Chapter 663: Slashing the Emperor‑Rank Present Tathagata, Master of the Dao Fruit, Observing the Tathagata I

Tai Su Tian!

Within the spatial conduit, a storm raged, countless eddies intertwining, as if turning into an incredibly sharp, resonant sword Qi that sliced everything.

The Past Tathagata hovered here, its terrifying Buddha light reflecting a golden Great Buddha, as massive as a star, spanning the spatial conduit, nearly filling it completely!

The Di Hong Emperor and Taiyi Immortal, two overwhelmingly powerful emperor‑rank Immortals, unleashed their full might without reservation.

The terrifying Emperor Sword they swung shattered the void; its mighty, domineering sword intent surged outward, striking the colossal golden Great Buddha, instantly rippling its surface with concentric waves.

When—

A crisp sound, like the bells and drums struck by a deity atop an ancient sacred mountain, sent ripples trembling, cleansing heaven and earth in the turmoil!

However, the Past Tathagata's defense was truly incomparable; it was a genuine golden‑bodied Buddha, immortal and indestructible!

It even harbored temporal‑spatial power, spanning from the past, weakening the sword Qi cut by the Di Hong Emperor through the force of time and space!

Taiyi Immortal's demonic aura surged skyward; a razor‑sharp dagger instantly erupted countless shadow traces, tens of thousands, each trace a true manifestation of Taiyi Immortal.

The sharp dagger slashed down fiercely, tearing the void of the entire spatial conduit into explosions!

The golden Great Buddha beyond the Past Tathagata's form was on the verge of shattering!

"Amitabha!"

The Past Tathagata's expression grew increasingly solemn.

His eyes even looked unpleasant; as one of the Threefold Tathagata, he naturally sensed the state of the Present Tathagata and Future Tathagata who were striking toward Xuan Xiao Heaven.

The situation of these two was not as good as he had imagined!

Especially the Present Tathagata, who seemed to have encountered extremely brutal blows and slaughter!

One must know that the Present Tathagata also possesses emperor‑rank Immortal combat power, exceedingly strong.

To wound an emperor‑rank Immortal, it must be another emperor‑rank, but Xuan Xiao Heaven... which other emperor‑rank exists?

"Past Tathagata..."

"No wonder Wu Gui Tu Lu, your defense truly is formidable!"

"But how long do you think you can hold that defense?"

"If the three bodies were united, you standing there letting us cut, perhaps we couldn't cut you at all... yet you ultimately left only the Past Tathagata!"

"You truly despise the emperor‑rank of our two great ancient clans!"

The Di Hong Emperor's face turned exceedingly grim, a fury of being looked down upon.

Indeed, compared to his prime, he had become far too weak; there was nothing he could do, for the deities of the ancient Di Hong Village kept dying.

With each wave of divine tide, an Immortal of the ancient Di Hong Village fell each time.

Now the Di Hong Emperor's combat power is less than a tenth of his prime!

In his prime, he alone could cut that Wu Gui Tu Lu and shout "Mother!"

But now, this Wu Gui Tu Lu... actually looks down on him, leaving only the Past Tathagata to support the golden Buddha body and fend them off.

The more he thought, the angrier he became, unable to tolerate it at all!

Taiyi Immortal's expression was equally cold; his illusory shadows kept bursting forth, dense and endless, countless clones, continuously spawning!

He and the Di Hong are actually quite similar; his strength also ties to the ancient Taiyi Village— the more Immortals there, the stronger he becomes. This is a proof‑path of emperor‑rank cultivation from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths ancient era.

Both of their cultivation and strength have long fallen short of their prime.

Bang—!!!

The Past Tathagata's golden Buddha body fluctuated constantly; the golden Buddha seated within opened its eyes, its visage trembling violently, as if disbelief filled its gaze.

The Di Hong Emperor and Taiyi Immortal's eyes also changed.

"Hahaha! It seems, Buddha, you tried to steal a chicken and ended up losing the rice!"

The Di Hong Emperor burst into laughter.

"Your Present Tathagata and Future Tathagata must have taken a heavy loss!"

The Di Hong Emperor had already guessed what it was.

Li Che revived Qi Tian and the Third Prince, and Li Che used the phenomenon of a newly risen Sword Dao Immortal to conceal the matter.

Had the two not chosen to cooperate with the Prison Lotus camp, forming an alliance, Qi Tian and the Third Prince might have become a lethal weapon against them.

Now, the Present Tathagata and Future Tathagata must have suffered a considerable loss in this move!

Dong dong dong—

The golden body's fluctuations sounded like war drums beating.

o￠o

The Past Tathagata's expression turned extremely grim; the next moment, it opened its mouth and spewed countless floating golden blood droplets.

This scene made the laughing Di Hong Emperor and Taiyi Immortal both turn pale.

What's happening?

Look at the Past Tathagata's blood‑spitting movement.

Could it be…

That a Threefold Tathagata body was cut off?!

……

……

Pfft—!!!

Six Martial Immortal swords pierced the Present Tathagata's body.

Xuan Tong, Ting Er, A Bi, Tun Tian, Shen Bu, Wu Yi— the Six Martial Immortal Swords!

Each sword slashes the Buddha's body!

Golden blood continued to spatter down, drop by drop, reflecting the void.

The present Tathagata's expression was exceedingly grim.

The oppressive force of the Six Desire Void Extermination Sword Formation was overwhelming; as the Tong Tian Divine Emperor's most adept sword formation, with Li Che's modifications it even linked to the primordial sea of Xuan Xiao Heaven, releasing its primal power.

Its power even surpassed that of the Tong Tian Divine Emperor when he personally directed it!

The Buddha's body was covered with sword scars, cut by the sword formation's sword qi.

However, the true wound came from the six Wu Xian swords that gathered Xuan Xiao Heaven's primal essence; they were scorching, like a branding iron slicing butter, tearing open the present Tathagata's flesh!

Being of imperial‑grade magnitude, the force left the already suppressed present Tathagata unable to fully parry!

Boom—!!!

The enraged Buddha's voice reverberated, and countless golden rays burst from the present Tathagata's body.

Then.

Ancient Heaven‑and‑Earth symbols began to spin, whirring, reflecting Buddha light as if woven into an enormous Buddha palm!

Buddha Palm of the Tathagata!

The colossal palm struck the Six Desire Void Extermination Sword Formation through the air.

Endless sword qi erupted from the entire formation, swirling incessantly, colliding with the Buddha palm!

"What a mighty life force!"

Li Che exclaimed.

Even with such wounds and such killing moves, they still could not slay the present Tathagata!

And this was only a reincarnated body!

Even with favorable heavens, terrain, allies, and scheming, Li Che still could not trap and kill a single present Tathagata.

The Tathagata of Heisu Mi alone could count as three imperial‑grade celestial immortals.

Therefore, Li Che's goal from the start was to first eliminate the three‑generation Tathagata; at minimum, to cut down one generation of him!

That way, when rescuing his wife Zhang Ya, the pressure would be greatly reduced.

Opening the heavens in Xuan Xiao Heaven was not only to create the world, but also to use himself as bait to lure the Tathagata to strike!

"But..."

"Continue!"

Li Che's entire qi and blood burned, his spine transforming into an ancient true dragon!

With a roar, his spine quivered; each qi vortex spun violently, chiefly the four mysterious celestial martial orifices rotating, drawing forth primal power that gathered in his fist, which Li Che wove into a myriad‑changing Dragon Elephant!

He thrust a horizontal punch!

The Dragon Elephant Vajra surged wildly within his chest.

Li Che's eyes blazed brilliantly as he thrust the punch, striking the present Tathagata's golden Buddha body bathed in radiant gold light.

The present Tathagata was gravely wounded, his body riddled with sword scars; the six Wu Xian swords inflicted extremely severe damage.

As Li Che's fist came down.

Four kinds of Heaven‑and‑Earth primal essences intertwined into one.

The power of this punch was the strongest single‑entity force Li Che had ever unleashed.

Clack—clack—

After the punch landed, terrifying golden light burst uncontrollably, followed by countless cracks that interlaced across the great Buddha's golden body, accompanied by clacking sounds, continuously covering and entangling it.

The present Tathagata's expression remained grim, and the six Wu Xian swords within him continued to surge inexorably with Xuan Xiao Heaven's primal essence.

From within outward, they destroyed the Buddha's body.

Watching the Wu Xian Li Che who kept punching, dispersing primal power.

He let out a gentle sigh!

The Heaven‑Equaling Staff thundered down!

In an instant, his great Buddha golden body could no longer endure; amid a terrifying explosion that seemed to collapse heaven and earth, it burst apart with a roar!

Brilliant golden light pierced the heavens and earth of Xuan Xiao Heaven!

Countless golden Buddha light showers rained over the world.

Li Che clenched his five fingers, his eyes glittering, not easing his grip, and let out a long howl.

Above the firmament, the Heaven‑and‑Earth Eight Symbol Blade began to coalesce!

Golden blood streamed over his body, floating like golden smoke; the present Tathagata, whose will was being drawn in by Xuan Xiao Heaven's terrestrial intent, raised his head, full of sighs.

"Did not expect... non‑imperial‑grade to achieve this."

"This Eighth Generation God Tide, indeed, the true killing star is not the Prison Lotus daughter, but you!"

"Everyone was wrong; everyone was toyed with by Heaven and Earth's will."

The present Tathagata's body hung low, with kind eyebrows and gentle eyes, Buddha light shining, gazing at Li Che.

"Including you..."

"Li, benefactor."

Li Che's expression was cold, his mind unwaveringly resolute, not a hint of doubt.

Regardless of whether it was Heaven and Earth's will playing.

He only wanted to protect his daughter, only wanted to save his wife, he only...

Wanted to live!

Boom!

Slash!

Heaven and Earth Eight Symbol Blade!

This is not the Heaven's Will Chopping Knife; compared to the Heaven's Will Chopping Knife, the Heaven and Earth Eight Symbol Blade that Li Che has gathered now has killing power no less at all.

Even more powerful!

Because the Heavenly Will Chopping Blade still bears the deterrent power of the will of Heaven and Earth, while Li Che's Heaven-and-Earth Eight-Symbol Blade exists solely to slay humans!

The terrifying blade light flickers with eight ancient Heaven-and-Earth symbols, Boom— slashing down!

Its speed is very slow, but its power is terrifyingly great!

The present Tathagata body suddenly lifts its head.

Both palms thrust upward!

However.

The present Tathagata, having been schemed by Li Che, struck by the Six Desires Void Execution Sword, the Martial Immortal Six Swords, and the peerless blood‑energy force gathered from the four primordial Heaven-and-Earth sources condensed by the Four-Opening Celestial Martial Immortal, …

It can no longer be blocked!

Puff!

With a single slash, the present Tathagata's body is cut in two.

Along with it, the immensely powerful imperial‑grade Heavenly Immortal soul spirit is also severed!

An incomparably dazzling radiance, like one beam after another tearing the firmament, erupts from the severed body of the present Tathagata and shoots into the heavens!

The mysterious sky suddenly whirls up blood clouds across the heavens, and countless thunders rumble and explode, Boom—!

It looks like an apocalyptic scene!

Li Che hovers in the air, his whole body radiating martial immortal golden light; four profound portals resembling black holes spin incessantly, boiling his blood and Qi.

In the distance.

The future Tathagata, dueling with the Third Prince, is suddenly struck as if by lightning, its eyes filled with disbelief.

It opens its mouth and spews a huge gush of golden blood; the Great Buddha golden body cracks at this moment.

