Blood Slaying Demon Monarch straightened his back, and the shattered Blood Pond Hell poured down boundless bloody water, forming several large and small blood rivers on the Wujiao Rock. Blood Slaying Demon Monarch sat facing the blood river. Above the river surface, a lotus flower had grown at some unknown time; its lotus leaves were dark green approaching black, and its lotus petals were as red as fire, blooming charmingly.

Hell shattered, and boundless karmic force poured down, yet all of it was accommodated by this lotus flower blooming in the blood river.

The golden light of the Ksitigarbha Hall penetrated the Wujiao Rock shattered by the great battle, shining upon this lotus flower. Under the illumination of the golden light, Youdu burned all over with karmic fire. Blood Slaying Demon Monarch sat squarely in the sea of fire, and that boundless karmic fire, like lotus flower after lotus flower, bloomed all over the great sea.

Zhang Jiao said with a solemn expression: "The Demonic Path overthrew the netherworld, laid out a grand scheme, strangled the Ten Kings of Hell, and sent away Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Although it is due to Patriarch Styx's profound plotting, it is also because the mighty figures of our Heavenly Court stood by with folded arms."

"Now that Patriarch Styx has already succeeded, the likes of us are merely pawns utilized by the Patriarch. Why are you unwilling to let us leave?"

Sitting sideways facing Zhang Jiao and Imperial Son Bojun, Blood Slaying Demon Monarch remained speechless... only sitting in silence.

Imperial Son Bojun said in a deep voice: "Since the Demonic Path wants to dominate the netherworld, why must it make enemies on all sides? We only wish to oppose that Emperor Zhuanxu, to change to a new heaven and earth, and had no intention of opposing Patriarch Styx... and furthermore... the Yin-Yang Demonic Lord is tyrannical for a time, yet he wants to clear out the remnants of the Ten Kings of Hell, and several other Demonic Lords also have important matters."

Your Excellency is indeed from the direct lineage of the Blood Sea, yet you are merely the body of a mere demon monarch, not a Demonic Path Da Luo Demonic Lord. You may not necessarily be able to block the two of us.

Blood Slaying Demon Monarch closed his eyes and sighed: "The Chaos Bell rings, the Heavenly Court is overturned... How did Imperial Son Bojun know that he is not part of the game?" Blood Slaying opened his eyes, looking at Imperial Son Bojun and the others with a mocking smile: "Imperial Son... We have long plotted your life... If the Imperial Son does not die, how can the Heavenly Court have an excuse to sever communication between heaven and earth? This netherworld catastrophe, nominally, arose because of the human-immortal love between Bai Suzhen and Imperial Son Mu, and erupted because of Imperial Son Bojun's jealousy."

Bai Suzhen at the side was already powerless to refute. Refute that she and Imperial Son Mu had no private affection?

The pitiful Xu Xian behind her, clinging to her as the second reincarnation of Imperial Son Mu, was truly an ironclad proof. Nowadays, all the gods of the Three Realms undoubtedly believed that she and Imperial Son Mu had private affections. Bai Suzhen only had one mouth, how could she make it clear?

"If the Imperial Son does not die, how can we pin this huge blame on the Imperial Son's head?"

"Only with immortals and humans trespassing against each other, humans and demons falling in love... triggering such a monstrous disaster, would the Gaoyang clan have sufficient reason to sever communication between heaven and earth, decreeing that there shall be no descent, humans and gods shall not disturb one another, and divine authority shall not manifest in the world, returning to the realm of mystery."

Blood Slaying Demon Monarch revealed a cruel smile: "For the sake of the greater good, we have no choice but to enshrine the Imperial Son as a sacrifice!"

Blood Slaying Demon Monarch laughed aloud, in high spirits, and he laughed loudly: 'The Imperial Son previously used countless living beings as pawns, for selfish reasons, causing boundless vengeful souls to be added to the Naihe Bridge, framing an innocent little demon, colluding with the demon race, wanting to change the heaven and earth... How does it feel to be enshrined as a sacrifice now? Is it exhilarating? Is it gratifying? In the eyes of supreme mighty figures, in the eyes of the Patriarch, Emperor Zhuanxu, and the Three Pure Ones of Xuanmen, although the Imperial Son is nominally of noble heavenly lineage, how is he any different from the common masses?"

