Boom! Bang! Bang boom boom!

Hmm? Why all this noise?

On the slowly rotating Taiji diagram, a young Daoist practitioner reluctantly pulled down his eye mask. Still somewhat dazed, he smacked his lips and stretched before looking toward the source of the noise that had awakened him…

Uh…

What’s going on?

A blood-red figure kept flashing at the edge of the sky.

It was a figure hovering high in the air, apparently female, with multiple arms sprouting from both her front and back, emanating terrifying waves of Dao energy.

She was flying at extreme speed through the sky, almost continuously using the Heaven and Earth Escape Technique. Whenever her figure paused, the jade arms on her front and back would each materialize a blood-colored spear, hurling them viciously downward.

Each spear contained immense power, creating rippling waves of Heaven and Earth energy layer upon layer.

When these spears collided with their target, they would trigger incredibly powerful shockwaves, producing those rhythmic drum-like sounds.

This woman’s attacks were truly swift and fierce. Now unleashing her full power, the blood-colored spears fell like a tempest, frantically bombarding the figure below who bore a small pagoda, her laughter growing increasingly maniacal…

That white-haired elder bearing the small pagoda…

“Changsheng!”

Grand Pure One’s heart trembled, his eyes instantly clearing as two pairs of shallow Yin-Yang fish appeared in his pupils.

One glance was enough to comprehend everything happening in this realm!

Hadn’t he been in a palace when he couldn’t resist falling asleep earlier?

Palace…

In the distant horizon stood a fallen giant tree, and at its base, he could faintly make out the ruins of what had been the palace, its surrounding formation arrays long since failed.

From that giant tree to where Grand Pure One stood, across an unknowable distance, what had once been an endless sea of sand had transformed into a scorching lake of magma.

As the battle in the sky continued…

More precisely, as that blood-red woman continued her frenzied assault, cracks spread across the earth in all directions.

Stars fell from the sky as a malevolent aura filled the heavens and earth, stirring up the hatred and resentment hidden in the hearts of all living beings.

The starry sky lost its brilliance, filled instead with thick smoke and pollution, concealing the projection of the Six Realms of Reincarnation’s star river in the firmament.

The howling winds stirred up by the battle echoed across this realm, like countless beings wailing in low moans…

Grand Pure One’s eyes focused, and that constantly flashing figure in the sky instantly froze in his vision.

Her blood-red hair danced wildly as she wore only a simple battle skirt. Those multiple arms seemed completely natural on her, and the battle intent surrounding her, that somehow familiar Dao rhythm…

Houtu’s Seven Emotions – Ultimate Evil!

At the same time, the Grand Pure One also noticed another, less significant battlefield.

At the edge of the palace ruins, King Chujiang and King Qinguang were continuously trading blows. These two Shamanic Tribe masters and Hell Judges now fought like they had gone berserk, their bloodlines rupturing, resembling two humanoid fierce beasts.

“Die!”

The incarnation of Evil, ‘Little Evil Woman,’ roared in fury.

Below on the magma lake, the Primordial Yellow Pagoda spun rapidly as Li Longshou stood quietly within its primordial yellow energy, still holding the now-unconscious incarnation of Lust, without a single scratch on his body.

The Grand Pure One tilted his head…

What exactly was going on here?

Could it be that Changsheng had already dealt with these two, and then some relationship problem arose, making one of them jealous?

No, that’s not right. He had only been asleep for a short while, Changsheng couldn’t have managed this so quickly…

Never mind, save people first, ask questions later.

The Grand Pure One’s toes touched lightly as his form vanished along with the Taiji diagram, reappearing above King Qinguang and King Chujiang.

“You two…”

King Chujiang looked up and roared, “Once I kill you, I’ll be Great Shaman Priest’s favorite brother!”

King Qinguang gnashed his teeth and shouted, “You just want to be the boss, don’t you? I’ve seen you plotting for ages! You’ve eaten up all the simplicity of our Shamanic Tribe! I’ll beat you to death, you scoundrel!”

The Grand Pure One’s mouth twitched slightly. Without another word, his figure vanished from the air, appearing almost simultaneously behind the two Shamanic Tribe masters, delivering two chops aimed at their necks…

With two muffled thuds, these two who had completely failed to notice the man behind them were instantly sealed of their divine souls. Their bodies slowly fell backward, collected into the Grand Pure One’s sleeve.

