Chapter 384: Chapter 41: Ksitigarbha’s Demise, Authority of the 9 Netherworlds

"I am Hell!"

Lamp Buddha’s expression shifted slightly. In the next instant, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva willingly entered nirvana. His body began to wither and char as the authority of the Nine Nether he held transformed into a great prison and came crashing down!

As Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva completely perished, the great prison perfectly enveloped the three of them!

Everything fell silent.

"Is it over?" Lu Xuan asked curiously, looking around the great prison. For once, Xuandu frowned and shook his head.

"It’s over, but now we have a problem."

As he spoke, he raised the Taiji Diagram and tentatively sent out a wave of Yin Yang Chaos Qi to strike the prison, but to no avail.

Lamp Buddha frowned and said:

"What a profound technique. This place is close to the Origin. Before entering nirvana, Ksitigarbha connected the part of the Nine Nether he controlled to the Origin, turning it into a Divine Prison. To break the Divine Prison, one must first break the Origin... This is indeed a problem."

Hearing this, Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Does this mean we can’t get out?"

Xuandu examined the great prison for a long while before finally speaking.

"It is just as Lamp Buddha said. I’m afraid we won’t be able to get out anytime soon. Even when I wield the Taiji Diagram, I cannot cut open this prison. The Origin is simply too mystical."

After a pause, he glanced at the frowning Lamp Buddha and asked coolly:

"As a Daluo, Buddha can roam freely through the years of history. This place shouldn’t be able to trap you, right?"

"That’s true in principle."

Lamp Buddha spread his hands.

"It cannot trap me, but it can trap my body at this specific point in time."

He paused, then explained:

"This place is near the Origin, so the concept of Time is faint. I can only rely on the characteristic of being Eternal and unchanging to shift my main consciousness among my past and future selves, but I cannot open the River of Time to escape from here with my body."

Lu Xuan also understood and knitted his brows.

"So there’s no way out? Are we going to be trapped here forever?"

As he spoke, he tried using the Bronze Fragment, only to find he truly couldn’t wake from the dream. This place was connected to the Origin, and within the Origin, there are no Years. The River of Time couldn’t descend here at all.

"Not exactly," Lamp Buddha said calmly. "There are three ways we can get out."

"What are they?" Lu Xuan asked hurriedly.

"First, my other selves from different points in time can seek help from a Dao Fruit to break this prison."

Xuandu and Lu Xuan exchanged a look and said in unison:

"The worst option."

"Why?" Lamp Buddha asked, surprised.

Lu Xuan shook his head and began to explain.

"You know my identity, and you probably also know who my senior brother is. Seeking help from other Dao Fruits would only be bad for us, not good. And if we were to seek out my Master..."

After thinking for a moment, he added:

"This prison is a tribulation. The Taishang Lineage faces tribulations head-on and does not avoid hardship."

Xuandu nodded.

"Indeed."

Ancient Lamp Buddha shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright then. The second method is difficult to achieve: forcibly cleaving open the Origin. This prison would naturally shatter, but with just our power, we can’t do it, even with the Taiji Diagram. Not unless we had something like the complete Immortal Slaying Sword Array..."

"Would this work?"

After some thought, Lu Xuan opened his palm, and an ancient, azure longsword materialized there.

The moment the sword appeared, an aura of great silence, great finality, and great extinction spread out. The Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water here began to riot violently. Xuandu and Lamp Buddha actually started showing signs of the Five Decays, which startled Lu Xuan so much that he hurriedly put the sword away.

The phenomenon stopped abruptly. Xuandu’s expression changed for the first time, and Lamp Buddha’s eyes widened. The two spoke in unison:

"The Qing Ping Sword???"

Lu Xuan nodded honestly.

"This sword should be able to cleave open the Origin..."

Lamp Buddha sucked in a sharp breath, his scalp tingling with shock. He then gave a wry smile.

"It certainly could, but with one strike, not only would the Origin be gone, but the Celestial Myriad Realms would likely be gone too! All the Dao Fruits would turn their gaze upon us!"

Xuandu also nodded, warning him,

"Junior Brother, although I don’t know why Third Martial Uncle gave you this sword, you must never use it. Absolutely never!"

Lu Xuan shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright... so what’s the third method?"

"The third method is to refine the remnant authority of the Nine Nether left behind after Ksitigarbha entered nirvana and merge it with oneself."

Lamp Buddha’s expression turned solemn.

"Doing so would allow one to merge with the Nine Nether just like Ksitigarbha, but the drawbacks are also very obvious." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"What do you mean by that?" Lu Xuan asked curiously. Xuandu also cast a questioning gaze and asked:

"Drawbacks? Why would there be drawbacks? I have also merged with a part of Heaven and Earth, and I’ve seen no drawbacks..."

"It’s different."

Lamp Buddha shook his head and explained:

"Xuan... Luo Hou, you relied on your own comprehension to grasp control of the authority of Heaven and Earth, so naturally there would be no issue. But from what I can see, this authority of the Nine Nether seems more like it was bestowed by a Dao Fruit."

