Chapter 930: Next Time, Definitely

Finally out! Sun Wukong laughed loudly, without a word he rushed toward Maitreya.

Maitreya raised his hand and made a gentle gesture.

Part of the three thousand worlds that formed the road beneath his feet scattered out, like a meteor shower striking Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong swept his golden hoop rod sideways, smashing the first few worlds that collided with him.

The recoil force made his movements pause for a moment; immediately a world struck his arm, but without great force it did not shake him away or injure him.

Instead, it attached to Sun Wukong's body, restricting his movements.

Additionally, worlds came from behind, left, above, below, and right, sticking and attaching, and in the blink of an eye they completely enveloped Sun Wukong.

Before Sun Wukong could shatter these worlds to escape, more worlds gathered, totaling a thousand; these worlds, with Sun Wukong as the core, condensed into a huge, immense sphere.

Maitreya lightly pointed, and the sphere emitted golden light, its form shifting.

Soon, a golden Maitreya Buddha statue appeared in the chaotic void.

Smiling mouth always open, furrowed brow and large belly, seated on a golden lotus, baring his chest; inside his belly, a terrifying demonic shadow could faintly be seen thrashing left and right, trying to break free.

A big belly can tolerate, tolerating what the world cannot tolerate!

Maitreya acted to bind Sun Wukong, lightly waving his right hand; the big-belly Maitreya Buddha drifted away to a distant place, unknown whereabouts, likely unable to return for a short time.

Tang Luo did not anxiously seek to retrieve Sun Wukong, because Maitreya produced Guanyin's pure jade vase in his hand.

Maitreya wore a faint smile, reaching out to grasp the pure jade vase.

Cracks appeared on the sturdy pure jade vase; as Maitreya's palm closed, it shattered with a sound.

The Celestial Dog, Zhu Bajie, Ao Yulie, and Sha Wujing appeared.

Each was in a heavily wounded, near-death state, including Sha Wujing's magic treasure's true form, also on the verge of breaking.

This injury came from Maitreya forcibly shattering the pure jade vase.

Maitreya opened his palm upward, suspending the few people in his hand, and smiling at Tang Luo said, "O monk, your disciples, I return them to you."

Saying that, he waved a hand, actively sending the unconscious Zhu Bajie and others before Tang Luo.

It appeared very kind-hearted.

Actually, it was naturally due to their mutual understanding; Maitreya intended to consume the merit power of Tang Luo's merit jade lotus to rescue Zhu Bajie and the others.

Even if Zhu Bajie and the others were rescued to peak condition, they could hardly sway the battle between Tang Luo and Maitreya.

Truly, when they could become the last straw that breaks the camel's back, Maitreya was not far from death either; the difference was negligible.

Sun Wukong was different; his strength was overwhelming, and his combat prowess surpassed mere strength.

Therefore, Maitreya spared no expense, using one-third of the three thousand worlds as a price to temporarily seal and send them away.

First deal with Tang Luo, then free up his hands to handle Sun Wukong.

If possible, Maitreya still hoped to subdue Sun Wukong, making him obediently act like a dog.

What the Tathagata cannot do, I can do!

Tang Luo did not have such "treatment"; in Maitreya's heart, he belonged to the sort of person who was destined to die.

"Thanks a lot," Tang Luo jeered; the merit jade lotus on his brow surfaced, and the light of enlightened healing enveloped Zhu Bajie and the others.

It repaired their wounds, severe enough to be almost fatal.

But after a while, the merit jade lotus had consumed much merit, yet Zhu Bajie and the others still did not wake up.

Maitreya watched silently, chuckling lightly, seeming somewhat relieved.

Besides the injury from the shattered pure jade vase, Maitreya also secretly gave Zhu Bajie and the others a blow; power clung to their bodies, wildly canceling the healing effect of the merit jade lotus.

It was inevitable to completely exhaust the merit of the merit jade lotus.

One must not let the merit jade lotus become Tang Luo's trump card, creating an obstacle for Maitreya.

Without forcing out a possible Tathagata as a precondition, Maitreya felt he had already lost a stake and could not afford to lose further.

Tang Luo expressionlessly watched the merit of the merit jade lotus drain away like a flood from a broken gate.

