Great, we're doomed now!

Deep within hell, the mysterious man in black robes had just created a few satisfactory works, further bolstering his combat strength reserves. He immediately took out a crystal ball and excitedly peered inside once more.

"If you were on the ground, with your companions, I would be helpless against you!"

After all, he was a warrior who once defeated the ancient gods.

However, the Light Clan can only unleash miraculous power when they fight side by side; they cannot reverse their fate alone!

Although I don't know the cause and effect behind this, the fact that you've willingly come to this hell under my control—isn't this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

Although it resides in the underworld, ever since Golza and Melba awoke and the giant's pyramid appeared, it has been diligently gathering intelligence from the surface, including battle records of Bayeri, Tiga, and others.

Therefore, it is convinced that Ultraman uses "light" as his energy source, so as long as all the light in space and time is taken away, their power will inevitably be weakened!

It had been operating in Hell for a long time, intending to use the authority of the Queen of the Underworld to further invade other underworlds, then bring darkness to the surface, steal the "light" of the whole world, and suppress the Ultra Warriors.

The difficulty involved is self-evident, so it is prepared to wait and start over.

But to its utter surprise, Ultraman Bayeri, whom it considered a major threat, walked right into its trap!

This must be a stroke of luck!

If it can suppress Bayeri and simultaneously possess both the Queen of the Underworld and the Warrior of Light, it can rule the world and become the supreme being on this planet!

And then... he might even be able to replace the old gods!

—It had never seen the Old God (Gatanothor) with its own eyes; it was only because its dreams were unintentionally connected with the Old God's dreams that it was given the protection of darkness.

It doesn't truly worship the old gods; it simply refers to them as "gods" because its power is far inferior to theirs.

If its power surpasses that of Gatanothor, then it would naturally consider itself a god.

"Okay, let me see where Bayeri is~"

The man in black robes—the Shadow Mage—was in high spirits.

When it first met Bayeli, the other party had just entered the underworld and had transformed into an ordinary human. If it hadn't had special insight to see his hidden true appearance and the enormous energy within him... it might have really mistaken him for an ordinary intruder.

"Unfortunately, even if you disguise yourself as a human, you, a Warrior of Light, are still not a living being. In this hell, you're as conspicuous as a torch... Hmm?"

The Dark Shadow Mage, Evil King, stared through the crystal ball and was immediately stunned by what he saw inside:

Hahaha~

A silver-black giant, holding the head of Yama in one hand and a long sword in the other, the tip of the sword embedded in a limbless corpse, his expression indifferent, yet the smugness in his laughter could be heard...

If Evil King is not mistaken, then what Bayeri is using now is... How can this guy directly absorb dark energy?

No, does this mean I won't have home-field advantage anymore?

"Bayeli... Ultraman has a dark form?"

No, the Old Gods never told me that!

Chapter 366: Go eat shit! (4.5K)

"南(na)无(mo)~"

Having reverted to his human form, Nishikida Keiryu stood outside the Enma Hall, bowing respectfully with his hands clasped in front of a statue of a wandering monk in the shape of a child, his expression solemn and devout.

Beelzebub was puzzled by this scene and looked at the black cat with questioning eyes, but the black cat also stood up and bowed to the statue like Jinglong, which made the Fly King even more incredulous.

In his memory, Hozuki (Kuro) was a very arrogant guy who, as an assistant, would order his superior around instead of being respectful. He had never seen him be so respectful.

“Who exactly is this statue?” Beelzebub frowned, but he had never seen a god with this appearance in his several visits to Hell.

This is a monk wearing a straw hat and turban, holding a tin staff. He is a wandering monk, a common sight in both China and Japan. So, he must be a Buddhist deity? But he has the body and appearance of a child... Beelzebub couldn't think of anyone who could be associated with him for the time being.

Neither the big cat nor the samurai answered him. After a moment, Jinglong opened his eyes, his sharp edge revealed—

My apologies!

Clang!

The katana was drawn, flashing a silvery light, and the white hemp rope binding the statue snapped instantly, without leaving even the slightest scratch on the statue itself.

A flash of light appeared, the bluish-gray stone layer trembled slightly, and the surface layer turned into powder and fell off in a flurry, revealing a child monk who looked exactly like the statue.

Thank you so much!

The young monk released his staff, clasped his hands together, and expressed his gratitude to everyone. Beelzebub was unimpressed, but Xiao Hei and Jinglong returned the greeting solemnly.

"I have met the Bodhisattva."

“I have been trapped here for a long time, watching the situation deteriorate without being able to do anything about it. I am truly ashamed.”

"After all, you are under the control of King Yama, and the chaos in Hell must have been orchestrated by someone behind it all, it is by no means your fault, Lord Ksitigarbha."

"Now that I am free, it means that King Yama has been subdued, right?"

The young monk looked at Xiao Hei curiously: "Could it be... that you are Hozuki, benefactor?"

“Indeed, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s wisdom is far superior to that of my drunkard king.” Xiao Hei nodded, looking at Yama with disdain.

"There should be many people crossing the Sanzu River by now, including quite a few lost children. We hope you can guide them."

"I see. This is indeed an important matter. I can set off now... Don't you need my help with the rest?"

The young monk was clearly uneasy. As a high-ranking Buddhist monk, he often had the insight to see the essence of things. In his eyes, Xiao Hei's cultivation had obviously been greatly damaged. He was no longer the ghost and god who had lived for thousands of years. Moreover, he had lost the authority of "Yama's Assistant".

Jinglong is very capable. If this swordsman were placed in a typical ghost story, it would be like meeting Yan Chixia in Lanruo Temple, giving people a great sense of security.

However, he has no physical body, and as a spirit, he would be restrained by ghosts and gods such as the Ten Kings and the Queen of the Underworld. In addition, he must abide by the rules of hell, making it difficult for him to defeat the mastermind who has usurped the highest authority.

As for Beelzebub... this isn't the EU hell.

Honestly, this lineup doesn't seem like it could defeat King Yama at all.

Jinglong noticed Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's doubts and smiled, pointing towards the Yama Hall: "Don't worry, subduing demons is not difficult for our partners."

They definitely have the confidence!

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva smiled and nodded, glancing into the hall as well, a faint golden light appearing in his wise eyes—

Long live the King!

【King Bayali, we love you dearly!】

You are the true Son of Heaven!

The indifferent dark giant sat imposingly on his throne, toying with the shrunken head of Yama in his hand, coldly watching the demons and monsters below pledge their loyalty.

He discovered that as long as he didn't engage in high-intensity combat, Dark Shining Mode could be used almost indefinitely in the Underworld!

Now that they had transformed and defeated Enma, the mastermind behind the scenes must have already taken notice. Since the information had been leaked, there was no point in keeping a low profile anymore, so they continued to maintain their Ultraman form.

This naturally created a great psychological shock to the evil spirits of hell, allowing them to enter the Yama's Palace without bloodshed.

All the demons who witnessed how Enma was slain in that previous battle were instantly jolted awake the moment Ye Shou entered!

At this moment, they also put away their arrogance and all raised their hands to welcome the new "Enma" to the throne, just like the most enthusiastic idol fans.

But Ye Shou was clearly hard to please. His cold gaze terrified the evil spirits. It seemed that if the cheers subsided even slightly, all the evil spirits in the hall would be wiped out!

Lord Bayeri has defeated the corrupt Yama for us!

The debt of gratitude can never be repaid!

Some of the evil spirits were even moved to tears.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva blinked, calmly withdrew his gaze, and looked at Jinglong again.

"Hmm, I saw the mastermind. Where is the partner you mentioned?"

Jinglong smiled awkwardly but politely.

...The young monk, carrying his staff, walked slowly toward the Sanzu River, appearing to move slowly but covering a great distance in no time, much like the legendary ability to shrink the distance—which is also one of the "authorities" of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

In the blink of an eye, the child-like monk had disappeared from sight. Beelzebub then asked the little black man, "Who exactly is he? Shouldn't a Bodhisattva be a deity of Eastern Buddhism?"

He is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, or Ksitigarbha King.

Hozuki stroked his beard and said leisurely, "Although he is called a 'King,' he is not one of the Ten Kings of Hell. It's just to show his noble status."

After all, in the birthplace of Buddhism, there were many small kingdoms and tribes, so there were many different kinds of 'kings,' and gradually the concept of a unique and supreme ruler faded away.

"That's not what I was asking... What did you mean when you said he was under the control of Yama?"

In Japan, Jizo Bodhisattva and Yama Daiō are two sides of the same coin, representing the compassion and severity of death respectively. Once Yama Daiō falls into depravity, the divine power of Jizo Bodhisattva will also be affected.

At the same time, Jizo is also the guardian deity of children, guiding infants who have died young across the Sanzu River, and therefore often appears in the form of a child monk.

“That’s right. When I was still alive, you could see stone statues of Ksitigarbha even in the mountains and by the roadside.” Jinglong nodded. “Everyone respected him very much.”

After listening, Beelzebub had a question cleared up, but he was still a little puzzled. How could someone like Ksitigarbha be associated with Yama, the King of Hell?

Little did he know that this was the result of continuous "re-creation" of Eastern mythology:

After Buddhism was introduced to China, it was adapted to suit the local tastes, much like KFC adjusted its classic recipe.

After all, if you say that you suffer in this life and enjoy happiness in the next, a pragmatic Chinese person is unlikely to believe it, but it's different if you connect it with the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues!

Therefore, the story of "Mulian rescuing his mother," which promotes filial piety, has always been one of the most popular stories in Buddhism, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva also has a legend of rescuing his mother from hell.

Later, people further modified it, adding "home address" and "interpersonal relationships" to all the bodhisattvas, and even finding human beings for them.

(Empress Wu Zetian: I am the reincarnation of Maitreya! What, you disagree?)

Incidentally, the human form chosen for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was a prince from Silla.

When it was transmitted to Japan, initially only the "Ksitigarbha Sutra" was mentioned, in which Enma was mentioned as an NPC.

Then the Japanese, displaying their usual craftsmanship (forgery skills), directly wrote a forgery called the "Ten Kings Sutra," equating Jizo and Yama.

From then on, these two became inseparable in Japanese Buddhism.

—In short, it's a matter of fan fiction and modified versions.

"You Easterners are so fussy, unlike us who are clean and efficient."

Beelzebub spread his hands and said self-deprecatingly, "The people there will kill any heretic who dares to trace their origins! Even a god like me with a clear origin is forced to be labeled as the King of Demons and can't turn the tables."

"You are indeed quite authoritative in matters of heresy trials."

Xiao Hei nodded in agreement; this time, he truly had nothing to say.

-

"Lord Hozuki! You're finally back!"