Becoming a god starts from planting a Bodhi tree.

Chapter 525 The Hatred of Obstructing the Path
The forty-seventh realm of the Heavenly Court.

Daoist Tianqiong looked up and murmured, "Is this what transcending the battle of magic is?"

Strictly speaking, this was not a battle between two transcendent beings, but a contest between the newly born Buddha and the Heavenly Court.

The events that had just occurred left all living beings overwhelmed, and in a short period of time, the Heavenly Court, through its divine system, significantly intensified the "divine punishment" imposed on its subordinate realms.

Under the joint prayers of all beings in the mayfly realm, a golden Buddha appeared in the heavens and earth, his face full of compassion and his heart filled with love for all beings.

This is formed from the countless thoughts and intentions of all living beings, eventually converging into a sea to resist the divine punishment descended from Heaven and protect all living beings beneath it.

If it were just this one Buddha, Tianqiong wouldn't take him seriously. If he could intervene, he could withstand divine punishment as well. However, the Heavenly Court now has more than two hundred realms under its jurisdiction!
Simultaneously manifesting over two hundred realms—such methods and such power, in terms of quantity alone, have already surpassed the limits of a True Saint!
Tianqiong looked at Ji Tianxing beside him and whispered, "Did you foresee this?"

The nightmare is transcended, and the World Honored One merges with the Dao!
In an instant, the World Honored One, whom Ji Tianxing dared not gamble with, overturned the Heavenly Court's general trend and reversed the course of the war!

Ji Tianxing was stunned and speechless, not because he had once again seen the other shore that he had accidentally glimpsed when he was young, but because he remembered the words of Shi Tian when he last met him.

—What we pursue has never been the other shore, and Jingqiu is no different from us.

He wondered, if it wasn't the other shore, then what could it be?
Today, his junior apprentice gave him a perfect answer.

That was a realm he had never seen before, transcending the boundaries of the mortal world, and even beyond the other shore.

"With the other shore descending to the mortal realm, Ji Linyuan's breakthrough has become even more certain." Ji Tianxing did not answer Tianqiong Daoren's question, but whispered, "This battle is not over yet, it has only just begun. I hope there will be no other variables."

"What other variables could there be? Emperor Yi?" Tianqiong's expression suddenly turned solemn. "Hela has already transcended, and judging from the situation, she seems to be on the side of that World Honored One. What other variables could there be in this world?"

"From beginning to end, the most crucial thing for the Heavenly Court... was the Investiture of the Gods," Ji Tianxing said slowly.

Tianqiong took a deep breath and said, "The Investiture of the Gods..."

It was that Investiture of the Gods that kept him from moving until now, to the point that even the great calamity in the Ephemeral Realm had to rely on this World Honored One to take action!

His master, who had reached the realm of Dao Integration, was also demoted by the Investiture of the Gods, falling back to the level of True Saint, and was then killed on the spot by the Heavenly Court!

"The Investiture of the Gods controls the most basic rules of the Great Dao in this world. In theory, even the ancestors of the various families who left should be subject to its control."

Ji Tianxing said in a deep voice,

"Now let's see what Hela's ultimate possession is."

Sky Dome asked in confusion, "Hela's transcendence was completely unexpected by you? Wasn't she already in the hands of your Federation?"

Ji Tianxing smiled wryly. This was probably what Shi Tian meant by "being prepared in advance."

It's just unclear who this preparation is aimed at.

……

"Senior brother! The Pantheon is asking us whether we should cooperate with that World Honored One from the inside or outside at this time!" Wen Su rushed over, her expression full of surprise and joy.

The commotion caused by Ji Jingqiu's union with Dao and Haila's attainment of Dao encompassed the entire Boundary Sea.

The various sects that had been keeping a close eye on the Heavenly Court's movements naturally did not miss it.

As that dream demon attained enlightenment and transcended worldly desires, it lifted that World Honored One to an infinite height. Even the Heavenly Prison Palace could no longer utter a single word of criticism about that World Honored One.

"Senior brother, did that World Honored One attain enlightenment and transcend the sea of ​​suffering?"

