Ninety-Nine, First Tour of the Underworld

  The ancestor witch, Houtu, was filled with sorrow and pity for the countless spirits born in the desolate wilderness, whose bodies died but their souls had nowhere to rely on. With her own body, she transformed the cycle of reincarnation into a land of blessings, obtaining immeasurable merit. She finally shed her witch's body and achieved a body of merit, possessing a primordial spirit, no longer being a witch.

  When Hou Tu invited Ming He, seeking the way to the land of the underworld, Ming He Lao Zu was shocked and bewildered: the sea of blood that he relied on for his existence had disappeared, he could feel the presence of the sea of blood, but it was invisible before his eyes. Even the boundless merits and virtues of the yellow aura created by Hou Tu's merits did not awaken him, only when he heard Hou Tu's voice inviting him did he wake up with a start, and immediately agreed.

  Xun Daozi listened and was invited by Tu Xiang. He bowed his head and said, "This is what I have always wished for! I have a disciple in the rear, may I ask you to take him along to go and observe?"

  Houtu nodded in agreement.

  Xun Daozi transmitted the message of the three-eyed snow lion beast leading the jade qilin, Liu Ling arrived.

  Three-eyed Snow Lion Beast, Jade Qilin, Liu Ling arrived, and Hou Tu waved his hand, a misty big gate rose from the ground, behind which was a grayish-white expanse that couldn't be seen clearly what was there.

  Houtu didn't say a word, and took the lead to quickly enter the misty big gate. Minghe Laozu also followed closely behind, with Xingdaozi leading the three-eyed snow lion beast, Yu Qilin, and Liu Ling also followed into the gate. After everyone entered the gate, the misty big gate swayed once, like smoke, disappearing without a trace, leaving only a vast expanse of desolate land.

  As soon as they entered the gate, Zhen Daozi and others found themselves in a grayish misty scene. Everything around them was blurry and unclear, but they could sense that it was an extremely vast space.

  Hou Tu stepped forward, and the bright yellow palace attire was extremely eye-catching. The crowd followed closely behind, with no one speaking, even the three-eyed Snow Lion Beast, Jade Qilin, and Liu Ling only curiously looked around at first, sizing up this gloomy space, until later they lowered their heads and quietly followed Xun Daozi, walking silently.

  Also don't know how far they walked, but it seemed to have cleared up a lot in front of them. A gray vast land appeared, and the sky and fields were still gray and blurry.

  As I walk closer, a long river stretches across the gray earth, with no visible beginning or end, seemingly cutting the gray earth in two.

  As I walked closer, I saw that the water flowing in the river was actually fresh red blood, with waves surging and churning, and huge waves crashing against the riverbank. Along with the rolling blood waves were souls of living beings, revealing painful expressions.

  At this time, the old ancestor of the Nether River suddenly changed his face, and this blood-colored long river was clearly transformed from the Blood Sea, which made the old ancestor of the Nether River how could he not be shocked and angry.

  At once, Meng He also couldn't help but take two steps forward and loudly asked Hou Tu: "Please tell me, fellow Taoist, what is the meaning of this?"

  The Queen of the Underworld turned to face the River Styx, her expression calm and serene. She opened her crimson lips: "The Blood Sea of the Primordial Chaos has now transformed into this Land of Forgetfulness's Blood River. The end of the Blood River is where the Six Paths of Reincarnation lie. The three good paths are the Heavenly Path, the Human Path, and the Asura Path; the three evil paths are the Hellish Path, the Hungry Ghost Path, and the Animal Path. Although the six paths have appeared, the gates of reincarnation have not yet opened, and the souls of all living beings still cannot be reborn, only to be eroded and disappear in this Blood River of Forgetfulness. You, Ancestor, created the Asura clan and should be the master of the Asura Path among these six paths. I wonder what your intentions are?"

  Minghe Laozu fell into deep thought after Tudi finished speaking. Tudi didn't urge him, but instead showed a sorrowful expression on his face, silently gazing at the vast and desolate land on the other side of the Blood River.

  Xun Daozi and San Yan Xue Shi Beast, Yu Qilin, Liu Ling also did not speak, but only measured the souls of the living in the blood river rolling with waves. Those flashing painful faces made Xun Daozi also give birth to a heart of sorrow and pity.