The Grand Pure One looked toward Li Longshou’s position, slightly bent his knees as his Daoist robe billowed. With a light shout, his figure transformed into a black and white comet, shooting straight toward Little Evil Woman in the sky.

“Get lost!”

The evil maiden, her hair now changed from light red to blood red, turned her head and shrieked. Her jade arms swayed, throwing dozens of blood spears toward the approaching Grand Pure One.

This time, however, the Grand Pure One didn’t summon the Taiji diagram. His rapidly advancing figure instantly paused, his hair and Daoist robe floating forward together.

His left hand was behind his back, and his right hand formed sword fingers, their tips surrounded by Yin and Yang energy, condensing into a black and white energy sword.

Stepping in the Eight Trigrams pattern, graceful as a human dragon.

As his long sleeves danced, the Grand Pure One’s figure left multiple afterimages in the air. His energy sword seemed to make only simple upward strikes and forward thrusts, yet every movement carried profound natural Dao rhythms.

Blood spears shattered one after another as the Grand Pure One’s figure flashed several times, closing within a hundred zhang of the evil maiden!

The latter let out a beast-like growl, eleven arms each gripping a spear, erupting into fierce combat with the Grand Pure One in mid-air…

Just then, a vortex appeared beneath Li Longshou’s feet!

Yin and Yang’s energy rapidly gathered as the Taiji diagram opened a path through Heaven and Earth.

Li Longshou didn’t immediately retreat, instead looking down at the Seven Emotions incarnation of Lust he was holding.

He had just…

“Changsheng, let’s leave first.”

The Grand Pure One’s voice transmitted to his ear, and Li Longshou immediately nodded in agreement.

After a brief hesitation, Li Longshou decided to let the Lust incarnation remain here to contain the nearly berserk Little Evil Woman.

He pressed his finger to the forehead of the Seven Emotions’ Lust, saying softly:

“Take care, Your Highness. I will quickly make all preparations and return to lend you aid.”

With these words, Li Longshou threw the woman he had been holding forcefully into the distance. The Lust incarnation opened her eyes slightly, revealing a faint gentle smile.

But then, the Lust incarnation’s body trembled lightly, letting out a slightly pained whimper, her gaze full of confusion.

She looked at Li Longshou, first stunned, then her expression turned somewhat horrified. She turned into smoke and exploded with a bang, cursing:

“Are you even a living being?! Ugh! You bastard!”

Before Li Longshou could respond, a figure flashed beside him – it was the Grand Pure One using the Heaven and Earth Escape Technique.

The Grand Pure One said nothing, his left hand pressing on Li Longshou’s shoulder as both men fell into the vortex below. His right hand waved upward, instantly collapsing the Heaven and Earth pathway…

That blood-red figure pursuing them barely missed, crashing into the magma lake, still cursing viciously:

“Come back! I’ll kill you all! Kill! Glub glub glub…”

Finally out.

Li Longshou had just sensed the presence of his paper avatars in various locations when he and the Grand Pure One appeared outside the Six Realms of Reincarnation Disk, positioned to its upper left.

Both men, perfectly in sync, concealed their forms without alerting anyone.

Li Longshou said, “Senior Brother, let’s go beneath the Eighteen Levels of Hell first to cleanse these two Judges’ minds.”

“Good.”

The Grand Pure One raised his right hand, looking at his slightly trembling, somewhat swollen fingertips, and smiled:

“Lady Houtu’s strength has truly increased greatly over these years, and this was just an incarnation.”

“Mm, why didn’t Senior Brother use your treasure?”

“Thought it would look cooler this way… Haha, hahaha! I had just woken up and forgot I was carrying the Heaven and Earth Ruler.”

Li Longshou: …

He held the spinning Primordial Yellow Pagoda in his palm, calling out to Elder Pagoda in his heart, but receiving no response.

Li Longshou quickly asked, “Senior Brother, what’s wrong with Elder Pagoda?”

The Grand Pure One smiled without speaking, his finger touching the small pagoda, causing its spinning to instantly stop.

The small pagoda trembled slightly, spurting a stream of turbid primordial yellow energy from its base.

