A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 626 The Celestial Realm is Out of Balance, and the Underworld is in Chaos

The eighteen levels of the underworld, starting from the tenth level, are mostly treacherous places. The air is filled with the five turbid energies, and even the few mountains and lands that exist are inauspicious and unpredictable.

However, the environment in the upper nine levels of the underworld is actually quite good.

Especially in the second layer of the underworld, the boundless land is colorful and vibrant, the void itself is fragrant, and there are many exotic flowers and rare herbs.

King Qin Guang, King Chu Jiang, and King Song Di were sitting on the ground by a lake with lush flowers and plants, drinking and chatting.

Although the three of them were all dressed in the robes of the King of Hell, they looked very relaxed, clearly quite satisfied with this life of leisure amidst their busy schedules.

The only peculiarity is that their movements are very slow, and their speech is also very, very slow.

"Good wine!"

It seemed that while they were chatting idly, they were also distracted by countless other thoughts, using their boundless divine power to ponder other things.

that's the truth.

As Yama, who is appointed by the Heavenly Court, if he were in his own royal court, he would sit in the void all day long, motionless, releasing boundless divine thoughts to handle the affairs of the underworld, and occasionally contemplate recent events.

Now that they've come out to have a gathering, although it's a bit easier than when they were sitting in the royal court, they can't really shirk their duties as Yama. So most of their minds are still focused on exercising Yama's power.

The last sliver of thought they had left could still allow them to move at a near-celestial speed, but that... was really unnecessary.

Since everyone is a demon king anyway, they'd rather slowly sip their wine and pretend they're like newly enlightened stars whose minds work very slowly.

The Ten Kings of Hell are: King Qin Guang (First King), King Chu Jiang (Second King), King Song Di (Third King), King Wu Guan (Fourth King), and King Yama (Fifth King).

The Sixth King Biancheng, the Seventh King Taishan, the Eighth King Dushi, the Ninth King Pingdeng, and the Tenth King Zhuanlun.

These ten Kings of Hell, representing the ten realms of the underworld, each have their own duties.

The first four layers of the underworld are respectively responsible for overseeing the true spirits of the four types of beings after death: intelligent humans and insects, those without wisdom from plants and trees, cultivators, and demons. Each layer reviews and determines the destination of the spirits.

The fifth level of the underworld is headed by Yama, who is in charge of hell. It contains eighteen major hells and 129,600 minor hells. Those who have committed serious crimes in the first four levels of the underworld are sent to the fifth level of the underworld to be punished in hell.

Those whose sins are not serious enough to warrant entry into hell are sent down to the sixth, seventh, and eighth levels of the underworld, where they are assigned a place to reside according to their merits and karmic deeds in life.

Biancheng, Taishan, and Dushi are responsible for managing the lives of these ghosts until their lifespan is about to end and their memories fade. Then they enter the ninth level of the underworld, where King Pingdeng takes over, conducts a thorough examination, and sends them into the cycle of reincarnation.

As for the tenth level of the underworld, it is jointly ruled by King Yama and the Lord of the Underworld, and is responsible for dealing with the evil beasts of the lower underworld.

It is said that before the great calamity of antiquity, the system of the underworld was somewhat different from that of today. The Ten Kings of Hell were responsible for matters including the arrangements for the next life of these ghosts.

However, after the great calamity of antiquity, the immortals of the Heavenly Court discussed and believed that since the reincarnated beings are not the same as those of the previous life in terms of body and mind, why should they bear the sins of the previous life? If the spirit of the previous life was truly guilty of heinous crimes, how could it be allowed to be reincarnated so easily?

Therefore, all rewards and punishments for merits and sins must be completed within the underworld. Although the underworld still holds authority over reincarnation, it no longer deliberately interferes with the trajectory of all beings after reincarnation.

What the ancient Yama Kings thought about this is unknown, but the Yama Kings who succeeded them later did not have any objections to the Heavenly Court's decision. Although this matter seemed to reduce the power of the Yama Kings, it also reduced the responsibilities they needed to shoulder.

Being responsible for the rewards and punishments of all living beings in the myriad realms after death is already an incredibly complex and heavy burden. If one were to also interfere in the afterlife, intervening again when the trajectory of the afterlife is unexpectedly disrupted, that would be going too far.

