Chapter 82

"Then, in other words, the reincarnation of all beings can be roughly divided into three categories," Feng Ye mused. "The superior ones enter the Heavenly Path, becoming celestial beings, inherently divine. The middling ones enter the Human Path, becoming sentient beings in the three realms, entangled by the seven emotions and six desires, which is the Human Path. The lowest ones enter the Animal Path, having instinctual thoughts but no spiritual enlightenment, unable to understand the Heavenly Path, struggling in the sea of suffering with no hope of transcendence. Only by practicing cultivation, first entering the Human Path, and then cultivating the Great Path, can one have the opportunity for transcendence."

"Indeed, the angels are truly wise!" Hou Tu nodded.

"Then, in this cycle of reincarnation, how do the good and evil deeds of all beings and their karmic rewards and punishments manifest?" Feng Ye asked, hitting the core of the issue. This was also the greatest flaw in Hou Tu's cycle of reincarnation.

"Good and evil, karmic rewards and punishments?" Hou Tu seemed to gain some insight upon hearing Feng Ye's words.

"No wonder, when I first arrived, I saw that although you, Madam, have boundless merit, there is also a red flame of karma that cannot be extinguished," Feng Ye sighed in relief. "It is precisely because you, Madam, do not distinguish between good and evil, only managing the reincarnation of all beings, that those evil people can take advantage of this opportunity to be reborn as celestial beings, enjoying continuous blessings, and still maintaining their evil nature, causing harm. Meanwhile, those good people live in poverty all their lives. How can this demonstrate the fairness and justice of the Heavenly Path? In this way, you, Madam, also bear the sin of being an accomplice, which is a grave sin of entanglement in karma!"

Feng Ye organized his thoughts. "All beings have their own good and evil deeds in their lifetimes. The Netherworld should naturally distinguish between good and evil. The good should enter the Good Path, and the evil should enter the Karmic Path. Only by punishing evil and promoting good can the right path be upheld!"

Before Hou Tu could respond, a mysterious force descended from the heavens, directly affecting the Heavenly Path. The cycle of reincarnation changed accordingly, reflecting the grand trend of the Heavenly Path.

Indeed, when Hou Tu first established the cycle of reincarnation, it was the first of its kind in the universe, and naturally, there was no precedent to follow. Everything had to be explored on her own.

At first, Hou Tu's cycle of reincarnation did not even have a method to erase memories. Those souls, carrying memories from their previous lives, caused frequent conflicts, entangled by karma, leading to chaos. This naturally implicated Hou Tu, which was one of the main reasons she could not achieve enlightenment.

Speaking of which, there were two main reasons why Hou Tu could not achieve enlightenment. One was her physical body. Although her divine soul was protected by the merit of the Heavenly Path and was not directly dissolved, her physical body transformed into the Netherworld, bearing the souls of all beings and managing their reincarnation. Without a physical body, there was no chance of achieving enlightenment. Moreover, the original physical body had transformed into the cycle of reincarnation, and the divine soul, hidden within the physical body, was also trapped in the cycle, unable to transcend, let alone re-form a physical body.

The other reason was karma. Although the cycle of reincarnation benefited all beings, the boundless merit was enough to achieve enlightenment. However, the karma of all beings in their lifetimes could not be eliminated, entangling them in the next life, leading to conflicts in the Heavenly Path. At a certain point, this would trigger a great calamity, which could lead to chaos. If the calamity did not dissipate, the great tribulation might come earlier, which would be a grave sin.

In the past, when the Heavenly Court organized the karma of the universe, following the will of the heavens and acting on its behalf, the Eastern Emperor was the spokesperson of the Heavenly Path, taking the lead, and even the sages of the time had to be cautious.

Although the Netherworld's cycle of reincarnation was not as grand as the Heavenly Court, it was still a response to the wishes of all beings. Before the cycle of reincarnation, living beings had only one lifetime, and after death, their souls returned to the universe, with only the Golden Immortals and Great Sages having a chance of survival. Therefore, all beings wished for a change, and the heavens responded, leading to Hou Tu's enlightenment and the establishment of the cycle of reincarnation.

