When it reached the seventeenth layer, the copper bell hanging from the eaves of the Taoist monastery's main hall shook wildly. The hall, which seemed to be as solid as steel, now emitted a groan of unbearable strain under the cover of the Heavenly Axe's force!
Baiyun Daoist saw Xu Qing's intentions. When the power of the Heavenly Axe accumulated to the point that even he was terrified, the old Taoist finally couldn't help but shout:
"Hold on! I still have a word..."
Xu Qing ignored him, those infants, the villagers of Bailong Village, and even Xuan Yu back then, when they fell into the hands of the wicked, did Baiyun the old Taoist ever hear their cries, and lay down his butcher's knife?
Xu Qing raised the axe and struck down with no hesitation!
The next moment, a white arc of light dozens of feet wide sliced through the air, creating a trench over three feet deep from the ground to the front of the main hall.
As the axe blade touched the hall, the Tai Chi main hall, as if cast from iron, split and cracked open, and the iron pear wood structure palace shattered like paper in an instant.
Then came the sound of beams breaking and the violent shaking of the entire mountainside platform.
Baiyun Daoist watched in shock, while the protective virtual deity representing his internal defenses also showed a breach.
At the same time, the eight figures of Xuan Yu merged into one, and a long sword infused to the extreme with demonic power, vibrating ceaselessly, pierced straight into the old Taoist's chest!
A flawless collaboration of axe light and sword shadow!
Baiyun Daoist suffered a severe injury. His avoidance charm failed to sustain, and the whole person instantly fell into languish.
"I am a disciple of the Sacred Lady, with Celestial Scripture inheritance, I..."
The response to Baiyun Daoist was the merciless sword of a young girl!
The lifetime of crime for the old and evil villain ended here, the girl lowered her long sword, and crimson blood dripped from the tip.
She dragged Baiyun Daoist's body towards Xu Qing, her small figure like a kitten catching a fat rat for the first time.
"To Xu Immortal Family."
"Hm?"
"Gift for Xu Immortal Family."
Xuan Yu placed Baiyun Daoist's body before Xu Qing, looking at him with serious eyes.
Xu Qing lowered his gaze, immediately seeing Xuan Yu's long eyelashes and those clear, azure eyes.
"Thank you, Profound Jade Immortal Family."
"..."
Xuan Yu looked down at her small feet, then lifted her head again with joy and said, "It's no trouble, in the future, when there are bad people's bodies, I'll save them for Xu Immortal Family!"
The kitten understood, the zombie felt moved.
Xu Qing suddenly had a comforting feeling, like a child growing up.
...
Not far from the rubble of the hall, Xu Qing took the Ghost Head Saber from the old Taoist, then dripped a few drops of red dew from the Mother Qi Bottle onto the saber.
The dew in the Mother Qi Bottle was condensed from the incense in the Blood Lake, a single drop encompassing tens of thousands of threads of incense.
As the dew dropped, Xu Qing recited the Treasure Repentance Sutra, drawing out the evil qi and fierce light from the blood saber, turning it into a mortal weapon that could no longer harm.
After doing this, Xu Qing also looted several wicked items from Baiyun Daoist's body.
A divination plate, soul nails, Nine Babies Gourd, blood-locking copper coins... and gourd medicine bottles containing Blood Life Pill and Fushou Pill.
Xu Qing burned all those harmful pills with Yin-Burning Fire, then followed with the evil Daoist dharma artifacts and magic treasures.
Xuan Yu stood obediently by the side, acting as a sword-wielding girl protector for Xu Qing.
Though serving as a protector, she did not look elsewhere, but kept her eyes fixed on Xu Qing's actions, as if whatever Xu Qing did, she found it meaningful.
After dealing with all the evil items from the old Taoist's body, the remaining items were an old map of Yunmeng Mountain and some unbloodied banishment objects.
Xu Qing unfolded the old map, with the most conspicuous landmark circled as Baiyun Cave.
"Monk Xinyuan said my immortal fate was in the bright moon, but this Baiyun Cave that spawned a wicked path is certainly not that bright moon..."
Xu Qing shook his head, brushing away distracting thoughts.
That crazy monk must have been talking nonsense; if he truly believed him, he wouldn't have come here and brought down Baiyun Daoist's Taoist monastery.
Putting away the map, Xu Qing then looked at Baiyun Daoist's body.
This Taoist died so smoothly, it was almost a favor to him!
But Xu Qing wasn't worried, for there is a place for wicked people, otherwise, the Sutra of Salvation wouldn't manifest such diverse transitional scenes each time it transcended a corpse.
