“Just as expected…” Upon seeing the projection of the Demon Buddha, Meng Qi sighed deeply.
His two greatest enemies had indeed formed an alliance!
The events of the ancient well universe in the Jade Void Palace could now be confirmed—the Ancient Buddha Dipamkara, leveraging his former status as a high-ranking member of the Jade Void, had aided the Demon Buddha in infiltrating and laying his schemes!
At this moment, though Meng Qi appeared to be lost in reflection, his mind was as clear as a mirror, reflecting countless possibilities. The moment he spotted an opportunity, he would strike first with overwhelming force to create a chance for escape!
Having perfected the Creation Realm for countless millennia, Dipamkara stood at the pinnacle of great supernatural beings, needing only the “Cause of All Effects” to reach the Other Shore. Meng Qi, who had only recently entered the Creation Realm, was no match for him. More critically, Dipamkara had allied with the Demon Buddha A’nan. Though this ancient being was suppressed beneath Mount Ling and could only project a faint presence, he was still a force to be reckoned with. Additionally, the Mystic Maiden of the Ninth Heaven, Liu Luo, had been waiting here, casually revealing secrets—her intentions unclear. Faced with such a situation, even with his experience in overcoming greater numbers, Meng Qi dared not be reckless.
The Ancient Buddha Dipamkara’s golden body was translucent, his wisdom-light flowing as he stood there, neither empty nor non-empty, neither thinking nor non-thinking. Meng Qi found it difficult to lock onto him, let alone find an opening to strike. His heart sank slightly as he realized the intimidation hidden in Dipamkara’s earlier words.
As the “Cause of All Effects,” Meng Qi’s subtle connection with the Demon Buddha A’nan was bidirectional. Yet, Dipamkara had used this to trace him, only revealing himself when he was close—proof of the gap between them in the Dao of Causality. Though the “Cause of All Effects” was powerful, possessing traces of Other Shore divinity, it lacked the accumulation of ages and the depth of eternal contemplation, making its foundation shallow!
Dipamkara maintained a benevolent smile, as if ignoring Meng Qi, his “life-and-death rival in the Great Dao.” His gaze shifted to the Mystic Maiden of the Ninth Heaven. “Namo Amitabha. Benefactor Su has a karmic connection with my Buddhist sect. I shall guide him. Please do not interfere.”
The Mystic Maiden’s elegant face showed no change as she smiled faintly. “Ancient Buddha, you are neither the Heavenly Emperor nor the Human Emperor. Should I obey your command or not?”
Her implication was clear—she needed a convincing reason, not coercion.
Meng Qi remained silent, still operating the “Cause of All Effects,” his thoughts colliding as he calculated with the Jade Void Divination, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Dipamkara spoke serenely, “Benefactor Su is one of those destined for calamity. If I do not guide him now, there may never be another chance. Do you wish to watch him transcend suffering, reach the Other Shore, and become another Primordial Heavenly Venerable? Once his Dao of Primordial Chaos is perfected, even if the Heavenly Emperor were to return, he would struggle to contend with him.”
Liu Luo’s expression flickered slightly. “What are you saying?”
Dipamkara smiled with profound Zen meaning. “The Celestial Court fell, the Immortal Realm was destroyed, yet the epoch did not end. Apart from the Heavenly Emperor not being truly dead, I can think of no other reason. Every great figure knows this, but at the time, their preparations were incomplete, so they tacitly delayed the calamity until now.”
“Back then, the Lord of Purple Tenuity and the Mother of the Big Dipper perished, while the Thunder God of the Ninth Heaven was protected by the Buddha. You few survived thanks to the Heavenly Emperor’s protection, hiding in the ancient star domains until after the Human Emperor forged his sword at Dragon Terrace. Only then did you return, ultimately helping him escape the chessboard and reach the Other Shore. Is there no hidden truth in this?”
He recounted these monumental secrets as calmly as if discussing the weather!
Liu Luo’s expression had long returned to normal. She chuckled lightly. “The Immortal Realm was not completely destroyed—isn’t that a second reason the epoch hasn’t ended? If the Heavenly Emperor truly left contingencies within us, the great figures would have long since controlled us. As for whether Sect Leader Su will become too powerful to restrain in the future, I am not concerned now. Because if you succeed in extracting the ‘Cause of All Effects,’ you would immediately become a patriarch and reach the Other Shore!”
“One is a distant possibility full of variables; the other is an imminent terror. Ancient Buddha, how do you think I should choose?”
As she spoke, a flash of light appeared in her hand, revealing a fiery immortal sword inscribed with three blurred Daoist runes:
“Red Emperor’s Sword!”
This was not the divine weapon passed down through generations of the Mystic Maidens of the Pure Maiden Sect but the true sword of the ancient goddess Mystic Maiden of the Ninth Heaven. Legend said it was forged from the body of a mighty deity from the early ancient times, rivaling the Heavenly Emperor of that era—though the full story remained unknown.
Dipamkara’s expression turned solemn as he chanted a Buddhist invocation. “Namo Amitabha. Since you aid the outsider, do not blame me for the wrath of Vajra.”
Twenty-four perfect halos of Buddha-light blazed behind his head like full moons, within which emerged a figure radiant with light, clad in Daoist robes, his face ancient and peculiar, exuding an immortal aura. In one hand, he held a delicate golden pagoda; in the other, a jade Ruler of Heaven and Earth. Smiling broadly, he said, “Allow this old Daoist to meet an old friend.”
This was Dipamkara’s “Past Daoist Body,” similar to Maitreya’s “Past Relic” but even more refined.