Elder Pagoda’s spiritual consciousness reconnected with Li Longshou’s mind, crying out in his heart with emotions of satisfaction, enjoyment, and release:

“Awesome~!”

…

Moments later, at the bottom of the Eighteen Levels of Hell.

With the Grand Pure One and the Taiji diagram’s assistance, the two men passed through the Eighteen Levels of Hell silently, like neighbors visiting each other, effortlessly crossing forty-nine levels of formation restrictions to reach the ‘Lake of Tears’.

As soon as they arrived, the slight evil thoughts in Li Longshou’s heart instantly dispersed, replaced by an inexplicable sadness welling up from his heart’s sea.

Little Sorrow sighed faintly at the center of the lake, softly reciting something as she continued to lie there, not moving at all.

“What difference does changing positions make?

It only gives an empty heart a tiny bit of comfort it shouldn’t have, and this comfort will vanish in an instant, leaving behind only deeper sorrow.”

– Sayings of Little Sorrow

This time, Li Longshou and Grand Pure One didn’t approach Little Sorrow, instead staying by the lakeside to release the two Netherworld leaders, King Chujiang and King Qinguang, and remove their seals.

The two Shamanic Tribe members who had been consumed by evil thoughts and calling for blood earlier once again lunged at each other here.

But just as their four fists clenched and before they could land on each other, their glaring eyes suddenly filled with tears. As tears dropped steadily, they couldn’t help but hold their heads and weep bitterly…

Seeing this, Li Longshou continued his contemplation, noting down these circumstances.

Among Lady Houtu’s Seven Emotions incarnations, in terms of combat power, Little Evil Woman after her outburst and the yet-to-emerge ‘Hair-trigger’ Anger incarnation was undoubtedly the strongest.

But in terms of emotional resonance power, Little Sorrow was still the strongest.

Lady Houtu had cast Little Sorrow out of the Six Realms of Reincarnation Disk not only because Little Sorrow would self-destruct and wouldn’t cause trouble, but also because Little Sorrow was too powerful and could easily influence the other six emotion incarnations, leading to unpredictable consequences.

Lady Houtu herself was now being eroded by the Seven Emotions incarnations, especially by Little Sorrow’s influence…

Grand Pure One massaged his fingers and asked, “Changsheng, what happened after I fell asleep?”

Li Longshou’s gaze instantly became incredibly resentful. Grand Pure One threw his head back and laughed twice, showing slight embarrassment…

The power of the Seven Emotions was impossible to guard against completely.

“Senior Brother, you’re truly powerful – even getting knocked flying didn’t wake you up…”

Li Longshou sighed and briefly recounted his ‘confrontation’ with the Lust incarnation after Grand Pure One had fallen asleep.

“I took advantage of the moment when she was struck by her backlash and her mind wavered, rushing in with my primordial spirit power. Sure enough, I found Lady Houtu.

Her Ladyship is trapped within the Seven Emotions – the emotion incarnations are both shackles and a prison.”

“Oh?” Grand Pure One said seriously, “Tell me more details.”

“Yes,” Li Longshou agreed, sitting down to meditate with Grand Pure One at the edge of the Lake of Tears, and began to explain in detail.

At that time, when his fingertip touched the Lust incarnation’s forehead and his primordial spirit power surged in, he crashed into what seemed like a sea of stars…

It wasn’t a starry sea, but rather a quiet abyss, with the star river projected by the Six Realms of Reincarnation Disk floating overhead.

The afterglow of the star river was the only light source in this place.

Li Longshou felt as if he was constantly falling, and in this descent, he heard soft sobbing.

He followed the sound, continuously calling out “Lady Houtu” until he finally found the key figure he was seeking on this journey.

The Great Virtue Houtu.

Upon seeing Houtu’s figure, Li Longshou’s heart clenched…

He had only felt this emotion once before when his master hadn’t yet undergone his tribulation and had once wept bitterly in his thatched cottage after drinking.

Lady Houtu…

She wore a simple, plain white dress, curled up among star remnants, surrounded by four orbs of light that were constantly drawing power from her frail body.

— These must be the four emotion incarnations that had yet to emerge.

“Your Ladyship?” Li Longshou called out in his heart, “This junior disciple of Supreme Pure One has come by my master’s command to assist!”

The curled-up figure gave no response whatsoever.

