Primordial Era: A Counterattack Against Hongjun Daozu at the Start

Behind him, Jin Chanzi toyed with a gilded demon-subduing pestle, the tip of the pestle, forged from black iron, reflecting a cold light in the halo of reincarnation.

"Brother Ksitigarbha," Jin Chanzi suddenly chuckled, his wide sleeves sweeping across the surging karmic flames, "it's been three hundred and sixty days and nights already. Could it be that you've been blinded by the resentment of the City of the Wrongfully Dead?"

Before he finished speaking, the Seven Treasures Kasaya moved without wind, faintly revealing the six-winged golden cicada pattern embroidered on the inner lining.

The prayer beads on Ksitigarbha's wrist suddenly stopped, and the illusory image of the lotus platform solidified in an instant. He glimpsed the golden alms bowl for saving the world, which was faintly visible in Jin Chanzi's sleeve. The ritual implement that should have been enshrined in the Eight Treasures Merit Pool was now shimmering with a soul-devouring light.

"If Junior Brother Jin Chan is in the mood, he might as well go to the Bridge of Helplessness to listen to Meng Po preach." He crushed the vengeful spirits under his feet with his plain white monk's shoes. "After all, the nine-ringed staff that Master bestowed upon me has never been used to kill."

Amidst the surging waves of blood, the twelve golden wheels of reincarnation slowly rotated above the underworld. Ksitigarbha gazed at the orderly procession of those seeking rebirth before the Gates of Hell, while the unique Yuqiang totem of the Wu tribe shimmered with azure light on the pillars of the Judge's Hall.

This was completely different from what he had seen when he explored the underworld a hundred years ago. At that time, the six realms were in chaos, and the Yellow Springs water was flowing back into the human world. It was nothing like the orderly and disciplined world he saw today.

"Look, senior brother!" the accompanying monk suddenly exclaimed. There, on the edge of the Viewing Platform, the Revolving Mirror, which should have been guarded by yakshas, ​​now had a bronze chime floating in the air.

Ksitigarbha's pupils contracted slightly, and the taotie pattern on the clock face clearly exuded a pure and ethereal aura.

Ksitigarbha tapped the lotus platform lightly with his fingertips, lowered his eyes and instructed his disciples below: "Jin Chanzi, take the twelve guardians to the Netherworld. Tell them that my disciples need to use reincarnation to accumulate merit, and ask the Netherworld to grant them a favor."

He then looked up and added, "If you encounter any obstacles, just say that the disciples of the Western sages have their own karmic obligations to fulfill."

Jin Chanzi, his wide sleeves billowing in the wind, jingled his Buddhist prayer beads as he swung them around: "The decree of the sage is the law of heaven. Let's see how those witches deal with it."

As he turned around, his robes billowed up three inches of dust, and he set off for the Yellow Springs with only three close disciples.

As the Buddha's light gradually dissipated, Ksitigarbha's lips curled slightly. His divine beast, Di Ting, suddenly roared, startling the red spider lilies on the banks of the Naihe Bridge, causing them to shed their petals.

"What a clever scheme to use someone else to do the dirty work." Jin Chanzi crushed the bones beneath his feet and sneered as he looked at the surging ghostly energy in front of him.

The vajra at his waist flickered, casting shadowy light on the road to the underworld.

In the past, when people passed by this place, the guards would only stop them with a few perfunctory words, but today they saw a dark mass of people standing in formation a hundred feet away.

A colossal spirit with the head of a bull and the body of a human blocked their path with its axe, causing the River of Oblivion to flow backward: "Forbidden Zone of Reincarnation, trespassers shall be punished!"

"Insolence!" The accompanying Arhat glared angrily, about to raise the golden alms bowl in his hand, but was suppressed by the Buddha's light emanating from Jin Chanzi. He slowly stepped forward, his nine-ringed staff drawing sparks on the ground: "When did the Underworld change its rules? The three-in-one Buddha child sent last month..."

Before the words were finished, twelve bone spears pierced the air, forming a ring that trapped everyone. A red-faced sorcerer emerged from the thick fog, Zhu Jiuyin, whose shoulder was adorned with a weapon that spewed ghostly fire, asking: "Do you truly believe that the Sage's decree can subdue the Six Paths?"

Jin Chanzi's pupils contracted slightly as he sensed the hidden secrets within the surrounding Wu Clan aura. Three Great Luo pressures were concealed within the formation, and the Dutian Divine Fiend Formation, formed by a hundred Golden Immortals, had already blocked any escape route.

His disciples behind him were drenched in cold sweat, but he shattered the bone spear with a backhand and pointed his staff directly towards the Yama's Palace: "Very good, this kind of display is worthy of my personal visit to discuss the Dao."

