Chapter 758: Karmic Fire Merit Stele
Tu Bo, unbound by any constraints.
The Underworld Reaper knew that Tu Bo, being a deity born from heaven and earth, had many of his actions restricted by the heavenly laws of the Netherworld. He could not overstep these rules, and even his growth had to be contained within the Netherworld’s system, unable to break free from its great Dao.
He was the embodiment of the Netherworld’s Dao. Although he possessed his own consciousness, his actions could not deviate from the scope of the Netherworld’s great Dao.
“But that little one born in the Netherworld is different. He is the first living being born from a womb in the Netherworld, unlike Tu Bo, and unlike the naturally formed little ghosts, monsters, and Netherworld demon gods.”
Tu Bo’s voice came from the sacred hall. The Underworld Reaper turned his head and saw Imperial Heavenly Lord sitting at the hall’s entrance, gnawing on half a chicken.
“He was like me at birth, blessed by the Netherworld’s great Dao laws. At the time, I even thought I might be gaining a younger brother. Later, I realized that wasn’t the case.”
Tu Bo’s third eye shimmered with light, sealing their words within his gaze so they wouldn’t leak outside.
“That little one grew at an astonishing rate. And because he was a post-natal being, he wasn’t controlled by the Netherworld’s great Dao laws. He could eat whoever he wanted, beat whoever he wanted.”
Although Qin Fengqing committed every evil imaginable, Tu Bo watched him with an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
Qin Fengqing was like a miniature Tu Bo. If he grew up, he would become a larger, more evil version of Tu Bo. Thus, Tu Bo had no choice but to seal and suppress him, exiling him to the outside world.
“But what’s even stranger is that the sealed, suppressed, and exiled Qin Fengqing became Qin Mu. Previously, Qin Fengqing wasn’t bound by the Netherworld’s great Dao laws, but when it came to Qin Mu, he completely broke free from them, cultivating divine arts and Dao methods from outside the Netherworld!”
Imperial Heavenly Lord, who was eating chicken, craned his neck to look into the hall. He saw the horned, tiger-headed divine being speaking with a peculiar expression, clearly puzzled as to why Qin Mu could escape the Netherworld’s great Dao laws.
“My seal turned him into a mortal who couldn’t cultivate. Yet the second consciousness born from that body stumbled and fumbled, somehow bypassing my seal, using an impossible-to-cultivate physical body to achieve remarkable feats.”
Tu Bo’s expression was strange. “The first consciousness is Qin Fengqing, born from the Netherworld’s demonic nature, like an ancient god, a demigod, and a post-natal being. The second consciousness is Qin Mu, a completely post-natal being. But he is the one who surprises me the most.”
Because of Qin Mu’s chaotic antics, Qin Fengqing had repeatedly come close to breaking Tu Bo’s seal, forcing Tu Bo to intervene time and again to fix things.
It was precisely because of this understanding that no one in the world had greater expectations for Qin Mu and Qin Fengqing than Tu Bo himself.
He wanted to find a path to break free from his own shackles through Qin Mu.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Qin Mu was another unrestrained Tu Bo.
In Tu Bo’s view, Qin Fengqing and Qin Mu were the same person, not brothers. Although, to Qin Mu and Qin Fengqing, the elder brother was the elder brother, and the younger brother was the younger brother.
The younger brother thought the elder brother was steeped in evil, while the elder brother thought the younger brother was full of cunning schemes.
“To break free from my own shackles, I once tried many paths, but all failed. This time is my opportunity.”
Tu Bo’s gaze was profound. Imperial Heavenly Lord looked at him and felt that his three eyes were like three unfathomable abysses, occasionally rippling with movement.
Jade Lock Pass.
The demon god general led the three-headed, six-armed Qin Mu toward the pass. Sweat kept dripping from his forehead because Qin Fengqing’s gaze was fixed on his head and neck, making him extremely uncomfortable.
In his mind, a scene kept replaying: that big-headed doll clutching his head and gnawing on it.
“How should I address you, Daoist brother?” One of Qin Mu’s heads looked around, while another spoke to him amiably.
“Netherworld Jade Lock Pass Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy Mo Qimi.”
