Maitreya Buddha laughed heartily and entered the arena.
Instead of fighting, the two of them surprisingly started drinking tea. After finishing their tea, Maitreya Buddha stepped down from the arena first.
Whoever steps down first is considered the loser.
What kind of a duel is this? It’s practically a joke!
Shui Miao’s mind was shaken. He quickly looked toward Buddha Shakyamuni, who was smiling happily, seemingly satisfied with the loss.
Shui Miao then glanced at the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor had narrowed his eyes, stroking his beard, and appeared equally confident, as if victory was already in his grasp.
Now only one final battle remained. Shui Miao was extremely curious to see who would ultimately prove stronger between the Buddha and the Jade Emperor.
In fact, everyone present was equally curious. One was the Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Court, and the other was Buddha Shakyamuni of the West. Who would be stronger between these two supreme beings, and who would ultimately determine the fate of the Three Realms?
Around the arena, sects and numerous experts at the Xian Emperor level were also becoming excited.
This final battle would be the decisive conflict that would change the fate of the Three Realms.
It seemed everyone had already forgotten about Shui Miao’s faction…
Laozi stepped forward and proclaimed loudly, “The second round is won by the Heavenly Court, making the score even. Now the third round will begin. Please step onto the arena.”
“Hehe…”
Buddha Shakyamuni smiled lightly and was about to fly onto the arena when the Jade Emperor suddenly appeared on the stage.
The Jade Emperor had even moved his throne with him, and he still sat high above, looking invincible.
Buddha Shakyamuni followed and flew onto the stage to face the Jade Emperor. As he was about to speak, the Jade Emperor preempted him, saying, “Buddha, let’s compete in crossing the Tribulation. Crossing the Tribulation is not only a test of cultivation power but also of virtue. I have cultivated since childhood, enduring 1,750 tribulations. The only tribulation I have yet to cross is the Reincarnation Tribulation. Let’s bet on that. Whoever survives the Tribulation shall be the winner.”
As he spoke, the Jade Emperor summoned an enormous Wheel of Reincarnation.
“It’s the Wheel of Reincarnation!”
Shui Miao and Xuankong’er looked at each other in shock. This Wheel of Reincarnation was clearly more than ten times larger than the previous one.
Undoubtedly, this was the legendary largest Wheel of Reincarnation.
After glancing at the Wheel of Reincarnation, Buddha Shakyamuni suddenly realized, “So you weren’t traveling for leisure during your absence from the Three Realms. You went to seek Master Hongjun for the Wheel of Reincarnation.”
The Jade Emperor, with a voice like a mighty bell, spoke proudly and loudly, “Of course! Ever since my defeat in the Immortal Demon Realm, I have been thinking of revenge. To completely eradicate the demon race, I went alone into the depths of the universe to ask Master Hongjun for the Wheel of Reincarnation. I did this entirely for the Three Realms. Although the people of the Three Realms are suffering temporarily, they will no longer suffer in the future.”
When the Jade Emperor revealed the truth, everyone was stunned.
No one had expected that the Jade Emperor had left the Three Realms to save its people. The immortals were shaken and excited.
Beside Shui Miao, Xuankong’er shook her head and whispered, “There’s a conspiracy here. The truth must not be like this.”
“What conspiracy?”
Shui Miao quickly asked.
Xuankong’er shook her head again. “I don’t know yet.”
“…”
Shui Miao was momentarily speechless. However, he finally understood the source of the Jade Emperor’s confidence. With the Wheel of Reincarnation in hand, who could rival him?
“Hehe…”
Suddenly, Buddha Shakyamuni chuckled. “Jade Emperor, your motive isn’t like that. Your motive is to consolidate your power. You want revenge to wipe away your own shame. In your heart, you still care more about power than the people of the Three Realms. Because since your return, you haven’t brought any change to the Three Realms in the past three years. Therefore, your words are lies. You are a hypocrite. A hypocrite will absolutely not survive the Reincarnation Tribulation.”
The Buddha’s words were indeed accurate, like a wake-up call.
Realizing the truth, all the immortals fell silent.
“Hahahahaha…”
The Jade Emperor suddenly burst into wild laughter. “Very well! You say I’m a hypocrite. Then I will cross the Reincarnation Tribulation right in front of you. If I succeed, it will prove your words are false, and you must admit defeat. I won’t press you hard. After you admit defeat, just promise not to covet the rule of the Three Realms anymore.”
“Fine, please proceed.”
Buddha Shakyamuni, not one for many words, immediately raised his hand in agreement.
At once, the Jade Emperor activated the enormous Wheel of Reincarnation, gathering energy to undergo the tribulation.
The Wheel of Reincarnation required at least the time of a cup of tea to gather energy. The power accumulated during such a long time would be earth-shattering. This energy alone could kill a supreme expert with the strength of a million Azure Dragons. The Jade Emperor’s choice of tribulation was undoubtedly the most terrifying test.
Such a trial was something even the Buddha dared not attempt.
If the Jade Emperor succeeded, the Buddha naturally would have nothing more to say.
However, if the Jade Emperor failed, he would be utterly destroyed.
Therefore, the Buddha did not object to the Jade Emperor’s condition.
“Mother Shui Tian, do you think the Jade Emperor might cheat when he subjects himself to the tribulation?” Shui Tianyi, watching the massive Wheel of Reincarnation rising, curiously asked the Goddess Nuwa.
