Seeing Han Guang flee into the distance and sensing the imminent ascension of the Green Emperor, the Wheel of Samsara hand seal conjured by the Fengdu Emperor dissipated like a fleeting dream, leaving only the golden cudgel standing tall in the sky.
In this exchange, Sun Wukong felt as though his strength had been rendered ineffective. The utmost rigidity met the utmost illusion, producing no residual shockwaves—only layers of dreamlike interference. Despite his superior strength and indomitable momentum, he found himself subdued by softness overcoming hardness and illusion becoming reality, unable to break free in the short term.
With a snort, the golden cudgel retracted from the Spirit Mountain. The Great Sage Equaling Heaven stood amidst the cracks between realms, his fiery golden eyes watching as the green radiance illuminated the ten directions and the illusory river of time coiled around the Green Emperor.
Below where he had clashed with the Fengdu Emperor, the Water Ancestor’s divine statue—constantly forming and collapsing—finally shattered completely. The vast ocean receded and vanished, and the Nethersea Sword paused for a moment before flying back into the chaos beyond the heavens.
Only because the Water Ancestor had intercepted the sword energy and shockwaves did Han Guang have the chance to raise the “Bodhi Wonderful Tree.” Unfortunately, the quietly resting Three Treasures Ruyi rendered all his schemes futile. Meanwhile, the Seven Slayers Daoist, seeing that the Demon Buddha had not been released and that he himself had not fully awakened, chose not to stir further trouble and simply retrieved the three-foot-three-inch-long Nethersea Sword.
…
Above the Southern Wasteland, Qi Zhengyan sighed and pulled with his hand clad in the Demon Emperor’s Claw, summoning Zhao Heng before him.
Zhao Heng held the now-darkened Fengshen Bang and forced a bitter smile. “The will of heaven is unpredictable. With your backup plan, I should have been able to seize control of the Fengshen Bang, the Fengtian Platform, and the Ghost and God True Spirit Diagram. But the Ancient Bodhi Buddha intervened, reducing all our efforts to nothing. Hah, they say the time isn’t right…”
The appearance of the Ghost and God True Spirit Diagram thrown by the King of Hell was unexpected, but Qi Zhengyan, inheriting the Demon Lord’s experience and insight, had naturally prepared for contingencies. Yet human effort has its limits, and the “will of heaven” is ever elusive. No one had anticipated the Ancient Bodhi Buddha’s casual interference.
Qi Zhengyan remained composed, comforting Zhao Heng: “Few things in this world go smoothly. The path is always winding, and mistakes and accidents are inevitable. As long as we remain steadfast, opportunities will come again. With this experience and lesson, we’ll avoid such pitfalls in the future.”
“At least we have the Fengshen Bang…” Zhao Heng trailed off, realizing that without merging with the Fengtian Platform, the Fengshen Bang was more harmful than beneficial.
Had everything gone smoothly, he could have appointed figures like the Purple Star Lord—the pinnacle of the Heavenly Court’s divine appointments—gaining enough power to maneuver among the great supernatural beings and secure victory. But now, with their plans thwarted, the Fengshen Bang lacked such divine efficacy, and neither he nor Qi Zhengyan had the strength to protect it. It was like a child carrying gold through a bustling market, inviting covetous gazes and mortal danger.
“Gao Lan has attained the Legendary realm, backed by the Tushita Palace and the Jade Void lineage, along with the strength of the Human Emperor’s descendants. Even without the Fengshen Bang, his ambitions lie in the Southern Wasteland,” Qi Zhengyan said calmly, unshaken. “The days ahead will be difficult. Perhaps we must temporarily abandon this place.”
The returned Twelve Demon Saints were all reincarnated cultivators. Though they could merge with their residual imprints in the world and draw upon their past incarnations’ flesh and blood from the earth’s depths, their time had been too short—only three had regained the Legendary realm. Even with the “Great Freedom Heavenly Son,” whose true strength remained hidden, they likely couldn’t oppose Gao Lan’s rising momentum and numerous allies. More critically, the Demon Monarch lurked in the shadows.
With the Demon Lord’s wisdom and his own unwavering path, Qi Zhengyan’s cultivation had progressed swiftly, reaching the pinnacle of the Heavenly Immortal realm. Yet he was still far from the Legendary realm, unable to suppress the Demon Emperor’s Claw or meaningfully influence the current situation. Thus, he was mentally prepared for the hardships ahead.
