Chapter 438

They are two complete lunatics! Their breakthrough methods are extremely eccentric; they can't overcome each other, so they can only cultivate someone to inherit their own Dao lineage.

Whether cultivating immortality or Buddhism, they will eventually become nutrients for these two people, helping them take the final step to completely transcend this world.

The world has already been harvested four times; just four times, and it has become this shattered; negative energy can be said to have eroded the entire heaven and earth.

It basically can't reach the ninth harvest; it's estimated that by the seventh or even sixth time, the whole world will collapse and then return to chaos.

However, speaking frankly, Luode somewhat understands these two people; the traversal ability he masters isn't something everyone has, and this world is severely lacking in energy.

Although the world continuously generates energy, it's not enough for the Thus Come One and Dao Ancestor to share; the world can at most support one Primordial God, yet now two have been born.

"I, the poor Daoist, also know this; the Buddha Patriarch also knows this, but what can be done?"

"If I don't do this, the Buddha Patriarch will reach Primordial God ahead of me, and then it will be my time of life and death; but if the Buddha Patriarch doesn't do this, I will still do so." The Supreme Dao Ancestor said.

The two of them are both cooperative and fiercely competitive; each wants to be one step ahead of the other.

This world isn't enough for them to harvest nine times, but nobody wants to stop first, because the one who stops can't guarantee the other won't continue.

"Heaven and earth's beings are ants! Actually that's the essence of this world; immortals and Buddhas think they've seen through it."

"Actually they haven't seen through them at all; in your and the Buddha Patriarch's eyes, they're not much different from ordinary mortals." Luode said.

Trapped in such a world unable to leave, these two old fellows have been driven completely mad.

This world is not like the Primordial Chaos Universe, which has endless chaos providing spiritual energy to the Primordial Chaos, nor like the Saint Fighter World, which has endless void.

Everything in this world is limited.

"Dao Friend, since you already know the answer, should I kill the poor Daoist or let him go?" The Supreme One asked.

"I can't let you stay in this world; you've brought too much suffering to the world's beings." Luode shook his head and said.

Upon hearing this, the Supreme One immediately rose, bowed to Luode, and said.

"Thank you, Dao Friend, for fulfilling this."

"Oh! Why are you bowing to me?" Luode asked, somewhat surprised.

"I, the old man, never said I'd let you go! I said I wouldn't let you live; if you two hadn't done the thing of harvesting heaven and earth's beings,"

"Maybe I would still let you off easy, but now it's absolutely impossible."

"Because I, the poor Daoist, also don't want to linger in this world! To me, this world is a huge prison; if Dao Friend could send me to another world, that would be best." The Supreme Dao Ancestor said.

Not being able to keep oneself in this world means sending oneself away; if one could go to other worlds, that would be what he dreams of.

"Hehe! You're a person of great wisdom, unfortunately you've misunderstood my meaning." Luode said.

Luode waved his hand, and under the Supreme One's astonished gaze, he directly destroyed the opponent's physical body and then bound the soul.

"My meaning is I can't spare your life, sending you to another world; if you again play this farming scheme, wouldn't I be harming other worlds' beings? Although I'm not a good person, as long as no one offends me, I won't harm people." Luode shook his head and said.

Joking aside, letting you go, what consequences would that have? If you were trapped in a low-level world, you'd probably go mad and then frenziedly start the farming mode.

"This Black Myth World is indeed a huge cage for you and the Buddha Patriarch, but for the existence of some lower worlds, what is it if not a vast ocean?"

Worlds somewhat higher than Black Myth do exist, but their numbers are relatively scarce.

All I know of are the Saint Fighter, the Universe, and the Marvel Universe; these two worlds, Luode obviously won't send the Supreme One there.

If sent randomly, it's very likely the Supreme One would be sent to a low-magic world; arriving there, given this Black Supreme One's personality, he'd likely do even crazier things.

Therefore, the best course of action is still to send this old brother to have his life and death path extinguished; you've lived so long, harvested countless heaven and earth beings, and it's time to spit out everything you've consumed.

"Do you really think I'll let you go? Do you really think I'll play word games with you? I said I can't let you stay in this world, meaning I can't let you stay in this world, not that I'm sending you to another world."

After killing the Supreme Dao Ancestor and the Thus Come One, the energy they had accumulated, Luode also didn't retain, but directly returned it to this world.

I have already stepped onto the path of the Primordial God; the residual energy left by these two is of little use to me, better to return it to the world's beings and announce their deeds to the world.

As Luode released the energy left behind by the Supreme Dao Ancestor and the Buddha Patriarch, all life in the entire world.

The feeling in mortal lives isn't great, but some immortals and Buddhas of the Heavenly Court feel it the most; the world's spiritual energy has spontaneously increased by more than double.

Originally the harsh cultivation environment of the mortal realm, some resources that had begun to deplete, for unknown reasons, actually began to reappear.

The whole world seems to be emitting a kind of vitality; the whole world is recovering, indeed, literally a revival.

Before, this world was already near death; the Supreme Dao Ancestor and Buddha Patriarch's harvesting plan had squeezed its value to the limit.

If Luode hadn't appeared, this world's ultimate fate would have been complete annihilation.

"I am the Heavenless Law Ancestor, announce! To all beings of the Three Realms Six Paths, the heaven and earth spiritual energy has surged more than tenfold, and longevity substances have begun to reappear in this world."

This world originally wasn't like this; the cause is the Supreme Dao Ancestor and the Thus Come One. This world is a huge pond.

All things of heaven and earth, whether immortals or Buddhas, are the fish they raised in that pond; now that both are dead, I have returned all the vital energy they harvested from heaven and earth over the years to this heaven and earth. Luode concealed nothing, speaking all that the Thus Come One and Supreme Dao Ancestor had done, and told all beings under heaven.

"How could it be, Dao Ancestor, Dao Ancestor and Buddha Patriarch actually actually did this, actually actually did this; we, we are merely the food they farmed, farmed, of!"

"Impossible, impossible, Dao Ancestor, how could Dao Ancestor possibly treat us like this? Dao Ancestor merciful, Dao Ancestor merciful; if he didn't transmit our immortal Dao cultivation method, if he didn't transmit our Golden Core technique, how could there be so many immortals in the Heavenly Court?"

"This must be false, Heavenless Law Ancestor, you are a heretical demon; you killed the Supreme Dao Ancestor and the Thus Come Buddha Patriarch, and still want to slander their reputations."

Among the immortals, Buddhas, and demons of the Three Realms, many dare not believe Luode's words, because this is indeed hard to accept.

But some people also approved of this matter, for example, the Queen Mother of West Kunlun, the Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Court, and Maitreya Buddha residing in the Great Thunderclap Temple.

Actually, regarding this matter, they had long had some suspicions, because from the moment they gained consciousness, from the moment they gained memory, the two strongest beings in this world have always been the Tathagata and the Dao Ancestor.

All the Daoist arts and techniques they cultivate were transmitted by these two individuals.

No one knows what their origins were, what the world was like before them, and nobody dares to guess.

However, some clever people could faintly guess what the Tathagata and the Supreme were up to, because the immortals of the Heavenly Court and the Buddhas of Spirit Mountain all need life force, all need to prolong their lifespans.

Isn't the trade in the Heavenly Realm just a reflection of what the Supreme Dao Ancestor and the Tathagata Buddha are doing? Truly, if the beam is not straight, the lower part will be crooked!

At this moment, in the Heavenly Court, Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen Yang Jian also wore looks of surprise; they had realized that the Supreme and the Tathagata were not good people, but they had not expected that the two's plan would be so cruel.

The Three Realms and Six Paths, all beings of heaven and earth—everything is their food, everything is their harvest target. 'Indeed, indeed! Hahaha! Old Geezer Supreme, Old Geezer Tathagata, you died well, you died well! Hahaha!' Sun Wukong laughed loudly to the heavens and spoke.

'I had some vague suspicions before, but I never imagined it would be true, and they have done this so many times—no wonder this world is so devastated, no wonder the world's spiritual energy and all longevity substances are gradually withering, even completely disappearing.' Erlang Shen Yang Jian shook his head and spoke.

Perhaps many great divine beings also guessed it, but how could they dare to speak? After all, in this world no one can oppose the Supreme and the Tathagata.

The fact that this world's spiritual energy has suddenly increased tenfold is the best proof of how many times these two scoundrels have harvested.

At this moment, the world recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye; the former extremes of heaven and earth even gave rise to vaster lands and vaster seas, making the world considerably larger.

The deaths of the Tathagata and the Supreme Elder were immensely beneficial to this world; the world itself would absorb some power of nothingness and then use it to replenish itself.

Although the world was allowed to grow, the Supreme Elder and the Tathagata absorbed all the material nutrients that the world had grown into their own bodies, preventing the world from growing and instead forcing it to sustain these two individuals.

Now, by vomiting out everything those two had eaten all at once, the world also expanded, able to accommodate more living beings, more spiritual energy, and provide more longevity substances.

The entire world began to grow.

"Merciful Founding Ancestor Wu Tian, aside from the arch‑evil of this world." The Jade Emperor, who had originally been seated on the dragon throne, suddenly rose to his feet and then knelt on the ground, speaking:

"Merciful Founding Ancestor, merciful Founding Ancestor." All the gods and immortals of the Heavenly Court followed the Jade Emperor in kneeling on the ground.

They truly felt the benefit; originally they needed Golden Core and Peaches of Immortality to prolong life, but after the world's spiritual energy reserves increased and longevity substances grew, they at least no longer needed Golden Core or Peaches of Immortality for a long time.

You must know, Peaches of Immortality and Golden Core are not always available; they require time to produce.

"Old Jade Emperor, don't rush to thank me just yet—just now I, Old Sun, asked you a question and you haven't answered!" Sun Wukong hoisted his Golden Hooped Staff onto his shoulder and spoke:

Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor's face instantly darkened, for the condition Sun Wukong proposed was utterly unacceptable to him.

After Sun Wukong entered the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, he put forward three matters: first, all the immortals of the Heavenly Court must obey the edicts of Wu Tian Fa Zu; this was no problem, they were willing to accept.

Second, he said the Jade Emperor's virtue did not match his position, so he could no longer enjoy the seat of Ruler of the Three Realms; the candidate for Heavenly Emperor had already been chosen by Wu Tian Fa Zu.

He could never accept this condition; having been the Jade Emperor since birth, the Supreme of the Three Realms, stepping down from that throne was harder than killing him—once you've tasted the flavor of power, you never want to leave it.

As for the third matter Sun Wukong mentioned, none of the Heavenly Court's immortals could agree, because Wu Tian Fa Zu demanded that henceforth they could use Peaches of Immortality to increase lifespan, but could no longer refine Golden Core as before.

If they could not refine life‑extending Golden Core, then these immortals would be fine for a time, but eventually death would come.

"In this matter, I will personally petition the Founding Ancestor." The Jade Emperor said:

Seated beside him, the Queen Mother of the West also nodded; the two of them are the masters of the Heavenly Palace—how could they abandon this supreme position?

The other gods of the Heavenly Court felt the same; nobody wanted to give up the chance at immortality.

"Heh heh! Jade Emperor, you need to understand one thing: Wu Tian Fa Zu isn't letting me come negotiate terms with you; he's formally notifying you. Since you've refused,

"then I, Old Sun, have no more scruples—Wu Tian Fa Zu, please make your move; they don't want this sliver of life!" Sun Wukong drew a deep breath, bowed toward the heavens, and spoke:

As for the Heavenly Court's immortals, he felt no fondness for them at all; the deities he cared about were either demoted and harmed or had already descended to the mortal realm.

Originally, according to Wu Tian Fa Zu's intention, these Heavenly Court gods were to be wiped out outright, with no need to say more to them; it was Sun Wukong who managed to secure an opportunity.

