Junior Uncle is too cunning.

Before the eyes of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, a phantom slowly appeared in the air. Facing the newcomer, even Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva stood up and bowed to the phantom, saying, "Ksitigarbha pays respects to the Goddess Pingxin."

The person who came was none other than Lady Pingxin, the actual ruler of the underworld, who also shrouded Li Shundao in a golden protective shield.

In fact, Lady Pingxin knew about Li Shundao's arrival in the underworld as soon as he arrived, but since Christmas had not yet arrived, she did not pay much attention and simply released a wisp of her divine sense before leaving.

With Li Shundao's late-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal realm and the Heavenly Court behind him, he was actually capable of protecting himself in the Underworld. However, Lady Pingxin did not want any accidents to happen to her birthday, so she left a trace of her divine consciousness.

The Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha invited Li Shundao, and Lady Pingxin knew about it, but she didn't pay much attention. If it were any other day, she might listen to a word or two when the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha was giving a sermon, but recently there had been too many people coming. Although the Kings of Hell were helping to receive them, she still devoted most of her energy to the Christmas visitors.

As soon as Li Shundao broke through, Lady Pingxin sensed it. Although she felt that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva would not resort to underhanded tactics, Lady Pingxin still took immediate precautions.

After all, breaking through the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top realm is a major event. Taking one step forward means reaching the threshold of the Quasi-Saint realm. If one fails, one will fall back to the late stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, and there will also be some damage. As for when one can break through again, it is unknown.

Obstructing someone's path is like killing their parents, let alone someone at the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top realm. Even the Goddess Pingxin dared not test humanity at this moment.

Although she would be happy to let Buddhism and the Heavenly Court fight each other, it absolutely could not be on her birthday. If something happened to Li Shundao, it would not only offend Li Shundao, but also offend the Heavenly Court, especially the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother.

As a saint, she didn't need to care about the feelings of the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother. However, the witch clan and the people of the underworld behind her didn't have her power. If the Heavenly Court made things difficult for her because of this, she really wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

After all, there are some differences between her and the Three Pure Ones. In the Underworld, she is a true saint. Even if the Three Pure Ones, the Western Saints, Nuwa, and others entered the Underworld, they might not be able to defeat her in a one-on-one fight.

However, once she left the underworld, Lady Pingxin could only be considered to be at the Supreme Saint realm, which is what people often call the Quasi-Saint realm. She was at the perfected Quasi-Saint realm, but she had not taken the final step.

It is important to know that the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother were attendants of Dao Ancestor Hongjun. After the great calamity of the Lich King and the Demon King, the Three Realms were without a ruler. Dao Ancestor Hongjun directly dispatched the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother to the Heavenly Court, making them the rulers of the Heavenly Court.

I knew that the ruler of Heaven was a powerful figure. Although he had many mundane affairs, he was not someone that anyone could easily become. Moreover, not to mention anything else, the position of the Jade Emperor alone was enough to drive all the immortals crazy.

Putting aside everything else, back when the Jade Emperor hadn't become the Jade Emperor, he was just a cultivator at the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. Not long after becoming the Jade Emperor, he successfully broke through to the Quasi-Saint realm. And now, he has probably opened at least two corpses.

Actually, when the great god Pangu created the world, there was no such thing as a Quasi-Saint in the cultivation path of heaven and earth. It was just that there were Heavenly Immortals, True Immortals, Mysterious Immortals, Golden Immortals, and then Great Luo Golden Immortals, and then the Primordial Limitless Great Luo Golden Immortals in the Saint Realm, which are simply called Saints.

However, as the world gradually perfected, the powerful beings suddenly discovered that it was extremely difficult and dangerous to break through directly from the Great Luo Golden Immortal to the Primordial Limitless Great Luo Golden Immortal as before, and almost no one could survive the Heavenly Tribulation.

The world underwent a great change, causing countless cultivators to be stuck at the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, unable to make any progress. Even the Three Pure Ones, with their extraordinary talent and powerful backing, were stuck at the threshold of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, unable to advance an inch.

Just then, Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who had been in seclusion for cultivation, actually became a saint. Great beings like the Three Pure Ones flocked to him seeking the Dao. Dao Ancestor Hongjun was not stingy, after all, preaching the Dao brings merit and fortune. Moreover, his preaching can be said to be the first time in the prehistoric world, and he was facing people with great fortune like the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti. The fortune he gained was even more astonishing.

Later, in the Zixiao Palace, Dao Ancestor Hongjun first proposed the Path of Quasi-Saints, which can also be called the Path of the Three Corpses.