The demon god general’s eye twitched. He thought to himself, “The Netherworld Divine Son didn’t have this habit before. He used to eat without asking names. Now he’s polite—he asks before eating…”
“What’s this?” Qin Mu pointed at a black stone tablet, speaking courteously.
Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy Mo Qimi looked at the black stone tablet and said, “This is a Soul-Suppressing Stele, also called a Karmic Fire Merit Stele. It was refined by Tu Bo from his own shed teeth to suppress the heretics and demons here. Those with great merit won’t be suppressed here, but if one’s sins are heavy, they will suffer the torment of karmic fire here, unable to use any of their divine power, enduring even greater pain.”
Qin Mu looked around and saw that these Karmic Fire Merit Steles were like a forest, placed every hundred zhang, in great numbers.
“Does Tu Bo have that many teeth?”
He was stunned and murmured, “Could it be that Tu Bo’s teeth were knocked out by someone?”
Qin Fengqing said excitedly, “Tu Bo’s teeth are black, but mine are white! Look, look!”
He opened his mouth, revealing a full set of sharp teeth that gleamed coldly. His eyes flickered as he said, “Mo Qimi, come closer to me. You’ll see more clearly.”
Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy Mo Qimi stumbled, leading him into the stone forest of Karmic Fire Merit Steles. The number of steles here exceeded Qin Mu’s imagination, and they walked for a long time without reaching the end.
“Tens of thousands of steles—how many teeth must Tu Bo have to forge so many?”
The Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy glanced at Qin Mu, his heart trembling. He had thought that such a heinous existence entering the stele forest would surely be suppressed by Tu Bo’s Karmic Fire Merit Steles, with karmic fire clinging to him, burning him in agony.
But Qin Mu walked into the forest without any issue. Meanwhile, that big-headed doll was cheerfully inhaling the karmic fire that filled the stele forest. The flames surged toward him like noodles being slurped into his mouth, and he smacked his lips as if it tasted delicious.
“Does this guy have no weakness?” Fear grew in his heart.
Suddenly, a figure appeared ahead in the stele forest, struggling forward. It was a soul surrounded by flames, its face twisted, with its mouth, eyes, and ears turned into black holes, as if screaming in agony.
“This is Yu’an Heavenly King.”
The Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy said, “Yu’an Heavenly King was an ancient god from a million years ago, a general of the Dragon Han Heavenly Court’s Feather Forest Army, the god in charge of flight. He was originally a great peacock born from heaven and earth. Because he loved to devour demigods and post-natal beings, able to inhale a million people in one breath, he committed great sins. After his death, he was suppressed here at Jade Lock Pass, walking day and night in the stele forest, suffering the torment of karmic fire for a million years now. He keeps walking in the forest, but no matter how many years he walks, he can’t leave until his sins are exhausted. Only then can he leave the forest, but what awaits him will be Tu Bo’s devouring.” He glanced at Qin Mu as he spoke.
Qin Mu said solemnly, “Tu Bo rewards and punishes clearly, with great impartiality. This is well done!”
The Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy thought to himself, “You’ve committed countless evils—aren’t you afraid?”
Of course, he didn’t dare say that out loud.
He continued forward and encountered another person—a demigod’s primordial spirit, carrying a mountain on its back as it walked through the karmic fire, sizzling and screaming incessantly.
“This is Xie Wuqi, the Crown Prince of the Dragon Han Heavenly Court, a strong one with the bloodline of the Heavenly Emperor and Empress. When he reached adulthood, his strength rivaled that of an Imperial Seat powerhouse, so he rebelled and attempted to usurp the throne. After his death, he was suppressed here,” the Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy said.
“A demigod, Imperial Seat?”
The big-headed doll drooled like a waterfall, rubbing his hands excitedly. Suddenly, Qin Mu felt his body shrink, and he saw himself crawling on all fours toward Xie Wuqi, intending to devour him.
“Brother, don’t mess around! We need to see Mother first!”
The big-headed doll sighed regretfully, and Qin Mu regained control of his body.
