Chapter 227

As the words fell, the brilliant dome of the Lingxiao Palace seemed to dim instantly, the radiance of billions of stars piercing through the obstruction of the hall, flowing in like mercury, condensing in the hall into a majestic figure wearing a purple-gold Daoist robe of ten thousand stars.

It was none other than Dou Mu Doumu Yuanjun.

As soon as she appeared, all the immortal officials in the hall who held the divine position of Star Lord, regardless of their cultivation level, felt the power of their natal stars instantly stagnate, as if their throats had been gripped by an invisible hand.

"Greetings to Dou Mu Doumu Yuanjun!"

Led by Wen Zhong of the Lei Bu, the gods of the old Jie Sect were the first to bow in salute, their voices rolling.

The Jade Emperor's expression, which had just eased, sank again instantly.

He knew that today's matter would not be settled so easily.

Dou Mu Doumu Yuanjun ignored everyone; her eyes, containing the birth and death of stars, fell directly on the Tathagata, who was standing bowed below the hall.

"Confinement for a thousand years?" She curled her lips into a mocking smile, her voice cold, "Using a fake monkey to stir up the Three Realms, deceive the Heavenly Dao, and make our Heavenly Court the laughingstock of the Three Realms, and in the end, it only gets a mere thousand years of confinement?"

"Jade Emperor, you, the master of the Three Realms, are truly magnanimous."

These words were unceremonious, equivalent to directly accusing the Jade Emperor of unfair handling in front of all the civil and military officials.

The Jade Emperor's eye twitched, his anger surging, but facing this master of ten thousand stars, he ultimately suppressed his fire.

"Doumu Yuanjun, calm your anger." The Jade Emperor said in a deep voice, "The Tathagata has resigned from the position of World-Honored One of the Buddhist sect and is willing to accept punishment. I consider his..."

"Whether he resigns or not, what does it have to do with me?" Dou Mu Doumu Yuanjun directly interrupted the Jade Emperor, her gaze fixed on the Tathagata, "Could it be that because he is the World-Honored One of the Buddhist sect, he should be let off lightly?"

Hearing the questioning of Dou Mu Doumu Yuanjun, his former junior sister, the Tathagata could ultimately not maintain his calm state of mind.

He slowly raised his head and looked at that familiar yet strange cold face. In a trance, the person before him was no longer the high-and-mighty Dou Mu Doumu Yuanjun, but Junior Sister Jin Ling, who used to follow him in Biyou Palace, calling him "Senior Brother" crisply.

Ten thousand years of time, the sea has changed into mulberry fields; he became a Buddha, and she became a god.

The feelings between senior brother and junior sister back then could never return; there was only the hatred of a Dou Mu Doumu Yuanjun full of hatred for the former traitor of the Jie Sect.

"Junior Sister..." The Tathagata's lips moved, his tone filled with weariness and desolation.

This "Junior Sister" caused the coldness in Dou Mu Doumu Yuanjun's eyes to loosen for an instant, but it was immediately replaced by deeper hatred.

"Shut up!" she shouted sharply, "I don't have a senior brother like you! And my Jie Sect's ten thousand immortals don't have a traitor like you either!"

Daoist Duobao closed his eyes, a miserable bitter smile appearing on his face.

Yes, a traitor.

He slowly opened his eyes; this time, there was no compassion or solemnity of the Buddhist sect in them, only a clarity and determination that saw through everything.

He did not look at Dou Mu Doumu Yuanjun again, but turned to the Jade Emperor on the imperial throne, and said to him slowly, word by word: "This poor monk's crime is difficult to atone for even with ten thousand deaths. Confinement for a thousand years is too light."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the immortals and gods in the hall were extremely surprised; it was the first time they had seen someone who thought their own punishment was too light.

The Jade Emperor also narrowed his eyes, not knowing what medicine this guy was selling in his gourd.

Only to see Daoist Duobao take a deep breath; at this moment, he felt that he was no longer the World-Honored One of the Buddhist sect who controlled the fate of a sect, but the first disciple of the Jie Sect who practiced freely in Biyou Palace back then.

So the Tathagata of now, the former Daoist Duobao, said calmly: "I am willing to disperse my cultivation and fall into reincarnation, and with this ten thousand generations of sinking, repay the faults of the past!"

"Is he crazy?"