From this, it can be seen that Hou Tu's cycle of reincarnation and the protection of all beings should naturally align with the will of the heavens. However, good intentions led to bad outcomes, as the cycle of reincarnation was incomplete, with many mechanisms not fully developed, leading to entangled karma and unresolvable karmic forces, which Hou Tu had to bear, preventing her from achieving enlightenment. In essence, Hou Tu was taking on the calamities and disasters for all beings, sacrificing herself for the boundless blessings of the universe.

Thinking of this, Feng Ye could not help but stand up and bow to Hou Tu. "Madam, you are truly a compassionate being. I, on behalf of all beings, thank you!"

Hou Tu shook her head. "You flatter me. To be honest, I had my own selfish motives. If the cycle of reincarnation had been complete from the beginning, I could have achieved enlightenment. But I underestimated the complexity of the cycle of reincarnation, and its incompleteness has led to the accumulation of karma, hindering my path."

"However, with the completion of the cycle of reincarnation, I will naturally have the opportunity to achieve enlightenment in the future!" The Soup of Forgetfulness was a result of this. Later, Hou Tu saw that souls carried memories from their previous lives and came up with the idea of erasing their memories, allowing them to be reborn with a blank slate.

"Speaking of which, I must thank the angel. I always thought that the reincarnation of all beings was the will of the heavens, and they would bear their own good and evil. But hearing the angel's words, I realize that under the Heavenly Path, there is still the Human Path. Without distinguishing between good and evil, and without clear karmic rewards and punishments, how can we demonstrate our spiritual sensitivity and the fairness of the Heavenly Path? As the ruler of the cycle of reincarnation, I must naturally distinguish between good and evil and punish evil and promote good!"

As the ruler of the cycle of reincarnation, every word and action of Hou Tu affected the cycle. When she made her grand vow, the heavenly will was set, and a golden light of merit descended upon her.

As the ruler of the cycle of reincarnation, Hou Tu directly received half of the merit. The originally faint red-black chains of karma on her body dissipated significantly. By distinguishing between good and evil in the cycle of reincarnation and assisting the Heavenly Court in resolving the karma of all beings, this was a great act of kindness. In the future, the heavenly will would be clear, and there would be no premature calamity, and Hou Tu's sins would also be largely dissipated. If she continued to improve the cycle of reincarnation, when it was truly complete, it would also be the time for her to achieve enlightenment.

Feng Ye, for his guidance, received two-tenths of the merit for distinguishing between good and evil in the cycle of reincarnation.

Although he received a lot of merit, Feng Ye thought to himself, "But I am not seeking enlightenment through merit. What use is it to me?"

As for the remaining three-tenths, it fell into the Book of Life and Death, which then changed.

Originally, the Book of Life and Death only recorded the lifespans and reincarnation destinations of all beings. Now, it added new content, determining the karmic rewards and punishments of the next life based on the good and evil deeds and karma of the current life.

"However, with this, the workload of the cycle of reincarnation will increase!" Hou Tu shook her head.

"This is easy. In the future, those with merit and good deeds can be appointed to divine positions," Feng Ye said, looking at the Book of Life and Death. Indeed, even with the distinction between good and evil, the cycle of reincarnation mainly involved the Heavenly Path, Human Path, and Animal Path, with no mention of the Hell Path or Hungry Ghost Path.

However, the concept of the Six Paths of Reincarnation was a Buddhist tradition, and Hou Tu had not embraced the Three Jewels, so it was natural that the Buddhist cycle of reincarnation did not manifest.

Later, when Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, as the ruler of the Netherworld, took control, even the Ten Kings of Hell had to respect him. At that time, where was Hou Tu? Had there been some change, or had she completed the cycle of reincarnation and achieved enlightenment and retired? Feng Ye pondered.

Leaving aside the conversation between Hou Tu and Feng Ye, the ghost deities responsible for reincarnation were in a panic. The large wheel of reincarnation suddenly split into two, one red and one black, forming a Taiji pattern.

The ghost deities were in chaos, and the souls about to be reincarnated were also in a panic. The leading ghost deity calmed down and shouted, "What are you panicking for! The Netherworld is under the control of Madam, wait a moment! I will report to Madam!"

Actually, there was no need for him to report. As he said, the cycle of reincarnation could not be hidden from Hou Tu. When the wheel of reincarnation split, she immediately sensed it.

Hou Tu directly transmitted her voice to the leading ghost deity. "Soil Master, gather the souls and ghost deities. From now on, the gate of reincarnation will be temporarily closed. When it will reopen will be announced by me!"

Soil Master was taken aback, seeing the panicked souls and ghost deities, he revealed his true form. It was a three-eyed deity with a bull's body and a tiger's head, wearing a double-horned helmet.

Soil Master opened his tiger mouth and swallowed a few souls trying to escape to the human world. "Bull Head, Horse Face, use the Soul-Binding Chains to capture all the souls trying to escape! And listen up, souls! If you try to escape in the chaos, you will become my food! And in the Netherworld, it is for your own good! Better to avoid being captured and used as materials by the powerful!"

Soil Master then ordered the ghost deities, "A few of you, close the wheel of reincarnation. Madam has ordered it! From now on, the cycle of reincarnation will be closed, and no more reincarnation will take place. All the souls will be sent back to the Netherworld for supervision! And the Soup of Forgetfulness does not need to be prepared for now, we will see in the future!"

...

Returning to Feng Ye and Hou Tu, after drinking a cup of the Nine Nether Concealed Spirit Dew, Feng Ye calculated the time and said to Hou Tu, "Madam, it's getting late. Could you send someone to help me search for some useful people?"

"There's no need. The angel has done such a great favor for the Netherworld's cycle of reincarnation. How can I trouble the angel to do it personally? I have already instructed my subordinates to collect the souls you are looking for, and I have added the souls of three thousand meritorious and good people. I believe the Heavenly Court should have enough people now!"

"Thank you, Madam!" Feng Ye was naturally pleased to save some effort.

However, even with Feng Ye's help in distinguishing between good and evil, many issues in the cycle of reincarnation were still unresolved. They might not be apparent now, but they would emerge in the future.

Feng Ye added another cup of Concealed Spirit Dew and waited quietly, occasionally chatting with Hou Tu about the secrets of the universe. Hou Tu, having lived in the Netherworld for a long time, knew less about the outside world than Feng Ye, who was often by Fuxi's side.

Not long after, a gray-robed ghost deity entered the Hall of Reincarnation with three white bags, placed them in front of Hou Tu, and then left.

Hou Tu handed the bags to Feng Ye. "Angel, please—"

Feng Ye picked up the bags and scanned them with his divine sense, then paused. "Madam, this is—?" He saw that two of the bags were Soul Bags. One contained the souls of Fuxi's former subordinates, and the other contained the souls of the three thousand good people.

As for the last bag, it was a Bag of Holding, containing some Netherworld specialties, including a piece of divine soil. Feng Ye shook his head. "Madam, this is too precious. The Xirang is a rare treasure of the universe!" He tried to return the bag to Hou Tu.

Hou Tu pushed the bag back. "Angel, helping to complete the cycle of reincarnation is a great favor to me. This gift is a small token of appreciation!"

"Madam, helping the cycle of reincarnation for the benefit of all beings is my duty. How can I take credit?" Feng Ye humbly replied.

After much insistence, seeing that Hou Tu was determined, Feng Ye finally took the three bags and left.

Returning to the Heavenly Court, he found that many more people had joined. Entering the Lingxiao Hall, he saw a group of star deities, led by Gouchen and Ziwēi.

"Yè, you're back? How did it go?" Fuxi asked, walking down from his throne.

"It went well. Not only did I find some of the former subordinates, but I also obtained the souls of good people from Madam Hou Tu. We can use the Transformation Pool to重塑他们的身体。”风烨回答道。

“见过道君！”勾陈、紫微两人上前道。毕竟风烨与元馗是同源而分，如果对上元馗的话，或许还要叫一声“舅舅”。

如果将九头氏一族看作一个家族，那么九头本人无疑是创始人，第一代族长。之后，九头陨落，诞生了紫光元馗等神祇。

其中紫光元君、九皇真母诞生最早，本应继承族长之位，作为九头一脉的老大。但因某种缘故与某位不具名的神祇结合，生下九个儿子后，便不再有继承九头，称霸洪荒的想法。

最终在东皇时期，九皇真母作为九皇天后，斗姆元君的身份驾驭诸星之上，仅在东皇太一之下。于是便宜了后来的元馗，根据两人的商议，日后若无意外，九头氏一脉当由元馗执掌。

对此，勾陈、紫微作为晚辈自然要敬重一二，对于元馗叫上一声舅舅绝对没错。连带着风烨也能算是半个长辈了。

风烨点点头，算是见礼了。毕竟是长辈总要有些架子不是。

“对了，阿烨，九皇真母毕竟是神族大能，这次请她出山，虽然本人推却了，但派来了两位长子，以及三十六位星神，这次一来，那周天星斗大阵也可以勉强催动了。”

意料之中不是？风烨当初也曾给九皇真母出过主意，这次人家派人来，可是为了那周天星斗。

算了，毕竟是自己这一脉，能帮就帮！风烨跟着伏羲一起走：“那陛下可要好生为诸位星神加封神位才是！即便是紫光夫人不再出世，那斗姆元君的神位也要加封与她才是。

还有勾陈、紫微，当初在东皇时期可都是领的帝君位，自然陛下也不可薄待才是！据贫道观看天象，那紫微星渐渐由入驻北辰元宫，与北极星相合的驱使。自然当有这位执掌群星了！”

北极星，并不是一个具体的星辰，而是一个代称，也是一个永远不动的星辰标示。诸星之中，以北极星作为诸天正中央的星辰。其他星辰都是围绕此而行。地位最高，最尊贵。

当初所谓的群星之战，诸星神就是围绕星主之名，展开战斗，胜利者便可将自己的本命星辰入驻此星星宫。所以那星主，也被称为北极星主。

当初东皇曾经便执掌于此过，现在天命显示，那紫微星正在向此转移，想来也就是日后的星主了。

“正是如此！”伏羲走到御案前，拿出两面玉牌。

“勾陈、紫微两位星君乃斗姆嫡子，身份高贵，为诸星神之首，当统御诸星。赦封勾陈星君为勾陈上宫帝君，坐拥诸星，主天地人三才纬度，南北二极，统御万雷，掌西方八天。

赦封紫微星君，入驻紫微恒，掌北极星主之位，统御诸星。掌天地山川河流，诸气万象，驾驭北方八天。”

在三清的蓝图中，应该是由昊天为主坐拥大罗天，而三清据三清天，与大罗天平行。至于其下的三十二天，则是由四御辅帝执掌。

现在伏羲将西北十六天，分封出去，虽然三清也有所感应，但也不愿与伏羲计较。

毕竟如果伏羲撂担子不干，那可就不好了，而且紫微、勾陈后面还有那位九皇真母，也不好得罪。

这一脉，可都是天生的星神，那位九皇真母更是主至阴之气，号称“先天道母”，与三清的关系也好不错，自然不愿为此得罪于她。

而紫微帝君，可是天生的星主，日后必将掌控诸天星斗，与其跟天数较真，还不如直接让出来不是？

对于三清的心思，伏羲也能猜出大概，但封帝终究不是一件轻易的事。虽然这两位日后必将执掌帝位，乃是天命君王。

但此时诸神无有功绩，如何可以坐镇帝位？如何服众？在伏羲想来，自然是要等他们做出一番功绩时，再顺水推舟，册封天帝之位。

反正现在这神位，也没几个比他们高的了，那天帝的权利也都交由他们行使了，四方八天，勾陈紫薇直接占据一半，还有何不满？

所以，伏羲话音一落，两道紫光落下，将勾陈紫微二人笼罩其中。

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那个qq群人到底还是少了，于是在此再招人试试。三二四六五八二零一

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"Then, Yè, the Nine Sovereigns True Mother is a great power of the divine race. Although she declined to come herself, she sent her two eldest sons and thirty-six star deities. With their arrival, the Great Array of the Heavenly Stars can be勉强催动了。”

意料之中不是？风烨当初也曾给九皇真母出过主意，这次人家派人来，可是为了那周天星斗。

算了