Free Web NovelChapter 492: Chapter 108: The Killing Gambit Appears, the Goddess Descends
"Lady, where are we headed?"
Ben Bo’Erba, in the form of a young boy, sat on the stunningly beautiful woman’s shoulder and asked with curiosity,
The stunningly beautiful woman patted Ben Bo’Erba’s head and said with a light laugh,
"I’m taking you to go beat someone up."
"Oh!" Ben Bo’Erba grew excited, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
The Emperor Corpse leaped down from the cliff. Its ruined body healed and its shattered face re-formed, transforming into the likeness of a heroic and majestic man.
’The Dao Fruit Cultivators are in a chaotic battle, and all of fate is in disarray. I can finally reverse my death and return to life without worry...’
The Emperor Corpse, now reverted to Haotian, said with a smile,
"After this conflict is over, I must ask you, Goddess, to strike me down once more."
"Very well."
...
「At this moment, in the Current World.」
The vast Kongtong Mountain Range was enveloped within the Jade Pool Fragment, transforming it into the Kongtong Immortal Realm.
The Giant Bull lay beside the True Phoenix, shaking its massive head. It gazed beyond the immortal realm and spoke in a booming voice,
"The Immortal Gods of the Immortal level are returning one by one. The world is still undergoing a drastic recovery. Before long, it will be able to accommodate hegemons at the Celestial Realms level."
Yan Jiangxue appeared from somewhere, caressing her already swollen belly. She frowned and said,
"Xiaolu... is he all right? A year and a half ago, the Sanqing Temple suddenly fell..."
The Giant Bull and the True Phoenix silently shook their heads, their expressions turning grave.
After a moment of thought, the True Phoenix said,
"Mistress, you can rest assured. The Master will absolutely be fine."
"But why would the Sanqing Temple fall?" Yan Jiangxue murmured to herself. Behind her, the Sandalwood Merit Buddha and Sha Wujing exchanged uneasy glances.
"The outside world... has fallen into chaos."
Yan Jiangxue caressed her belly and turned back toward Kongtong Mountain, speaking as she walked,
"Open the Kongtong Immortal Realm. Let all members of the Mortal Race come and take refuge."
"Mistress, the Kongtong Immortal Realm has its limits. It cannot house the entire Human Race of the Ancestor Star. We may need to be selective."
The True Phoenix said softly,
"Furthermore, in just over a year, you are due to give birth. By that time, the hegemons may have already begun to descend. If anything unexpected were to happen..."
"Aren’t you all here?" Xiaoyan said softly. "I can’t just stand by and watch the outside world suffer."
"We understand."
The True Phoenix, the Giant Bull, and the others silently bowed their heads.
...
「In a bygone era, the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty.」
[In the First Year of Jianwu, Emperor Guangwu performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices at Taishan, re-establishing the orthodoxy of the Great Han.]
[In the Ninety-seventh Year of Jianwu, the Profound Yellow Emperor returned to the Human World.]
[In the same year, the Profound Yellow Emperor stood between heaven and earth. He struck down the Celestial Vaults of the West, South, North, and East in succession, causing the Four Directions Celestial Court to fall to the Four Extremes.]
[On that day, the Earth rumbled. Pillars of dust rose to the heavens in all four directions, Covering the Sky and Sun, and did not settle for a hundred years. The Grand Ancestor donned his armor, left Luoyang, and personally declared his intent to aid the Profound Yellow Emperor in smiting the heavens.]
[This was the fourth war to smite the heavens. The attackers were only the Profound Yellow Emperor and the Grand Ancestor. They were victorious.]
「At this moment, in the Central Celestial Court.」
All the Immortal Gods had fled. Houtu, wielder of the Six Paths and master of Reincarnation, was locked in a deadly battle with Lu Ya, who had borrowed the power of his true form to temporarily ascend to the ranks of the Enlightened Ones!
Although both did their utmost to contain their power, the imperceptible aftershocks of their struggle alone were causing the entire Great Heaven and Earth, and even the Celestial Myriad Realms, to show signs of collapse!
"Such sorrow, such sorrow!"
On Spirit Mountain, Sakyamuni Buddha sighed with compassion. He put his palms together, chanted a Buddha’s name, and sang with a Brahma Sound. An infinite light rose from Spirit Mountain, covering the ten directions and stabilizing the collapsing All Realms and worlds.
Celestial Emperor Lu Ya’s eyes were wide with fury. With the Four Directions Celestial Court having fallen, the Void Dao Fruit he held was already on the verge of being lost. He roared,
"Houtu! You are truly beyond foolish! The Profound Yellow Emperor is Profound Clarity! This is a trap aimed at you!"
"I have already said as much. I have long known of this."
Houtu’s gaze was frigid. She threw a palm strike that pierced through all of history, striking Lu Ya and causing him to cough up mouthfuls of blood as his body began to crack apart!
"That’s enough!"
Lu Ya’s fury erupted, but he immediately softened his tone, saying,
"You and I are not enemies! We can sit down and talk. Wait for me to reverse the flow of Years and re-establish the Four Directions Celestial Court in the Celestial Vault, and we can negotiate properly. An alliance is not out of the question!"