The melee erupted the instant the staff and the giant axe collided. Jin Chanzi's body radiated Buddhist light, which transformed into the Eight Heavenly Dragons, but it dimmed abruptly upon colliding with the intense cold air.

The Wu tribe's battle formation turned like a millstone, crushing the three-zhang Buddhist domain with each step.

The magical artifacts used by the accompanying Arhats shattered one after another, and the weakest novice monk had his collarbone pierced by the Soul-Hooking Lock.

"Master, save..." Amidst the wailing, Jin Chanzi caught a glimpse of the Jie Sect's talisman faintly appearing on the sleeve of the Witch Lord, and his mind became clear.

He pretended to be unable to hold on, letting the Nine Li Battle Axe cut off half of his cassock, while secretly attaching a wisp of his primordial spirit to the Demon-Subduing Pestle, and silently fell to the bottom of the River of Oblivion.

At the edge of the Netherworld, Zhou Yi and several powerful members of the Witch Clan were observing the battle.

When Jin Chanzi's figure came into view, a playful smile appeared on his lips. The outline of his six golden wings reminded him of a famous figure from ancient secrets.

"This six-winged golden cicada is quite interesting!" Zhou Yi muttered to himself, stroking his chin.

Under his spiritual sense, the other party's true form was revealed: its wings were as sharp as blades, and its slender insect body gleamed with a cold light. It was a strange beast that struck fear into the hearts of people in the primordial era.

Legend has it that this creature was born at the beginning of chaos, possessing both malevolent energy and profound wisdom, and was once enlightened and taken under the tutelage of a Western sage.

Zhou Yi's thoughts suddenly drifted to the future. The Buddhist disciple before him would, thousands of years later, shed his golden body and be reborn in the East as a holy monk on a pilgrimage to the West.

If I were to erase it now… This thought swirled in Zhou Yi's mind several times before finally turning into a silent sigh. How could the course of Heaven be altered by one person?

Even without Jin Chanzi, there would be Yin Chanzi or Yu Chanzi to take the place of the pilgrim.

At this point, the battlefield situation became clear: all the Buddhist disciples had been defeated, and only Jin Chanzi was still struggling to hold on.

With frost gathering in her palm, Yu Qiang, the ancestral witch, asked, "Do you want to completely eliminate these bald monks?" She was referring to Jin Chanzi, who was still resisting.

"Give them a lesson and send them back to Mount Ling." Zhou Yi waved his hand with a light laugh. "It should have been Ksitigarbha leading the team, but instead Jin Chanzi came. There must be something fishy about that."

He gazed at the fading light of the Buddha in the distance, a calculating glint in his eyes. This game had only just begun; he had already prepared several backup plans, waiting for the Western Sect to fall into his trap.

While Zhou Yi was talking with Yu Qiang, the ancestral witch, Jin Chanzi had already been subdued by several witch warriors. The witch tribe treated these uninvited guests with unique etiquette.

When the Westerners were expelled from the underworld, they were all ragged, staggering, and their faces were covered with bruises.

At this moment, not only had they lost all their magical treasures, but even their personal jade pendants were not spared. In the end, they could only use their magic power to conjure robes to cover their bodies.

If cultivators from the primordial era were to see him in such a disheveled state, it would likely become the subject of a hundred or eighty anecdotes circulating in the immortal market.

"If this grudge is not avenged, I will scatter the three flowers on my head!" Jin Chanzi's eyes were bloodshot as he looked back at the Netherworld Barrier.

As a direct disciple of the Sage of Guidance, how could he have ever suffered such humiliation?

The Wu tribe's arrogant behavior clearly disgraces the Western religion.

The accompanying disciple suddenly realized, "Since Brother Ksitigarbha has instructed us to investigate the Six Realms, he should be the one to uphold justice in this matter!"

Upon hearing this, everyone echoed in agreement, completely forgetting who had volunteered to go to the underworld in the first place. A dark glint flashed in Jin Chanzi's eyes, and he led the group, transforming into several streaks of light and soaring away into the sky.

When this group of wounded cultivators appeared at the Lingshan Villa, it immediately caused a commotion.

Jin Chanzi, with tears streaming down his face, recounted his ordeal, portraying the Wu tribe as villains who plundered magical treasures and disgraced the Holy Sect. He concluded with a sorrowful cry: "If Brother Dizang does not step forward, what will become of the prestige of our sect?"

At this moment, Ksitigarbha was contemplating celestial secrets on his lotus platform when he heard the commotion and couldn't help but frown. He noticed something strange: how could the Witch Clan have prepared defenses in advance?