"That’s right. Ksitigarbha just said it was granted by the Lady who commands Reincarnation. What’s the difference?" Lu Xuan grew even more curious.

Lamp Buddha gave a wry smile.

"You two should be aware of the profound state known as Supreme Forgetting Emotions. In this state, one is close to Heaven and Earth, absolutely rational, devoid of the seven emotions and six desires, and sees all things as nothing but straw dogs. But do you two know why even we, and even the Dao Fruits, do not often enter this state?"

Lu Xuan shook his head, but Xuandu nodded.

"My Master told me that if one remains in the state of Supreme Forgetting Emotions for too long, they will truly and completely sever their seven emotions and six desires, eventually even transforming into the Dao itself—the unfeeling, desireless, and mindless Path of Heaven and Earth."

Lu Xuan was confused, but Lamp Buddha nodded gravely and said softly:

"That’s right. Even Dao Fruits dare not remain in this state for long, lest they inadvertently transform into the Celestial Dao or the Great Dao. Accepting the authority of the Nine Nether bestowed by a Dao Fruit—unlike the kind you comprehended yourself, Luo Hou—will forcibly put you into the state of Supreme Forgetting Emotions, and it will be difficult to escape it!"

"I see. No wonder Ksitigarbha chose to enter nirvana so decisively..." Lu Xuan and Xuandu came to a realization. The former’s expression darkened as he asked worriedly, "Then are there no other options?"

"None."

Lamp Buddha gave a wry smile.

"Excluding Lu... excluding Master Profound Yellow’s option of using the Qing Ping Sword, the only choice left is for me to go to other points in time and ask a Dao Fruit for help. The drawbacks of merging with the Nine Nether are simply too great..."

Before he finished speaking, his eyes lit up as if he had thought of something. He looked at Xuandu.

"Luo Hou, do you know the technique One Qi Transforms into the Three Pristine Ones? I have heard that this Dharma can sever a True Self Incarnation. Perhaps a True Self Incarnation could be used to merge with the authority of the Nine Nether. That way, one would merely gain a Nine Nether True Self, without one’s own seven emotions and six desires being severed!"

Lamp Buddha didn’t ask Lu Xuan. One Qi Transforms into the Three Pristine Ones was too profoundly mysterious. Even those at the Celestial Realms level would find it difficult to grasp even a fraction of it, let alone Lu Xuan, who wasn’t even Immortal yet.

Xuandu first nodded, then shook his head and said calmly:

"I know it, but I cannot use it. This Luo Hou Body is my True Self Incarnation. I cannot use this body to perform One Qi Transforms into the Three Pristine Ones."

Lamp Buddha’s face fell. Lu Xuan’s pupils, however, widened slightly. ’This senior brother of mine, who can fight a Daluo... isn’t even his true body??’

At this, Lamp Buddha began to sigh again, asking tentatively:

"So, I’ll go find a Dao Fruit for help then?"

"No need." Snapping out of his astonishment, Lu Xuan waved his hand. "I also know One Qi Transforms into the Three Pristine Ones."

"You know it too??" Lamp Buddha was truly shocked this time. "Master Profound Yellow hasn’t even reached the Immortal realm, has he? This..."

Waves of emotion once again appeared on Xuandu’s face, clearly showing his astonishment, but Lu Xuan just shrugged his shoulders.

"Uh, I’m just exceptionally talented, exceptionally talented..."

After a pause, he added:

"But I’ve already severed one True Self Incarnation. To sever another, I’m afraid I’ll need to spend some time gaining enlightenment in One Qi Transforms into the Three Pristine Ones to reach a certain level."

Lamp Buddha and Xuandu looked at each other, speechless.

After a long moment, the latter squeezed out a sentence:

"Junior Brother, to comprehend One Qi Transforms into the Three Pristine Ones to the point where you can sever a second True Self Incarnation... I’m afraid that would be difficult to achieve without a million Years, right?"

He was already being diplomatic. Even though he himself was now infinitely close to the Daluo Level, it had taken him over four million years to reach the point where he could sever a second True Self Incarnation.

’Although my junior brother’s talent seems terrifyingly high, he isn’t even an Immortal yet...’

Just as Xuandu was pondering this, Lu Xuan jumped in surprise.

"A million years? No, no, that’s not necessary. I did a quick calculation... maybe within fifty years?"

The expressions on Xuandu and Lamp Buddha’s faces froze.

After a long time, Xuandu spoke faintly:

"Junior Brother, did you leave out the ’ten thousand’? Still, to comprehend it within five hundred thousand years is..."

"Nope," Lu Xuan said a bit sheepishly. "Actually, I feel like ten years would be enough. If I’m fast, maybe one year? Hmm, I didn’t leave out the ’ten thousand’ part."

The Daoist and the Buddha once again fell silent.

They were speechless for a long, long time.