489: The Bridge of Helplessness collapses, a great calamity befalls the underworld.

"Nezha, those two words were written by me!" Lu Jiuyuan spoke up.

"Ever since you, Nezha, scraped your bones to return them to your father and sliced off your flesh to return it to your mother, and then took the Buddha as your father, you have been extremely close to Buddha Tathagata."

"Three hundred years ago, when the Monkey King returned from his pilgrimage and passed by the Flowing Sand River, wasn't it you who, under the orders of Buddha Tathagata, led the heavenly generals to assist him?"

"You even captured all the demons and monsters and locked them away in Doushuai Palace."

"Your Majesty, that is indeed true! That group of demons claimed to be under the command of Buddha Wutian, and they came to forcibly seize the Mahayana scriptures."

"Fortunately, the Buddha had already foreseen it and sent me to help. We attacked from both front and rear, foiled their conspiracy, and captured all those demons and monsters," the older Nezha said proudly.

"Shut up, you little turncoat!" Lu Jiuyuan flicked his sleeve. Nezha felt the world spinning, and suddenly he appeared in a strange heavenly court.

A strange general holding a pagoda shouted, "Evil creature!" and without another word, he locked him inside!

Beside Lu Jiuyuan, a small, porcelain-like Nezha appeared.

"Old man, I'm here! Hehe, Monkey, let's play together this time!"

After saying this, the small Nezha cast his eyes toward the civil and military officials, especially the general holding a pagoda.

"Hey! I was let out by the old man to play. Li Jing, if you dare to use that pagoda to suppress me, I'll report you to the old man and make him beat you up!"

Li Jing watched his troublesome son disappear, and then a small, incredibly cute, porcelain-like son popped out in his place.

He was also somewhat surprised: "Your Majesty, this... this..."

"Do not worry. They were just re-forged. These two are the Monkey King and Nezha!"

"You need not concern yourselves. Since ancient times, it has been said that there are people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens."

"Beyond these Three Realms, there exists an even vaster world. I am not only the Heavenly Emperor of these Three Realms, but also the Heavenly Emperor of infinite worlds."

"The worlds under my control are as countless as the stars in the sky."

"It is just letting them visit and play around, nothing to be concerned about."

The Hall of Miraculous Mist fell silent for a moment.

The immortal officials and divine generals looked at each other, glancing at the small, porcelain-like Nezha who was standing with arms akimbo and glaring, then at the composed new Heavenly Emperor on the throne, and finally, their gazes fell upon the uncertain and suspicious face of Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing.

The pagoda in Li Jing's hand vibrated slightly, as if hesitating whether to capture this little thing that looked like his own son but was clearly out of place.

"What are you looking at!"

The small Nezha made a face at Li Jing and then turned to the Monkey King: "Monkey, let's ignore them! This place looks similar to our home, but the vibe is wrong. It's gloomy and eerie; there must be some excitement to be had! Old man, tell us, what do you want us to do?"

Lu Jiuyuan nodded and smiled: "A great calamity is coming to this realm. The Devil Lord No Heaven will emerge and seek to occupy the Thirty-Three Heavens of the Three Realms."

"The original Monkey King was the one destined to face the calamity, and Nezha was an important supporting character."

"Now, I have temporarily sent them to our place for a 'vacation,' and you two will take their places."

The small Nezha's eyes lit up: "Take their place? Fun! So now I am the 'Third Prince Nezha' of this world? And Li Jing is still my father?"

"Can I stab him with my spear?"

Li Jing's mouth twitched: "..."

The Monkey King rubbed his hands together: "Taking their place is no problem! Fighting and acting are what Old Sun does best! Your Majesty, just tell us, what is the specific plan?"

"The general trend remains unchanged, but I control the details." Lu Jiuyuan briefly explained the agreement he had made with the Tathagata.

"Your Majesty, what should we do?"

"You? Just stay obediently imprisoned for the Thirty-Three Heavens. Close your eyes, open them, and it will all be over!" Lu Jiuyuan said with a smile.

"Do not blabber, do you understand? You have heard what you have heard, but you cannot speak of it. If I am unhappy, none of you will have a good life!"

"Understood!" the civil and military officials said in unison: "We shall respectfully follow the Great Heavenly Venerate's decree!"

"Wukong, Nezha, go and have fun!"

"Haha, then we shall head back to Flower-Fruit Mountain to enjoy ourselves!" The Monkey King scratched his ears and cheeks, beaming with joy. He grabbed the small Nezha:

"Little one, come on, let's go to Flower-Fruit Mountain and play. That place is much freer than this heavenly court!"

The small Nezha's eyes darted around, then he glanced at Li Jing, whose face was dark, and made a face: "Blehh, let's go! Off to eat peaches with the monkey!"

With that, the two lawless fellows turned into a golden and a red stream of light, flew straight out of the Hall of Miraculous Mist, and headed straight for the Lower Realm of Dongsheng Divine Continent.

Seeing that the new Heavenly Emperor had no intention of stopping them and was even smiling, the immortals in the hall, though filled with doubt and suspicion, dared not say a word.

Lu Jiuyuan waved his hand: "You are all dismissed. Return to your respective residences, quietly recite the Yellow Court Scripture, and do not come out unless necessary."

"Your subjects take our leave." The immortals bowed and exited the Hall of Miraculous Mist, each harboring complex thoughts.

Once only Lu Jiuyuan remained in the hall, the smile on his face gradually faded. His gaze shifted downward, as if piercing through layers of celestial barriers, reaching straight into the depths of the Nine Underworlds.

The Underworld, Naihe Bridge.

The Wangchuan River, which had been flowing steadily, suddenly surged with monstrous waves, its murky waters churning with the shrill roars of countless wronged souls and vengeful ghosts.

The ancient stone bridge that spanned across the two banks, bearing countless souls of Reincarnation, began to vibrate violently without warning.

"Rumble—!"

On the bridge, bottomless cracks spread like spiderwebs, and gloomy light seeped out from the fissures, carrying an ominous aura that made one's heart tremble.

The soup bowl in the hands of Meng Po, who was guarding the bridgehead, shattered on the ground with a "crack," her murky eyes filled with horror.

"Oh no, the bridge... the bridge is collapsing!"

Before she could finish, accompanied by an earth-shattering roar, the ancient Naihe Bridge snapped in the middle, and huge stone blocks, carrying countless souls, crashed into the Underworld River below!

From the break, thick, impenetrable, pitch-black Devilish Qi spewed out, instantly permeating the entire Underworld!

"Oh no!"

King Qin Guang, who was processing documents in the Hall of Senluo, stood up abruptly, his face changing drastically: "The Naihe Bridge has collapsed, Reincarnation is severed, and Devilish Qi is soaring to the heavens... Something big has happened! Quickly, go and invite Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva!"

The other nine Yama Kings also sensed the drastic change at the core of the Underworld and gathered in King Qin Guang's hall in a panic.

The ten Yama Kings, usually dignified and majestic, were now filled with fear and anxiety.

They could clearly feel a dark power, so immense that it made the entire Underworld tremble, surging crazily from the deepest part of the Underworld!

"Hurry, hurry, don't dawdle. Let's go pay respects to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and see what on earth has happened."

Deep in the Underworld, the dojo of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva looked at the panicked ten Yama Kings and comforted them: "My fellow Yama Kings, do not panic. Let This poor monk open his Dharma Eye to observe the Three Realms and see what exactly has happened!"

As he spoke, his head turned 180 degrees, and a vertical eye opened on the back of his neck, emitting ten thousand rays of light. He looked down at the place where the black Qi was surging, only to see a beam of black light strike his eye with a "pop."

It immediately shut his Dharma Eye, and he spat out blood, suffering heavy injuries: "Must not look, must not look! Too terrifying! A great calamity is coming to the Three Realms!"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva turned his head back, and while spitting blood, he wiped his mouth and said: