Chapter 270

The eleven ancestor witches retreated.

The netherworld had also become hidden and unseen.

The vast endless Sea of Blood gradually returned to its ancient tranquility.

But the expressions of all beings were no longer as indifferent as before.

Without a doubt, having verified the Dao with a calm mind and attained sainthood, the world gained another supreme sage.

This caused countless mighty figures to feel an unprecedented heaviness in their hearts.

Among those present, the people brought by Jieyin and Zhunti had all entered the netherworld.

After a long while, Jieyin and Zhunti also came to their senses.

"Hahaha, your disciple's arrangement this time is truly unparalleled throughout the ages."

"Myriad beings of the West now have a place to belong—how wonderful, how wonderful......"

Jieyin and Zhunti quickly walked up beside Chen Ku, Jieyin unable to conceal his joy and excitement, laughing as he spoke.

As his words fell, Zhunti also spoke with a smile.

"I never expected that the former ancestor witch Houtu would still have such a shocking great opportunity."

"Only my nephew-in-law, with such keen divine sense and piercing gaze, could exclusively claim this great merit of reincarnation."

"Even we sages find ourselves somewhat lacking in comparison."

Their words were full of admiration.

In their gaze toward Chen Ku lay an indescribable sense of relief.

One must know that before this, the witch and demon clans vied for supremacy, and the karmic repercussions of the Great Calamity were overwhelming.

Whether facing Di Jun, Taiyi and others, or the twelve ancestor witches, all beings avoided them as much as possible, fearing to be stained by the karma of the Great Calamity.

Who could have imagined that Houtu, one of the ancestor witches, could bear such a great mission of transforming his body into reincarnation?

Looking across heaven and earth, only Chen Ku dared to be deeply involved with the twelve ancestor witches.

Moreover, in the end, he received a share in the establishment of reincarnation.

This can be seen from the envious looks of all beings.

Hearing his master and uncle speak such high praise, Chen Ku smiled faintly.

"Hehe, Master, Uncle, you overpraise me."

"I am merely a disciple who happened to encounter fortune by chance."

This time, Chen Ku appeared exceptionally modest.

After all, he had foreknowledge, even able to learn in advance of such a major event as the establishment of reincarnation, and must absolutely not let others know.

Although my master and uncle mean no harm, one cannot guarantee that there are no ears on the wall, right?!

Seeing this, Jieyin felt even more relieved.

"Hahaha, disciple, there's no need to be overly modest."

"This time, not only do myriad beings of the West owe gratitude to your disciple's virtue,"

"Even Hongyun has gained great benefit because of you, disciple."

Jieyin laughed again heartily.

While speaking, he also glanced toward the other side where the old ancestor Hongyun, merging merit, had his eyes slightly closed.

Obviously, the earlier scene where Chen Ku obtained merit but did not absorb it himself, instead giving it to Hongyun, had also attracted the attention of Jieyin and Zhunti.

Without exaggeration, one could say Chen Ku's treatment of Hongyun was utterly benevolent and righteous.

At the same time, this filled both of them with great anticipation.

"This time, he has again gained boundless merit upon his person."

"Daoist friend Hongyun... could he possibly achieve sainthood in one fell swoop?!"

Zhunti said this in a low voice.

As his words fell, the gazes of several people all gathered upon Hongyun.

But Chen Ku did not speak in response.

Perhaps no one can be certain whether Hongyun can truly attain sainthood.

Moreover, in the original heavenly numbers, this was also something that would not happen.

Therefore, Chen Ku also could not be sure.

The three could only stare fixedly at Hongyun, awaiting the final outcome.

No one knew how long had passed.

Finally, at a certain moment!

Boom!

Around Hongyun, a mighty and heavy aura suddenly burst forth, stirring winds and thunder, gripping the heart and soul.

Seeing this, Jieyin, Zhunti, and the others all had their expressions shift.

However, the scene they had anticipated ultimately did not occur.

After a moment, only Hongyun's brows slightly furrowed, and then he slowly awakened.

His aura had grown considerably stronger.

Yet, compared to the true might of a sage, he still fell short by a hair.

Although it is merely a hair's breadth, the gap between sage and non-sage remains as vast as a chasm.

In other words, this time Hongyun still failed to successfully condense the sage's Dao fruit.

"Still not possible......"

Zhunti's gaze grew somewhat dim as he muttered to himself.

On the other side, Hongyun had also fully awakened.

He looked at Jieyin and Zhunti, as well as Chen Ku, and couldn't help but show a hint of shame.

Especially when facing Chen Ku, this feeling was even stronger.

"This.... has disappointed all you fellow Daoists."

"Although I have already merged with the Primordial Purple Qi, I am still off by a hair's breadth."

"In the dark...... it seems still lacking the final thread of opportunity."

Hongyun said this, feeling ashamed before Chen Ku and the others.

Upon hearing this, Jieyin's expression froze.

