Free Web NovelChapter 439: Chapter 73: The Auspicious Day Has Passed; Blood Can Be Shed
In the next instant of Birth and Death, he calmly turned his gaze to the Celestial Vault.
Above the clouds, the Celestials and Immortals were suddenly struck with terror. A chill exploded from the base of their spines, surging through their entire bodies in an instant!
Great Strength Buddha turned to flee, the Golden-Winged Great Peng beat its wings in a mad dash, and more than ten Immortals scattered, all rushing frantically toward the gaps between heaven and earth!
"Slay."
The middle-aged Daoist coldly issued a decree to all of creation.
In the first breath, one by one, the Immortals were decapitated, falling from the sky one after another.
In the second breath, Great Strength Ancient Buddha was nailed to the Celestial Vault by a surge of celestial killing intent. Every version of himself across all realms and all worlds was annihilated, his True Spirit extinguished!
In the third breath, the Golden-Winged Great Peng stopped in its tracks and roared at the sky, "The Demon Ancestor has led me to ruin! The Demon Ancestor has led me to ruin!"
It, too, plummeted, all signs of life gone.
By the fourth breath.
The Immortal Corpses were reconstructed into patches of crimson Immortal Peach Groves. The body of the Golden-Winged Great Peng transformed into a Divine Lake, exuding auspicious omens.
The dismembered body of True Saint Tianpeng became fertile soil.
The Great Strength Ancient Buddha, who had been nailed to the Celestial Vault by killing intent, was also fashioned into a Great Banner, which hung fluttering among the clouds. It bore a couplet: the top line read, "A Toast to the Newcomers," and the bottom, "Great Fortune to All Realms."
A spring breeze blew again. Under countless gazes shocked into numbness, the dust from the collapsed mountain ranges re-formed into a continuous mountain chain, as if time were reversing.
By the time Lu Xuan and Xiaoyan lazily strolled out of the Daoist Palace,
they saw swathes of peach groves suffused with an immortal aura, a vast lake steaming with auspicious omens and Qingyun, and the congratulatory banner high in the clouds, all wreathed in Immortal Music.
Everything they saw was peaceful and harmonious. The cosmic Circulation of fate showed only signs of great fortune.
"Why is everyone out here?"
Lu Xuan bowed to his Second Master, then asked with some curiosity:
"What is that in the sky?"
He pointed to the Sandalwood Merit Buddha, standing rigidly in the Celestial Vault.
In the dead silence, the middle-aged Daoist turned around and spoke with a smile:
"That is the Sandalwood Merit Buddha of Spirit Mountain. He has come to congratulate you."
From the sky, the Sandalwood Merit Buddha descended, bowed deeply in salute, and said in a hoarse voice:
"I, Chen Xuanzang, to congratulate the newcomers, specially offer a firework display as a gift!"
With a point of his finger, the Merit Golden Wheel behind his head disintegrated. All the merit from his ten lifetimes of journeying to the West to retrieve the scriptures was extracted, transforming into a great blessing and coalescing into a massive firework that illuminated all directions!
"So beautiful..." Xiaoyan watched the ten brilliant golden fireworks in the sky, her eyes sparkling.
Li Changgeng’s eyelids twitched violently. ’A lifetime of cultivation, the boundless merit gained from the great calamity of the Journey to the West, all turned into a single firework display...’
’This Golden Cicada... what incredible audacity!’
’No wonder he could sublimate from the peak of the Immortal realm and become an Ancient Buddha on the level of the Celestial Realms in just a few tens of thousands of years after his journey!’
Lu Xuan smiled and bowed to his Second Master again. He understood the situation but didn’t let it show. He just turned to the countless guests, who were either terrified or dumbstruck.
He laughed heartily and said:
"Master Xuanzang’s fireworks have ended, but the banquet is not yet over. Why not continue the music and dancing?"
"Good." The middle-aged Daoist nodded with a smile. He waved his hand, and the shattered fragment of Jasper Pool was partially restored, revealing some of its former splendor.
Golden Boys and Jade Maidens played instruments and sang praises, Celestial Fairies performed dances, all amidst swirling clouds and mist—a true Immortal Family’s spectacle.
There was even a True Phoenix delivering a song, and an Ancient Buddha manifested to create and chant a sutra of joy for the occasion.
The guests returned to the Daoist Palace, listening to the immortal tunes, watching the immortal dances, and consuming the ambrosia and jade nectar.
It was as if nothing had happened before.
Amidst the divine Immortal Music, Xiaoyan couldn’t help but ask curiously:
"Xiaolu, where are the unwelcome guests?"
Before Xiaolu could answer, the middle-aged Daoist beside them said with a smile:
"Today is a day of great fortune; there were no unwelcome guests. Just a few Immortals and Buddhas who sent over some Immortal Peach Groves, a Divine Lake that reflects all the Celestial Realms, and a ceremonial banner."
"Oh, I see." Xiaoyan nodded with a smile.
