Heaven always leaves a sliver of hope, and the future branches into countless streams. Events are governed by the principles of uncertainty and unpredictability. Thus, even among the transcendent beings who remain aloof, contending only for the Great Dao, there exist a few anomalies—such as the compassionate Houtu, who pities all living beings, or the deeply emotional and sincere Demon Sage.
At this moment, her spear struck true. As she gazed at the Demon Buddha’s drastically changed expression, her beautiful, crystalline eyes flickered with faint mockery and amusement.
*When I had yet to reach the far shore, you were the peerless hero who dominated the Primordial Era, nearly thwarting the Daoist Venerable’s transcendence by suppressing the Eastern Emperor. You were the magnificent man who made hearts flutter, the flame I admired from afar but dared not approach—like a moth drawn to the fire, willing to perish without regret…*
*When you fell at the end of the Primordial Era, I was powerless to save you. Heartbroken and despondent, I was stunned to discover you had not truly perished. Instead, you had willingly discarded your true form and the imprints of past and future, relying on a sliver of vitality and all your memories hidden within the ancient Thunder Pond to deceive the heavens and survive into this epoch. Overjoyed, I secretly sought you out, only to be tricked into swearing an oath—never to reveal your true identity and to aid you in sowing discord between the Demon Race and the Three Pure Ones, as well as among the Three Pure Ones themselves. I did so willingly, without complaint…*
*Yet, during the battle at Mount Ling, for your own sake, you not only abandoned me but also sought the annihilation of the Demon Race. All our past vows meant nothing in the face of your struggle for the Great Dao and your thirst for vengeance!*
*In your eyes, I was merely a tool. That day when I “accidentally” discovered the Thunder God’s true identity as Haotian—it was no coincidence. You deliberately revealed it to gain an ally…*
*I endured for eons, waiting for eons, watching you roam free, watching you attain the far shore—all for this moment, this single, flawless strike!*
*Otherwise, with the Heavenly Dao monster aiding you and the Samsara Seal at your side, even at your weakest, you could not be slain in one blow. Instead, the secret of the Demon Empress would be exposed.*
*Now, do you feel the pain of this spear? Such agony has festered in my heart for countless millennia!*
The flames of annihilation burned, interwoven with the radiance of the Five Virtues, thinning the black miasma of corruption and shattering the demonic arts A’nan desperately wielded. Meanwhile, Meng Qi’s many arms—some wielding the Primordial Unity Seal, others entwined with threads of karma, some manifesting as colossal thunderous hands, and others striking with the Three Virtues—bound and restrained the Demon Buddha, preventing him from interrupting the devouring or fleeing.
*After finally luring you into this trap, how could I let this opportunity slip?*
The Demon Buddha’s inverted form ignited with dark flames, suppressed by the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Pagoda and the Taiji Diagram, sealing all his transformations. His eyes reflected Feng Xi’s peerless beauty, his ears seemingly hearing the toll of his own demise, his mind flashing through memories like a dying mortal:
*Assisting the Celestial Emperor, securing the support of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable and the Moral Heavenly Venerable to unify the celestial realm, while secretly manipulating Feng Xi to deceive the Demon Empress with secrets of the Daoist Venerable’s enlightenment. Allying with the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable to support King Tang, then using Feng Xi to spread fear of the Numinous Treasure’s apocalyptic might and the heightened hope for the Dao Fruit, igniting the War of the Gods and severely weakening the Numinous Treasure…*
*After the Celestial Emperor dominated an era, I worked to sow discord between him and the Primordial and Moral Heavenly Venerables. I manifested A’nan, the Buddhist incarnation, to infiltrate Mount Ling, laying the groundwork for the Celestial Emperor’s alignment with Buddhism. Meanwhile, I cultivated Buddhist teachings to reclaim the far shore, ultimately succeeding through the affairs of Sun Wukong and others…*
*Then, betraying the Celestial Emperor, I indirectly revealed the secret of the World Tree’s fruit—first, to ensure only Haotian could claim the title of Celestial Emperor, forcing him to relinquish it after his long reign; second, to incite conflict among the far shore beings over the fruit, creating chaos. In such turmoil, as the oldest and most powerful far shore being with the Moral Heavenly Venerable’s aid, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable stood a high chance of obtaining the fruit, becoming a constrained, incomplete Dao Fruit, unable to act freely thereafter—effectively sidelined until the epoch’s end. Thus, only the Moral Heavenly Venerable would remain intact among the Three Pure Ones…*
*Yet, at the critical moment, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable suddenly awakened, turning away from the World Tree’s fruit without hesitation, declaring he sought no external aids. This cast doubt on Amitabha and the Ancient Buddha of Bodhi, allowing the fruit to fall into the hands of the Buddha of Mount Ling, who used it to achieve the Dao Fruit and birth the Supreme True Buddha—a monstrosity designed to counter Buddhism. Left with no choice, I incited the Demon Race to assault Mount Ling, reversing the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation at the crucial moment to annihilate the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas before the Supreme True Buddha could devour them, leaving it only their golden relics to consume. Thus, even now, the Supreme True Buddha remains “diminished,” while also damaging the Demon Empress and Amitabha, who showed signs of shedding their karmic burdens…*
*Reincarnating through the mortal dust, striving to break free from the sea of suffering before the far shore beings returned, to openly scheme without restraint…*
*Holding onto lingering affection, guilt toward the Demon Sage, and unyielding obsession, each reincarnation only deepened my fall, distancing me further from enlightenment…*
*Abandoning all goodness, embracing my darkest desires, I finally descended into demonhood, reclaiming the far shore while my adversaries slumbered, evading the current epoch’s influence…*
*After all this, after all I’ve sacrificed—this is my reward? A spear through the back? Are my ambitions and thirst for the Great Dao to vanish like smoke?*
*No! I refuse to accept this!*
Madness burned in the Demon Buddha’s eyes as his body swelled into an abyssal void, mirroring the end of an epoch, dragging entire seas into oblivion and sinking islands into the depths.
