Zhou Zheng was so excited that he woke up from the alcohol. He lowered his head and looked at the body lying on the bed. From this perspective, he looked a little handsome.
Then, Zhou Zheng raised his head and looked at the two...things in the corner with smiles on their faces.
One looks like a bull demon, with two horns emitting cold light;
One looks like a horse demon with a long mouth and long nose and flowing mane.
The cow shouted: "Grandpa Emperor! Empress Houtu invites you to speak to the underworld!"
The horse shouted: "Can we hit the road now? If you don't move your body, you can return in the middle of the night."
Zhou Zheng's Adam's apple trembled a few times.
Although they were respectful and seemed a little afraid of themselves, when this happened suddenly, they still summoned their souls directly, making themselves as if they were naked...
That feeling is really subtle.
Zhou Zheng pondered for a few times, hesitated for a while, but finally decided to play it safe.
"Do you have any ID?"
The bull-headed horse face was startled for a moment: "What do you mean?"
"That's it, a token that proves the identities of the two of you?"
Zhou Zheng's Hun'er spread his hands and said, "Look, I can't just leave if you ask me to. The world is too chaotic now. It's not impossible if someone pretends to be an official from the underworld."
"The emperor is right."
"The emperor is right."
"But we don't have any proof... Now, take a look at this thing. It's a rare thing."
Niu Tou's big copper bell eyes squeezed hard, and he found a piece of Yuhua Stone that exuded a faint blue light in his arms.
This is a thing from the underworld, Zhou Zheng's soul can catch it, and after holding it, his eyes light up.
The Rhythm of the Great Way of Reincarnation by Empress Houtu.
Niutou smiled and said: "This is the stone at the bottom of the pot where Po Meng made soup. It is called the Wangwu Stone. We secretly found it. It has the effect of suppressing karma, clearing away resentments, and avoiding divine punishment."
Ma Mian also pulled out a somewhat tattered document: "Look, this is the letter of appointment given by Heavenly Court when we took office. We still have it."
Zhou Zheng looked at it carefully and nodded slightly. Just when he was about to return the Wangwu Stone, Niutou waved his hand repeatedly.
"If you like it, consider it a meeting gift from our brothers."
"Thank you two marshals, but I don't need this thing," Zhou Zheng said with a smile, "I just want to verify the identities of the two of you, let's go."
He threw the Oblivion Stone back, and his figure drifted to the bedside, adapting to this weightless state.
The bull-headed horse bowed in greeting and opened a door in the corner. Zhou Zheng stepped into it and felt like he was floating downwards.
After falling for a while, Zhou Zheng saw a small temple embedded in a gap in the ground. The temple was surrounded by a warm yellow light, which made him feel quite comfortable.
There is a plaque hanging on the temple named Chenghuang Temple.
"How to get to the underworld?" Zhou Zheng asked bluntly.
"Grandpa, please go this way."
The bull-headed horse was led forward, and together with Zhou Zheng, they transformed into streams of light and entered the temple.
Although this temple is small, it has halls and courtyards. They are only a few centimeters tall at this time, so it is just right for them to stand in the courtyard.
There is a well in the middle of the courtyard, and this warm yellow light gushes out from the well.
"This well is connected to the underworld. Don't be surprised. There is no big Temple of the City God here, so I can only force you to drill the well."
The bull's head drilled forward into the well, Zhou Zheng stepped into the well from the middle, and the horse's face broke and he escaped into it.
Zhou Zheng only felt that the phantom of light in front of him seemed to have passed through layers of mantles, and seemed to have stepped across the boundary between reality and reality.
The quiet yellow spring leads to the underworld.
When Zhou Zheng's sight widened again, he was already standing on a vast wilderness in front of a gate.
The sky here is very low, and the sun and stars will never pass by in the gloomy sky, and there will be no moonlight or stars.
The ground is also soft, as if it is covered with the finest layer of sand.
Inside and outside the gate, rows of underworld officials in armor bowed their heads and saluted at the same time, with bull-headed and horse-faced faces also bowing in front of them in greeting.
Zhou Zheng strolled forward, sizing up the meandering river in the distance, and got on the small sedan they had prepared.