The power Maitreya left inside Zhu Bajie and the others was like a bone-deep abscess, difficult to extract, consuming enormously.

Actually, in a battle of this level, the merit jade lotus could only assist from the sidelines; wanting it to be the decisive key was rather difficult.

Tang Luo could use the Three Unobservable State to some extent to secretly kill the Nine Spirit Elemental Sage; that was because he teamed up with Sun Wukong, while Maitreya lurked in the shadows, using the Nine Spirit Elemental Sage as a pawn to consume.

In a one-on-one situation, the invisible, inaudible, intangible state actually could not escape the notice of the Nine Spirit Elemental Sage.

Actually, if Maitreya truly were willing to step forward openly and act, the Nine Spirit Elemental Sage could not be killed so quickly.

All one can say is that the Nine Spirit Elemental Sage, this ultimate demon king, is too stubborn, not sufficiently yin.

On the contrary, Maitreya's teammate's yin was not only directed at Tang Luo, but also directly used him as a pawn, thus sealing his fate.

Likewise, Zhu Bajie and the others were also pawns, just of a different use.

With the massive consumption of merit, the severe injuries of Zhu Bajie and the others finally began to improve.

Tang Luo took out the rapid path and placed the few people inside.

With their strength, surviving in this environment would be quite difficult; moreover, Maitreya was very likely to take them as his primary target.

Zhu Bajie and the four others gradually woke up, about to speak.

Tang Luo said, "Focus your spirit and calm your breath; I will help you recover sooner."

Zhu Bajie and the others exchanged a glance, then said nothing, simply cooperating with the merit jade lotus's enlightened healing.

Not long after, the light on the merit jade lotus gradually faded.

The least injured Zhu Bajie spoke up, "Master, that's enough."

Healing to this extent was about enough; there was no need for complete recovery.

"No, Maitreya left a secret method; if not fully healed, it will leave aftereffects—cultivation stagnation is the mild case, later it will regress, a thousand miles a day." Tang Luo said.

This is the "Bright Hand" left by Maitreya, with no concealment.

Forcing Tang Luo to maximize the consumption of merit power.

Seeing that Tang Luo had made up his mind, Zhu Bajie and the others said no more, focusing on healing their wounds, hoping to recover as soon as possible.

They believed Tang Luo surely had some backup plan, but this did not prevent them from trying to minimize the consumption of the Merit Jade Lotus.

After a while, the light shed by the Merit Jade Lotus grew faint and dim.

Zhu Bajie and the others stood up, already restored to their peak condition, while the merit stored long ago in the Merit Jade Lotus had been consumed by ninety percent.

That remaining ten percent could absolutely not let Tang Luo fully recover and truly establish himself after breaking through.

With only that little merit left, the Merit Jade Lotus could not even sway the battle in the slightest when facing Mile in the upcoming fight.

Without further ado, Ao Yulie transformed into a true dragon, Zhu Bajie took the coachman's seat, his Nine-toothed Rake turned into a long whip, linking Ao Yulie and the carriage.

Xiao Tianquan stood on the horse's head, sniffing around, confirming Sun Wukong's position.

Sha Wujing's power enveloped the Chidao, reinforcing it.

The carriage began to gallop, turning together with the Chidao into a streak of mystic-gold light that vanished in an instant.

That speed even caused Mile to raise his eyebrows slightly.

What Zhu Bajie and the others must do now is to find Sun Wukong as quickly as possible and help him escape his predicament and return.

With the Chidao in hand, plus Ao Yulie's speed, Xiao Tianquan could determine the general direction; finding Sun Wukong was no problem.

"Senior Brother, it's terrible! Master is about to fight the 'monster'!"

Tang Luo withdrew the dim Merit Jade Lotus and looked at Mile.

"Tang Xuanzang, what other tricks do you have?" Mile still did not take the initiative to attack.

"You'll see it right away."

Tang Luo slowly raised his right hand, and a distinct aura rose from his body.

Mile's expression instantly turned grave; this aura… indeed!

As he lifted his hand, a pale golden light appeared behind Tang Luo, slowly outlining an immensely tall Buddha.

The reward from the previous mission, a one-time skill, the Tathagata's Divine Palm, was used by Tang Luo.