*I am the Demon of Annihilation, the harbinger of epoch’s end! I will not fall so easily!*
Seeing this, Meng Qi’s earlier amusement faded. The Supreme Primordial Cloud of Chaos collapsed, merging with his Dao body into a singular point—encompassing past, present, and future, all things and all principles, the beginning and the end. This point anchored the darkness, restraining the void, preventing the Demon Buddha’s escape.
Simultaneously, the purple saber transformed into lightning, illuminating the boundless darkness with a force akin to the creation of heaven and earth. Feng Xi, the Demon Sage, spun her Phoenix-Wing Black Gold Spear, relentlessly shredding and incinerating the Demon Buddha A’nan’s vitality.
Together, they sought to annihilate the Demon Buddha in the shortest time possible!
Within the Bodhi Pure Land, the moment the Demon Sage struck, the Ancient Buddha rose, seizing the Seven Treasures Tree. His usual serenity vanished entirely.
*If Su Meng slays the Demon Buddha, even without assimilation, the remnants of the “Termination Dao Fruit” will naturally flow to his other “self”—Su Meng himself. With this, he could use the Termination Dao Fruit as a foundation, combined with the Sword Scriptures and formations of the Four Swords of Slaying Immortals, to manifest a weak far shore incarnation symbolizing termination. This would give his Dao Fruit form, elevate him to an Ancient One, complete the Moral Heavenly Venerable’s shedding of karmic burdens, fulfill the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable’s causal titles, and allow the Three Pure Ones to transcend!*
*So the Primordial Heavenly Venerable’s true intention in selecting the Demon Buddha’s hidden “other self” as the target for shedding karmic burdens was always the Termination Dao Fruit!*
*Now, I must intervene…*
At this critical juncture—with the Demon Sage withdrawing her spear, the World of Investiture of the Gods left unguarded, and the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable on the verge of breaking free—the Ancient Buddha of Bodhi acted without hesitation. From afar, he swept the Seven Treasures Tree, its cleansing light deflecting the Demon Sage’s spear.
*As for the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable, let the Golden Emperor handle it. She, of all people, would least desire his return!*
Just then, the Celestial Emperor stepped forward indifferently, his body wreathed in flames resembling flowing time—burning away the Dao body once belonging to Fu Huang and his own illusory Dao Fruit.
*He chose self-destruction, embracing his own demise!*
Time blazed brilliantly, superimposing the current epoch’s end over the present moment, enveloping the World of Investiture of the Gods with the long saber’s radiance, temporarily halting the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable’s emergence.
*By sacrificing himself, he held back the two most ancient Heavenly Venerables!*
Yet, a faint smile touched the Celestial Emperor’s eyes.
*This is the final step to escape the prophecy—”At epoch’s end, the Celestial Emperor falls.”*
*But if I must fall, I’ll drag you down with me!*
Suddenly, the myriad realms plunged into darkness, chaos reigning supreme. Gu Xiaosang, tracing the past back to the earliest antiquity, solidified her illusory Dao Fruit in reverse, ushering in the final trial before the far shore.
*The first sign of far shore transcendence: Chaos of Heaven and Earth!*
Witnessing this, within the long-silent Vacuous Pure Land, the woman within the luminous moon—bearing striking resemblance to Gu Xiaosang but more mature, dignified, and imperious—rose to her feet. Behind her, a terrifying black banner unfurled, intertwined with the epoch’s end and the current tide of destiny. Six tassels hung from it, each inscribed with a name:
*”Meng Qi!” “Demon Buddha!” “Demon Empress!” “Amitabha!” “Ancient Buddha of Bodhi!” “Moral Heavenly Venerable!”*
And atop the banner, layered dark runes formed three dread-inspiring characters:
*”Six Souls Banner!”*
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage