At this moment, Lu Yang's expression was incomparably solemn.
'It came from [Paramita].'
However, after carefully sensing the source of the mighty power before him, he quickly let out a sigh of relief. 'No, not from [Paramita], it's from the [Vajradhatu]!'
There was a massive difference between the two.
Coming from [Paramita] meant the World Honored One had acted personally, or at least cast a glance over. If that were the case, the only thing he could do was disconnect immediately.
But coming from the [Vajradhatu]?
That meant the World Honored One was ultimately still somewhat wary of the [Tribulation]. He hadn't acted personally, but instead had the Five Directional Tathagatas in the [Vajradhatu] act on his behalf.
Against the former, he could only lie flat and wait for death. Against the latter... it wasn't completely impossible to put up a fight.
'The Primordial Heavenly Demon and Martial Uncle Chong Guang are extremely important for my [Project: Collapse Paramita]. Absolutely nothing can go wrong. I just have to bite the bullet and face it.'
That being said, Lu Yang wasn't anxious, nor did he rashly enter the karmic scene. Instead, he stayed outside and sensed the karmic changes. After all, facing it head-on didn't mean charging in blindly; he had to take it slow, steady, and methodically. Haste makes waste. First, he needed to see exactly what the opponent planned to do.
The karmic scene—a place seemingly real yet illusory.
Everything that happened here was past history. Everyone's actions were absolutely real, and the aftermath would be genuinely reflected in the present world.
Rumble!
Above the vault of heaven, a peal of thunder rang out.
Myriad Martial World Realm, Demon-Subduing Mountain Range. The Primordial Heavenly Demon and Chong Guang, who were originally tempering each other, suddenly sensed something. They raised their heads and looked at the sky canopy above.
"The situation is not right."
Chong Guang was the first to stand up, revealing a solemn expression. "How could such a celestial phenomenon occur within the Myriad Martial World Realm? Outsiders are forcefully intruding into this World Realm!"
Within the mountain, the Primordial Heavenly Demon sneered. "This thunder sounds a bit like a bell toll; it might be the World Honored One. You should probably leave this place first, Fellow Daoist. I reckon the World Honored One has come looking for me. This is quite interesting. Could it be that the World Honored One is actually interested in picking this abandoned piece back up again?"
Hearing this, Chong Guang glanced at the Primordial Heavenly Demon.
He could actually tell that the Primordial Heavenly Demon must have reached some sort of deal with Lu Yang. However, inner demons were capricious; who was to say the Primordial Heavenly Demon wouldn't betray it?
"Senior, do not make a mistake," Chong Guang said with emphasized tone.
"Jie jie jie..."
The Primordial Heavenly Demon didn't answer, but his laughter grew even more joyful. "Fellow Daoist, you underestimate that person far too much. If you can think of it, how could he not?"
Saying that, he pointed at the mountain pressing down on him and the thunder talisman atop it.
"Do you think these things are just for show?"
"Why do you think he still suppressed me here even after I clearly surrendered? He's guarding against me! Worried that I'll turn my back on him in the end."
"Right now, my very life is completely tied to this mountain and this talisman. If the mountain collapses, I die. He's firmly decided to keep me suppressed until the moment he needs to use me, and only then will he let me out... But it's normal. That's the style of the Saint Sect. If he didn't guard against me, I'd be worried he had ulterior motives!"
As he spoke, the anomaly arrived.
"Amitabha!"
In an instant, within the Myriad Martial World Realm, the clouds parted and the air cleared. Buddhist light filled the sky, and from within it, four towering figures were reflected, surrounding the Demon-Subduing Mountain Range.
[Tathagata Ratnasambhava of the Vajradhatu]!
[Tathagata Akshobhya of the Vajradhatu]!
[Tathagata Amoghasiddhi of the Vajradhatu]!
[Tathagata Amitabha of the Vajradhatu]!
The Four Venerable Tathagatas, residing high in the [Vajradhatu], overseeing [One Mind] on behalf of the World Honored One. Now, they had all arrived simultaneously, and the place they stood became a Buddhist Kingdom on earth!
In an instant, the entire Myriad Martial World Realm was bathed in light. Light birthed rosy clouds, and the rosy clouds birthed lotuses. A shower of golden rain fell endlessly. The entire Myriad Martial World Realm seemed to have been saved and enlightened, instantly switching allegiances. Along with it, all living beings clasped their hands together, smiles on their faces, chanting "Amitabha" with every breath.
The sounds of Zen chanting and reciting scriptures lingered endlessly in the ears.
"This thing..."
Chong Guang looked away, not daring to look closer. He even sealed his ears, not daring to listen to the Zen chanting. This thing was simply more absurd than his inner demon infection!
"Primordial Heavenly Demon, you were given an opportunity, but you proved useless."
Finally, a Buddhist voice descended from the sky and entered the mountain, causing the Primordial Heavenly Demon to instantly raise an eyebrow. "Ratnasambhava, did you come here just to make sarcastic remarks?"
After saying that, he carefully sized up the four Tathagatas outside, then sneered:
"That's not right. Your states are wrong."
"Although the four of you have arrived together, your combined strength is still inferior to what you had alone back then, Ratnasambhava. Moreover, the Pure Land currently cannot support four Tathagatas. How did you get here?"
