Having sealed off the spacetime, Fate, and Karma around Haotian,
Haotian actually felt the fear of death.
He cried out, "Buddha Ancestor, save me!!"
"What a convincing performance!" Rulai praised endlessly!
The battle in the Hall of Lingxiao held the nerves of the great powers of the Three Realms.
Sun Wukong had originally been the one destined to undergo the tribulation in Journey to the West.
The Western Teachings had designed all sorts of scenarios precisely to lure the Monkey into their trap, so they could make their stance clear throughout the Three Realms: "Buddhism is about to flourish!"
The original script had gone like this: Haotian would humiliate the Monkey through various means and force him into rebellion.
Then Haotian would pretend to be unable to hold on—he was a Peak Quasi-Saint, so wouldn't dealing with a little monkey at the Quasi-Saint Realm be easy? Only by pretending he could not hold on could the act continue.
Haotian would seek help from the West, Rulai would make his entrance and suppress the Monkey, and the grand curtain of Journey to the West would rise.
Yet Rulai had not expected this.
Haotian's act was so convincing. Along the Monkey's entire journey, he had not encountered a single worthy resistance.
Not one of the Mystic Gate immortals who truly held power in the Heavenly Court had appeared.
Clearly, they had known about Journey to the West long ago. They had yielded the stage to Haotian and the Western Teachings while watching the show coldly from the sidelines.
Rulai owed them this favor!
If those immortals truly unleashed their strength, what cultivator in the Primordial Era would dare run wild in the Heavenly Court?
Remembering what had happened during the Investiture of the Gods, within the Immortal Slaying Sword Array, Rulai still felt lingering dread.
Fortunately, Duobao had not brought out the Earth Splitting Chisel then. Fortunately, Duobao had not activated the Immortal Slaying Sword Array.
Otherwise, he would have long since been reduced to ashes!
Even knowing that these immortals wanted to share in the Merit, Rulai still had to acknowledge their favor.
As the saying went, everyone helped lift the sedan chair; they had to give one another face.
Otherwise, could Buddhism have displayed itself on such a grand stage?
Could the Mystic Gate truly not handle a mere little monkey?
Clearly not!
The Human Sect was waiting for him to take the stage!
Especially Haotian.
The terrified expression on his face was simply too professional!
Rulai had failed to spot a single flaw.
He sighed inwardly.
No one who has made a name for themselves in the Three Realms can be underestimated!
This supreme ruler of the Three Realms could make even fear look so real.
Buddhism owes him a favor!
Taibai Jinxing hurriedly said, "Buddha Ancestor, the Heavenly Court is in peril. None of the civil or military officials are a match for the demon monkey. Please take action!"
Rulai nodded solemnly. "This old monk is duty-bound!"
Within Biyou Palace on Jin'ao Island in the East Sea,
The Four Saints of the Mystic Gate, along with the eight great disciples, were all watching the battle in the Hall of Lingxiao.
Yuanshi stared intently at the staff in Sun Wukong's hand and exclaimed, "This staff... could it be of the same quality as the magic treasures in my martial nephews' hands?"
At his reminder,
Taishang and Nuwa examined it closely, and their expressions immediately changed.
The staff was black and yellow in color, with an aura of Merit leaking from it. Yet the laws contained within it were dazzling.
Even when the Saints examined it with their Dharma Eyes, they could sense the fierce aura within that staff!
It gave off the same terrifying feeling as the Earth Splitting Chisel in Duobao's hand!
And Duobao's Earth Splitting Chisel was highly suspected to be a Chaos Spirit Treasure!
Tongtian laughed. "Do not forget that Fellow Daoist Wukong is the sole disciple of that Great God."
"If Duobao can possess such a magic treasure, how could Fellow Daoist Wukong not have one?"
"Isn't that obvious?!"
The three Saints nodded repeatedly.
That was true!
If it were them, they would certainly arm themselves as well.
That was only natural.
Taishang slowly said,
"Haotian is, after all, at the peak among Quasi-Saints. Naturally, he can sense the staff's ferocity."
"Even though his cultivation exceeds Fellow Daoist Wukong's by several minor realms."
"However... the enhancement provided by a good magic treasure is simply too great!"
"It is true that every realm is a different heaven, but once a magic treasure surpasses another by an entire tier, its power will increase without limit."
"The gap in cultivation becomes exceedingly small instead!"
All the Saints nodded at once.
The most obvious example was the battle between Duobao and Daoist Yang Liu.
