Regarding the major events of the ancient mythological era, Meng Qi was no longer the ignorant novice he once was. Through various experiences and observations, he continuously corrected past misconceptions, feeling increasingly closer to the truth.
At this moment, after deducing from the fragmented words left by the Primordial Heavenly Venerable that the joint assault of several great Nirvana-level beings on the Celestial Court was likely related to the Dao Fruit, some long-standing doubts seemed to suddenly find their explanations.
After the Celestial Emperor opened the highest layer of the Nine Heavens, traversed the Sea of Bitterness, and ascended to the Nirvana realm, as a true heavyweight with grand ambitions, it was only natural that he no longer wished to be a mere puppet for the Primordial Heavenly Venerable and the Virtuous Heavenly Venerable. Allying with the Tathagata of Lingshan and drawing the Buddhist forces into the fray to achieve balance, playing both sides to his advantage, was indeed a brilliant strategy. But why did he ultimately break with the Primordial and Virtuous Heavenly Venerables and fully align himself with Buddhism?
The critical turning point was the havoc wreaked by the “Great Sage Equaling Heaven,” Sun Wukong, in the Celestial Palace. Unstoppable, he forced the Celestial Emperor to directly summon the Tathagata of Lingshan to suppress him. Yet this seemingly simple event held too many inexplicable anomalies:
As one of the Three Pure Ones and an ancient Nirvana-level being, the Virtuous Heavenly Venerable failed to refine Sun Wukong in his alchemical furnace, instead granting him even greater power.
The “True Lord Erlang,” Yang Jian, who had always appeared to hold back and whose mastery of the Infinite Chaos Dao was known only to his teachers at the Jade Void Palace, had already returned to Guankou.
The two main generals of the Celestial Court, the Thunder God and the Mystic Maiden, were coincidentally absent.
The remaining powerful figures, such as the Star Lords and Celestial Monarchs, either did not act or were utterly incapable of stopping Sun Wukong, failing to live up to their reputations.
Most importantly, the Celestial Emperor, a true Nirvana-level being and the strongest among the Five Emperors, actually hid in the Lingxiao Palace and summoned the Tathagata of Lingshan for help, unwilling to confront Sun Wukong himself. Shouldn’t it have been a case of “the Celestial Emperor’s wrath reducing the demonic monkey to ashes”?
If we add “something related to achieving the Dao Fruit,” everything falls into place.
The Celestial Emperor, upon opening the highest layer of the Nine Heavens, accidentally discovered this object. Keeping it secret, he studied and even slowly refined it while quietly setting up the cycle of reincarnation, plotting to seize control of the Netherworld and the Black Prison to establish his own true underworld. As a result, his power grew rapidly, approaching that of the ancient ones, and his desire to break free from control burned like oil-fed flames. He began to engage and ally with the Tathagata of Lingshan, using political maneuvers to mask his true reliance.
However, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable and the Virtuous Heavenly Venerable were terrifyingly perceptive. As the “Origin of All” and the “Embodiment of the Great Dao,” they were not mere titles but statements of fact. They vaguely detected the anomaly and, at the critical moment of the Celestial Emperor’s refinement, released Sun Wukong to wreak havoc in the Celestial Palace, forcing the Celestial Emperor to act and reveal the truth.
Thus, Yang Jian, the “True Lord of Clear Origin and Wondrous Dao,” who “obeyed orders but not summons,” had already returned to Guankou. The Thunder God, the Mystic Maiden, and the True Martial Emperor were each diverted by other matters. The remaining forces, mostly aligned with the Daoist faction, either feigned ignorance or put in minimal effort, forcing the Celestial Emperor to take the field himself.
At that time, the Celestial Emperor likely realized that any action would expose his secret. Resolute, he fully aligned himself with Buddhism, summoning the Tathagata of Lingshan to suppress the demonic monkey. The subsequent Journey to the West event, aside from involving the Tathagata’s profound “emptiness-seeking” practice, also marked the culmination of centuries of collaboration between the Celestial Emperor and Buddhism, finally gaining the upper hand and beginning to suppress and intimidate the Daoist forces within the Celestial Court and the demonic factions on earth.
Later, for unknown reasons, this secret related to the Dao Fruit was leaked, even reaching the ears of Lu Ya, who entrusted Meng Qi to relay the message to the Green Emperor about the “highest layer of the Nine Heavens.” Consequently, several Nirvana-level beings set aside their differences and jointly stormed the Celestial Court, nearly ending the mythological era. In this process, the Tathagata of Lingshan, whose allegiance at the time remains unclear, reaped the greatest benefits—or perhaps, through this, he overcame his obsessions, shed his shackles, and achieved true emptiness, soon attaining the Dao Fruit in nirvana at Lingshan. This was one of the pieces of evidence supporting Meng Qi’s conjecture.
As for the culprit behind the leak, the name “Thunder God” immediately came to Meng Qi’s mind. This seemingly loyal figure had long been colluding with the Demon Lord, even before the joint assault on the Celestial Court. One could argue that the Demon Lord’s rebellion against the Celestial Court was a prelude orchestrated by the ancient ones to bring about the fall of the heavens.