It should be understood that even after the reform of the underworld, the number of matters that the Ten Kings of Hell need to handle is still unimaginable. With each mental movement, countless Daoist words and diagrams flow through the underworld and need to be reviewed.

All the titles bestowed by the Heavenly Court were originally earned through the cultivators' own strength. Only the Ten Yama Kings received an extra blessing, allowing powerful cultivators at the Emperor level to wield the mighty power of the Heavenly Venerable level without being burdened like the lords of the Holy Lands.

In fact, this was taken into consideration the fact that the underworld has heavy responsibilities and numerous duties.

If there weren't such great benefits, it wouldn't be enough to attract an Emperor-level powerhouse to take over the position of Yama.

However, generally speaking, very few Yama kings are willing to stay in office for a full billion years.

"Sigh, in a few years, this great calamity will erupt again. I wonder if we will be more relaxed or busier then."

King Qin Guang slowly shifted his position and poured himself another cup of wine.

"Being busy doesn't necessarily mean getting busier, but it will definitely be dangerous."

King Chujiang shook his head. "Unfortunately, I have too much karma to repay. Even if I run far away, I will definitely be dragged into the calamity. Only by becoming the King of Hell can I have a better chance of surviving the great calamity. Otherwise, hundreds of millions of years ago, I would have been traveling far away in the chaos, living a carefree life."

Emperor Song said in a gentle voice, "The King of Hell is not bad either. After all, with the blessing of the King of Hell, the power of the Heavenly Venerable he wields is more profound than that of ordinary holy land lords. As for the energy we usually expend in handling the affairs of the underworld, it is not necessarily much more arduous than that of those Heavenly Emperors when they first established their holy lands."

King Qin Guang and King Chu Jiang exchanged a glance, neither wanting to say anything.

This Song Emperor originally ascended from the lower realm. When he became an emperor, he gained enlightenment by observing the Chaotic Sea from afar. Therefore, the karmic debt with Taiqing Chiming was not too difficult to repay.

So many years ago, he had already traveled far away to the Chaos Realm. Unfortunately, he was unlucky and was seriously injured not long after he left. He then fled back to Taiqing Chiming. After recovering from his injuries, he thought that the karma on his body was still not too heavy, so he ran away again and was seriously injured again.

After this happened several times, the karmic connection between him and Taiqing Chiming deepened, and he couldn't escape it no matter what he wanted to do. So he had to fight for the position of Yama King, and now his mindset is more relaxed than that of the other Yama Kings.

"Speaking of which, the experiences of this current King Yama seem quite similar to those of Emperor Song?"

When King Qin Guang brought up this matter, Emperor Song's expression became somewhat subtle.

"The Emperor Realm has three stages. I was only at the initial stage back then, so it's understandable that I would encounter dangers when traveling to the Boundary Sea. But when Yama King took office, his realm was already at the high stage, right?"

Emperor Song clicked his tongue, "For a high-ranking emperor to repeatedly run into obstacles and need to flee back to Taiqing Chiming to recuperate, I think he's the truly unlucky one. Perhaps he was cursed by the Plague God, hehehe!"

King Qin Guang and King Chu Jiang couldn't help but laugh.

When that fellow Daoist was recommended to be the King of Hell, everyone laughed about it. King Qin Guang, being the most cautious man, had some doubts at the time, wondering if there was something fishy going on.

However, later, King Pingdeng led everyone to examine the past of that fellow Daoist, and the reply from the Heavenly Venerable of the Fire Department was also correct. King Qin Guang then put aside his suspicions and could only conclude that the fellow Daoist was truly unlucky.

As the three Kings of Hell chatted and laughed, their hearts suddenly trembled. For the first time, the blessing from the Kings of Hell sent a shocking feeling back to them, causing them to involuntarily look up.

The Emperor Demon Pool shattered, and the ancient Dao Fruit reappeared, its divine light shooting straight to the Heavenly Court.

All the myriad realms and countless universes connected to the human world emerged under the illumination of that divine light.

Each universe cluster is like a grain of sand emitting a faint light, and now, these grains of sand are countless and as vast as the sea, thus highlighting the presence of the underworld, like a dark island in an endless sea of ​​light.

When that divine light shot into the sky...

The entire "sea surface" is tilting!!!

In all the heavens and myriad realms, the axis of the universe tilted, the threads of time cracked, and countless things were all evolving towards the desolate state favored by that divine light.

Until the Nine Heavens appeared, a sword shadow slowly emerged from the Heavenly Court.

With just this one sword, it seemed to revive the order of all the heavens and myriad realms, halting the collapse of all worlds, and making the progress of that divine light rushing towards the Heavenly Court seem unattainable.

"Gonggong, why did you have to come and join the fun at this time?"

The Emperor Sword soared into the sky, unreachable, its divine light piercing the heavens, yet its momentum was unstoppable. Moreover, at this moment, the surface of the Great Void Sea suddenly trembled.

Another voice rang out from the Heavenly Court, causing endless ripples that converged towards the Supreme Crimson Brightness.

"Haha, an old friend of the Heavenly Emperor has returned, why keep him at arm's length?!"

Ripples of the infinite void swept in, and divine light rushed into the celestial realm. In an instant, the thirty-three heavens trembled violently.

All the sacred lands of the heavens lost control at this moment and plummeted rapidly.

The main body of the Heavenly Court, which covered the nine heavens, also collapsed, and countless heavenly palaces and holy lands were thrown out together.

Another sword shadow emerged from the Heavenly Court. With a turn of the twin swords, the infinite void, the divine light of myriad realms, and the remaining part of the Heavenly Court were all enveloped in a hazy shimmering light and disappeared simultaneously.

The trend of those holy lands falling from the heavens has been greatly alleviated, but it still presses down on the surface of the Great Void Sea in an irreversible manner.

They have already transcended the celestial realm and are about to reach the same altitude as the human world.

With so many holy lands falling simultaneously onto the surface of the Great Void Sea, the raging waves they create will likely annihilate countless lives within the realms of those holy lands.

Although the human world is protected by heavenly rules and will not be destroyed, it will likely have all its vitality wiped out.

At this moment, the Heavenly Venerables and Emperors who had just escaped from the Heavenly Court all took action to support the sacred land. The Western Ling Mountain emitted a solemn Buddhist light, surrounded by auspicious clouds, and was the pure land where many great Bodhisattvas resided.

In the Xuanyuan Holy Land of the human race, a long spear was raised, influencing the fate of the entire human race. The other seven holy lands worked together to form an array, sharing the fall of many holy lands.

The many sacred lands of the Immortal Spirit Clan transformed into giant birds, and the Great Wilderness Old Realm hidden in the Boundary Sea suddenly opened up, revealing the Heavenly Demon Secret Realm behind the Spirit Mountain...

Countless divine lights intertwined, mixed with the ripples of the falling holy land.

The entire area of ​​the boundary sea was instantly thrown into chaos, to a state that even King Qin Guang and his men could hardly perceive.

The eighteen levels of the underworld were also greatly impacted and began to tremble.

Just then, four golden lights descended from the surface of the Boundary Sea and entered the Underworld, each releasing strange incantations that touched the authority of the myriad realms of reincarnation contained within the Underworld.

"Who are you, daring to interfere with the cycle of reincarnation?!"

The Emperor Demon Pool Secret Realm collapsed, the Lord of the Great Wilderness reappeared in his true form, the Heavenly Court was shocked, the Holy Land fell, and the series of changes, although they shocked and stunned the Netherworld powerhouses for a time, the four golden lights that wanted to touch the authority of the Netherworld immediately aroused their vigilance.

King Qin Guang made the first move, but only one of the four golden lights managed to fight him to a standstill.

King Chujiang, King Song, and even King Wuguan of the fourth level of the underworld arrived before the four golden beams of light could be completely blocked from invading.

"To defeat these four, it would probably take at least seven kings to come out together."

King Qin Guang transmitted his voice, "Yama, Biancheng, and Lord Taishan, please come quickly to our aid!"

No matter which faction it is, it is impossible for four cowardly individuals to take over the underworld.

But the next moment, the expressions of the first four Yama Kings changed, because they all felt that King Qin Guang's voice transmission had failed to reach the fifth level of the underworld.

Moreover, a slight movement occurred in the fifth layer of the underworld.

