Chapter 486: The Heavenly Emperor

Ignoring the damage inflicted by the Heaven-Blue Jade Void Sword, he nearly tore his flesh and soul apart in a manner bordering on total annihilation, seeking to free himself from the posture of being "nailed" to the earth.

The six-tusked white elephant spirit raised its white jade trunk high, its lifted head emitting a thunderous elephant bellow.

Again and again it perished, again and again it was reborn; under the nourishment of countless souls, the six-tusked white elephant spirit instantly restored its peak form—the soul waterfall descending from beyond heaven not only repaired its body but even pushed Su Lin to the edge.

Su Lin barely managed to drag the Ten Thousand Things Mother Qi Cauldron, boiling with red broth, out with law-chains; all other strange objects, including his own cook squad, remained trapped inside the elephant spirit's belly.

"I haven't taken my ingredients yet!"

Su Lin reached out, summoning the Heaven-Blue Jade Void Sword to strike—but discovered the elephant spirit's power had suddenly ascended a tier.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Green Lion spirit were the same; the three demons' aura grew ever stronger, as if shattering their own constraints, and even the mere leakage of their might scattered the vengeful clouds long entrenched over Lion Camel Ridge.

A myriad miles of starry sky emerged, the Twenty-Eight Mansions glittered, and one after another cascade of starlight descended.

Its already massive body grew ethereal and swelled endlessly, resembling a primordial beast from the age of chaos, bearing the heavens on its back and treading the yellow earth—even the sun, moon, and stars above seemed to have become thin veils draped over its form.

Su Lin stared dumbly at this scene, his figure flickering to stand beside Lu Mingfei, asking: "Did he just say anything about bonds, brothers, or that he absolutely couldn't fall here?"

Lu Mingfei shook his head in confusion.

"Then why did these three brothers suddenly burst their limits?" Su Lin pointed to the sky: "This is clearly a classic breakthrough under desperation."

"This is definitely Bou Xun's doing." Kleine altered the spatial distances between them, gathering everyone together.

"This guy isn't going to open it, is he?" Su Lin didn't avoid it, waving toward the monk with clasped hands inside the Lingshan temple hall:

"Bou Xun, you were clearly so weak before—how did you manage this?"

The monk stood beneath the plaque reading "Great Lei Yinsi," eyes closed, murmuring Amitabha Buddha, his entire body radiating neither birth nor suffering, having severed all afflictions and ended future birth and death.

Golden lotuses surged through heaven and earth, each blooming, their boundless merit rippling in the void.

"Bou Xun, what are you pretending in front of this monk?" Su Lin attempted verbal manipulation—not necessarily effective, but satisfying his mouth: "Having seen this monk, why not come quickly and pay homage?"

The three things in the sky were undergoing a second transformation, the instigator Bou Xun was trying to stir trouble—and at this moment, even if Su Lin wanted to physically interrupt, it was hardly realistic.

He could feel that the Lingshan before him was merely an illusion.

Moreover

Su Lin stared at the vast soul river, seemingly endless and unceasing—how many living beings would it take to achieve such an effect?

Even the mountains of bones on Lion Camel Ridge couldn't match one ten-thousandth of the souls within this river, yet all these souls were burning themselves entirely for the sake of these three demons.

Han Li had already been taken back to the Source Fortress by Kleine; Lu Mingfei, who tried to slip away, was kicked out; and Li Huowang pulled out talismans, preparing to summon help.

"Namo Amitabha…" Bou Xun's chanting of the sutra grew louder—only then did Su Lin and Meng Qi, who had trained at the Shaolin Academy, realize he was reciting the "Sutra for Transferring Souls."

The great gates of the Lingshan Great Lei Yinsi temple hall swung open, and three glazed pure flame stūpas flew out, carrying the meaning of great liberation toward the three demons of Lion Camel Ridge.

"Bad! We can't rely solely on the pilgrims' power—be careful!" Meng Qi had barely finished warning when the three demonic shadows in the sky changed.

These were the stūpas of Bodhisattvas and Buddhas—now bestowed upon the three demons as a great boon.

The three stūpas flew into the shadows' mouths, igniting the demons—the flames instantly engulfed their forms, surging straight to the heavens, illuminating the entire Lion Camel Ridge with radiant purity.

But the three demons' figures did not vanish; instead, they gradually coalesced, as if transitioning from illusion to reality.

This was using others' enlightened positions to forge one's own karma-free body!

"I wasn't certain before, but if I could eat them now," Shi Hao's eyes gleamed with battle-lust, his Great Luo Sword Embryo growing more menacing: "I would absolutely break through to Supreme."

And a Supreme stronger than his original destiny!

The accumulation during this period was beyond imagination; since partnering with Su Lin, he had always spared the lives of any enemy he faced, especially heirs from noble clans and Immortal Realms.

Any secret techniques, self-developed Dao arts, and Immortal Sect treasures—all could be borrowed and observed from those "fellow Daoists."

