Young Noble Be Monster Slaying
Chapter 938: The Laws of Ascension (I)

The scene changed.

There was no sun or moon in the sky, and no grass or trees grew upon the earth.

Yin and yang existed within all beings and things, and the mortal world was no exception. Beneath this realm of yang lay a dim and silent land known as the netherworld. To most living beings and cultivators, it was nothing more than a legend. It was said to be a place where wandering ghosts gathered, yet it remained forever beyond their reach.

Only a select few who had comprehended the Great Dao of the Profound Darkness could gaze upon the netherworld with their yin-yang eyes. The master of the Great Dao of the Profound Darkness could even enter the realm of the dead while still alive, and they could even collaborate with the ghost kings in the netherworld and offer help to each other.

In truth, the Great Dao of the Profound Darkness was not an evil Dao. The Great Dao itself drew no lines between good and evil. Back when the Heavenly Star Divine Cult still existed, the master of this Great Dao held a position of great esteem, serving as a bridge between the realms of yin and yang and facilitating communication between the two.

But after the Heavenly Star Divine Cult split apart, the Dark King Sect fell into the diabolical path. They used their control over souls to slaughter the innocent and strengthen themselves. From that point on, the Great Dao of the Profound Darkness strayed from its original path.

In the past, the Dao Master of Profound Darkness had ties with all ten ghost kings. But the current sect master of the Dark King Sect could summon only two, even during blood sacrifices. This was because the sect had fallen into the diabolical path, and most of the ghost kings no longer wished to aid them.

On this day, two incompatible figures descended into the starlit netherworld.

At the front was Lin Poyun, the master of the Great Dao of Profound Darkness and current sect leader of the Dark King Sect. The Lin Poyun that now stood was a fusion of the vessel of pure good and the vessel of pure evil. Yet, with his sect in ruins and the true form of Ksitigarbha lost, he no longer appeared arrogant.

Ever since the merging of the vessel of pure good and the vessel of pure evil, he would sometimes appear as the pure-hearted monk Wu’e, and at other times as the domineering leader of the Dark King Sect. It had taken immense pain and inner conflict to tear himself down and rebuild before he finally reached his current state of balance.

In the past, Lin Poyun had even been willing to stab himself for the sake of vengeance. Whether in goodness or in evil, he had always been a ruthless and decisive man. Now, however, his expression remained cold and unreadable.

Behind him stood a figure who appeared rather old.

The old man wore a white hemp monk’s robe, and his long beard flowed freely down his chest.

This old man was none other than the Noble Dharma, once seen atop the Holy Mountain of the Northern Regions. Yet, he had clearly been killed by the Demon God during the battle in the Celestial Northern Prison. Why, then, had he reappeared here?

Lin Poyun did not know the answer.

He only knew that he had been able to walk the netherworld because he controlled the Great Dao of Profound Darkness. However, he had no idea why the Noble Dharma could move so freely here as well.

"You are lying to me, right? You actually died, didn't you? Is that why you can move so freely in the netherworld?" Lin Poyun asked in confusion. "Maybe you're using some secret technique to hide the fact that you're a ghost."

"Most people only know that the Great Dao of Longevity grants a long life," the Noble Dharma said with a soft chuckle. "But they fail to realize that if one cultivates it to its peak, it may truly lead to a never-ending life. Sect Leader Lin, you need not worry. I am still far from becoming a ghost."

"Even if one is undying in the mortal realm, they still shouldn’t be able to walk the netherworld," Lin Poyun muttered, still feeling puzzled.

If anyone could wield such power, then what's the point of me becoming the master of the Great Dao of Profound Darkness? Lin Poyun thought. This was why he had remained skeptical.

"I can walk the netherworld because of another opportunity I once received," the Noble Dharma said slowly. "When you live long enough, you naturally come across more fateful encounters."

As they spoke, the two of them arrived at the edge of a vast, desolate plain. Several hundred li ahead rose a towering mountain that pierced the clouds, its shape resembling the head of a fearsome ghost.

"You’re saying..." Lin Poyun looked up at the mountain. "The primordial spirit of Ksitigarbha is sealed here? I wielded the True Form of Ksitigarbha for years, but I never heard anything of the sort."

"The history of the Dark King Sect is still far too short compared to the Evil Ksitigarbha," the Noble Dharma said as he gazed up at the towering peak. A trace of excitement flickered in his eyes.

He continued, "Beyond the Far West, there had once been a vast expanse nearly as large as the land of the nine provinces. A thriving civilization had flourished there, and it was the birthplace of Buddhist cultivation. They founded a kingdom rooted in deep piety and reverence for a Buddha.

"But one day, the kingdom’s king felt sorrowful that he had worshiped a Buddha for a hundred years without ever seeing a real one, so he decided to construct a massive altar formation to plead for a Buddha to descend from the upper realm.

"But what descended was an unimaginably powerful being known as Evil Ksitigarbha. Its cultivation rivaled that of a Hallowed One, and the entire land of the Far West was ravaged and reduced to ruin in the wake of its devastation.

"As the mortal realm stood on the brink of destruction, an ancient nameless Buddha emerged. At the crucial moment, he severed his evil thoughts, achieved sanctity through his corporeal body, and broke through to the ninth realm. Yet, even with such power, he was unable to fully suppress Evil Ksitigarbha, who was only slightly weaker than him.

"In the end, he split Evil Ksitigarbha into two halves. The primordial spirit was sealed here in the netherworld, guarded by the ten kings of the underworld, while the true form was sealed in the Realm of Yang, also known as the realm of the living, and suppressed by the immortal sects.

"Many years later, the True Form of Ksitigarbha was unearthed and mistaken for a legendary artifact. It was taken up and wielded as such, while the primordial spirit remained here, untouched.

"Today, there is a legend that tells of Evil Ksitigarbha being bound and sealed by the gods in the netherworld to prevent the destruction of the world. That story actually stems from this very event, and hidden within the tale is the truth."

"But this truth is an ancient secret. How do you know it?" Lin Poyun asked, staring at Noble Dharma in surprise. "Could it be that you lived during that era?"

"Haha," the Noble Dharma laughed. "How could that be? That happened tens of thousands of years ago. I simply had the good fortune to inherit the legacy of that Ancient Nameless Buddha, nothing more."

"That doesn’t matter," Lin Poyun said with a wave of his hand, then turned once more to look at the massive mountain. "You want to unearth the primordial spirit of Ksitigarbha sealed here? The ten ghost kings are guarding it. With just the two of us, there's no way we can succeed. In the netherworld, they are all existences standing at the threshold of ascension. The moment anything stirs, they will descend on us immediately."

The Noble Dharma responded calmly, "Sect Leader Lin, where there is a will, there is a way."

…

Meanwhile, within the Divine Ruins Monastery, Chu Liang was met with a shocking sight. The monastery overseer who stepped through the door looked exactly like his Senior Brother Yuan from Mount Shu.

"Who could have seen this coming?"

If there were any differences, they were that this man carried a more transcendent aura, exuded greater authority, and had three strands of facial hair. That was all. It was still clear at a glance that they were the same person.

"You don’t need to be anxious," the middle-aged man across from him said with a smile, waving his hand. "I’m not the person you know. Please, take a seat."