“Not only that.” Kongming shook his head. “I observed through the Observation Instrument left by my master that there was also movement in the Nether Sea.”

"To merge with both the Nether Sea and the Bitter Sea in one fell swoop?!" Wen Su exclaimed in surprise. "Back then, the Lord of the Nether Sea merged with the Dao one by one! Can this person withstand it? This person merged with both the Bitter Sea and the Nether Sea at once, wouldn't he have directly stepped into transcendence?"

Kongming shook his head and said, "You'll have to ask that person yourself."

"Senior brother, should we make a move?" Wen Su asked hurriedly, remembering the purpose of their trip.

"What are you going to do?" Kongming asked in return. "Add flowers to brocade? I'm afraid it might not add flowers to brocade, but instead add variables and cause trouble for that person. It's better to stay put."

"His actions now clearly indicate that he was prepared in advance, so why should we interfere?"

"In other words, this war is also the stage for that person to reach the pinnacle."

Kong Ming's few words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing Wen Su's excitement.

Yes, the dramatic changes we see today are not the result of a single thought; they must be the result of a plan laid out over thousands of years to finally bear fruit.

"After today, the number of people in the Boundary Sea who believe in the Buddha will probably not be covered by just one or two hundred realms."

Kongming murmured softly, as if he could already see the future.

With just the words, "From this day forward, all beings in the four realms and six paths will be moved by what they feel; all requests in the three realms and ten directions will be answered," countless beings will be drawn to the lineage of that World-Honored One!

Kongming suddenly said, "Go and inform them to prepare for the worst, and to be on guard against any possible counterattacks from the Heavenly Court."

"What changes could possibly happen to the Heavenly Court now?" Wen Su asked dismissively. "That Dream Demon has already transcended!"

Kongming said, enunciating each word clearly: "For example, the Tide of Annihilation."

Wen Su's expression suddenly turned serious.

"Even that World Honored One, with his current immense power, wouldn't dare to be careless. Where do you get your courage?" Kongming scolded, "Go quickly!"

……

As the True Spirit Heavenly Rank descended into the mortal world, after a brief period of surprise and uncertainty, the top figures in each family and clan all felt a strange sensation, originating from the depths of their hearts and resonating with countless other feelings from infinite heights.

Among them, those with the same mental system felt the most strongly and instinctively tried to ascend the True Spirit Heavenly Staircase, but were all knocked down.

Even though this road is right in front of them, it's not so easy to climb.

Among them, one figure went the furthest.

Doumu glanced at him and immediately recognized that the person was Di Yi!

But she just sneered, showing no intention of stopping him, certain that Di Yi could not possibly ascend to the True Spirit Heavenly Rank!
This has nothing to do with the descent of the True Spirit Heavenly Rank being related to Ji Jingqiu, but rather originates from Emperor Yi himself.

As far as she knew, the Supreme Heavenly Emperor, who truly reigned above all beings, was not dead yet!
Although this Emperor Yi of this realm is not one of that person's true spirits, he still carries the projection of that person's great deeds. With such a huge karmic debt still unresolved, how can he possibly glimpse the Great Dao of the Other Shore?
Of all the paths, the Great Path to the Other Shore is the most difficult to reach, yet it is also the closest to the unity of heaven and earth.

Doumu's face suddenly turned ashen, almost as if she were gritting her teeth. No longer caring about the descending True Spirit Heavenly Staircase, she turned and rushed towards the Heavenly Court.

She was on guard, but the newly ascended transcendent being who returned to this world did not come to find her. Instead, he broke into the Heavenly Court and caused great destruction while she was away. He even tried to draw out the true form of the Investiture of the Gods!

When Doumu arrived at the Heavenly Court, she saw the mess left behind by Hela's rampage.

The Heavenly Court, which was originally high above many realms, had its core and important places, such as the Golden Arch Bridge, as well as the Heavenly Emperor's Palace, turned upside down by Hela.

Just as Doumu stepped into the Heavenly Court in anger, a divine hand descended from the "sky," blurry and vast, silently passing through the Heavenly Court, cutting off the boundless sky, and pressing down on Doumu Yuanjun.

