Gou Zai Xi You Dao Chang Sheng

Li Yan listened, feeling a chill run down his spine.

He bowed deeply.

"Thank you for your guidance, Bodhisattva. I will remember it forever."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva nodded slightly and then looked at Sun Wukong.

"Sun Wukong".

Sun Wukong scratched his ear and asked, "What does the Bodhisattva have to say?"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said, "Your brother is a rare talent."

You must treat him well and not let him down.

Sun Wukong grinned and said, "Does the Bodhisattva even need to say that? My brothers are naturally to be treated well!"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva smiled slightly, turned around, and bowed slightly to Laozi.

"Laojun, this humble monk takes his leave."

Lao Tzu nodded.

"Bodhisattvas, please proceed with caution."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva turned around, took a step, and disappeared into the gray mist.

At this time.

Laozi stroked his beard and smiled, "Young friend, this old Daoist greets you."

Li Yan bowed.

"Junior Li Yan pays respects to the Supreme Dao Ancestor."

Lao Tzu raised his hand in a gesture of support.

"No need for formalities. I have already heard about your matter from Venus."

"To be able to repel the enemy with the art of distraction, and to be able to break through the Buddhist kingdom with a meeting of minds—young friend, your abilities are truly admirable."

Li Yan said, "Dao Ancestor, you flatter me. I was merely lucky."

Lao Tzu shook his head.

"Young friend, you are so young yet you have such skill and understanding. Given time, you will surely achieve great things."

As he spoke, he took out a jade talisman from his sleeve and handed it to Li Yan.

"This is a token from the Tushita Palace."

"Young friend, with this talisman, you may enter the Heavenly Court within three days and go to the Tushita Palace to listen to the Daoist Ancestor preach."

Li Yan took the jade talisman and felt a warm, gentle energy flow from his palm straight into his mind.

He carefully put away the jade talisman and bowed deeply to Laozi.

"Thank you for your kindness, Dao Ancestor."

Laozi nodded slightly and looked at the blue ox.

"Old Niu, let's go."

The blue ox slowly stood up and wagged its tail at Li Yan.

"Kid, when you come to the Tushita Palace, I, Old Niu, will treat you to kumquats."

Li Yan smiled slightly.

"Thank you, senior."

The blue ox nodded in response.

Then, following Laozi, they transformed into two streaks of green light and disappeared outside the hall.

Before long, Venus stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to Li Yan, and said:

"Young friend Li, it is time for this old man to take his leave. If fate allows, we shall meet again in the Heavenly Court."

Li Yan returned the greeting and said, "Thank you for your help, Venus. I will definitely go there within three days."

Venus smiled slightly, turned around, rode on a cloud, and disappeared into the horizon.

At this moment, the Ten Kings of Hell stepped forward and bowed to Li Yan, saying:

"Congratulations on your escape from your predicament, fellow Daoist. Congratulations on gaining the favor of the Dao Ancestor."

Li Yan returned the greeting and said, "Thank you all for your help, Lords of Hell."

King Yama said, "Fellow Daoist, you are too kind. We have only done our bit and it is nothing to mention."

Li Yan said, "I will always remember the kindness of you Yama Kings today."

If I ever need your help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask.

Upon hearing this, the Ten Kings of Hell exchanged glances, both filled with astonishment and admiration.

What's astonishing is that this Taoist priest Li is only at the sixth level of the Cave Heaven Realm, yet he has managed to attract the personal attention of the supreme masters of both Buddhism and Taoism, who are now engaged in a battle.

The one who wears the pendant is in the Buddha-land within the palm of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. With a mind devoted to the Way, he comprehends the Buddha's thoughts and breaks through the predicament without a fight.

Such insight and temperament are truly rare in the world.

King Yama and the other nine kings exchanged glances, their eyes meeting as they made their decision.

King Yama stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:

"Master Li, although we were bystanders today, we saw things very clearly."

The Taoist priest treated the two soul-snatching ghosts with compassion and protected the monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain with benevolence and righteousness.

Such a mindset is truly rare.

Li Yan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

King Yama continued, "Those two ghost soldiers are merely the lowest-ranking servants in the underworld, acting under orders without any control over their own lives."

If it were anyone else, they wouldn't even give them a second glance, let alone plead for them.

But the Taoist priest was willing to speak on their behalf, even going so far as to use his divine power to personally descend to the Underworld and explain the matter to the Ten Courts.

"We have seen and remembered such compassion."

As Li Yan listened, a complex emotion welled up within him.

He asked himself if he truly possessed such compassion.

The reason he pleaded for the two ghost soldiers was that he felt their crimes didn't deserve death.

I was simply following orders.

But the deeper reason is his experience as a working-class person in his previous life.

In his previous life, he was also from the bottom of society, working diligently and cautiously, afraid of making mistakes.

But when something goes wrong, it's always those at the bottom who take the blame.

