**573. Chapter 556: Beating the Grass to Startle the Snake**
The Heavenly Court sent out several Deities to move the entire Warhead Island into the Heavenly Court. Later, the artificer from the Heavenly Craft Hall personally took action, using the Mustard Seed Space Divine Ability to refine the entire island into a Portable Spatial Artifact, making it convenient for Dr. Vegapunk to carry with him.
From Heavenly Emperor Tang Song downwards, the Heavenly Court gives the greatest respect to Powered Persons. As long as your abilities are outstanding, beauty, money, Immortal Pills and Spirit Medicine, and even Immortality and a place in the Ranks of Immortals are not a problem. You can even spit in the Heavenly Emperor's face, as long as you have the value! It's clear that Dr. Vegapunk, who ate the Brain-Brain Fruit, surpassed the old-timers in the Heavenly Court and possessed value worth special attention.
As a side note, Vegapunk is also in charge of the artificial cultivation of Devil Fruits. Currently, the artificial cultivation of Zoan type and Logia type Devil Fruits has been completed. However, the cultivation of Paramecia type Devil Fruits has entered a bottleneck stage. Zoan type fruits can be replaced by other Genetic Engineering techniques, and Logia type fruits can also be imitated by mixing with X-Mutant Gene Technology.
The upper and lower limits of Paramecia type Devil Fruits are both very high. Dr. Vegapunk has captured a lot of the Magic Power contained within Paramecia type Devil Fruits and has also manufactured quite a few Replicas. However, mass cultivation will still require some time.
Of course, there is a more important reason why the cultivation of Devil Fruits has not been completed: compared to the Divine Tree Fruit from the Naruto world, Devil Fruits truly lack Cost-effectiveness. Although the Divine Tree Seed needs to absorb the energy of an entire Planet to complete its development, don't forget that the Heavenly Court's Territory spans nearly a thousand Worlds, and what it lacks least is Planets.
In fact, within the Samsara Palace, there is a Long-term Mission called "Planting Trees," which recruits Reincarnators to select suitable Planets in the Universe of Various Worlds, plant Divine Tree Seeds, make a mark, and wait for the Heavenly Court to harvest them in the future.
This time, when Vegapunk came to this World, he also brought Warhead Island.
In the Main Control Room of Warhead Island, the giant Virtual Screen displayed the footage transmitted back by the Orbital Satellite. It was a scene of cataclysmic destruction, with smoke and dust billowing from the terrifying mushroom cloud that rose tens of thousands of meters high.
Lilith watched the screen with a serious face, even forgetting to suck on the lollipop in her mouth. As the camera slowly zoomed in, a faint Golden Light lit up in the sky full of smoke.
"Could there still be something alive? How is that possible? This nuclear bomb's Yield was 300 million tons!" A Small Round-Headed Robot stood beside Lilith, peering at the screen. Beside it stood a tall Robot, but at this moment, the chest Hatch of this Robot was open, revealing that Pythagoras, who had just been used for surgery, was surprisingly just the Small Robot's Exoskeleton Armor.
"Don't block me!" Lilith pushed Pythagoras away and watched the Virtual Screen in inexplicable shock. "Is that... is that a person!"
"Quick! Zoom in the camera!"
Lilith's hands rapidly operated the Main Control System. As the camera zoomed further, they saw a Heaven-Propping Violent Ape, several thousand meters tall, at the center of the Nuclear Explosion, staring at them with fierce eyes. In its Scarlet Gaze, it seemed to see them through the Orbital Satellite tens of thousands of meters away, through thousands of miles of ground.
Even though Lilith was just Vegapunk's "Wisdom" Incarnation, without the instinct of Fear, the sight of those cold eyes sent a chill down her spine. However, those Bloodthirsty and untamed eyes instead ignited Lilith's Mad Scientist instinct, originating from Vegapunk.
"That's the King of Ten Thousand Monsters Sun Wukong that the Doctor mentioned! This is a perfect Experiment Subject! With it, Seraphim might be able to break through the 'Boundary' and replace those Yellow Turban Warriors in the Heavenly Soldier Sequence!" Lilith excitedly waved a hand, and three more Virtual Screens immediately appeared before her. "This is a rare Opportunity! Activate the Energy Monitoring System, analyze Sun Wukong's Energy Radiation Data!"