This also explains why the Demon Lord, newly ascended to the Nirvana realm, was so eager to rebel and fight the Celestial Emperor to the death. The “object” was too precious and important, and with the Thunder God as his inside man—and even the Primordial and Virtuous Heavenly Venerables blocking Buddhist interference to observe the outcome—his chances of success were not small.
If he didn’t act soon, the Celestial Emperor might fully assimilate his gains!
Yet at the critical moment, while the Primordial and Virtuous Heavenly Venerables held back the Tathagata and Amitabha, the Thunder God, who was supposed to deliver the fatal betrayal, arrived late—repeatedly, fatally late.
Thus, the Celestial Emperor, despite severe injuries, slew the Demon Lord at the boundary stele of the Celestial Court, scattering his body across myriad realms.
Delving deeper, the Demon Lord’s sudden ascension to the Nirvana realm might have been facilitated by benefits obtained from the Thunder God—benefits tied to that “object.” A being who rose from the ranks of demons and evil gods would never trust empty promises!
But all this hinges on one premise: the Celestial Emperor allowed the Thunder God to learn such a critical secret without silencing him. This could only mean either “absolute trust” or that the Thunder God was intimately familiar with the highest layer of the Nine Heavens and possessed hidden means to evade the Celestial Emperor’s notice and access the “object.”
Amid these swirling thoughts, Meng Qi heard Liu Luo sigh: “Very likely… no wonder the Green Emperor took the lead…”
However, such an “object” was likely seized by a major figure during the fall of the Celestial Court. Even the remnants would have been claimed by the Green Emperor, leaving little for other powerful beings like themselves to scramble for.
…
The ancient tomb was deep and dark, its vaulted ceiling like a starry sky, with points of light flickering as immense forces pressed down.
“Taiyi!”
Mad, indistinct roars echoed from the depths, seemingly capable of shaking the innate spiritual light residing within everyone, dragging it into a chaotic and terrifying abyss.
Tokens inscribed with the words “Myriad Forms” and “Ice and Snow” in Chiyu script circled and intertwined, resonating with the remains within the nine ancient tombs. Drawing upon the power of heaven and earth, they formed a smaller version of the tomb’s restrictive formations under the guidance of the ever-shifting black-and-white dots of the Luo Book. This allowed Wang Siyuan to withstand the faint roars leaking from the monstrous entity.
Even so, Wang Siyuan felt his acupoints numb, as if icy needles were piercing through, his mind slightly foggy, his Yi Dao true body wavering like ethereal mist.
Yet his smile remained, the madness in his eyes growing more pronounced. After taking nine more steps forward, he suddenly spoke:
“Taiyi?”
“Why call yourself Taiyi?”
“Aren’t you just Donghuang Taiyi?”
Donghuang Taiyi—one of the three ancient Nirvana-level sovereigns, who perished in his bid for supremacy against Haotian Shangdi!
Could he still be alive? Surviving into this era? Suppressed by the sacrifice of nine immortal venerables?
The roars fell into an eerie silence for a few breaths, then, as if regaining some clarity, erupted like a tidal wave: “I am not Donghuang Taiyi!”
Wang Siyuan coughed lightly and nodded:
“True, you’re not worthy of the name Donghuang Taiyi.”
With a faint smile, he continued:
“You are She Qin, the founding patriarch of Zhixu Mountain.”
The cries ceased again, replaced by faint sounds of agony before a weak roar emerged: “I… I am She Qin…”
Wang Siyuan’s face flushed with a sickly hue: “In your attempt to escape the Sea of Bitterness, you studied the remnants of fallen Nirvana-level beings in the world. But you stumbled upon Donghuang Taiyi, who was dead but not gone, and nearly became his vessel for revival. Had the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable not sensed it and struck from afar, you would have become Donghuang Taiyi long ago.”
The chaotic voice grew bewildered: “How… how do you know this?”
Wang Siyuan’s eyes flickered with a mix of madness and bitterness as he coughed and laughed: “Of course… of course from the real Donghuang Taiyi…”
…
The Northern Dipper’s imperial chariot tore through the void, pressing onward.
“Is it really necessary to go there?” Liu Luo, the “Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens,” voiced her dissent. “Would the major figures leave anything crucial behind?”
Given the disordered flow of time around them, which reflected scenes from the past, they were nearing the core of the highest layer of the Nine Heavens—one of the focal points of the ancient Nirvana-level battle.
Meng Qi smiled: “What the major figures overlook may still be invaluable to us. Moreover, we might encounter the Green Emperor, freeing me from worries about the Ancient Buddha of Lanterns and the Demon Buddha tracking us through their avatars…”
Before he could finish, he felt the Tree of Dao in his sleeve tremble violently, as if sensing something and straining to break free.
His heart stirred as he drew out the jade-green tree shrouded in clear light, pointing it into the depths of the void.
In that instant, a pillar of clear light shot up from the depths, its ripples spreading like waves, illuminating the path ahead.
…
Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Great Wisdom, paused mid-flight in the boundless darkness, turning his gaze toward a distant beacon of clear light.
“What’s happening there?” he murmured gravely, altering his course toward the “lighthouse” of clear light.
Elsewhere in the void, the Buddha of Immeasurable Life, the Heavenly Venerable of Many Treasures, the Three Cloud Maidens, the Bull Demon King, the Roc Demon King, and even the Ancient Buddha of Lanterns—all turned their attention to the transcendent radiance piercing through time and space.
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