Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 952 Hammering the Heavenly Demon's Brain

Under the influence of the power of the Blood Demon Dao Fruit and the Heavenly Demon Dao Fruit, the light of the heart lamps around the Buddha and Demon was inevitably tinged with bloodstains, and wisps of foul air circulated, quickly making the originally dormant Buddha and Demon aura even more bizarre.

The countless novices, monks, and nuns who were bowing and worshipping all around were transformed. Their simple monks' robes were stuck to their skin and flesh, and the Buddhist chants they uttered were twisted into eerie and grotesque sounds. Some of them even had eight rotting faces emerge from the side of their heads, shouting that they had seen through the illusions of self and others.

The precious tree, forged from seven treasures, had its golden branches and leaves broken, and its crystal trunk torn apart. Where dark red tumors and pus dripped, they transformed into black lotuses that polluted the pure land.

Within the glazed city walls constructed of countless treasures, blood mist surged around piles of white bones, causing cracks to appear in the vajra. It broke and reformed repeatedly with cracking sounds, gradually transforming the original protective barrier that maintained purity and resisted external evils into a cesspool that nourished sin.

Just when all the alienation was becoming more and more extreme, a radiant Buddha light rose up, crisscrossing back and forth like warp and weft threads. As they collided, lotus flowers of three colors—blue, white, and red—fell down.

The pure blue lotus, cleansed of all dust and grime, landed on the city wall. The pure flames licked the glazed wall base, and the twisted white bones between the bricks turned into glazed crystals, refracting countless rays of light to block Chu Tai's approach.

The white lotus, its spirit rising, landed at the feet of the novices, monks, and nuns. Flames burned, incinerating their twisted bodies into pure, crystal-like forms. Golden flames surged in their eyes, and a strange fragrance filled their bodies. Yet, they kept chanting, "Namo Six Brahma Light Holy Buddha!"

Finally, the crimson flames of destruction surrounded the three golden lamps, attempting to burn them down.

This unexpected turn of events made Chu Tai look to the future. He could feel strands of Buddhist and demonic radiance, not belonging to the present, shining from the future into the present, assimilating the power of the blood demon while eroding the light manifested by the three bodhisattvas.

Clearly, the Buddha and the Demon have gone down the path of alienation. In fact, the current changes have even triggered the perception of the future Buddha and the Demon, prompting them to take action to stabilize their past.

Upon realizing this, Chu Tai flicked his finger, and two illusory figures appeared on the Eastern Emperor Bell, intertwining with each other, pulling the current state of Buddha and Demon into a cycle, severing the influence of the future Buddha and Demon, and blocking the interference of the present Blood Demon.

Immediately afterwards, due to the Pure and Natural Awakening King Tathagata Seal bestowed by the Tathagata Buddha, the three Buddhas system of the Three Worlds, perfected to the second grade, manifested one by one.

In the past, the Buddha attained the second stage of enlightenment, Bodhi. His Buddha-light was clear and bright, and a precious tree was manifested, taking root in a glazed wall. The mottled glazed colors in the shade of the tree gradually became clear, and the blue lotuses also emitted a faint light. It was Bodhi who used the pure light of Bodhi mind to pierce through the darkness of ignorance, cut off all afflictions and karmic habits, thoroughly saw the true nature of reality, and suppressed the power projected by the Buddha and the demon.

Now, the Buddha has attained the second stage of enlightenment, becoming a Bodhisattva. His Buddha-light is vast, manifesting the golden body of a Bodhisattva of Prajna wisdom. He perceives the origins of all things, understands their intentions with compassion, establishes a Pure Land of blessings, widely practices expedient means, purifies the defilements of the six senses, and transforms a white lotus into a throne to guide the surrounding deviant monks and nuns, gradually restoring them to their original state. They chant Buddhist scriptures around the Bodhisattva, suppressing the increasingly strange and evil sounds of Buddha and demons in the surrounding area.

The future Buddha, at the second stage of enlightenment [Pratyekabuddha], has realized the emptiness of cause and effect, deeply understands the principle of cause and effect and reincarnation, and realizes liberation through non-action. He can sit cross-legged in the red lotus fire, his body radiating Buddha light that intertwines with the light of the three lamps of the heart, manifesting the extraordinary phenomenon of heavenly rain of Mandarava flowers, suppressing the interference of the future Buddha's demonic power.

