Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 926 Subduing the Demon and Meeting the Golden Cicada

With the blessing of pure energy, the green branch in Chu Tai's hand appeared with shimmering light, and when it landed, it spread its tail feathers like a peacock, displaying a dazzling and colorful display.

Countless densely packed talismans and symbols emerged from the radiant light, spreading outwards like ripples. Wherever they passed, the damage caused by the previous battle was restored. Many injured immortals and deities, bathed in the radiant light, also quickly repaired their damaged immortal bodies.

Some of the fallen heavenly soldiers and generals were also released by the Heavenly Emperor. Amidst the splendor, they transformed into blue lotus embryos. With a gentle flick of Chu Tai's wrist, the flowers bloomed and people appeared, each of them making progress in their cultivation.

All the gods, immortals, heavenly soldiers, heavenly generals, golden boys, and jade maidens bowed and thanked Chu Tai, chanting his divine invocation.

Chu Tai did not respond, but instead curiously gathered the remaining resentment, curses, and anger of all living beings after their recovery to his fingertips.

The message from the main body was also transmitted to him through the pure energy, and he already understood the specific cultivation levels of several powerful figures in the world at this moment.

Aside from the Taiyi Ancestor, whose background is currently unknown and who is encircled by heaven and earth, the Heavenly Emperor's power should be the strongest at this point in time.

Secondly, the first-rank position originates from Laozi of Taiqing Heaven. Whether it is geographical advantage or the magic treasures he possesses, he may even be slightly superior to the Heavenly Emperor.

Below that is the Buddha Tathagata, whose enlightenment largely originated from the Buddha Tathagata who manifested the Dao in the Great Heaven. He was sealed here by the Three Pure Ones along with the Heavenly Master of Fate.

Based on its performance, it differs from the Three Buddhas system of the Great Heavenly Tathagata Buddha, and also from the Three Buddhas system summarized by Chu Tai. It seems to have undergone some new changes from the original Three Buddhas Dao Fruit system.

Then there are the three parts that split off from the Tian Siming position, the main body of which is fought over by several parties and is distorted and unformed.

Its essence and the spiritual concept derived from it is Bodhi Patriarch, whose status should be right at the threshold of the first rank.

Furthermore, because the core symbol of Bodhi Patriarch's mind originally derived from the destiny, fate, and fortune corresponding to the Heavenly Master of Fate, it was difficult for him to interfere in the human world, or he tried his best not to leave any traces in the mortal world.

It's like how most of the time, only the person knows what they're thinking, and they don't let outsiders know.

However, from the Heavenly Emperor of the Immortal Manifestation and Transformation Great Heaven, Chu Tai also learned that Bodhi Patriarch should have absorbed some of the ideas and even the power of the Dao Fruit of the Three Pure Ones and the Tathagata Buddha, and his cultivation has improved. But judging from the situation of his previous actions, he should not be able to directly reveal himself to the outside world, and may only be able to move within the many worlds of the Taiqing Heaven.

Finally, the power containing a portion of the essence of the Heavenly Master of Fate gave birth to Sun Wukong.

This being's power, besides the essence provided by the Heavenly Master of Fate, also includes the power of the Creator Mother, which is not currently visible in the world, as well as the wishes of countless beings in the Three Pure Ones to seek liberation and transcend reincarnation.

This aspiration was well combined with the spiritual concepts that Sun Wukong obtained from the Bodhi Patriarch. With the help of the Heavenly Emperor, he completed his spiritual rebellion against the corrupt order of the Heavenly Court and was further sublimated. Finally, with the help of the Buddha, he obtained the unstable First Grade True Dao, which was entrusted to the Golden Cudgel.

Knowing this, Chu Tai thought of something when he saw these resentments, curses, and anger.

The Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Primordial Demon caused the destruction of the Three Pure Ones' realm, countless worlds, and countless living beings to suffer as a result, some even being destroyed along with their worlds.

This process naturally left behind countless sins and hatred, and accumulated countless curses and negative forces.

Although these forces are completely powerless against the power of Heaven and Heavenly Demon, in fact, in front of Heavenly Demon, these resentments and curses will only become his power.

But countless worlds inevitably accumulate countless forces.

A hint of thought flashed in Chu Tai's eyes. He knew that curses and resentments without the support of power and status were nothing more than insignificant air to high-ranking beings, not even qualified to taint the power of heaven or to be presented to the Heavenly Demon.

But if there is someone of high enough status and great enough power, willing to use their power to connect countless worlds and absorb endless darkness, hatred and curses.

'Is there a chance to intervene a little?'

Even if we can't defeat the Heavenly Demon, disrupting the Heavenly Realm shouldn't be a problem.