The Great Freedom Heavenly Son and the Demon Saints’ formation abruptly contracted, transforming into layers of eerie runes that sealed the Demon Emperor’s Claw’s power temporarily, preventing it from corrupting Qi Zhengyan’s mind and causing his fall.
At that moment, the illusory river around the Green Emperor suddenly expanded, merging with the “River of Time and Fate” in the real world, overlapping with it.
Within the river’s flow, the Green Emperor’s river extended its source further into the ancient past, its tributaries branching toward countless futures.
The surging source passed through epochs—when the Fusang Ancient Tree towered to the heavens, when its trunk first took shape, when it sprouted from the dark red “soil”—and arrived at the chaotic dawn of the primordial era, where earth, fire, wind, and water raged unchecked.
Just as the Green Emperor reached the threshold between epochs, intending to bridge the two eras and trace back to the ancient times, his body trembled. A solemn, dignified voice echoed throughout the real world:
“May I, in my future attainment of Bodhi, shine with boundless light, illuminating all realms…”
As these words resounded, the Green Emperor’s body radiated infinite light, emerald hues bathing the Three Realms and Ten Directions, even blurring the highest layers of the Nine Heavens and the deepest shadows of the Nine Nethers.
“May I, in my future attainment of Bodhi, be like pure crystal, flawless within and without…”
Whispers like the chants of countless monks filled the air as the Green Emperor’s form turned translucent, clear as glass.
…
With the reverberations of the Medicine King Buddha’s Twelve Great Vows, the Green Emperor underwent his own transformation, blessing all realms.
“May I, in my future attainment of Bodhi, guide all beings lost in false paths to the true way of Bodhi…”
A majestic voice descended from the infinite heights as a full-moon-like halo rose behind the Green Emperor’s head, illuminating every heart.
Yet the light vanished abruptly, and all phenomena disappeared with it. The Green Emperor’s river surged upward, merging into his form.
This great vow remained unfulfilled!
Had he, upon ascending to the Other Shore, traced back to the very beginning of the current era and bridged the gap to the end of the previous one, he would have manifested the fifth type of phenomenon: “Beholding the Primordial.”
Alas, the Medicine King Buddha—the Green Emperor’s Buddhist incarnation—had once established the Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli through his vows and merits, reaching the pinnacle of the Creation realm. But with his great vow incomplete, he could not manifest the fifth phenomenon.
As for the sixth phenomenon, Meng Qi only knew of its existence, not its specifics.
“Did Amitabha Buddha fulfill his great vows? How did he become an Ancient One?” Meng Qi sighed at the Green Emperor’s failure to manifest the fifth phenomenon, puzzled. “Could Amitabha’s Forty-Eight Great Vows have aided his ascension to Ancient status?”
As the phenomena faded, the Green Emperor grew indistinct, nearly invisible. The Nine Spirits Sage flew to him, transforming into a mighty nine-headed lion for him to ride.
The Green Emperor glanced back at the Jade Void Palace, locking eyes with Meng Qi and nodding in acknowledgment. Then he reached into the Spirit Mountain’s river of time, grasping toward Han Guang from moments earlier—before he could lift the Bodhi Wonderful Tree.
To reverse time and alter history!
You may escape the present, but not the past!
Yet ripples stirred in the Spirit Mountain’s river of time, turning it murky and causing the Green Emperor’s grasp to miss its mark.
“Which Other Shore powerhouse is this? The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning?” Meng Qi witnessed the scene in astonishment.
The Green Emperor’s first act after attaining the Other Shore had failed.
Shaking his head slightly, the Green Emperor urged the Nine Spirits Sage onward, arriving at the Fusang Ancient Tree’s domain. There, decay gave way to vitality, the dust of ages vanished, and in an instant, the realm regained its ancient splendor, brimming with immortal majesty.
Simultaneously, the Eastern Lapis Lazuli Pure Land—spanning countless kalpas—flickered into view, a vast, perfect Buddha light rising at its center.
“With both awakening and the fruit’s aid, the Green Emperor is now my greatest backer. And with the Eastern Lapis Lazuli Pure Land complete, Senior Brother Qi and Zhao Heng hold the Fengshen Bang. With the Eight Treasures Merit Pond, perhaps we can revive Senior Chonghe…” Meng Qi smiled inwardly, though a doubt lingered. “Did Gu Xiaoshang withhold the full truth about the fruit, or did the Golden Emperor deceive her…”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage