Primordial Era: Something's Wrong with This Generation of Witch Clan

Chapter 50: The Cycle of Reincarnation, Establishing Rules for the Underworld

The Third King of Hell oversees the Black Rope Hell and the sixteen lesser hells. Those selected in the Second King's Court who commit crimes consistent with those of the Third King's Court are then sent there for punishment. The Book of Kings (69) further examines their crimes and determines the duration of their punishment. After their sentence is served, if they commit crimes under the jurisdiction of the Fourth King's Court, they are sent there; otherwise, they are transferred to the Fifth King's Court for a more detailed trial.

The Four Kings of Hell oversee the Great Hell and the Sixteen Lesser Hells. Those found guilty in the Third Court of Hell to have committed crimes consistent with those of the Fourth Court will be punished there. The duration of their punishment will be determined based on the specific crimes committed. After their sentence is served, they will be transferred to the Fifth Court for a more detailed trial.

The Fifth King of Hell oversees the Great Hell of Crying and the Sixteen Lesser Hells. The Fifth King of Hell is the well-known Yama King of Panhuang's previous life, and familiar figures like Black and White Impermanence, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, and Zhong Kui are all his subordinates. After receiving punishment in the Second, Third, and Fourth Kings, beings arrive at the Fifth King. There, they are first taken to the Terrace of Longing for Home, where they are allowed to gaze upon their loved ones for the second time. Afterward, a detailed and comprehensive judgment is conducted, and their crimes are then assigned to the Five Lesser Hells for further punishment. After serving their time in the Fifth King, they are then further assigned to the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Kings for further punishment, depending on the selected crimes committed.

The Sixth King of Hell oversees the Great Howling Hell and the Sixteen Lesser Hells.

The Seventh Court, which governs the Great Hell of Burning Torment and the Sixteen Lesser Hells.

The Eighth Court governs Avici Hell and the Sixteen Lesser Hells.

The Ninth Court governs the Great Hell of Great Heat and Great Torment, and the Sixteen Lesser Hells.

The Ten Courts govern reincarnation. When the deceased arrives at the Tenth Court, their reincarnation is determined according to their good and evil deeds. Those with more good deeds than evil deeds are reborn as humans, while those with more evil deeds than good deeds are reborn as animals. At the same time, their fortune, longevity, and prosperity after rebirth are also determined according to their good and evil deeds. Those with more good deeds will have abundant fortune, longevity, and prosperity, while those with more evil deeds will have shallow fortune, longevity, and prosperity.

Once the matter of reincarnation is settled, the reincarnated person can go to the next station to wait for reincarnation. Of course, there are many procedures to go through before the official reincarnation.

After serving their full term of punishment at the Ten Kings of Hell, they continued onward and arrived at the tenth station of the underworld, the eighteenth level of hell.

Between the ninth and tenth stations lies Beiyin Mountain, where all the ghost prisoners who have completed their punishments at the Ten Kings of Hell are gathered for screening. Those ghost prisoners who still do not repent are sent to the eighteenth level of hell to continue their punishments, while those who repent are sent to the next station.

The eleventh station in the underworld is the Offering Pavilion, which is equivalent to the post office in Panhuang's past life memories. After arriving at this station, the ghost prisoners will line up to receive the money and items burned for them by their relatives in the mortal world.

After receiving their items, they will arrive at the twelfth station of the underworld, Ghost Realm Fortress. Those waiting to be reborn will live here for a long time. All living beings have a lifespan in the Yang realm, while the beings in the Netherworld have a lifespan in the Yin realm. Ghost Realm Fortress is very large. Those waiting to be reborn here will be notified to go to the next station when their Yin lifespan is about to end, in order to prepare for their rebirth.

The next stop after Ghost Realm Fortress is Lotus Platform, the thirteenth stop in the Underworld. This is on the shore of Blood Sea. This Lotus Platform is the sacred site of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who was famous in Panhuang's previous life. Mosquito Taoist has restored it because Panhuang is confident that he will make the West lose both his wife and his army in this life.

Actually, there is a place called Qinghua Palace in front of the lotus platform. It is the sacred site of Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun. However, Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun no longer exists in this life. Only Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is there.

Those who have passed away after leaving Ghost Realm Fortress will receive the baptism of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva here, which is essentially a form of deliverance. After being baptized, these people often have a deep Buddhist nature, so they are likely to join the Western Paradise. This is the Western Paradise's plan, but such a situation is unlikely to occur in this lifetime.

Continuing from the Lotus Platform, you will arrive at the fourteenth station of the Underworld, which is the famous River of Oblivion. In Panhuang's previous life, few people probably knew about the River of Oblivion, but everyone knew about the Bridge of Helplessness, which is a bridge over the River of Oblivion.

In fact, there are three bridges over the River of Oblivion: the Golden Bridge, the Silver Bridge, and the Bridge of Helplessness.

Those who do more good than evil walk on the Golden Bridge, those whose good and evil are equal walk on the Silver Bridge, and those whose good is less than evil walk on the Bridge of Helplessness. The Bridge of Helplessness is the most dangerous of the three bridges because there is a risk of being dragged down by the wronged souls in the River of Oblivion, while the Golden Bridge and the Silver Bridge do not.

