“Namo Amitabha.”
Maitreya, who always wore a genial smile, now showed a trace of compassion, as if to say, “If not I, then who will enter hell?” Facing the temporary “Star Lord of the Purple Tenuity,” Shao Xuan, and Xi E, the “Celestial Venerable of the Thunder Division,” he cast forth his left hand, sending out the Human-Seeding Bag. It flew forward, expanding with the wind, its mouth undulating open. Inside, layer upon layer of white lotuses emerged as guiding mediums, encompassing all ten directions and three realms. All sentient beings were drawn into the Buddha Land.
This artifact was formed in the later ages, meant to ferry all beings with karmic affinity.
Seeing the ancient and renowned Buddhist treasure descend, Shao Xuan summoned a series of radiant stars, numbering exactly three hundred and sixty-five, forming a cosmic array that encircled him, resisting the pull of the bag.
Each star exuded an ancient aura, linking countless worlds, manifesting starry projections from different universes. These were the “Ancient Stars” born alongside the Immortal Realm—limited in number, yet each possessed immense and mighty power.
Starlight flowed like water, and the array stood formidable. The descent of the Human-Seeding Bag slowed immediately.
Compared to before, Shao Xuan’s power now surpassed that of the Bodhisattvas Dharmavati and Mahasamgha. Even against the Human-Seeding Bag and the Future Buddha Maitreya, he appeared in no way inferior.
At this moment, Maitreya pointed with his right hand, his voice like thunder, grand and solemn:
“Seal!”
At this command, an invisible golden cymbal seemed to close over Shao Xuan and Xi E, descending from infinite heights and distances.
Bang!
The ancient star projections around Shao Xuan were crushed, and he himself was enveloped by the Human-Seeding Bag, barely resisting at its mouth, being slowly but resolutely drawn inward.
Even though he had reached a level close to Creation, Maitreya displayed the might of a former great adept, nearly subduing Shao Xuan with overwhelming force.
Of course, this was also because the Fengtian Platform was incomplete, preventing Shao Xuan from fully wielding the authority of the Star Lord of the Purple Tenuity.
Meanwhile, Xi E withdrew her hands, and the Ark of Doomsday surged around her, crackling with lightning, shielding her from the pull of the Human-Seeding Bag. However, the Bodhisattvas Dharmavati and Mahasamgha unleashed their divine radiance and poured forth the Ganges of Dharma, leaving her barely able to hold her ground.
Though omnipresent, she could not escape this predicament!
Maitreya paid no heed to Shao Xuan and Xi E, his smile unwavering. He struck his left thigh, sending forth a white lotus throne. Surrounded by golden swastikas, floating lotus petals, and chanting sutras, his right hand transformed into a colossal palm, reaching toward the Fengtian Platform, attempting to uproot it and draw it back into the Buddha Land.
This palm encompassed all directions, layer upon layer of pure lands stacking together, countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas chanting Maitreya’s name in unison, leaving no place to flee or escape.
On the platform, the ethereal image of Gao Lan remained calm and composed, his expression unchanging. The Emperor Sword’s aura flared suddenly, its pale golden glow piercing the heavens. It transformed into thirty-six streams of golden-yellow water-light, dispersing like clouds across the sky, slicing toward Maitreya’s palm-born pure land.
Sensing the premature arrival of doomsday, the Emperor Sword quietly awakened to the level of legend.
This was the other source of confidence for Gao Lan, Shao Xuan, and Xi E in establishing the Fengtian Platform.
“Namo Amitabha.” Maitreya chanted again, his palm descending, radiating pure land light that actually dispersed the thirty-six streams of golden-yellow water-light, each brimming with merit and sanctity.
However, as his palm continued downward, the scattered water-light reformed into a scroll depicting a magnificent landscape—the miniature representation of the current twenty-seven provinces of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Each province bore its own color, interweaving faintly, subtly connecting to the land it represented.
Boom!
The regions of the Great Zhou trembled slightly, and the scroll resonated with the real world at those locations.
Maitreya’s descending palm paused, halting before making contact.
For if he attacked this scroll, it would equate to attacking the Great Zhou itself, striking at the core of the real world, inevitably provoking severe backlash.
This was the real world, second only to the Immortal Realm and Jiuyou among the myriad worlds. Here, the powers of Creation and Legend were suppressed. If the destruction were too great, the backlash could threaten even their existences.
This was the true meaning of protection by the strength of all beings—the other source of Gao Lan’s confidence.
If Maitreya were a fiend from Jiuyou, he might risk testing whether Jiuyou’s favor could withstand the backlash of the Great Zhou’s destruction. But he was the Future Buddha, seeking to establish a terrestrial Buddha Land. His Reward Body had been re-cultivated. If he committed such a catastrophic act, his Reward Body would immediately fall, and his Buddha Land would instantly collapse. Even if his original Dharmakaya remained, he could no longer maintain the peak of Legend at present.