"Not today," Houtu said coldly, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Since you dared to humiliate me, you must be punished!"
She used the Reincarnation in her hands like a great millstone, grinding down upon him. As the millstone of Reincarnation turned, the entire Central Celestial Court began to teeter on the verge of collapse, and Lu Ya’s aura plummeted once more!
"You!"
Lu Ya was incandescent with rage. He truly couldn’t understand what madness had possessed Houtu. ’If this continues...’
’The status of Celestial Emperor, which I worked so hard to obtain, might just be lost!’
The two Dao Fruit Cultivators fought with increasing ferocity. In contrast, the expanse of Chaos above the River of Time and outside the Great Heaven and Earth had fallen silent.
The Supreme held the Eight Trigrams Furnace. Beside him, the Lame Daoist was black and blue, and it seemed both of his legs were now lame. His face was a mask of resentment.
"The time has come."
The Supreme gazed at the two warring Dao Fruit Cultivators within the realm, a smile on his face.
"Spirit Treasure, you may enter this realm with Primordial. I will go and suppress those two Fellow Daoists to prevent any unforeseen changes today."
"...Very well," the Daoist with two lame legs replied weakly.
The next instant.
The two Great Buddhas, who had been watching the battle with great interest, sensed that something was wrong. Taiqing and Shangqing had suddenly stopped fighting and seemed to be conversing. Then, Taiqing’s gaze fell upon them!
"Something’s not right!"
Amitabha Buddha’s expression shifted slightly.
"The Supreme is here!"
Instinctively, he and the Ancient Bodhi Buddha tried to leave. But just as they turned, they saw a massive Eight Trigrams Furnace slam down, cutting off their escape!
The faces of the two Great Buddhas turned ashen. They whirled around to stare at the slowly approaching old man and asked with focused intensity,
"Supreme, what is the meaning of this?"
The old man smiled and said faintly,
"You’ve watched the show long enough, haven’t you? I find myself with some free time today and would like to play a game of chess with you two Fellow Daoists. Please, have a seat... have a seat..."
Amitabha Buddha glanced aside and saw the Blind Daoist, holding a Jade Ruyi and wielding a Chaos Banner, walking side-by-side with the Lame Daoist, who commanded the Immortal Slaying Sword Array, into the River of Time.
His expression changed drastically. He exchanged a look with the Ancient Bodhi Buddha, realizing the situation was dire. The Three Pristine Ones had apparently set a trap!!
’This trap...’
’Houtu??’
The name surfaced in the minds of both Great Buddhas at the same time. Their expressions changed again, and they immediately tried to step into the river of Years to aid Houtu!
However, the Supreme calmly spoke. "I said, sit."
His two ancient hands floated down, resting weightlessly on the shoulders of the two Great Buddhas before pressing down gently.
THUD!
Amitabha Buddha and the Ancient Bodhi Buddha crashed down into the Great Chaos, kicking up a massive tide of Chaos!
Amitabha’s expression was utterly foul as he said,
"Supreme, what in the world are you planning? With a scheme like this, are you trying to flip the entire board? Don’t force us to restart the Years!"
"Heh heh."
The Supreme chuckled and chided,
"The three of you schemed against my own disciple. Who was it that broke the rules first? You deserve a beating, you really do!"
He reached out and tapped each of the two Buddhas on the head, neither too lightly nor too heavily. With a violent HUM, the two Buddhas were knocked down a good head shorter, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths!
"Supreme..." Amitabha’s expression was incredibly grim as he said, word by word, "That... is... enough..."
"Mm." The Supreme nodded earnestly, then swept a palm downward. Amitabha looked as if he had been struck by lightning. The Virtue he had cultivated for countless years collapsed, and his expression became listless!
"Come, my two Fellow Daoists. Play a game of chess with me."
The Supreme sat down with a cheerful laugh. With a sweep of his hand, a chessboard materialized before them.
The Ancient Bodhi Buddha said coldly,
"By personally entering the fray, you have broken your state of Non-action. You are now one step further from the Great Secret of Transcendence. Your Perfect Dao Fruit has even begun to waver, on the verge of falling from its state of Perfection. Why go to such lengths?"
"To pave the way for my precious disciple, of course," the Supreme replied with a smile. "From now on, do not scheme against my disciple again. Otherwise, I will become very angry."
The faces of both Buddhas changed in unison as they suddenly understood.
’This Taiqing is issuing a warning! He’s willing to sacrifice his state of Non-action, willing to regress on his path toward the Great Secret of Transcendence, all just to make an example of someone?’
’Then Houtu... she is...’
The two Buddhas instinctively glanced toward the river of Years.
「At this moment, within the Great Heaven and Earth.」
"Hm?"
A tremor went through Houtu’s heart. She and Celestial Emperor Lu Ya broke apart at first contact, and both of them snapped their heads up!
They saw two Daoists descending side-by-side. With every step they took, heavenly flowers rained down, Golden Lotuses bloomed from the earth, and all sorts of wondrous sights appeared one after another as countless auspicious omens shone with brilliant light!
