Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 380 - 157: Rules Appear

With the aid of the Wind Steady Pill, Princess Iron Fan’s Plantain Fan completely lost its effectiveness, and the gods encircled the Bull Demon King once again.

At this moment, even Patriarch of the Nether River found himself at a loss for a plan, deeply conflicted and unable to make the decision to intervene personally. After all, once exposed, he would certainly become the target of all, attracting the attention of the celestial powers, and he would then be uncertain whether he could retain that Dao rule.

As he wavered and struggled to make a decision, a sudden change occurred in Flame Mountain.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise from the mountain peak enveloped by the blazing flames, and a blue stream of air burst forth from the summit. A phantom river appeared atop Flame Mountain, and it seemed as though everyone could hear the sound of running water in the river.

"Xiang Jiang!" Tang Monk, who was not far from Flame Mountain, murmured to himself upon seeing the phantom river.

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In his youth, when he sought to validate Buddhism, he had traveled extensively and seen the mountains and rivers within the Great Tang’s borders. This phantom river was unmistakably the very Xiang Jiang he had seen.

However, he had no idea why the Xiang Jiang from his homeland, so many miles away, would appear atop Flame Mountain.

"Rules of Water!" Li Jing couldn’t help but exclaim loudly, the sweeping mist and the aura that seemed to be an incarnation of the Great Dao of Water undoubtedly told him that this was indeed one of the Rules of Water.

Since the fall of the innate celestial gods and the establishment of the Heavenly Court, with the gods taking their places, the rules of heaven and earth were concealed, and no one had seen the physical embodiment of these legendary rules again. He never expected to be fortunate enough to witness it here.

Li Jing finally understood what the Mysterious Figure who manipulated the Bull Demon King was plotting—it was the very Rule of Water before them. Among the renowned celestial beings, only Patriarch of the Nether River had such an urgent need for it. Thus, the identity of the Mysterious Figure seemed clear; it must be the Patriarch of the Nether River—the master of the Sea of Blood.

Precious Moonlight Buddha, however, knitted his brows. The Patriarch of the Nether River had kept this rule securely hidden; what emergency had occurred for the rule to be exposed so abruptly?

Meanwhile, Patriarch of the Nether River, upon seeing the exposed rule, became furious and roared to the sky, "Scoundrel, how dare you!"

At this moment, he cast caution to the wind, using the mana of the Bull Demon King and Princess Iron Fan to open the channel to the Sea of Blood. The endless Sea of Blood began to surge toward Green Screen Mountain incessantly.

Ksitigarbha, who was guarding beside the Sea of Blood, chuckled softly, preparing to step forward to stop it. But just as he was about to move, a shadow appeared beside him. The shadow, fluid like water, flowed continuously forward and then slowly rose, eventually taking the shape of a black figure.

"Ksitigarbha, you’d best not move!" the shadow said softly, its tone even, seemingly devoid of any emotion.

However, this calm voice, upon reaching Ksitigarbha’s ears, made his soul flutter, and endless desires burst forth from the depths of his heart—those were the most primal desires hidden at the bottom of all sentient beings’ hearts.

"Demon Lord!" Ksitigarbha clenched his teeth and whispered, his heart resounding with scriptures, gradually quelling the desires within.

"Correct. To penetrate the illusion of desire so swiftly, you are indeed a distinguished figure within Buddhism," the Demon Lord said in a flat tone.

Ksitigarbha felt as if a strange power was constantly toying with his soul, magnifying the desires in his heart. A single misstep would lead him to be tainted by demonic intentions, falling into the Demonic Path and unable to transcend the sea of suffering.

"For someone like you to not be the successor of Buddhism, I wonder what the Tathagata was thinking," the Demon Lord seemed to lament.

But Ksitigarbha was very clear that this was nothing more than a trick of the Demon Lord. If he were to truly develop a desire for it, the Demon Lord could instantly grasp this weakness of the soul and invade his Soul; when that time came, it would be very difficult to expel him.

"The Demon Lord jests," Ksitigarbha responded, "There are innumerable affairs within Buddhism, and this humble monk knows his place, surely daring not to accept such a responsibility. In this lifetime, I only wish to ferry all the evil Ghosts of the Underworld, so as to make heaven and earth pure and clear."

At that moment, Ksitigarbha’s mind once again recalled the vows he had once made: Not until Hell is empty, will I become a Buddha; not until all beings are saved, will I certify to Bodhi.

The moment the thought arose, light began to shine, with an endless radiance emitting from Ksitigarbha’s Soul, radiating compassion. Around him, there seemed to be an endless number of Ghosts kneeling in worship, extolling Ksitigarbha’s virtues. At that moment, Ksitigarbha’s face was full of compassionate intent, softly reciting scriptures, with Golden Lotuses surging around him, and the sound of chanting filled the air.

The Demon Lord chuckled softly, and a black aura slowly emanated from beneath his feet, gradually spreading towards Ksitigarbha. The ethereal Ghosts that just touched this black aura instantly transformed, their previously serene faces twisted into ferocity as they began to curse Ksitigarbha, using the most venomous language known to humanity to continuously curse him.

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Ksitigarbha’s expression remained unchanged, still softly reciting scriptures. The cursing Ghosts gradually regained their composure, knelt back down, tears streaming down their faces, and began to recite scriptures following Ksitigarbha’s rhythm.

More and more ghostly figures began to chant, and the whole hall turned into a golden sea. Everywhere there were sounds of scripture, majestic and solemn, freely liberating all sentient beings.

Seeing this, the Demon Lord stopped his actions; the boundless black aura quickly retreated back into his dark figure. He smiled faintly and said, "I seemed to have underestimated you a bit; such a profound understanding of Buddhism is indeed rare."

"The Demon Lord flatters me too much," Ksitigarbha spoke softly, "If my knowledge of Buddhism were not so sparse, the Demon Lord wouldn’t have been so at ease, especially since this is but one of my manifestations." His tone was neither overbearing nor humble.

"Such grand ambition, it’s a pity that this is Hou Tu’s domain after all, where I cannot act recklessly. Corrupting you would certainly have brought me the greatest joy," said the Demon Lord with a smile, nodding his head slightly, and sticking out his tongue to lick his lips, eyeing the august and solemn Ksitigarbha as if he were a delectable feast.

"Nevertheless, my goal has been achieved. Little Monk, we shall meet again!" The Demon Lord said with a light chuckle.

As soon as the words left his mouth, his body completely merged with the ground and disappeared from sight.

No sooner had he vanished than the Underworld suddenly shook; a giant figure appeared within the Underworld, filling it entirely with a cold, merciless gaze that gave a low utterance, "This is the last time!"

The voice was authoritative, carrying a formidable force that swiftly swept across the Underworld, causing many Ghosts to tremble uncontrollably, unable to prevent themselves from kneeling on the frigid ground.

"Who exactly has aroused the Emperor of Fengdu’s wrath like this!" the Ghosts wondered to themselves, bemoaning the one who had offended the great deity.

It is known that this great god rarely shows himself, he is the embodiment of the rules of the Underworld and the holder of authority, representing the will of the Underworld. His anger meant the Underworld itself was angry; who could have provoked such an indifferent great god to wrath was unknown.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the Three Realms, a beggar in tattered clothing suddenly opened his eyes, his face wearing a sinister smile that completely did not match his appearance.