"Opportunity......"

"Alas, it seems Daoist Hongyun's attainment of sagehood is not so easy after all."

Jieyin couldn't help but sigh with regret.

Moreover, in Jieyin and Zhunti's view, Chen Ku must be suffering even more.

But who would have thought, the latter actually appeared quite composed at this moment.

Chen Ku gave a light smile, looked at Hongyun, and said:

"Hehe, no problem!"

"Today, being able to merge with the Primordial Purple Qi is already a step forward from before."

"The difficulty of proving the Dao is beyond imagination."

"We need not rush; patient waiting will do."

Such a reaction even caused Jieyin and Zhunti to raise their eyebrows in surprise.

From beginning to end, Chen Ku's contribution has been the greatest.

Unexpectedly, despite still failing to attain sagehood before Hongyun, he turned out to be the most composed of them.

Little did they know, although he felt a slight disappointment, Chen Ku had already anticipated this.

Attaining sagehood through proving the Dao is inherently an extremely difficult path in this age.

Or put another way, if proving the Dao to attain sagehood were that easy, wouldn't everyone be able to prove the Dao?

Moreover, Hongyun was never a person destined by heaven to prove the Dao.

In a sense, he is also striving to blaze a path that originally did not exist.

This only makes the difficulty skyrocket.

Asking oneself, even if Hongyun were replaced by Chen Ku himself, it would still be absolutely impossible to do so easily.

Unless... it is a great merit of seizing the heavenly mandate from another destined person.

For example, being quick to seize the initiative, taking the lead before Earth Mother, establishing something similar to reincarnation.

But then, would the Heavenly Dao ever agree?!

In the end, even if one could forcibly prove the Dao, it would still involve boundless karmic sin, not worth the loss.

Upon hearing Chen Ku say this, Hongyun's face filled with emotion, his eyes brimming with gratitude as he looked at Chen Ku, yet not knowing what to say.

The originally solemn expressions of Jieyin and Zhunti also eased somewhat.

Chen Ku paid no heed to their reactions.

"This matter is concluded; we need not linger any longer."

"We had best return swiftly to Mount Sumeru."

This wave has already yielded a full harvest.

Chen Ku could also leave satisfied.

Upon hearing this, Jieyin, Zhunti, and Hongyun all nodded.

Thereafter, they immediately set off, stepping through the void, returning to the Western realms.

However, the spectacle of the endless Sea of Blood had already subsided.

But in the outside world, countless billions of living beings remained in turmoil, not at peace.

"Magnificent, truly too magnificent!"

"I never expected that Earth Mother... no, Lady Pingxin, actually still possessed such a world-shaking destiny and opportunity."

"Hehe, the former Earth Mother, as an ancestral witch, inherited Pangu's essence blood."

"Now, by transforming her body into reincarnation, she completes the Primordial World; in a sense, this can be said to inherit the mission of the ancient Great God Pangu."

"Hey... although Lady Pingxin is extraordinary, the Chen Ku of the Western Buddhist Sect seems even more unfathomable."

All beings had long since dispersed.

But the tremendous shock of personally witnessing the establishment of the sixfold reincarnation still lingers, hard to dispel.

Countless mighty figures still now show faces of fervor and longing.

At the same time, there is also undeniable awe and reverence.

After all, transforming one's body into reincarnation is indeed a deed of great virtue and righteousness.

Even in the amazement of beings, they also liken the original Earth Mother ancestral witch to the Great God Pangu.

And what is rather strange is that, aside from marveling at Lady Pingxin's great opportunity,

beings' mouths also never cease praising Chen Ku.

The Great Dao transmitted sound, borrowing treasures from Dao Ancestor Hongjun, refining numerous spiritual treasures for the netherworld, even condensing the entire netherworld scene.

This was Chen Ku's doing, and likewise surpasses all imagination, an unprecedented mighty feat through the ages.

In Kunlun Mountain!

The Three Pure Ones, observing from afar the scene of reincarnation's establishment, also could not withdraw their gazes for a long time.

After a long while, Laozi's gaze was deep and profound, and he spoke in a low, solemn tone:

The Wu Clan–Demon Race situation will surely thus undergo another drastic change.

Obviously.

Although Pingxin had previously stated clearly that he was not Hou Tu and had no further ties to the Wu Clan,

But regarding this claim, Laozi still harbored some half-belief, half-doubt.

You must know that the ancestral Wu is ultimately the supreme existence of the Wu Clan; how could it be so easy to claim that cutting everything off would completely sever it?!

Moreover, even if Pingxin no longer concerns himself with Wu Clan affairs, how could the Demon Race on the other side possibly be completely unscrupulous?!

No need to think; Laozi also knows that with the emergence of the sage Pingxin, the Wu Clan and Demon Race will surely present a shocking scene.

That Chen Ku truly has a deep and scheming mind.

Thus, he can justifiably intervene in the affairs of the Underworld and brazenly plunder its merit.