The human body has three dantians: upper, middle, and lower, each inhabited by a spirit. These are known as the three corpses, or three poisons. The upper corpse is fond of finery, the middle corpse is fond of delicious food, and the lower corpse is fond of lust. Some also refer to the places where desires such as ignorance, greed, and anger arise.

The three corpses are named "Peng", the upper corpse is named "Ju", the middle corpse is named "Zhi", and the lower corpse is named "Ji".

"The Three Corpses are: the first is the Green Maiden, who harms people's eyes, causing them to become dark-eyed, wrinkled, and have bad breath and lost teeth; the second is the White Maiden, who causes people to feel fullness in their abdomen, withered bones and parched flesh, and a lack of willpower, making it impossible to achieve their desires. Therefore, those who seek immortality must first eliminate the Three Corpses, be tranquil and without desires, have a calm mind and clear spirit, and accumulate good deeds. Only then will the medicine be effective and they will become immortals."

In the Purple Cloud Palace, Dao Ancestor Hongjun explained his understanding. He believed that Yang energy originated from the creation of heaven and earth by the great god Pangu. The clear Yang energy became heaven, and the turbid Yin energy became earth. Yang energy is the clear Yang energy. Although the great god Pangu separated them, they could not be completely isolated. The Yin and Yang energies mixed together, thus giving birth to all things.

Among all things, those with a relatively balanced Yin and Yang evolved into humans and insects. Those with extreme Yang transformed into gods, and those with Yang energy exceeding that of humans became mountain gods or mythical beasts. Those with extreme Yin transformed into the void, and those with slightly heavier Yin energy became plants and trees. An imbalance of Yin and Yang leads to a decline in fortune and makes one more susceptible to encountering malicious people.

An imbalance of the Five Elements or defects in the Five Internal Organs can lead to illness. For women (Yin), use amber; for men (Yang), use a bunting toe paired with a nine-leafed bell lotus to seal away misfortune and restore Yin and Yang to their proper order. With Yin and Yang restored, each living being belongs to its corresponding category: Eastern scaled creatures, with the dragon as their leader, belonging to the fish category; Southern feathered creatures, with the phoenix as their leader, belonging to the birds category; Central naked creatures, with humans as their leader, belonging to no particular category; Western hairy creatures, with the tiger as their leader, belonging to the wolves and bears category; Northern shelled creatures, with the tortoise as their leader, belonging to the turtles and clams category.

"The Three Corpses are actually the souls, spirits, ghosts, and deities. If they wish for someone to die early, these corpses will become ghosts, roaming freely, feeding on people's offerings. Every year on the six Jiazi days, they will ascend to Heaven to report to the God of Fate, revealing people's sins. Those with serious sins will have their lifespan reduced by one year, and those with minor sins will have their lifespan reduced by one year. Therefore, those who seek immortality must first rid themselves of the Three Corpses, be tranquil and without desires, have a calm mind and clear spirit, and accumulate many good deeds. Only then will the medicine be effective, and they will become immortals."

......"

The Daoist patriarch Hongjun believed that the Three Corpse Gods were far more wicked than the Primordial Gods. Primordial Gods resided in the human body, recording merits and demerits fairly. The Three Corpse Gods, however, were different. They were spirits that resided in the body, engaging in all sorts of evil deeds such as surveillance, informing, instigation, and sabotage. In short, the Three Corpse Gods were the root cause of physical and mental illnesses among immortals.

Furthermore, since the immortals neither gave the Three Corpse God any benefits nor suppressed him, he was ultimately framed by the Three Corpse God behind his back after all his cultivation.

This explains why many immortals often cannot break through a certain level of cultivation. One reason is their own innate talent and luck, but another reason is that the Three Corpse Gods are causing trouble.

Therefore, Heaven gave them a tribulation, which was to make them commit murder and weaken the results of their cultivation.

This is why the primordial world is always generating calamity energy. Once the calamity energy accumulates to a certain level, the Heavenly Dao will send down a great calamity, and the immortals will have to undergo the calamity. Those who have merit and good fortune will have an easier time, while immortals who commit many evil deeds will definitely die in the great calamity, their bodies and souls will perish, and they will become one of the reptiles that the Heavenly Dao will deal with.

Just like the great calamities of Taoism and Demonism in ancient times, the great calamity of the Dragon and Han dynasties, the great calamity of witches and demons in ancient times, and the great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods that is about to begin. Especially the great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods, at this time the fate of the Shang Dynasty is exhausted, so the conflicts between sects and immortals and the conflicts between the Shang imperial court and the feudal lords are connected. This is the case for great calamities from ancient times to the present.