Chapter 545: with translation of chapter title

Kill with a borrowed knife?

Who is this knife?

Obviously, it's the Feng Clan!

Dìshì, at the bottom line, is still a person of the Feng Clan; pushing the Feng Clan out to settle Dìshì makes sense and is reasonable.

"Just now you mentioned Dìshì's background; these past days I've also heard some rumors." Seven Halls Yama said, "These rumors might have been deliberately spread by those above to let me see the reality clearly, so the rumors could very well be the facts closest to the truth."

Seven Halls Yama slowly related what he had heard.

Originally, when Sān jiǎo yā was at the Buddha's knee listening to the Dharma, he was always devout, versed in discussing sutras and doctrine, yet he never attained enlightenment.

The Buddha then suggested that Sān jiǎo yā go out more, see the world, experience the suffering of all beings; perhaps one day, in a certain moment, he would attain enlightenment.

When I heard that passage then, I thought of the four words 'wandering the world'.

Knowledge from books feels shallow; one must practice it to truly understand—this is the principle.

Even many Immortal Clan cultivators in the higher realms, upon reaching a bottleneck, must descend to the mortal world to undergo tribulation.

Only by successfully surviving the tribulation can one break through to the next realm.

When Sān jiǎo yā set foot into the mundane world, in fact, this was also a crucial tribulation in his life.

This tribulation could either let him ascend or cause him to fall into an endless abyss of calamities.

And Sān jiǎo yā, upon entering the mundane world, encountered a woman who broke his Buddha-heart and made him unable to let go.

It is said that this woman was a great demon who crawled out of the Wangshui River in the Nether Realm.

As for the story between Sān jiǎo yā and the great demon, it cannot be detailed, and Seven Halls Yama also does not know the specifics.

In short, Sān jiǎo yā and the great demon mixed together for many years, long ago abandoning his original intention upon entering the mundane world; whatever the demon wanted, he gave; whatever she had him do, he did.

Rumor has it that in the end, the great demon tore out Sān jiǎo yā's heart, thinking she could achieve consummation, but only left behind an egg…

After hearing this story, I fell silent for a long time, unable to help but sigh.

"Is the great demon Sān jiǎo yā's love tribulation?" I asked. "Then it seems Dìshì's evil-bone gene still comes from the maternal clan?"

Liu Junyan said: "All we can say is that, in the dark, it is fated; the chick of the Solar Divine Bird descending to the mortal world is destined to need the union of these two."

I scratched my head and continued: "If Sān jiǎo yā had not been deluded by the great demon and successfully passed the tribulation, could he himself have ascended to become the Solar Divine Bird, leaving no matter of Dìshì?"

"In theory, that is so." Liu Junyan said earnestly, "But Xiao Jiu, there are no 'ifs' in this world."

Indeed, there are no 'ifs' in this world.

Sān jiǎo yā's tribulation is the great demon.

The great demon's tribulation is none other than Sān jiǎo yā.

If neither of them is moved in this tribulation, can it still be called a tribulation?

The key to breaking the tribulation has never been avoiding it, but rather encountering it, with both parties developing toward the good, mutually converting; only then is the tribulation passed and consummation achieved.

It's a pity that Sān jiǎo yā loved deeply, while the great demon only wanted his Buddha-heart.

Pitiable, tragic.

"Wangshui River is a forbidden zone of the Nether Realm; all the filth of the Three Realms and Six Paths is ultimately drawn into the Wangshui River via the Blackwater River, and the Wangshui River can purify everything." Seven Halls Yama said, "That great demon, however, crawled out of the Wangshui River; rumor says she is the embodiment of the world's most vicious and evil qi, which even the Wangshui River cannot purify, so the demon herself is an existence of utmost evil and malice; she died in difficult labor, and her resentful qi condensed in the egg, becoming the evil-bone head."

After Seven Halls Yama finished speaking, I and Liu Junyan both let out a long sigh.

I seem to have untangled the twists and turns of this matter.

If Sān jiǎo yā succeeded in ascending, he could transform into the Solar Divine Bird.

The Solar Divine Bird is the only bird that can perch upon the sun; all dark aspects cannot hide from it.

And the great demon originates from the Wangshui River, being the embodiment of the vicious and evil qi that cannot be purified there; she and the Solar Divine Bird are precisely two opposite extremes.

The collision of these two extremes gave rise to this tribulation.

Both failed their tribulation, leaving behind an evil fruit, which is Dìshì.

If Dìshì died, where would all the evil that this evil fruit bears fall?

It would fall into the Nether Realm, scatter throughout the Three Realms and Six Paths, cause endless calamities in the world… This is why the Nether Realm would rather seal the execution grounds of Wǎngsǐ Chéng as a forbidden zone, and no one wishes to take the initiative to handle the root cause of Dìshì.

No one wants to take on this evil fruit, to bear this karma.

I unconsciously glanced at Seven Halls Yama.

From the moment his consciousness first recovered, he hated evil like an enemy; now his attitude has obviously changed as well.

Seven Halls Yama received my gaze, pondered for a long time, and said: "Xiao Jiu, even to this day I still wish to fulfill what I told you before—I am willing to take the lead—but the facts show my reach is not that long."

He is Seven Halls Yama, but he is also only one of the Ten Halls Yama; there are too many eyes watching him, and too many hands pressing down on him.

He tried, but he did not stir up any waves.

In the end, this pot still has to be borne by the Feng Clan.

I thought about it and suddenly understood why Seven Halls Yama dispatched yin troops to garrison the Feng Clan.

Besides helping his aunt with affairs, this is also his small act of resistance against dissatisfaction with the Nether Realm.

The Nether Realm actually acquiesced as well.

"Everyone is surprisingly tolerant." I said with a wry smile, "If the ancient Feng Clan had been completely wiped out back then, leaving no Fire Seed of mine, who would wield this knife?"

Seven Halls Yama said: "Xiao Jiu, the Feng Clan cannot be exterminated."

I looked at him in astonishment: "Why do you say that?"

Seven Halls Yama said meaningfully: "What do you think made Dìshì's trial end with him being sent to Wǎngsǐ Chéng rather than elsewhere?"

Indeed, there are many places where Dìshì could be tried; why must it be Wǎngsǐ Chéng?

In Wǎngsǐ Chéng are confined only those who died by murder, suicide, etc. —abnormal deaths.

Why would Dìshì be tried in Wǎngsǐ Chéng? That's unreasonable!

Seven Halls Yama's question left me speechless.

I thought and thought again.

Dìshì was put on trial because he slaughtered the Ancient Feng Clan.

So the vengeful spirits of the Ancient Feng Clan who died horribly at Dìshì's hands do not directly enter the Nether Realm to await reincarnation, but are...... extradited into the City of Unjust Death!

The vengeful spirits of those who were unjustly harmed are imprisoned in the City of Unjust Death, their resentment immense.

Only when they personally see the executioner who killed them brought to justice can their resentment possibly be dispelled; after that they are transferred to the Nether Realm to face the next round of judgment, and only then can they truly enter reincarnation.

Thus, Dìshì being escorted to the City of Unjust Death to suffer punishment is actually orchestrated by the vengeful spirits of the Ancient Feng Clan who died horribly...