Becoming a god starts from planting a Bodhi tree.

Chapter 500 The Great Tide of Annihilation, Sacrifices
"If you can defeat Di Yi in the Burial Sea, I will help you rebuild the Heavenly Court."

Doumu suddenly sneered, "So you were hiding in the Burial Sea of ​​the Netherworld after all? I suppose you weren't lying. Since you chose to betray Di Yi, can I take this as your invitation to me—to cooperate?"

She deliberately emphasized the last part, the meaning of which was self-evident.

What is called an invitation to cooperate is actually more like a "surrender".

She betrayed Emperor Yi and joined the Heavenly Court under her control.

This gave Doumu a long-lost feeling of indescribable joy.

The pawn that Emperor Yi had painstakingly cultivated, even deceiving the ancestors, has now chosen to defect under her coercion.

As for how sincere Ji Jingqiu was, Doumu didn't care at all, because she was generous enough. What Di Yi could give Ji Jingqiu, she could give, and even more!

In her view, the position of the Lord of the Underworld alone would be enough to keep Ji Jingqiu in check, as long as he first experienced the benefits that this position represented.

"Ji Jingqiu, do you know?"

To prevent Ji Jingqiu from being unaware of the true value of the benefits she had promised, Doumu specifically spoke up to remind her,
"Gods and Earthly Deities, if you can truly unify and govern this vast Netherworld, your position in the Heavenly Court will be second only to mine. This is my greatest sincerity to you."

"I hope so." Ji Jingqiu remained noncommittal and asked, "How do you plan to handle our 'cooperation'? Will you make it public from the start?"

“That won’t do.” Doumu smiled. “Your title of ‘World Honored One’ is very useful. I won’t let it go to waste. I will arrange a good show to make your joining legitimate, so that at least in the eyes of others, there will be no reason for it.”

Ji Jingqiu looked up at him and suddenly said, "When did you deal with Di Yi? Did you already know where Di Yi was before you asked me?"

"I only had suspicions before," Doumu said calmly. "Di Yi is not yet a threat. The situation in the Netherworld is special. We must wait until the two destined for time and fate have decided their victory."

Ji Jingqiu's gaze sharpened: "Is their victory or defeat so crucial?"

“You are now practically one of us.” Doumu gave him a deep look. “If the two rivers of the Netherworld can be united, it will be the fundamental position of the Netherworld Lord. No one can resist its temptation, and I am no exception.”

Ji Jingqiu's heart sank; this person had indeed mastered the Great Dao Ancestor's position in the Divine Path.

“If the only condition is unification, then why not speed up the process?” Ji Jingqiu said. “If Di Yi seizes the opportunity to take over the fundamental position of the Nether Lord, the situation will be reversed instantly.”

Doumu shook her head and said, "We can't let any outside forces interfere, otherwise all our efforts will be in vain, and we'll have to wait for who knows how many more years. You don't need to worry about Di Yi finding out about your betrayal and coming after you. I want to kill him even more than you do, but he doesn't have the guts to show up in front of me right now."

In the end, Doumu looked at Ji Jingqiu with a half-smile, finding it amusing.

The important pawn that Di Yi personally placed is now someone she wants to eliminate even more than she does.

"I have already come up with a plan regarding your joining the Heavenly Court," Doumu said with a faint smile. "In a little while, the 'Great Tide of Annihilation' that my Heavenly Court has been suppressing will erupt. You should select a few True Saints from the palaces in advance. They will become sacrifices under the great calamity to deter all the Saints, and you and I will become the final 'saviors' together."

"The Great Tide of Annihilation?" Ji Jingqiu frowned.

You don't need to know about this for now.

Doumu said resolutely.

It's clear that Ji Jingqiu was told about the Dao Fruit of the Netherworld Lord hidden in the Netherworld before, but there was no discussion about this issue.

"All living beings in the Boundary Sea should kneel and thank the Heavenly Court." Doumu suddenly said coldly, "If it weren't for the Heavenly Court, the Boundary Sea would be in a completely ruined state by now."

