Haotian Manifests as Emperor, Startling the Buddhas

The space-time, Fate, and Karma surrounding Haotian were locked down, to the point that Haotian actually felt the terror of death.

He let out a loud cry: "Buddha Ancestor, save Me!!"

"This performance is truly convincing!" Rulai exclaimed in admiration!

The battle in the Hall of Lingxiao gripped the nerves of the great powers across the Three Realms.

Sun Wukong was, by nature, the one destined to face the tribulation in the Journey to the West, and the Western Teachings had designed various plot points specifically to lure the Monkey into the trap, all to signal a clear stance to the Three Realms: "Buddhism is about to flourish!"

The original script was supposed to go like this: Haotian would use various means to insult the Monkey, forcing the Monkey to rebel.

Then, Haotian would pretend to be overwhelmed—he was a peak Quasi-Saint, after all; wouldn't it be simple for him to deal with a little monkey who had just reached the Quasi-Saint realm? Only by pretending to be overwhelmed could the act continue.

Haotian would seek help from the West, Rulai would make his entrance, suppress the Monkey, and raise the curtain on the Journey to the West.

It was just that Rulai had not expected...

Haotian was acting so realistically that the Monkey had encountered not a single shred of decent resistance along the way.

The immortals of the Mystic Gate who truly held the real power in the Heavenly Court had not shown their faces at all.

It was obvious that they had known about the Journey to the West long ago, leaving the stage to Haotian and the Western Teachings while they watched the show from the sidelines with cold eyes.

Rulai had to accept their favor!

If these immortals had truly exerted their strength, what cultivator in the Primordial Era would dare to run wild in the Heavenly Court?

Thinking back to the time of the Investiture of the Gods and his encounter with the Immortal Slaying Sword Array, Rulai still felt a lingering fear.

It was fortunate that Duobao had not brought out the Earth Splitting Chisel at that time, and fortunate that Duobao had not activated the Immortal Slaying Sword Array, otherwise, he would have long since been reduced to dust!

Even knowing that these immortals were just looking to sponge off some Merit, Rulai still had to accept the favor.

It was a case of "everyone helps carry the sedan chair"—giving each other face.

Otherwise, how could their Buddhism showcase itself on such a grand stage?

Could the Mystic Gate really not handle a mere little monkey?

Obviously not!

The Human Sect was just waiting for him to take the stage!

Especially Haotian, the expression of terror on his face was far too professional!

Rulai simply could not find a single flaw.

He sighed inwardly, "One can never underestimate any fellow who has made a name for himself in the Three Realms!"

"This Supreme Being of the Three Realms is actually so realistic even when faking fear."

"My Buddhism owes him a favor!"

Taibai Jinxing hurriedly said: "Buddha Ancestor, the Heavenly Court is in danger, and the Civil and Military Officials are no match for the demon monkey. I beg the Buddha Ancestor to intervene!"

Rulai nodded solemnly: "This old monk is duty-bound!"

In Biyou Palace on Jin'ao Island in the East Sea, the Four Saints of the Mystic Gate and their eight great disciples were all observing the battle in the Hall of Lingxiao.

Yuanshi stared intently at the staff in Sun Wukong's hand, and he exclaimed in shock: "This staff... could it be of the same quality as the Dharma treasures in the hands of our various Martial Nephews?"

Reminded by him, Taishang and Nuwa examined it carefully and their expressions changed instantly.

The staff was mysterious yellow in color, with an aura of Merit radiating from it, but the laws contained within it were dazzling.

Even when the Saints observed it with their Dharma Eye, they could feel the fierce and baleful nature within the staff!

It carried the same terrifying sensation as the Earth Splitting Chisel in Duobao's hands!

And Duobao's Earth Splitting Chisel was highly suspected to be a Chaos Spirit Treasure!

Tongtian laughed: "Don't forget that Fellow Daoist Wukong is the only disciple of that great deity."

"If Duobao can have such a Dharma treasure, how could Fellow Daoist Wukong not have one?"

"Isn't that a joke?!"

The three Saints nodded repeatedly.

That was true!

If it were them, they would certainly arm themselves as well.

This is only natural.

Taishang said slowly:

"Haotian is, after all, a peak among the Sages; he can naturally sense the ferocity of that staff."

"Even though his cultivation level is a few minor realms higher than Fellow Daoist Wukong's."

"However... the bonus provided by a high-quality magic treasure is simply too great!"

"It is true that each realm is like a different heaven, but when a magic treasure breaks through a certain grade, its power increases infinitely."

"The gap between cultivation levels becomes, in turn, extremely small!"

The Sages nodded in unison.

The most obvious example is the battle between Duobao and Yang Liu Daoist.

Yang Liu Daoist was himself the Quasi-Saint avatar of the Great Immortal Yang Mei, who was at the Peak Dao Integration Realm.

His cultivation stood at the very pinnacle of the Quasi-Saints.

His cultivation realm and Supernatural Powers far exceeded those of Duobao.

But Duobao had the Earth Splitting Chisel in his hand!

That Earth Splitting Chisel locked onto Yang Liu Daoist directly, rendering him unable to move, forcing him to take that strike head-on, and causing him to perish instantly!

Another piece of evidence is the battle between Tongtian and Great Immortal Yang Mei!

Great Immortal Yang Mei was at the peak of the twelfth heaven of the Dao Integration Realm.

Tongtian was merely at the eleventh heaven of the He Daojing.

Generally speaking, there was no way Tongtian could defeat Great Immortal Yang Mei.

But as luck would have it, Tongtian not only possessed supreme secret techniques, but he also had the Imitation Pangu Sky-Opening Axe bestowed upon him by Great God Lin Dong!

The gap in cultivation realm was leveled in an instant!

Tongtian swung the axe, and Yang Mei had no way to dodge, perishing directly!

Haotian's situation is exactly the same.

He appears to be two minor realms higher than Sun Wukong, but the gap between their magic treasures is too vast.

Haotian sensed the danger the very first moment, And shouted for help immediately!

Nuwa suddenly laughed: "Rulai, inside the Grand Hall of Heroes at the Great Thunderclap Monastery, is sighing at how well Haotian is acting!"

Huh?!

The Sages looked at each other in dismay; even the Eight Immortals of Biyou Palace were stunned.

After a long while, the group of mighty figures burst into laughter!

Tongtian shook his head with a smile: "In a moment, he will know just how realistic Haotian's acting truly is!"

The Sages revealed mischievous smiles.

Preconceived notions are truly terrifying!

Once Rulai actually enters the fray, he will likely be cursing up a storm.

Yuanshi suddenly looked a bit worried:

"Junior Brother, Fellow Daoist Wukong's magic treasure is indeed first-rate and powerful!"

"But... he is, after all, facing two peak Quasi-Saints."

"Can he hold his own?"

Taishang and Nuwa looked over simultaneously, all three mighty figures wearing clear expressions of concern.

They were terrified that Sun Wukong might suffer a loss.

If the Monkey were to suffer, there is no telling how the Great God of Penglai Immortal Island might vent his rage!

Tongtian laughed and shook his head.

"Fellow Daoists, have you been staring only at Fellow Daoist Wukong's staff, and not at the armor he is wearing?"

Hmm?!

What is there to look at regarding his armor?

The three Sages suddenly felt their minds stir and turned their heads to look in unison.

The more they looked, the more astonished they became.

The three Sages opened their mouths slightly, filled with inexplicable surprise.

Yuanshi exclaimed: "This... this... are these all defensive magic treasures?!"

Tongtian nodded and said: "Indeed!"

Hiss!

The Three Sages drew a sharp breath!

There are billions upon billions of magical treasures in the Primordial Era, but defensive treasures account for only twenty percent of them.

High-quality treasures make up only twenty percent of that twenty percent.

Any defensive treasure that possesses true quality is bound to be famous throughout the Primordial Era.

They are too rare, and too difficult to obtain!

Among the Three Pure Ones, Taishang possesses the Heaven and Earth Mystic Yellow Pagoda, And Yuanshi possesses the Myriad Heavens Auspicious Cloud!

What about Tongtian?!

He does not have a defensive treasure worth mentioning.

However, given the unique nature of Tongtian's combat style, it makes little difference whether he has a defensive treasure or not.

Nuwa does not have a good defensive treasure either!

If this is the case for the Sages of the Mystic Gate, one can imagine the situation for other cultivators in the Primordial Era.

Although every cultivator prepares defensive treasures, those that can actually serve a purpose are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Never did they expect, That the Golden Chain Mail, Phoenix-Winged Purple Gold Crown, and Lotus-Root Silk Cloud-Walking Boots on Sun Wukong are all defensive treasures!

They truly do not disgrace the name of "battle gear"!

What is battle gear for? Protection!

Who would have thought that Fellow Daoist Wukong has protected himself from head to toe!

It is simply terrifying!

Yuanshi suddenly said, "Junior Brother, could it be that Fellow Daoist Wukong's defensive treasures are also of the same grade as his weapon?"

Nuwa smiled, "Senior Brother, isn't that too exaggerated? How could there be so many treasures of that grade..."

She could not continue, Tongtian revealed a smile, and that smile explained everything!

Nuwa looked at Tongtian in shock, "The Great God of Penglai Immortal Island is truly omnipotent!"

What grade of treasure is the staff in Sun Wukong's hand?

It is half a grade higher than an Innate Supreme Treasure, a supreme treasure suspected to be a Chaos Spirit Treasure!

Never did they expect that the gear on his body would also be a supreme treasure of such a grade!

This is truly being fully armed!

Tongtian said helplessly, "Didn't I say so before?"

"It is only ever Fellow Daoist Wukong bullying others; whoever thinks of bullying him should just wait to be beaten black and blue!"

The Sages nodded in unison.

Taishang remained expressionless and said slowly, "Junior Sister, that Rulai actually thinks Haotian is putting on an act?"

The expressions of the Sages were quite strange, Even the Eight Immortals standing by the side felt their expressions turn strange!

If Rulai truly holds such a thought-form, then there is a good show to watch!

Haotian shouted hoarsely, "Buddha Ancestor, save me!"

His voice was cowardly, filled with infinite fear!

Sun Wukong was startled for a moment, and he showed disdain:

"Old Man, I originally thought you were a somebody, but I never expected you to be such a spineless coward!"

"I haven't even done anything yet, and you are already this afraid?"

"How shameful!"

Haotian was so scared that he did not even dare to move!

The fear in his heart was reflected directly on his face, Haotian thought to himself, "Don't you point that Mourning Staff at me!"

"It's too terrifying!"

What kind of treasure is this?

Merely being pointed at by the staff made him feel the terror of death!

Haotian felt as if everything were a joke, so unreal!

That staff, pointed at him, actually sealed off the heavens and earth in all ten directions, and even more terrifyingly, it locked down space-time and suppressed Karma and Fate.

Haotian could even vaguely sense his own dreadful fate!!

What kind of terrifying magical treasure is this?

Even the legendary Innate Supreme Treasures, like the Three Heaven-Opening Artifacts, did not possess such power!

Haotian was Hongjun's gatekeeping boy; his knowledge far surpassed that of ordinary mighty figures.

He was crystal clear about the power of magical treasures in the Primordial Era.

He swore that an Innate Supreme Treasure would absolutely not give him such a powerful sense of oppression!

Yet this sense of oppression was real and tangible.

Then, besides an Innate Supreme Treasure, what other kind of magical treasure could give him such a strong feeling of fear?

Fear!

Boundless, immense fear!

A preposterous thought suddenly emerged in Haotian's Sea of Consciousness:

"A Chaos Spirit Treasure!!"

Except for a Chaos Spirit Treasure, he was confident that not even an Innate Treasure could give him such an intense sense of fear!