Thus, he hesitated.
He had not expected that even before the Fengtian Platform was fully constructed, it could already summon forth this scroll of magnificent landscapes!
Gazing at the cold and indifferent Gao Lan, Maitreya’s right palm seemed frozen mid-air, his ever-present smile now tinged with a sigh.
Suddenly, the void separating the two worlds cracked open around them, and a golden beam slashed toward Gao Lan’s back, striking at the moment the scroll of landscapes resisted Maitreya’s attack, before it could descend and envelop the entire Fengtian Platform!
It was a golden feather, sharp as a blade, exuding cold light and the aura of ancient times, seizing the perfect opportunity.
From the rift in the void, a pair of golden eyes stared coldly.
“Peng Lay Devotee…” Maitreya murmured softly.
The great sage Peng Wangmo of the demon race, who had yet to fully recover to the level of Creation, had made his move!
Neither the Buddhist sect nor the demon race would allow the Fengtian Platform to be erected!
Root out the threat, destroy the Emperor!
At that moment, the stunned Yu Banshan and Qi Jinxiu suddenly saw a golden flash. The golden register bestowed by the Celestial Venerable Sect Leader flew out, its pages rapidly flipping as it emitted boundless radiance, brimming with the power of all living beings and illusory coin shadows. It coalesced into the divine image of a Celestial Venerable resembling Meng Qi.
The Celestial Venerable Meng Qi’s expression remained impassive. He stepped forward, his right hand forming a fist, striking out powerfully. The coin shadows and the strength of all beings intertwined, piercing through the void, transcending barriers, directly impacting the golden feather before it could strike Gao Lan.
Bang!
The golden feather slowly drifted downward, the coin shadows and strength of all beings dissipating, yet merging into the scroll of landscapes, enveloping Gao Lan and the Fengtian Platform.
“Peng Wangmo!” the demon king roared in astonishment.
Hadn’t the Divine Envoy of Luo Sect sealed him outside the real world, trapping him within the projection of the Void Home?
He had assigned his disciple to travel the world precisely to await this strike?
Could the “Cause of All Fruits” truly deceive the heavens?
…
“This much time is enough to defeat you!”
With this voice, Fengdian, the Divine Envoy, saw Meng Qi form a mudra with both hands, pressing down the formless and boundless Chaos of the Ultimate.
Feeling a sudden chill, his scalp tingled. He hastily activated his abilities, flipping through the divine scriptures in his hands.
White lotuses flew forth, only to be swallowed by the Chaos.
The pure light descending from the Void Home was swallowed by the Chaos.
His sleeves flared, remaking the heavens and earth, yet even this newly formed world was devoured by the Chaos!
In an instant, Fengdian unleashed numerous divine abilities, yet the Ultimate Seal descended without the slightest hesitation. It even distorted his perception of space and time, making him feel as though he could only watch helplessly as the seal struck, powerless to resist.
Silently, the protective barrier he had previously constructed was also reverted to primordial chaos by the Ultimate Seal. He could only offer minimal resistance despite his utmost efforts.
Could I not even withstand a single strike from him?
A sense of despair and frustration welled up within Fengdian.
No wonder he said this much time was enough!
The Ultimate Seal executed by the Yuan Shi True Body was truly no less formidable than the divine palm unleashed by the fully realized Tathagata Golden Body!
He sighed, ceasing his resistance, and with both hands trembling, shattered the scriptures he held, transforming them into a swirling vortex of darkness.
From the vortex, pure light emerged, linking to the depths of the Void Home. A hand, seemingly carved from jade, slowly extended forth, its mighty aura directly slowing the descent of the Ultimate Seal!
This was a divine envoy who had yet to awaken, a great adept of Creation. Through Fengdian’s channel, he had reached across slumber and realms, exerting a sliver of his strength.
This was the ultimate secret weapon Luo Sect had deployed to besiege Yuxu Palace!
Wu Sheng La Mu, a figure of the Transcendent, surely would not underestimate Meng Qi’s strength.
As the hand extended forth, Meng Qi’s true soul, gazing down upon it, seemed to freeze, experiencing the terror of a great adept of Creation.
Just as he was about to fully ignite his essence and unleash the Ultimate Seal, a distant, melodious sound suddenly echoed in his ears:
Dang!
The bell tolled, reverberating through the three realms, causing the descending hand to hesitate.
Meng Qi gazed upward in astonishment, his mind racing:
“This bell chime is so familiar?”
“It’s the Yuxu Bell!”
“Who has rung the ancient bell of the true Yuxu Palace?”
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