King Biancheng, the lord of the sixth level of the underworld, has led his army of ghosts and gods, along with the ghosts of the sixth level, to activate large magical artifacts and operate formations, ready for battle.

More than 100,000 enormous creatures were seen pressing down on the celestial barrier of the sixth level of the underworld, continuously crushing downwards.

"Yama, so you're a traitor after all..."

King Biancheng stared intently at the thousands of hellish lords, "You dare to make a move? Surely you have accomplices in the underworld?"

"certainly."

King Yama, with his blue face, fangs, and deep red hair, laughed heartily, "If not for that, why hasn't Lord Taishan caught up yet?"

At the boundary of the seventh level of the underworld.

King Taishan tore his royal robe with one hand, his magical power surging wildly. Thousands of mountains shifted and formed armor and scales that covered his right arm, allowing him to raise his giant peach wood axe and lead his army to attack King Dushi, who had just ambushed him.

The tenth level of the underworld.

King Chakravartin looked up and saw the great changes in the heavens. Suddenly, he felt that all the lotus flowers in Ksitigarbha's Pure Land had perished, so he couldn't help but turn his head to look.

Within the Pure Land of Ksitigarbha, all things flow like ashes, the landscape changes, and objects are reshaped.

The ground was flat, made of glass, and filled with light and fragrance.

The city walls were made of imperial lapis lazuli, and eight wide avenues were built with gold and silver. The eaves, windows, and railings of the buildings, palaces, and small buildings were decorated with various gemstones. Everywhere, there were rows of fragrant trees, with colorful ribbons hanging from their branches.

Everywhere you look, there are hanging bells that, when blown by a gentle breeze, play beautiful and melodious tunes, all praising the Buddhist teachings of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self.

Countless Vajras, Devas, Bhikkhus, White Elephants, Water Buffaloes, and Pythons chanted sutras and prayed together, causing beautiful and exotic fragrant flowers to fall, filling the bottoms of rivers, seas, and lakes with golden sand and clear water.

This is still a wondrous scene that can only be displayed when one has cultivated the profound methods of Buddhism to the level of a Buddha.

However, this is by no means the path held by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who was appointed as the Lord of the Underworld.

"you……"

King Yama uttered a single word, but before he could finish speaking, his figure suddenly changed, revealing himself with four faces and eight arms.

The two arms facing away clasped together, holding an ancient, round disc, blocked a palm strike that had broken through the barrier of the Great Boundary.

The palm had a peculiar shape, with the middle finger as the dividing line, and the left and right sides were completely symmetrical, as if the palm had grown a middle finger, two index fingers and two thumbs.

The Boundary Sea was violently impacted, and the eighteen levels of the Underworld trembled, creating a powerful force descending from above.

This palm strike, originating from the ninth level of the underworld, gathered boundless power, yet remained hidden in the void, unknown to anyone.

It was as if this supreme divine power was equal to a tender willow leaf blown away by a gentle breeze.

Although King Yama reacted quickly, his Dharma plate was still shattered by this palm strike, and his two arms facing his back were broken, damaging his Dharma form. Golden blood seeped from the corners of the mouths of his four faces.

"King of Equality!"

The Chakravartin dynasty retreated hastily to the side, keeping an eye on the movements of King Equality and King Ksitigarbha, their hearts filled with both shock and anger.

"When did you betray the Underworld?"

The fake Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva smiled while holding prayer beads, followed by a resounding Buddhist chant that echoed throughout the underworld.

"Now!"

King Yama immediately sensed that the immense magical power within that Pure Land was activated, traversing the void, penetrating downwards, and resonating with the things in the eighteenth level of the Underworld.

In the eighteenth level of the underworld, two Mani beads collided in mid-air, transforming into a golden cloud of light. The center was dark, with faint traces of light, resembling a golden ring stretching across the starry sky.

The next moment, the array formed by thirty-nine emperors, aided by this Buddhist light, broke through the eighteenth level of the underworld, continuing upwards, crossing countless boundaries, and charging towards the tenth level of the underworld.

"The Wheel-Turning King!"

The fake Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva rose, exuding an aura of dominance and overwhelming power. "Today is the day the underworld changes hands. Will you surrender or not?!"

(End of this chapter)