"You view living beings as ants, but in the eyes of those who truly view living beings as ants, how are you not just a oversized ant yourself?"

"Below Da Luo, all are ants!"

"In this netherworld catastrophe, haven't the Imperial Son seen clearly enough?"

Blood Slaying Demon Monarch stood up, the blood river in front of him rolling backward, transforming into a vast sea of blood. Blood Slaying Demon Monarch transformed into a streak of blood, merging into that blood sea. The boundless sea of blood transformed into his vital energy and blood, condensing the body of a god and demon. A red lotus fell into his hand, the twelfth-grade red lotus blooming, igniting towering karmic fire. The blood sea true body of Blood Slaying Demon Monarch pinched the lotus flower, and the lotus flower flew in a spin, plunging into the void, and instantly disappeared.

"Retreat!"

Imperial Son Bojun let out a sharp cry, and Zhang Jiao raised his Nine-Sectioned Staff. Before his figure even had time to move, a twelfth-grade red lotus bloomed with innate unextinguishable spiritual light. A speck of spiritual light fell like fire, touching a point on the Nine-Sectioned Staff, and instantly, destructive karmic fire burned.

Blood Slaying Demon Monarch sneered and said: "The concept of karmic force originally originated from Buddhism, and we of the Demonic Path naturally disdain to do so... But Buddhism's karma is merely the influence and result caused by the actions of living beings, while our Demonic Path's karma refers to the inevitable disordered phenomenon in the operation of laws, which is the chaotic tendency inherent in all things and living beings!"

"Karmic fire is the fire of chaos, the fire of disorder, burning away all order, turning Yin and Yang into chaos."

"Buddhism's karma is the karma of living beings, while the Demonic Path's karma is the karma of heaven and earth."

"Therefore, wherever the karmic fire burns, all uncertainty is infinitely large!"

"The karmic fire red lotus refers to the power of all things and living beings being reborn due to their inherent orderly endowment after being chaotic and destroyed due to their chaotic intrinsic endowment... Where the karmic fire burns, red lotus blooms everywhere! For example, in the heavens and myriad realms, after boundless living beings stir up a great catastrophe due to their inherent disorderly tendency, the catastrophe and slaughter eliminate the disorderly karma, returning to order."

"Therefore, karmic fire is disorder, and red lotus is order. Disorder to order is slaughter, cutting off karma; order to disorder is karmic fire, karma is chaotic, and karmic force accumulates!"

"Naturally born, naturally extinguished, and then reborn. This order of birth and extinction is the karmic fire red lotus in the philosophy of the Demonic Path!"

The very moment the karmic fire red lotus bloomed, red and black intertwined flames burned. Wherever it went, the uncertainty during the operation of Yin and Yang was infinitely large, and countless primordial energy Yin and Yang endowments became internalized, turning into chaos. All tangible and intangible things completely lost their inherent attributes, presenting a state of extreme chaos, clear and turbid converging, Yin and Yang blending.

Wherever the karmic fire burned, apart from the principle of chaos, no laws existed.

The magical powers and cultivation of Zhang Jiao were all derived from comprehending laws. All spells and magical powers inherently inevitably followed the Great Dao of the operation of all things. Now that the Great Dao was undetermined and inconstant, Zhang Jiao's magical powers, upon touching the karmic fire, collapsed on their own, turning into a part of the karmic fire—much like a country, an organizational entity, ultimately leading to national collapse and organizational chaos due to the internal chaotic force continuously accumulated during operation.

All of Zhang Jiao's magical power and all his magical abilities had this tendency of chaos infinitely amplified by the karmic fire, and just by touching the karmic fire, they became a part of it.

The Innate Spiritual Treasure in his hand, the Nine-Sectioned Staff, could only protect itself with its innate unextinguishable spiritual light so as not to be affected by the chaotic tendency of the karmic fire.