At the center of the Buddha's brow in the image of the Buddha-demon, white light flowed, and suddenly a crack appeared, revealing the first blood-red eyeball inside, which turned left and right as if observing the changes in the area.

Unfortunately, Chu Tai concealed himself with the Eastern Emperor Bell, so even a future First-Rank True Monarch could not perceive Chu Tai's appearance, nor could he even remember his aura.

"Namo Amitabha Buddha! Namo Pure and Naturally Awakened King Tathagata!"

Chu Tai stretched out his palm, and whether it was the Buddha's heart seal or the golden lamps left by the three Bodhisattvas around him, they all shone brightly, gathered around his palm, and then transformed into a pure Buddha light that was invisible, colorless, and formless, spreading outwards.

The color of the Buddha's light changes constantly as it spreads, but it's hard to say whether it's white, gold, or some other dazzling color. It just gives people a wonderful feeling of all-encompassing, dreamlike, yet clear as water.

Wherever the Buddha's light reached, all changes became slow, transparent, and ethereal. Then the Buddha's seal manifested, followed by the three Dharma seals. Finally, the three great second-grade Dao fruits materialized, and with Chu Tai's palm strike, they were once again pressed into the heart of the Buddha and the Demon.

His brow and eyes trembled, as if he sensed something was wrong. His body surged with Buddhist light, and flames billowed. The phantoms of heavenly beings appeared, including monks, nuns, Vajras, Sangharama, Arhats, and Bodhisattvas, who surrounded him. Round after round of Buddhist light surged, like round after round of great suns in the sky, circling and intertwining, moving forward and backward, burning the surrounding void so that it bent and swayed, forcing Chu Tai to retreat repeatedly.

However, none of his various methods were of any use against the Buddha's light that fell upon his heart.

As the Buddha's light descended, the Buddha's seal completely dissolved and merged into the Buddha's magical image.

Within the three golden lamps around the four sides, it seemed as if a Buddhist chant was being heard, which then merged into the hearts of both Buddha and demon. Only the three Bodhisattva images were formed within the rays of the great sun, and with the power of [transformation into earth], they manifested three pure lands, laying the initial foundation for the future enlightenment of the Buddha and demon lords.

Upon witnessing this scene, Chu Tai took the opportunity to leave behind the Triple Dao Fruit to stabilize the Bodhisattva's Dharma Form.

His actions also caught the attention of Tianmo and the others.

To be precise, when the Buddha and Demon Lords reversed the light of time and attempted to interfere with the present (past) from the future (present), the two Demon Lords and the three Immortal Lords had already understood many things.

They all looked at Chu Tai. In their eyes, the reason Chu Tai appeared here was because of Taiyi Dao Qi, so they naturally regarded him as a future Immortal Dao True Lord.

Hunyuan Zhenjun stepped forward and advised Chu Tai: "The cycle of Heaven turns, and destiny is hard to defy. To reverse time and alter the fate of our realms is nothing but wishful thinking. Fellow Daoist, you should go back, otherwise you will not only face the backlash of the cosmic light, but also the suppression of our Dao fruits."

"Hun Yuan, why do you have to be so subtle? His actions are more than just provoking a few of us. All the immortals and true beings anchored to the current timeline are your enemies who are trying to alter destiny. Those high and mighty Dao Lords will not allow you to change the future that has already occurred, especially those beings that involve the cosmos, history, and records. They will intentionally suppress your power."

After Qing Shi Zhenjun finished speaking, he suddenly sensed something was amiss and looked sharply toward the four supreme treasures—the stone, the seal, the staff, and the cauldron—surrounded by the Holy King's Path.

The four treasures that were originally suppressing the origin of heaven suddenly shook slightly, especially the Heavenly Cauldron, which seemed to be interfered with.

At the same time, the three treasures that were originally working together—the stone, the seal, and the staff—suddenly paused for a moment, causing the Celestial Cauldron to go further out of control, and the operation of the Holy King's Great Dao in the dark had some errors.

