One Hundred and Four, Scheming Kunlun

  Xun Daozi returned to the mountain, and had no good feelings towards the two tribes of witches. He felt no sympathy for the impending witch disaster. His eyes had a hint of coldness. After considering Liu Ling's cultivation, he pointed out some areas that needed attention and transmitted several divine techniques. When he heard that Liu Ling had named his self-crafted staff "Sui Xin Gan", he rode off on the Jade Qilin towards Kunlun Mountain with a sense of depression and helplessness. He left Liu Ling to manage the cave and take care of the people living in Xun Dao Mountain. The three-eyed snow lion beast stayed behind, intending to break through the Daluo realm, and closed up in the Wudao Cave.

  Xun Daozi rushed all the way to Kunlun Mountain, but the road was desolate and cold, and he no longer saw any humans along the way.

  Months later, Xun Daozi arrived at Kunlun Mountain, but there was an additional 7 or 8 year old child by his side. The child's eyes were filled with fear, and only when he saw Xun Daozi would a hint of gentleness and reverence appear in his expression.

  The child was encountered on the way to Xian, and at that time, the child was being chased by a monster. The Xianzi killed the monster and rescued him. When asked, he learned that the child had been hiding in a small cave with his father and mother, and every day his father would go out to find some wild fruits and roots to bring back to the cave, and the three of them barely survived like this. One time, his father went out and never came back, and he and his mother waited in the cave for two days. His mother went out to find food and also never came back. The child was so hungry that he ran out of the cave and looked everywhere for food. From a distance, he saw the monster and was scared, running wildly, just as Xianzi happened to be passing by and rescued him, bringing him to Kunlun Mountain.

  Xun Daozi entered the mountain gate and saw Chuyunzi and Baocanzi coming out to greet him. The two of them bowed to Xun Daozi and said, "Greetings, senior brother!" As they raised their heads, Xun Daozi saw that their eyes were flashing with a sorrowful and indignant light, knowing that the two of them knew about the calamity that had befallen the human race.

  Xun Daozi didn't say a word, walked over and patted the two on the shoulder. He pulled over the little Tongzi beside him and handed it to Yunchuanzi: "This child was rescued by me on the way, I'm going to see Master, Brother Disciple you replace Brother for me to take care of!" Then he lowered his head and said to the child: "I have something to do, you follow this Taoist priest, he will take good care of you, don't be afraid!"

  The child nodded understandingly, walked to Yúnzi's side, still staring at Xúndàozi. Xúndàozi went over and patted his head, once again entrusting Yúnzi and Bàozánzi to take good care of the child. He turned around and headed towards the Jade Void Palace.

  Xuanzang entered the Jade Void Palace and paid homage to Yuanshi, then sat down beside him.

  Yuanshi smiled and said: "You did a good job this time!"

  Xun Daozi respectfully replied: "It is a good teaching from Master!"

  Yuanshi burst out laughing and said: "Your master didn't teach you these flattering words!"

  Xun Daozi smiled wryly and said no more.

  Yuanshi spoke again: "Let's talk about the reincarnation of the underworld."

  Xun Daozi's face turned solemn, and he said in a low voice: "Master, I think the cycle of reincarnation in the underworld is closely related to the Hongyuan, and it has an even greater relationship with our Xuanmen sect's teachings. We must make plans as soon as possible!"

  At first hearing, his face turned slightly solemn, and he asked in a deep voice: "Why?"

  Xun Daozi will meet Hou Tu, personally see Hou Tu sacrifice his body and transform into the wheel of reincarnation in the underworld, obtain infinite merits and virtues, achieve the body of merits, and sit in the underworld. The Blood Sea transformed into the Forgetful River, the Blood River, and the Old Ancestor of the Nether River became the master of the Asura Dao, promoted to the position of Daluo Golden Immortal. The six paths of reincarnation, the underworld, and Hou Tu asked Yuan Shi to leave a bloodline for the Wu tribe, one by one, to make it clear.

  After hearing this, he fell into deep thought, pondering and calculating.

