Honghuang: It makes sense that there are four Sanqing, right?

Houtu has already been bound to the Primordial Purple Qi of the Earthly Dao, and the Law of Reincarnation is nearing perfection. She is about to attain enlightenment and is destined to be the Lord of the Earthly Dao, naturally opposed to Hongjun.

Therefore, Xu Qing was not afraid that she would not believe him. In fact, from the perspective of humanity and morality, the underground passage might have already told Houtu a lot of information.

"Fellow Daoist, your understanding of the Law of Reincarnation has reached a state of perfection, and you also possess the Primordial Purple Qi. In my opinion, you are not far from becoming a saint. How can I not congratulate you?"

Xu Qing smiled faintly, but then uttered a surprising statement.

"Fellow Daoist, please do not speak nonsense. In Zixiao Palace, the seven primordial purple energies each have their own masters, but none of them have anything to do with me."

Houtu still refused to acknowledge it, laughing as if it were true, but Xu Qing clearly saw her pupils shrink.

"Fellow Daoist Houtu, in fact... anyone who possesses the Earth Book can see that Primordial Purple Qi."

Xu Qing was unwilling to argue about this matter, and also felt somewhat embarrassed for Hou Tu, so he made things clear.

"Ah?! Zhen Yuanzi too..."

Houtu was stunned, almost fainting. Was what she thought was a top secret really so obvious to others?

"It's alright. I know Brother Zhen Yuanzi. He is a gentleman. Fellow Daoist Houtu can rest assured."

During his visit to Wanshou Mountain, Zhen Yuanzi's compassion and generosity left a very good impression on Xu Qing.

Moreover, since Hongyun died because of the Primordial Purple Qi, if Xu Qing tells Zhen Yuanzi some inside information, he will easily realize that this was Hongjun's intention.

Given his feelings for Hongyun, Zhen Yuanzi might be unwilling to provoke her due to his lack of strength, but he would definitely not report Xu Qing's actions to Hongjun.

"Fellow Daoist Xu Qing, please don't vouch for others yet. You didn't call me here just to make fun of me, did you?"

Houtu recovered, her expression somewhat wary. Although Xu Qing had been kind to the Wu Clan, he had not made any unusual moves since first obtaining the Earth Book.

However, with Hongyun's example right before his eyes, Xu Qing felt that the time was ripe. He knew he had to be wary of others, and he had to be cautious of Houtu.

"How much did the tunnel tell you?"

Xu Qing didn't know where to begin, so he simply asked a question in return.

"What tunnel?"

Houtu looked completely bewildered.

"This is a long story..."

Xu Qing had thought that the underground passage would be like the human passage, telling the Dao Master some information, but unexpectedly the underground passage didn't say anything. He could only tell Houtu the whole story himself.

From his gaining the trust of the Three Pure Ones through the story of the Treasure Sharing Cliff, to his restoration of the earth's veins, to Lao Tzu's attainment of sainthood through the path of humanity, and all the way to the present, he wants to form an alliance with Houtu.

How can I trust you?

After a while, Xu Qing finished speaking. Because it was a rare theory that could explain the extraordinary events at the time of moral sainthood, Houtu believed it to some extent, but still wanted a guarantee.

"To attain enlightenment, fellow Daoist, one must undergo reincarnation. Without a primordial spirit, one will be eternally trapped in the underworld after attaining enlightenment. Whether this is true or false, you will know when you attain enlightenment, as your enlightenment is imminent."

Xu Qing sighed, unable to understand why Di Dao remained silent. He could only "deduce" again, revealing the secret of her attainment of Dao in order to gain Hou Tu's trust.

"In that case, let me speak after I attain enlightenment."

Houtu pondered for a moment, unable to refute Xu Qing's words, but still not entirely convinced.

"In that case, I'll listen to you, fellow Daoist."

Helpless, Xu Qing returned with Houtu to the underground space where Xuanming and Zhenyuanzi were located.

With nothing to do, Houtu and Xuanming continued to purify the evil energy, Zhenyuanzi occasionally helped to clear the earth's veins, and Xu Qing meditated and cultivated alone to the side.