"Activate the High-speed Camera Capture System, decompose its Actions!"
"Activate the Nanomachine Spy for Biological Sample Collection, seize the opportunity to obtain its Flesh and Blood samples!"
The internal Hatch of the Orbital Weapons Satellite opened, and hundreds of millions of Nanobots flew out from within the Orbital Weapons Satellite like a Swarm, plunging towards the Heaven-Propping Violent Ape below.
Whoosh! Amidst the violent Shockwave of the Nuclear Explosion, a Golden Light burst forth from a cave behind a Water Curtain Cave. From within the still lingering Mushroom Cloud, his eyes shot out two beams of Golden Light. Looking closely at the hundreds of miles of Flower and Fruit Mountain, it had all turned into a Ruin.
The Monkey, with a ferocious face, looked up at Heaven, slightly frowning. He sensed countless gazes shooting down at this place from above his head. The Monkey's Indifferent Face was filled with Killing Intent. "Humans! Kill!"
A Golden Light flashed, the Monkey's Figure less than five feet tall disappeared in the Nuclear Blast, and a Heaven-Propping Violent Ape nearly ten thousand meters tall appeared in his Original Spot. He grinned and roared towards High Altitude. A storm of substantial white energy erupted from his mouth, sweeping towards the Outer Realms.
The Adamantine Wind Layer, and even the Low Earth Orbit tens of thousands of meters high, were completely torn apart by the Heaven-Propping Violent Ape's roar. Dozens of Military Satellites made of Unknown Material in Low Earth Orbit were like Dust in the Wind in the white energy, as fragile as Sandcastles in a Hurricane, blown directly into dust by the Heaven-Propping Violent Ape's One Breath.
"What a big mouth, but I wonder if it has bad breath!" Looking at the screen display that disappeared in the white energy, Lilith sat with her legs propped on a chair, sucking a lollipop, showing no worry about the Destruction of the Orbital Satellites.
The Small Robot Pythagoras's eyes projected a string of Data Code. The shattered Satellite Wreckage in mid-air began to decompose into pieces of silver-gray nanoworm swarm, plunging towards Sun Wukong's Direction.
Flower and Fruit Mountain, Aolai Kingdom. The King of Ten Thousand Monsters, whose figure had shrunk, looked down at the Underground with an Indifferent Face, at the Golden-haired Monkey filled with Pain. This Second Taibao of Flower and Fruit Mountain, General Ba, who not long ago was overlooking the Group of Monsters in the Great Hall, deciding the Life and Death of thousands with a laugh, was now incredibly miserable.
His Diamond Indestructible Body was charred black by the High Temperature at the very center of the Nuclear Blast. Perhaps due to the Impact of the Nuclear Explosion, all his Joints were dislocated, with no intact spot visible. Hideous Bones protruded through his Skin, covered in Bloodstains, utterly miserable. Anyone seeing him in this state would feel immense Terror.
General Ba truly lived up to being a Great Demon, second only to the King of Ten Thousand Monsters on Flower and Fruit Mountain. His Physical Body was extremely powerful. Located at the center of a nuclear strike more terrifying than a "Tsar Bomba" level nuclear bomb, the entire Aolai Kingdom was leveled. Ten Thousand Monsters were all turned to Ash in the terrifying High Temperature comparable to the Sun's Core temperature, yet it still survived.
"Ah! Ah!"
Although General Ba survived, the Nuclear Blast nearly destroyed all the Cells in his Body. Besides the High Temperature, the intense Nuclear Explosion Shock Radiation brought Pain like a Tide surging throughout his entire Body. His Nerves, which he thought were tough, couldn't withstand this immense Pain at all.
"Ah!"
General Ba twisted frantically, his arms flailing like mud!
"Great King!" "Rest in peace! I will avenge you!"
The King of Ten Thousand Monsters lifted his Foot and stepped down heavily. Bang! General Ba's Head was directly stomped flat, his Corpse twitched twice like a dead Fish, then completely stopped moving.
The King of Ten Thousand Monsters stood on the Ground vitrified by the Nuclear Bomb's High Temperature, looking up at the Horizon. He covered his Chest with one hand, where a trace of Bloodlight faintly seeped out. Swish! In the night wind, the King of Ten Thousand Monsters' Cloak flapped loudly. The four Great Banners behind him danced non-stop.
"I'll remember this revenge! When my injuries heal, I will definitely make you humans pay a Blood Price!" The King of Ten Thousand Monsters looked at the Horizon with Cold Light, tapped his Foot, and turned into a Golden Light, breaking through the air and leaving.
By the time the nanoworm swarm reached this Nuclear Blast Ruin, the King of Ten Thousand Monsters had already disappeared without a Trace.
The sky slightly brightened. Southeast of the Great Tang Dynasty's Territory, not far outside Chang'an City, inside a Buddhist Temple. A fat monk with a big head and ears, holding a greasy chicken leg and gnawing on it with relish, slowly walked into the Buddhist Hall. Inside the Buddhist Hall, three Old Monks sat on Meditation Cushions.
"Greetings, Venerable!" "Greetings, Venerable!" Seeing the fat monk enter, the three Old Monks clasped their hands together and greeted him.
"No need for formalities! I came here just to tell you one thing: the Ten Thousand Monsters gathered at Flower and Fruit Mountain have all been executed, and Flower and Fruit Mountain has also been leveled!" The fat monk bit into the chicken leg, grease dripping from his mouth, and said nonchalantly.
"Amitabha Buddha!" The Old Monk on the right, whose complexion was like jade and whose brows held an expression of peace, frowned slightly and said, "Venerable, were those Ten Thousand Monsters eliminated by you or by that Heavenly Emperor?"
"It wasn't me, it was the forces from the Demon Subduing Division. I didn't expect the Mortal Realm to possess great power not inferior to Immortals and Gods!" The fat monk shook his head.
As soon as the fat monk said this, the Old Monk's complexion immediately changed. "Venerable! With the Ten Thousand Monsters annihilated, what about Jin Chi?" It's no wonder the Old Monk's complexion was unsightly. Once Jin Chi fell into the hands of the Demon Subduing Division, their connection with the Demon Monsters would be exposed, and there would be no place for the Buddhist Sect within the entire Great Tang Dynasty's Territory. At that time, the Buddhist Sect would definitely face a fate even more tragic than the two instances of imperial suppression of Buddhism.
"No matter, I left a Divine Sense on Jin Chi. He has already been reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss!" The fat monk waved his hand dismissively.
"Excellent!" The three Old Monks smiled slightly, all letting out a sigh of relief. In their hearts, colluding with Demon Monsters was a minor matter; being exposed was the major matter. As long as it wasn't exposed, with the Buddhist Sect's Influence in the Great Tang Dynasty, even that Heavenly Khan Emperor would have to consider it if he wanted to act against them.
However, with the Heavenly Emperor Manifestation, that Sweet Dew, and the Imperial Court's endorsement, the Incense Offerings at their temples throughout the world were decreasing day by day. This was also the reason they chose to collude with those Demon Monsters. Besides this Spirit Mountain Venerable's Divine Manifestation, the Heavenly Emperor affecting their Incense Offering Money was the real reason.
Without Incense Offering Money, how could they sculpt Golden Bodies for the Buddha, how could they practice usury, how could they annex the land of those poor wretches during Natural Disasters and Demon Calamities?
That inexplicable Sweet Dew caused the fields throughout the entire Great Tang Dynasty's Territory to have bumper harvests for several consecutive years, also leaving these Buddhist Temples with no land to collect. Take these three Old Monks, praised as Holy Monks by the Believers, for example. Normally, after finishing their Meditation and Zen contemplation, several young girls in their prime would massage their legs and feet, loosen their muscles and joints, and even be responsible for warming their beds and feet.
Of course, in the Old Monks' view, this was the Buddhist Blessings they brought to the Believers!
