I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

"No wonder! Uncle-Master Yuanhui risked his life to barely glimpse a sliver of heavenly secrets. Who else in the world, besides the mysterious and unpredictable Underworld, could possess such abilities? If it was the work of the Underworld, it wouldn't be surprising!"

Zhihong nodded slowly and continued, "The appearance of the underworld in the world without any reason is extremely strange. Do you remember Naran of Lingxiao Temple? He was stripped of his cultivation for investigating the City God's Mansion in Guiling City late at night, and has now been expelled from Lingxiao Temple and his whereabouts are unknown."

"He once said that the underworld is indeed the legendary entity that governs reincarnation, gathers gods, and enforces the law in the world."

"I've been gathering a lot of information about the underworld these days, and the more I read, the more frightened and uneasy I feel."

Seeing the abbot's solemn expression, Zhichen suddenly let out a cold laugh, his tone arrogant as he said, "Even if he's a god, so what? Gods should reside high in the heavens, detached from worldly affairs. What do the schemes within our Buddhist sect have to do with his underworld?"

He paused, then complained, "What was originally a wonderful situation has been completely ruined by the underworld. I can't swallow this insult!"

Upon hearing this, Zhihong slowly advised, "You can't blame the Underworld for this. First, we have no conclusive evidence to prove that the Underworld was responsible; second, when Elder Jiang went to seek help, the Underworld told him about something important, which was originally their own entanglement. Logically speaking, since the Underworld knew about the resurgence of spiritual energy, whether they told him or not was their decision; third, the Underworld is too mysterious, and Naran's fate is a warning, so we really don't need to take the initiative to be their enemy."

Like most cultivators in the world, Zhihong was wary of the underworld, but he could never fully believe that the so-called underworld was the legendary being in charge of reincarnation.

This is too absurd. The concept of the underworld has been a myth since ancient times. How can he be easily convinced by its sudden appearance out of thin air?

Even with Naran as a living example, his doubts had not dissipated.

"I can't swallow this insult, so I'll set off for Nanling Province tonight!"

Zhi Chen was always stubborn, and once he made up his mind, he would never change it. He continued, "Don't worry, Abbot Brother. Although I am impulsive, I am not so foolish as to run into the line of fire of the underworld."

"My trip is merely to cause some trouble for the underworld, to let them experience the feeling of being restless and uneasy!"

"Moreover, I will not do this myself, but will use others to reap the benefits, which is what is known as using someone else to do the dirty work."

Zhi Chen was actually aware that with his current strength, he might not be a match for Yin Si.

But so what?

All he wanted was to cause some trouble for the underworld and vent the anger that had been building up in his heart!

Seeing his resolute expression, Zhihong sighed helplessly, "Very well, since you've made up your mind, then go. Just remember, be careful in everything you do, and never get into any dangerous situation; it would be a loss."

He knew he couldn't persuade his junior brother.

Furthermore, he himself harbored some resentment towards the underworld. Although his junior brother was somewhat reckless and impulsive, he was very measured in his actions and was trustworthy.

Therefore, he finally nodded and agreed to the matter.

"Thank you, Abbot Brother! I'll be setting off now!"

After saying this, Zhi Chen turned around and stepped out of the room. With a flicker, he disappeared into the night.

He rode the wind at breakneck speed, and soon arrived in Nanling Province.

With a clear goal in mind, he didn't waste a moment and went straight to the banks of the Meng River.

Gazing at the surging Mengjiang River, Zhichen clasped his hands together and softly chanted, his voice not loud, but clearly carrying throughout the surrounding area: "Zhichen of Honglun Temple requests an audience with the Dragon Lord of Mengjiang."

As soon as he finished speaking, countless bubbles rose to the surface of the turbulent river, bubbling and churning upwards.

Immediately afterward, a short figure leaped out of the water—it was the patrolling river yaksha, gripping a trident tightly, its tip pointed directly at Zhichen. Its tone was fierce: "You monk, don't you even know your place? You dare ask to see the Dragon Lord? If you don't know what's good for you, leave now, or I'll end your life with one strike!"

The river patrol yaksha was grayish-brown all over, short and hunched, with a hideous and ugly face, and a pair of pale yellow eyes that bulged out like bubbles about to burst.

"Amitabha."

Zhichen softly chanted a Buddhist mantra, his tone calm and undisturbed.

