The Netherworld Cult members were all created by the Styx Ancestor. Over millions of years, their numbers had dwindled to almost nothing, and now Buddhism was nearly wiping them all out. How could the Styx Ancestor tolerate this? Enraged, he spat out another mouthful of blood, roaring, "Buddha, I swear I will never forgive you!" The Buddha, looking at the thousands of Netherworld Cult members before him, remained unmoved. He led the returning Buddhist followers in chanting, "There are many obstacles preventing their attainment. Some have lost their minds and become confused. Some are troubled by external evils. Some have accepted heretical teachings and increased their evil views. Therefore, they should first practice repentance. If their precepts are pure, and their past sins are lessened, then they will be free from all obstacles..." The golden light of Buddhism surrounded the Styx Ancestor and the remaining Netherworld Cult members, but ceased its conversion efforts. A portion of the golden light, however, headed towards the underworld.
The Buddha had been asked by the Jade Emperor to take back the Underworld. Of course, it wasn't entirely for the sake of the Heavenly Court; a large part of his selfish motive was for the sake of Buddhism.
The Six Paths of Hell, who wouldn't want such a lucrative territory? The Buddhist sect has long wanted to reach out, and sending Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva wasn't enough; it's clear they intend to pull another part of the underworld over.
Now that the Netherworld Cult has been defeated and can no longer gain any traction, Buddhism is now free to act, and naturally, it has some ideas. Of course, Buddha would not allow Buddhist followers to directly deal with the Underworld and give others grounds for criticism, since the Underworld possesses the Netherworld Book, which is tantamount to having the Dao Ancestor and the Heavenly Dao's recognition.
Therefore, Buddhism first defeated the Netherworld Cult, then trapped them, while its true aim was to subdue the Underworld. When inquiries arose, they could claim it was a case of collateral damage caused by a fire at the city gates. Although anyone with discernment could see the real story, at least they had an excuse!
How could Styx not know the meaning of Buddhism? However, Styx felt a sense of relief, thinking to himself: I have finally waited for this moment!
Meanwhile, when Buddhism was fighting against the Blood Sea, the Ten Kings of Hell and others knew that their strength was too weak and that even if they joined forces with the Netherworld Sect, it would be of no use. So they simply gathered together and protected the Netherworld Book in the Underworld. They thought that given the relationship between Xuantian and Houtu, the Underworld would not fall into the hands of Buddhism.
The golden light of Buddhism surged toward the underworld, but it was no match for the sheer number and strength of the Buddhists. The gods of the underworld could barely protect the area around the underworld.
King Qin Guang, as the head of the Ten Kings of Hell, naturally took the lead. Seeing the powerful offensive of Buddhism, King Qin Guang shouted, "Form the battle formation!"
Immediately, the gods of the underworld moved up and down, and soon formed a great array. This array was different from the gray-black or blood-red arrays in the underworld; it was a water-blue array. Once formed, the array blocked all the Buddhist light from entering.
When the Buddhist monks saw that the Buddha's light could not penetrate, they were puzzled and asked the Buddha. The Buddha squinted and looked for a while, and said, "This formation is the Great Formation of Divine Water of the Heavens, which is made up of thirty-six Sea-Stabilizing Pearls. It is a rare formation in the Three Realms. Even if it cannot compare with the three great ancient killing formations, it should not be underestimated."
"Thirty-six Sea-Stabilizing Pearls?!" Ran Deng exclaimed in surprise.
Rulai glanced at Randeng and said, "These thirty-six Sea-Stabilizing Pearls are a set of top-grade innate spiritual treasures with thirty-six layers of restrictions. When combined, they can form this great formation with boundless power. Originally, they belonged to the Xuantian Saint of Penglai Island. Later, when the Ancestral Witch Houtu transformed into the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the Xuantian Saint transformed these thirty-six Sea-Stabilizing Pearls into gods, who then took charge of all matters in the Underworld."
Upon hearing this, the Buddhist disciples couldn't help but feel a little envious. This Sage Xuantian had so many magical treasures. It was such a waste to use such top-tier innate spiritual treasures for Nascent Soul stage.
Ran Deng, standing to the side, seemed to sense something. Gazing at the grand formation of the thirty-six Sea-Stabilizing Pearls, a greedy glint occasionally flashed in his eyes. He only had two Yin-Yang Pearls, yet they had already boosted his strength by most. If it were these thirty-six Sea-Stabilizing Pearls, he would probably be second only to a saint.
Dipankara glanced at the Divine Water Array of the Heavens, then looked at Tathagata. The Underworld was something in the hands of the Sage Xuantian, and there were not many opportunities to deal with it. If he could obtain it during this opportunity, that would be good. If not, he was afraid that there would be no such good opportunity again.
Dipankara said to the Buddha, "Namo Shakyamuni Buddha, there are still some remnants of the witch clan in the underworld, who are not in accordance with the will of Heaven. Moreover, the matter of my teaching Guanyin Bodhisattva must also be related to these remnants of the witch clan. We should not show mercy, but act on behalf of Heaven!"
Randeng's idea was quite clever. What remnants of the Wu tribe? Back then, the Goddess Pingxin, at Zhu Jiuyin's request, took in a portion of the Wu tribe in the Underworld. Later, some of the Wu tribe went with Xing Tian and others to help Chi You vie for the throne of the Human Emperor, leaving a portion of the Wu tribe behind in the Underworld. Randeng is simply bringing up this old story to find an excuse.
The Buddha thought to himself that the feud with the Penglai Island lineage was already established, and Buddhism was just waiting for an excuse to attack the Underworld. He sighed, nodded slightly, and focused his attention on the Styx River beside him.
However, Tathagata was very uneasy. Since the Underworld was built by the Sage of Xuantian with the assistance of the Ancestral Witch Houtu, why had no one from the Penglai Island lineage come here yet? Tathagata would never believe that the Penglai Island lineage was unaware of this matter!
With the Buddha's approval, Dipankara Buddha naturally led the Buddhists to besiege the Underworld. However, the Divine Water Array of the Heavens was a rare and powerful array in the world, and it was not easily broken. No matter how Dipankara Buddha and the others attacked, a water curtain rose above the array, and the Buddhists' attacks were deflected when they landed on it. Even the attacks of Dipankara Buddha and the other quasi-saints could only cause the water curtain to tremble slightly, and they could not penetrate it at all.
Tathagata watched from the sidelines, feeling increasingly anxious. Penglai Island had not yet arrived, which could only be attributed to some unforeseen event, but they certainly wouldn't refuse to come. He knew Penglai Island well; their four Quasi-Saints were incredibly powerful. If Penglai Island sent reinforcements, he feared they would truly have to return empty-handed today.
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