Volume One: The Lich Calamity - 234: The Deity of Mount Tai and the Opportunity of the Underworld

"Elder brother, did you feel that?" Yuanshi asked, turning to Taishang.

"Perhaps the starry sky has some hidden plan," Taishang replied, his gaze drifting thoughtfully toward the direction of the Six Paths of Reincarnation and the Underworld.

At the same time, a figure suddenly descended upon Mount Tai.

"Taiqing? Indeed, he is not simple; he has already sensed something!" With that, the figure cast several restrictive spells.

It was Wuyun, who had visited before. Feeling the power of the stars cascading from the heavens, he had come to this location.

"Very well. Since you have spoken to me, I shall help you once. What of it? The rest of your path depends on yourself."

As Wuyun spoke, the primordial energy of the Five Elements converged upon the mountain.

"Consciousness is already beginning to take shape. It seems that matter can now proceed!" With those words, Wuyun dissolved into the surrounding space.

No sooner had he vanished than a woman in courtly robes appeared.

"To think it can communicate with the Underworld—it must be the will of Heaven! Born just as the Underworld faces turmoil. Very well."

This was Pingxin, the mistress who now governed the Underworld and the Six Paths of Reincarnation, overseeing the cycle of life and death. She produced the Book of Life and Death, and in an instant, Mount Tai seemed to come to life.

The events unfolding here could not escape the notice of countless powerful beings, all of whom turned their gazes toward the mountain. Sensing their scrutiny, Pingxin let out a cold snort, and many of those observers found their divine senses forcibly repelled back into their own bodies.

Having driven them away, Pingxin allowed the aura of the Great Dao of Reincarnation to permeate the air, directing its power onto Mount Tai. The mountain itself began to tremble as if awakening.

"Mount Tai was meant to emerge long ago, yet it was delayed until now. It seems this is still your destiny; even if the trajectory has shifted, the fated outcome remains unchanged! So be it," Pingxin murmured to herself.

As time passed, the essence of Mount Tai began to flow toward a single point. The countless powerful beings of the Primordial Realm understood that, from this moment on, Mount Tai would exist as a unique sentient being.

At Wanshou Mountain, within the Five Village Temple, Zhenyuanzi also felt a sudden surge of inspiration and vanished from his abode.

When he reappeared, he was hovering above Mount Tai.

"Fellow Daoist Pingxin, greetings." Zhenyuanzi bowed slightly toward her.

"Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, you have come at the right time. For this mountain deity to fully manifest, the assistance of you, the Sovereign of the Earthly Dao, is indispensable," Pingxin replied with a nod.

"I came here precisely for this reason. It is time for this mountain deity to descend into the world." Zhenyuanzi smiled and produced the Precious Mirror of Heaven and Earth.

Instantly, a surge of the Earthly Dao’s will manifested above, and a beam of profound yellow light shot down, merging with Mount Tai.

"Now, we wait a moment, and our mountain deity shall be born." As Zhenyuanzi spoke, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged upon the mountain, molding itself into the shape of a living being.

As time progressed, a handsome young man with sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, dressed in robes of profound purple, appeared before Pingxin and Zhenyuanzi.

"Mount Tai thanks the two Sages for their assistance!" The man bowed low before them.

"Do not stand on ceremony. You are a deity born of this mountain, a being of the Earthly Dao sharing the same roots as us. Your birth is dictated by fate; do you feel it?" Zhenyuanzi asked gently, waving his hand to lift the young man up.

Mount Tai nodded slightly. Suddenly, he produced several items, which caught Pingxin’s attention. She sensed they were deeply connected to the Underworld.

Among the items were a well, a vanity mirror, a seemingly ordinary stone platform, and finally, a portal.

Pingxin spoke then: "Mount Tai is located in the East, representing the Yang side of the Primordial Realm, yet you are destined to connect with the Underworld. The Underworld is the Yin realm, heavy with deathly energy. Only by connecting in this way can you suppress that energy and prevent it from eroding the Yang realm."

"The fact that these items, which concern the lifeblood of the Underworld, are now in your hands signifies that you are the fated ruler of the Underworld to come. Do not disappoint me," she added, scanning him with her gaze.

"Rest assured, Mistress Pingxin. Since this is my duty, I shall certainly live up to the expectations!"

"Very good. It is difficult for the creatures of the Sea of Blood to come and go. Now that this portal to the Yin realm has appeared through your birth, souls will no longer need to enter via the Sea of Blood. It is time to resolve the current state of the Underworld!"

Watching the portal in Mount Tai’s hands, Pingxin was struck by a flash of inspiration. Mount Tai threw the portal into the depths of the mountain. The next moment, four such gateways appeared across the Primordial Realm, one of them being here at Mount Tai.

"The Ghost Gate Pass—a fitting name," she remarked.

Pingxin, Zhenyuanzi, and Mount Tai stepped through the newly appeared portal. A thick wave of deathly energy rushed to meet them, but as it threatened to spill into the Yang realm, it was easily neutralized by the potent Yang energy of Mount Tai.

Having stepped through the pass, Mount Tai seemed to gain further insight. He brought out the stone platform he had retrieved earlier and tossed it forward. It expanded instantly, standing tall as a unique platform inscribed with the words "Terrace of Looking Home."

The three realized that when standing upon it, one’s lingering attachments and thoughts of the Yang realm would surface before their eyes. Pingxin saw scenes from the Pangu Palace, while Zhenyuanzi saw Mount Buzhou and his disciples Qingfeng and Mingyue in the Five Village Temple.

"So this object has such a miraculous effect. It allows souls entering the Underworld to look back upon their loved ones, helping them sever their attachments."

Beyond the Terrace of Looking Home lay the true Underworld, from which there was no return to the Yang realm.

"This is your fate," Pingxin said to Mount Tai. "The Underworld shall be perfected by you."

Mount Tai nodded solemnly and shouted into the depths of the Underworld, "Where are the fierce hounds?"

As he spoke, countless vicious hounds appeared from all corners of the Underworld. They were fearsome and disheveled, attacking only those who had committed great evils in life, trapping them there. A village suddenly formed, and thus, the Ridge of Fierce Hounds was established.