A pitch-black banner stood tall, connecting the Vacuum Hometown below to the infinite heights above, like a soul-summoning banner heralding the final epoch of all realms and the ultimate end.
Woo woo!
In the original Netherworld, the howling wind sounded like weeping, and the sense of finality—both as the destination after death and the ultimate conclusion—grew increasingly palpable, almost tangible, capable of burying all living beings, burying everything. The apocalypse had arrived, and the Other Shore was no more!
Above the Golden Emperor’s head emerged a cloud of auspiciousness, infinitely vast yet infinitely small, upon which floated a nascent Dao Fruit that encompassed all endings of all things. No longer illusory, it had taken form. As she bowed gracefully toward the “Six-Soul Banner,” this nascent Dao Fruit erupted with radiant light, intertwining with the Netherworld’s Vacuum Hometown, the collapsing Real World, and the eerie and terrifying Six-Soul Banner, giving rise to a ghostly radiance that seemed capable of breaking free from the current node.
The ghostly radiance shimmered, as if concealing a sword capable of annihilating all realms and epochs—a sword of cosmic destruction, indistinct yet undeniably present.
This was the trump card the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable had attempted to deploy during the Investiture of the Gods, intending to overturn the chessboard in the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. Unfortunately, it was jointly blocked by the mighty figures of the Other Shore, leaving the world in ruins.
Now, at the end of multiple epochs, in an apocalypse capable of burying even the Other Shore, the Six-Soul Banner found its perfect stage!
Though it could only suppress and weaken other beings of the Other Shore, unable to kill them outright, for Meng Qi and the Demon Buddha—both severely wounded and locked in fierce combat—it would be a fatal blow!
If Meng Qi perished, the Three Pure Ones’ efforts to “reduce and seek emptiness” would come to naught, and this epoch would lose its last chance for transcendence.
If the Demon Buddha died, with no Meng Qi to succeed him and the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable yet to return, the destruction and finality he symbolized would transfer to the Golden Emperor, allowing the Old Mother Without Birth to fully grasp the momentum of the apocalypse, seizing the advantage of time, terrain, and unity. Meanwhile, Gu Xiaosang, who cultivated both the Infinite and the End, would, upon reaching the Other Shore, mirror the Golden Emperor of old, coming infinitely close to a nascent Dao Fruit. With the slightest opportunity, she would ascend to the ranks of the Ancients, enabling the Golden Emperor to attain the Dao Fruit and achieve true transcendence.
As for Amitabha, who also stood to benefit, he was now somewhat weakened and would inevitably be a step behind at the critical moment. Other noteworthy Ancients were likewise inscribed on the Six-Soul Banner.
Step by step, retreating to advance, refining for years—today was the moment to reclaim what was lost!
The Golden Emperor, noble and aloof, her gaze devoid of any mortal emotion, faced the Six-Soul Banner and the ghostly radiance, bowing solemnly once more.
“I know the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable is using me, and I know they have countermeasures. But some things, when timed right, placed right, and aimed right, will align with the forces of heaven and earth, breaking free from constraints and becoming unstoppable!”
“Everything is reciprocal—you use me, and I use you.”
With the Golden Emperor’s bow, the wails of ghosts and gods surged violently. The ghostly radiance, carrying the indistinct sword, and the Six-Soul Banner shook in unison.
Bang!
The ancient Fusang tree within the darkness of the Demon Buddha shattered inch by inch, its leaves withering one after another, its bark peeling, losing most of its vitality. Though it blocked the fatal strike for the Demon Buddha, it whimpered and shrank rapidly, retreating into the depths, utterly spent.
Bang!
A crack split Meng Qi’s brow, and from it flew the Dao Unity Glazed Lamp, its flame neither black nor white illuminating everything around it, revealing a deadly blackness—like a sword’s edge or a curse.
With no time to defend, no hands free to resist, Meng Qi’s heart stirred, and he activated the “Cause of All Effects.”
As causality shifted, the deadly blackness followed an inexplicable connection, striking a Chaos Green Lotus Seed hidden in the dark waters of the Jade Void Palace.
This was the same Chaos Green Lotus Seed he had once used to nurture the Blood of Haotian.
When the Golden Emperor shattered the Kunlun Jade Void Palace, this object, due to the supreme nature of the Blood of Haotian, escaped destruction. Unnoticed by the Golden Emperor, it was later retrieved by the Great Green Root from the ruins and returned to the true Jade Void Palace.
After the Demon Saint’s hint revealed the Demon Buddha’s origin as the Haotian God, Meng Qi secretly infused his own aura into the seed as a contingency, fearing the Demon Buddha might have other hidden schemes that could backfire.
Now, with the aura resonating and the Cause of All Effects activated, the Six-Soul Banner’s curse was redirected to the Chaos Green Lotus Seed, which bore both Meng Qi’s aura and the Blood of Haotian.
Pfft!
Cracks spread across Meng Qi’s Primordial True Body, and drops of pale golden blood spilled forth, each containing boundless universes. From the depths of the darkness, the Demon Buddha let out a heaven-shaking scream:
“Ah!”
The scream was filled with bone-deep hatred for Meng Qi and the agony of unwillingness.
Having barely survived the killing blow thanks to the Fusang tree, he was inexplicably struck again. His demonic form collapsed, his true spirit scattered, leaving only a flicker of innate radiance struggling to hold on.
Damn the Golden Emperor! Damn the Cause of All Effects!
Meng Qi knew the onslaught wasn’t over—more curses would follow. With the Chaos Green Lotus Seed destroyed, there was no “other” to share the burden. If he didn’t rely on external salvation, his only option was to crush the Demon Buddha completely, assimilate his remnants of finality, fully recover, and elevate himself to the level of the Ancients. Only then could he withstand what was to come.
Enduring his grievous wounds, he plunged deeper into the ultimate darkness of the Demon Buddha, seeking that flicker of innate radiance. Surrounded by blackness, devoid of time or space, with the power of the Sky-Opening Seal greatly diminished, he felt as if he were sinking into a swamp, stepping into a trap. Destruction, finality, freezing, corruption, and decay assailed him relentlessly. Were it not for the protection of the Overlord’s Saber and the Three Treasures Scepter, and his intrinsic entanglement with the Demon Buddha preventing full recovery, he would likely have perished.
With a thought, the Ark of the Apocalypse, fused with the Ksitigarbha Pure Land, traversed layers of time and space, arriving in this apocalyptic darkness, giving Meng Qi a foothold to better search for the Demon Buddha’s hidden innate radiance.
The Ark of the Apocalypse had been forged precisely for such a scenario. Now enhanced, shielded by the Three Treasures Scepter, and guided by the Overlord’s Saber, it pressed forward through the void of destruction. Though the darkness born of the Demon Buddha wasn’t the true end of all things, lacking the final touch, the ark stabilized and advanced swiftly.
…
Eons ago, at the dawn of creation, the Heavenly Venerable of Virtue, Amitabha, and their manifestations trembled as one, spitting out dark flames to neutralize the power of the Six-Soul Banner.
Had they left the Six-Soul Banner to the Golden Emperor as well? Amitabha’s thoughts churned. Instead of turning to attack the Old Mother Without Birth, he focused on restraining the Heavenly Venerable of Virtue, denying him any chance to aid Meng Qi.
The Six-Soul Banner was but a minor hindrance to him—enduring two or three strikes was manageable. But it held the potential to erase Su Meng, severing the Three Pure Ones’ hope for the Dao Fruit. He had no choice but to assist!
Though the Golden Emperor sought to weaken Amitabha, he had no choice but to help her block the Heavenly Venerable of Virtue. Such were the advantages of controlling the grand momentum!
