Chapter 7: Crushing, Absolute Crushing

It can be said that Haotian's move directly placed him at the highest point, causing them to slam the table in admiration!

We cannot arbitrarily interfere with the Buddhist Sect's westward journey, but we can find excuses to interfere!

Haotian glanced at the assembled immortals and said indifferently: "The Lord of Beidi Purple Qi, eternally seated as the Northern Dipper Battle Mother True God—where are you?!"

Among the assembled immortals, a woman in yellow robes stepped forward.

Immortal qi drifted around her, profound and unfathomable, her black hair fine as silk, her jade-like face peerless.

Yet none of the immortals present dared to look down on her.

Holy Mother Jin Ling, indeed a formidable one—she was the foremost female immortal of the Jie Sect in those days, and after the Investiture of the Gods, she was further enshrined as the Goddess of the Northern Dipper Battle Mother, becoming the chief of the stellar lodges.

She oversees the Battle Department of the Heavenly Court's Eight Divisions, an absolute authority-level mission.

"Reporting to the Jade Emperor, your servant is here!" Holy Mother Jin Ling spoke in a detached tone, clasping her hands in salute.

Haotian did not mind, for he had long grown accustomed to it.

After all, the cause of the Investiture of the Gods is inseparable from him.

"I command you to serve as the Geographical Boundary Protection Bureau; immediately descend to the Lower Realm to maintain stability in the underworld realms—do you have any objections?"

Holy Mother Jin Ling nodded: "Your servant obeys the edict."

"Bodhisattva, we have nearly scoured this entire area, yet still find no trace of the monkey!" The golden-headed Prajna panted as he rushed to Avalokiteshvara.

Even with his divine powers, such a vast area makes meticulous searching extremely difficult.

Avalokiteshvara furrowed her willow brows: "Have we not yet searched everywhere? Continue!"

Unable to find the monkey, as the primary responsible party, she cannot escape blame.

Bodhisattva Manjushri performed a Buddhist salutation and said: "A Mi Tuo Fo, let us search elsewhere."

"Then it will be troublesome for you." Avalokiteshvara nodded.

Just as they were about to leave, they heard a sharp breaking-wind sound; Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, and Samantabhadra instantly changed expression, flashing away from their original positions.

Boom!

Accompanied by a deafening roar, the small hill beneath them was flattened; upon seeing the object that had smashed the hill, the three bodhisattvas' pupils contracted.

Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi!

They hastily turned toward the newcomer; Avalokiteshvara loudly demanded: "Battle Mother Sovereign, what is the meaning of this!"

Everyone's faces were grim—just now, that was a lethal strike!

"We act under the Buddha's command, rushing about for the westward journey; this is the Heaven-ordained Great Prosperity—what intention do you have in acting thus?"

Holy Mother Jin Ling's lips curled into an arc—truly, within the Buddhist Sect, she specializes in Buddhist affairs, always suppressing others with power, never ceasing to speak of the Buddhist Sect's Great Prosperity.

"This sovereign, acting under the Jade Emperor's edict, holds the office of Geographical Boundary Protection Bureau; the Buddhist Sect's wanton rampage destroys the Immortal Realm, severely disrupting the stability of all continental domains—such conduct, do you still place the Heavenly Court in your eyes, do you still place the Jade Emperor in your eyes!" Holy Mother Jin Ling coldly laughed.

She is no fool—pulling the tiger's skin, who wouldn't do that? After the incident, those above will naturally bear the blame.

"Reporting to the Sovereign, the almsgiving monk and others are also compelled by the westward journey!" Avalokiteshvara opened her mouth to explain, while Manjushri and Samantabhadra echoed from the side.

"Hah, noisy—is the westward journey merely your excuse for disturbing the underworld realms!" Holy Mother Jin Ling's face turned cold; with a casual gesture, she sent the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi, embedded in the ground, lunging once more at the three bodhisattvas.

Avalokiteshvara and the others dared not be negligent; each manifested their golden bodies—sixteen-foot golden forms, vast and majestic, Buddha-light illuminating the heavens as they struck the firmament.

Though the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi is merely a top-tier acquired treasure, its wielder, Holy Mother Jin Ling, is profound and unfathomable; they dare not relax in the slightest.

Isolating the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi from without, Avalokiteshvara and the others' faces grew extremely grim: "Battle Mother Sovereign, do you truly intend to defy heaven!"

Defy heaven?

Upon hearing this, Holy Mother Jin Ling chuckled; her exquisite face brimmed with contempt, and the divine power infused into the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi deepened further.

Has not my Jie Sect always ascended by defying heaven! What does my Jie Sect fear in defying heaven!

The Investiture of the Gods Calamity,

she believed that by entangling with Cihang, Puxian, and Manjushri, she allowed that shameless Deng to succeed in a sneak attack, ascending the Investiture of the Gods list.

Now is the time to repay new and old grievances together!

Not only the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi, but the Four Symbols Pagoda, the Flying Golden Sword—all were unleashed.

Under Holy Mother Jin Ling's control, they separately attacked Avalokiteshvara and the others.

Without hesitation, the three employed their golden bodies for defense; treasure striking golden body produced waves of booming sounds, like ancient bells tolling endlessly.

This is the Buddhist Sect's top-tier defensive divine ability; although Holy Mother Jin Ling is listed on the Investiture of the Gods and her cultivation cannot advance, she is nonetheless an early-stage Prepared Saint.

In contrast, Avalokiteshvara and the others, having lost their Three Flowers and Five Qi, though possessing the Buddhist Sect's Eight Treasures Merit Pool for restoration, ultimately fall short of their original state.

This will still affect their future realms.

Now, aside from Avalokiteshvara being a Great Luo Golden Immortal at peak, Manjushri and Samantabhadra are both stalled in the middle stage of Great Luo.

Originally, they fought Holy Mother Jin Ling to a draw thanks to the augmentation of a Holy Person's power; but now, that Holy Person's power is gone.

After a bout of combat, aside from Avalokiteshvara's situation being relatively better, Manjushri and Samantabhadra's golden bodies have already been shattered by bombardment, peril lurking at every turn.

Holy Mother Jin Ling's former status in the Jie Sect was second only to the prior incarnation of the Tathagata, Duobao; previously, she could suppress three with one; now, she can still do the same!

Holy Mother Jin Ling's domineering display was also fully relayed to the Heavenly Court via Haotian's mirror.

"Battle Mother Sovereign is indeed a pillar of my Heavenly Court!" Haotian's lips curled upward as he praised.

He naturally knows Holy Mother Jin Ling is settling public and private scores, but what of it? As long as effort is exerted, it is good.

"Still, the Emperor's strategy is brilliant—Battle Mother Sovereign's divine power is formidable; they are no match for her!" Haotian's first lackey, Tai Bai Jin Xing, beamed with joy.

The scene of violently beating the Three Great Bodhisattvas made the immortals feel utterly refreshed in body and mind.

Beat them hard, blast them all to pieces!

The assembled immortals were thinking intently.

Originally, Holy Mother Jin Ling, who had been suppressing the Three Great Bodhisattvas with fierce hammer blows, was suddenly struck down from the cloud heights by some object, taking half a day to recover.

Holy Mother Jin Ling looked up and saw, to her astonishment, the colossal figure seated atop the cloud peak; she immediately spoke with a mocking tone: "I never expected it—Senior Brother Duobao, you too have learned Deng's methods!"

In her words, she further emphasized the four characters "Senior Brother Duobao" with added vocal weight.

"A Mi Tuo Fo, facility, Duōbǎo dàoshī has become the past." Tathagata withdrew the alms bowl, saying with an unchanged expression.

Seeing Tathagata say these words, the last trace of sectarian affection in Holy Mother Jin Ling's heart vanished completely, and she coldly laughed: "Tathagata, I act by the Jade Emperor's edict to quell chaos—do you dare scheme against me?"

"No, no." Tathagata gently shook his head and spoke gradually: "Our Buddhist Sect's westward journey is a fixed number of the Heavenly Dao; now that the monkey is missing, to follow the great trend of the Heavenly Dao, our Buddhist Sect has no choice but to act thus."

How admirable, acting out of necessity!

Holy Mother Jin Ling showed ample contempt, her small hand hooking the Jade Dragon-Tiger Ruyi, the Fei Jin Sword, and the Four Symbols Tower—all flew to her side to encircle her, and vast surges of Dharma power welled from her body.

The Three Great Bodhisattvas, originally struck down, now resembled a tiny boat on the sea, swaying and on the verge of capsizing.

Seeing this, Tathagata made a Waving Hand Gesture; the pressure on Guanyin and others vanished, the three felt grateful and bowed to Tathagata, cast a resentful glance at Holy Mother Jin Ling, then came to stand behind Tathagata.

Holy Mother Jin Ling's face grew even colder, she was about to draw her hands when a mighty sound suddenly came.

"The Heavenly Dao permits your Buddhist Sect's great prosperity without falsehood, but this does not mean you may act without restraint—protecting the Three Realms is the Heavenly Court's duty!"