Confronted with this glazed golden hand, the ferocious gaping maw, and forty Buddha teeth, Fahualin felt as though he had plunged into the deepest nightmare. Eons of cultivation seemed to have met their natural nemesis. His mind could no longer maintain tranquility; thoughts churned like boiling water, dragging down the innate spiritual radiance that dwelled at infinite heights.
His golden body felt shackled, his true spirit frozen. In this moment, he could not break free or react effectively beyond fear and confusion, only watching helplessly as the gaping maw approached!
The three Buddhist relics, glowing with the radiance of the Buddha, transformed into white lotuses, intercepting Meng Qi’s hand-blade and preventing the Buddha’s realm from collapsing. At this moment, Maitreya also noticed the astonishing changes above Guangling City. For the first time, his smile completely disappeared. Without further attacking Meng Qi, he instantly appeared beside Fahualin. His twenty-headed, sixteen-armed form brandished the precious pestle and the sword of wisdom, striking the golden glazed hand. The three Buddhist relics paused briefly before rising once more, floating and stabilizing the surrounding heaven and earth, erasing all anomalies.
Meanwhile, the Great Miaoxiang manifested the projection of the Bodhisattva of Ten Thousand Realms, locked in fierce combat with a sky full of rabid hounds. Yet he also noticed the anomaly and tilted his precious vase, pouring the waters of the Ganges directly over Guangling, engulfing the golden hand of lapis lazuli.
The Supreme True Buddha! Meng Qi recognized the origin of the glazed golden hand, his heart tightening. He did not seize the opportunity to attack Maitreya.
This was the Supreme True Buddha sealed at the rear peak of Ling Mountain!
The Buddha who sought Buddhahood by devouring all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Vidyārājas!
(Note: “明王” is translated as “Vidyārājas,” which refers to the wrathful deities in Vajrayana Buddhism. The exclamation mark is retained to convey the original tone.)
He had escaped from the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and hidden within the territory of the Great Zhou, waiting patiently for a chance to ambush Maitreya’s lineage!
As the thought crossed his mind, Meng Qi witnessed the golden hand losing its dazzling brilliance, transforming into a pale flesh tone that radiated boundless white light—the purest, most immaculate radiance, utterly rejecting any impurity.
The light surged, instantly evaporating the waters of the Ganges. The Future Buddha Maitreya’s Dharmakaya dared not confront it directly, instinctively raising his sixteen arms to shield himself.
Floating white light revealed countless translucent, pure illusions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas—the Golden-Winged Garuda, Manjushri—not impostors, but their true forms.
These illusions formed the Ten Thousand Buddhas Formation, obstructing the descent of the three Buddhist relics. Seizing the moment, the gaping maw swallowed the stunned Fahualin!
Boom!
Meng Qi heard strange sounds and sensed a vast karmic starry sky, where a star symbolizing a Great Bodhisattva burned out completely, its trailing flames descending into an utterly pure, flawless, and eerie constellation, causing it to grow even stronger.
Boom!
A beam of light erupted from Guangling City, its radiance sweeping through the clouds, transforming the ruined Buddhist land into an endless ocean of light.
A grand, solemn voice arose:
“If I attain enlightenment, then all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Vajras, and Wisdom Kings shall be my manifestations.”
“If I attain enlightenment, the three realms and ten directions, all the heavens and myriad worlds, shall bow to me alone as the Supreme and Unsurpassed True Buddha.”
Maitreya sighed once more, his smile fading. The three Buddhist relics descended, embodying the vicissitudes of the past, the tribulations of the present, and the attainment of the future, nearly forming a phantom river that stabilized the aura and dissipated the sea of light. He clasped his palms together:
“If I attain enlightenment, all beings shall attain liberation, all worlds shall become Buddha-lands, with no sea of suffering.”
The voice of the Buddha echoed. The three Buddhist relics actually shed their infinite pure radiance, faintly revealing the eerie Buddha figure formed from pure white light.