Hearing the Tathagata's words, everyone present had this thought in their hearts.

A Semi-Sage actually wanted to disperse his current cultivation and sink into the Six Paths of Reincarnation; this was simply unbelievable.

Su Chen couldn't help but look sideways upon hearing the Tathagata's words; he hadn't expected this World-Honored One of the Buddhist sect to have such determination.

Entering the Six Paths of Reincarnation meant giving up everything and starting over, and in reincarnation, the confusion in the womb and the tempering of the red dust—if one was not careful, one would sink forever and never have a day to return!

He had thought of ten thousand outcomes, but he had never thought that this once high-and-mighty Buddha would be so ruthless to himself.

Even Sun Wukong, at this moment, widened his eyes, scratching his ears and cheeks, his face full of disbelief.

The Jade Emperor's heart was even more turbulent.

As a Semi-Sage himself, he understood even better how much determination the Tathagata needed to make such a decision.

At the same time, he admired the Tathagata's decision from the bottom of his heart.

As a Semi-Sage, he understood that the Tathagata who wanted to make this decision had indeed completely abandoned the past.

This also meant that if one day, the Tathagata, or Daoist Duobao, could return from reincarnation, he would inevitably be able to go further.

At this time, the Jade Emperor looked at Dou Mu Doumu Yuanjun and found that she had also fallen into silence.

In those cold eyes, stars flowed and emotions were complex; clearly, she was also shaken by Duobao's resolute actions.

Daoist Duobao did not give anyone time to react; he looked at Dou Mu Doumu Yuanjun one last time, that look, as if piercing through endless time and space, returning to Jin'ao Island Biyou Palace.

"Junior Sister, take care."

As the words fell, the Semi-Sage aura on his body began to fluctuate violently.

He was actually going to abolish his own cultivation on the spot to show his will.

The Jade Emperor naturally went with the flow.

"Granted."

Just at this moment, the Jade Emperor's majestic voice sounded, and at the same time, he invoked the Heavenly Rules of the Heavenly Court, interrupting the Tathagata's act of self-destruction of cultivation.

The Jade Emperor stood up from the imperial throne, his expression solemn, and said loudly: "Tathagata Buddha, indulging the Liu Er Mihou to disturb my Heavenly Court, the crime is unforgivable! But considering he has a heart of repentance and is willing to redeem his sins with reincarnation, I will fulfill your wish!"

He said every word, his voice spreading throughout the entire Heavenly Court, invoking the power of the Heavenly Dao of the Three Realms.

"In the name of the master of the Three Realms, I judge—"

"Abolish your Semi-Sage cultivation, cast you into the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and let you experience ten thousand generations of tribulation as a warning to others!"

The words were law, and the Heavenly Dao felt it.

A golden decree fell from the nine heavens, turning into invisible shackles, instantly locking onto Daoist Duobao.

Daoist Duobao accepted it calmly; the vast magic power around his body dissipated rapidly like a receding tide, and the three flowers on his head and the five qi in his chest disintegrated inch by inch under the great power of the laws.

His indestructible sixteen-foot Golden Body also began to become illusory, finally turning into a dim Primordial Spirit.

Throughout the process, he did not say a word, his expression calm.

After doing all this, he looked at Dou Mu Doumu Yuanjun one last time, and his Primordial Spirit turned into a stream of light, and under the escort of the Heavenly Court's soldiers, he was cast into the bottomless reincarnation channel.

Dou Mu Doumu Yuanjun watched the direction where the Primordial Spirit disappeared quietly; for a long time, she said nothing, her figure turning into dots of starlight and quietly dissipating.

A storm that swept through the Three Realms came to an end in a way no one had expected.

The Jade Emperor slowly sat back on the imperial throne, his gaze sweeping toward the hall, and finally fell on Sun Wukong and Su Chen.

"Saint Qitian," the Jade Emperor's voice returned to calm, "the chief culprit has been removed; I wonder how you intend to deal with the Liu Er Mihou who impersonated you?"

Sun Wukong was about to say to beat him to death with a stick, but Su Chen's voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"Brother Monkey, don't kill him; ask for him, I have a great use for him!"

Sun Wukong was stunned, although he didn't understand, but out of trust in Su Chen, he immediately changed his words and said in a muffled voice: "That guy, just leave him to me, Old Sun, to deal with!"