The inherent order of the Innate Spiritual Treasure, protected by the innate unextinguishable spiritual light, was not invaded by the karmic fire, but once it wanted to affect external forces, it was burned to ashes by the karmic fire. A Nine-Sectioned Staff was unscathed in the karmic fire, yet it also lost all spirituality, resembling a dead object, unable to manifest the slightest spiritual response.

Wherever the karmic fire red lotus reached, boundless karmic fire burned everywhere, turning all primordial energy existence into chaos. Zhang Jiao continuously cast the magical power of the Ninth Degree of the Great Dao, opening up small worlds of the Ninth Degree of the Great Dao around his body. Before these small worlds were destroyed by the karmic fire and turned into chaos, he opened up countless more small worlds.

Within three feet around his body, countless worlds were born and perished, resisting the encroachment of chaos.

Zhang Jiao said anxiously: "Your Highness, run quickly!"

Imperial Son Bojun fled in a panic toward the Ghost Gate Pass. Facing that boundless karmic fire, Zhang Jiao's hair and beard stood on end, and with a chop of his hand, he used the Ninth Degree of the Great Dao to open up a complete universe. That boundless multitude of gods revered the Heavenly Court, boundless ghosts and spirits transformed into an army of gods and demons, the Jade Emperor sat squarely in the Lingxiao Hall of the Heavenly Court to rule the Three Realms, countless immortal officials and divine generals stood in ranks within the Heavenly Court, the thirty-six heavenly palaces and seventy-two precious halls transformed into a towering and magnificent Heavenly Court, and then countless ghosts and spirits, upon the orders of the Jade Emperor, operated the four seasons, sun, and moon of the mortal world, judged good and evil, and furthermore within the nether soil, nether gods and Yama judged reincarnation.

The order of ghosts and gods, living beings resided within it, and the Great Dao was mysterious.

Zhang Jiao roared angrily: "Peaceful World!"

Zhang Jiao's Ninth Degree of the Great Dao created a peaceful world... This was the supreme principle of Zhang Jiao's Ninth Degree of the Great Dao magical power. The embryonic form of the Xuanmen Heavenly Court and the Taoist universe he created... Zhonghuang Taiyi, bringing peace to the world.

All of Zhang Jiao's magical power, his physical body, primordial spirit, bones and blood, soul, true spirit, and the Taiyi golden numbers imitating the true body condensed by innate gods and demons, were all poured into the Ninth Degree of the Great Dao to open up a universe. His primordial spirit split into countless ghosts and spirits, the highest one of which mastered the self, called the Jade Emperor. His magical power transformed into boundless primordial energy to create the Three Realms, and his true body opened up boundless time and space to transform into a universe.

Peaceful World, Jade Emperor Heavenly Court...

Amidst the boundless karmic fire and boundless chaos, Zhang Jiao forcibly opened up a complete universe. With chaos gods and demons forming a universe of their own, the true body did not fear a fraction of the might of chaos. Although Zhang Jiao's true body formed a universe of its own, it was not yet complete and could not rely on no external things in chaos, being self-sufficient and never perishing. The Peaceful World and Jade Emperor Universe opened up by Zhang Jiao had a lifespan in chaos.

Constantly encroached upon by chaos, the universe would eventually perish one day, and Zhang Jiao would also die.

However, how long is the lifespan of a universe, even an imperfect one? Even if Blood Slaying Demon Monarch drove the karmic fire red lotus to continuously accelerate the chronological order of chaos, a universe still had boundless time. A boundless kalpa was approximately fifty-five billion billion years, and the lifespan of the Jade Emperor Universe was at least one hundred and twenty boundless kalpas. Even if invaded by the karmic fire, internally chaotic, with frequent great catastrophes, and its lifespan shortened by a hundred million times, that was still a long time.

"The karmic fire burns to ashes, the red lotus blooms everywhere!" Blood Slaying Demon Monarch made a single turn, and that boundless karmic fire slowly extinguished.