As long as they were willing to accept Luode's condition—no longer refining Golden Core from the essence of all living things in heaven and earth to prolong life—they could continue to survive, but alas!

These immortals who had lived far too long were unwilling to relinquish immortality.

"If that's the case, then do as you wish!" Luode snorted coldly; all the immortals in the Heavenly Court, including the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother, trembled throughout their bodies.

Then they turned into the purest primordial energy of heaven and earth, once again nourishing the world—but compared to the primordial energy previously supplied by the Supreme Elder and the Buddha, it was merely a drop in the bucket.

The entire Heavenly Court appeared empty and deserted; ninety percent of the immortals were annihilated by Luode in a single strike, while the few who remained were those on good terms with Wukong, whom Wukong had previously shielded at his side, escaping Luode's eradication.

Among them were the Third Prince Nezha, Erlang Shen's subordinates the Six Saints of Mount Mei, the former Heavenly Marshal Tianpeng's direct superior Emperor Ziwei, and Emperor Zhenwu.

Besides these individuals, all the immortals in the entire sky were wiped clean by Luode.

"Wu Tian Fa Zu, the Heavenly Court's immortals have been slaughtered to the last—how is this world supposed to operate?" Sun Wukong approached Luode and asked:

"How should it operate? The souls of deceased mortals will naturally pass through the Underworld; the lands and mountain gods can each carry out their duties.

"The Four Sea Dragon Kings can again command clouds and rain, ensuring fair weather across the realm; the Yin Star and Yang Star will also rise and set normally—what's wrong with that?" Luode laughed and said.

"Someone oversees reincarnation; someone manages the Four Sea Dragon Kings' cloud‑making without rain; the mountain and earth gods themselves were unharmed, and they can also govern their own mountains well."

"Those lofty immortals, aside from harvesting all living beings beneath them, basically serve no great purpose."

"Hahaha! Wu Tian Fa Zu is right—we really don't need so many overseers!" Erlang Shen Yang Jian chuckled and said.

"Heh heh! Now spiritual energy is abundant; among the various major cultivation sects in the mortal world, there will certainly be many new cultivators who will ascend to immortality, and naturally they can fill the vacancies in the Heavenly Court's divine posts.

"An immortal's lifespan is fixed; no one can live forever unless they raise their cultivation to a higher realm.

"From now on there will be no more Golden Core or Peaches of Immortality to grant them longevity." Luode said.

"As for the Peach Tree, Luode shamelessly took them all; he has already obtained the Supreme Elder Lord Laozi's method of refining Golden Core; all that remains is to incorporate Lesser Kunlun into his possession."

"Wu Tian Fa Zu! As the saying goes, a snake without a head cannot function—among the Three Realms we still lack a Heavenly Emperor; does the Founding Ancestor have a suitable candidate in mind?" Erlang Shen Yang Jian asked:

"How about you and Wukong? The two of you could manage the Heavenly Court and maintain order over this heaven and earth." Luode said.

"Wu Tian Fa Zu, Old Sun can't do that—I still want to return to Flower‑Fruit Mountain to enjoy a spell of leisure! I'm not fit to be the Heavenly Emperor." Sun Wukong immediately shook his head and said:

"Come on, how could the Great Sage Equal to Heaven possibly become a Heavenly Emperor!"

"Hahaha! You monkey, the True Sovereign remembers that when you caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace back then, you said the Jade Emperor would take turns—this year it's my turn to host, yet now you don't want the Jade Emperor's position." Erlang Shen Yang Jian said:

"Those were just the ignorant words of youth! Not true, not true." Sun Wukong shook his head and said.

"And you, Erlang Shen?"

"Wu Tian Fa Zu, I too cannot take the seat of Heavenly Emperor." Yang Jian shook his head and said.

He, like Sun Wukong, also did not want to manage too many affairs.

"Wu Tian Fa Zu, your wife is about to give birth—why not let your son become the Heavenly Emperor?" Sun Wukong's eyes rolled as he spoke. (End of chapter)