Seeing Hela finally appear, Doumu Yuanjun said angrily:

"Do you really think that once you reach transcendence, you'll be invincible?!"

In an instant, a sky full of stars appeared around her, as if all the stars of the more than two hundred realms under the Heavenly Court were reflected at this moment!
The dense, intricate patterns of the Great Dao, along with the pouring starlight, instantly illuminated the vast sky.

If you were to look down from a higher dimension of the Boundary Sea, you would see a whole area of ​​the Boundary Sea illuminated, a sight that is truly terrifying.

This attack, without the blessing of the Investiture of the Gods, was almost entirely Doumu Yuanjun's own power; she was indeed ridiculously strong.

Although he has not yet reached transcendence, he was able to briefly resonate with the Dao, stand at the highest point of this boundary sea, wield the authority of the Dao principles of the stars, and look down on everything.

boom!
Starlight transformed into a torrent, stirring up the surrounding space and time, as if ten thousand rules were burning, with murderous intent surging!
Under Doumu's full-force attack, behind this starry sky, the outline of a human-headed, snake-bodied figure gradually appeared, but it still did not reveal its true form. Instead, it looked down at all living beings from its high vantage point and said casually:
"I wouldn't dare say I'm invincible, but suppressing you today is more than enough."

The vast, boundless hand that pierced through the heavens became increasingly blurred, hazy and illusory, yet its power remained undiminished. The boundless stars swirled between its fingers, appearing as insignificant as dust.

Under this palm strike, all living beings in the Heavenly Court, except for Doumu, regardless of their cultivation level, had their minds blank and their thoughts stagnant, making it impossible for them to withstand the blow!
boom!
The torrent of starlight was extinguished by a single palm strike. If Doumu hadn't dodged at the last moment, she would have been sent flying by this sudden burst of energy.

The opponent's attack was launched only at the very last moment, which initially misled her into thinking that she could resist without the help of the Heavenly Court. This kind of tactic can be said to have completely tricked her!
"A mere fragmented transcendent being from this side dares to look down upon me?" Doumu said coldly. "When I look down upon heaven and earth, you don't even have the right to look up to me!"

Doumu stood tall and imposing, her aura encompassing the world. The Heavenly Court trembled at that moment, responding to her call. Countless Daoist principles converged into a sea, empowering Doumu. This was originally intended to allow her to elevate her Daoist power to a higher level, almost to the point of "merging with the Dao and reaching the One Realm."

But in the end, it still fell short by a hair!
A single line is the difference between heaven and earth.

After realizing the reason, Doumu's expression grew even colder. Before she arrived, the Heavenly Court was no longer whole due to Hela's rampage!
In the dim light, she seemed to hear sneers coming from the infinite heights.

“Old woman.” “An old relic from the old era, she just likes to bring up the past, but she can never recognize the changes of the times and that this reality no longer belongs to her.”

Left with no other choice, Doumu had to borrow the blessing of the Investiture of the Gods to barely allow her own power to reach the level of transcendence.

Doumu's heart sank. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but the Investiture of the Gods seemed to have fallen silent, giving her a bad feeling.

A single finger strike shattered Doumu's thoughts, leaving her in a daze.

Hela showed no awareness of using her strength to attack the weak, and her attack lacked any sense of superiority or arrogance. She completely disregarded martial ethics, and her attack had a strong element of sneak attack. She seized the moment when Hela used external force to achieve transcendence!
With a single, swift finger, he touched Doumu's brow.

In this vast world, life and death are reversed, and reality is seen as a dream—all this is happening in this moment!
A boundless dream, seemingly encompassing the infinite universe, transformed into countless overlapping worlds, where reality and illusion intertwined, dragging Doumu into them.

After a breath, Doumu, whose breathing was already fluctuating wildly, struggled to pull herself out of the dream world.

In the blink of an eye, she had broken through hundreds of worlds in Hela's dream world, ending with her being at a disadvantage, and finally managed to escape with great difficulty.

During this period, Hela's body was like a dream, seemingly tangible, but once injured, her body would become ethereal and indistinct, as if it had all vanished. When she reappeared, all her injuries would be gone.

