Chapter 381: Chapter 40: The Taiji Diagram Appears, the Profound Yellow Pagoda Manifests

When Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva walked into Fengdu City and arrived at the Netherworld, this was the scene that greeted him.

Emperor Fengdu had shrunk to the size of an ordinary person. He was patting the Emperor with the Bronze Mask on the back while laughing heartily.

Meanwhile, the so-called Profound Yellow Emperor was also chuckling. His aura was pitifully weak—not even at the Immortal level—yet he was chatting and laughing with a Daluo as if they were old friends, practically one step away from throwing an arm over his shoulder.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s brow furrowed sharply.

At that moment, the figures in the Netherworld also noticed the Great Bodhisattva. Emperor Fengdu’s smile vanished, a flicker of caution in his eyes. He asked calmly,

"Oh? To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?"

"Amitabha Buddha."

The Great Bodhisattva, who wielded partial authority over the Nine Nether, placed his palms together. After chanting the Buddha’s name, he spoke calmly,

"Greetings, Northern Emperor. I have come for the Profound Yellow Emperor."

Emperor Fengdu, also known as the Fengdu Northern Yin Emperor, was respectfully addressed by some beings as the Northern Emperor.

"Oh?"

Emperor Fengdu narrowed his eyes slightly.

"May I ask, Bodhisattva, why you are seeking the Profound Yellow Emperor?"

"This does not concern the Northern Emperor," Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said flatly. "It is a small matter. I merely wish to speak with the Profound Yellow Emperor."

"The Profound Yellow Emperor is my honored guest. He is a First Grade Emperor, personally invested by His Majesty the Celestial Emperor. How could his visit to me in the Netherworld not concern me?"

"Then I was unaware of the reason for the Profound Yellow Emperor’s visit."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva asked coolly. Lu Xuan, however, feigned a look of sudden realization. With a flick of his sleeve, he released two True Dragon Residual Souls and said cheerfully,

"I almost forgot my real purpose here. There was a bit of a misunderstanding with the Eastern Sea Dragon Race, and I accidentally slew two Old Dragon Kings. A sin, truly a sin. I came to send the two Old Dragon Kings on their way to Reincarnation."

Emperor Fengdu said with a grin,

"So that’s how it is. In a moment, I shall dispatch the Ten Halls Yama to personally escort the two Dragon Kings to the Bridge of Helplessness..."

Lu Xuan smiled and nodded, then turned his gaze to the Great Bodhisattva of the Buddhist Sect.

"That said, what exactly is the matter for which you seek me, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s brow darkened. After a long moment, he said,

"Emperor, you have taken two departed souls. These two souls share a karmic bond with me. I hope you will return them."

"A karmic bond with you, Bodhisattva?"

Lu Xuan first chuckled, then his voice turned cold.

"How was I unaware that my old friends had a karmic bond with you? I suggest the Bodhisattva not trouble me, lest you end up like that Medicine King Buddha—your soul shattered and scattered!"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s expression grew grim.

"Are you threatening me, Emperor?"

Lu Xuan shook his head calmly.

"Bodhisattva, you shouldn’t get things backward. You are the one who came looking for trouble. I am merely stating a fact. How is that a threat?"

As they spoke, Xuandu quietly took a step forward. Emperor Fengdu also scowled and snapped,

"If you insist on making things difficult for my honored guest, Bodhisattva, then I might just have to have another go with you."

"In the Nine Nether, I am second only to Lady Houtu," Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said, his face devoid of expression. The tension between them was suddenly palpable, like drawn bows and taut strings.

The entirety of the vast Fengdu City began to tremble. Ominous, heavy clouds gathered overhead, casting a dark pall over the city.

At this very moment, Lu Xuan also sensed that something was wrong. ’I know Qing He and Chen Ye. There’s nothing about them or in their possession that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva should value so highly...’

After a moment of thought, Lu Xuan discreetly sent a mental transmission to his senior brother, asking,

"Senior Brother, is this Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva also a Daluo? Is he one of the Buddhas of the Buddhist Sect?"

Xuandu’s expression was as placid as an ancient well. He too replied with a silent mental transmission,

"No."

After a moment’s thought, he uncharacteristically added a few more words:

"But according to rumor, his body has merged with a part of the Nine Nether, allowing him to wield some of its authority. Within the Nine Nether, much like myself, he can contend with those in the Daluo Realm despite not being a Daluo himself."

’His body has merged with a part of the Nine Nether, allowing him to wield its authority?’

Lu Xuan was lost in thought. Meanwhile, Emperor Fengdu and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva were still locked in a standoff. Their auras clashed, causing Fengdu City to teeter on the brink of collapse. The countless souls and ghosts within the city trembled, terrified for their very existence.

Suddenly, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva relented slightly.

"If the Northern Emperor truly wishes to know the reason, it is not impossible to say. You know that I wield partial authority over the Nine Nether. If a departed soul enters the Nine Nether, I can perceive parts of their past life..."

Emperor Fengdu was taken aback for a moment, but just then, Lu Xuan suddenly took a step forward and said coolly,

"So, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, are you certain you want to block my path and intercept my old friends?"

’I can’t let him say any more. It seems my guess was right. Ksitigarbha has discovered that Qing He and Chen Ye are from the future...’

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva paused, looked at Lu Xuan, and said calmly,

"And what if I am?"

Before Emperor Fengdu could frown and speak, Lu Xuan said icily,

"Then I wouldn’t mind sending you to the West, Bodhisattva."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva smiled.

"I’m afraid you don’t have that ability, Emperor."

"Shall we test that?"

"Why not?"

Lu Xuan nodded calmly and said to the side,

"I’ll have to trouble the Great Emperor to look after Nezha and make sure he doesn’t run off. I’ll also leave my True Phoenix, Emperor Chariot, and these few attendant Immortal Soldiers in your care."

Then he turned back and spoke evenly,

"If a great battle were to break out, I fear it would affect the Underworld. Why don’t we settle this in the depths of the Nine Nether?"

"Naturally."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva snorted coldly and strode out first. Lu Xuan nodded to the slightly dumbfounded Emperor Fengdu, then followed with his senior brother.

Emperor Fengdu watched the three of them depart until they vanished into the depths of the Nine Nether, their figures obscured by the dense, Innate yin energy. He hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided not to follow. Instead, he turned his gaze to Nezha and said with a smile,

"Well then, I’ll have to trouble the great god Three Altar Sea Assembly to rest for a while in Fengdu City."

. . . . . .

The farther they walked, the more distant the Underworld became. As they gradually proceeded into the depths of the Nine Nether, a state of absolute, dead silence prevailed, without the slightest trace of life.