Chapter 35 Houtu's Assistance, the Secret of Reincarnation

The Netherworld Blood Sea remained unchanged throughout the ages.

Filth, deathly stillness, and resentment were the eternal themes here.

However, today, a green sword light descended from the Nine Heavens, like the first ray of light at the creation of the world, instantly tearing through the boundless blood-red color.

Wherever the sword light passed, the blood-shale Qi that had not melted for hundreds of millions of years dissipated like melting snow, and the surging waves of blood were calmed.

A figure stepped upon the light, surrounded by the flow of Daoist charm, immune to all laws. It was Sect Leader Tongtian, holding Gu Ziyuan's True Spirit.

A Saint has arrived!

The entire Netherworld Realm shook violently.

Senluo Hall, Zhuanlun Hall, Yama Hall...

The Ten Yama Kings rushed out of their halls almost simultaneously, leading thousands of ghost messengers like Ox-Head, Horse-Face, and the Black and White Impermanence, kneeling in terror toward the source of the Saint's aura.

"We welcome the Saint Tongtian! May the Saint live for eternity!"

The voices, like a mountain tsunami, were filled with awe and unease. Since Empress Houtu transformed herself into Reincarnation,

the Netherworld Realm became its own world, and it was rare for a Saint's true body to descend.

Sect Leader Tongtian didn't give them a single glance, his eyes fixed directly on the six giant Reincarnation vortexes deep within the blood sea.

His voice was calm, yet it spread throughout the entire Netherworld.

"All of you, withdraw. I have come to see Fellow Daoist Pingxin."

As his voice fell, a gentle but irresistible force sent all the ghost messengers and Yama Kings back to their original positions.

The various ghost deities did not dare to disobey in the slightest, remaining as silent as cicadas in winter.

Sect Leader Tongtian took a step forward and arrived before the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

He bowed slightly toward the deepest and most profound Human Path Reincarnation vortex.

"Brother, please enter."

A gentle and slightly weary female voice came from the depths of the Reincarnation, showing no emotion.

Sect Leader Tongtian nodded and vanished into the vortex.

Stars shifted, and time and space changed.

When he reappeared, he was no longer in the gloomy Netherworld, but in a clean and peaceful small world.

There was no blood sea here, no resentful Souls, only a simple palace. In front of the palace was a clear pond, and by the pond, an unknown small white flower bloomed quietly.

Three ancient Daoist characters were written on the palace plaque—Pingxin Hall.

Inside the palace, a woman in plain court dress sat cross-legged. Her face was compassionate, but her eyes seemed to carry the endless vicissitudes and loneliness of the ages.

She was the Saint who had merged with Reincarnation to complete the Heavenly Dao, yet was also forever trapped in this place—Houtu, now known as Empress Pingxin.

"It has been a long time. Your grace remains the same, Brother." Houtu's gaze fell upon the weak True Spirit light in Sect Leader Tongtian's palm, seeing through it instantly.

"What a grand gesture, to be willing to personally strike such a brilliant Disciple into Reincarnation. During the battle of the East Sea, I also felt something within Reincarnation. This child... is very special."

She saw through the essence of that light cluster at a glance, and also through its depths.

That sliver of arrogance and conceit, almost condensed into substance, birthed from an extreme victory.

It was a type of Dao injury.

"I've made a fool of myself before you, Fellow Daoist," Sect Leader Tongtian said frankly.

"Jade must be carved to become a vessel. This child's edge is too sharp; what is too rigid is easily broken. If he does not go through the tempering of the Mortal World and wash away this arrogance, his name will surely be on the investiture of the gods."

He explained his intentions fully, hoping Houtu would personally intervene.

To choose a place in the Mortal realm that could best temper his state of mind, and use the power of the Reincarnation Origin to completely obscure his heavenly secrets, allowing him to be a complete Mortal.

Houtu listened quietly and did not immediately agree. She slowly extended her jade finger and tapped the air.

An ancient mirror appeared before her, with light and shadow flowing within, reflecting another scene of the Netherworld's underworld.

Those were countless Souls of various forms.

Some were surrounded by unyielding Battle Intent, some flickered with the light of wisdom, and some were enveloped in overwhelming resentment.

They neither entered the Six Paths nor were they assimilated by the blood sea. They simply lingered in every corner of the underworld day after day, their numbers already reaching a shocking level.

"Look, Brother," Houtu sighed softly, her voice carrying a hint of helplessness.

"The world thinks the Six Paths of Reincarnation are perfect, but they do not know that Reincarnation also has its limits."

"Those with great perseverance, great wisdom, or great resentment, who are unwilling to erase their past life imprints, are not accepted by Reincarnation. They linger here, accumulating over time, and have become a great plague to the Netherworld. I have merged with Reincarnation, but I can only struggle to suppress them and cannot find a way out for them."