As for his original excessive fixation—he truly owed thanks to Bou Xun.

"I'll take the Golden-Winged Great Peng!" Shi Hao's lips curled upward, even as the three demons' aura now shook mountains and rivers, causing the heavens to tremble.

Their power continued to climb, growing stronger with every influx of souls; now that they had physical forms, this was the perfect moment to strike.

This time, Shi Hao did not choose to transform into the Golden-Winged Great Peng using the Eight-Nine Profound Art.

His body erupted with countless cosmic law-chains; the Phoenix Divine Art forged crimson wings with the power to burn heaven and boil seas!

The radiance of the Divine Art illuminated his body; his Great Luo Sword Embryo directly tore through the sky, sweeping toward the Golden-Winged Great Peng—its might was fierce, unrivaled, and glorious beyond measure.

This strike slashed the Golden-Winged Great Peng, who had just begun to break through and was about to cry out, far beyond the realm—both clashed fiercely, causing the night sky to suddenly fill with countless stars that flared and vanished in an instant.

"Aaaah—!" The six-tusked white elephant spirit had also recovered; feeling the endless power surging within, it narrowed its phoenix-like eyes toward the earth, locking onto Su Lin with unwavering focus.

"Venerable, why go so far?" Su Lin's face showed compassion: "It's too big—one pot really can't hold it."

"I'll see how long you can keep acting arrogant!" The elephant spirit, filled with hatred and rage, completely ignored the suppression of heaven and earth; its trunk swung like a dragon stirring storms and waves across the world.

"Don't fight—return to Lingshan first," Bou Xun spoke.

Too bad—the white elephant spirit was now locked by the "Taunt" skill; in its rage, how could it heed Bou Xun's words?

Su Lin raised his right hand, the azure longsword ready to strike—when Meng Qi shed Sun Wukong's appearance and stepped forward.

At this moment, without using heavenly authority or other trump cards, the white elephant spirit's power had already surpassed his own—but combat isn't decided by strength alone.

The void trembled; countless azure lights converged, space twisted and suddenly stretched, forming a majestic palace—a mysterious green gate, inscribed with arcane runes, slowly opened, revealing an independent world of misty clouds, radiant dawn and dusk, and gleaming sun and moon.

Meng Qi stood before the gate, clad in the Eight Trigrams Immortal Robe, watching the oncoming trunk without dodging, and said: "Ling Ya, I am deeply disappointed in you."

Now, he no longer concealed himself—he even revealed the aspect of the Three Pure Ones as "Ling Bao."

The white elephant spirit's trunk froze mid-air; the blow that had been moments from piercing Su Lin and Meng Qi suddenly halted, as if witnessing some earth-shattering horror—its massive body shuddered violently:

"Master!"

Tracing its origins, the white elephant spirit had once been one of the Seven Attendants of the Jie Sect's Lord Tongtian—a yellow-tusked old elephant.

Ling Ya Xian guarded the Two Mysteries Array in the Ten Thousand Immortals Array, defeated by the True Lord Pu Xian; Nanji Xianweng turned him back into a yellow-tusked old elephant and gave him to Pu Xian as a mount.

Now, the majestic Daoist palace suddenly appearing above Lion Camel Ridge bore a plaque with three ancient characters instantly legible in meaning—"Bi You Palace."

"Wicked creature!" Meng Qi roared: "What have you done since joining the Western Teachings?"

The white elephant spirit, already terrified beyond measure, had no anger left; hearing Meng Qi's rebuke, his spirit shattered instantly, reverting to his half-elephant, half-human form as he knelt trembling in the void.

"Master, spare me! Master, spare me! Master, spare me!"

The sudden turn of events left the Green Lion Demon stunned, watching as his younger brother bowed his head to the Daoist and begged for mercy, his mind descending into chaos.

In that very instant, a brilliant blue sword light, infused with the radiance of sun, moon, and stars, roared toward the Green Lion Demon from behind.

Sword light flared wildly; the Green Lion Demon's right arm collapsed like a severed mountain range.

Su Lin's true form, clad in the Tianhe Battle Robe, appeared in place, muttering to himself: "Again with the pork knuckle?"

Roar—!

The Green Lion Demon's eyes bulged with rage, his bellow thunderous.

He had nearly been split in half by that single sword strike, yet he hadn't sensed when the opponent had appeared—only thanks to Bodhisattva's warning had he escaped.

Bodhisattva, seeing the Green Lion Demon ambushed, had no time to ponder why the Supreme One over there had turned into Lingbao; he shouted at Su Lin: "Rulai! Have you no shame?!"

"Ridiculous." Su Lin gazed at the phantom of Lingshan and said: "I'm openly stabbing you in the back. If you've got guts, come over here—I'll treat you the same."

Why was Bodhisattva cursing Rulai over Tang Sanzang from the Eastern Land of Great Tang?

But the Green Lion Demon didn't know Su Lin's thoughts; after hearing Bodhisattva and Su Lin's exchange, his emotions mirrored those of the White Elephant Demon at that moment.