Thinking this, Chu Tai twirled the green branch in his hand, and black light rose from several palaces in the Heavenly Court. The corresponding authorities were drawn to it, and the black mist formed from the endless resentment and curses of the mortal world surged up, transforming into a black sea of ​​clouds, which continued to condense as Chu Tai made hand seals.

Gradually, the vast ocean condenses into rivers, the rivers compress into streams, the streams become a cup of water, and the cup of water continues to purify...

In the end, the endless darkness and resentment all turned into a point of deep, infinitely black liquid floating on Chu Tai's fingertip.

As this black liquid appeared, the gods and immortals who had just recovered felt a chill in their hearts. The radiance and divine light on their bodies dimmed. Looking at the wisp of liquid in Chu Tai's hand, they felt that their divine power was not flowing smoothly and their magic power had become turbid.

The powerful deities looked at the Heavenly Emperor, the Buddha, and Laozi, but none of them spoke, and they all fell silent.

Chu Tai, however, felt a surge of joy as he looked at the liquid on his fingertips.

He could feel the immense power of this force, as well as the resentment and curses of countless living beings contained within the liquid.

Those were the hysterical screams of pain left behind by the dead, the last bit of anger and resentment of countless departed souls, and the sighs and helplessness left behind by countless wandering souls before being led away.

These emotions and forces, taken individually, are nothing special, but when the quantity reaches a certain level and they are purified by Chu Tai, they become completely different.

The liquid, formed from the convergence of tens of millions of wailing cries, exuded a power that terrified the many immortals and deities present, causing them to tremble and shudder.

'This is just one realm; if we could purify it further, or create even more realms…'

As this thought flashed through Chu Tai's mind, a gray tinge gradually appeared on his divine light. Then, like a drop of ink falling into clear water, the gray spot instantly stained Chu Tai's divine light.

Furthermore, many wondrous processing techniques appeared in Chu Tai's mind. Just as Chu Tai was about to explore further, an ancient bell rang in his ears, and then wisps of black energy were forced out by the pure energy, disappearing from Chu Tai's body with the main body's beckoning.

In the darkness, Chu Tai seemed to hear his own true self laughing and cursing that the Heavenly Demon was really easy to catch, having drawn out a portion of its power left in the current world with just a simple calculation.

Of course, in the eyes of outsiders, after Chu Tai purified the black liquid from the endless negative power, his divine light dimmed, as if he were about to undergo a transformation. Then, his pure energy surged, forcing out the black energy and annihilating it under the sun.

The gods and immortals felt as if something was missing from their hearts, a kind of suppression.

They all showed joyful expressions, praising Chu Tai's holiness and greatness.

Recalling his past experiences, Chu Tai silently communicated with the Heavenly Emperor, Laozi, Buddha, and Bodhi Patriarch, who was hiding in the shadows watching him make a fool of himself.

"You all just stood there watching, weren't you really worried about me being affected?" The Heavenly Emperor replied with a smile, "Your cultivation hasn't reached the first rank yet. If something really goes wrong, we can suppress it. If we succeed, just like now, the last bit of power left by the Heavenly Demon will be completely wiped out."

"Your Majesty must not be careless. The power of the Heavenly Demon is unpredictable and mysterious, capable of turning the impossible into the possible. No one knows if he has left any other tricks up his sleeve in our world."

Patriarch Bodhi spoke up in rebuttal, but the Heavenly Emperor disregarded him, saying, "You cannot appear in the mortal world, yet you can protect the hearts of all beings. With the Heavenly Demon's current power, if he were to interfere again, you would surely discover his presence."

Laozi agreed, saying, "The Demon Lord could not leave behind much power. If it were the realms of Yuqing Heaven or Shangqing Heaven, he might be able to conceal some remnants of his power. But with you protecting us, our realms are safe enough."

After responding with a couple of words, the Buddha asked Chu Tai about his subsequent plans.

"Now that the world is stable, and the primordial energy and spiritual power are pure enough, after the celebratory banquet and the tribulation, I will travel to the mortal realm, and then await the end of the world to welcome back the power of the Taiyi Ancestor."

Upon hearing this, the Buddha thought for a moment and then instructed Chu Tai to go to a certain place.

Is there anything special about this place?

Chu Tai countered with a question, and Buddha smiled, saying, "That is the reincarnation place of my second disciple, Jin Chanzi. I'm a little worried; I'd be grateful if Your Majesty would go and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tai frowned slightly. The Tathagata has great supernatural powers and his Buddha eyes can see through the three realms and six paths. In this world that is gradually becoming clearer, the reincarnation of a mere disciple can surely be seen clearly.