  Half a moment later, Yuan Shi raised his head and said: "This matter is indeed of great importance, we must plan carefully. I will invite your Shibo and Shu to come over and discuss it together."

  Yuanshi pinched a magic trick and threw it into the air.

  In a moment, a ripple appeared in the void, and Laozi and Tongtian walked out of the void.

  Xun Daozi hastily stepped forward and paid his respects.

  Laozi sat down beside Yuan Shi's body with Tongtian.

  Yuanshi instructed Xun Daozi to tell Laozi about the matter of reincarnation in the underworld again, and Tongtian would explain it.

  Xun Daozi recounted it again in detail.

  This time Laozi, Tongtian listened without divination, but just looked at Yuanshi.

  Yuanshi pushed himself to calculate with Laozi and said a few words about Tongtian.

  Laozi thought for a moment and said, "Why don't the three of us work together to calculate it again, and make sure we understand the cause and effect before making any plans!"

  Yuanshi nodded in approval, saying it was good.

  At this moment, Yuanshi, Laozi, and Tongtian joined forces to perform a ritual. The mechanism of qi pulled and slowly stripped away the layers of karma and confusion, revealing a faint, hazy mark that traversed past, present, and future.

  Half a month later, the three of us had mastered the skills.

  Laozi turned his head and asked Xun Daozi: "What do you think about this matter?" Yuan Shi and Tong Tian were also looking at Xun Daozi.

  "The disciple respectfully replied: 'I think that our sect should send disciples to occupy this place as soon as possible.'"

  Tong Tian glared at Xun Daozi and said: "Stop being ambiguous, continue speaking!"

  Xun Daozi smiled lightly and continued, "I want to send some of our Xuanmen disciples with strong minds to help Ping Xin Niangniang manage the underworld. Once the underworld is running smoothly, these disciples can preside over it and accumulate some merit and luck for our Xuanmen sect to use in the future!"

  Xun Daozi finished speaking, and Laozi spoke first: "What Xun Daozi said is not bad, but now there are few disciples under our door, it's hard to turn the underworld around. What do you two brothers plan to do?"

  Tongtian Dao: "I have hundreds of people under me, but if I let him go to the underworld to do good deeds, I'm afraid it won't work either. What do you think, Second Brother?"

  "We can't all go to the underworld, or how would we spread our teachings? It's just that this underworld is not accessible now, and it will be difficult to enter in the future. You should know that Hou Tu has transformed into Ping Xin Niang Niang, who sits in the underworld, with boundless merits and virtues, her power is no longer below ours. Only at this time when the underworld is unmanned, do we have this opportunity. Moreover, Xun Dao Zi has already promised Ping Xin Niang Niang that within ten thousand years, he will find someone to operate the underworld, if we don't make good use of this opportunity, it would be a waste of the chance that Xun Dao Zi fought for."

  Laozi nodded and said, "Indeed it is. However, the operation of the underworld requires a large number of people, and we can't find that many people for the time being. After all, cultivators are not willing to be subject to many restrictions."

  Tongtian nodded and said, "That's right. Whoever is willing to be driven, all kinds of cultivation are for freedom. It's not easy to find so many people who voluntarily go to the underworld to turn the wheel of the underworld."

  Yuanshi turned his head and looked at Xun Daozi, saying: "You have promised Ping Xin Niangniang that for ten thousand years, you will find enough manpower to operate the underworld. Do you have any plans?"

  Laozi, upon hearing Yuan Shi's question, turned his head towards him and looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

  Xun Daozi smiled slightly and asked the three of them, "May I ask, Master, Senior Master, and Junior Master, how much longer will it take for the Great Witching Calamity to begin?"