It was indeed the Supreme True Buddha… Meng Qi nodded slightly, momentarily unsure whom to aid.
From the earlier observation, the aura of the Supreme True Buddha was quite weak, only slightly stronger than the current Maitreya. Evidently, his unstable realm had suffered greatly under the staff of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, barely managing to escape. As a result, he dared not confront Maitreya directly, biding his time to seize the opportune moment before mustering his remaining strength to barely withstand an attack and devour the Great Bodhisattva Fahualin.
This greatly enhanced his aura, restoring a considerable amount of strength, now only slightly weaker than the Bull Demon King’s current state. He surpassed Maitreya in both realm and power, though he was still inferior in other aspects, especially being restrained by the three Buddhist relics. More importantly, Maitreya still possessed his recovering Buddha Land, the Great Sublime Form, as well as Bodhisattvas and Arhats capable of forming the Ten Thousand Buddha Grand Formation. Without external interference, the outcome remained uncertain.
Assisting the Supreme True Buddha in eliminating Maitreya would indeed aid the matters of the Heavenly Altar, but if he were to then consume the Future Buddha, his power would become uncontrollable, ultimately harming oneself. Particularly, maintaining good relations with the Eastern Pure Lapis Lazuli Land is crucial. Allowing the Supreme True Buddha to grow unchecked would threaten even the Moonlight Bodhisattva and the Medicine King Buddha, thereby alienating allies and losing vital support.
Alternatively, helping Maitreya oppose the Supreme True Buddha would endanger the plans for the Heavenly Altar.
This was similar to the situation with the Luo Sect’s Divine Envoy. Guang Chengzi had advised against a complete break with them, so Meng Qi did not prioritize weakening the demonic and Buddhist forces first. Instead, he focused on eliminating the Divine Envoy. With Nezha’s realm and strength, combined with the sword formation’s weakening effect, a lethal strike could have taken out the Divine Envoy. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be done. He could only take occasional shots to intimidate and delay them.
Such was the complexity of entangled relationships.
At this moment, the pure white Buddha, once again surrounded by countless illusory Buddhas, solemnly declared: “The true Buddha cannot be seen, for to see it is to fall.”
As the words faded, many Bodhisattvas and Arhats who were directly gazing at him let out wild screams, their bodies bursting into pure white flames that seemed to consume their golden forms, causing them to fall one after another.
Maitreya resumed his signature smile, his right hand grasping the three Buddha relics. Suddenly, purity descended, the screams ceased, the white flames extinguished, and white lotuses bloomed.
Flowers bloom to see me!
The Supreme True Buddha resisted with a self-generated Great Array of Ten Thousand Buddhas.
Observing the battle, Meng Qi’s mind worked swiftly, flashes of insight crossing his thoughts. Making a quick decision, he called Xiao Tian Quan back and commanded, “Whichever side gains the upper hand, bite them!”
“Woof!” Howling Celestial Dog joyfully nodded, its tail drooping as it darted into the void.
This guy is clearly an expert in the Void Seal.
Alright, maintain balance here, then head to Luojiao with Shaoxuan, making a show of force to scare the Divine Envoy away!
Don’t trust Nezha with this, that guy’s ruthless—he might actually go through with it.
In a flash, Meng Qi’s Eight-Nine Transformations appeared in Nanzhou.
…
In the boundless realm of the Glass Buddha, seated beneath the Withered and Flourishing Bodhi Tree, the Moonlight Bodhisattva remained silent for a long while before smiling faintly: “The River of Time has its current nodes; futures are but possibilities, not absolute realities. Had I known how to reach them, I would have attempted to transcend the Sea of Suffering long ago.”
“Yet since futures are possibilities, the predicted future scenes may occur, differing only in likelihood. If I can determine where the Medicine Buddha will certainly appear in the future, leave letters or inscribed stones there, He should see them.”
