Spoiled by Eight Uncles (Lily)

In the midst of the harsh winter, a small courtyard stood isolated halfway up the mountain.

Upon arriving in the village, Lilly and Ivan discovered that the old man they had encountered was none other than King Earthid, whom Lilly had met during her astral projecting journey.

As they reached the entrance of the courtyard, King Earthid emerged to greet them. It was indeed the same person she had encountered before.

"It's you..." Lilly was surprised.

King Earthid smiled. "My young friend, we meet again.” Lilly muttered, "You said we would meet again soon, but it's been quite a while." Once they entered the teahouse within the courtyard, King Earthid brewed a pot of tea and poured a cup for both Ivan and Lilly.

He then chuckled, "Isn't this meeting soon enough? Didn't we just meet before?" Lilly replied, "That wasn't you." He sighed. "But it was still me." She couldn't argue with that, but the black-robed man she had seen and the old man before her were clearly not the same person.

"Why do you choose to confine yourself here?" Lilly pondered before asking, "Aren't you going back to the underworld? Don't you desire to reach the highest realm?" King Earthid shook his head. "As long as the heart is present, the world is your oyster.” Lilly stared at him. "So, have you discovered something here, found a new path, or are you simply stagnant?" He remained silent.

Then, Ivan took out the talisman. "I'm here to return this to you. Thank you." Previously, when they had met by chance, King Earthid had mentioned that he would face difficulty and would have a use for it.

After that, he had indeed been sucked into the black hole.

King Earthid accepted the talisman and changed the subject, "Do you know the difference between a Catholic and a Taoist?" Lilly shook her head while Ivan remained silent.

He smiled. "Wronged souls and resentful spirits are violent and harm others because they can't move on to the afterlife.

Catholics believe that faith helps these souls and spirits to go where they should go.

"On the other hand, Taoists choose to annihilate them, ensuring they are spirited away and never reborn." Lilly pondered. What does he mean by this? King Earthid continued, "That's why Catholics and Taoists often argue, each finding fault with the other.

"Catholics think that Taoists lack compassion, act recklessly, and are eager for quick success by annihilating spirits.

"Taoists, on the other hand, think that Catholics are hypocritical, self-righteous, and despite the deep sins of wronged souls and resentful spirits, they still hypocritically aim to convert them.” Lilly didn't know what to say as she recalled her journey of growth, where she captured countless ghosts and passed judgment on them.

There wasn't any element of compassion or severity. It seemed that she just followed the rules.

King Earthid looked at her and said, "That's why the underworld exists and stands in the middle of these two paths. Do you understand now?" Lilly couldn't come up with a reply.

She suddenly laughed, "King Earthid, why do you always speak in such a mysterious manner?" She didn't understand, the author didn't understand, and the readers probably wouldn't understand him either.

"It doesn't matter if | understand you. But I've noticed that you always like to speak in a mysterious and profound way." King Earthid then said, "Conversion is merit. Annihilation is karma. So, when | entered hell, was it truly out of compassion for all beings or for merit?" Lilly suddenly understood what he was talking about. "You should have said that earlier!" What he meant was that he couldn't leave the place because he was trapped by his path.

He's said so much that I'm getting dizzy.

Simply put, Catholics strongly believed that faith would help them pass judgment day.

However, Taoists were different. They valued the present life and didn't care about what would happen in the next life as they wanted to enjoy this life first.

But | find myself in a neutral position. Is that what he meant? King Earthid smiled bitterly. "It's wonderful that you understand. So, unfortunately, | won't be able to assist you much this time." It was only at this moment that Lilly truly grasped that he believed she had come seeking his help.

He was engaged in a discussion about the disparities between Taoism and Catholicism, aiming to enlighten her a little. This was the assistance he wanted to offer.

And then he mentioned that conversion is an act of merit, and he couldn't determine whether he had entered hell out of compassion or for merit. This was his explanation for why he couldn't aid her.

Lilly picked up her cup and took a careful sip before explaining, "We didn't come here to ask for your help this time." King Earthid was taken aback. "You're not?" He had already sensed an unusual presence in the air, similar to the manifestation of God's will when the Five Emperors of the Underworld had jointly sent Lilly to break free from her constraints.

He believed she had come to ask him to return to the underworld.

Lilly confidently replied, "No." King Earthid was confused. "Then why did you come this time?" Lilly looked at Ivan, who placed his hands on his knees and said, "We came to return the talisman.” King Earthid was stunned. "You came just to return the talisman?" Lilly nodded. "Yes, we came solely to return the talisman.” Then, she stood up and declared, "Now that we have returned it to you, it is time for us to depart.” Ivan nodded. "Thank you for the tea.” King Earthid watched as they walked away, remaining silent for a long time.

They came only to return the talisman... just for that one thing. Have | made such a simple matter overly complicated? he pondered.

He took out the talisman and gazed down at it.

Suddenly, he sensed something different as he reached out to touch it and froze.

"This is..." Abrand new aura of the Order?! King Earthid looked up in shock towards the direction Lilly had departed, murmuring to himself, "Has she already succeeded?!" This is the Order! The Order that eluded me when | was shattered by the Test of Thunder in my previous life! "So, this is it... | have lost," he sighed.

However, Lilly had already left, unaware of the significance of his words.