Chapter 262: Hong Yun Deeply Grateful, Hou Tu Comprehends the Dao?!

"Hong Yun, fellow Daoist?!"

Hou Tu's gaze landed on Hong Yun, and a hint of surprise appeared on her stunning face.

Actually, Hou Tu's coming here was also due to a faint feeling in her heart.

It seems that her own Dao does not lie within the Wu Clan.

Thus, Hou Tu followed that feeling and made her way all around the boundless Sea of Blood.

Unexpectedly, she encountered Hong Yun here.

Two powerhouses not belonging to the boundless Sea of Blood met, and Hou Tu was naturally astonished.

At the same time, she had already noticed Hong Yun's actions.

Vast swaths of resentment were being purified, and the wronged souls were continually ferried across.

Watching this scene, Hou Tu's beautiful eyes drooped, flashing a deep shade of pity.

Earlier, Chen Ku had advised the Twelve Ancestor Witches, saying that the Wu Clan's killing qi was too heavy and hoping they would focus on their own virtue.

At that time, Hou Tu had already fallen into contemplation.

And the sight before her eyes today was even more vivid, allowing Hou Tu to clearly feel the unwillingness and misery of those resentments.

As she watched, Hou Tu inevitably sank into deep thought.

Meanwhile, Hong Yun, with her eyes slightly closed, also twitched her brows slightly.

He had also sensed that other powerhouses were approaching.

Opening his eyes with doubt, Hong Yun immediately saw Hou Tu's figure.

"Originally it's Hou Tu, fellow Daoist; I, Hong Yun, pay my respects!"

Hong Yun hastily rose and bowed slightly.

Hong Yun also held great reverence for Hou Tu, such a rare divine goddess of the present age.

Moreover, given his kind nature toward others, he naturally dared not be negligent.

Upon hearing those words, Hou Tu also realized.

"I am Hou Tu of the Palace; I have met you, Fellow Daoist Hong Yun."

She then returned the salute.

After a pause in her speech, Hou Tu continued curiously:

"I came here by chance while wandering."

"But I did not expect to meet Fellow Daoist Hong Yun here."

"What business brings you here, Fellow Daoist?!"

Hou Tu voiced the doubt in her heart.

According to reason, Hong Yun should have joined the Western Buddhist School and cultivated there.

Moreover, this boundless Sea of Blood is dominated by the Nether River; how could it allow Hong Yun's previous act of ferrying the wronged souls?

Upon hearing that, Hong Yun glanced around and was astonished to discover that Chen Ku had vanished without a trace.

"Eh? Where has Fellow Daoist Chen Ku gone?"

Hong Yun felt completely bewildered.

However, she didn't think much of it, merely supposing that Chen Ku perhaps had other matters to attend to.

Thus, regaining her composure, Hong Yun immediately replied:

"Fellow Daoist Hou Tu, behold: in this boundless Sea of Blood, countless billions of sentient beings' wronged souls gather, never to disperse!"

"In life, they were swept up in various wars and found no peace."

"After death, their true spirits remain trapped in this Sea of Blood, truly miserable."

"Therefore, I have come here to ferry these departed souls, hoping to find a place where they may belong after death, so as to end their suffering."

Hong Yun's expression turned solemn as she spoke at length.

However, as soon as these words left her mouth,

opposite her, Hou Tu's countenance immediately shifted.

"To seek a resting place for the departed souls after death?!"

"This... is something that no living being has ever imagined."

After all, in the understanding of the primordial beings of the present age, no matter how high one's cultivation, once the body dies and the Dao disappears, it means true termination.

Very few have considered whether these departed souls also need a place to belong.

For a moment, Hou Tu was deeply moved.

"This... Hong Yun, fellow Daoist, your breadth of mind is truly vast!"

"That you would consider these wronged souls is truly rare!"

Hou Tu sighed from the heart.

However, faced with Hou Tu's praise, Hong Yun's old face flushed red, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Hehe, this is not something I thought of!"

"This matter was comprehended by Fellow Daoist Chen Ku, and he had me carry it out."

"I myself do not possess such great ability."

Hong Yun did not claim credit, but spoke truthfully.

Immediately afterward, he continued:

"Chen Ku, fellow Daoist, does this so that I may reap merit."

"All along, the kindness I have received from Fellow Daoist Chen Ku has been boundless."

"And only by attaining the Dao and becoming a sage as soon as possible can I slowly repay him."

This time, Hong Yun's tone was full of sentiment.

Moved!

Grateful!

Without exaggeration, all along, Chen Ku has saved his life, aided his Buddhist practice, and created Buddhist scriptures.

And today, coming again into the endless Sea of Blood, accumulating merit.