This made Doumu realize that the Great Dao of the person before her was so difficult to deal with that it could not be regarded as an ordinary newly transcendent being!

"Doumu Yuanjun, your strength is far below my expectations. Before I returned to this realm, he repeatedly told me not to underestimate you, but now it seems—you are too weak."

"This is the limit of true sainthood and transcendence, and it is also the difference between you and me."

Hela slightly raised her chin, looked down at Doumu Yuanjun, and spoke softly.

Above the sky, her face appeared faintly, more beautiful than Doumu, her Daoist intent lofty and unfathomable, the height of her Dao unfathomable, the breadth of her heart unmeasurable.

In particular, Hela's "caution" so far has left Doumu feeling frustrated.

Hela has not yet revealed her true form, making it difficult for the Investiture of the Gods to pinpoint her, explore her Dao foundation, and then find an opportunity to defeat her.

Now, Hela's words only made her so angry that she laughed. When she attained transcendence, Hela hadn't even been born yet!
Just because they seized the initiative, they dare to be so arrogant in front of her?!

"Six Paths of Reincarnation Seal!"

As she continued to fall into a disadvantageous position, Doumu had no choice but to try to turn the tide of the battle, and she unleashed a transcendent artifact that the Heavenly Court had been preparing for many years!

An ancient seal manifested itself in the heavens and earth, plunging everything around it into the most thorough state of "eternal calamity," where all things ended, cause and effect were severed, and time and space were frozen in "eternal silence."

Doumu unleashed the full power of this reincarnation artifact, which was originally established with the flesh and blood of a transcendent being and the Great Dao.

The reincarnation system, which was once jointly created by the Netherworld and Ksitigarbha with the Netherworld as its core, shines brightly in her hands, showcasing her mastery of reincarnation.

Even Hela was frozen in that instant!

In that instant, even her true form in the Great Dream showed a flaw!
Doumu formed hand seals, and the seals triggered a heavy and deeply entangled karmic calamity, which surged forth and covered Hela.

Mortals fear the consequences, while deities fear the causes.

Even those who transcend the mundane fear the karma of all living beings, especially the karmic force she holds that involves more than two hundred realms.

This karmic force cannot kill Hela, but it can gradually weaken her.

She would tell this newly transcendent being what war in the realm of transcendence is, and that it is never a matter of one blow killing the other, but rather a matter of one side gaining and the other losing!

However, just as the karmic force was about to approach, an invisible barrier seemed to exist around Hela, who was frozen in place. The void, the Great Dao, the Law, and all things tangible and intangible could not get close to her.

In an instant, all the karmic forces and causes coming from all directions were isolated outside Hela's immediate vicinity. She seemed to exist independently outside the entire Boundary Sea, concealing her presence and traces within the River of Destiny and Time, making her undetectable even to Doumu.

Vacuum Heavenly Demon Path!
This is the transcendent state that I, Zhou, have sought throughout my life!

At this moment, Hela perfectly unleashed her power, causing Doumu's heart to sink.

She still didn't give up and tried to trace and lock onto it, but Hela's Vacuum Heavenly Demon Path was best at change and correction. No matter how Doumu traced it, she was always a step too late and could only follow behind and eat the exhaust fumes.

And each time, they were just a step too slow!

Even though Doumu initially realized that Hela was deliberately enticing her to continue, she found it difficult to give up until Hela finally took the initiative and she had no choice but to stop.

"Out of control."

Hela, detached and serene, said calmly, not missing a single opportunity to humiliate Doumu.

At the same time, a demonic entity was born and silently infiltrated Doumu's mind.

Even though most of them were discovered and killed, some still slipped through the net, subtly influencing Doumu's mind.

“I heard about your true reputation from him. Your presence is felt throughout the vast expanse of space and across countless worlds. Yet why are you so weak and helpless in a real fight?”

Doumu took a deep breath.

Every word this woman uttered was belittling and disrespectful towards her, but every move she made gave her the impression that she was the true transcendent being, and Hela was merely borrowing external power. Therefore, she always went all out and never missed an opportunity to launch a sneak attack!

Bitch!

