjushri Bodhisattva.

On the real Mount Ling, Manjushri was watching with a pounding heart when suddenly the scene shifted to the underworld after Ksitigarbha left.

The Buddha did not abandon the underworld, but instead sent a new agent to take over the mess left by Ksitigarbha.

That person is none other than the "Future Manjushri" in the picture.

In the scene, Manjushri Bodhisattva had just arrived in the underworld when he was surrounded by a group of Ox-Head and Horse-Face demons holding "performance evaluation forms".

"Bodhisattva, you want to enter Beiyin Mountain? No way, Marshal Su said that area is now a 'Merit Development Zone,' and unauthorized personnel are not allowed in."

"You want to perform rituals to guide the souls of the dead? Sure, go register over there first. We charge per soul, and we take a cut."

In the scene, Manjushri is trembling with anger. He goes to confront Yama, only to find that the remaining Yama are all Su Bai's men. They ignore him and leave him standing there.

This "successor to Ksitigarbha" not only lacked real power, but also became a mere mascot, constantly constrained and suffering endless humiliation.

The real Manjushri Bodhisattva was completely dumbfounded when he saw this.

He turned his stiff neck to look at the Buddha on the lotus platform, his eyes filled with fear and resistance.

"Buddha... Buddha..."

"Well, this humble monk has recently caught a cold and is unwell. As for taking over the duties of Ksitigarbha... you'd better find someone else."

"This humiliation is something anyone can suffer, but this humble monk... truly cannot bear it!"