On the banks of the River of Oblivion, before the Bridge of Helplessness, stands a pavilion called the Meng Po Pavilion. Inside, an old woman holds a large pot filled with emerald green soup, which is the Meng Po Soup. A bowl of Meng Po Soup can dispel all past memories.

After drinking Meng Po's soup and crossing the Naihe Bridge, there should be a Three Lives Stone on the other side of the Naihe Bridge, where one can determine their marriage in the next life. However, since Mount Buzhou in the primordial world has not yet collapsed and the Yue Lao system has not yet been perfected, Mosquito Taoist abandoned the Three Lives Stone.

So after crossing the Bridge of Helplessness, one arrives at the fifteenth station of the underworld, the Hall of Rebirth, where the ghosts undergo the final procedure before their rebirth—the determination of the six realms.

The three highest realms—the realm of gods, the realm of asuras, and the realm of humans—are considered the good realms. The three lowest realms—the realm of hungry ghosts, the realm of hell, and the realm of animals—are considered the evil realms.

After the six paths are established, one arrives at the final and sixteenth station of the underworld, the Rebirth Cliff. Below the Rebirth Cliff lies the Six Paths of Reincarnation. After jumping off the Rebirth Cliff, the Six Paths of Reincarnation will automatically guide the ghosts into the corresponding reincarnation according to the six paths established in the Hall of Rebirth. At this point, the entire process of rebirth ends.

After the Mosquito Taoist led everyone through the underworld, they looked at Pan Huang in surprise, since the Mosquito Taoist was Pan Huang's clone, and what he said was what Pan Huang had said.

"Did you design this? It looks very meticulous and detailed, taking all factors into account." Empress Pingxin nodded with a smile.

As soon as Lady Pingxin finished speaking, the entire Netherworld was violently shaken. This sudden turmoil caught everyone off guard. Just as they were about to regain their footing, the Netherworld returned to calm, which surprised everyone!

However, Empress Pingxin showed an excited expression on her face. She actually tacitly accepted Pan Huang's procedure and even made some additions to Pan Huang's explanation.

The addition of the underground passage was to expand the hell controlled by the Ten Kings of Hell and the sixteen minor hells under its jurisdiction. Furthermore, the underground passage also extended this concept to include the dojos of the Five Ghost Emperors, as well as the mountains and rivers of the Netherworld, and the source of the River of Oblivion.

Previously, when setting up the River of Oblivion, Mosquito Taoist used blood from the Sea of ​​Blood because he didn't know where the River of Oblivion originated. Now, the underground passage has actually perfected the entire Netherworld by relying on the whole process set up by Mosquito Taoist. This should be considered expected.

"The underground passage uses the same procedure as Thirteenth Brother, and the operation of the Underworld will follow this procedure from now on. Thirteenth Brother, you have really helped me a lot," said Consort Pingxin to Pan Huang.

"Of course, after all, I am the master of both the human and hell paths!" Pan Huang smiled.

As soon as Pan Huang finished speaking, several black and red lights appeared from the depths of the Netherworld, instantly enveloping the Ancestral Witch and Pan Huang in this black and red energy.

The energy came quickly and went quickly; after a dozen or so breaths, the dark red energy left the group of ancestral witches.

The next second, another version of themselves appeared before the Ancestral Witches. While they were still wondering, the clothes worn by these replicas began to change, eventually turning into black robes with red patterns and dragon robes. Clearly, these were temporarily created by the underground passage to replace Dijiang and the others.

"Because you still have things to do in the primordial world, I have opened the underground passage. You are now the priests of the underworld. The underground passage has replicated them using your auras. With the thirteenth brother's complete set of procedures, there should be no problem within ten thousand years. However, after ten thousand years, you must enter the Netherworld to take up your posts." Empress Pingxin said to Pan Huang and the others.

"Seventh Sister, as the Lord of the Human Path, I shouldn't need to reside permanently in the Underworld, right?" Pan Huang said with a smile.

"Hmm!" Empress Pingxin nodded.

"Seventh Sister".

"Ah!" Dijiang exclaimed, and Pingxin Niangniang and Zuwu Houtu responded in unison, then the two looked at each other and smiled.

"Uh!" This left Dijiang a little confused; he didn't know how to address the two people in front of him.

"Alright then, eldest brother, you can still call me Seventh Sister, and Houtu can be called Little Sister. Thirteenth Brother, you're in luck now, you're the eldest brother now too," said Lady Pingxin with a smile to Pan Huang.

"Huh? I'm going to be a big brother now? Hahaha!" Pan Huang was stunned for a moment, then grinned. His expression reminded everyone of the expression on Shebishi's face when Pan Huang was born.

"Hahaha!" The group of ancestral witches laughed upon seeing this.

"Seventh Sister, we'll be leaving now. After things are settled with the demons, we'll enter the Netherworld and help you manage it," Di Jiang said very seriously.

The other Ancestral Witches nodded solemnly. They had also realized that the prehistoric world was no longer under their control. With the arrival of the Age of Saints, the Witch Clan, relying solely on Pan Huang and Zhu Jiuyin, could not withstand the Saints' schemes.