The next instant, the Four Immortal Slaying Swords shot down, transforming into four Heaven-Reaching Divine Mountains that trapped the two Dao Fruit Cultivators within!
"Something is wrong!"
Houtu’s expression changed abruptly.
Lu Ya seethed with hatred, glancing sideways and snarling,
"You fell into a trap without even knowing it, and you dragged me down with you!"
A murderous light appeared in Houtu’s eyes, but she quickly said,
"It matters not. You and I both possess Complete Dao Fruits and are Enlightened Ones. It’s only Primordial and Spirit Treasure. Since they are not at their peak, why shouldn’t we be able to fight them..."
Her words had barely faded when, to the East, a boundless life force surged forth. It was Emperor Haotian, returned from death to life, strolling toward them!
Houtu’s expression turned ugly as well. How could she not realize by now that she had well and truly been caught in a trap?
Dao Fruit Cultivators, unless they possessed a special status like that of the Celestial Emperor, would rarely enter the river of Years under normal circumstances.
This was because a Dao Fruit was not, in the end, a state of Transcendence. When inside the Great Heaven and Earth, its holder would be restrained and suppressed by the world to a certain extent.
Although this restraint and suppression was minuscule, it still caused Dao Fruit Cultivators to lose some of their unique characteristics, reducing them to a state where they could be predicted, surmised, and plotted against!
"PROFOUND YELLOW!!!"
Houtu gritted her teeth and snapped her gaze sideways, glaring at the towering being who stood between heaven and earth. Her killing intent flared, only to be immediately intercepted by the arriving Haotian!
"Fellow Daoist Houtu, have you been well?"
Haotian asked with a smile.
Houtu’s expression was grim. Trapped by the Immortal Slaying Sword Array, she could not escape the Great Heaven and Earth. She was shackled here. She said in a cold voice,
"What do you all want?"
As she spoke, Houtu’s thoughts stirred. She tried to manipulate the Reincarnation Origin within Lu Xuan’s body and recall it, but she failed!
She looked over in horror to find that an Exquisite Pagoda was now hovering above Lu Xuan’s head, dripping down wisps of Profound Yellow Qi that washed over and suffused the very texture of his skin.
"The Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda??"
Lu Ya and Houtu’s expressions changed in unison. They clearly had not expected the Supreme to give this Supreme Treasure to Lu Xuan!
Suppressed by the Profound Yellow Pagoda, the Reincarnation Origin could not be moved. It was pinned down completely!
Lu Xuan smiled and bowed formally.
"I invite you, Lady Houtu, to join the game."
Houtu’s heart pounded, but she quickly calmed herself and narrowed her eyes.
"A Dao Fruit cannot fall or be destroyed. What, are you all planning to join forces and suppress me? What good would that do?"
The three Dao Fruit Cultivators now closed in. The Blind Daoist chuckled and said,
"A Dao Fruit does not fall, but that applies to a True Dao Fruit, not an Illusory Dao Fruit... The status of Celestial Emperor can be lost, and so can the Six Paths of Reincarnation."
Lu Ya’s eyelids twitched violently, but Houtu remained unflustered and unafraid. She said calmly,
"I am no Celestial Emperor. The Six Paths are in my hands, and Reincarnation resides within my very being..."
As she spoke, sudden realization dawned on her, and she sneered,
"You intend to use the Six Paths True Thought and Reincarnation Origin within Profound Yellow’s body, using the small to strike the great, to bring down my Six Paths of Reincarnation? Hah, how absurd..."
"Normally, that would indeed be impossible. However..."
Haotian let out a great laugh. He pushed his hands out, tearing open the River of Time as if to welcome the descent of a certain Existence!
The world trembled. From downstream in the River of Time, the rattling of chains echoed.
A stunningly beautiful woman could be seen, a young boy perched on her shoulder, forcing half of her body into the River of Time as she traveled upstream against its current!
"The Goddess!!"
Houtu and Lu Ya’s hearts seized with terror, and they whirled around to flee!
One half of the stunningly beautiful woman’s body sat beneath the Stone Stele, suppressing the Current World, while the other half traveled back through time, about to descend upon them!
She patted Ben Bo’Erba on her shoulder and said with a smile,
"Little one, one of them is the current Celestial Emperor, and the other is Houtu, master of Reincarnation. Which one do you think I should smite first?"
The smile on Ben Bo’Erba’s face froze.
’The... the Celestial Emperor??’
’Lady Houtu???’
He sucked in a sharp breath, feeling a chill explode from the base of his spine and surge through his entire body!
Ben Bo’Erba looked as if he were about to cry.
"Lady, how could I dare to say..."
"What are you afraid of?" the stunningly beautiful woman said with a smile. She looked at the two Dao Fruit Cultivators, who had just been forced back by the Jade Ruyi and the Qing Ping Sword, and spoke gently,
"I’m here."
As she spoke, the stunningly beautiful woman squeezed her entire being into this era.
"I have arrived."
The upper half of her body emerged from the river. The moment she appeared, she set off a truly great tide that alarmed all the Celestial Realms!
"Goddess?" The Demon Ancestor’s eyes snapped open, his killing intent surging!
(One more Chapter to come.)