A trace of the essence of heaven permeated the Celestial Cauldron, causing a slight unusual color to appear on its surface.

At the same time, the Heavenly Demon's [Transformation] Dao Fruit took advantage of the opportunity to invade the interior of the Saint King's Path through the gap, expanding the power of [Separation] within the already troubled Saint King's Path, and guiding everything towards chaos.

Chu Tai could see that the wielders of the three treasures—the Stone, the Seal, and the Staff—had experienced feelings of regret or realization of their mistakes after the initial "pause." However, as the power of the Heavenly Demon subsided, they quickly abandoned these emotions, even exhibiting a tendency to give up entirely. This was evident from the fact that the three treasures began to cooperate, allowing the Holy King's Path corresponding to the Heavenly Cauldron to malfunction.

Seeing this scene, the Heavenly Demon Lord showed no joy or sorrow, looking at Chu Tai with a mocking yet self-deprecating expression: "You think that by traveling through time and space you can defy fate and change the past? Little do you know that everything you've done is just following the trajectory that has already happened, repeating it in another way."

"Look, so what if the Heavenly Cauldron became a first-grade treasure? So what if the bright and dazzling Holy Kingdom's order invoked the Holy King's Great Dao to suppress the Great Heaven? Listen, the sound of the cauldron shattering has long been engraved in the will of Heaven."

The moment the Heavenly Demon Lord finished speaking, the dazzling radiance surrounding the Heavenly Human Cauldron shattered like glass, reflecting the violently turbulent concept of order.

Within the Holy King's Path, the divisions accumulated over countless years, especially after the establishment of the Holy Kingdom, finally erupted, and the order that maintained all living beings began to collapse inch by inch.

The Holy Kingdom system corresponding to the Celestial Cauldron was also severely shaken by the internal divisions within the Holy King's Path, as well as the power of the Heavenly Demon's [Change], [Chaos], and [Separation] Dao Fruits.

The once indestructible body is now suffering an unprecedented impact. The cauldron is constantly emitting a vast divine sound, but it is powerless to mediate and guide the Holy Kingdom system back on track.

Without the guidance of the Celestial Cauldron, the people of the land were plunged into even greater panic. Their minds, under the power of the Heavenly Demon, transformed into invisible turbid currents, violently impacting the already chaotic Holy Kingdom system and further accelerating the collapse of order.

Finally, with an extremely faint yet sharp sound, the Heavenly Cauldron fell from its central position on the Holy King's Path, losing the absolute protection of the Holy King's Path. At the same time, a strange concept suddenly appeared.

'What is the Holy Kingdom's Dao Fruit?'

Chu Tai instantly understood the meaning of that concept. At the same time, he also sensed the power of another first-grade cultivator beginning to trace back to the present, attempting to anchor himself using the concept of "what the Holy Kingdom's Dao Fruit is not".

"Interesting. Another Dao Lord of the Demonic Path. I never thought that, apart from that Buddha Demon guy, my Demonic Path would have another Dao Lord who separated from the Saint King Dao system in the future. It seems that my Demonic Path will have another chance to prosper."

As he said this, the Heavenly Demon Lord stared at True Monarch Qing Shi, who remained unconcerned and coldly said, "Judging from your inability to stop him from returning to the past, your demonic path ultimately failed to gain the upper hand."

The Heavenly Demon Lord laughed loudly: "But his journey from the future back to the past, attempting to change everything in the present, only proves that my Demonic Path has taken the initiative, forcing your Immortal Path to make such a decision. It is clear that you Immortal Paths are merely pawns of the Great Heaven, used when needed and discarded when not. In the end, following the will of Heaven is far better than following the will of Heaven. All living beings are nothing but illusions."

Upon hearing this, Hunyuan Zhenjun couldn't help but say, "To the Dao Lords of the Great Luo Heaven, you and I are nothing more than ordinary mortals."

"Yes, this body is also a mere illusion. Since we know that all things are empty, why should we continue to cling to this mirage? Why not observe the rise and fall of all things in this mortal world as we observe the gathering and dispersing of clouds, and let nature take its course?"

Qing Shi Zhenjun sneered, "Is that what you call going with the flow? You are also a senior immortal, do you still remember the concept of 'keeping to the feminine and embracing the one'? How much of what you are doing now is using the name of 'Heaven's will is like a knife' to do things against the natural order?"

"Don't tell me that your path of demonic cultivation is a tribulation in the mortal world, a trial by demons, and also in accordance with the Way of Heaven. If it is truly as you say, does that mean that the actions of the immortal predecessors, and even us, in protecting all living beings and finding and filling the gaps in the Way of Heaven, are considered going against it?"

"Yes, it is true that only when the Great Way is abandoned can benevolence and righteousness manifest themselves, but this is by no means a reason for you to disregard the common people!"

"In the end, your so-called 'seeing through the illusions of the world' is nothing but a lie you tell to cover up your fear of consequences."

"What do you mean by 'all phenomena are empty' or 'flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water'? I only know that what I have done and proven is not empty!"

As Qing Shi Zhenjun spoke, the Primordial Qi Dao Fruit hung high above it, with auspicious energies descending and merging into the myriad phenomena of the mortal world, supporting the tilted Celestial Cauldron.

It's quite sad, really. Previously, the Celestial Cauldron was located at the core of the Holy King's Path, and even if True Lord Qing Shi wanted to save it, he couldn't do anything to help. Now that the Celestial Cauldron has lost its status as the host of the Holy King's Path, it can instead receive help from the Immortal Path.

"As expected, neither of us can ever convince the other."

The Heavenly Demon Lord sighed, just about to make a move, when suddenly auspicious energy surged, auspicious clouds rose, and the Taiji arc appeared out of thin air, instantly transforming into a golden bridge spanning the void, protecting the minds of all beings, maintaining order, suppressing [change], connecting [separation], and sorting out [chaos].

Hunyuan Zhenjun laughed and said, "What Fellow Daoist Qingshi said is very true. Even if fate has decreed that our cultivation will eventually return to nothingness after hundreds of millions of years, the beings we are protecting at this moment are real and true, and what we are doing at this moment is also real and true."

"Why say so much? Just kill him."

After Jade Emperor finished speaking, four sword lights appeared out of thin air. Two of them severed the power that the Demon Lord and the Buddha Demon Lord were tracing back, one forced out the Blood Demon Lord who was secretly plotting, and the other forced the Heaven Demon Lord to retreat.

"You're still the same..."

The Heavenly Demon Lord sighed, about to say something to Jade Calendar True Monarch, when another sword light slashed at him. He coldly replied, "Why so much nonsense? I'll just ask you one question: if the sword in my hand is an illusion, why did you dodge? The fact that you dodged now proves that you were just talking nonsense before! Take this!"

As he spoke, endless sword light leaped out from the void, the Taiyuan Five Tribulations Dao Fruit manifested, and various changes in heaven and earth, and the various tribulations that arose from them, intertwined with the sword light, trapping the Heavenly Demon Dao Lord within. The Blood Demon Dao Lord wanted to step forward to help, but was pressed to the ground by the combined efforts of Hunyuan True Monarch and Qingshi True Monarch.

“Fellow Daoist, Yu Li wishes to discuss the Dao of Tribulations with you, senior. We should refrain from interfering.”

As he said this, True Monarch Qing Shi shamelessly beckoned Chu Tai to help him by hitting the Heavenly Demon Lord on the head.

“Fellow Daoist, this wicked child has always been deeply entrenched in Daoist obstacles, which you must have heard of in your later lives. Now, take the opportunity to gently tap his spirit with the golden bell in your hand and see if you can break through his stubbornness and ignorance, so that he won’t be so crazy in the future and stop spouting nonsense about the vastness of the heavens and the emptiness of all phenomena all day long!”

Upon hearing this, Chu Tai's eyes lit up, but he remembered that he was currently relying on the Eastern Emperor Bell to protect himself, so he did not use his treasure. Instead, he took out the Golden Bell Hammer, struck the bell wall hard, and let the golden ripples spread outwards, slightly stabilizing the Heavenly Demon Lord's movements. Then he struck the back of the Lord's head hard.

(End of this chapter)