The leader remains high above, unharmed.

For these ordinary people, the consequences range from a pay cut to losing their jobs.

After arriving in this world of Journey to the West, he became accustomed to life and death, and also to the fact that immortals and Buddhas regarded mortals as ants.

Those two ghost soldiers, though they were underworld servants, were nothing more than the most insignificant soldiers in this vast system.

Therefore, Li Yan couldn't bear to do it.

Once this thought arose, the divine will descended that day, and spoke with the Ten Kings of Hell.

Upon hearing Yama mention it, Li Yan couldn't help but recall his past life and sighed inwardly.

He shook his head slightly and said, "You flatter me, Lord Yama."

I simply feel that those two ghost soldiers were acting under orders and their crimes do not warrant death.

If it can save their lives, then it should be done.

It was nothing, nothing to mention.

Upon hearing this, a strange light flashed in the eyes of all ten Kings of Hell.

King Qin Guang said, "Daoist, you are mistaken. Having served in the Underworld for tens of thousands of years, we have seen far too many immortals, gods, Buddhas, and demons."

Those people with profound cultivation regard all living beings as ants.

Those in high positions of power regard lowly soldiers as worthless.

Those who would plead for a mere ghost soldier like this Taoist priest are few and far between.

Those in high positions of power regard lowly soldiers as worthless.

Those who would plead for a mere ghost soldier like this Taoist priest are few and far between.

King Chujiang said, "That's right."

If those two ghost soldiers were truly killed by Immortal Sun, their souls would be scattered, and they wouldn't even have the chance to be reincarnated.

If it were anyone else, who would say a single word for them?

Emperor Song said, "Daoist's actions may seem ordinary, but they are in fact in accordance with the Way of Heaven."

The Five Senses King said: "The Way of Heaven is to take from the excess and give to the deficiency."

Compassionate people have pity on all living beings and cherish even the smallest lives.

"If the Taoist priest has this intention, then he is in harmony with the Way of Heaven."

King Biancheng asked, "Why did Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva make the great vow that he would not become a Buddha until hell is emptied?"

Isn't it simply because you see all beings suffering that you feel compassion?

King Taishan said, "Although the Taoist priest is not a Buddhist, he still has this compassionate heart."

This mind is the Buddha's mind, and also the mind of the Tao.

Urban King's Way: "We, the Ten Kings, are in charge of reincarnation. We have seen life and death, and we have also seen the human heart."

"A Taoist priest with such a temperament is one in a million."

King Pingdeng said, "Therefore, we have something to give you."

King Yama finally said, "This item is a supreme treasure of my underworld, and it will not be passed on to anyone who is not destined to receive it."

Having witnessed the Daoist's virtuous character today, we wish to present this item to him as a token of goodwill.

After saying that, the ten Kings of Hell all raised their hands.

Ten rays of light emanated from their palms.

The light was a deep blue, yet it also faintly shone with gold.

Ten beams of light converged at one point, transforming into an ancient and simple jade scroll.

The jade slip was entirely black, yet it faintly shimmered with golden light.

On the surface of the bottle are four ancient characters: Reincarnation Sutra.

Li Yan's eyes narrowed.

The True Scripture of Reincarnation?

When he was at Fangcun Mountain, he heard the patriarch mention it briefly.

It is said that this scripture is a supreme treasure of the underworld, an unparalleled classic that records the secrets of reincarnation.

According to legend, this sutra contains the mysteries of the six realms of reincarnation, and those who comprehend it can see the past and future and know about the cycle of birth and death.

They can even use the power of reincarnation to be reborn and cultivate again without losing their original intentions.

Such a priceless treasure, and the Ten Kings of Hell actually want to give it to me?

He quickly cupped his hands and said, "I am deeply grateful for the kindness shown to you all, Lords of Hell."

"But this scripture is a priceless treasure of the underworld. How could I, a humble Taoist, dare to accept it?"

King Yama shook his head and said, "Taoist priest, there's no need to decline."

Although this sutra is a priceless treasure, it cannot be fully comprehended by those who are not destined to understand it.

"We, the ten kings, have been in charge of this scripture for tens of thousands of years, yet we have only managed to comprehend one or two aspects of its meaning."

"Having seen the Daoist's character today, I feel that he may be able to glean some insights from this scripture."

King Qin Guang said, "Furthermore, the Taoist priest just said that the two ghost soldiers were acting under orders and their crimes do not warrant death."

This compassionate heart aligns perfectly with the first essential principle of the Sutra of Reincarnation.

King Chujiang said, "The first essential principle of the Reincarnation Scripture is compassion."

Without compassion, one cannot comprehend the cycle of rebirth. Only with compassion can one glimpse the secrets of reincarnation.

Li Yan listened, seemingly lost in thought.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

"In that case, I will humbly accept it. Thank you all, Lords of Hell, for your generous gift."

Upon hearing this, the Ten Kings of Hell all smiled.