…
The Seven Treasures Tree swept down, deflecting the Phoenix-Winged Black Gold Spear aimed at the Jade Void Palace. The Ancient Buddha of Bodhi intercepted the Demon Saint’s rescue attempt. Both exhaled streams of murky flame, their auras dimming—the Demon Saint more so.
“The Golden Emperor has gone this far, yet you still aid her?” The Demon Saint’s thoughts reverberated through the void.
The Ancient Buddha of Bodhi sighed. “If I don’t, Su Meng will instantly become an Ancient, and the Three Pure Ones will transcend immediately, leaving us no hope. By stalling, we can still vie for advantage in their ensuing conflict with the Golden Emperor. But why do you aid Su Meng? Do you not fear cutting off the path to the Demon Emperor’s Dao Fruit?”
As multicolored light flashed, he deflected the Demon Saint’s spear once more.
“The next epoch must come. Humanity and the demon race must survive the apocalypse to reach it. Only then can I become a true Ancient, and the Demon Empress achieve full transcendence. Her opportunity lies in the next epoch—it conflicts neither with you nor the Three Pure Ones.” The Demon Saint thrust her spear again, simultaneously deploying the Human Emperor’s Sword and the Map of Heaven and Earth. In her current state, the Demon Empress couldn’t intervene directly without entangling herself in karmic ties, risking the collapse of her “reduction and emptiness” efforts.
As the first phoenix born at the dawn of creation, the Demon Saint could easily trace her origins to the Ancients. Absorbing the Demon Empress’s imprints came naturally, granting her the aura of an Ancient. Yet her Dao Fruit remained incomplete, requiring her to guide humanity and the demon race through the apocalypse to take form. Thus, she had no choice but to save Meng Qi, whose Great Dao Tree was key to the apocalypse. However, the Ancient Buddha of Bodhi was a genuine Ancient. Even with his three corpses compromised, the Demon Saint couldn’t break through quickly.
…
Across multiple battlefields, the conflicts raged fiercely. The Green Emperor struggled to suppress backlash, recovering somewhat but still far from being able to intervene.
…
On Changmen Island in the East Sea, Gao Lan gazed toward the Jade Void Palace and suddenly unfurled the Brocade of Rivers and Mountains. He lifted the remaining islands and their inhabitants, sending them flying toward the Jade Pure Hall and the Ark of the Apocalypse, merging them to enhance the ark’s essence—both to survive the apocalypse and to hasten the search for the Demon Buddha’s lingering innate radiance.
In the demon realm, now reduced to fragments, Qi Zhengyan touched the four stars on his brow, manifesting his crimson true form. With the masses he had taught, they surged toward the Jade Void Palace like a mighty river, merging into the Ark of the Apocalypse. In this apocalypse, old grudges were set aside—unity was paramount.
As they lent their aid, a white light blazed forth, illuminating the darkness and the crumbling realms. Gu Xiaoshan had finally broken through the last barrier, manifesting the second category of Other Shore phenomena: Illuminating the Ten Directions!
…
Yet, all this help was either insufficient or too late. Facing the Six-Soul Banner, the Golden Emperor, noble and majestic, bowed once more, her nascent Dao Fruit dimming but resolute.
With this bow, the Demon Buddha would perish, and Meng Qi would fall!
At that moment, in a hidden place, Han Guang, who had been observing the battle alongside the anxious Lu Ya, suddenly paled as the Bodhi Wonderful Tree in his hand flew away, utterly disregarding his ownership!
Radiant and translucent, the tree soared into the Real World, caught by a suddenly appearing pale golden Buddha’s hand, and swept down—toward the Vacuum Hometown, the Six-Soul Banner, and the Golden Emperor. A grand and solemn chant filled the air.
Near the Jade Void Palace, the Supreme True Buddha, locked in combat with the Clear Origin Dao Lord, shuddered violently, more terrified than when facing the Golden Cicada’s shell or Tang Sanzang’s remains.
The Buddha!
The Buddha who had struck down the Demon Buddha Ananda at the critical moment!
The only transcendent being with a record of direct intervention!
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