“Your Reverence, who are we looking for?” Shangguan Hen asked.
“Kong Xuan!” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Kong Xuan? I recall that Kong Xuan repeatedly tried to harm Your Reverence?” Shangguan Hen frowned.
“That was all in the past. Now, Kong Xuan owes us his life.” Gu Hai suddenly smiled.
“Oh?” Shangguan Hen felt slightly startled.
“Back in the Heavenly Realm, Kong Xuan’s most respected and beloved Eastern Monarch, the Supreme Singularity, wanted to kill him and plunder his Immortal Energy. We spoiled the Supreme Singularity’s plan.” Gu Hai smiled.
“However, that Kong Xuan is overly prideful. Would he…,” Shangguan Hen said worriedly.
“It does not matter. We have time,” Gu Hai said confidently.
“That’s right. One day outside is at least one thousand years here.” Shangguan Hen nodded.
“However, you are going to have to accompany me.” Gu Hai looked at Shangguan Hen.
“Has Your Reverence forgotten my true form?” Shangguan Hen smiled.
“Oh? A profound tortoise? The Tortoise Breathing Technique?” Gu Hai’s expression changed.
“Yes, I know the Tortoise Breathing Technique, which is an innate talent. Time is not an issue for me. I can even nap for one thousand years!” Shangguan Hen shook his head.
[TL Note: The Tortoise Breathing Technique is a common technique that appears in many novels and dramas. The mechanisms and effects of the technique differ between various sources. Some of the common ones are the ability to hold one’s breath underwater for a long time and the ability to slow down bodily functions to fake death. This version might be like entering a state of suspended consciousness.]
“That would be great. Let’s go!” Gu Hai extended his arm and grabbed Shangguan Hen.
Whoosh!
The two flew toward the entrance to the second layer of hell.
The entrance to the second layer was in the sky, above a thundercloud. A vast and empty world lay below, with a battlefield there.
The surroundings had many erupting volcanoes. Countless ghosts killed each other there, presenting a miserable sight. All the ghosts showed hatred on their faces. An aura that induced violence and frustration lingered in the air.
“What a violent aura! Your Reverence, it makes me feel very restless and frustrated.” Shangguan Hen frowned.
“Bloodthirst? Hah! You did not go to the Asura Path Secret Realm. It is even easier to get lost in bloodthirst there than here. Previously, we passed you the Classic of the Dao and Virtue. Recite it, and you should feel better,” Gu Hai said.
“Yes!” Shangguan Hen nodded.
Indeed, as Shangguan Hen recited the Classic of the Dao and Virtue, that sense of frustration vanished.
“The time here is twice that of the layer above? Hah! Let’s go. The entrance to the third layer is there,” Gu Hai said.
As Gu Hai spoke, he flew toward an entrance at another large cloud. Then, the two stepped in.
The third layer of hell:
This place was much colder than the first layer of hell. Heavy snow fell here, and the chill was bone-piercing. The violent emotions and bloodthirst were even stronger here.
Shangguan Hen could endure it by reciting the Classic of the Dao and Virtue.
Like before, countless ghosts were killing each other in the surroundings. Furthermore, the fighting was even more violent.
“Let’s continue,” Gu Hai said.
The two went on to the fourth layer of hell, then the fifth layer.
The further down Gu Hai went, the viler the environment. The layers alternated between hot and cold. Hell’s effect on one’s emotions intensified. If not for the Classic of the Dao and Virtue, Shangguan Hen’s endurance would have failed long ago.
Even King Yama did not dare to come to the fifth layer. However, there were still many evil ghosts killing each other there.
The sixth layer had countless evil ghosts cruelly burning other evil ghosts over the many volcanoes.
In the seventh layer, the evil ghosts’ killing of each other was even more frantic.
In the eighth layer, the evil ghosts’ eyes glowed red with bloodthirst, no longer having much rational thought left. They only thought about killing! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!
The ninth layer…the tenth layer…this continued until the twelfth layer, where the number of evil ghosts finally lessened.
In the thirteenth layer, the evil ghosts were turning into stone. It seemed that too long had passed, and they had forgotten they were sapient beings. They just stood there without moving.
In the fourteenth layer, there were no evil ghosts, only stones.
In the fifteenth layer, there were no evil ghosts.
At this point, Shangguan Hen could no longer endure the bloodthirst. When he opened his eyes, he only thought about killing.
“Silently recite the Classic of the Dao and Virtue and use the Tortoise Breathing Technique. Only reawaken when you can endure the bloodthirst,” Gu Hai said.
Shangguan Hen fell unconscious. Gu Hai then took out a coffin, put the black tortoise inside, and carried it along.
In the fifteenth layer, the world was sealed in ice. This looked like the ice age that Gu Hai had seen on television on Earth. Frost covered the ground, and heavy snow fell from the sky. Visibility was abysmal.
Gu Hai weaved through the place, searching for where Kong Xuan was sealed.
“Hey? Something’s not right.” Gu Hai’s expression changed.
Gu Hai saw a large pit in the distance. It seemed like there used to be a large cluster of ice mountains there, but they had been uprooted.
Along the way, he also saw some smaller ice mountains.
No, they were not ice mountains but fragments of ice mountains.
Gu Hai followed these fragments and soon arrived at the next entrance.
“They brought Kong Xuan to the sixteenth layer of hell?” Gu Hai’s expression changed.
Gu Hai did not hesitate to enter.
Boom!
After Gu Hai soared into the sky, boundless flames immediately rushed at him.
Buzz!
Gu Hai took out the True Flame Calabash and absorbed the surrounding flames. Only then could he see what the sixteenth layer of hell looked like.
It was filled with lava, boundless lava.
Giant fireballs fell from the sky as if the world was undergoing a calamity.
The temperature of the fire was extremely high. If not for the Samādhi True Flame, he could not have withstood the horrific fire.
“The sixteenth layer of hell? What a vile environment!” Gu Hai’s face sank.
Shangguan Hen’s endurance had long since failed. However, Gu Hai managed because he had received Laozi’s inheritance. He had an exceedingly profound understanding of the Classic of the Dao and Virtue, allowing him to suppress the bloodthirst.
However, the Classic of the Dao and Virtue started to fail here.
Gu Hai searched the surroundings.
He saw five large mountains of black stone in the distance, standing erect in the endless lava. The jangle of chains came from there.
Whoosh! Gu Hai flew towards the five large mountains.
Lava filled the sky, rushing to the center of the five mountains like sea waves. The five mountains were like a hand grasping a large bird in the center.
The bird was a ten-kilometer-long peacock.
Huge chains bound the peacock’s legs and back, binding it to the surrounding five mountains. An image of a golden mountain pressed on the peacock’s back.
“What a fantastic sealing ritual array! It is even more incredible than Five Fingers Mountain?” Gu Hai exclaimed, raising his eyebrows.
The lava waves rushed at the peacock. Fire rained down from the sky, continuously burning the peacock. However, the peacock kept its eyes closed, not moving at all.
The peacock only opened its eyes when Gu Hai spoke.
Buzz!
The peacock emitted dazzling golden light from its eyes, radiating a powerful, ferocious aura. This aura seemed as strong as what the Supreme Singularity unleashed in the past. At that time, Kong Xuan had been much weaker than the Supreme Singularity.
“Gu Hai? Why are you here?” the peacock said in shock as the ferocity in its eyes subsided.
“Great Light Sovereign Deity Kong Xuan, it has been a long time. You have grown stronger again?” Gu Hai said.
“Humph! It truly has been a long time, more than thirty million years. Hah! Hahahaha! I nearly failed to recognize you. What are you doing here?” Kong Xuan asked coldly.
“It looks like the Future Buddha moved you from the fifteenth layer of hell to the sixteenth layer?” Gu Hai said.
“Humph! So what? What are you doing here?” Kong Xuan retorted coldly.
“Shall I help you undo the chains and seal on you?” Gu Hai asked.
“Undo? Hahahaha! You can’t undo them. They are made with the Nine-Petaled Golden Lotus. No one can undo them but the Present Buddha. Furthermore, did I even ask you to undo them?” Kong Xuan countered coldly.
“Oh? I’m willing to undo them, but you are not?” Gu Hai said, his expression changing.
“Gu Hai, I understand you very well. Would you be that kind? Help me undo my seal?” Kong Xuan’s eyes were cold as it looked at Gu Hai.
“Great Light Sovereign Deity’s mind is quite alert. Alright. I will be frank. I discovered your whereabouts when I was in the first layer of hell, so I thought about coming to rescue Great Light Sovereign Deity. Naturally, I have my own plans,” Gu Hai said.
“Oh?” Kong Xuan said coldly.
“I would like to invite Great Light Sovereign Deity to join my Han Imperial Dynasty,” Gu Hai said with a resolute expression.
“Join your Han Imperial Dynasty? As your subject? Hahahahahahahaha! Gu Hai, I know that you saved me in the Heavenly Realm. However, do you think I would be grateful to you for rescuing me? Do you think that I would lower myself to be your subject? Hehehehe! That’s impossible. Previously, I was loyal to the Supreme Singularity. Although he betrayed me in the end, I had submitted to him—to him alone. As for you? You are not worthy. You are not worthy of me serving you,” Kong Xuan said with great pride.
“Why? Because of cultivation?” Gu Hai asked.
“Cultivation? No, I no longer care about your cultivation. If you want me to submit, you must be stronger than me. Are you stronger than me? Hah! Indeed, you are smarter than me. However, it is not brains that I bow to. It is will. The Three Lives Buddhas want me to submit to them, but I will not. They are not worthy. They are not qualified,” Kong Xuan said with a ferocious expression.
“Then, what would qualify me?” Gu Hai asked.
“I have been locked here for thirty-two million years. Do you dare do the same? The Future Buddha does not. The Past Buddha does not. The Present Buddha does not. You want me to submit? In your dreams. I—Kong Xuan—only submit to those stronger than me!” Kong Xuan said coldly.
“Thirty-two million years? Indeed, that is a very long time,” Gu Hai said with a frown.
“Hah! Are you afraid? If you are, then scram. I don’t need you to rescue me. Humph! In time, after I recuperate, I can break out of this Nine-Petaled Golden Lotus seal with my will. I can break out with my own power!” Kong Xuan shouted.
“What if I am stronger than you?” Gu Hai smiled.
“Huh?” Kong Xuan’s face sank as it looked at Gu Hai.
“Great Light Sovereign Deity, just take it as me seeking recompense. I did save you, after all. I saved your life. I do not ask much of you. Fifty years. If I can prove myself stronger than you, you will serve the Han Imperial Dynasty to the best of your abilities for fifty years. If you want to leave after fifty years, you are free to do so. What do you think?” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Hah! Haha! How are you going to prove it? Alright. Since you saved me, I will give you one opportunity. We will go with your offer. However, how are you going to prove it?” Kong Xuan said coldly.
Just as Kong Xuan smiled coldly at Gu Hai, a monk flew out of the passageway to the fifteenth layer of hell and saw Gu Hai and the coffin.
That monk turned around excitedly and returned to the fifteenth layer of hell. “Gu Hai is here! Lord Buddha, Gu Hai is here!”
“Prove? I’ll go to a layer of hell deeper than yours. One day outside is thirty-two million-odd years here. The seventeenth layer would be sixty-five million-odd years. That will bring my time to the same as what you experienced. Right?” Gu Hai smiled.
“What? You are going to enter the seventeenth layer of hell?” Kong Xuan’s face sank.
Gu Hai smiled faintly. Then, he dragged Shangguan Hen’s coffin with him, entering the passageway to the seventeenth layer.
“What?” Kong Xuan’s eyelids twitched.
Gu Hai really entered?
The passageways between the layers will close soon. He won’t be able to come out even if he wants to when that happens.
Whoosh!
Just as Kong Xuan frowned, a beam of light shot out the passageway to the fifteenth layer of hell. The Future Buddha suddenly appeared near Kong Xuan.
“Where is he?” the Future Buddha asked.