Nuwa immediately shook her head in response, “No, the Wheel of Reincarnation is no ordinary treasure. It contains the consciousness of Master Hongjun. If the Jade Emperor cheats, he will certainly be punished by Master Hongjun.”
“I suspect… there’s something wrong with the Jade Emperor’s body…”
Xuankong’er stared intently at the Jade Emperor, muttering in a low voice.
“What do you mean?” Shui Miao quickly asked.
Xuankong’er replied, “During the great battle of the Immortal Demon Realm, the ancient immortals were defeated, and the Jade Emperor barely escaped. At that time, I was fortunate enough to obtain the Jade Emperor’s blood. After extensive research, I discovered that his blood contains an unknown mysterious power. This mysterious power somewhat resembles… the mysterious power of the Azure Phoenix.”
Shui Miao was startled and quickly said, “Brother Xuankong’er, are you saying that the Jade Emperor has also cultivated the Yin-Yang and Five Elements energy, and that he has also cultivated an artistic planet? He has the Azure Phoenix protecting him, which is why he isn’t afraid of crossing the Tribulation. That’s why he can keep surviving the Tribulations and maintain his position as the Jade Emperor?”
“More or less. We’ll know for sure once we see him go through the Tribulation.”
Xuankong’er fixed his gaze on the Wheel of Reincarnation. He was more skilled than anyone in studying materials.
Back then, he had once planned to forge a puppet of the Jade Emperor, but he failed because he lacked the Purple Fortune Core Stone.
“Oh, I see!”
“What a Jade Emperor! He’s been deceiving us all these years!”
Nuwa and the Goddess of the Nine Heavens overheard the conversation between Shui Miao and Xuankong’er. Both were shocked to finally understand the truth.
However, Shui Miao felt that if this were indeed the case, and if the Jade Emperor was truly willing to benefit the people of the Three Realms, then it would be a blessing for the Three Realms.
But the Buddha’s words just now were enough to prove that the Jade Emperor’s thoughts were not focused on the people of the Three Realms.
The Jade Emperor’s thoughts were on the Heavenly Gate at the summit of the Pillar Mountain.
Where did that Heavenly Gate lead?
Unconsciously, Shui Miao’s thoughts drifted back to the Heavenly Gate.
※※※
“Buzz!”
Suddenly, the enormous Wheel of Reincarnation emitted a thick beam of ten-colored light, completely enveloping the Jade Emperor.
The ten-colored light consisted of ten types of primordial energies, extremely dazzling and powerful, completely submerging the Jade Emperor.
Nearby, those affected by the ten-colored light, due to the lack of one or another type of primordial energy in their bodies, were severely oppressed and had to retreat backward to hide.
Buddha Shakyamuni, however, was holding his ground on the stage, though the fire and yin energies were causing him great harm.
People around Shui Miao also retreated backward.
However, this ten-colored light gave Shui Miao a very pleasant and comfortable feeling.
These ten types of primordial energies were a rare gift, something one could hardly ask for. Shui Miao did not retreat but instead absorbed the primordial energies from the light to enhance his own strength. At the same time, he redirected the light into his artistic planet to nourish the Azure Phoenix.
The Azure Phoenix, nourished by the ten types of primordial energies, gradually became more lively and animated.
“Buddha,” the Jade Emperor shouted, “I don’t want to hurt you. Why do you insist on staying? This Reincarnation Tribulation is beyond your capacity. I advise you to leave now.”
Buddha Shakyamuni, with deep cultivation, was desperately resisting. However, as the power of the fire and yin energies grew stronger, he had no choice but to retreat and leave the arena.
Shui Miao, on the other hand, took a few steps forward to absorb more primordial energy.
“Buzzzzz…”
The Wheel of Reincarnation stopped spinning, and the intense light gradually weakened.
The Jade Emperor retrieved the Wheel of Reincarnation, looked around at the immortals with an air of superiority…
Suddenly, the Jade Emperor noticed Shui Miao nearby and was startled. He guessed that Shui Miao might also be someone who had cultivated the ten primordial energies.
However, at this moment, the Jade Emperor had no time to deal with Shui Miao. Instead, he looked down at Buddha Shakyamuni on the arena and loudly asked, “Buddha, now will you finally admit defeat?”
“Jade Emperor, you indeed won this round, but you have lost the overall match. Don’t forget, there are still three rounds of arena battles left…”
Buddha Shakyamuni turned to look at Shui Miao and approached him. He sent Shui Miao a mental message, saying, “Shui Miao, our Buddhist kingdom does not covet the rule of the Heavenly Court. We came here at the request of Laozi to initiate the Dao-Buddhism conflict. Just now, everything we did was to make you see the truth clearly. He is a hypocrite, fond of scheming, and has no real ability. Under his rule, the Three Realms have no future. You should overthrow him, and our Buddhist kingdom will stand behind you, forever supporting you and the God of Literature and War in establishing a new order for the Three Realms.”
After sending the mental message to Shui Miao, Buddha Shakyamuni suddenly vanished to the back.
“The arena battle will continue. The Heavenly Court faction versus Shui Miao’s faction, please get ready…”
Laozi stepped forward again and loudly announced the continuation of the competition, bringing everyone back to the realization that the new match had just begun.
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