In the past, when the harvest wasn't good, these Tenants couldn't pay their rent. The temple's Warrior Monks would preach Buddhist Dharma to them. If you had no money to pay rent, Amitabha Buddha, there are many monks in the temple, it's no problem to take your daughter back to the temple to wash clothes, right! If you don't have a daughter, it doesn't matter, this young monk sees that your newly wedded wife also has some Buddhist Affinity! There were also those who were disrespectful to Buddhist Dharma and didn't comply. The Warrior Monks who had practiced staffs and fists in the temple for over a decade might not be able to beat Demon Monsters, but couldn't they beat you commoners?
However, since the bumper harvests, those Tenants have become increasingly disrespectful towards Buddhism! Even for the three Holy Monks, in the past, the young girls serving in their rooms were never older than their prime, and a new batch was replaced every year. Now, the batch in their rooms has already served for two years.
Amitabha Buddha, that troublesome Heavenly Emperor is truly a Buddha Enemy! "Venerable! The Ten Thousand Monsters have all been executed, what about our side..." An Old Monk hesitated. "The temples in various places are still waiting for our news. Now that the City Gods and Earth Gods appointed by the Imperial Court are increasing, if we delay further, the Warrior Monks, Weapons, and Military Hardware in those temples might not be able to be hidden from them!"
The fat monk chewed the chicken leg, bones and all, into his mouth, frowning slightly, and said, "Although the Flower and Fruit Mountain Ten Thousand Monsters have been annihilated, the King of Ten Thousand Monsters is still here. Tell the Buddhist Temples in various places to wait patiently for the Opportunity! Soon, when Humanity's Destiny dissipates, it will be the time to turn the Mortal Realm into a Buddhist Kingdom on Earth!"
"We respectfully obey the Buddha's decree!"
The fat monk turned to look at an Old Monk on the left whose brows revealed Haki and whose long eyebrows were slightly red: "You went to the Imperial Palace to preach scriptures to the Empress Dowager, did you find out any information?"
The Old Monk clasped his hands together towards the fat monk and said, "Venerable, I preached scriptures to that old Empress Dowager for seven days. The Imperial Palace is filled with Mechanical Puppets, each capable of flying and Earth Escape. The guards and Military Generals stationed in the Imperial Palace are also highly skilled martial artists. This young monk was incompetent and could not approach the Human Emperor!"
The fat monk waved his hand. "Those Mechanical Puppets are the work of those Outer Realm Heavenly Demons. It seems they are quite trusted in this Mortal Dynasty!"
The several Old Monks remained silent. This Venerable, who possessed high Magic Power, did not dare to easily venture into the Imperial Palace, yet he sent the three of them to preach scriptures there. If they were to actually attempt assassination, how could they survive? These three Old Monks had lived for a hundred years and were all old and cunning. How could they be willing to risk their lives?
The fat monk's gaze swept over the several Old Monks, and he instantly saw through their concerns. "You don't need to assassinate the Human Emperor!" "Use all your connections! As long as the Human Emperor leaves Chang'an, report to me immediately!"
Golden Light flickered in the fat monk's eyes, but he felt somewhat puzzled in his heart. Originally, in his plan, with the threat of Demon Monsters from outside and the chaos stirred up by the Buddhist Sect in various places within the Great Tang Dynasty,
even if the Great Tang Dynasty didn't collapse immediately, it would fall into a state of chaos like the Late Sui Dynasty! He didn't expect that his first move hadn't even been made before someone directly flipped the table.
Without the support of the Demon Monsters, relying solely on the Warrior Monks and Tenants from these temples, they couldn't withstand the Great Tang Dynasty's Iron Cavalry and Firearms.
Who taught you? Why aren't you following the script!
The fat monk was so frustrated he wanted to spit blood, but the three Old Monks secretly exchanged glances.
"Venerable, please rest assured. We are spreading propaganda that the Heavenly Emperor is originally an Incarnation of the Buddha. Within the high walls and deep courtyards of Chang'an City, we still have some Incense Offerings and Believers!" The Old Monk with a sallow complexion and large hands nodded and smiled.
"Especially in the Mansions of those High-Ranking Officials, if those Important Ministers of the Human Emperor make any actions, they definitely won't be able to hide it from us!"
(end of chapter)