A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 636 The so-called Cult Leader

When Immortal Venerable Ji Tu was suppressed, the five holy land lords who had fallen into the underworld were also almost dealt with.

Their strength was already inferior to that of Immortal Venerable Ji Tu, and they encountered the King of Hell and the Supreme Master Qingdeng, who wielded the Red Lotus Divine Blade, while their bodies were filled with a large amount of Heavenly Ghost Turbid Qi.

There were even underworld emperors who had set up elaborate formations early on, making the most of their numbers to bully the weak.

It can be said that these five unfortunate holy land lords were in a passive and defensive state from beginning to end, and the entire process of being suppressed was really unremarkable.

"Although the lords of these five holy lands have been suppressed, their connection with their own holy lands cannot be completely severed. If someone discovers their situation later and uses their holy lands to do something, it may cause changes to the seal on our side."

King Qin Guang said to Master Qingdeng, "In your opinion, Master, should we leave them with a glimmer of hope, or should we prepare early and nip this potential problem in the bud?"

"Of the five of them, four are from the human race and have studied in the sacred land of the human race. However, when they attacked Shouyang Mountain, they were ruthless and showed no mercy to any human beings in the Southern Continent."

Master Qingdeng said, "Since we have already made enemies of such people, we should never give them any chance to turn the tables."

Now that the underworld has been targeted, and with three of the Ten Kings of Hell missing, there's little hope of escaping unscathed in this great calamity.

It's unlikely that you can be all things to all people and get along with everyone; it's always better to find a solid ally.

Shouyang Mountain shares the same stance as the eight ancient holy lands of the human race and possesses considerable resources. Since Guan Luoyang is willing to form an alliance with this force, King Qin Guang and others are naturally also somewhat tempted.

"good!"

After a moment's thought, King Qin Guang said, "With the will of Heaven scattered and the connections between the myriad realms of the human world distributed, these sacred lands will inevitably become the focus of contention among those who intend to dominate the calamity."

"We must do things thoroughly. Now that the leader has chosen his side, let's mobilize the power of the underworld and take control of these five holy sites!"

Emperor Song hurriedly said, "Those five holy lands are all located on the surface of the Boundary Sea, quite a distance from the Underworld. Once we leave the Underworld, we will lose its blessing, so we certainly cannot act rashly. I wonder which tribes we should send on this expedition to have a high chance of victory?"

Master Qingdeng was also somewhat curious.

King Qin Guang, King Chu Jiang, and the others exchanged a glance and smiled slightly.

Emperor Song's journey to the underworld was out of necessity. After becoming the King of Hell, he devoted all his energy to leisure activities, aside from handling official duties. His understanding of the King of Hell's authority was still somewhat lacking.

As for Master Qingdeng, although he holds the token of the Netherworld Lord, the Netherworld Lord's authority is not as comprehensive as that of Yama, so he does not yet know the details.

"What expedition?"

To facilitate communication, the magical image of King Taishan left in the upper underworld also gathered with them and said, "Since the lord of the Holy Land has been suppressed by us, their Holy Land is nothing more than a place within our reach in the underworld."

King Qin Guang laughed and said, "Biancheng and Taishan have strong troops and the most ghost and god followers. Biancheng, in particular, suffered the least damage. I will mainly entrust this matter to you."

King Biancheng readily agreed.

"Master, just watch our methods."

As they spoke, Thousand-Petaled Lotus sensed a distinct fluctuation in the aura of the sixth and seventh layers of the underworld.

King Qin Guang and King Chu Jiang, their divine senses fluctuating, did not avoid the Supreme Master Qingdeng and directly transmitted a divine incantation to Emperor Song.

This is not some secret technique, but rather an application of the authority of Yama, the King of Hell, while residing in the underworld.

Although Emperor Song did not understand it at first, once he received the instruction, he was able to use it immediately without any practice.

This incantation requires at least five Yama Kings to use together in order to represent the approval of the underworld and allow the actual actions of King Biancheng and King Taishan to proceed smoothly.

As the ancient incantation resounded, a wondrous sound echoed in the void, seemingly originating from a distant past and destined to continue into the infinite future.

Master Qingdeng felt a stirring in his heart upon hearing this, realizing that although the mysterious chant sounded ancient and weathered at first glance, upon closer examination, it was full of boundless innovation.

The old and the new alternate, and the cycle continues eternally. But this cycle is not about standing still; it is about moving forward in the process, like a wheel rolling in the torrent of the great road.

Master Qingdeng naturally closed his eyes.

In the midst of chaos, Guan Luoyang's true form suddenly stopped and listened intently.

In the darkness, a vast and incomparable gate of reincarnation was activated.

That thing, which is like a wheel or a ring and exudes an incredible and subtle aura, spreading endlessly outward, is a legal system that encompasses all the heavens and myriad worlds, and it is also a kind of truth.

It is a sacred object revered by all paths, and also a kind of imagery manifested by the pure Tao.

Reincarnation! Reincarnation!

Living beings are subject to reincarnation, and so are inanimate objects.