One must know that Haotian was a peak Quasi-Saint, the co-ruler of the Three Realms, and possessed the great Luck of the Heavenly Dao!

Furthermore, because there was a gap of two minor realms between the Monkey's cultivation and his own, even if the Monkey were holding an Innate Supreme Treasure, it would not have put such immense pressure on Haotian.

He truly felt death!!

Terrifying to the extreme!

Haotian suddenly remembered the words Taishang Laojun had once spoken to him, and a terrifying thought flashed vaguely through his mind.

Extreme fear suddenly made Haotian calm down.

He vaguely felt that he had committed a boundless, grave mistake!

However, it seemed there was still a chance for salvation!!

Now, Haotian did not even dare to move, he did not even dare to show the slightest grievance, let alone any killing intent!

Fearing that the Monkey might misunderstand him, Haotian forced himself to put on a pitiful expression.

Sun Wukong was instantly disgusted by Haotian!

What kind of expression is that?

The Monkey was speechless.

"You, a King of the Heavenly Court, the co-ruler of the Three Realms, actually acting all aggrieved... that is truly horrifying, alright!"

Sun Wukong suddenly lost his fighting spirit.

"Coward, Old Sun does not fight with cowards!"

He spun the staff in a flourish and tucked it behind his back.

Haotian let out a long sigh of relief.

The threat from that staff had been as tangible as reality; he had truly thought he was going to die just now.

It was too terrifying!

His heart stirred.

Rulai had actually arrived?

Haotian hurriedly shouted, "Buddha Ancestor, save me!! Save your Emperor!!"

His voice was miserable; those who heard it would be saddened, and those who listened would shed tears!

Sun Wukong had completely lost interest in Haotian. With a coward like this, even if he were the Heavenly Emperor, defeating him would not show off his own skills.

Rulai sighed in his heart, "The Great Heavenly Venerate's acting skills are remarkable; I must guard against him in the future..."

He shouted loudly, "Great Heavenly Venerate, this old monk has arrived late to save you, please forgive my sin!"

Buddha Rulai looked stern:

"You unruly monkey, how dare you treat the Great Heavenly Venerate like this?"

"Do you know how many tribulations he had to endure to reach this position?"

"How dare you defy him?"

"You unruly monkey, you shall suffer Heavenly Punishment!"

Sun Wukong was stunned.

He turned his head to ask Haotian, "Old Man, who is this bald guy?"

"Does he seem to want to fight me?"

Huh?!

Buddha Rulai looked at Sun Wukong in disbelief.

In the current Primordial Era, with Western Buddhism Spreading East and the Rise of the West, every cultivator understood the situation.

With such high cultivation, how could this monkey not be aware of it?

When he, Buddha Rulai, was born, the entire Three Realms heard the commotion.

There was no way this monkey didn't know!

Little did he know that Sun Wukong was still cultivating on Penglai Immortal Island at that time.

Penglai Immortal Island was not in the Earth Immortal Realm, nor was it even within the Primordial Era.

It would be a miracle if Sun Wukong had heard anything!

Buddha Rulai misunderstood.

He was furious.

This monkey was actually ignoring him!

Haotian said tremblingly, "Great Sage, this is the Buddha of the West, World Honored One Rulai, one of the top Quasi-Saint figures in the Primordial Era!"

Sun Wukong waved his hands repeatedly:

"Old Man, don't scare me. My cultivation is still far from the Sage realm! I am not worthy of the title of Great Sage."

Haotian was even more surprised than him.

So this Sun Wukong was actually this polite?

He felt a sense of absurdity.

If you are so polite, why did you think about storming the Hall of Lingxiao to beat me, the Lord of the Three Realms?

But the Mourning Staff of the monkey was too terrifying.

Haotian hurriedly explained, "Great Sage, you misunderstand. In the ancient Demon Race, the outstanding ones were called Great Sages; it is the Great Sage of the Demon Race!"

Sun Wukong suddenly realized, "Many thanks for the clarification, Old Man. Only now do I understand that this is what Great Sage means!"

Haotian smiled obsequiously:

"Great Sage, may I leave now?"

Sun Wukong felt bored: "Go, go!"

"I originally thought you were a hero, which is why I wanted to have a fight with you. I didn't expect you to be a coward. How boring!"

Haotian was overjoyed: "Many thanks, Great Sage! Many thanks, Great Sage! I shall take my leave now!"

Buddha Rulai was furious, "Great Heavenly Venerate, how can you let this wild monkey insult you like this?"

"Great Heavenly Venerate, do not be angry. Let this old monk capture this demon!"

Haotian froze instantly, his heart leaping into his throat.

He was on the verge of cursing Buddha Rulai out loud!

Can't you read the room?!

This is trying to push me to my death!

Haotian said to Sun Wukong with a mournful face, "Great Sage, this is purely Buddha Rulai acting on his own initiative; it is not my idea!"

He glanced at the monkey and immediately began to lament.

The monkey had already started to get excited!

His golden hair stood on end, his nostrils flared, and his fangs were bared.

The Quasi-Saint cultivation of his entire body was pushed to the absolute limit!

Sun Wukong swung the Ruyi Jingu Bang.

The staff swept straight toward Haotian.

Haotian was shocked and turned pale.

In his heart, he cursed Rulai.

If you want to provoke this jinx, why drag me into it?!

He wanted to dodge, but the staff had locked onto his time, space, Fate, and Karma.

How could he possibly escape?!

Boom!

Sun Wukong's staff landed solidly on Haotian's body.

Haotian spat out blood, crashed through the Hall of Lingxiao, and flew off to who knows where!

Rulai grew even more impressed by Haotian's acting skills!

He could tell that Sun Wukong's staff was no ordinary object.

To take such a blow head-on, even with the cultivation of a peak Quasi-Saint, was not easy to endure!

Haotian was truly dedicated to his craft!

He himself must not let the favorable situation created by Haotian go to waste!

Rulai roared in anger, "How dare you harm the Great Heavenly Venerate right before my eyes!"

"This is a grave crime of defying the Heavenly Court; I shall not spare you!"

He flipped his palm abruptly, the Buddha Kingdom in Palm seemingly encompassing everything, and struck toward the Monkey.

Sun Wukong let out a ferocious grin.

"Big bald head, you're quite skilled at pinning labels on people? I'll give you a hat to wear too!"

He swung the Ruyi Jingu Bang.

The staff aimed directly at Rulai's bald head.

The light of Xuanhuang Merit on the staff receded.

An aura of supreme ferocity rose from the Ruyi Jingu Bang.

Sun Wukong's smile became even more sinister.

He pointed the staff diagonally at Rulai.

Rulai's palm froze in mid-air, unable to descend any further!

He suddenly discovered a terrifying fact!

His own time, Karma, and Fate had been completely locked.

He could neither advance nor retreat!

His primordial spirit throbbed frantically within his Sea of Consciousness.

A premonition of danger surged; his primordial spirit was sounding the alarm!

Rulai's face turned deathly pale!

The Great Heavenly Venerate wasn't acting just now!!

Rulai's regret flowed like the surging waters of a great river, endless and continuous.

He had misjudged the situation!

It was simply absurd!

That Monkey actually had the power to make him face Nirvana!!

Rulai hurriedly mobilized all his cultivation, Supernatural Powers, and secret arts, trying to dodge.

But unfortunately!

He couldn't dodge!!

It was simply impossible to dodge!!

Rulai's face was ashen.

He seemed to see his own terrifying fate—Nirvana!

Sun Wukong shouted, "Baldy, I'll let you know why the flowers are so red!"

His small, thin body lifted the massive Ruyi Jingu Bang.

He smashed it fiercely toward Rulai!

Rulai fell into instant despair: "My life is at an end!"

"Sigh!"

A faint, ethereal sigh echoed within Rulai's Sea of Consciousness.