High above the vault of heaven, [Tathagata Ratnasambhava of the Vajradhatu] nodded slightly:
"Not bad eyesight."
"No need to wonder. We did not manifest in the world through the Pure Land. If we manifested there, the commotion would be too great, and we would inevitably be discovered by that Immortal Lord Master of Tribulations and Ferryman of Karma."
"In that case..." The Primordial Heavenly Demon's eyes flickered upon hearing this. "It's the Celestial Court?"
[Tathagata Ratnasambhava of the Vajradhatu] smiled and said, "The Celestial Court has many Perfected Lords, and we also borrowed the [Taiyang] Dao Fruit. Only then were we able to gather the four of us."
"Alright, there is not much time. The four of us have gathered today to first rescue you. Once you are freed, there will naturally be a time for you to stage a comeback."
As his words fell, the four giant golden Buddhas struck simultaneously.
Rumble!
In an instant, four palms surrounded the east, south, west, and north. From top to bottom, they heavily slapped against the Demon-Subduing Mountain Range, letting out deafening sounds.
However, to the surprise of the four Tathagatas, their current manifestations were all at the Golden Core Perfected Lord level. Striking with all their might like this, let alone a single mountain in the Myriad Martial World Realm, even the entire World Realm should have been instantly annihilated. Yet, under this strike, the Demon-Subduing Mountain Range didn't waver in the slightest.
"What's going on?"
"Why is this happening?"
"This World Realm has already been enlightened by us and is our home ground. It's impossible for it to provide even the slightest help to this mountain... Does this mean there's something strange about the mountain itself?"
Soon, the gazes of the four Tathagatas landed on that thunder talisman affixed to the mountain's peak.
"Could it be this item?"
"Peel it off!"
One of the Tathagatas spoke. However, before his voice even faded, the thunder talisman trembled slightly, and boundless, brilliant golden light shot out from it.
Golden light forged a body, and the sound of thunder sculpted a form.
Before long, a towering Divine General wearing silver armor and golden rings, standing a full eighteen feet tall, appeared out of thin air atop the mountain. Lightning faintly flashed within his eyes.
[Thunder-Sovereign Demonbane General]!
"Demons and ghosts, seeking death!"
His expression was fierce. Before his voice fell, he had already unhooked a golden radiant battleaxe from his waist and held it in his hand, boundless lightning surging into it.
"Slash!"
With a resonant shout, the battleaxe soared into the sky, illuminating the surroundings with blinding light. The axe was raised to the heavens, then ruthlessly cleaved down towards the Buddhist Kingdom conjured by the four Tathagatas in the sky. Seeing this, the four Tathagatas hurriedly moved to block it. Boundless Buddhist light of various colors surged forth, only to be instantly torn apart by a streak of pure golden rosy light.
Boom!
At this moment, the four Tathagatas actually took a step back simultaneously. Their compassionate smiles vanished, and a massive, visible rift appeared in the Buddhist Kingdom behind them!
Meanwhile, outside the karmic scene.
"...That's it?"
Using [City Rampart Earth] to perform divinations and observe the karmic scene, Lu Yang frowned deeply. "How could my seal be broken so easily? Do you really think I'm some Unorthodox Dao cultivator?"
The massive mountain sealing the Primordial Heavenly Demon was transformed from one of his hands, augmented by the [Mountain-Bearing Dao Fruit]. And the Divine General formed by the thunder talisman was enlightened and brought to life using the [Thunder-Sovereign Axe Dao Fruit]. It was no exaggeration to say that eighty percent of Lu Yang's methods were concentrated entirely on this single mountain!
That axe strike just now was clear proof.
It looked like it was only the [Thunder-Sovereign Demonbane General] attacking, but in reality, it was connected to the seal. It was equivalent to his own hand personally swinging an axe here to kill the enemy!
A mere four Venerable Tathagatas—what could they possibly use to block it?
'These Tathagatas manifested in the world through the Celestial Court? How could the World Honored One be so unwise? If he truly wanted to break the seal, sending Immortal Venerable Taiyin would have been more appropriate.'
'Unless...'
The smile vanished.
At this moment, a deep chill suddenly crept up Lu Yang's heart. He stared blankly at the great karmic net below, then swallowed hard.
Unless this wasn't the World Honored One's objective at all.
Then what was the World Honored One's objective?
'Of the Five Directional Tathagatas, only four came. Where is the last one? Where is the [Tathagata Vairocana of the Vajradhatu]?'
Driven by intuition, Lu Yang didn't continue thinking. Instead, he slowly twisted his neck, looking behind him with a bit of stiffness, almost stopping his breathing entirely.
A second later, he got his answer.
Because right behind him, a monk who had appeared at some unknown time stood with his hands clasped together, smiling. He was sizing him up with great interest.
'The World Honored One's target is me... I fell into the trap!'
Lu Yang finally realized the truth in a flash of understanding.
At the same time, the monk finally spoke: "This poor monk is Di Muni, holding a position in the [Vajradhatu], acting as the [Tathagata Vairocana of the Vajradhatu], temporarily overseeing matters of the mortal world."
"Benefactor, this poor monk has wanted to meet you for a very long time... Shall we have a chat?"
(End of Chapter)