The so-called “Reincarnation Canon” recorded the rules of reincarnation in this world, containing no particularly profound principles.

But because it dealt with extremely strange matters inaccessible to ordinary people, those who first encountered it would feel a shocking tremor that captured their very souls.

Pan Hexun’s gaze fixed upon it, unable to look away.

All beings in the world are divided into sentient and non-sentient.

Flowers, grass, and trees have no feelings or emotions, no spirit or soul, thus they are non-sentient beings. Humans, ghosts, birds, and beasts have feelings and emotions, spirit and soul, thus they are sentient beings.

Sentient beings belong to the six paths.

Because they are sentient, they inevitably generate good and evil karma. After death, according to their karma, they enter the six paths to suffer and dissolve their lifetime’s karmic burden.

Therefore, the Extreme Domain has the “Eighteen Layers of Hell,” divided among the “Six Paths”—three layers per path.

Among the six paths, the human path and animal path (beast path) have physical forms, while the heaven, asura, hungry ghost, and hell paths are formless.

If beings have merit, they are reborn into heaven, human, or asura paths. If their karma is heavier, they enter animal, hungry ghost, or hell paths, washing away their past in the reincarnation pool to start anew for another lifetime.

After one lifetime, merit and karma are assessed again for the six-path reincarnation…

This cycle continues endlessly without end.

If there are great evildoers in the world whose karma cannot be dissolved even by the torments of cold, heat, and isolation in the hell path, but instead grows increasingly evil, their souls should be placed under the primordial blade and shattered into ten thousand pieces.

These ten thousand soul fragments would all enter the reincarnation pool, reborn among the “moisture-born” creatures of the animal path.

Their souls shattered, their nature dissolved.

Thus their karma disperses. Even if they possessed hearts of great treachery and evil, being divided into ten thousand parts prevents them from causing harm.

In summary: All sentient beings are equal in ten thousand ways, all suffering reincarnation!

This is the general outline of the Canon!

Twelve large characters, extremely ancient.

Every stroke carried forceful power, as if angular stones had been carved directly into this cliff face.

The marks of time were etched on the stone wall, and vaguely, a magnificent aura of looking down upon the heavens emerged from the brush strokes!

Primitive, profound.

Strength supporting the sky, power spanning thick earth.

But after all, time had passed.

Over thousands upon thousands of years, such solemn momentum had been greatly weakened. Only remnants remained to let people glimpse what majestic power the one who inscribed this canon on the stone wall must have possessed.

Fu Chaosheng also watched.

But his gaze hadn’t moved for a very long time, only resting on these words: “All sentient beings are equal in ten thousand ways, all suffering reincarnation.”

An innate hostility and disgust surged uncontrollably through his body!

His birth gathered the aspirations of the entire Mayfly Tribe, and through Jian Chou’s words, he gained the opportunity to “hear the Dao.”

From then on, he named himself “Chaosheng” (Morning Birth).

But the mayflies of the Nineteen Continents also faced “morning death” because of “Chaosheng.”

Those born in morning and dead by evening—mayflies—always live by water, belonging to the “moisture-born” category.

According to this canon, they were actually the “ten thousand soul fragments” of the world’s great evildoers, reborn as mayflies to suffer this torment of morning birth and evening death, so their karma would dissipate into heaven and earth!

How absurd!

How laughable!

If he hadn’t borrowed the Bimu Fish’s Universe Eyes to glimpse the fleeting scenes of the primordial cosmos, he might have believed the Mayfly Tribe bore original sin, transformed from karmic soul fragments.

Who in this world could imagine that before the end of ancient times, there was no “Mayfly” tribe!

If reincarnation’s laws were born with heaven and earth, why did the Mayfly Tribe alone suffer the most extreme suffering?

Among all animals, apart from mayflies, no other tribe experienced morning birth and evening death!

Only because the Universe Eyes had limits and endpoints, and his power waxed and waned with morning and evening life and death, he hadn’t glimpsed clearer origins. That’s why he came here seeking an answer.

But unexpectedly, these twelve characters hung so openly above, hung in the first layer of the Six Paths and Eighteen Layers of Hell!

Reincarnation was washing away one’s current life, transforming into blank paper;

Equality meant all sentient beings—all existences within these six paths—could not escape the suffering of reincarnation.

But…

Was it really so?

If sentient beings underwent reincarnation like blank paper being washed, then where did Liao Kong come from—the three-lifetime good person from West Sea Chan Sect who accumulated merit and gained cultivation advantages?

Where did Jiye come from—the reincarnated holy son of Snow Region Chan Sect who retained Buddha power and knew heavenly and earthly principles?

If heavenly and earthly laws truly permitted equality among beings, then after the Yin-Yang Realm war, why were cultivators of the Nineteen Continents—except for the two Buddhist sects and Human Realm Lone Island—excluded from reincarnation, turning to ash and smoke after one lifetime?!

Reincarnation?

A paper lie!

Equality?

Nonsense!

What the canon recorded should be universal principles governing all realms, yet the current chaotic phenomena everywhere contradicted the canon!

Either this canon had long become mere name without substance, or this vast primordial universe was inherently unjust and unequal!

His fingers hidden in sleeves slowly clenched.

Fu Chaosheng, who had rarely experienced emotional fluctuations since birth, found his emotions surging violently.

A slight smile bloomed at his lips, but in the depths of his eyes and body, countless demonic hostile energies grew wildly!

Yet he still stood motionless, as if merged with heaven and earth.

Pan Hexun didn’t notice his abnormality.

He was already entranced, marveling at these laws’ wonder, his gaze growing increasingly fervent, as if discovering something extremely useful to himself, or finally confirming something.

After watching for a long time, he unconsciously spoke aloud.

“Actually, if non-sentient beings encounter the right circumstances and develop souls from nothingness, or if animals and such animal-path beings cultivate human nature, they become ‘exceptions’ outside heaven and earth’s natural order, thus called ‘demons.'”

“‘Demons’ are transformation-born, coming from nothingness, thus belonging to the ‘hell path.'”

“However, legend says the first ‘human’ in heaven and earth was also transformation-born from nothingness.”

“Six-path reincarnation, four-birth cycles, exchanging yin and yang, all come from this nothingness.”

“Regarding form and shape, we share the same roots as all things; regarding spirit and soul, we emerge from the same source as heaven and earth.”

“Same roots, same source, yet with thousands of forms. Even the same soul, through six-path reincarnation, has thousands of forms. As human, as birds, as tigers and wolves, even as sand worms and mayflies… How wondrous?”

Pan Hexun’s voice gradually became intoxicated, carrying tones of admiration, as if countless feelings hidden in his chest demanded release.

“All sentient beings suffer reincarnation.”

“Only cultivators who can break through the barriers of seven emotions and six desires, achieve enlightenment and ascension, and comprehend any one of these heavenly and earthly rules for their own use can escape reincarnation, becoming transcendent and saintly beings—emotionless, desireless, no longer suffering.”

“I hear this is called ‘immortal.'”

Speaking to this point, his face was full of longing, with a kind of mad color in his eyes, like a lunatic obsessed with something, yet remaining rational and clear.

“I wonder if, from ancient to near-ancient times, among so many cultivators who ascended to higher realms, any have penetrated the secrets of soul transformation and composition…”

All people’s souls are born from nothingness.

As the saying goes, “matter and self share origin, heavenly souls share roots.” If someone could see through heaven and earth’s soul-creating mystery and transform it in countless ways, wouldn’t they become another “Pangu”?

Traversing the universe, propagating for ten thousand generations would be no difficult matter!

His gaze flickered slightly as Pan Hexun finally looked toward the male cultivator in dark blue robes ahead. Seeing him motionless for so long, he grew curious.

“Pan’s qualifications are dull—this is just my shallow understanding. Brother Lihan has watched for so long, surely you have many insights?”

Fu Chaosheng finally moved, but only slowly withdrew his gaze.

As if he hadn’t heard Pan Hexun’s words at all, he turned and walked toward the direction he had been facing away from. Though demonic energy ran rampant in his deep blue eyes, he still appeared completely calm without the slightest ripple.