  Three people were taken aback, their faces stunned. Suddenly, Tongtian spoke up: "Since you asked, I'll tell you - the great calamity of the Wu and Yao tribes will arise within these few thousand years!" As soon as he finished speaking, his face was stunned again. He turned to look at Laozi, who had a shocked expression on his face. Tongtian turned back to Xun Daozi, whose smile seemed ambiguous, and asked: "Could it be that you also know the time when this great calamity of Wu and Yao will arise?" After asking, his face also showed surprise. This calamity of Wu and Yao was something that only those who had attained the Tao of Heaven and Earth could understand. Although Tongtian had mentioned it to Xun Daozi before, the three of them had never discussed when the great calamity would arise. Now, looking at Xun Daozi's expression, it was clear that he knew very well. This made Tongtian and the others extremely shocked - this was something that only those who had attained the Tao of Heaven and Earth could know.

  But the three old men's faces showed a fleeting look of surprise, which was quickly retracted, and didn't let Xun Daozi notice, only the three of them knew each other.

  The old man said: "What do you want?"

  "The disciple thinks that our Xuanmen School doesn't need to send too many people to the underworld, just a few will do. We can occupy some key positions in the underworld and the rest can seek refuge during the Witch-Yao calamity. The Witch-Yao calamity is vast and many are involved. When it starts, countless lives will be lost. The remaining cultivators who didn't get involved might also be intimidated by the calamity and want to find a place to rely on. These cultivators might be willing to enter the underworld and take up positions to gain merit and protection from the underworld.

  Also, the disciple should grant Ping Xin Niang's request and leave behind a bloodline for the Witch tribe. The disciple thinks that there are some straightforward people in the Witch tribe who shouldn't suffer this calamity, so I want to ask Master, Master Uncle, and Master Aunt to take action and spare this branch of the Witch tribe.

  If they continue to live on the vast earth with their nature, they might not be able to survive for long. So, the disciple wants to send this part of the Witch tribe to the underworld as well, where Ping Xin Niang can keep them in check. This way, they won't cause any trouble and can gain some merit and protection by performing their duties in the underworld.

  Our Xuanmen School can also take advantage of this opportunity to build a good relationship with Ping Xin Niang and gain convenience in our actions in the underworld. These are all the disciple's thoughts that I didn't discuss with Master, Master Uncle, and Master Aunt before agreeing to Ping Xin Niang's request. Please punish me for my mistake."

  After finishing speaking, Xun Daozi got up and bowed down to the ground, quietly waiting for the three seniors to speak.

  Yuanshi laughed and scolded: "Get up! Who is blaming you? Don't pretend to be pitiful, don't play tricks in front of us!"

  Xun Daozi slowly got up and stood aside.

  "Sit down, don't stand!" Laozi said with a smile. After Xun Daozi sat down, Laozi spoke again: "Xun Daozi is right, this time in the witch and demon calamity, we will take action to protect some of the better-natured witches. My sect only has two disciples, and the two of you will send your disciples to guard the underworld. What do you think, my two virtuous brothers?"

  Yuanshi nodded and said, "Good!"

  Xun Daozi suddenly spoke up: "Shibo, Shifu, Shishu, if Shibo, Shifu, and Shishu were to intervene in the Great Calamity to protect a member of the Wu tribe, would Nüwa Shishu also intervene to protect the Yao tribe, causing the Great Calamity of the Wu and Yao tribes to be incomplete?"

  Yuanshi Dao said: "The Great Way is not exhausted, leaving only a thread. The demon clan was originally due to the blessings of Nuwa and could not be cut off. Even if Nuwa took action, she could not protect much."

  Laozi also said: "Moreover, the two of them, Jieyin and Zhunti, are plotting to obtain merits and virtues. They won't let Nüwa cut off their chances of obtaining merits and virtues and spreading the Tao. You should know that if these two tribes of witches and demons don't leave the Primordial Chaos, even though they have many followers now, the Tao will not be able to flourish. The prosperity of the Tao is impossible for them, and it's hard for them to gather their vital energy. They are more anxious than us, perhaps they are busy pushing for the Great Calamity to happen in order to obtain merits and virtues! Therefore, we don't need to worry about Nüwa taking action, just follow the original plan and take action!"

  P.S: Thanks to Li Xuan Tian for the reward! Thank you to all friends who have been paying attention and supporting me!