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

The Netherworld, the Hall of the Underworld.

Su Bai slowly closed the heavy Book of Life and Death in his hand. The stroke of cinnabar did not directly rewrite Jin Chanzi's fate, but rather gently plucked a few strings called "cause and effect" on his inevitable path of ten reincarnations.

He did not choose to show himself to Jin Chanzi directly.

Jin Chanzi was, after all, the second disciple of Buddha, and even with the seal on his body, his spiritual senses were extremely sharp. If Su Bai were to appear before him in a swaggering manner, it might alert the Western Mountain before he even opened his mouth, and even arouse Jin Chanzi's instinctive rejection.

The best dismantling often comes from within.

"The seeds of doubt have been sown."

Su Bai looked at the name on the Book of Life and Death, which still emitted a faint golden light but was no longer pure. A meaningful smile appeared on his lips. "As long as he continues to experience those cruel collisions of 'precepts and compassion' and 'ideals and reality' in the cycle of reincarnation, this seed will take root and sprout, eventually growing into a towering tree that will break through that so-called Buddhist heart."

"I won't kill you; I want you to deny yourself."

……

Cuiyun Palace is the sacred site of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Although Li Jing led 100,000 heavenly soldiers to lay a net outside the palace, this was not an insurmountable obstacle for Ksitigarbha, who had long been stationed in the underworld and had explored the six realms of reincarnation as thoroughly as the lines on his palm.

"Amitabha."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sat cross-legged beside the Di Ting beast, his face terrifyingly gloomy. Through his Dharma Eye, he clearly saw what Su Bai had done in the Yama Palace, and even more so, he saw the tragic state of Jin Chanzi's broken Buddha heart in his several lifetimes of reincarnation.

"That Su Bai! His methods are so insidious!"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva clasped his hands together, his body radiating a wave of Buddhist light, but it was no longer the warm color of compassion; instead, it carried a chilling majesty. "This humble monk did not wish to confront you, a madman, at this moment, but you should never have dared to threaten the foundation of my Buddhist sect!"

Jin Chanzi must not be harmed!

If Jin Chanzi's Buddhist heart truly collapsed, then the Journey to the West tribulation would have failed before it even began.

"That wretched creature thinks he can settle things by altering the Book of Life and Death? Hmph, in the end, this Netherworld is still ruled by this humble monk!"

A fierce glint flashed in Ksitigarbha's eyes. Instead of rushing out of Cuiyun Palace to fight Su Bai to the death, he slammed his staff on the ground.

"Buzz!"

An invisible wave instantly pierced through the earth's layers, bypassed the heavenly soldiers and generals outside, and headed straight for the Six Paths of Reincarnation in the deepest part of the Netherworld.

"Six realms of reincarnation, heed my command! Cleanse yourselves of defilement and reshape your spiritual realm!"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva chanted mantras, intending to use the power he had accumulated over countless eons in the netherworld to forcibly interfere with the operation of the six realms of reincarnation.

He wanted to inject the purest Buddhist light into Jin Chanzi's reincarnation in this life, forcibly erasing the "doubts" planted by Su Bai, washing away those painful memories, and making Jin Chanzi's Buddhist heart flawless again!

This is similar to performing a forced system restore after a computer is infected with a virus. Although it's crude, it's definitely effective.

"go!"

With a low shout from Ksitigarbha, the Buddha's light transformed into a golden bird, carrying an unstoppable will, and rushed into the entrance to the cycle of reincarnation, which represents "humanity".

Just as the golden light was about to disappear into the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, a cold smile finally appeared on Ksitigarbha's tense face.

"Su Bai, no matter how much you scheme and plot, you're still too green for this small territory..."

However, before he could finish speaking, something unexpected happened!

Just as the golden bird was about to touch Jin Chanzi, a faint sigh suddenly came from the depths of the netherworld.

The sigh was soft, as soft as a wisp of steam from the rim of Meng Po's soup bowl, yet it was also heavy, as heavy as if the entire underworld had sank slightly at that moment.

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable power surged out from the void without warning.

That power has no attributes; it is not immortal power, not Buddhist power, and not demonic power, but the most fundamental, ancient, and profound power—the power of reincarnation!

"call--"

It was just a gentle touch.

Ksitigarbha's unstoppable beam of light was like a candle flame in a storm, instantly blown to one side and crashing hard into the entrance to the "Animal Realm" next to it.

"Snapped!"

The golden light dissipated, and the power originally used to "purify" Jin Chanzi vanished without a trace.

"What?!"

Inside the Cuiyun Palace, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva suddenly opened his eyes wide, his face filled with disbelief.

His full-force attack would have been difficult even for a peak Quasi-Saint to block. Yet this force had so easily deflected it?

Moreover, within the rules of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, his control over reincarnation was forcibly suppressed!

In this netherworld, besides Ksitigarbha, who else has such abilities?

"Could it be...?"

Ksitigarbha seemed to have thought of something, his face suddenly turned deathly pale, and he turned his head sharply to look at the deepest part of the Netherworld, the forbidden area that even he dared not easily set foot in on ordinary days—the Pingxin Palace!

"Empress Pingxin?!"