"Tathagata… Divine Palm!"

Mile muttered a line, and indeed! Tathagata, you finally appeared!

Although it was not the true form of the Tathagata descending, merely a single move of the Tathagata's Divine Palm, Mile still did not dare to be careless; he formed a seal with both hands.

A golden light appeared on his body, and his figure slowly rose from the Three Thousand Worlds Road beneath his feet, the golden light enveloping his whole body.

It looked like a golden lamp.

Golden Summit Buddha Lamp!

Yet it was a divine ability oriented toward defense.

Tang Luo's raised hand slapped toward Mile, and the great Buddha phantom behind him likewise extended its hand to slap Mile, carrying boundless, mighty intent, yet lacking the Buddhist chants that many Buddhist divine abilities inherently possess.

By comparison, aside from that great Buddha statue, Mile's displayed Golden Summit Buddha Lamp looked more 'Buddhist'.

At the moment the palm struck the golden light barrier, Mile's hand suddenly leapt out a cluster of golden flame.

The flame spread onto the light curtain, surging toward the palm.

Golden Summit Buddha Lamp·Buddha's Lotus Fire!

This is the complete form of that divine ability: defending while counterattacking, catching the opponent off guard.

The brilliant lotus fire surged onto the Tathagata's Divine Palm.

The Tathagata's Divine Palm, however, vanished in an instant at that moment, as if it had never existed.

Mile's palm twitched slightly, giving him the feeling of "a punch striking empty air".

"What's going on?" He looked at Tang Luo; just now, when the Golden Summit Buddha Lamp's Buddha's Lotus Fire was unleashed, it actually struck completely empty space?

The opponent couldn't possibly withdraw his hand that quickly!

"Huh?"

Tang Luo also made a slight sound, then raised his hand again to strike toward.

The great Buddha appeared, and a massive palm fell down.

It collided with the burning Golden Summit Buddha Lamp and disappeared.

"... All show?" Mile's expression instantly turned fierce.

The first strike he hadn't yet noticed; the second, Mile clearly felt that this Tathagata's Divine Palm had form, spirit, and momentum, but lacked true power!

"Hahahaha!" Tang Luo burst out laughing, "Look at you like that, scared silly, huh?"

Actually, before using this one-time skill, Tang Luo had not realized that this Tathagata's Divine Palm was 'fake'.

He just casually tried it once to see what it was like, with no expectation that it was the genuine Tathagata's Divine Palm.

The situation just now even surprised Tang Luo himself; could it really be the Tathagata's Divine Palm?

However, he soon realized it was fake. And interestingly, when Tang Luo had completely executed the Tathagata's Divine Palm once.

He naturally learned the skill and could use it again.

Of course, what he used was still merely a showy Tathagata's Divine Palm.

It possessed not the slightest bit of power.

Laughing, Tang Luo unleashed the Tathagata's Divine Palm again; Mile held the lotus fire to block it, and at the moment of contact, the Tathagata's Divine Palm vanished.

The counterforce fell short once again.

Mile flew into a rage; given his cultivation and status, he should not have gotten angry so easily.

But facing Tang Luo, and the ever‑longed‑for Tathagata, he could not maintain that lofty divine‑Buddha demeanor.

It was not that he was pulled down from the divine altar; rather, Tang Luo, the Tathagata, and Mile were all standing on the divine altar together.

Intending to dispel the Golden Summit Buddha Lamp, Mile would have to shift from defense to offense.

But Tang Luo then came again with a palm of the Tathagata's Divine Palm pressing down.

The Golden Summit Buddha Lamp reappeared, protecting Mílè's entire body.

However, this palm was still fake.

"You!" Behind Mílè appeared the Vajra Wrath Flame Aspect.

The Tathagata Divine Palm is fake, but could it really be that it must necessarily be fake?

Even if there was only a one-in-a-hundred-million chance, Mílè could not possibly regard this Tathagata Divine Palm as nothing.

Unless one truly makes up their mind, no longer thinking of solving Tang Lou with the smallest cost, otherwise there will be no way when the wolf comes.

"Next time, next time for sure." Facing Mílè's Buddha's wrath, Tang Luò wore a solemn expression, "Next time it will definitely be real."