They continued forward. Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy Mo Qimi said, “The deeper you go in this suppressed divine and demonic prison, the greater the sins. Throughout the ages, the most vicious and evil beings have been suppressed here. No matter how ferocious or powerful they were in life, after death, they suffer here!” He glanced at Qin Mu again.
Qin Mu remained unaffected.
“My mother never committed great evil—why is she suppressed in the deepest part of the stele forest?”
The big-headed doll was indignant and roared, “I did all that! It has nothing to do with Mother! Tu Bo is unjust! When we catch him, we’ll tear off his head and legs and eat him!”
The Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy shivered several times, thinking, “This guy is savagely unreasonable.”
They continued onward, seeing more and more powerful spirits suppressed here. No matter how earth-shattering their abilities were in life, here they were like mortals, suffering the torment of karmic fire.
And this torment seemed endless, with no idea when they would be released.
“Is Mother suffering the same torment?” Qin Mu’s heart darkened.
They passed countless Karmic Fire Merit Steles and finally reached the center of the stele forest.
Here, the steles were densely packed, every three to five steps apart, but there were few suppressed spirits to be seen.
Qin Mu was puzzled. Suddenly, he saw ahead a large circle formed by black steles, nearly a thousand zhang in diameter. Inside the circle were rings of steles, layer upon layer!
He looked toward the center, where a horned, tiger-headed divine being was bound by black chains, surrounded by blazing karmic fire!
Qin Mu’s face changed dramatically. He looked at the Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy, but Mo Qimi seemed not to see this stele formation or the suppressed divine being within it, walking around it instead.
Qin Mu reached out and lifted him up, saying amiably, “Left Envoy, what’s with this Tu Bo in the stele forest? Why is a Tu Bo suppressed here?”
“Don’t mess around!”
The Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy shouted, “I’d rather die than speak!”
Qin Mu tossed him to the big-headed doll. Qin Fengqing excitedly hugged him tightly, saying, “Little brother is so good! I’m really going to eat him now! I’m eating!”
“I’ll talk!”
Qin Mu quickly snatched him back. Qin Fengqing was furious, raising both fists and punching Qin Mu’s head hard twice, shouting, “Die, bad little brother! Die!”
“That’s Tu Bo’s reincarnated body.”
The Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy, still shaken, touched his head and found it still there, sighing in relief. “In ancient times, during the early Dragon Han era, Tu Bo once reincarnated. This body is his reincarnated self.”
Qin Mu, bruised and swollen, used his creation divine power to heal himself and asked curiously, “Then why did Tu Bo suppress his own reincarnated body here?”
The Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy said, “I was born in the Imperial Era—how would I know such ancient matters?”
Qin Mu lifted him up again. The Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy quickly said, “I’ll confess! I’ll confess everything, alright?”
Qin Mu put him down. The Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy hesitated, looked around, and lowered his voice, “I’ve heard… I’ve only heard, it might not be true! Don’t tell anyone, and if you do, don’t say I told you!”
Qin Mu nodded repeatedly.
“I heard that Tu Bo reincarnated back then to find a way to break through his own limits and to pass on his bloodline. After reincarnation, he still looked the same, but he had a physical body. Later, he discovered he had emotions and desires. But because he was ugly…”
The Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy hesitated again, looking pitiful. “You really won’t tell anyone?”
“Don’t worry!”
Qin Mu patted his chest heavily. “If I tell, may heaven and earth destroy me! Hurry up, hurry up!”
Qin Fengqing also became interested and urged, “What happened after being ugly?”
“Because he was ugly, people didn’t like him.”
The Soul-Suppressing Left Envoy swallowed his saliva and bravely said, “Everyone wanted to kill him, seeing him as a demon. Some ancient beings knew he had reincarnated and saw it as a good chance to kill him, so they attacked him. At first, Tu Bo didn’t fight back because of his identity. But one day, his wife and daughter were killed by enemies. That day, Tu Bo’s demonic nature erupted, and he was no longer bound by the Netherworld’s laws. So he fought back…”
His face showed terror, and his voice turned hoarse. “I heard many ancient gods died, and countless demigods perished. After Tu Bo returned, he suppressed his own reincarnated body here, making it suffer in this place…”