It is said to be a sedan chair, but it is actually a bamboo chair clamped between two long bamboo poles, and then tied up with bamboo strips.
Highlight the difficult conditions and insufficient funds.
But the Emperor Qinghua still had a presence, with a bull-headed horse and a horse raising his feet, black and white Wuchang patrolling left and right, and not far ahead there were two iron-faced judges bowing to greet him.
Zhou Zheng always returned the favor with his hand.
These two judges are not simple. They are famous in the mortal world. One is named Zhong Kui with a beard and fierce appearance, and the other is gentle and gentle named Cui Jue.
Zhou Zheng sat on the sedan chair and gradually became a little drowsy. He mustered up his energy to chat with the two judges.
‘Am I too drunk?’ Zhou Zheng thought.
Zhong Kui smiled and said: "Emperor, why don't you take a short rest? You are the Yang God at the moment and are suppressed by the rules of the underworld. If you hold on forcibly, it will damage your energy and spirit."
Cui Jue added: "This has nothing to do with the strength of your cultivation. The stronger the soul, the more severely it will be suppressed in the underworld. This also ensures that strong gods cannot come to the underworld to do evil. This chair is also specially prepared for you.
"
Zhong Kui continued: "Similarly, if ghosts from the underworld stay in the mortal world for too long, they will be suppressed by the mortal world and their lives will be in danger."
"Thank you, judge, for reminding me."
Zhou Zheng cupped his hands, then leaned on the bamboo chair, letting himself be carried forward by the bull-headed horse-faced face, and he vaguely looked at the scenery around the underworld.
The water in the river on the third trip is murky, and behind the gate of hell there is a dark and deserted place.
The souls of people are crowded in front of the Naihe Bridge, but the love is true in front of the hometown viewing platform.
Zhou Zheng seemed to have fallen asleep in a daze until Judge Zhong Kui's rough but soft voice came from beside him:
"Emperor, we are here."
Zhou Zheng opened his eyes and saw that he was in a bustling street scene.
Tall towers and pavilions can be seen everywhere, and there are lights and colorful decorations everywhere. It is a kind of big human city, and you can't even see the edge of this street at a glance.
Above the big city, there are eleven fairy islands floating in the air. The fairy island in the center is quite huge, and ten iron chains of unknown thickness extend outward, locking ten dark fairy temples.
The place of reincarnation.
Ten Halls of Yama.
They were standing outside the gate of a courtyard. Zhong Kui opened the gate and bowed to say: "Please come in and wait a moment. Your Majesty will come in a moment. Your Majesty Daoyun will protect you here, so you can relax."
"Thank you."
Zhou Zheng bowed his hand.
Having come this far, it would be unsightly to be suspicious any more. It would be better to be more unrestrained.
He went in with his hands behind his hands and looked at the layout of the small courtyard curiously.
The two judges slowly closed the wooden door, and warm yellow lights appeared everywhere in the courtyard, which quickly restored Zhou Zheng's energy.
Doesn’t Queen Houtu live in the six realms of reincarnation?
With a hint of doubt in his heart, Zhou Zheng looked around the courtyard and saw that it was quite elegantly decorated. There was a small pond with floating lotus leaves, a few strange stones piled up with wonderful Taoist charms, and a small pavilion.
Zhou Zheng stood in the pavilion and waited for a while, then heard a soft sigh.
"Looking from the back, the emperor has not changed at all."
Zhou Zheng turned his head at the sound, feeling a little disappointed inexplicably in his heart, but he immediately covered up the emotion.
Ever since Baihua Fairy was robbed last time, and Empress Houtu showed a vague outline, Zhou Zheng has been thinking about how graceful the great virtue Houtu must be, and how dim-eyed the only woman among the four emperors would be. Unexpectedly... it's quite good.
normal.
That's not right. The first impression seemed to be ordinary, but Zhou Zheng only took a few more glances and was overwhelmed by the temperament of this eminent empress.
She was wearing a simple white dress, her long hair was combed around her temples, her face was dignified, not pretty, but she had an unconcealable sense of gentleness and kindness.
