After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

Shen Tu's gaze fell on the almost invisible dark aura between the two men's brows, and he continued:

"At this moment, they are trapped in their own inner demons and illusions. No outsider can help them in this tribulation; only by eliminating their inner demons themselves can they break free. Forcibly awakening them will only damage their foundation."

He paused, his eyes flashing again as he scanned the flow of energy around the two men, then softened his tone and added:

"Judging from their auras, these two have a solid foundation and extraordinary willpower; they should be able to save themselves."

After explaining, Shen Tu held the little girl firmly in his arms again, his tone tinged with urgency and a hint of guilt:

"My little ancestor, this matter is settled. Come back with me quickly. If your father and mother find out, they'll surely... cough, I mean, they'll cause a huge commotion in the underworld! Hurry, hurry!"

However, the little girl struggled to slide off his arms and ran to Jiang Dusheng and Xie Jinchen.

She looked up at the two of them with their eyes closed, her little face full of solemnity.

The little girl took a deep breath, straightened her small back, and made a hand seal in front of her.

Despite having just escaped her predicament and being weak in spiritual energy, at this moment, as she focused her mind and formed hand seals, her body exuded an aura that shared the same origin and breath as the laws of the Netherworld.

In the distance, countless ghostly phantoms and reincarnation runes seemed to flash past behind her.

She spoke, her voice still carrying the innocence of a child, yet it resonated with unwavering conviction, as if proclaiming a decree in the grand halls of the underworld:

"I am Feng Jiuyou, the daughter of Feng Jin, the Great Emperor of Fengdu in the Northern Yin, and Empress Shen Yuepo."

"Today I am in distress and have fallen into the clutches of evil spirits. Fortunately, you two have come to my rescue. Your kindness is like giving me a second life."

"Today, in the name of the Princess of Fengdu, I solemnly pledge this vow of cause and effect, witnessed by Heaven and Earth, and testified to by the netherworld!"

"In the future, regardless of whether it is the realm of the living or the dead, regardless of the passage of time, and regardless of what one seeks, as long as it does not violate the laws of Heaven and the moral order, nor go against the ironclad laws of the underworld, I will do my utmost to help and repay this debt of gratitude!"

"This promise is witnessed by the laws of the underworld, bound by the threads of cause and effect, and will never be broken!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she forced out two pale golden points of light from her fingertips, which flew towards the space between Jiang Dusheng and Xie Jinchen's eyebrows respectively, merging into them and leaving an imprint deep within their souls.

After doing all this, Feng Jiuyou's face seemed even paler, but she breathed a sigh of relief and revealed a sweet smile, as if she had accomplished something extremely important.

Then, she turned around, ran back to Shen Tu's side, and grabbed his wide, dark gold robe sleeve. "Uncle Shen Tu, let's go!"

She paused, then, as if remembering something, pointed at Jiang Dusheng and Xie Jinchen, and added:

"But you must remember what your older sister and brother look like! Their scent, and the mark I left behind... have you remembered them all?"

She blinked her large, dark golden eyes, and with a long-term vision, earnestly gave him her instructions:

"If they die of old age and enter the Netherworld, you must take good care of them. Don't let them be bullied by Sister Meng Po. When they cross the River of Oblivion, arrange a smooth ferry and the best possible reincarnation! May they be wealthy, safe, and live to be a hundred years old!"

Shen Tu's lips twitched upon hearing this, and a rare expression of amusement and exasperation appeared on his usually dignified Ghost Emperor face. He lightly flicked Feng Jiuyou's forehead with his finger.

"Little ancestor, can't you wish others well for once? They're living well, their cultivation is quite good, they might even attain immortality and ascend to heaven, and you're already thinking about them going to the underworld?"

Even so, his gaze toward Jiang Dusheng and Xie Jinchen became much deeper.

He picked up Feng Jiuyou, formed a hand seal, and his expression regained the solemn and dignified air befitting the Eastern Ghost Emperor. His voice was deep, as if he were declaring to the Netherworld:

"Princess of Fengdu, we are grateful for your rescue; the cause and effect have been resolved."

"This kindness will be remembered in the netherworld. In the future, if the conditions are right, it will be fulfilled."

After speaking, he waved his sleeve, and a dense aura of the netherworld spread out, instantly forming an invisible protective barrier that shielded Jiang Dusheng and Xie Jinchen, who were still trapped in their inner demons, from all possible external interference.

Having done all this, Shen Tu did not linger.

He held the yawning Feng Jiuyou in his arms, the space around him distorted, and in the next instant, they vanished without a trace, along with all their auras, as if they had never set foot in this mortal world.

The dilapidated mountain temple has returned to silence.

Within the barrier, time seemed to stand still, with only the inner demons clamoring.

In Jiang Dusheng's sea of ​​consciousness, those thoughts that she usually suppressed with calmness and Buddhist principles now transformed into the sharpest blades, repeatedly cutting into her Dao heart.

"Hypocrite! You keep talking about saving all sentient beings, but is it really out of compassion, or to accumulate merit and suppress your innate Yin energy for self-preservation?"

Countless ghostly figures she had once transformed shrieked as they rushed towards them.

"Under your all-encompassing Buddha-light, how can you be sure there aren't any injustices that escape your reach?"

"How can we be sure that your interference hasn't disrupted the existing cause and effect, creating new resentment?"

"Look at Jiang Shuangjiang, you brought her to justice, but what about Yi Che? Who will ease his suffering?"

"You always presumptuously interfere with other people's obsessions, forcibly trying to convert them. Have you ever truly asked those souls if they are willing to let go?"

"Look at this Willow Village! You saved Lian'er and killed the snake demon; you seem to have accomplished your mission perfectly. But what about those poor women who were already devoured and whose souls have been scattered?"

"Their grievances, their suffering, have long since vanished with the wind, leaving them no chance for revenge! Your justice has come too late!"

Finally, all the clamor merged into a soul-searching question, echoing repeatedly in her mind:

"Jiang Dusheng...you can't even save your own heart, you don't even dare to face the path you came from, how can you save all living beings?!"

The illusion suddenly shifted, as if a rift had been forcibly torn open by those words, and time and space regressed wildly.

Before me stood the familiar gate of Nanzen-ji Temple, the air filled with the scent of earth and sandalwood.

But the perspective becomes unusually low.

Jiang Dusheng found himself transformed into a tiny figure, barely taller than an adult's knee.

She looked up, and in her field of vision, she saw Jiang Mao supporting the heavily pregnant Song Suya as they left.

Then, the temple gate closed silently in front of her.

Little Jiang Dusheng was left alone on the empty bluestone ground in front of the temple gate.

The temple gate was very high, like an insurmountable wall.

She was forgotten…

It is because of her special destiny. Her master said that she carries an unknown evil aura and calamity, and she needs to be raised in a pure Buddhist place in order to grow up safely.

Or... simply because she was the one who could be kept?

Illusions layer upon layer.

Jiang Dusheng's clothes were soaked with cold sweat, and his face was as pale as paper.

This question, like a seed with thorns, was planted in the depths of her young heart.

As he aged and his cultivation increased, instead of dissipating, it was magnified infinitely at this moment, transforming into the sharpest fangs of his inner demons, repeatedly gnawing at Jiang Dusheng's Dao heart.

"Look, even your closest relatives can easily leave you behind. What is the point of your so-called saving others, your so-called compassion?"

"Aren't you yourself one of those who have been abandoned by cause and effect, yet can remain in the lives of others?"

Those cold words intertwined with images of the mountain gate from her childhood, almost dragging her into an abyss of self-doubt.