Doumu no longer cared about the existence of the person deep within the Investiture of the Gods, and used all her strength to unleash the Investiture of the Gods. Suddenly, she felt a chill in her heart.

It wasn't a misperception before; her connection with the Investiture of the Gods had indeed encountered a major problem!

Originally, it could draw out 100% of the power, but now only half remains.

Has that person already given up on her?

As Doumu's thoughts shifted, she unleashed the Investiture of the Gods with all her might. The Heavenly Court, which was already mostly in ruins, burst forth with boundless golden light, and the faint sound of ocean tides could be heard from heaven and earth.

This time, Hela did not give Doumu any further room to act. Behind her, a Great Dao Tree appeared, radiating boundless and dazzling light, and stabilized the Great Dao Laws of Heaven and Earth.

Even the destiny and the Mother River of Time that Doumu shook were temporarily stabilized by the Great Dao Tree!
Hela was confident that she had carefully tested Doumu's true strength and there was no need to test him any further. She could simply confront him head-on and suppress him!

Doumu Yuanjun gasped in shock, exclaiming, "The Tree of the Great Dao?! You've only just entered the Transcendent Realm, yet you've already condensed the Tree of the Great Dao, and it's not even just in its embryonic form?!"

Hela remained expressionless, but inwardly wondered, "Is the sapling that Ji Jingqiu just planted really that important?"
This was the first time the old woman had lost her composure; the demonic entity she had infiltrated into her heart was finally taking effect, influencing her thoughts.

Those who transcend the Tao unite with the tangible and intangible, thus carrying the Tao.

She has now stepped into transcendence, using the Dao fruits of Wu Zhou and Mu Shitian as the foundation to complete the missing parts of the Great Dao, but the key to the final step lies with Ji Jingqiu.

Therefore, she was able to borrow Ji Jingqiu's foundation in the Great Dao and manifest it through the method of transcendence.

The next moment, Doumu's aura surged unexpectedly.

"Hmm?!" Hela's expression changed slightly. There was another trick up her sleeve?

Doumu's transformation at this moment is like... a sublimation?
Hela's expression was icy: "Breakthrough in battle? Who do you take me for, and who are you?"

Doumu's expression was cold and tinged with resentment. She had been forced to break through to the True Spirit Heaven Realm, something she had never imagined before!
At the same time, Doumu's gaze fell on the True Spirit Heavenly Staircase, which seemed like a pillar reaching the sky. Her eyes flickered, perhaps this would also be an opportunity for her!
Ji Jingqiu brought the True Spirit Heavenly Rank down to the mortal world, and she was able to enjoy the benefits from it as well!

Just as Doumu was about to forcefully climb the True Spirit Heavenly Staircase, she suddenly discovered that Di Yi, who had previously attempted to break through, had disappeared without a trace.

But Hela was behind her, and she couldn't care less about all that. She forcibly elevated her true spirit, and at that moment, her perspective and status both stepped into a higher world.

The world looked completely different to her.

The essence of all things is transformed into a tangled mess of intricate cause-and-effect threads, along with the corresponding flow of time.

The boundless Daoist script is engraved at the bottom of heaven and earth. A single stroke can create things, and a single horizontal or vertical stroke can give birth to all living beings. Together, they support the great Dao of heaven and earth of a universe.

At this moment, a figure that clearly resided in the endless depths looked up at the sky, and Doumu felt a sudden chill in her heart.

She had already reached an extremely high level on the True Spirit Heavenly Staircase, while that figure was clearly at the very bottom, as if suppressed below by the True Spirit Heavenly Staircase. Why could it still exert such pressure on her?!

"Ah..." Doumu suddenly roared, the light of her mind freezing in an instant, and her swift momentum coming to an abrupt halt.

"Ji Jingqiu?!" Doumu exclaimed in shock and anger, "How dare you stop me from reaching the other shore?!"

The figure, seated cross-legged in the sea of ​​suffering, also perched at the very bottom of the True Spirit Heavenly Steps, seemingly supporting all things single-handedly, slowly raised his head and calmly said:
"Fellow Daoist Doumu, you are mistaken."

"It's not that I dare to stop you, but that I can prevent you from reaching the other shore."

(End of this chapter)