Even Zhou Zheng couldn't assign an age to her foreign minister. It wouldn't be too much to call her sister, and it wouldn't be too much to call her aunt.
Very mysterious.
As soon as she opened her mouth, Zhou Zheng knew that this was indeed an accomplished person.
"My friend, please sit down. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Zhou Zheng was also unambiguous and bowed his hands.
All souls owe Houtu Karma, and as a 'Six Paths of Reincarnation VIP Client', he can certainly perform this gift, and Queen Houtu can also accept it.
Hou Tu bowed slightly as a return gift, and then sat across from the Bagua table.
Zhou Zheng sat upright with his head held high, somewhat nervous.
"Thank you very much for the Baihua Fairy thing."
Empress Houtu shook her head slightly, but with a bit of despair in her eyes, she whispered: "The energy of this world has been exhausted. It would be good if there were less tragedies."
Zhou Zheng couldn't help but frown when he heard this.
"Why do you say that?"
"I am the closest to the way of heaven," Empress Houtu said softly, "The Six Paths of Reincarnation Disk is embedded in the way of heaven. After the way of heaven recovers, I will be the first to deal with it. Only I know best how powerful the way of heaven is.
."
Zhou Zheng was silent for a while.
Hou Tu sighed softly, with a bit of helplessness in his eyes.
She said: "The Great Heavenly Lord tried his best at that time, but he still could not defeat the consciousness of Heavenly Dao. This consciousness was born unknown when it was born. It has been disguised and subtly took over the entire world. When the Great Heavenly Lord discovered it, it was actually too late.
."
Zhou Zheng asked: "If the Great Heavenly Lord doesn't take action..."
"Every soul in the world only has a few hundred years left," Hou Tu said calmly, "Great Heavenly Lord's efforts are in vain, he has not changed anything."
"Why do you say that?"
"The day when Heaven's Dao revives is exactly the same as the day when Heaven's Dao originally planned to imprison all souls."
Hou Tu sighed softly:
"What is the Way of Heaven? The aggregation of the rules of heaven and earth, the sustenance of all spirits, taking heaven and earth as the body, taking Tao as the soul, nourishing all spirits, and using the mind of all spirits as the board, in turn controlling heaven, earth and Tao.
"As monks continue to practice, the Heavenly Dao Society will become stronger and stronger.
"As living beings continue to multiply, the way of heaven becomes more and more omnipotent.
"The establishment of the Six Paths of Reincarnation has become the foundation of heaven and the gospel of all living beings. The number of living beings in heaven and earth has increased several times in a few hundred years. Then what? Heaven has become the biggest beneficiary.
"It's hard to get back now. You can't defeat the way of heaven within the scope of heaven's way."
Zhou Zheng pursed his lips: "What do you mean, your Majesty, we must lose?"
"Well," Hou Tu nodded slightly, "Maybe there is still a glimmer of possibility, but... has the founder of the Sanqing Dynasty really found this glimmer of possibility?"
Zhou Zheng suddenly felt a lot more depressed.
The pavilion was quiet for a while.
Soon, Zhou Zheng smiled and said: "Your Majesty asked me to come here, maybe not just to break my Taoist heart."
Hou Tu nodded with a smile and said softly: "Before all memories of your life, Lu Dongbin, were erased, you left me a letter, saying that it was for Ying Jie, who should be you in that life."
"this?"
Zhou Zheng smiled and said: "Is there such a time capsule?"
"You can't open this letter now."
A little faint light burst out from Hou Tu's palm, penetrated into Zhou Zheng's palm, and rested on Zhou Zheng's Lingtai.
"This requires you to practice the seventh level of Pure Yang Wuji Kung Fu before you can open it."
Zhou Zheng blinked and suddenly asked: "Can you tell me what's written in it?"
Empress Houtu paused in her words, frowned and looked at Zhou Zheng, and whispered: "In your eyes, do I have the temperament to read people's letters at will?"
Zhou Zheng immediately apologized.
Empress Houtu nodded and said with a smile: "It is indeed true, I saw it."
Zhou Zheng:......
Why is this lady so naughty?
Moreover, the impression given at this moment is less of the image of a melancholy woman and more of a playful nature.
