Actually, Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata was severely damaged. His spiritual power was depleted, his Golden Body was shattered, and his overall aura had plummeted; he was far from as powerful as when he first appeared.
But what about Lu Yang?
First, he had activated the Strategic-Level Dao Soldier, the Sun-Shooting Bow. Then, he had taken a blast of Buddhist light head-on. Now, to unleash the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, he had exhausted his spiritual power.
His current condition was actually no different from Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata's—perhaps even worse. After all, according to his plan, the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation was supposed to kill Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata outright, but it had ultimately fallen short of success.
This was exactly why Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata was so confident.
He was merely heavily injured. Lu Yang, on the other hand, was not only injured but had also burned through most of his spiritual power and nearly exhausted the enhancement from the Mystic Spirit World Realm.
How could he possibly lose?
Victory was assured!
On the other side, although Lu Yang was similarly drained of qi and strength, he didn't panic. He simply furrowed his brow, staring blankly at Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata.
He saw that from the crown of this Titled Tathagata enlightened by the World Honored One, a streak of divine light was erupting. It burned fiercely like a torch, completely uncontainable. And from that divine light, he could feel [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] salivating like a starving wolf that had spotted its prey.
What is that?
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow. Besides the anomaly from [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes], he also sensed a familiar aura emanating from that divine light, making his heart race.
It seems like a Golden Nature?
Not just one Golden Nature, but three. Though independent, they were intrinsically linked together. Despite having different attributes, they were perfectly fused into one.
I understand now.
It's the Golden Nature of this Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata! I almost forgot that the World Honored One's enlightened manifestations also possess Golden Natures, just like the Buddha Child from before.
However, the Golden Nature of this Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata is clearly different. Because this Titled Tathagata was enlightened using the three Pure Land Bodhisattvas as a foundation, his Golden Nature has also fused the Golden Natures of those three Bodhisattvas? So if I devour this one, it's equivalent to eating three at once?
Lu Yang's eyes lit up brilliantly.
To be honest, with things having reached this point and the World Honored One personally intervening, Lu Yang had already given up on refining Bodhisattva Precious Vajra Victory into a Life Form Body.
Therefore, he decided to switch to a different plan to seize the [Pine & Cypress Wood].
Devour the Golden Nature of this Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata, then find a way to completely annihilate Bodhisattva Precious Vajra Victory, and finally, attain the [Pine & Cypress Wood] myself!
In the end, one still had to rely on oneself!
Of course, the prerequisite was that he had to win, and win with an absolute, overwhelming advantage. Otherwise, seizing the Golden Nature would be virtually impossible.
Yet right now, he couldn't use his full strength. Despite possessing four Dao Fruit profound wonders, he didn't dare use a single one. The feeling of being so stifled was agonizing.
Sigh... forget it.
Lu Yang let out a long breath, finally abandoning his fantasies. He opened the panel for [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] and fixed his gaze on a golden talent.
"You forced me to do this."
[Supreme Dao Transformation], open!
As a golden radiance rippled across [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes], the look in Lu Yang's eyes gradually returned to absolute tranquility. All emotions dissolved into an icy, indifferent calm.
"Hm?"
Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata immediately noticed the change in Lu Yang. He frowned slightly, a flash of indescribable surprise crossing his eyes.
Because just a moment ago, in his vision, a burst of Light of Wisdom suddenly erupted from the top of Lu Yang's head. It was so dazzling that it was almost impossible to look at directly, surpassing his own in the blink of an eye. Such terrifying Light of Wisdom—even he had only ever seen it on the main body of the World Honored One in his memories.
What happened?
This isn't right. Shouldn't this person be the type where a great sage appears as a fool? I couldn't see any Light of Wisdom on him before. Why did it suddenly erupt?
Could it be he's been hiding it all along?
Or perhaps his usual 'great sage appearing as a fool' demeanor is a deliberate suppression of his Light of Wisdom and natural instincts, only unleashing them when absolutely necessary in exchange for an even higher level of comprehension?