At that moment, Meng Qi suddenly spoke:
“Back then, my teacher began ’emptying himself to seek transcendence,’ yet explicitly stated the ‘Cause of All Effects’ was not for you. This resentment drove you to join the Buddhist sect. But have you never considered—my teacher has always been protective of his disciples. If you were capable, would he not have given it to you instead of seeking another?”
“After cultivating for countless ages, have you still not realized your true flaw?”
His voice thundered, infused with the Heart of Primordial Chaos, striking directly at Dipamkara’s core!
The first part about Dipamkara joining Buddhism was based on accounts Meng Qi had heard from his senior brothers and sisters like Guangchengzi. The latter speculation about the Primordial Heavenly Venerable’s intentions and Dipamkara’s flaw was his own deduction, aimed at disrupting the Ancient Buddha’s perfect Buddha-heart and creating an opening!
As soon as he finished speaking, the tyrannical and dazzling purple blade of the Peerless Heavenly Weapon appeared in Meng Qi’s right hand, its edge piercing through layers of void.
Yet Dipamkara remained serene, smiling faintly. “Whatever the flaw, capturing you will make it clear!”
His mind was as empty as nothingness, utterly unmoved!
Six of the twenty-four perfect halos behind the golden Buddha’s head flew out, transforming into translucent beads radiating multicolored brilliance—none other than the Divine Pearls of Dinghai!
After the Investiture of the Gods, all twenty-four Divine Pearls of Dinghai fell into Dipamkara’s hands. Later, when the Thirty-Three Heavens were constructed, he contributed them upon reaching the pinnacle of the Creation Realm. After the Celestial Court’s fall and the collapse of the heavens, he reclaimed several.
The six pearls radiated a multicolored glow, growing increasingly indistinct as if morphing into six distinct realms: one portraying the human world, another filled with beasts, a third adorned with celestial dancers yet marked by decay, a fourth embroiled in the ceaseless battles of asuras, a fifth tormented by starving ghosts, and a sixth engulfed in the terrors of hell—Dipamkara had forged his own “Six Paths of Samsara” from these very pearls!
The remaining Buddha-light intensified, connecting to reveal a pure land spanning countless kalpas. An ancient glazed lamp rose, emitting a serene yet penetrating light of shifting black and white, illuminating Meng Qi.
Facing Meng Qi’s world-cleaving blade, Dipamkara remained unmoved. Pointing a finger, he declared solemnly:
“You shall be cast into the Human Path!”
The shifting black-and-white light, intertwined with causality, caused the six pearls to rotate slowly. Meng Qi’s blade-light shattered as his illusory Great Dao was tainted by worldly desires. His dharma body began turning mortal—soon, he would be an ordinary man, at others’ mercy.
Was this the terror of the Dao of Causality, just one step from forming an illusory Dao Fruit?
Meng Qi restrained his physical form with the Peerless Heavenly Weapon. A canopy of auspicious clouds blossomed above his head, churning like turbulent waves, cradling a glazed lamp of indescribable hues—resembling the one behind Dipamkara’s head yet devoid of its ancient mystique, radiating instead an aura of sublime transcendence.
While resisting the mortal transformation, he also pointed a finger and declared solemnly:
“If the Cause of All Effects changes, all things shall follow!”
As the primal cause, any alteration would inevitably alter all subsequent effects!
This was the divine might of the “Cause of All Effects” in the Creation Realm!
The moment Meng Qi spoke, Dipamkara’s golden body began to mottle, shedding glazed fragments like peeling inferior paint. Even his “Past Daoist Body” engaged in battle with Liu Luo turned turbid.
Affected by the “Cause of All Effects,” he too was descending into mortality!
Once both were mortals, Meng Qi’s rich combat experience would give him the upper hand against Dipamkara’s innate strength.
As their immortal auras faded and their golden skins dulled, Meng Qi and Dipamkara entered a tug-of-war in the Dao of Causality. Though at a disadvantage, Meng Qi showed no sign of distress.
Even in defeat, he would drag Dipamkara down with him!
Suddenly, a dark, mysterious seal flew from behind Dipamkara’s head—the Samsara Seal of the Demon Buddha!
With a slight rotation, it accelerated the transformation of the Six Paths of Samsara.
Meng Qi’s descent into mortality sped up, while Dipamkara’s changes remained gradual.
Just as Meng Qi prepared to unleash his “Three Purities” in desperation, Liu Luo suddenly smiled faintly. “Ancient Buddha, do you know why I lit these lamps?”
Certainly not just for illumination!
Dipamkara’s heart stirred as he gazed into the void, where terrifying ancient stars formed the shape of the Big Dipper—the “Northern Dipper” born in the Immortal Realm!
The Northern Dipper approached like an imperial carriage, its pure white light forming a boundless sacred canopy.
Beneath the canopy, a faint yet overwhelmingly dominant figure emerged, radiating an aura that made even Dipamkara tremble, recalling a familiar scene:
The Heavenly Emperor’s procession!
This was the Heavenly Emperor’s procession!
Nine dragons pulled the carriage, the Northern Dipper served as its mount, and star lords drove it—the Heavenly Emperor’s grand procession!
Now, though lacking the nine dragons and star lords, the Northern Dipper raced forward, its canopy towering as if bearing a solitary, lofty, and mysterious figure.
Liu Luo’s smile faded as she declared solemnly: “Ancient Buddha, you asked about the Heavenly Emperor’s contingency? Here it is!”
For the first time, Dipamkara’s expression changed. With no time to deduce or hesitate, he abandoned Meng Qi and fled in the opposite direction with his “Past Daoist Body.” The Samsara Seal vanished into the void.
Seizing the moment, Liu Luo transmitted to Meng Qi:
“Go! Delay no longer!”
This was fake? Meng Qi stared in shock at the lonely “Northern Dipper carriage” patrolling the void and the figure that once dominated an era.
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