Hyper-Dimensional Player

Chapter 868 - 90: Rectifying the Underworld, Clearing Out Hell to Make Room for Souls (Part 2)

"Shh!"

"Bullhead and Horseface are here! Shut up!" At this moment, a ghost guard next to them gave them a reminder.

The tall and short, skinny and chubby pairs immediately shivered in fear, instantly hunching their shoulders and following along. Don’t be fooled by Bullhead and Horseface’s appearance as ghost guards; in reality, they hold the power of life and death. Even ghosts that have been around for hundreds of years must respectfully wait upon seeing them.

"Hurry up with the work!"

"Quickly escort these people to the Ghost Gate; there’s a large batch of souls coming after!"

The one speaking was Horseface, busy to the point of being unable to keep its feet on the ground. It neighed and said to its companion, "Weren’t two Black and White Impermanences supposed to be promoted?"

"How come no one has been chosen yet?"

"This Ghost Gate is really getting overwhelming."

Bullhead was just about to say something when he suddenly shivered, directly kneeling to the ground with a thud.

Horseface, puzzled, said, "Old Bull, why are you kneeling to me?"

"Even if you kneel to me, the work you should be doing still has to be done by you; I can’t possibly do it for you."

Horseface looked up, and with a thud, it too knelt down immediately.

The Ghost Gate trembled.

The horizon seemed to be adorned with ten thousand rays of golden light. This was extremely rare in the Underworld; after all, where would the Netherworld get such heavenly wonders? There was only the perpetual ghostly mist and grievances, but now these seemed to melt away like ice and snow, as a figure shrouded in magnificent light descended, even dispersing much of the eerie ghostly atmosphere of the Underworld.

Thousands of ghost guards knelt down, followed by countless souls, stretching for tens of miles.

Countless souls knelt in prayer, others howled and lamented their grievances. The figure in the sky, draped in resplendent light, merely glanced at them and with a wave of a hand, a mysterious aura descended from the heavens, instantly pacifying countless souls and vengeful spirits.

"Consider yourselves lucky to have encountered the favor of an Upper Immortal, pardoned of your sins."

"Gather yourselves and prepare for reincarnation."

Horseface got up and turned around, finding his old comrade Bullhead still kneeling, trembling. He cautiously looked up to the sky, and only when the figure of the Upper Immortal departed did he shakily rise.

Look at your cowardly form, is it really necessary to be so scared?

"I seem to have seen Bullhead?"

"Shall I remove its head?" The Three Corpses whispered.

Duncan remained expressionless and said lightly, "It has done some proper things; why kill it?"

"Just because it once offended me?"

The Three Corpses withdrew their necks at his words and shut up promptly.

Outside the Hall of Yama.

Silhouettes were already standing respectfully outside the grand hall waiting, but Duncan did not even glance at them, directly bypassing the Hall of Yama and proceeding toward the depths of the Underworld. From the direction of hell, came endless howls of fierce ghosts, perpetually without rest, yet at this moment, it’s as if something clutched their throats; under terrifying pressure, the entire hell grew silent.

It seemed as though a formidable figure whom the Netherworld could not afford to provoke had arrived.

The evil spirits in hell could not see the myriad glories but could only see endless blood clouds rolling from the horizon, like a boiling ocean of blood and purgatory.

The Great Hall of the Earth Treasury King.

As Duncan’s figure descended, a divine beast with a tiger’s head, a single horn, dog’s ears, dragon’s body, lion’s tail, and qilin’s feet appeared, respectfully bowing on the ground like an obedient little dog, "Your Majesty!"

"The Earth Treasury Bodhisattva is already waiting for you."

The Three Corpses looked at the divine beast in amazement, clicking its tongue, "So this is Di Ting? It looks quite clever."

"Just like a little dog."

Duncan said calmly, "It indeed is just a little dog, and moreover, it’s a white one."

After saying this, Duncan gently raised his hand, entering the perspective of the Celestial Emperor, seeing through all phenomena. The Three Corpses focused its gaze again, indeed seeing a little white dog, much like a village mutt.

Di Ting seemed to sense that its true form was seen through but remained motionless, obediently even wagging its tail voluntarily.

Duncan’s figure moved toward the grand hall of the Earth Treasury King before him.

Buddhist chants wafted through the air.

As Duncan entered the grand hall, all the Dharma forms of the Buddhist sect within froze in place. Seated cross-legged at the center, the Earth Treasury Bodhisattva reverently put his palms together, "Your Majesty!"

"Traveling from afar, forgive the lack of welcome."

"Please, Your Majesty, pardon this!"

Upon truly seeing the Earth Treasury Bodhisattva, the Three Corpses instead became intimidated, retreating into Duncan’s sea of consciousness.

Duncan’s expression unchanged, he looked around at the grand hall, observing the Dharma form of the Earth Treasury Bodhisattva, and said calmly, "I come here in search of Gold Jo-jue. If you continue to speak with me using the Earth Treasury form, then there is no need to discuss further."

Immediately following this statement, the atmosphere grew somewhat tense.

No one knew how long passed.

The Dharma form of the Earth Treasury Bodhisattva changed, shedding the dignified appearance of a Bodhisattva and transforming into a High Monk, respectfully addressing Duncan, "Gold Jo-jue greets Your Majesty!"

Legend has it that during the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji), the prince of Silla (now the Korean Peninsula) named Gold Jo-jue traveled across the sea to Mount Jiuhua in China for cultivation, and his ascetic efforts were later regarded as the manifestation of Earth Treasury Bodhisattva.

This image had been recorded in Tang Dynasty documents, but its clear association with Earth Treasury belief only came about after the Tang Dynasty.

During the Tang Dynasty, the Earth Treasury belief combined with the native filial piety of the Central Plains, and from the Five Dynasties to the Song Dynasty, it was further strengthened by scriptures like the "Ten Wheels of the Earth Treasury Sutra," eventually establishing its place as one of the four great Bodhisattvas of Buddhism.

The Gold Jo-jue before him can be considered the human form of Earth Treasury belief!