Each of these, each item, is a huge kindness that is hard to put into words.

By comparison, even the deep friendship between Hong Yun and Zhen Yuanzi cannot match the kindness Chen Ku has shown.

Hong Yun has always been kind to others; this nature also makes him more grateful and indebted.

Therefore, even when facing Hou Tu, this "outsider," he openly and deeply expressed his gratitude to Chen Ku without reservation.

It goes without saying that even after attaining the Dao and becoming a sage, Hong Yun will surely have no second thoughts, and will advance and retreat together with Chen Ku, or rather with the Buddhist Sect, sharing life and death.

Upon hearing the reason, Hou Tu first stared, then immediately showed a look of relief.

As it turns out, this too is Chen Ku's doing.

This makes things even more reasonable.

"Daoist friend Chen Ku, you are truly a rare person of great wisdom in the world!"

"Your talent is extraordinary, your actions thorough; you are truly a rare existence throughout the ages."

Hou Tu's words likewise come from the heart.

As for the Wu Clan, although they have not interacted much with Chen Ku,

but whether it was the initial overwhelming of various laws, defeating the Twelve Ancestral Witches in succession, or the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique, etc.

Each of these things has left the Twelve Ancestral Witches in awe.

Moreover, Hou Tu harbors other thoughts that she has not spoken directly.

That is, although Chen Ku is a junior, he has wholeheartedly aided Hong Yun, enabling her to progress step by step toward attaining the Dao and becoming a sage.

In a sense, this method of winning people's hearts is also top-notch.

Even Di Jun Taiyi and the like cannot compare.

After all, the strength of the Demon Court largely comes from Di Jun Taiyi and others' powerful intimidation of the Demon Race's beings, forcing them to submit.

But at present, Hong Yun's devotion to the Western Buddhist Sect is genuine and unwavering.

Comparing the two, the superiority is clear.

After a moment, Hou Tu came to her senses.

Suddenly, a previously unknown mystical sensation arose in her heart.

"To ferry away resentment, so that wronged souls may have a place to belong?!"

"This......"

In an instant, Hou Tu's heart surged, unable to calm.

Today Hong Yun's actions, along with what he said earlier, seem to have also pointed out a direction for Hou Tu in the dark.

She lowered her beautiful eyes, sinking into thought.

Faintly, Hou Tu can almost be certain that giving the dead a place to belong carries a significance unprecedentedly great.

"In the past, Pangu Father God transformed his body into the myriad things of heaven and earth, blessing all races and beings."

"If so... can we, the later generations, also emulate him?"

The sensation in her heart grew clearer and deeper.

Instantly, Hou Tu fully entered a state of enlightenment, dazed and motionless, like an old monk in meditation.

Beside her, seeing Hou Tu so lost, Hong Yun felt somewhat bewildered.

"Daoist friend Hou Tu?!"

He called out softly, but Hou Tu gave no response.

On the contrary, only a mysterious radiance could be seen flowing in her beautiful eyes.

The Dao's rhythm rose and fell, the laws surged!

Hong Yun could see that in Hou Tu's eyes, there was not merely the earthly law she controlled.

Rather, there were many more profound and obscure auras constantly emerging, merging into it, making Hou Tu's entire aura become ever more profound and ineffable.

"Daoist friend Hou Tu, have you attained enlightenment?!"

Hong Yun muttered softly.

As a top-tier innate great power, he naturally could see that Hou Tu's state is a heavenly-human struggle, comprehending the Dao in the dark.

This surprised Hong Yun greatly.

The Wu Clan, actually can also comprehend the Dao?!

In the understanding of all beings, the Wu Clan does not give birth to a primordial spirit; they have always relied solely on strengthening their physical bodies to become more formidable.

Seeing an ancestral witch attain the Dao is indeed the first time.

However, precisely because this scene is extremely rare, waiting until Hou Tu fully comprehends it will also be an unprecedented event.

He secretly sighed with emotion.

Hong Yun looked at Hou Tu and could not help but show a wry smile.

"Alas... it seems for now I can only guard the Dao for Daoist friend Hou Tu."

Hong Yun felt somewhat helpless.

What the heck is this?!

Hou Tu said nothing and directly entered enlightenment.

And if I were to just ignore this, should Hou Tu be disturbed, I would truly have no excuse.

Therefore, Hong Yun could only sit beside Hou Tu, continuing to liberate the resentful spirits of this place while monitoring Hou Tu's breath changes and protecting it from disturbance.

Moreover, Hong Yun's doubts resurfaced.

Fellow Daoist Chen Ku...... where exactly did he go?!

Hong Yun looked around again, yet still sensed nothing, not even a trace of Chen Ku's aura.

He didn't know either.