Sheep eat grass, wolves eat sheep. After the wolf dies, its flesh and blood turn into rotten soil, from which grass grows again. The ocean turns into mulberry fields, and the mulberry fields return to the ocean. Rocks decay into dust, and the dust brews into stubborn rocks.

From the food of wolves and sheep to the changing of the heavens and earth, these changes in scenery, upon closer examination, also contain the principle of reincarnation.

Heaven and earth, water, fire, wind, thunder, mountains and marshes; the mystical sects, the Buddhist sects, demons and monsters; cause and effect, time sequence, matter and mind—the list goes on and on.

All the great paths and all the ways of cultivation are permeated by the concept of reincarnation, which is an irrefutable, omnipresent, and fundamental principle governing all things and phenomena.

Within the chaotic realm, inside the Night Rain Holy Land.

The Great Yu Immortal Dynasty, founded by the Holy Lord of Night Rain, rules over countless branches of time and boundless starry territories within this Great Dao Realm, having existed for countless years.

Compared to the celestial realm of Taiqing Chiming, the Heavenly Court spreads the Dharma to all the heavens and myriad realms according to their own circumstances, without forcibly interfering, and teaches in a way that is subtle and pervasive.

The Great Yu Immortal Dynasty is much more powerful within this Great Dao Realm. Everything in the infinite universe is the property of the Immortal Dynasty's royal family and nobles.

Even a mere Earth Immortal, relying on family background and a title from the Immortal Dynasty, can unleash a colossal power capable of annihilating stars and controlling galaxies within their own fiefdom.

Therefore, for them, their own cultivation was only an auxiliary means; the competition for official positions in the Immortal Dynasty was the most important thing.

If a family is in power in the court, even those gods and officials of higher realms will treat them with utmost respect. If a family loses power, a mere heavenly soldier can issue an edict that strips them of their titles, restores them to their original form, and decides their life or death with a single word.

As for the sects and independent cultivators in the common people, even if some outstanding figures temporarily display their power, they are merely pawns manipulated at will in the factional struggles of the Immortal Dynasty, and only a microcosm of the factional infighting within the court.

To this day, in any universe or star field within this Great Dao Realm, there are people who have vaguely heard a mysterious sound.

That was the sound of reincarnation beginning.

The ministers of the celestial dynasty, each ruling their own territory, usually knew what was important. After receiving the titles from the celestial dynasty, they were also meant to better assist their own cultivation. Therefore, they were knowledgeable and had keen senses, and knew that it was a wonderful sound related to the cycle of reincarnation in the netherworld.

Some of those with higher levels of cultivation even sensed that their own karma was being stirred up, and all the merits and sins of their lives surfaced.

"What?! Even those of the ninth rank in the Celestial Dynasty are not subject to reincarnation. Who is so bold as to preemptively communicate with our karma?!"

"No, no, even according to the laws of the underworld, we high-ranking officials have always been blessed with immense merit and have committed absolutely no sins. So where did this karma on my body come from?"

In the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty, merits and demerits have always been judged by official rank.

Those with high official positions are considered to have boundless merit, and whatever they do is considered meritorious. Unless they are brought down in the officialdom, they should not have the slightest sin on their bodies.

At this moment, the sound of reincarnation filled the world, causing changes in their auras and instantly filling countless people with shock and anger.

"Those in charge of the Immortal Dynasty's Reincarnation Land should be the Sixth Prince, the Nineteenth Prince, and the Thirty-Seventh Prince. What commotion have they caused?"

"Could it be that they intend to overthrow the Crown Prince's regency?"

"The Holy Lord has countless offspring, regardless of age. The position of Crown Prince is determined by cultivation strength. The First Crown Prince is far-sighted and exceptionally powerful; how could he be easily moved?"

"Hmph! Although those three princes have many aristocratic families on good terms, no family with a distinguished reputation would be so careless about such an important matter."

"If they do anything inappropriate, our aristocratic families will probably have to join forces to teach them a lesson they shouldn't take."

Most of these aristocratic patriarchs were disciples of the Holy Lord, and in terms of closeness, they were no less than the princes. They immediately used their Yin Qi supernatural powers to head to the Netherworld.

However, when they arrived in the underworld, what they saw was no longer the scene of celestial court ghost soldiers whipping and beating ghosts.

A colossal mountain, more than they had ever imagined in their lives, stood at the edge of their sight.

The Netherworld of the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty seemed to be nothing more than a small flower patch at the foot of that divine mountain, or rather, a flower patch that exuded a foul stench.

Thus, within the sacred mountain, numerous illusory figures of officials appeared, holding account books and wielding pens with incredible speed.

With each stroke of the brush, countless ghost soldiers and officials vanished from the entire Netherworld.

"By order of the King of Mount Tai, those with grave sins shall be punished first!"

"The King of Mount Tai decrees that those whose sins weigh more than the weight of the Three Seas shall have their souls ground to dust on the spot and refined into the Yin energy of the Ghost Kingdom."

"The King of Mount Tai's Decree..."