Meng Qi listened with some confusion, lost in deep thought, when the Supreme True Buddha suddenly appeared and devoured Fahualin. The Moonlight Bodhisattva grew solemn, gazing beyond the Glazed Pure Land.
“Him?”
…
At the Fengtian Terrace, the magnificent landscape painting unfurled like a curtain, intertwining with the four-colored sword shadows.
Meng Qi sat inside, controlling the sword formation, when suddenly he felt a surge of joy and looked up. There, flying back, was Gao Lan, wearing a flat-topped imperial crown and a bright yellow robe.
Gao Lan descended step by step, with the majestic stride of a tiger and the noble bearing of a dragon, speaking coldly and calmly: “Third brother, our allies have made contact. The Three Mists Island, the Shangjing Palace, and the Heavenly Immortal Venerables are about to take action.”
As he approached the Fengtian Platform, sword energy in four colors—red, blue, black, and white—crisscrossed before him, forming an impenetrable barrier.
“Third brother, what do you mean?” Gao Lan gazed deeply.
Meng Qi stared, his voice strange: “Imperial Brother, this isn’t your usual style. Shouldn’t you just say the allies made contact and then elaborate on the Jing Palace on Three Xiao Island when I ask? One question, one answer—that’s how you display the imperial bearing and cold demeanor. Dumping everything at once is unlike you.”
Gao Lan gave a faint smile and said calmly, “With great matters nearing success, it’s only natural for me to feel joy and excitement, leading to a slight lapse in composure.”
Meng Qi gave a slight nod, finding it reasonable. Suddenly, a four-colored sword light erupted, converging into a torrent that struck directly at Gao Lan!
Gao Lan extended his right palm, blocking the sword light, and was puzzled when Meng Qi’s laughter arose.
“Initially a bit doubtful, just testing. Now I’m sure you’re a fake big brother!”
“If you’re really the big brother, when faced with doubt, you should reply: ‘I have always been eccentric and unpredictable—since when has my way of speaking followed any pattern?'”
This was Gao Lan transformed by Yuan Hong, attempting to deceive and obtain the Four Swords of Zhuxian. Upon hearing this, Yuan Hong nearly spat blood in anger.
Is this a normal response?
Meng Qisaw saw Gao Lan transforming into a white-furred giant ape and secretly laughed to himself. Why transform into someone else, especially a madman? Is imitating a madman easy?
A slight test exposed the fraud!
As he was about to unleash the sword formation against Yuan Hong and then deploy treasures to dispatch an avatar to delay the Great Sage’s assault on the formation, a sudden chill surged within him—an indescribable sense of danger.
As thoughts raced through his mind, the White-robed Swordsman descended from the auspicious clouds, fully prepared.
Faster than words, a demonic aura coiled around a finger as it pierced through the void, unwavering, striking directly at the Brocade Mountains and Rivers Painting.
Bang!
Ganzhou collapsed in an instant to the north, its peaks obliterated, rivers erased, cities and millions of lives turned to dust.
Boom!
The expanse collapsed, the region shattered, soaring high and transforming into minuscule stars, radiating brilliant light.
Where once stood, now an endless abyss,
The demonic aura of the Nine Nether surges,
Another boundless abyssal sea.
Wah wah wah!
The real world suddenly darkened, with cries echoing all around, the wind reeking of blood, and rain falling like blood.
From infinite heights, a terrifying entity seemed descending, targeting the finger.
But layers of demonic realms emerged around the finger, as evil spirits laughed wildly, piercing through the breach in the Brocade Mountains and Rivers Painting, directly pointing at Meng Qi.
Pfft!
The strike hit the swordsman’s avatar, tainted sword energy dragging him into the abyss of the underworld, transforming him into a pool of festering blood!
Demon Lord! That was the only thought left in Meng Qi’s mind.
The prematurely awakened demonic form of the Demon Lord!
He had indeed come!
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