Sect Leader Tongtian frowned slightly. As a Saint, he could naturally see the huge amount of Karma and Karma hidden behind this. It was almost an unsolvable dead end.

"What do you mean, Fellow Daoist?"

Houtu's gaze returned to Gu Ziyuan's True Spirit. In those eyes, which were usually as calm as an old well, a strange light flickered for the first time.

"In the battle of the East Sea, this child used Way of Chess to manifest the stars of the universe and trapped the Twelve Golden Immortals. His Dao lies not in slaughter, but in 'order' and 'rules'."

"I can agree to your request, Brother, to use the Reincarnation Origin to obscure his heavenly secrets and help him through his tribulation."

"But I also have a condition." Houtu looked at Tongtian and said word for word.

"I hope that in the Mortal realm, he can use his 'Way of Chess wisdom' to find a new way out for these homeless lonely ghosts and establish a new order!"

Sect Leader Tongtian was shocked.

He had thought Houtu would ask for a Magic Treasure or something else, but he never expected such a condition.

This was not just a condition; it was a massive Opportunity!

If Gu Ziyuan could truly do it, he would gain the boundless Luck of the entire Netherworld underworld. His Karma would be no less than the Karma of enlightenment!

"Fine!" Sect Leader Tongtian immediately agreed. "On behalf of my unworthy Disciple, I thank you for your help, Fellow Daoist!"

The bond of goodwill between the Jie Sect and the underworld was thus established.

"No need for thanks, Brother. This is also a trade." Houtu nodded slightly, acknowledging this Karma.

She said no more, raising her fair hand to mobilize the vast and boundless Reincarnation Origin.

That power was not destruction, but purification and rebirth.

Strands of dark-yellow Reincarnation power, like spring rain, gently enveloped Gu Ziyuan's True Spirit.

"Buzz—"

The True Spirit light cluster vibrated violently. That sharp slaughtering intent, that desire to control everything...

That pride originating from the marrow was peeled away bit by bit under the washing of the Reincarnation Origin, suppressed, and Sealed in the deepest part of the True Spirit.

Finally, the light cluster became incredibly pure, leaving only the most original Soul imprint and that innate, supreme talent for "Chess."

"As for the destination..."

The Reincarnation Mirror before Houtu shone brightly, and the scenes within changed rapidly.

From wild mountain tribes to prosperous vassal states, the births, aging, sickness, and deaths of countless Human Race members flashed by.

Finally, the image froze.

It was a majestic city, with Luck soaring to the sky, and the shadow of a Black Bird circling faintly.

In a general's mansion in the city, decorated with lanterns and streamers, a woman was lying on a bed, sweating profusely, her abdomen high and rounded.

It was Zhaoge, the capital of the Great Shang Dynasty. The Manor of General Chen.

"Hmm?" Sect Leader Tongtian also saw this scene and was slightly surprised.

"The Mortal World is the best for tempering the heart. Zhaoge is the gathering place of the Human Race's Luck. Kingship, schemes, desires, struggles... compared to survival in the wild, it is a much more complex chess game. Good, very good!"

Houtu also nodded: "A chess game in the Mortal realm is best for tempering a heart that only sees the chess game in the heavens. Go."

She flicked her jade finger, and the pure True Spirit light cluster turned into a stream of light, entering the Reincarnation Mirror, crossing endless time and space, and accurately entering the womb of the lady in the Chen Manor within Zhaoge.

"Boom!"

Almost the moment the True Spirit entered the womb, a massive Reincarnation power soared into the sky, turning into an invisible net that completely disrupted and obscured all heavenly secrets related to the infant's past life.

From then on, within the Primordial World, there was no longer a Gu Ziyuan of the Jie Sect.

Unless a Saint personally arrived and did not hesitate to expend their Origin to forcibly deduce it, no one would know his background.

...

Having done all this, Sect Leader Tongtian bowed solemnly to Houtu and turned to leave Pingxin Hall.

Returning to Jinao Island, he stood atop Siguo Cliff, looking toward the direction of the Human Race, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, a figure walked out from within his body.

That figure looked seventy percent similar to him, yet had none of a Saint's pressure. He looked more like a gentle wandering Daoist. He held an ordinary green bamboo staff and had an ethereal temperament. He was the benevolent corpse that Sect Leader Tongtian had severed using great magic power.

"Go to the Mortal World. Only ensure his True Spirit remains unclouded and does not fall into evil. As for the rest of his life, death, fortune, or misfortune, it is all up to him," the Tongtian main body instructed the Incarnation.

"So be it."

The Incarnation smiled slightly, bowed, and called himself "Daoist Qingping."

He took a step forward, and his figure disappeared over the East Sea, heading quietly toward Zhaoge, the city where the Human Race's Luck was at its peak.

And at this very moment, in Zhaoge, the capital of Great Shang.

Within the Chen Manor, a loud and clear cry of an infant pierced the silence of the long night.

A new life was born.