The patriarchs of the powerful families of the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty stared in astonishment at this scene.

They clearly saw that the three princes who had been denounced by them earlier had their bodies shattered by a chain, their souls taken away, howling in pain, a truly horrific sight.

"What? A mere initial-stage Celestial Immortal has committed sins so deep that they amount to the volume of six thousand ocean depths? That's quite rare."

On Mount Tai, several officials marveled at the sight. They thought that such a sinful soul should have been handed over to Yama, the King of Hell, to be punished in hell.

However, given the urgency of the situation, the three princes were executed on the spot, burned with true fire, their minds obliterated, and their essence used as pure Yin energy to fill this Great Dao Realm, facilitating further interference from the Underworld.

They really got off easy.

In a daze, those patriarchs of noble families recalled the origin of that sacred mountain.

It seems that the Lord of Night Rain once mentioned that the Taiqing Chiming has eighteen layers of the underworld and ten kings of hell, all of whom possess the great power of a celestial being and are all on par with the Lord of Night Rain.

But when was that? Was it said 300 million years ago, or 500 million years ago?

Most of these aristocratic patriarchs never considered leaving this Great Dao Realm. Although they had heard of the grandeur of the outside world, they treated it as a joke and focused on enjoying their power within the realm.

Now that Mount Tai has arrived and the judge is about to appear, they are filled with apprehension.

However, before they could react further, one of the judges had already raised a mirror, looked at himself, and then made a stroke.

These patriarchs of powerful families died instantly, their physical bodies shattered, and their souls were bound and dragged away by chains in the void.

Faced with such a life-or-death situation, they finally unleashed their desperate abilities, demonstrating the extraordinary skills they had acquired from the Night Rain Saint Lord.

Normally, the judges and ghosts could probably break free of their chains and escape for a while.

But this time, the underworld is making a big move. The treasure mirrors in the hands of these judges are directly connected to the power of King Biancheng and King Taishan. How could these aristocratic ancestors possibly contend with them?

The followers of King Taishan quickly used their native Netherworld as a base to re-examine all living beings in this Great Dao Realm.

Compared to the Great Cycle controlled by the Underworld, which involves all the heavens and myriad realms.

Within the sacred land formed by the Heavenly Emperor, there is also a small cycle. All the countless beings born after the opening and development of the Great Dao Realm utilize this small cycle to circulate endlessly within it and accumulate wisdom.

In the past, it was generally only when a holy land fell into decay that all the true spirits within it would be taken over by the underworld for a unified retrial.

However, if necessary, even with the Holy Land's Lord suppressed, the Underworld can still use resonance to open a passage through the small cycle within the Holy Land, allowing the Underworld's troops to descend and take control of the situation.

Once the forces of the underworld have sufficiently assimilated the Holy Land, the Holy Land itself will be recognized as part of the underworld.

Even if the Holy Land and the Underworld are not directly adjacent, Yama, the King of Hell, can still retain the blessing power of a Heavenly Venerable within the Holy Land's territory.

As the saying goes, good and evil will eventually be rewarded. These people who violated the supreme virtues of Taiqing Chiming will now face their judgment ahead of time, without even having to wait until the world decays.

Before long, one-thousandth of the cultivators in this Great Dao Realm had been lost, all of them having been taken to the Underworld.

The remaining ones, whose sins had not yet reached the point of warranting "special treatment," had already learned the root cause of this upheaval and were all burning incense and praying.

Master Qingdeng slowly opened his eyes, a thousand-petaled lotus in his hand emitting a soft halo, its petals trembling gently.

"The cycle of reincarnation in the Taiqing Chiming school is indeed profound."

He looked at the lotus flower in his hand and thought, "So the Lord of the Underworld has such responsibilities. No wonder his title includes the word 'Lord'."

A religious leader is a pioneer in education and moral guidance.

When all living beings are willing to repent but are lost and have no way out, the Lord of the Underworld should spread the laws of the underworld, his endless thoughts pervading the void, tracing back down, so that all living beings there may understand what is good and evil, right and wrong.

This will correct their distorted views on merit and sin, which were influenced by the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty, and provide them with new guidance for their future actions.

The Supreme Master Qingdeng sat down cross-legged, his physical body vast and vibrating through the void, naturally giving rise to the laws of the underworld, which were then transmitted as incantations.

The lotus blooms, enlightening all living beings.

The Night Rain Holy Land was just the beginning; the holy lands of Fangxing, Guzhu, Bailihou, and Daocanyi also entered this stage one after another.

"Fellow Daoist, Fellow Daoist, what's wrong?"

The ninth generation of Emperor Yao repeatedly expressed his gratitude, but noticed that the man seemed lost in thought and didn't react much. He couldn't help but worry that the man might have suffered some hidden injury during the battle.

"Um?"

Guan Luoyang came to his senses and smiled slightly, "It's nothing, I just had a feeling just now and vaguely glimpsed a deeper level of the Dao."

In the brief moment he paused, the joys and sorrows of countless universes and all living beings within those great realms underwent earth-shattering changes.

(End of this chapter)