The moment the words left his mouth, the river beneath the patrolling yaksha's feet suddenly accelerated, several times faster than before, as if a treadmill had suddenly been turned on full speed. Caught off guard, the yaksha stumbled and fell heavily into the river, splashing a large spray of water.

The river patrol yaksha, who is in charge of the waterways, spends all his time with the river. Controlling the water flow is his instinct, but now he has been overturned and knocked down by the current. This is an utter disgrace!

The Yaksha struggled to climb out of the river, soaking wet and brimming with ferocity. He glared at Zhichen, panting, and roared, "Monk, how dare you ambush Grandpa! What did you do to Grandpa?"

Zhi Chen glanced at him coldly, his tone carrying a hint of aloofness and authority: "This humble monk is Zhi Chen of Honglun Temple. You are but a lowly river patrol yaksha, yet you dare to speak so disrespectfully and rudely to this humble monk? Is this the way of hospitality that Lord Mengjiang taught you?"

"You insignificant demon, you know no bounds! Do you even realize that your obstruction today is delaying the Dragon King's important affairs!"

Upon hearing this, the river patrol yaksha felt a sudden jolt of fear.

It scrutinized Zhichen carefully, noticing his extraordinary bearing, calm demeanor, and the unfathomable aura emanating from him. He certainly didn't seem like an ordinary monk. The creature immediately felt uncertain and its tone unconsciously became more respectful: "M-Master, do you truly know the Dragon Lord?"

Zhi Chen smiled calmly, his tone unhurried: "Why bother recognizing him? Just go in and inform the Dragon Lord that Zhi Chen of Honglun Temple requests an audience."

"When the Dragon King sees this humble monk, he will surely be overjoyed. At that time, you will have performed a great service and will be rewarded accordingly."

Seeing that Zhichen looked confident and composed, Yaksha's doubts gradually dissipated, and he was already seven or eight parts convinced.

"Alright, alright, Master, please wait a moment. I'll go and inform the Dragon Lord right away!"

It quickly responded, and then plunged into the Mengjiang River, its body darting swiftly underwater, heading straight for the Dragon King's Water Palace at full speed.

This section of the river is directly above the water palace of Mengjiang Longjun, so it is heavily guarded. Squads of crab soldiers and generals, armed with weapons, patrol back and forth in the water, maintaining a high level of vigilance.

As the Yaksha hurried past, many patrolling crab soldiers and generals cast their gazes at it, glanced at it, and then slowly moved away.

Yaksha sped towards the place where the Dragon Lord was in seclusion, but just as he was about to arrive, he was stopped by a figure.

"Halt! You demon, where are you rushing off to?"

General Shrimp happened to be patrolling by when he saw this and immediately stepped forward, blocking the Yaksha's path and reprimanding him sternly.

The Yaksha immediately stopped and bowed respectfully to General Shrimp, his tone both courteous and urgent: "Greetings, General Shrimp!"

"There is a high-ranking monk on the shore. He has an extraordinary demeanor and is quite skilled. He keeps saying that he wants to see the Dragon King. I am about to go and inform him."

Upon hearing this, General Shrimp flew into a rage, his face turning ashen: "This is utterly absurd! A monk of unknown origin says he wants to see the Dragon Lord, and you rush here to report it? The Dragon Lord is the supreme being of Mengjiang; how can just anyone see him as he pleases?"

In his heart, the Dragon King was the supreme ruler, and all the aquatic creatures in the entire Mengjiang River followed the Dragon King's lead and bowed down to him.

A monk of unknown origin and identity is not qualified to have an audience with the Dragon King.

Yaksha inwardly groaned and quickly explained, "General, I initially thought the same thing and even tried to dissuade him, but the high monk said that the Dragon King would be overjoyed to see him, and that if I didn't go to inform him, I would be delaying the Dragon King's important matter, and I wouldn't be able to bear the consequences!"

While explaining it this way, it secretly concealed Zhi Chen's words that "after the matter is accomplished, it will be a great achievement for him." If General Shrimp knew that it was tempted by the reward and that was why it rushed to report, it would surely suffer a beating.

"Hmph, what an arrogant monk!"

General Shrimp snorted coldly, his tone full of disdain and anger, "Take me to see him. I want to see who he is, daring to speak so arrogantly!"

"Yes, General!"

Yaksha quickly agreed, turned around and led the way, guiding Shrimp General to float to the surface of the river.