The Third Prince, clad in Hell battle armor, stands on a rotating black fire lotus, never missing such an opportunity! He steps down, the wind‑fire golden light wheel burning with hellfire spins at high speed, hoisting his body as if unleashing the ultimate speed of Heaven and Earth!

He violently charges at the future Tathagata!

Because the present Tathagata has been slain, the loss of a reincarnated Tathagata causes repercussions that ripple through the whole.

The future Tathagata suffers severe injury, struggles to resist, and is instantly pierced by a fire spear onto the Great Buddha golden body.

The Great Buddha golden body is also covered with fierce cracks.

"Hehe…"

"What a thrill!"

Just as the Third Prince unleashes a world‑shaking killing strike, nearly piercing the Great Buddha golden body, the Qitian Great Laughter within the Hell Qitian armor erupts; the Ruyi Golden Hoop Staff ignites with black hellfire, becoming a black‑gold divine staff, which wildly swings and strikes.

Battle Victory Secret Technique!

Bang—!

Circles of golden destructive waves ripple outward from beneath the blood‑colored firmament.

The future Tathagata's golden body shatters, instantly flung sideways by a staff strike, stumbling backward in the void!

In their peak state, the Hell Qitian, together with the Third Prince clad in Hell battle armor, are overwhelmingly unrivaled; the two versus one are not inferior to any Tathagata.

Now it's two against one, still the future Tathagata, because the present Tathagata was cut and severely wounded.

They nearly blast the future Tathagata to pieces!

But at this moment, Li Che has no time to pay attention to this side.

At the instant the present Tathagata is severed.

Li Che feels countless Dao Fruits in his chest wildly bouncing.

He originally thought the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit would be the first stimulated.

After all, this Dao Fruit gains maturity through combat, fostering its ripening and transformation.

Now the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit's maturity has reached 40% of the eighth metamorphosis; in this battle, by cutting down an imperial‑grade Heavenly Immortal, can its maturity leap to the ninth metamorphosis?

Li Che has long anticipated this; it is his scheme, aiming to slay the three‑world Tathagata!

But it was beyond Li Che's expectations.

The greatest stimulus did not hit the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit, but rather…

the Pure Heart Dao Fruit!

"The three‑world Tathagata is the lord of the Pure Heart Dao Fruit!"

"I now essentially say I have cut off the reincarnated body of the lord of Dao Fruit!"

"So…"

Li Che's mind formed a conjecture.

But actually there is no need to guess; Li Che only feels his forehead mud ball's inner scene's seven‑orifice exquisite heart pounding.

Like it turned into an endless black hole, swallowing all the blood and flesh of the severed present Tathagata!

The severed present Tathagata turns into a mass of golden blood, like a whale swallowing seawater; this river‑like golden blood instantly floods into Li Che's forehead, permeating the seven‑orifice exquisite heart.

Dong dong dong—

Suddenly, the seven‑orifice exquisite heart begins to bounce wildly.

Countless images instantly flash before Li Che's eyes.

Within the images…

It is the Tathagata's entire life.

…

…

Accompanied by the wailing of a newborn child, no extraordinary Buddha birth signs, no lotus blooming.

Just like an ordinary child born into the world, a speck of dust among the countless sands of mortal existence.

The child was even somewhat dull-witted, with a vacant stare, and his reactions were always half a beat slower than others; the rather affluent merchant parents, worried about this, constantly brought the child to see famous doctors.

However, the famous doctors shook their heads and sighed, concluding that the child was innately dull-witted and beyond cure.

The merchant parents refused to believe it, continuing to raise the child, bringing him up to adulthood; on one hand they hired a tutor to enlighten his wisdom, and on the other they kept seeking famous doctors, only wishing to cure the child so he could live a normal life.

But even by the age of eighteen, there was still no sign of improvement.

The child's merchant parents had already worn their hair white from worry.

They had no energy left and could no longer sustain the child's treatment, finally choosing to abandon him.

They arranged a marriage for the child, hoping to continue the family line and preserve the bloodline.

Fortunately, although the child was dull-witted, his basic human instincts remained.