His sending Chu Tai there was certainly not simply because he was worried about him.

Chu Tai didn't ask any further questions. After nodding to indicate that he understood, he got up and entered Yaochi to enjoy the Heavenly Court's victory celebration banquet.

After a hearty meal, Chu Tai drove the slightly plumper nine-headed green lion toward the human world.

But just as he left the Heavenly Court, the Heavenly Emperor's voice suddenly rang in his ears.

'If I told you that you could inherit a portion of Taiyi Zhenjun's power right now, would you agree?'

Upon hearing this, Chu Tai abruptly turned to look towards the Lingxiao Palace behind the South Heavenly Gate. His gaze pierced through the countless magical barriers and palace walls, meeting the eyes of the Heavenly Emperor. Seeing the clear energy swirling in his eyes, he asked, "What if you're willing? What if you're not?"

"If you're willing, I can tell you now where part of his power is. You can find it and refine it slowly. Taiyi Zhenjun's power comes from the same source as yours, and the compatibility is extremely high. By refining this part of his power, you can progress rapidly, and your true form can also enter the first-grade realm more quickly."

The voice of the Heavenly Emperor drifted over, offering a second option.

"If you are unwilling, then naturally you will continue to wait until the world restarts. You can rest assured about that. Our world has evolved to its limit, and it will restart in at most 129,600 years. We are currently in the middle stage. In another 50,000 to 60,000 years, the power of your ancestor will gradually emerge."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tai couldn't help but ask, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I believe you are more suitable than Taiyi Zhenjun to save the Three Pure Ones Heaven, the Immortal Manifestation Heaven, and the Eastern Celestial Light Heaven."

The Heavenly Emperor's voice made Chu Tai's expression turn slightly cold. He didn't answer and turned to head towards the mortal realm.

He first went to the place where Jin Chanzi was reincarnated, following the instructions of the Buddha.

Upon arriving at the location, Chu Tai saw thousands of people lining the road to welcome him, seemingly to greet some distinguished guest.

He transformed, and the green lion became a white horse, which he led forward.

When asked why there was such a large commotion, the person being questioned turned away angrily, about to unleash a torrent of abuse. But then, as if remembering something, he suppressed his rage, muttered "Amitabha" a couple of times, and answered Chu Tai's question in the calmest possible tone.

"Today is the day Master Mingtiao is going to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha. He has done a lot for us neighbors, and we are all seeing him off."

After saying that, the man pushed his way into the crowd.

Upon hearing this, the nine-headed green lion shook the horse's head it had conjured and said with some surprise, "I don't see any merit offerings or incense offerings among that crowd, nor any Buddhist aura or spiritual energy. This monk is probably not a fake."

Chu Tai patted the horse's head and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Look around at how many people are still in the houses. Almost everyone around has come to see him off. Even if he is not a Buddhist cultivator, he is a true cultivator. Since he is a true cultivator, we should respect him."

After saying that, he led the nine-headed green lion to wait on a small hill outside the town.

Looking into the city, Chu Tai saw a monk dressed in a gray robe, slowly moving forward with a wooden staff in his hand.

During this time, a woman knelt down holding her child and prayed to him. The monk smiled and reached out to stroke the child's head, chanting scriptures. The child's originally pale complexion immediately improved.

Seeing this, some people nearby also knelt down to pray, but this time the monk did not respond and instead went forward on his own.

As the nine-headed lion watched the monk chanting sutras, the power of vows gathered around him quickly transformed into Buddha's light, which blessed the child. He couldn't help but lift his foot slightly and said somewhat awkwardly, "This monk is actually quite nice."

"Lion, are you really sure you saw it clearly?"

Chu Tai asked a question in return, but the Nine-Headed Green Lion, not understanding the deeper meaning, said that he had seen it clearly.

Chu Tai did not answer. He already understood what the Buddha had sent him to see, and now he hoped to give the Nine-Headed Lion some insights. So he led the Green Lion to continue following the Cicada.

In the beginning, Mingtiao often received preferential treatment from people who knew his name, but most of the time, he would just sigh and quicken his pace to leave.

Later, after stepping outside the sphere of his fame, he encountered some hardships, but Mingtian found it easier and helped with everything he could.

Most importantly, because no one around him believed in him, the power of faith gathered around Mingti decreased, and the true nature of his chanting was revealed.

The radiance emanating from his chanting was not merely the accumulated power of incense and vows, but also the foundation of his spiritual practice, or rather, the manifestation of his own spiritual cultivation.

Upon realizing this, the nine-headed green lion widened its eyes and looked at Chu Tai, murmuring, "Your Majesty, why is this monk acting this way?"

(End of this chapter)