  After a long time, the old ancestor of the Nether River raised his head, saluted Hou Tu, and said: "Thank you for your guidance, I will now open the door to the Asura Path and provide an opportunity for the souls of the living to be reborn in the Asura Path. From now on, I am the master of the Asura Path. Nether River bids farewell!"

  Houtu returned a courtesy and said: "This is the creation of Laozu, Laozu will leave on his own."

  The Old Ancestor of the Nether River turned his head and took a look at Xun Daozi. Xun Daozi bowed his head and said, "Congratulations, Old Ancestor!"

  Minghe's face revealed a hint of a smile, and he returned a courtesy before turning around and disappearing into thin air.

  After the old ancestor of the Nether River left, Hou Tu's slender hand waved lightly, and a stone bridge suddenly appeared on the surface of the Forgetful River and the Blood River. On the pier of the bridge were three large black characters - "Naihe Bridge", as if they had been printed with a seal.

  Houtu turned back to Xun Daozi and said: "Please follow me!" Then he stepped onto the stone bridge, heading towards the other side of the Blood River.

  Xun Daozi followed closely behind, and the three-eyed Snow Lion Beast also walked onto the stone bridge.

  After crossing the stone bridge, they walked for a while and on the grayish vast land, a majestic and gigantic city wall rose up. When they arrived at the city gate, Xing Dazi looked up and saw four twisted and dark huge characters on top of the gate - "Yōu Míng Dì Fǔ" (The Underground Palace of Darkness). It was indeed terrifying, and ordinary ghosts would be scared to death by its appearance.

  The city gate opened, with no one in sight, Hou Tu went straight through the city gate, and Xuan Zhen and others followed him into the city gate.

  Entering the city, looking around, it's desolate and empty. Except for Xun Daozi and others, no one else is in sight. In the distance, a continuous stretch of palaces can be vaguely seen.

  Houtu proceeded at a steady pace, neither fast nor slow, with Daizi and the three-eyed snow lion beast following closely behind. They passed by the Ten Halls of Yanluo, the Ghost King's Hall, and many other grand buildings. Without stopping or lingering, Houtu traversed the city and exited it, whereupon they saw in the distance a towering black mountain that pierced the sky. Houtu hastened towards the great mountain.

  The crowd soon arrived at the foot of the mountain, but Hou Tu did not stop and instead turned around to the back of the mountain. From a distance, Xun Daozi saw a palace situated at the foot of the mountain, and Hou Tu walked straight towards it.

  Arriving at the gate of the palace, Xun Daozi saw three large characters on the giant plaque above the gate - Ping Xin Palace.

  Houtu walked to the front of the palace gate, and the gate opened by itself. Houtu stepped inside, and Zidun hesitated for a moment, thinking for a while, leaving the three-eyed snow lion beast, the jade qilin, and Liu Ling outside, and followed Houtu into Pingxin Palace.

  Dai Xun Daozi entered the great hall, and Hou Tu was already seated on a futon. Seeing Dai Xun Daozi approach, he raised his hand and pointed, and suddenly a futon appeared on the ground. Then, with a slight opening of his vermilion lips, he said: "Daoist friend, please sit!"

  Xunzi bowed his head and sat down.

  "Houtu opened his mouth and said: 'Do you know why I invited you here, fellow Taoist?'"

  Xun Daozi raised his eyes to look at Hou Tu in front of him, but he felt that Hou Tu was different from the one on the road before. Although Hou Tu was sitting in front of Xun Daozi, his figure was mysterious and elusive, his breath obscure and mysterious. This kind of breath Xun Daozi had only seen on Nuwa, Yuanshi, Laozi, Tongtian and a few others after they had attained the Tao and become saints. He thought to himself: Could it be that Hou Tu has also attained the Tao and become a saint?

  Just as he was about to answer, a loud rumbling sound suddenly shook the entire underworld. At the same time, a series of ethereal sounds echoed in his ears, and when he looked up, a magnificent golden aura burst forth from the gray sky, descending towards the direction of the River of Forgetfulness. Soon after, a peal of laughter reverberated through the air, followed by the distant transmission of the majestic pressure of the Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm.

  That laughter was indeed from the Old Ancestor of the Nether River, who opened the Asura Wheel of Reincarnation in the Six Paths of Reincarnation. He obtained the merits of Heaven and Earth, and with one move, his Dao journey took a huge leap forward. He verified the Great Luo Golden Immortal Fruit position and stabilized his Dao journey. For a moment, he was excited and released all his breath, causing the entire Nether River Prefecture to feel the pressure of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

  When the pressure eased a bit, Xun Daozi turned his head and bowed to Hou Tu: "I don't know!"

  The Queen of Earth's face showed a look of sorrow and pity, and she said softly: "I have something to ask for, I hope you will agree, fellow Taoist!"

  Xun Daozi asked: "I don't know what this is about? Please speak clearly, Ancestor!"

  The look of sorrow and grief on Hou Tu's face grew heavier, and he opened his mouth to say: "I have entered this desolate land, dwelled in this Ping Xin Palace, and from now on, I am no longer the Ancestor Witch of the Wu Tribe. Friends can call me 'Ping Xin' from now on. Although I am now Ping Xin, I still have ties to the Wu Tribe of Hong Huang, and I ask that when the Wu Tribe faces disaster, you leave behind a lineage for them, so that the bloodline of the Wu Tribe will not be severed. Ping Xin (Hou Tu) here thanks you in advance on behalf of the Wu Tribe!" Hou Tu's voice was filled with an unspeakable sorrow, and after finishing speaking, he surprisingly stood up to pay his respects to Xun Dao Zi.

  Xun Daozi hastily stood up and gave way, not daring to accept the courtesy. He said: "Nowadays, your majesty's Tao is profound and vast, far surpassing mine. It should be easy for you to leave a legacy for the witch tribe with your Taoism. Why do I need to take action? Moreover, the Hongyuan witch tribe is powerful and has few enemies. Even if there are some minor calamities, it can easily pass through with the ability of all the ancestor witches. If it's really a catastrophe that even all the ancestor witches cannot overcome, what can my humble Taoism and magical powers do?"

  "Please listen to my words, fellow Daoist. I have entered this palace and cannot easily leave this dark and gloomy place. In truth, I am powerless to help the Hongyuan Witch Clan again. The Witch Clan is born with divine powers, but they do not cultivate their yuan Shen and are unaware of the impending disaster. Now that I am trapped in this underground prison, although I know this, I have no power to assist. After careful consideration, I realize that the Witch Clan's only hope for survival lies with you, fellow Daoist. Therefore, I sincerely implore you to lend a hand and help the Witch Clan preserve their lineage, so as not to let their bloodline be severed. I am deeply grateful."

  Xun Daozi flashed again. With a sincere expression on his face, he raised his hand to return the courtesy and said: "Your Majesty doesn't need to be too polite, let me think about it for a moment before answering you, how's that?"

  Ping Xin listened to Xun Daozi's words, his face slightly relaxed, and invited Xun Daozi to sit down. After Xun Daozi lowered his head and fell into deep thought, Ping Xin also sat quietly, silently watching Xun Daozi in contemplation.

  At this moment, I humbly beg of you, Xun Daozi, to lend a hand and save the Hong Huang witch tribe, leaving behind a lineage for the witch tribe so that their bloodline will not be severed. This is the greatest merit since the opening of the heavens, allowing me to shed my witch body, transform into a being of merit, and achieve a body of merit. I have entered the underworld, obtained the abilities of a heavenly saint, and come to understand the calamity of witches and demons. My heart is filled with sorrow for the fate of the witch tribe, but I am powerless to change it. In my quiet calculations, I see a glimmer of hope, which lies entirely on your shoulders, Xun Daozi. Therefore, I put aside my pride and sincerely implore you. At this moment, seeing that you are deep in thought, I do not disturb you, but quietly wait for you to awaken.

  After a long time, Xun Daozi woke up from his meditation, lifted his head and opened his mouth towards Ping Xin Dao...

  Ps: First of all, thank you to Shadadao Xiongmao and the leaders for visiting and rewarding two friends. Thank you for your attention and support. Wish you a happy new year! At the same time, I would also like to thank friends who have been paying attention to and supporting this book. Wish everyone a happy new year, may all things go as wished; in the new year, everything goes smoothly, and all wishes come true!