“Brother Lihan!”

Seeing this, Pan Hexun immediately frowned, as if never expecting such disrespect.

His expression darkened instantly, his voice turning cold: “Now Brother Lihan has become separated. I happen to think Brother Lihan is someone worth deep friendship. If you and I travel together to seek the next layer’s entrance, wouldn’t that be perfect? What do you think!”

Thin lips curved in a shallow, contemptuous smile.

Fu Chaosheng didn’t stop walking, showing no wariness, friendliness, or agreement. He looked at Pan Hexun like viewing ants crawling at his feet.

This person was laughably crude in his schemes from top to bottom.

“With your qualifications, do you deserve to travel with me…”

His light voice seemed to carry ancient moss stains.

Fu Chaosheng never looked back at him once. After saying this, he was already far away.

Pan Hexun’s expression changed drastically, his body tensing as he nearly attacked!

But in another blink, that arrogant Lihan was already a thousand zhang away!

What terrifying “body shifting” technique?!

In that instant, Pan Hexun froze.

He ultimately didn’t pursue to fight Lihan, only feeling endless doubt arise: Could Wrongful Death City’s Lihan really be this formidable? In his feeling, even Zhong Lanling…

Seemed a line inferior.

But how was that possible?

Standing in place, Pan Hexun fell into deep thought.

Fu Chaosheng had gone far, paying no attention to Pan Hexun, even though he was Fengdu City’s most popular “big shot” recently and a hot candidate for this session’s Ding Zheng championship.

But what did any of that have to do with him?

He was merely a grain in the vast sea, a mayfly in heaven and earth.

Born solitary, going against fate’s path.

Though countless beings filled the world, those worthy of traveling together numbered less than one in ten million.

At this moment, his mood was not good.

He very much wanted to find someone to talk to.

But these endless doubts about heaven and earth, this boundless contempt for rules—who could listen to his narration?

That salted fish Kun who had been playing dead for so long, or the current whereabouts-unknown “old friend”?

Fu Chaosheng didn’t know either.

He walked step by step with hands behind his back, glancing in all directions as if seeing through these endless mountains to find the person he sought, then changed direction and went searching.

In Ice Prison, there was still no wind.

But it was very cold here.

Actually, calculating on fingers, Jian Chou and the others hadn’t been down long. At first they hadn’t felt anything unusual, but after staying a while, they began shivering.

“Sister Jian Chou, are you alright?”

During their flight, Gu Ling in her colorful feathered dress looked back and saw Jian Chou’s face pale from excessive cold, asking worriedly.

Jian Chou’s gaze still rested ahead.

There was a huge canyon with high ice mountain ranges on both sides, forcibly making this middle area very low, as if dug out.

Yes, this was the place!

“I’m fine.” Jian Chou withdrew her gaze, looking back at Gu Ling. “This is Ice Prison among the Eighteen Layers of Hell—it will only get colder. If ordinary cultivators came here, their cultivation would probably drain quickly…”

So the seemingly ruleless Eighteen Layers of Hell Ding Zheng also had restrictions?

Like the dangerous Eighteen Layers of Hell itself.

“Your face is all white.”

Gu Ling was somewhat careful, but the concern in her voice couldn’t be hidden.

She had long heard Jian Chou’s name, only meeting her during the Ding Zheng. Now traveling together, she felt this female cultivator with a terrible reputation outside was actually easier to get along with than most female cultivators in the Extreme Domain.

Good nature and especially patient.

Even with someone like her who easily panicked, Jian Chou remained consistently patient and unangered.

Besides Grandma, she hadn’t met such a good person.

Thinking this, Gu Ling bit her lip and extended her hand. Deep red flames actually emerged from the back of her hand.

She clenched her palm closed.

Jian Chou was still thinking about the map in her mind—

In that old mansion in Wrongful Death City hiding secrets, there was a complete map of the Eighteen Layers of Hell with every entrance to the next layer clearly recorded.

But time had passed and terrain had changed, so recognition wasn’t easy.

But having a general direction was better than searching blindly like headless flies.