These are Yuanshi's words.

Every word and sentence exudes an undisguised sense of sourness.

The Great Emperor of Fengdu, the Five Directional Ghost Emperors, the Four Valor Officers, the Ten Yama Kings........

These beings, seated in charge of the Underworld, over time accumulate merit that is unimaginable.

Even Yuanshi, being a sage, could not help but feel greatly moved, thus feeling a twinge of jealousy.

However, having said that, Yuanshi could not help but admit that Chen Ku's methods are indeed extraordinary.

After all, even ordinary cultivators who sense the signs of the imminent establishment of reincarnation do not know how to intervene.

Even these three sages themselves previously had no inkling of it, right?!

As for Yuanshi's words, Laozi and Tongtian did not have much to say in response.

Nowadays, regarding Chen Ku's various heaven-defying deeds, they seem to have grown somewhat accustomed to them, finding them no longer surprising.

Tongtian, on the other hand, gazed toward the direction of the boundless Sea of Blood.

This time, Minghe's luck is extremely good.

At first it seemed a dead end, but ultimately he could become a guardian of one of the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

That could also be considered a blessing in disguise.

Not bad!

On the contrary, Minghe is the one that most captures Tongtian's attention.

Perhaps it is because the Dao cultivated by the Three Pure Ones differs.

Tongtian's Jie Sect adheres to the doctrine of 'seizing a sliver of life.'

Therefore, all of today's events, at first glance, appear as if Minghe has been oppressed in every way, placed in a dead-end situation.

But in the end, it can turn out to be a case of 'when the willows darken, the flowers brighten'—a blessing in disguise.

This also bears some resemblance to the feeling of Tongtian's adherence to 'seizing a sliver of life.'

Upon hearing his words, Yuanshi snorted without hesitation.

Heh... how can even great luck help?!

If one does not become a sage, one is ultimately nothing but an ant.

Yuanshi's contempt is undisguised.

Minghe lacks the Hongmeng Purple Qi; his upper limit has long been predetermined.

Even if he could accumulate ever more merit, a sage remains an unattainable existence for him.

Why should Yuanshi bother to care?!

At this very moment, Laozi seemed to think of something.

Glancing calmly at Yuanshi and Tongtian, Laozi then spoke in a solemn tone:

Second brother, third brother!

Have you not noticed that, besides Chen Ku, the Dizang of the Buddhist school is also extraordinarily remarkable?

As soon as Laozi said these words,

Yuanshi and Tongtian were momentarily startled, then their expressions turned solemn as they fell into contemplation.

Indeed!

Dizang, too, is a being worthy of a sage's special attention.

The Three Pure Ones had previously clearly seen that, although Dizang is merely a Buddhist disciple, the divine radiance upon him has already endowed him with the sacred appearance of one who has just attained Buddhahood.

Moreover, his vow 'If hell is not empty, I will not become a Buddha' is truly earth-shaking, revealing his incomparably resolute resolve.

Yuanshi and Tongtian could not help but secretly marvel.

Following Chen Ku, Dizang will inevitably become a figure whose brilliance overshadows his peers.

Nowadays, within the Dao lineage of the Three Pure Ones, let alone a disciple who could be mentioned in the same breath as Chen Ku,

Even compared to Dizang, all the disciples appear somewhat dimmed.

Laozi spoke again, and these words made the expressions of Yuanshi and Tongtian grow even heavier by a degree.

Especially Yuanshi.

When he initially accepted disciples, he was renowned for taking only those with great opportunity and great fortune.

Nowadays, he has actually been surpassed by a Western disciple?

How could he possibly accept that?!

After a moment's contemplation, Yuanshi suddenly glanced at Tongtian.

I have long said that the third brother's doctrine is mistaken.

Hmph, the notion of 'teaching without discrimination' instead results in disciples of uneven quality, thoroughly flawed.

This has caused my Three Purities Dao lineage to become murky and foul.

Yuanshi pushed all the causes onto the reason for Tongtian accepting disciples.

The implication is that the Jie Sect disciples are inadequate, which is why the Three Purities Dao lineage has become somewhat lacking.

As soon as these words were spoken, Tongtian immediately furrowed his brow.

"Brother Yuanshi, how could you say such a thing?!"

"Hmph, we each have our own Dao; who dares to claim they are definitely stronger than others?"

"Moreover, your Chan Sect disciples, though exceptionally talented, merely follow the rules and never change."

"But my Jie Sect disciples are like a hundred flowers blooming, not bound by ordinary rules."

"Given time, they might instead become something unexpected."

Regarding Tongtian's such remarks, Yuanshi's sneer grew even stronger.

"Heh... a hundred flowers blooming?"

"They are merely those born of moisture and egg; ultimately their ceiling is extremely low, not worth mentioning."

Yuanshi's words became even more blunt.

A debate between the two sages of Chan and Jie thus flared up again.