... ... ... ... ... ...
「In a certain Sea of Void.」
"All who went have failed."
The Demon Ancestor said faintly, her eyes suddenly opening.
The Immortal Mother’s expression changed slightly. She said:
"That... that can’t be, can it? Five beings from the Celestial Realms went, not to mention Golden Cicada and Jiang Shang..."
The Demon Ancestor shook her head and said calmly:
"Across all realms and worlds, Tianpeng’s other selves were shattered by the Jade Ruyi, Great Strength’s other selves were nailed down and killed by heaven’s killing intent, Jiang Shang’s other selves committed suicide, and the Great Peng was also annihilated in all worlds."
The Immortal Mother’s expression changed again.
The Demon Ancestor gazed at the hazy, indistinct Great Heaven and Earth and spoke faintly:
"If I’m not mistaken, the one who acted was the Primordial Celestial Venerable. He went into the Great Heaven and Earth?"
"How is that possible? The Goddess stands guard over the Great Heaven and Earth. Those who have achieved the Dao Fruit shouldn’t even be able to enter, let alone peer inside..." the Immortal Mother blurted out instinctively.
However, the Demon Ancestor just shook her head:
"Anything is possible. Now that Lu Xuan has survived, trying to kill him again will be difficult... Have you found out whose piece Profound Yellow is?"
Nearby, the Maitreya Buddha Mother, who had been silent all this time, shook her head.
"No. That Profound Yellow appeared suddenly during the time of the Qin Dynasty, shrouded in a thick fog of mystery. Taiyi knows, but he is unwilling to speak."
"Is that so?"
The Demon Ancestor looked up, her gaze incomparably deep. She stretched out a slender, jade-like finger and stirred the Chaos. All Realms twirled between her fingers.
After pondering for a long moment,
she spoke calmly:
"Tell Houtu that Primordial has interfered and the matter has failed."
The Demon Ancestor seemed completely unconcerned that speaking an Enlightened One’s name directly would be perceived. An enigmatic light flickered in her eyes as she continued:
"Also, tell her that if they truly want to drag the Daoist Celestial Venerable down a level, the three of them—the Enlightened Ones—can no longer hold back."
The Immortal Mother bowed respectfully and quietly withdrew.
After the Immortal Mother left, the Maitreya Buddha Mother stepped forward and spoke steadily:
"There is still one last position for a Complete Dao Fruit remaining. Why don’t you occupy it? That way, no matter how much of a variable Lu Xuan is, he won’t be able to stir up any trouble."
"No."
The Demon Ancestor lifted her head, her long neck as white as jade. She said:
"If I were to occupy the Dao Fruit, I would fall into the category of [Existence]. It’s better to wait for the Four Extremes and the Immortal Mother to scheme for it themselves. One position for a Complete Dao Fruit can accommodate two Ancient Ones. We’ll just see which of them gets there first."
The Maitreya Buddha Mother frowned slightly. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she only sighed.
The Demon Ancestor reached out, gently stroking the Buddha Mother’s forehead, and asked softly:
"Child, how are your injuries?" freewebnoveℓ.com
"Not good. The Three Pristine Ones struck very heavily..." The Buddha Mother shook her head. "I am still too weak. Devouring Maitreya was not enough. I want to devour Shakyamuni as well. That way, I can become a new [Enlightened One]."
"Granted."
The Demon Ancestor smiled and nodded.
... ... ... ... ... ...
「Jade Void Palace.」
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!
Hm?
Inside the Daoist Palace, the Blind Daoist and the Lame Daoist, who were discussing the Dao, glanced to the side. The next moment, the great gates of the Daoist Palace swung open, and the Supreme Moral Heavenly Venerate walked in, a broad smile on his face.
"Supreme, what is it?" the Lame Daoist asked curiously.
But the old man just smiled and shook his head. He sat down cross-legged before the two of them and chuckled,
"It’s nothing. You two continue your discussion. I’m waiting."
"Waiting for what?"
The Blind Daoist and the Lame Daoist asked in unison, but the Supreme simply smiled without a word.
Seeing this, the two Enlightened Ones didn’t give it much thought and continued discussing the Dao, expounding on profound principles, causing celestial flowers to rain down and golden lotuses to spring from the earth.
Time passed.
Before long,
the Supreme brushed his palm, and the River of Time manifested. He stared at the river’s currents, waiting until the end of the wave symbolizing the current era advanced to a certain point.
A satisfied smile appeared on the Great Celestial Venerable’s face.
"The time has come."
"What?" The Lame Daoist was puzzled. "Supreme, why are you speaking in riddles now too?"
The Supreme’s smile vanished abruptly. He cracked his knuckles and said grimly:
"The Current World has reached the sixteenth day of the eighth month. The auspicious day is over. Blood can now be shed."
"Huh?" The Lame Daoist was even more bewildered.
But the Blind Daoist beside him shivered, turned around, and bolted!