"Do we really have to lose a few True Saints?" Ji Jingqiu asked.

"How can the devastation of the Great Calamity be proven without the deaths of several True Saints, and how can the importance of my Heavenly Court be demonstrated?" Doumu looked at him with a half-smile. "And how can you legitimately join my Heavenly Court to 'suppress the calamity' in the Boundary Sea?"

Ji Jingqiu knew that this was not something the other party had come up with on the spur of the moment, but rather something they had prepared in advance. Combined with what Doumu had mentioned earlier, that they originally wanted to use him to establish the authority of the saints, the Heavenly Court's preparations were very thorough.

"That's all for now, I'll get started on the arrangements right away."

Doumu looked at Ji Jingqiu and said meaningfully,
"I will bestow upon you, this subordinate deity, the fundamental authority over the underworld, once a true saint dies in the palace. I have said before that I am far more generous than Emperor Yi."

"As for what you need to do next, we'll talk about that once you officially join the Heavenly Court."

“Lord Ji, I don’t need your loyalty, but I hope you can see the situation clearly. The Heavenly Court’s resources far exceed your imagination.”

After leaving these words, the current female Heavenly Emperor departed gracefully.

Cang Qing asked with a complicated expression, "What do you plan to do?"

Ji Jingqiu remained silent for a moment.

Doumu's arrival and invitation were too sudden, completely disrupting his original pace, but he had to admit that this might be a good opportunity.

Diverting Doumu's attention to the beings in the Burial Sea is both a strategy of using one enemy to devour another and a way to buy time.

He then pandered to Doumu, making her mistakenly believe that he was a pawn arranged by Di Yi so that he could infiltrate the Heavenly Court.

At the same time, the power over the underworld promised by Doumu was very tempting. Of course, Ji Jingqiu did not believe that Doumu would not have any backup plans, but he would just wait and see.

And Doumu's arrangements for him were exactly what he wanted.

After the two sides questioned each other at the palace, the "World Honored One" needed a reason to join the Heavenly Court, otherwise the saints would think that they had reached some kind of alliance in private, and how would the saints view him?

The fact that Doumu mentioned "sacrificing" several True Saints would, in a sense, become a handle that the Heavenly Court could use against him.

Once the various sects find out that he and the Heavenly Court have joined forces to murder the True Saints of other sects, the consequences are self-evident.

As Ji Jingqiu pondered, Wu Zhou, from within the inner universe, calmly spoke:
"This matter is easy to sort out. You can ask yourself if you can take the lead and gather all the transcendent sects to jointly besiege the Heavenly Court as soon as possible?"

Ji Jingqiu sighed, "Wu Zhou was right."

This is not a battle between individuals, but a siege of an ancestral land of the Great Dao.

The uncertainty of this level of war is too great. Even if he can eventually persuade those who transcend the sect, how much time will it take?

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Court is constantly recovering its former glory.

“You can do whatever you want with the saints, but individual families cannot.”

“They can support you, but they will never fight to the death with a holy land that is suspected to be the ancestral land of the Great Dao for your sake.”

I remained very calm:

"This is your best option right now. The Heavenly Court's power far exceeds our expectations, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. Let's see what they're up to first."

"Actually, I'm more curious about what she meant by the Great Tide of Annihilation. I wonder if Senior Cangjian knows?"

Wu Zhou looked at the sword light.

The latter said in a muffled voice, "Don't call me Hidden Sword. I'm just a wisp of sword light. If it were the real me, why would we put up with this? We'd just cut him down with one sword!"

After a moment of silence, it said:
"I've never heard of any great tide of annihilation. The problem we've always faced has always been 'normalization'."

"What you consider extremely troublesome, the Dark Sea and the Sea of ​​Bitterness, are nothing to those who transcend. We have the ability to protect ourselves and those around us."

"But considering the history of the Heavenly Court... that woman might not have been lying. This so-called Great Tide of Annihilation has probably always been suppressed by the Heavenly Court."