The wife became pregnant, but the child still understood nothing, sitting dumbly under the eaves each day, aside from eating, drinking, defecating and urinating, he made no other movements.

The merchant parents looked after his wife; as her belly kept swelling, the time until the child's delivery drew ever closer.

The wife looked at her foolish husband and felt helpless.

She only hoped that her child would not be as foolish as her husband; otherwise, she might go mad.

During her pregnancy, with limited mobility, the wife would sit each day beside the foolish husband, telling him the minutiae of their days and imagining the future after the child's birth.

The wife's belly grew ever larger.

Moreover, it grew to a strange and astonishing size.

It far exceeded the signs of a normal pregnancy.

The merchant family was alarmed and summoned a famous doctor, but the diagnosis turned out to be completely normal.

The wife's belly kept growing, and the ten months of pregnancy had passed.

The wife also felt lost, she was afraid, not knowing when the child in her womb would be born.

But looking at her foolish husband sitting under the eaves, oblivious to everything, her heart suddenly calmed.

She smiled and stroked her husband's foolish face.

"Only hope that the child's birth can change all of this."

The wife said softly.

After saying these words, the wife suddenly felt a pain in her belly; she lowered her head and saw that the area beneath her was soaked.

The wife finally gave birth.

For three days and three nights straight.

The wife wailed for three days and three nights, her voice growing ever weaker.

But she did not give up, she kept striving, she kept persevering.

The merchant couple had long since despaired; the two elders collapsed outside the house, covering their faces as they wept.

The foolish man still sat under the eaves, gazing at the clouds rolling and unfolding in the sky.

On the fourth day.

When a wisp of purple morning light spread from the horizon of the sky.

Inside the house, at last came the sound of a newborn's wail as it hit the ground.

The merchant couple wept with joy; the wife was extremely weak, yet she clung to life in this struggle with death.

The child's crying voice was likewise full of vitality.

The merchant couple trembled as they rose to their feet, wanting to go hold the child, to look at him.

Although it was a girl, they nevertheless cherished her dearly.

However……

But the man who had always sat foolishly and motionless now rose on his own initiative and took the daughter into his arms.

The merchant couple stood frozen in place.

In the man's eyes they no longer saw foolishness and stupidity, only a kind of wisdom and transcendence.

The daughter was born.

The man washed away his foolishness and stupidity, became wise, took up the family's heavy burden, and began to establish his career and household.

In just one year, the merchant household became the wealthiest family in the entire country.

Afterward the man began to practice martial arts; in another year he attained the rank of martial arts grandmaster.

As the daughter grew older year by year, the man continually accomplished one astonishing feat after another.

When the daughter's wedding day arrived.

The man bade farewell to his parents, wife and daughter, to the mundane world, and departed leisurely, ascending the mountain straight upward.

He left home at the ancient temple.

Beneath the ancient pine, his heart gave rise to purity.

He attained Buddhahood on the spot.

……

……

In Li Che's eyes, streaks of images flickered.

That was the lifetime of the Tathagata's enlightenment, scene after scene vivid and lifelike, unfolding before Li Che's eyes.

The Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart absorbed the massive energy, continually washing over Li Che's will and body, causing the purity of his martial immortal's qi and blood to keep rising, his martial immortal will becoming ever more resolute and strong.

But most importantly, it was transformed into the maturity of the Dao fruit.

In his chest, the maturity of the Immaculate Heart Dao fruit was surging wildly.

After the Eight Transformations, increasing the maturity of the Dao fruit was inherently difficult and slow.

But now, it is increasing at an extremely rapid pace.

But Li Che wasn't paying attention to these at the moment.

He lifted his eyelids, gazing into the distance at the future Tathagata besieged by Qitian and the Third Prince, his body drenched in blood and covered in cracks.

"A daughter is born, undergoing a transformation…"

"You too?"

"A coincidence?"

Li Che's expression was calm.

"Or are you saying that the karmic ties of my daughter on me come from you?"

(End of chapter)