Having transcended so many corpses, Xu Qing had already noticed some patterns.
For example, when transcending the bodies of those who lived mediocre lives, the opening scenes upon turning pages of the Sutra of Salvation were often deserted checkpoints, silent bridges, desolate rocky mounds, and enormous platforms void of color, only gray and white...
On the other hand, when transcending the bodies of those who accumulated yin virtue and performed good deeds, the scenes that appeared were bridges built of gold and silver, stone cities arranged in matrices of tri-colored stones, with myriad rays of light showcasing every color of the world on towering platforms.
Xu Qing originally started his business with funeral services, so he was no stranger to these matters.
In the industry of Walking in the Underworld and passing through Yin realm rituals, there had always been tales of golden and silver bridges, such as the golden bridge for noble and meritorious people who performed great deeds and charity in their lifetime to traverse.
Anyone who stepped onto the golden bridge meant they could reach the other shore, either ascending to the heavens or choosing a blessed land for reincarnation.
The silver bridge was for ordinary people who were upright and performed many good deeds in their lifetime, known as 'moderately good people'.
Crossing the silver bridge meant they could smoothly reincarnate into a prosperous and healthy family.
Through these years, Xu Qing had transcended nearly ten thousand corpses, but those capable of triggering the golden and silver bridge animations were very few.
Besides accumulating merit or being insignificant in life, there was another kind: those who committed numerous evils and killed countless in their lifetime.
The transitional scenes for such bodies were often endless mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and a boiling, tumultuous River Lethe filled with countless skeletons and Yin Ghosts struggling and wailing...
Now, as Xu Qing looked towards Baiyun Daoist's life reel, yet another transitional scene was triggered.
The Netherworld of punishment, an abyss running through the earth's core, contained a mountain of ten thousand blades, boundless seas of fire, Nine Netherworld's cold ice, boiling caldrons, and other imagery like iron trees, tongue extraction, steam cages, and copper pillars...
In the abyss, wails are unending, karmic flames never extinguish, as if there's no end to the torment.
Although Xu Qing was just an observer, he felt that sense of despair reaching its extremity.
As the saying goes: the deeper the evil karma, the deeper the entrapment.
Thus it could be seen that Baiyun Daoist's evil karma had likely reached a level beyond any chance of recompense.
No wonder this old Taoist was so afraid to die...
Xu Qing suddenly understood, those cultivating the Dao often feared matters of the underworld more than ordinary people, especially under the influence of the Five Filthy Evil Worlds, where many went against the heavens, using any means to achieve their ends.
Given the evil karma accumulated by these people, it was likely none would escape the abyssal devourment after death.
The Sutra of Salvation continued turning pages, Baiyun Daoist's life of crime also unfolded before him...
————————————
The transitional scenes for such bodies were often endless mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and a boiling, tumultuous River Lethe filled with countless skeletons and Yin Ghosts struggling and wailing...
Now, as Xu Qing looked towards Baiyun Daoist's life reel, yet another transitional scene was triggered.
The Netherworld of punishment, an abyss running through the earth's core, contained a mountain of ten thousand blades, boundless seas of fire, Nine Netherworld's cold ice, boiling caldrons, and other imagery like iron trees, tongue extraction, steam cages, and copper pillars...
In the abyss, wails are unending, karmic flames never extinguish, as if there's no end to the torment.
Although Xu Qing was just an observer, he felt that sense of despair reaching its extremity.
As the saying goes: the deeper the evil karma, the deeper the entrapment.
Thus it could be seen that Baiyun Daoist's evil karma had likely reached a level beyond any chance of recompense.
No wonder this old Taoist was so afraid to die...
Xu Qing suddenly understood, those cultivating the Dao often feared matters of the underworld more than ordinary people, especially under the influence of the Five Filthy Evil Worlds, where many went against the heavens, using any means to achieve their ends.
Given the evil karma accumulated by these people, it was likely none would escape the abyssal devourment after death.
The Sutra of Salvation continued turning pages, Baiyun Daoist's life of crime also unfolded before him...
Xu Qing suddenly understood, those cultivating the Dao often feared matters of the underworld more than ordinary people, especially under the influence of the Five Filthy Evil Worlds, where many went against the heavens, using any means to achieve their ends.
Given the evil karma accumulated by these people, it was likely none would escape the abyssal devourment after death.
The Sutra of Salvation continued turning pages, Baiyun Daoist's life of crime also unfolded before him...life of crime also unfolded before him...