Within chaos, the force tending toward order sprouted, opening up chaos. A red lotus took root in chaos and slowly bloomed. In the blink of an eye, red lotus bloomed all over chaos. A perfect Great Harmony World, far more perfect than the Peaceful World by countless times—the Red Lotus Universe—was born.

A wisp of the might of the Red Lotus Universe was released by the blooming power of that red lotus, sweeping across. Crushed by a perfect universe, the Jade Emperor Universe was riddled with holes in the blink of an eye... Cracks floated up one by one, and with a bang, it shattered... The Jade Emperor escaped from the universe, transforming back into Zhang Jiao's Taiyi body. His face turned pale, and he spat out a mouthful of golden blood with a puff.

The red lotus landed on Zhang Jiao's head, shrinking into a palm-sized object, locking him in place.

Zhang Jiao had no further power to resist...

Blood Slaying laughed and said: "Do we still need you... The Jade Emperor's ambition is too great, and he doesn't even give the Patriarch face. I think he will die sooner or later. Why doesn't Cult Master Zhang turn over a new leaf?"

Zhang Jiao's expression was sluggish, his body injured and in a sorry state, yet he kept his mouth tightly closed and remained silent.

Imperial Son Bojun desperately urged his escape light. His magical powers were extraordinary, and the speed of his escape light was by no means inferior to any Taiyi. Seeing that the Ghost Gate Pass was right in front of him, Imperial Son Bojun shouted: "Open the door quickly, I am Bojun, the son of Ziyang Emperor. The netherworld demonic path is in rebellion; quickly close the gate and send me up to the Heavenly Court to summon an army to come and suppress the rebellion!"

At the entrance of the Ghost Gate Pass, the two great divine beings, Shenshu and Yulü, looked at each other in dismay. Shenshu picked his ear and said: "Brother, did you hear someone calling out?"

Great Divine Being Yulü shook his head and smiled: "Where is anyone calling out? Second brother, your ears must have gone bad!"

Great Divine Being Shenshu nodded and said: "It should be lonely ghosts and wild spirits unwilling to die before the Ghost Gate Pass shouting randomly. We guard the Ghost Gate Pass, and not a single malicious person can be let in, nor can a single lonely ghost or wild spirit be let out. The peace and harmony of the netherworld has a share of our credit!"

The two great divine beings looked pleased with themselves, turning a blind eye to the Great Darkness Demon God Mokalaguo inside the pass who shattered hell, beat three of the Ten Kings of Hell into nothingness, and smashed the door while blocking the entrance of the Ten Palaces of the netherworld...

"Clear rivers and calm seas... The netherworld is peaceful!" Shenshu sighed mournfully.

Imperial Son Bojun rushed to the Ghost Gate Pass, only to see the gates of the Ghost Gate Pass tightly closed, with no one opening the door at all. He flew into a great rage and was about to step forward to smash the door. At this moment, a flash of ax shadow swept past, a cold light gleamed, and Imperial Son Bojun's head flew up. The supreme head tumbled into the dust before the Ghost Gate Pass, and a wisp of the noble heavenly lineage's soul fell toward Youdu, was swept up by the Reincarnation River, and sent into reincarnation.

Xingtian shouldered his big axe and walked out from the darkness beside the Ghost Gate Pass.

Using his breasts as eyes, he looked at Styx for a moment, then leisurely walked toward the Naihe Bridge...

Outside the Ghost Gate Pass, the expressions of Shenshu and Yulü remained as usual... just as if nothing had happened at all. But after a short while, an army of the Heavenly Court stepped onto Mt. Dushu, arriving beneath the peach tree. A heavenly general stepped forward and said: "By order of Ziyang Emperor, we have come to inspect the netherworld and suppress the demonic path rebellion." Shenshu, holding a big axe, stood before the gate and said: "Nonsense... Where would there be a rebellion in the netherworld."

Great Divine Being Yulü also said: "We only know the Heavenly Emperor and Earth Mother... We know no Ziyang Emperor. Where did you come from... Go back where you came from! Do not throw away your lives in vain!"