At this moment, in an unnoticed spatial rift, Chen Ku sat cross‑legged, smiling as he watched Hong Yun guard Hou Tu, and nodded silently.

Alas... suffering, suffering......

Hou Tu is the one bearing the heavenly mandate, born destined to awaken the Earth Dao and establish the Underworld as the supreme existence.

Such innate fortune truly makes one envious.

At this moment, Chen Ku muttered to himself, not without a sigh.

In this world, perhaps no one understands it better than he does.

The Earth Dao will eventually manifest, and only Hou Tu alone can awaken it.

This is Hou Tu's fate; no one can replace him, nor can anyone try to get ahead.

In other words, from the moment Hou Tu was born, it was already destined that he would eventually establish the Underworld and fulfill the fate of an Earth Dao Saint.

Compared to eighty or ninety percent of cultivators in the world, he surpasses them by a factor of hundreds of millions, and this is no exaggeration.

However, despite that, Chen Ku feels no envy, jealousy, or hatred.

Although the Earth Dao is powerful, it is ultimately only a part of the primordial heaven and earth, not a true transcendence.

Yet Chen Ku's own goal is to attain the Dao and become a Grand Unity Luo Golden Immortal.

That is why he deliberately concealed his presence, leaving Hong Yun to face Hou Tu alone.

Thus, everything that happened today is a great opportunity for Hong Yun alone.

Once the Earth Dao awakens, Hong Yun will inevitably be able to share in the boundless merit.

Otherwise, if Chen Ku were also present, Hou Tu would likely pay no heed to Hong Yun.

If such a thought were known to other great powers and giants, they would surely be shocked.

After all, the preciousness of merit cannot be expressed in words.

If it were anyone else, they would eagerly seize it for themselves; how could they simply hand it over to another?

However, Chen Ku also has his own considerations.

Hehe, I hold the Mortal Register of Life and Death; in the future, obtaining merit will not be difficult.

Moreover, as long as Fellow Daoist Hong Yun attains the Dao early.

Thus, with the Three Saints seated in the Buddhist Sect, I will have more time to fully comprehend the Grand Unity Dao.

It must be said, Chen Ku's considerations are more far‑reaching and thorough.

At present, it appears that he is sparing no effort to assist Hong Yun.

But in fact, this move also serves his own benefit.

As long as the Buddhist Sect truly possesses the Three Saints, thereafter no powerful being will dare to provoke it.

Whether it is reviving the West or raising his cultivation, Chen Ku no longer needs to rush.

Even if it takes billions of years to break through to Grand Unity Luo Golden Immortal, for Chen Ku it can be said to be of no consequence, and moreover it is highly worthwhile.

Thinking this, Chen Ku inwardly focused his divine sense and glanced at the Mortal Register of Life and Death hovering in his sea of consciousness.

Perhaps resonating with the external aura, the Register of Life and Death now continuously emits a profound, mysterious radiance that is hard to describe.

Strands of strange, inscrutable symbols also appear and disappear intermittently.

This causes Chen Ku to sigh once again.

Indeed, the Mortal Register is the most compatible with the Underworld.

However, now is not the time for the Mortal Register of Life and Death to emerge.

Therefore, Chen Ku cast aside distractions, continued to conceal his presence, and observed the outside scene.

By this point, Chen Ku's eyes also revealed a hint of anticipation.

After all, the establishment of the Underworld and the birth of an Earth Dao Saint is an event mighty enough to shake the ages and make all beings utterly tumultuous.

And today, he himself will personally witness it.

Even Chen Ku can no longer remain as calm as water.

The outside world!

Hong Yun's liberation continues.

Meanwhile, under his protection, Hou Tu's aura becomes even vaster and unparalleled, yet deep and obscure like an abyss.

Boom—

Later, waves of tremendous heavenly sound spread outward from Hou Tu's surroundings, making even Hong Yun unable to remain calm.

He stared fixedly, his face filled with shock and regret.

What... what kind of Dao rhythm is this? How mysterious!

Hong Yun exclaimed, his expression changing.

Now, the Dao patterns pervading Hou Tu's surroundings have become extremely unfamiliar, to the point of never having been seen before.

Even though Hong Yun is well‑versed and knowledgeable, he is completely at a loss.

But his question receives no answer.

In the next moment, an even more terrifying change occurred.

All that could be seen was that, under the wondrous, ineffable Dao‑pattern divine markings,

Hou Tu's peerlessly beautiful visage began to transform.

In an instant, the Earth Mother solemnly resembled a petrified statue.

On her graceful body, layers peeled off and detached.

Watching this scene, Hong Yun's pupils contracted sharply.

"This... what is happening?!"

In an instant, Hong Yun was shocked beyond description.