Ji Jingqiu said in a low voice, "We'll see each other soon. I hope we made the right choice this time."

After a moment of deep thought, Ji Jingqiu looked at Cang Qing and Di Zang. Even though Dou Mu had left, he still chose the secretive method of communication, the mind link.

"The main reason Doumu invited me is probably because of Ksitigarbha."

"You need to take control of the Underworld as quickly as possible. You don't need to worry about anything else; I'll handle that."

After briefly explaining things to the two, Ji Jingqiu's mind returned to its original state.

He opened his eyes, and the previously noisy and increasingly tense hall calmed down for a moment, but the argument still continued.

Most of the saints were dissatisfied with the Heavenly Court's hospitality, while a few true saints tried to smooth things over. Ji Jingqiu's gaze swept over the faces of those true saints who were trying to smooth things over, wondering if these people had already been won over by the Heavenly Court and if their respective factions were on the Heavenly Court's side.

Several true saints must be sacrificed...

It's actually not that hard to choose.

Ji Jingqiu's gaze first fell on Tuohai Zhensheng of Huncheng Palace.

Huncheng Palace is an ally of [Tianyu Palace].

Even without a powerful figure like Doumu, the Heavenly Prison Palace, another ancestral land of the Great Dao, should not be underestimated and must never stand on the same side as the Heavenly Court.

Ji Jingqiu had already chosen his target.

Meanwhile, Takumi was still arguing with the saints around him.

"Don't forget, everyone, this is the ancestral land of the Great Dao, the ancestral court of the Divine Dao. You want to make a move here? Are you insane?!"

Takumi made no attempt to hide his cold laughter, and he and his companions poured cold water on the saints' spirits. He realized that these guys were really crazy, that they had been bewitched by Ji Jingqiu.

They actually dared to act recklessly in a sacred ancestral land!

Could it be that these guys will dare to attack the Heavenly Prison Palace in the future?!
He represents not only the position of [Huncheng Palace], but also that of [Tianyu Palace], and must not easily make enemies.

Faced with this ancestral land of the Great Dao, which is far more ancient than the Heavenly Prison Palace, they could not afford to offend it rashly, let alone start a war!
At that moment, Takumi suddenly frowned, instinctively feeling a chill, and the fate lines that had been binding him became uncontrollably disordered.

……

……

"Why did you suddenly call me back?" The shadowy figure, who had just left Doumu's shadow, asked Doumu, who had her back to him, with a puzzled look.

“I’ve already dealt with Ji Jingqiu, so you don’t need to investigate anything related to him anymore. Shift your focus to Zang Hai.”

Doumu said it casually.

"You killed him?" the shadowy figure asked in surprise. "Didn't you previously suspect that he might be an ancient being from a hundred centuries ago?"

“I didn’t kill him, but recruited him,” Doumu said calmly. “He admitted himself that Di Yi is currently in the Burial Sea.”

The shadowy figure realized what was happening and said, "The reason Ji Jingqiu knew about the secrets of that year was because Di Yi told him?"

Doumu nodded slightly.

"No wonder."

"However, it may not be a good time to make a move in the Netherworld right now."

The shadowy figure pondered,

"Unless you are willing to give up the Great Dao attainment of that Netherworld Lord."

Doumu said, "For now, you only need to keep an eye on the Burial Sea. Even if the two in the Netherworld decide their victory, the Great Dao Fruit will not be born so quickly. When the time comes to conquer the Emperor, you can pick it while you're at it."

"As for Ji Jingqiu..." the shadowy figure said in a strange voice, "You really recruited him? Are you sure it's reliable? Are you sure the information he provided is true, that Di Yi is really hiding in the Burial Sea?"

Doumu said, "I not only recruited him, but I also brought under my command that god who is expected to establish and rule the complete underworld. He is suspected to be a subordinate god of Ji Jingqiu."

The shadowy figure was truly moved this time, saying, "That god is actually his subordinate? No wonder you chose to recruit him."

“I don’t need him to be reliable, nor do I need his loyalty,” Doumu said calmly. “I only need him to be able to assess the situation, and then he will naturally know which side he should stand on.”

"I have called you back this time so that you may trigger the next great cataclysm."

“Ji Jingqiu’s status as the World Honored One is very useful, so I need a reasonable reason to let him join the Heavenly Court without any problems on the surface.”

The shadowy figure instantly understood Doumu's meaning and asked:
"Should we take this opportunity to kill a few True Saints? That would be a handle on him. If he chooses to betray us then, and this matter gets out, and all the families know that he colluded with us to harm his own people, how many families will still be willing to support him? He will have no place to stand in the Boundary Sea."

“I do have this idea, but it’s not to control Ji Jingqiu.” Doumu glanced at him. “If you leak this information, wouldn’t you also expose us?”

The shadowy figure calmly said, "You're not far from the final step. Once you regain your transcendent status, what harm is there in being exposed? On the contrary, he will completely offend both sides. At that time, no matter how vast the Boundary Sea is, there will be no place for him to hide."

"correct."

The shadowy figure suddenly changed the subject.
"When I came back, I met some interesting fellows. You can meet them. Since you're plotting to attain the Great Dao Fruit of the Netherworld Lord, you should also make contact with the Netherworld Palace. That Samsara Palace is very important."

"You brought back people from the Netherworld?" Doumu raised an eyebrow, only then noticing the wound on the black figure's chest.

The shadowy figure waved his hand, and a figure fell from the void.

It was Zhang Tiancheng!

"I encountered Rahu's younger brother," the shadowy figure said calmly. "He was carrying a divine weapon left behind by Rahu, and I was injured by it in a moment of carelessness."

"The Great Ancestor of later generations, the Demon Ancestor Rahu?" Doumu narrowed her eyes. Although she was proud, she would not underestimate any Great Ancestor.

"This guy is very interesting. His physique is very special. He should be a vessel specially prepared by the Netherworld for that Netherworld Lord."

The shadowy figure looked down at Zhang Tiancheng, who was being held captive.

"Where did you see Rahu's brother?" Doumu suddenly asked.

The shadowy figure looked up in surprise, a strange expression on his face, and said, "So you've tasted the sweetness and are planning to bring Luo Xuan into the Heavenly Court as well?"

Doumu smiled and said:
"Why not? Once I recover to my peak, I will inevitably go to the three ancestral lands of the Great Dao: the Heavenly Prison Palace, the Void Realm, and the Empty Realm."

"I will give him a position for the sake of his brother, but if he doesn't cherish it, then he's dead."

The shadowy figure nodded slightly and said, "Whatever you say. I'll go to the sealed land to make preparations first. You prepare to suppress the calamity. What should we do with this little guy?"

Doumu didn't even glance at it, and said indifferently, "You can handle it yourself. Do you expect me to do such a trivial matter? What use are you to me then?"

The shadowy figure remained silent, leaving Doumu with a coordinate before turning and departing.

Not long after.

A hoarse, low voice reached Ji Jingqiu's ears.

“Your Majesty, you shall choose the target of the great tide of annihilation.”

Ji Jingqiu's eyes were deep. "They've arrived?"
His gaze swept across the palace, eventually settling on several True Saints, including Tuohai, who had been representatives of the Heavenly Court during the earlier debate among the Saints.

Upon hearing Ji Jingqiu's choice, the shadowy figure fell silent for a moment, for among them were people they had previously courted. How was this person chosen? A coincidence?

"Let's try a few different candidates," the shadowy figure suggested, while secretly observing the World Honored One's expression.

Is this really the person Emperor Yi is supporting?
Ji Jingqiu said calmly, "These people have been opposing me all the way, so it's best to deal with them beforehand."

The shadowy figure silently contacted Doumu.

"Let him be."

Doumu said casually that although she didn't know how Ji Jingqiu had chosen these people, she valued the "World Honored One" more than the other.

And at this moment.

Doumu also found Luo Xuan and his group who were trying to find a way out.

(End of this chapter)