After all, once they reached the entrance, even waiting for rabbits by a tree stump should let them see many people, and with quick hands they could reunite with Zhang Tang and the others.

Jian Chou watched intently. When Gu Ling extended her hand, she hadn’t noticed much.

When those flames emerged and heat waves struck, she was startled.

Terrifying high temperature immediately spread outward with Gu Ling as center!

“You…”

She was surprised and couldn’t help speaking, not knowing what Gu Ling intended.

But soon, Gu Ling stuck out her tongue somewhat embarrassedly, controlling the flames on her hand to extinguish, then opened her clenched palm: “Look, I just made warm ice. Hold this and you won’t be cold.”

“…”

Jian Chou was stunned.

In Gu Ling’s pale small palm lay a piece of warm ice like red crystal.

This seemed to be casually made from ice and snow below, infused with heat…

But for ice and fire to coexist was really…

As if seeing Jian Chou’s confusion, Gu Ling became embarrassed: “My… my dharma body form is rather special… so…”

Among the Ten Great Ghost Tribes, those with slight cultivation talent could see their own “dharma body form,” like Lihan’s “Immovable Wisdom King.”

The dharma body form was like a picture engraved on their souls—a kind of talent.

Whatever the dharma body form was determined what they could cultivate.

But Jian Chou had never cultivated any Ten Great Ghost Tribe techniques, so naturally had never seen anything like “dharma body forms.”

When Gu Ling mentioned it, she remembered and grew curious: “Special?”

She took the “warm ice” from her hand, immediately feeling warmth flow through her entire body, driving away all cold—truly miraculous.

“Anyway, my dharma body form is ugly and different from everyone else’s…” A trace of dimness flashed in Gu Ling’s eyes as she lowered her head, pouting in complaint. “Others’ are at worst hundred spirits or painted eyebrows, but mine is a pitch-black crow… a fire crow, and it has three legs.”

Three-legged…

Fire crow?

Jian Chou’s gaze immediately became surprised, with hints of shock and doubt.

Seeing her expression, Gu Ling assumed she had never heard of it either. She touched her head, messing up a few strands of smooth hair, smiling somewhat shyly: “Sister Jian Chou has never seen or heard of it either, right? Though it’s ugly, its fire is very powerful. Grandma advised me…”

Halfway through speaking, her voice suddenly stalled.

Gu Ling blinked, then lowered her eyelids, obviously thinking of that white-haired old woman whose whereabouts were still unknown.

Jian Chou naturally noticed and didn’t avoid the topic, smiling warmly as they headed toward the canyon ahead: “You and that grandmother have known each other for a long time? I heard she was recommended to the Ding Zheng by Urban King Jiang Chang.”

“We know each other.”

Gu Ling nodded: “When Grandma first came to the Extreme Domain, others bullied her. I couldn’t stand it and helped. Later, Grandma was favored by His Lordship Jiang Chang, and her cultivation improved—she’s even better than me now.”

“Originally Grandma wasn’t coming to the Ding Zheng. His Lordship Jiang Chang never lets his subordinates come here to die. It’s all because of me…”

“Grandma didn’t want me to enter alone, afraid I’d encounter danger, so she forced His Lordship Jiang Chang…”

Her voice grew lower and lower, emotions naturally declining.

Gu Ling couldn’t help looking around: “I wonder where Grandma is now… Eh, there seem to be people ahead!”

Halfway through speaking, her gaze fixed on the bottom of the canyon ahead, brightening greatly.

That was the canyon Jian Chou had seen earlier, which they would pass through or necessarily traverse.

Fierce ice mountains towered on both sides like yaksha hungry ghosts holding tridents, watching the canyon below. Peak heads slanting toward the canyon cast deep shadows within.

The sunken ground showed only traces of piled snow and sealed ice, revealing nothing beneath.

At this moment, several people actually stood in that canyon’s shadows, gathered together discussing something.

Jian Chou moved closer several steps before seeing from afar.

Ghost cultivators’ five senses were extremely sharp, and Jian Chou currently had array formations enhancing her perception to the extreme.