Ksitigarbha gritted his teeth, his voice filled with three parts shock and anger, and seven parts disbelief.

He dared not delay and immediately transmitted his thoughts, his voice piercing through layers of darkness and reaching the outside of the Pingxin Palace.

"Your Majesty, what do you mean by this?!"

Ksitigarbha's voice suppressed his anger, "After the Conferment of the Gods, you transformed into the cycle of reincarnation, no longer concerning yourself with worldly affairs, and long ago handed over the management of this Netherworld to the Buddhist sect and the Heavenly Court for joint administration! This was tacitly approved by the Heavenly Dao and the result of discussions among the saints!"

"That wicked Su Bai is now disrupting the foundation of our Buddhist sect. This humble monk has stepped in to restore order, which is in accordance with the will of Heaven! Why have you suddenly intervened? Why are you helping that wicked one?!"

"Do you intend to break the agreement made back then and become an enemy of my Western Buddhist sect?!"

Ksitigarbha's questioning voice echoed in the depths of the netherworld, causing the Yellow Springs waters to surge.

He dared to question him like this because he had the two Western Saints behind him, and the now-thriving Buddhist community. He was certain that this "antique" that had been dormant for countless years would not easily break ties.

However, all that answered him was deathly silence.

There was no explanation, no rebuttal, and not even a hint of emotional fluctuation.

The Pingxin Hall remained tightly shut, as if it had stood there since time immemorial, coldly watching everything.

This disregard was more humiliating to Ksitigarbha than any insult, and it also made him feel a deep sense of powerlessness.

"you……!"

Ksitigarbha was so angry that he trembled all over, his tin staff clenched so tightly that it cracked, but he still dared not launch another attack.

Because he knew perfectly well that if that person was truly determined to interfere, he had absolutely no chance of winning in the Netherworld!

Pingxin Niangniang was formerly known as the Ancestral Witch Houtu.

In those days, she transformed into the Six Paths of Reincarnation, mending the flaws in the Heavenly Dao and gaining immeasurable merit. Although she lost her ancestral witch body as a result, forever trapped in this Netherworld, unable to set foot on the primordial land, within this underworld…

She is invincible!

"The Supreme Being of the Earth..."

These four words came to mind as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva felt a pang of bitterness.

People only know that Hongjun merged with the Heavenly Dao and became its spokesperson, and that all beings below the sages are mere ants. But few remember that in this world, the "Heavenly Dao" and the "Earthly Dao" should have existed side by side!

If it weren't for Houtu's compassion in transforming herself into a being, this earthly path should have given birth to a "Taoist Ancestor" who was on par with Hongjun!

In this Netherworld, within the realm of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Lady Pingxin's strength is comparable to that of a Saint. In fact, in terms of controlling certain rules, even Saints must give way!

"Damn it... damn it!"

Ksitigarbha slammed his fist on the ground. Although he was extremely angry, he knew that as long as Lady Pingxin made a move, he would not be able to harm Su Bai in the slightest in the underworld, let alone correct Jin Chanzi's Buddhist heart.

……

Western sacred mountain, Great Thunder Temple.

This scene, transmitted back through Laozi's divination, once again deeply shocked the Buddhas of the West.

"Empress Pingxin... has actually made a move?"

The Buddha frowned, his eyes filled with doubt and apprehension.

Why would this powerful being, who has been a "homebody" since her reincarnation and never gets involved in the life-and-death struggles of the outside world, break the silence of countless eons for a mere Su Bai at this moment?

"What kind of bewitching potion did Su Bai give Consort Pingxin?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva was also completely baffled. "Pingxin Niangniang is the ancestral witch of the Wu tribe. Although Su Bai is a demon, Yinglong in his previous life didn't have much of a relationship with the Wu tribe. In fact, during the Battle of Zhuolu, Yinglong helped the Yellow Emperor slay Chiyou, who had Wu tribe blood!"

"Logically speaking, Consort Pingxin should hate Su Bai, so why did she protect him instead?"

The Buddhas looked at each other, a sense of foreboding rising in their hearts.

If even this supreme being of the underworld is on Su Bai's side, then this underworld... will probably no longer be the Buddhist's backyard.

"Could it be..." Dipankara Buddha suddenly realized something, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy old eyes, "Could it be because of Su Bai's theory that 'whoever occupies the West becomes a saint'?"

"If Su Bai can truly restore the Western Lands, it will not only be a meritorious act of Heaven, but also a great supplement to the 'Earthly Dao'!"

"The earth's veins are being restored, and the underground passages are being renovated... I see! I see!"

Thinking of this, the Buddhas of the West felt a chill run down their spines.

Su Bai isn't looking for allies at all; he's clearly casting a massive net across the Three Realms to encircle the West!

From Nuwa above, to Pingxin and the Dragon Clan below, and in between, the immortals of the Jie Sect...

This sacred mountain in the West has now become an isolated island targeted by the entire world!

Maitreya's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything.

Maitreya really wanted to ask: Is it possible that Pingxin's relationship with Su Bai is more than just that?

Could Pingxin's past life, which even Laozi couldn't deduce, be so profoundly connected to him?!