Book 6: Chapter 056: Matron Buddha
Although Shangguan Hen’s cultivation was not clear, Di Shitian had seen him defeat Sun Wukong, so Di Shitian was wary of him, attacking with full power.
Boom!
Two fists clashed in midair, producing a powerful shock wave that spread out in all directions and even warped space.
Neither party stepped back in this head-on clash.
A gust swept out. Ao Shun and Chang Ming immediately took action to stabilize the space lest it affect Gu Hai’s ritual array.
Bang!
Both Shangguan Hen and Di Shitian rebounded one step.
Uncertainty flashed in Di Shitian’s eyes.
“You grew by so much?” Di Shitian looked at Shangguan Hen in shock.
“Di Shitian? You are quite capable!” Shangguan Hen said with a sullen expression.
Shangguan Hen had thought he was already very powerful after training in hell. However, he actually only managed to reach a draw in this clash with Di Shitian?
“Hah! Hahahaha! It looks like there is indeed a great opportunity in the eighteen layers of hell. I must make a trip there after this. Humph!” Di Shitian snorted coldly.
Di Shitian charged over again, his eyes blazing with intense battle hunger. He wanted to know exactly how strong Shangguan Hen was now.
“Bring it on!” Shangguan Hen likewise charged forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two powerful experts attacked, so fast that they left only afterimages each time. Shangguan Hen intentionally moved away, luring Di Shitian away from Gu Hai so that they would not interfere with Gu Hai’s ritual array.
The two ended up fighting above a vast sea in the distance. Overwhelming waves kicked up across the entire sea, practically overturning it. The surrounding islands collapsed, and the loud reports horrified the onlooking cultivators.
Sun Wukong watched Shangguan Hen with some despair flashing in its eyes.
“The Eight Nines Profound Technique? He really reached the sixth-fourth layer?” Sun Wukong showed intense reluctance in its eyes.
Back when it had learned this cultivation technique, it had been very cocky, looking down on everyone in the world. This cultivation technique seemed tailor-made for it—no one could be better than it at this cultivation technique.
It had believed that it could not cultivate further because this cultivation technique was deficient and that it had already reached the limit—no one could surpass it.
Sun Wukong never considered its own laziness. However, Sun Wukong now hated itself for not working hard in cultivating.
Now…
“Sun Wukong, sorry. As for this Malleable Golden Staff, only you are worthy of it. You can have it back.” Gu Hai tossed it into the passageway while holding Sun Wukong.
Now, Sun Wukong felt deeply regretful, not at being captured but for being too playful in the past.
“How did you do it? Why could he cultivate the Eight Nines Profound Technique to such a degree?” Sun Wukong looked at Gu Hai, anxious to know.
“Shangguan Hen is not as talented as you. You cultivated for seven years, but Shangguan Hen cultivated for nearly one hundred million years in the eighteenth layer of hell. You are weak in character and shun work while he suffered for one hundred million years as though it was a day. Can you do the same?” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Nearly one hundred million years in the eighteenth layer of hell?” Sun Wukong shivered.
Then, it looked at the distant Shangguan Hen displaying his might. Intense humiliation flashed in its eyes.
“The eighteen layers of hell? Hah! I will go there too! I will return to take back what I lost today in the future!” Sun Wukong said ferociously.
Whoosh!
Sun Wukong entered the passageway and disappeared from Gu Hai’s sight.
“I hope you will step up bravely after experiencing shame. Perhaps we can fight on the same side in the future, Great Sage Equal to Heaven!” Gu Hai said solemnly.
Whoosh!
The black hole closed and vanished.
Buzz!
Gu Hai waved his hand, dismissing the ritual array. Various enchanted treasures came out from the ground. Then, he flung out his sleeves and collected them all into the Gu’s Immortal Firmament.
On the side, Chang Ming and Ao Shun felt shocked. One hundred million years? What did that mean?
Gu Hai did not explain. Instead, he watched Shangguan Hen fight Di Shitian in the distance. The battle grew increasingly ferocious. Neither could do anything to the other.
“Your Reverence, should we help?” Chang Ming asked.
“We still need to rescue Kong Xuan, but we can’t split ourselves.” Gu Hai frowned slightly.
“What’s wrong with Kong Xuan?” Chang Ming asked.
“According to our analysis of him, he must have gone to the Spirit Mountain Holy Land to cause trouble. Hah… Ao Shun, you stay here and watch Shangguan Hen’s back. Chang Ming, come with us to find Kong Xuan,” Gu Hai said.
“Yes!” Chang Ming and Ao Shun answered.
Whoosh!
Ao Shun immediately flew to Shangguan Hen.
Gu Hai took one final glance before flying into the distance with Chang Ming.
Far away, Di Shitian saw Gu Hai leave.
“Halt!” Di Shitian shouted furiously as his expression changed.
Boom!
Shangguan Hen knocked Di Shituan back with a punch. “Focus. Di Shitian, your opponent now is me.”
Whoosh!
Ao Shun came forward and said, “Prime Shangguan, let me assist you!”
“There’s no need. Just watch!” Shangguan Hen said confidently.
——
Spirit Mountain Holy Land:
Kong Xuan brought an overwhelmingly intense demonic aura wherever it went, consuming legions. A multitude of monks died to it.
The Spirit Mountain Holy Land had eight thousand eight hundred sixty temples. Such a calamity panicked countless people.
The more Kong Xuan ate, the stronger the demonic aura grew.
“Hahahahahaha! Present Buddha? These monks died because of your greed. Had you not locked me up for one hundred million years, would you have today’s calamity? Roar!” Kong Xuan roared.
The demonic voice filled the sky, scaring tens of thousands of monks.
“Amitābha!”
A loud sound rang out amid the demonic aura.
“Lord Buddha?! Save me!” The countless monks within the demonic aura showed wild joy on their faces.
Their Lord Buddha finally arrived. This was the Present Buddha’s voice. That was right; this was the voice that rang out in all directions whenever there was a lecture at the Hall of Great Strength.
Kong Xuan looked down and immediately saw the Present Buddha seated cross-legged on a nearby summit.
“The Present Buddha? You finally arrived?” Kong Xuan said with a cold smile.
The Present Buddha looked up and saw a ten-kilometer-long peacock charging towards him with a mighty aura, looking like a demon of annihilation.
“Lay down the butcher’s knife and immediately become a buddha! Kong Xuan, are you still being stubborn?” A majestic voice rang out around the Present Buddha.
Boom!
The loud voice seemed to manifest a bright, golden light, dyeing the world golden and looking exceptionally dazzling amid the demonic aura.
“Buddha? Hahahaha! So what if I can become a buddha? Today, I will kill buddhas and destroy your Spirit Mountain Holy Land! I will consume everything of your Spirit Mountain Holy Land!” Kong Xuan roared ferociously.
Boom!
When Kong Xuan flapped its wings, nearly all the demonic aura poured towards the Present Buddha.
The demonic aura suddenly condensed and arrived at the Present Buddha.
“With the Lord Buddha making a move, it’s over for this demon!”
“The Lord Buddha is still reasoning with it? There is no need for that when dealing with such a demon!”
“Lord Buddha can definitely deal with this demon!”
As the surrounding monks waited in anticipation of the Present Buddha’s move, the demonic aura turned into a black wind and curled around the Present Buddha, pulling him into the sky.
“Roar!”
Kong Xuan opened its mouth, and a powerful suction appeared. This suction seemed capable of consuming the world. All the monks’ expressions changed.
The overwhelming demonic aura rushed towards Kong Xuan’s mouth.
“Lord Buddha?” The faces of the surrounding monks sank.
Boom!
Kong Xuan swallowed the Present Buddha into its stomach.
“What? That’s impossible! How could this demon consume the Lord Buddha?!”
“An overwhelming demonic flame. Is my Spirit Mountain Holy Land doomed to end today?”
“The law is strong, but evil is ten times stronger?”
Countless monks exclaimed.
Far away, the expressions of all the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats at the entrance of the Major Leiyin Temple changed dramatically. “Lord Buddha!”
“The Present Buddha? The Spirit Mountain Holy Land? Hahahahaha! The Present Buddha is already in my stomach. You are next! Roar!” Kong Xuan roared again.
Boom!
That demonic aura erupted around Kong Xuan once more, dyeing the Spirit Mountain Holy Land’s sky black.
“No!”
Despair filled the entire Spirit Mountain Holy Land. Even the Present Buddha was no match for this demon?
Kong Xuan flapped its wings and flew toward the Hall of Great Strength, as that place had the most buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats. It felt like the apocalypse everywhere Kong Xuan went.
“Lord Past Buddha, what should we do now?” the monks asked anxiously.
The Past Buddha showed an unsightly expression.
Boom!
Kong Xuan’s abdomen exploded with a loud sound just as everyone was at a loss.
Boom!
A beam of golden light flew out and landed on Kong Xuan’s back. The ten-kilometer-long peacock trembled.
Squawk!
The peacock let out a loud cry of pain.
A gigantic Nine-Petaled Golden Lotus shone with dazzling, golden light on the peacock’s back.
The Present Buddha, who had just been swallowed, sat on that golden lotus.
The Present Buddha flung out his sleeve, tossing out countless monks.
“Lord Buddha?! It’s the Lord Buddha!”
“The Lord Buddha is still alive? This is great! He came out from Kong Xuan’s stomach!”
“Those are…those are the bodhisattvas, arhats, and monks that Kong Xuan swallowed a moment ago?”
Countless monks cried out in pleasant surprise at the Hall of Great Strength’s entrance.
“Amitābha! If I do not enter hell, who will? The Lord Buddha is benevolent. He purposely let himself get swallowed to save the people that Kong Xuan swallowed just now and rescued them from Kong Xuan’s stomach. Wonderful! Wonderful!” The Past Buddha pressed his palms together.
“Lord Buddha is benevolent!” All the buddhas, bodhisattvas, arhats, and monks held their palms together, praising the Present Buddha’s might and benevolence.
Coo! “Present Buddha, you entered my stomach to snatch the Nine-Petaled Golden Lotus?” Kong Xuan roared ferociously.
Kong Xuan flapped its wings, trying to shake off the Present Buddha.
Boom!
The Present Buddha activated the Nine-Petaled Golden Lotus, which flared with golden light as it pressed down. This suppressed Kong Xuan, preventing it from resisting.
“Amitābha! Evil beast, have you not come to your senses yet?” The Present Buddha pressed his palms together as he looked coldly at Kong Xuan.
“In your dreams! Roar!” Kong Xuan roared ferociously.
“The sea of bitterness is endless. Salvation can be found by turning back. Kong Xuan, bringing disaster to the Spirit Mountain Holy Land is a heinous and unforgivable sin; you deserve death. However, this venerable came out of your abdomen as if born from you. I can spare you from death and install you as the Matron Buddha. Peacock Great Light Sovereign, you’d better know what’s good for you,” the Present Buddha said coldly as he sat on the Nine-Petaled Golden Lotus.
“Matron Buddha? Matron Buddha? Hahahahahaha! Present Buddha, are you crazy? In your dreams!” Kong Xuan roared ferociously.
“Humph!” the Present Buddha snorted coldly, and the Nine-Petaled Golden Lotus pressed down hard.
Boom!
Blargh!
Kong Xuan spewed out a mouthful of blood. However, it could not move due to the Nine-Petaled Golden Lotus’s suppression. Unable to control its body, it flew towards the Hall of Great Strength.
“Salutations, Matron Buddha, Peacock Great Light Sovereign!” the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats saluted at the Hall of Great Strength’s entrance.
“Matron Buddha, your grandmother! Old baldy, how dare you humiliate me, calling me a female? Roar!” Kong Xuan roared furiously.
Boom!
Blargh!
The Nine-Petaled Golden Lotus pressed hard again, causing Kong Xuan to spew another mouthful of blood.