She said: "There is actually nothing in it. It's probably just to advise you to be more free and easy. What does the life and death of all beings have to do with you? Just live your own life."
"Ah, is your attitude towards life so negative?"
"The more you know, the more powerless you will feel," Houtu said, "Do you know why the human race was born?"
"Why?"
"To restrain the way of heaven."
"What's the relationship between the two?"
"It's related."
Hou Tu said slowly: "After the Patriarch of the Sanqing Dynasty transcended nature, he lived in the sea of Dao and was hidden among the Dao. He could no longer interfere with the movement of heaven and earth, otherwise the world would be in danger of collapsing.
“In ancient times, there were two great avenues that coexisted with the heavenly path, one was the Netherworld Path, and the other was the Living Spirit Path.
"The ancient creatures were unrestrained, and the restraints imposed by Heaven were seen as an intrusion to them. They kept looking for ways to break through the restraints of Heaven, and as a result, Heaven was half-dead.
"When the Dragon Clan was at its peak, it could slaughter the sky.
"Subsequently, with the continuous development of the Heavenly Dao, the Netherworld Dao weakened and was incorporated into the Six Paths of Reincarnation by the Heavenly Dao. The only force that restrains the Heavenly Dao is left in the world, which is the Living Soul Dao.
"As far as living beings are concerned, the weak like to enjoy the protection of heaven, and the strong like to break the rules of heaven, thus achieving a certain balance. Unfortunately...the heaven appears, which means that the way of living beings is tamed by heaven."
Zhou Zheng was speechless for a moment, frowned and asked: "Is heaven bad?"
Hou Tu smiled and said:
"No, heaven protects the weak, which is indeed good.
"But the Heavenly Court has become an institution that checks and balances the Heavenly Law and recruits those powerful people. Why do you think that Zhenyuan Immortal and his like have always been unwilling to be granted the title? It's because he knows that behind the Heavenly Court is the Heavenly Law, and he doesn't want to bow to the Heavenly Law.
"The human race has been educated, close to the way of heaven, and has been protected by the way of heaven.
"All spirits gradually weakened, and began to target the human race out of jealousy, which eventually led to a war between the demon race and the human race. This is the result of the guidance behind the Heavenly Dao."
Hou Tu sighed softly: "Little friend, you don't have to bear these burdens. It's hard for Laojun and the others to solve this problem."
Zhou Zheng said: "Then we can't count down to the end of the world now and wait for the resurrection of heaven to kill all living beings."
"This world will eventually return to emptiness," Hou Tu whispered, "the six paths of reincarnation itself are wrong."
Zhou Zheng looked puzzled.
Hou Tu did not want to say any more and dropped the topic.
"Do you want to see the Flower Fairy?"
Zhou Zheng blinked, then smiled sheepishly, "Is this...appropriate?"
"Of course, she is now a little girl in the Futian Alliance's formation."
Hou Tu tapped his finger, and a water mirror suddenly appeared on the side, and a clear picture slowly emerged in it.
…
Later in the night.
Zhou Zheng opened his eyes and looked at the familiar ceiling, then closed his eyes to rest.
The pessimistic Houtu Empress;
A bustling underworld.
There is also the small version of Baihua who wore her long hair at a young age and sat in front of the desk to learn to write seriously.
'This world is hopeless.'
Queen Houtu’s sigh was still echoing in my ears.
Zhou Zheng turned over, closed his eyes and concentrated, his thoughts drifting far away. He didn't know why he was thinking about these things, but there was nothing serious in his heart.
Empress Houtu understood the way of heaven and the Patriarch of the Three Purities, so she felt that the Patriarchs of the Three Purities had no chance of winning.
But Zhou Zheng had a vague feeling that the Patriarch of the Sanqing Dynasty was not without any back-ups. Laojun kept guiding him to seek the path in other worlds, and he must have wanted him to understand some great path.
Can I save the Three Realms by myself?
Or in other words, is it reasonable and correct to put the task of saving the Three Realms on one person?
No, I can only complete part of my mission. The only thing that can save living beings is living beings.
Where is that road? Where is that road? Why do you feel that Laojun's decision to bet on himself seems a little rash?