As the sun and moon revolved and day and night alternated, more than three thousand years passed. On this day, Houtu suddenly had a whim and decided to leave the underground space to travel on land.

Xu Qing and the others quickly followed. Hou Tu had clearly entered a state of enlightenment, and the three of them had to protect her.

Houtu was in a state of profound mystery, as if she had never existed. Heaven and earth were no longer clear, but a state of chaos, devoid of anything and self, transcendent and independent.

Her eyes were slightly closed. She was not a snake, but moved in human form. Wherever her toes passed, golden lotuses appeared, blooming as soon as she touched them and withering as soon as she passed.

Wherever Houtu passes, all living beings in the surrounding area will quickly experience birth, aging, sickness, and decline, only to be reborn again.

This cycle repeats endlessly. A child grows into an adult in a day, but then immediately ages. After aging, the child is transformed into flesh and blood, and from that flesh and blood, newborn babies are born.

But this is limited to a hundred miles around Houtu. In the vast world, Houtu looks into the distance and sees people coming and going, being born, growing, and dying, but there is no reincarnation.

Houtu saw that the primordial wilderness was filled with restless souls, some weeping day and night, others harming people everywhere. These were wandering souls exposed in the wilderness, and the world was never at peace.

"Why is there no reincarnation in this primordial world?"

Walking barefoot in the boundless wilderness, Houtu felt a deep sorrow for the wandering souls and for the heavens and earth.

The moment this thought arose, the Dao of Reincarnation trembled, resonating with the primordial world. Houtu emitted the light of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, brimming with Daoist intent, powerful yet harmless.

Houtu then awoke from her state of enlightenment, realizing that she could break through at any moment, yet she remained calm and composed, asking herself another question in her heart.

"If I were to be reborn into the cycle of reincarnation, never to escape again, would I be willing?"

"When heaven and earth are complete, and all living beings have a place to belong, this is the Way, this is righteousness, this is reason. May this be our wish."

After this self-questioning and self-answering, Houtu's mind became clear, and she revealed her true form, flying towards the heavens in her snake body.

"I, Houtu, feel that the primordial world is incomplete and that all living beings have nowhere to go. Today, I will transform myself into a being to mend the world."

As soon as these words were spoken, strange phenomena appeared in the heavens and earth.

It was not the common golden lotus and purple aura, auspicious clouds and rosy hues, but a divine wonder never before seen.

Behind Houtu, countless fragmented light screens appeared, depicting human figures, plants, birds, and beasts, showcasing the lives of countless beings born in the primordial world.

Within the light curtain, a moment spans ten thousand years, a lifetime unfolds, the light curtain dissipates, and transforms into six colors, coalescing and manifesting behind Houtu as a gigantic wheel of reincarnation.

Those who cultivated to become immortals in their previous lives have a white light screen that condenses at the first spot behind Houtu, which is the Heavenly Human Path.

In life, he was an ordinary human. His light screen was yellow and condensed at the second spot behind Houtu, which is the mortal path.

In life, he was a member of the Asura race. His light screen was red and condensed at the third point behind Houtu, which is the Asura Path.

Those who cultivated into demons in their previous lives have purple light curtains that condense in the fourth place behind Houtu, which is the path of spirits and monsters.

Those who were ordinary birds and beasts in their previous lives have a black light curtain that condenses in the fifth place behind Houtu, which is the animal realm.

In its previous life, it was an ordinary plant, its light curtain was green, and it condensed in the sixth place behind Houtu, which is the Dao of No Wisdom.

As the light curtain dissipated, the divine disc condensed. Then, the Daoist aura of reincarnation permeated Houtu's body, and the divine disc began to rotate. It then descended into the Nine Netherworlds, and reincarnation was complete!

Houtu's physical body had already gone to the Nine Netherworlds along with the Wheel of Reincarnation, but her primordial spirit was still in the Nine Heavens, and its aura was becoming increasingly vast, to the point of being immeasurable.

This extraordinary phenomenon was even more astonishing than when Hongjun became a saint. No one doubted whether Houtu had also become a saint; only two thoughts remained—

Who is stronger, Houtu or Hongjun who has just become a saint?

How was she able to become a saint?