Once one's own brother is plotted against by a sage, the final result is almost the same as death, which is why Dijiang said this.

"Go ahead, I will be waiting for you all here." Empress Pingxin nodded.

……

"Reincarnation has been established, quickly return to your positions!" After the Ancestral Witches left, the indifferent voice of Lady Pingxin appeared in the primordial world.

Upon returning to their temples and hearing the voice of Lady Pingxin, the saints immediately dispatched their disciples to the Netherworld.

Kunlun Mountain.

In Panhuang's memories of his previous life, it seems that Yuanshi Tianzun did not want any divine office. There was only Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun in the underworld. He did not seem to belong to the orthodox divine office of the underworld. Instead, he was a wandering person who delivered souls like Ksitigarbha. But now he wanted the animal realm, which made him somewhat unwilling. Afterwards, he summoned Guangchengzi and Taiyi Zhenren to Yuxu Palace.

"Guang Chengzi, go to the Netherworld and become the Lord of the Animal Path. Taiyi, go find Lady Pingxin and tell her that you don't want a divine position. Instead, set up a Taoist temple next to Ksitigarbha and help my Chan Sect plan some good deeds." Yuanshi Tianzun said to Guang Chengzi and Taiyi Zhenren.

"Master, will this work?" Taiyi Zhenren asked with some concern.

"You go first! If it doesn't work, I will personally intervene," said Yuanshi Tianzun.

"Yes, Master!"

In Tanggu, Laozi sent his only disciple, Longxuhu, to the Netherworld. That's right, Longxuhu was Laozi's disciple.

After Laozi founded the Demon Cult, countless demons wanted to become his disciples. However, the internal structure of the demon race was too complex. Rashly accepting disciples would cause the race to expand. The best outcome would be to accept Di Jun and his descendants as disciples, but Di Jun currently has no descendants.

Finally, Lao Tzu discovered Longxuhu, the first man-made being born in the world before Nuwa created humans. He was born with his own destiny. Later, Longxuhu joined the demon race, so Lao Tzu took him as his disciple.

Tongtian was in a bit of a dilemma. It was easy to deal with people like the Soul Reaper, Black and White Impermanence, and Ox-Head and Horse-Face, but who should be given the position of Lord of the Heavenly Dao was a real headache for Tongtian.

Finally, Tongtian summoned his four direct disciples together to ask for their opinions.

"Master, you don't need to consider me. I have no interest in this Heavenly Dao Lord position. You should give it to my junior sisters instead," Duobao said first.

Upon hearing this, Tongtian turned his gaze to the remaining three people.

"Master, does the Heavenly Dao Lord need to reside permanently in the Netherworld?" asked the Golden Spirit Mother.

"It's not needed now, but it will definitely be needed in the future." Tongtian nodded.

"Master, since that's the case, then this disciple doesn't want the position of the Lord of Heavenly Dao. It's too restrictive." Golden Spirit Mother shook her head.

"I don't want it either, Master. You know your disciple. I can't stand that kind of constraint," Turtle Spirit Mother quickly added.

"Master!"

"Stop. Someone has to go eventually. In that case, Wudang, you go." Tongtian Jiaozhu looked at Wudang Shengmu.

"Alright! That's settled then. You may leave." The Tongtian Sect Leader dismissed them before the Holy Mother of Wudang could speak again.

In fact, for the Jie Sect, freedom and ease are always the top priority. However, Tongtian knew that the Underworld not only offers merit points, but also involves a struggle between the Heavenly Dao and the Earthly Dao. Therefore, the Sage had to get involved in this struggle.

Needless to say, the Western religion had been waiting for a long time. When Empress Pingxin announced the swift return to her position, Ksitigarbha was the first to arrive in the Netherworld.

Looking at Ksitigarbha before her, Lady Pingxin revealed a meaningful smile. She wore the same smile when the disciples of the Three Pure Ones arrived later.

The reason she dared to allow the power of the Heavenly Dao to enter the Netherworld was entirely because of a few words that Pan Huang had secretly spoken to her when the cycle of reincarnation was first established. It was because of these words that Lady Pingxin agreed to let Pan Huang preside over the allocation of divine positions in the Underworld.

Looking at the people who had come, Empress Pingxin knew that the plan she and Pan Huang had discussed could begin to be implemented.

There was a little incident during this time: the Chan Sect's Taiyi Zhenren also wanted to emulate Dizang, but Lady Pingxin did not agree because Panhuang had not mentioned it, and in Lady Pingxin's view, this was an unstable factor.

Later, Yuanshi Tianzun personally came to discuss the matter with Pingxin Niangniang. Pingxin Niangniang was also a capable person. She directly passed the buck to the West, saying that if the West agreed, she would also be willing.

But how could the West possibly agree? When Yuanshi Tianzun approached the Western Sect, he was immediately rejected. They had thought about this strategy for a long time. This was a piece of fat meat that could directly satisfy the West's appetite. How could they possibly share half of it with the Chan Sect?

(End of this chapter)