Without giving Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata any more time to think, Lu Yang, now in the state of [Supreme Dao Transformation], took a feather-light step forward.
"First, I need to restore my spiritual power."
He was incredibly calm. With a single glance, he tore open the [Sea of Bitterness], then drew upon the boundless waters of concept, extracting the portion that symbolized "spiritual power," and began to swallow it down recklessly.
In a short while, his spiritual power began to rapidly recover.
Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata was dumbfounded.
You can do that!?
His mind raced, and he spoke in a low voice, "A secret art to explode one's comprehension? I am becoming more and more interested in you, Benefactor. You are absolutely no ordinary Unorthodox cultivator."
But Lu Yang ignored him.
Let alone acknowledge him, Lu Yang didn't even want to spare him a glance. When his gaze did occasionally sweep past him, it involuntarily carried a bizarre look.
Like he was looking at a monkey?
At this realization, Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata frowned. He immediately used the [Divine Travel] to close the distance again, intending to land a vicious blow on Lu Yang.
And then, his throat was seized.
The process was unbelievably bizarre. Lu Yang merely reached out his hand and casually grabbed at the empty air, and Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata just happened to appear exactly in that spot.
It was as if he had actively thrown himself onto Lu Yang's hand to commit suicide.
Of course, Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata knew he harbored no such intention. But precisely because of this, he felt a bone-chilling sense of terror.
What... exactly happened to this person?
Before he could sort out his thoughts, Lu Yang's other hand had already landed right between his eyebrows. Following that, a streak of sword light suddenly materialized at Lu Yang's fingertips.
Clang!
With a flash of sword light, one of the streams of divine light erupting from the top of Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata's head was instantly severed, drifting smoothly into Lu Yang's palm!
The movement was as fluid as flowing water, taking no more than a single instant.
Time was limited, and Lu Yang didn't want to waste it. After severing the Golden Nature, he casually tossed the struggling Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata out of the Mystic Spirit World Realm.
Having done all this, he frowned again.
Recalling the battle he had just fought with Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata, the entire process made him feel as if he were looking at a pile of shit.
What a brute.
That's not how the [Divine Firmament Thunder] is supposed to be used. Was I treating it like a simple Dao Fruit just for summoning lightning? What an absolute waste of a heavenly treasure.
Lu Yang once again completely distanced himself from his past self before using the [Supreme Dao Transformation].
Actually, if possible, the Dharma Body Dao might be a bit more suitable for me... Forget it, time is limited. I'll take over from here. I need to memorize this process perfectly.
With that, he looked at Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata outside the Mystic Spirit World Realm, pondering inwardly.
This thing is different from the Vajradhatu Acala Tathagata I saw before. Its foundation of existence in this world is the fusion of the three Pure Land Bodhisattvas, which makes it quite fragile. Fighting him head-on is the most foolish approach.
Dealing with it is actually very simple.
Locate the connection between the three Pure Land Bodhisattvas, then sever it. This will naturally shatter the foundation of its existence, causing it to collapse without a fight.
Like this.
Lu Yang raised his hand and made a light slashing motion toward Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata.
Pfft!
The next second, Vajradhatu Ratnasambhava Tathagata froze in place, his mouth slightly agape. He took a step back, and the Buddhist light permeating his body rapidly dimmed.
Following that was a crisp crack! Like a bursting bubble, this enlightened manifestation of the World Honored One, a Titled Tathagata, quietly shattered apart. From the boiling Buddhist light, three figures tumbled out wretchedly. Lu Yang instantly locked onto one of them, and a massive hand snatched it up.
Bodhisattva Precious Vajra Victory, having just been separated, looked utterly bewildered. He didn't even have time to scream.
Crunch!
As the five fingers closed, this early-stage Golden Core Bodhisattva of the Pure Land was crushed to death alive in Lu Yang's palm, his blood splashing outward like flying sparks of fire!