Chapter 436

For countless eons, for millions of years, he and the Supreme Dao Ancestor have walked ahead of all beings.

They successfully seized the world's most fundamental power, reaching the pinnacle of cultivation attainable by beings in this world, the very peak of this world.

After reaching this height, he and the Supreme Dao Ancestor both attempted to break through this realm, to surpass the existing realm, to reach a higher level.

But whether it was him or the Supreme, they ended in failure; this world is like a cup or a bowl.

He and the Supreme have already drained the water in this cup or bowl completely dry, and heaven, earth, and all beings can only revere their Dao and cultivate their Dao.

If one does not walk their path, then there is no path to walk. And if one wishes to transcend the current realm, to transcend this world, then one needs only to gather all the water of this world together—thus he and the Supreme formed a balance.

Hundreds of millions of years have passed, and he and the Supreme no longer even think about breaking through, but unexpectedly, today, someone who has broken through has appeared before him—how could he not be astonished? How did this person break through this realm? According to his and the Supreme's speculation, unless one of them died, the other would have a chance to break through this barrier, or unless both died, then someone could break through this barrier.

To transcend this world and achieve the existence of the Great Non-Supreme, the result is, however, obvious—before him now stands an existence that has already reached this realm.

What kind of combat power does my Buddha possess? What realm is he in? I know this all too well—able to use his own mana to completely immobilize him, rendering him unable to move, slowly consuming and destroying his body.

Besides the realm that he and the Supreme speculated upon together, no other existence could possibly exist.

"Did I not say it already? Today is your end, not my tribulation!" Luode spoke.

Exactly! It is literally the end.

Tathagata, your life is to end.

"Dao friend, since you have cultivated to this extent, you must also know that my cultivation to this point today has been no easy feat—why not let me go? I will submit to you as my lord," the Tathagata Buddha spoke.

At this moment, the Tathagata clearly sees that if he does not yield, if he does not beg for mercy, then his fate has only one outcome.

That is to be thoroughly refined and dissolved by this great divine-power wielder, then vanish from this world—this is something he absolutely cannot accept.

Hearing this, Luode let out a cold laugh: "You now know to beg for mercy? But I have no intention of letting you go.

In heaven and earth, how many great divine-power beings reached Maitreya in ancient times? How many cultivators of the level of the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother should there not be few? And how did you treat them? Need I say more?" Luode spoke.

The Tathagata and the Supreme in this world follow the creed: those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me perish—unless they join the sect founded by the two of them.

Otherwise, everything is heretical and deviant.

"Buddha! Buddha! You, you—how?" At this moment, the countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the Great Thunder Sound Temple, the Vajra Guardians of the Dharma, all gazed in disbelief at the Tathagata.

Is this still the Western Paradise Tathagata Buddha they know? Is this still the god they believe in their hearts?

In the eyes of these Buddhas, the Buddha is an invincible existence, the strongest in this world, with nothing the Buddha cannot accomplish and nothing the Buddha cannot resolve.

But today, an existence has appeared that has indeed subdued the Tathagata, rendered him utterly powerless to resist, and even the god they believe in has opened his mouth to beg for mercy from the opponent.

At this moment, the hearts of countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have collapsed; their faith has suffered a massive blow and begun to crumble.

The Bull Demon King, Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Yellow Wind, Zhu Bajie, and the Yaksha King Red Boy—originally they guarded Luode's side, intending to block other Bodhisattvas from sneaking up to ambush Luode.

Who would have thought that the Non-Heaven Dharma Ancestor would so easily subdue the Tathagata? Could there be a mistake? This is the Western Paradise Tathagata Buddha! The Non-Heaven Dharma Ancestor and the Tathagata fought to a draw, their mana roughly equal—this they could anticipate—but to completely and utterly suppress the Tathagata? That was beyond their imagination.

"Hahaha! Old Tathagata, Old Tathagata, you too have this day, you too have this day—truly, Old Monkey dies of joy, dies of joy!" Sun Wukong laughed loudly as he spoke.

"Buddha! Disciple comes to save you!" Holding the Jade Pure Vase, Guanyin could no longer sit still; she leapt down from her white lotus throne and reached out to strike Luode, who sat upon the black lotus.