Li Longshou called out more than ten times but received no answer. Sensing carefully, he realized Lady Houtu’s seven emotions were quite active at this moment.

She had very little joy, and very little love, yet was using all her strength to suppress anger, fear, evil, and lust while allowing sorrow to erode herself.

Because sorrow was a bitter wine she drank alone, it wouldn’t affect the operation of the Six Realms of Reincarnation Disk…

But the invasion of sorrow made her seem to fall endlessly into the abyss, constantly descending.

Lady Houtu herself, though not as desperate as Little Sorrow, was now wrapped in emotions of depression and powerlessness.

Li Longshou suddenly felt the repulsive force of this place against him – clearly, the Lust incarnation was beginning to recover her ‘thought power’…

He only had two or three chances to speak!

Li Longshou had to get Lady Houtu’s response, and had to ask how he could help her!

There was no choice – he had to launch a soul-searching question:

“Your Ladyship! Do you remember Grand Pure One by the Blood Sea?”

Still no response.

Clearly in Lady Houtu’s heart, his senior brother wasn’t an important figure.

“Do you remember your agreement with Supreme Pure One?”

Still no answer – Lady Houtu seemed completely unable to hear Li Longshou’s calls.

The tearing sensation grew stronger. Li Longshou could feel the Lust incarnation’s ‘thought power’ rushing in like a tsunami.

Due to the difference in their Dao realm, Li Longshou could hardly resist at this moment and was about to be squeezed out of this place!

In this instant, Li Longshou’s mind worked at its peak, and several options appeared before him!

These options were all he could think of that might attract Lady Houtu’s attention.

He could speak of how the Shamanic Tribe’s numbers had dwindled, of how some demons were using Shamanic Tribe souls to forge the Human-Extinction Sword, to provoke Houtu’s anger;

He could also make an issue of how the Netherworld’s Yin Division was about to be incorporated into the Heavenly Court’s system;

He could even exaggerate outright, spreading false rumors that the Shamanic Tribe was about to be wiped out, that the Netherworld was about to be breached, and so on.

But at this moment, a feeling of reluctance welled up in Li Longshou’s heart.

He couldn’t bear to lie to the Lady before him, couldn’t bear to use exaggerated words to further stimulate Lady Houtu’s already extremely weary spirit.

To be pulled and tormented by the seven emotions of living beings – what kind of suffering must that be…

But Li Longshou knew that he must speak now, must say in as gentle a tone as possible:

“Lady Houtu, this junior needs your help.”

Drip—

Like a drop of water falling into a pond, a sound appeared in this silent place, accompanied by a slight glow.

Looking carefully, that light came from Houtu…

The woman curled up in the corner of the star remnants, hugging her knees and emanating intense sorrow, slowly raised her head and opened her starry eyes.

[Who… are you.]

…

By the Lake of Tears, as Li Longshou recounted this part to Grand Pure One, he also felt rather moved.

“After awakening Lady Houtu, the Lust incarnation could no longer drive me away. Her Ladyship took advantage of the Lust incarnation’s weakness to temporarily suppress her.

I briefly explained the current situation of the Netherworld to Lady Houtu and sought her guidance on resolving this matter…”

“Did you find a solution?” Grand Pure One asked with concern.

“Yes,” Li Longshou frowned slightly, opening his left palm where golden light swirled, condensing into what appeared to be a ring woven from withered grass.

Li Longshou said softly, “Although Lady Houtu said that just us two brothers would be enough, to be safe…

Senior Brother, how many Dao masters can you summon?

Preferably not too far below your level of power.”

Grand Pure One smiled and said, “The number of people isn’t the problem. The problem is, if we invite too many, you won’t get much merit.”

Hearing this, Li Longshou carefully considered before saying, “Better to be safe – any merit is good, I won’t ask for too much.”

After a pause, Li Longshou smiled and said, “At worst, I’ll ask Senior Brother to protect me later while I deal with some great demons with heavy karma to make up for the shortfall.”

“Why do you think those demon tribes had to provoke you in the first place?”

Grand Pure One shook his head and sighed, “It’s practically equivalent to tribal extinction.”

“Alas~~~”

The breeze carried a distant sigh, and the maiden at the center of the lake softly murmured something. Though it wasn’t very clear, it must have been negative verses.