"Rulai?! That monk is Rulai?!"

In that moment, the Green Lion Demon lost all other thoughts; guided by Bodhisattva's signal, he ceased resisting, obeying the summons of the ten-thousand-character mark on his forehead, fleeing like a creature escaping death into the mirage-like phantom of Lingshan.

They had consumed too many humans; since learning of Lingshan's troubles, the three brothers had devoured countless living beings beyond the Eight Hundred Li Lion-Camel Ridge.

They had even eaten many cultivators who had ascended.

Had Lingshan and the Heavenly Court not fallen into chaos, they would never have dared go so far, let alone target the entire Western Cattle Continent.

Now that Bodhisattva called the monk across from them Rulai, many things could no longer be pondered—he only knew he had chosen a side, and if he fell into the opponent's hands, there would be no chance of survival.

The White Elephant Demon bowed his head; seeing Meng Qi still not acting, and remaining silent, he tightened his heart, resolved inwardly, and immediately responded to the ten-thousand-character mark on his forehead, dissolving into a phantom and retreating into the shadow of Lingshan.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng spread his wings; his Heaven-Subduing Halberd had been chipped by Shi Hao's Great Luo Sword Embryo. He soared upward, shimmering with golden light, yet Shi Hao's speed was no less than his—look again at the Phoenix Treasure Wings.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng shook his wings against the wind, scattering tens of thousands of brilliant golden rays that tore through the Milky Way, driving his nearly broken Heaven-Subduing Halberd forward to break free from the entanglement.

"Rulai! I'm your uncle! How dare you conspire with others to harm me?!"

After shouting this in the sky, he hoped to leverage his connection with Rulai to save himself.

"Should our Lingshan have a Golden-Winged Great Peng as a guardian?" Su Lin asked Meng Qi.

Meng Qi thought for a moment: "Isn't there one at Zhongli's place? We could ask him to take shift."

"That's true." Su Lin nodded, calling out to the Golden-Winged Great Peng: "Good nephew, come over here—it's safe!"

Within the Tianhe Battle Robe, shimmering like the primordial universe, the phantom of the Sacred Beast Azure Dragon drifted, and a crimson star began to glow brighter and brighter, until

The celestial river trembled; chaos split apart!

The Golden-Winged Great Peng had no time to curse—he abandoned all illusions, responding to the ten-thousand-character mark on his forehead amid destruction and repair, retreating into Lingshan.

Thus, Bodhisattva's lips curled into a smile, then dissolved into bubbles and vanished.

"Rulai, I await you at Lingshan to seek the True Sutras."

This bell's state was peculiar—neither physical nor spiritual, resembling an illusion yet able to interfere with reality.

The full-power strike released by the primordial goddess of the Servant Universe had been prepared for half a day, meant for Bodhisattva.

"Too arrogant," Su Lin sighed. "In all my years at Lingshan, I've never seen anyone more arrogant than him."

Shi Hao returned, his body's radiance dimmed; he frowned: "Your move shouldn't have left him a whole corpse."

If the Golden-Winged Great Peng was reduced to ashes, all my effort would be wasted.

"Bajie, stop thinking only about eating, alright?"

"Then what should I think about? My wife? My wife's still waiting for me to rescue her."

Su Lin had no reply; yet at that moment, heaven and earth overturned, and a meteor shower suddenly fell from the night sky.

All looked up to the heavens toward the east, where a palanquin, guarded by countless meteors, tore open the night curtain; wherever it passed, yin energy dissolved, and all evils retreated.

On the scarred earth, countless demons and malevolent gods fled in terror, hiding in remote, uninhabited grottoes, fearing retribution.

His gaze observed all upon the earth: drought, famine, plague.

Empty kingdoms, ruined capitals where demons performed sacrifices, villages stained with blood-soaked thatch, and the hollow, abandoned Underworld.

Until reaching the Lion-Camel Ridge, the towering, distant figure gazed down from the palanquin, sweeping over their group with no trace of emotion—ancient time and age surged forth.

Brilliant white light blotted out the heavens; among the "meteors," led by Tai Bai Jin Xing, numerous immortals and gods followed the palanquin, bowing but not pausing.

Stars surrounded and upheld it, dominating all realms, surging majestically toward the west.

The Heavenly Emperor is on tour!

"Do you know, Kleine," Su Lin, captivated by the scene, spoke slowly: "If not for your foul mouth, I wouldn't be stuck on this Western fantasy route every day."

Kleine's true form stepped out from the air beside him, pressing down his hat to obscure his eyes: "You could consider replacing immortals with angels—it's a decent substitute."

"If you really want to go the Eastern route," Meng Qi gazed westward and said, "next time in the Warring States world, you could ride an ox and spread the Dao—though preach mine, not your own Three Thousand Great Dao."

Few worlds can withstand Su Lin's Three Thousand Great Dao.

Su Lin clicked his tongue, slightly regretful: "Alright then."