But someone moved before her—Sun Wukong stepped in front of Guanyin Bodhisattva, brandishing his golden cudgel, and struck toward her palm.

"Guanyin Bodhisattva, you and Old Monkey have old scores to settle. Back then you promised Old Monkey you would protect that old monk on his journey to the Western Paradise, to come here.

And you would remove this golden hoop from my head. But in the end, you still deceived Old Monkey—now, the account between us can be settled, and you shall take one blow from Old Monkey." Sun Wukong finished speaking, then raised his staff and struck.

At this moment, Guanyin Bodhisattva let out a cold snort; the willow jade pure vase in her hand emitted a white light, intending to immobilize Sun Wukong—he truly has no time to tangle with this unruly monkey, must hurry to save the Buddha.

This Great Thunder Sound Temple may lack any Buddha or any Bodhisattva, but it cannot lack the Tathagata Buddha!

At this moment, Maitreya Buddha, sitting on the other side, also wore a face full of astonishment, having lost his original smiling countenance, staring in disbelief at Luode and the Buddha's confrontation in the sky.

If Luode were to fight the Tathagata Buddha to a draw, he would be astonished—but to utterly crush his senior brother, the Tathagata Buddha? This is something he dare not even imagine.

His cultivation is somewhat higher than Guanyin Bodhisattva's, after all, he is the future Buddha, so he knows full well how strong the Tathagata's mana is—able to so easily suppress the Tathagata, then if the Supreme were to appear, he would likely not withstand even a few moves from this person! Indeed, the heavens must change now; fortunately, at the Small Thunder Sound Temple, I did not offend him, and I once thought he was roughly my equal—little did I expect he concealed his depth so deeply.

Sun Wukong and Guanyin Bodhisattva began fighting, and some other Buddhas also thought to come to the rescue, while the remaining demon kings also engaged these Buddhas in combat.

Guanyin Bodhisattva's mana is still strong. Even now, though Wukong's strength has advanced somewhat, it can only barely maintain a non-defeat—indeed, if prolonged, he might yet be recaptured by Guanyin.

May this Non-Heaven Dharma Ancestor quickly subdue the Tathagata!

"You wretched creatures, hurry and get out of the way!"

"How dare you act wantonly in the Mahavira Hall!"

"You demons and monsters, cease your wantonness!"

Luode, seated in the sky, let out a cold laugh; the black lotus on his body emitted a beam of light, and the Buddhas who came to support the Tathagata—even including Guanyin Bodhisattva—

were all collectively flung backward, vomiting blood; even those with lower cultivation were directly shaken by Luode's power into flying ash, perishing in body and Dao.

At this moment, the Tathagata Buddha's golden body emitted faint, faint, faint cracks, and these cracks continued to expand, while the Buddha's body began to tremble.

No longer does he bear the radiance of former days; the Buddha-light on his body has also dimmed.

"Ah! You, you are not of this world, you, you are an extraterritorial heavenly demon, you are an extraterritorial heavenly demon!"

At this moment, the Tathagata Buddha finally discerned, examining the man before him—he is fundamentally not a person of this world.

Only this origin can explain why he can disregard the world's rules and reach the realm that he and the Supreme could not break through.

But why would such a being of this realm make things difficult for him?

"Your nonsense is too much! Well, I've had my fun—now it's time to send you on your way." Luode once again amplified his primordial divine power, madly burning the primordial force born of the microcosm to generate mana, which surged into the Tathagata's heart and mind, drawing out his entire soul and spirit.

This is the Tathagata Buddha's soul, equivalent to half of a primordial god's soul, and most precious—naturally, it cannot be wasted.

After losing his soul, the Tathagata Buddha's ten-zhang golden body could no longer withstand it, shattering directly into boundless Buddha-light, dispersing within the Great Thunder Sound Temple.

"Amitabha, the Buddha has entered Nirvana." The Maitreya Buddha seated on the ground intoned the Buddha's name, palms joined.

"Amitabha, the Buddha has entered Nirvana." After the Tathagata's death, the entire Great Thunder Sound Temple fell into a deathly silence; even though Luode brought a host of demon kings, they stared wide-eyed, unable to believe.

Who could have imagined that in but a moment's time, the immensely powerful Tathagata Buddha would die just so?

"Maitreya Buddha! Will you henceforth submit to me?" Luode descended from the sky, gazing upon the sorrowful Buddhas before him, then approached Maitreya Buddha and asked.

"Non-Heaven Dharma Ancestor, if you allow me to lead the Great Thunder Sound Temple, I naturally wish to submit." Maitreya Buddha came before Luode, bowed once, and spoke.

"Nonsense—of course one must submit; if not, one waits for death? The Tathagata Buddha, whose mana is countless times greater than mine, is dead—what reason do I have to resist?" "Hahaha! This Great Thunder Sound Temple may be entrusted to you to lead. Henceforth, you shall manage the West for me, but you must withdraw from the Eastern powers." Luode spoke.

Completely taking over the world doesn't mean destroying it; he still needs some spokespersons, after all, Luode himself cannot remain in one world forever.

"Amitabha, the words of the Wu Tian Fa Zu are indeed correct." Maitreya spoke.

"Well then, from today onward, you shall lead the entire Buddhist sect," Luode said.

"I refuse! Amitabha, the Buddha has just entered parinirvana, and you, Maitreya, wish to usurp the throne, and moreover, you are invincible!" A long-browed Buddha stood up and spoke in questioning.

"Amitabha, I am the Future Buddha of Buddhism. Since the Buddha has entered parinirvana, it is natural that I should lead the Buddhist sect.

Wu Tian Fa Zu is the calamity destined for the Tathagata; this is the heavenly number of the Tathagata, how could it be otherwise?" Maitreya uttered a Buddhist invocation and spoke.

The Tathagata is already gone; in the entire Great Lei Yin Temple, there is not a single person he regards with importance, except perhaps the strength of Guanyin Bodhisattva, which barely approaches that of Maitreya Buddha!

But as the Future Buddha, the successor of Buddhism, after the Buddha's passing, he still has confidence in subduing the Buddhist sect.

"Hahaha! Maitreya, it seems the heavenly gods and buddhas of the Western Heaven truly do not wish to submit to your rule.

In that case. Red Boy, your Yaksha clan was destroyed by Ling Shan in the past; now is the time for you to take revenge. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas unwilling to submit to Maitreya Buddha shall be slaughtered without mercy," Luode said.

Upon hearing Luode's words, the Red Boy, now become the Yaksha King, knelt on the ground with overwhelming excitement.

"It is the disciple obeying the command of Wu Tian Fa Zu."

Seeing this scene, the other demon kings also understood: the Tathagata's rule has truly come to an end.

"Amitabha, Guanyin, would you be willing to become the new Future Buddha of my Buddhist sect?" Maitreya Buddha uttered a Buddhist invocation and looked toward Guanyin Bodhisattva, the disciple most valued by the Tathagata.

Guanyin is a very intelligent person; otherwise, she would not have stood out among the many disciples of the Tathagata Buddha, even becoming the representative of his Buddhist sect.

"Amitabha! Disciple thanks the Buddha." Guanyin Bodhisattva adjusted her white long robe, knelt before Maitreya Buddha, and said.

"Very good, very good. Now, those willing to honor me as Buddha, stand to my side; those unwilling, the compassionate monk will send you into reincarnation." Maitreya Buddha smiled and said.

What followed no longer required Luode's involvement; he directly walked out of the Great Lei Yin Temple, from within came a chorus of battle cries, and Maitreya Buddha began a thorough cleansing of the entire Great Lei Yin Temple.

Watching Maitreya Buddha unleash a great slaughter within, along with Red Boy and the other demon kings, Sun Wukong let out a sigh.

I never expected, truly never expected, that today's battle would be so effortless; I had thought there would be a bloodbath, even preparing myself for death in battle. But I never expected that the strength of this Wu Tian Fa Zu would actually crush the Buddha.

"I say this Maitreya Buddha usually laughs heartily, yet he is a smiling tiger; I see that his disciple is practically identical to him—no wonder they are master and disciple! A single virtue." Zhu Bajie also did not participate in the slaughter inside, came out and said.

"Bajie, I now see more clearly: in these three realms, the heavenly gods and buddhas are actually not so different from us demons; they all stand upon the heads of humans.

I originally thought there were truly great compassionate beings in the Buddhist sect, but I never expected they are just like that old Tathagata—all of them are cut from the same cloth." Sun Wukong spoke from the other side.

After the Tathagata Buddha's death, everything in Lei Yin Temple once again opened Sun Wukong's eyes.

"Hahaha! Remember this: in this world, everything speaks by strength; if you have strength, you can do as you please; if you have strength, your words are the Dao; if you have strength, your words are the law." Luode said.

In any world, there is no false justice; as long as your strength is sufficient, you are justice.

"Wu Tian Fa Zu! Can you spare my master, and also my two junior disciples?" Sun Wukong said.

"Spare them, your master at least plotted for you; sparing him is naturally no problem, but what about White Dragon Horse and Sha Wujing? When you were in trouble, did they ever come to help you?

Moreover, they don't need me to spare them—you look for yourself in the Mahavira Hall: which side are your two junior disciples on?

They are on Maitreya Buddha's side; your two junior disciples are excellent fence-sitters." Luode laughed and said.

At this moment, the reincarnation of the Golden Cicada Child, Tang Sanzang, uttered a Buddhist invocation, sat in agony in his place, motionless.

But because of Sun Wukong's relationship, Maitreya Buddha's side did not provoke this person.

As for Sun Wukong's two disciples, Sha Wujing has already become a Head Monk Protector of the Buddhist sect, and as for the Little White Dragon, he is also a Broad Power Bodhisattva of the Eight Heavenly Dragons.

These two are quite perceptive; upon seeing that the Buddha's death is irreversible, they immediately defected.

Following Guanyin Bodhisattva, they began to purge the traitors of Ling Shan—correct, precisely the traitors of Ling Shan.

After all, they fought under the banner of the Future Buddha; the doctrines of Buddhism are written very clearly—Maitreya Buddha is the ruler of future Buddhism.

In the entire Great Lei Yin Temple, about seventy percent of the followers have sided with Maitreya Buddha, while only thirty percent remain die-hard loyalists of the Tathagata Buddha, struggling in their last stand.

Shortly after, this purge also ended thoroughly; all die-hard loyalists of the Tathagata Buddha have been completely exterminated by Maitreya Buddha.

The entire Western Heaven changed hands in a single night.

"Amitabha, Wu Tian Buddha Ancestor, the little monk has already pacified all rebels in the Ling Shan treasure halls; now the entire Buddhist sect returns to your command." Maitreya Buddha came to Luode's side, uttered a Buddhist invocation, and said.

This purge of seventy percent of Ling Shan's population actually also served to relieve the pressure on Ling Shan, after all, the breath of longevity is limited, and the spiritual fortune of this world is limited—each additional person requires it, each extra mouth consumes it.

One less person eating means everyone can eat a little fuller; moreover, Buddhas have already attained enlightenment for tens of thousands of years; this large-scale death has indeed reduced the consumption problem of Ling Shan.

"You handle the matter well; I give you three days to deal with Ling Shan's affairs. Once you have settled Ling Shan's affairs, come with me to the Heavenly Court." Luode said.

On the Buddhist-Daoist side, they themselves support Maitreya Buddha as their spokesperson, to lead the entire Buddhist-Daoist tradition; while on the Heavenly Court side, they must decide whom to support—first, the Jade Emperor must certainly be dealt with, and the Queen Mother as well.

The Supreme Dao Ancestor must also be dealt with; the entire Daoist sect must be reshuffled. According to Luode's estimate, cleansing the Heavenly Court will likely be even more brutal than cleansing the Buddhist sect.

In the Buddhist sect, there is still a Future Buddha who can help lead it; but in the Daoist sect, there is truly no suitable candidate, so a great cleansing must be carried out.

"Amitabha! If Wu Tian Fa Zu has need, the poor monk can bring the elite of the Buddhist sect to accompany you to the Heavenly Court." Maitreya Buddha said.

The Tathagata Buddha cannot withstand the Fu Tian Fa Zu; naturally, the Supreme Dao Ancestor cannot withstand him either; the fate of the entire Heavenly Court has already been decided.

"Hmm, this Western Heaven is yours, but the Eastern Heaven must not be interfered with." Luode said. (End of chapter)