The instant she saw those figures, she recognized their identities!

It was actually Zhang Tang’s group, but…

But there was no Lihan, and others had been added instead.

Gu Ling immediately spotted the old woman with silver-white hair like ice and snow in the crowd, excitedly waving her arms and shouting: “Grandma, Grandma!”

While calling out, she flew toward them.

Jian Chou instinctively frowned, wanting to stop her.

But seeing she was already far away, and considering those ahead were Zhang Tang and the others, she didn’t intervene, only heightened her vigilance and pursued with hand on sword.

“Grandma!”

“Xiao Ling!”

When Gu Ling ran over, the old woman also saw her and hurried out to meet her. The two immediately began exchanging warm greetings and concerns.

Jian Chou fell back a few steps before descending, saying nothing, only wanting to observe the several people standing in the canyon’s shadows.

Everyone’s faces were somewhat blue from the irresistible cold.

Zhang Tang stood with hands tucked in, spine straight, calmly lifting his eyes to glance at her once.

But the first to walk out chattering was Chen Tingyan.

“Finally we’ve waited for you—you nearly worried us to death! Are you alright? What about that Xing Fei? Did you kill him?”

He asked in rapid succession, looking ready to examine Jian Chou’s arms and legs.

Jian Chou had been wondering when she’d encounter them, so naturally felt relieved now that she had.

Hearing Chen Tingyan’s words, she felt somewhat helpless and replied: “Fine for now. Didn’t encounter Xing Fei, but met Xing An. However, since Zhong Lanling and another female cultivator were there then, we couldn’t fight. I ran quickly, met Gu Ling halfway, and was preparing to find you all. Good thing we’ve met now.”

But…

Jian Chou’s gaze moved from Chen Tingyan’s face to look at the person on the far right who had been standing silently.

Silver-gray robes seemed easily blended with the icy world, yet were deeper with some rebellious flavor.

His face wore a slight smile, but actually those eyes held no emotion.

Every feature was handsome, eyes flashing with shrewd light. When looking at people, he seemed very transcendent yet also contemptuous.

Born arrogant?

This was the only description arising in Jian Chou’s mind.

She frowned slightly, already recognizing this person: Pan Hexun, the last person on the list, from Fengdu City’s Wheel-Turning King Palace.

While Jian Chou observed Pan Hexun, he was also observing her. Upon actually seeing her pitifully small soul pearl, he couldn’t help frowning, then a trace of contempt flashed by.

But on the surface, he actually bowed to Jian Chou: “Fellow Daoist Jian Chou need not be surprised. I am Pan Hexun. By coincidence, I ended up in the same place as everyone, so I shamelessly joined the journey.”

Coincidentally ended up together?

Fengdu City cultivators could end up with Wrongful Death City ones?

Jian Chou was initially suspicious, but the next moment, remembering her own bad luck with Xing An, and the mysterious female cultivator and Zhong Lanling who appeared on the peak, her doubts dissolved.

The ignored Chen Tingyan felt dissatisfied. Originally overjoyed to welcome Jian Chou back, she ended up paying attention to Pan Hexun instead!

Internally displeased.

Chen Tingyan glanced at Pan Hexun, disliking this person.

After teleporting here, they hadn’t expected to encounter Fengdu City people, much less Pan Hexun, so they nearly fought.

But since it was still early and they outnumbered him, Pan Hexun actively stopped the conflict and requested to join them.

Logically, Chen Tingyan would most welcome such strong reinforcement.

But this Pan Hexun acted too disgracefully. Among so many people in their team, he seemed to only acknowledge Zhang Tang, looking down on everyone else.

Now seeing him chat with Jian Chou, Chen Tingyan naturally felt displeased.

Though he wasn’t anyone special to Jian Chou, he didn’t want her paying attention to Pan Hexun either.

Sneering inwardly, he pulled Jian Chou toward Zhang Tang, saying: “Young Master Pan speaks truly. He’s traveled with us for a while and has been honest so far, never ambushing anyone. Now that you’re back, Jian Chou, we’re only missing Lihan. Did you encounter him on the road?”