Daoist Yang Liu was the Quasi-Saint incarnation of Great Immortal Yang Mei, who was at the Peak Dao Integration Realm.
His cultivation stood at the absolute pinnacle of Quasi-Saints.
His cultivation, realm, and Supernatural Powers all far surpassed Duobao's.
Yet Duobao held the Earth Splitting Chisel!
That Earth Splitting Chisel directly locked down Daoist Yang Liu, leaving him utterly unable to move. He was forced to take that blow head-on and perished immediately!
There was another piece of proof: the battle between Tongtian and Great Immortal Yang Mei!
Great Immortal Yang Mei was at the Twelfth Heaven of the Dao Integration Realm.
Tongtian was merely at the Eleventh Heaven of He Daojing.
Ordinarily, Tongtian could never have defeated Great Immortal Yang Mei.
But unfortunately for him,
Tongtian not only possessed a supreme secret art, but also the Imitation Pangu Sky-Opening Axe bestowed by Great God Lin Dong!
The gap in their cultivation realms was instantly leveled!
Tongtian swung his axe, and Yang Mei could not even dodge. He perished on the spot!
Haotian's situation was exactly the same.
He appeared to be two minor realms above Sun Wukong, but the difference between their magic treasures was simply too great.
Haotian sensed the danger immediately.
He directly cried for help!
Nuwa suddenly laughed. "Rulai, in the Grand Hall of Heroes at the Great Thunderclap Monastery, is praising Haotian for acting so well!"
What?!
The Saints looked at one another in astonishment. Even the Eight Immortals of Biyou Palace were dumbfounded.
After a long while, all the great powers burst into laughter!
Tongtian laughed and shook his head. "In a moment, he will know just how real Haotian's acting is!"
The Saints wore mischievous smiles.
Preconceived notions were truly terrifying!
Once Rulai actually entered the fray, he would probably curse his mother.
Yuanshi suddenly looked somewhat worried.
"Junior Brother, Fellow Daoist Wukong's magic treasure is indeed first-rate!"
"But... he still has to face two Peak Quasi-Saints."
"Can he hold out?"
Taishang and Nuwa both looked over. The three great powers all wore obvious concern.
They feared that Sun Wukong would suffer a loss.
If the Monkey suffered, who knew how furious that Great God of Penglai Immortal Island would become!
Tongtian merely laughed and shook his head.
"Fellow Daoists, have you only been staring at Fellow Daoist Wukong's staff? Have you not looked at the armor he is wearing?"
Hm?!
What was there to see in armor?
The three Saints' hearts stirred at once, and they all turned to look.
The more they looked, the more astonished they became.
The three Saints slightly opened their mouths, utterly stunned.
Yuanshi exclaimed, "This... this... they are all defensive magic treasures?!"
Tongtian nodded. "Precisely!"
Hiss!
The three Saints sucked in a cold breath!
There were countless magic treasures in the Primordial Era, but defensive magic treasures accounted for only twenty percent of them.
Among that twenty percent, high-quality treasures accounted for only another twenty percent.
Any defensive magic treasure of notable quality was bound to be renowned throughout the Primordial Era.
They were simply too scarce and too difficult to obtain!
Among the Three Pure Ones,
Taishang had the Heaven and Earth Mystic Yellow Pagoda.
Yuanshi had the Myriad Heavens Auspicious Cloud!
What about Tongtian?!
He had no defensive magic treasure worthy of mention.
However, given the unique nature of Tongtian's combat style, having a defensive magic treasure made little difference.
Nuwa did not possess any good defensive magic treasure either!
Even the Saints of the Mystic Gate were like this, so one could imagine the situation of the other cultivators in the Primordial Era.
Although every cultivator prepared defensive magic treasures, those that could truly prove useful were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
No one had expected it.
The Golden Chain Mail, Phoenix-Winged Purple Gold Crown, and Lotus-Root Silk Cloud-Walking Boots on Sun Wukong were all defensive magic treasures!
They truly lived up to the name of armor!
What was armor for? Protection!
Yet Fellow Daoist Wukong had protection from head to toe!
It was simply terrifying!
Yuanshi suddenly said, "Junior Brother, could Fellow Daoist Wukong's defensive magic treasures possibly be of the same tier as his weapon?"
Nuwa laughed.
"Senior Brother, that is too exaggerated, is it not? How could there be so many magic treasures of that tier..."
She could not continue.
Tongtian wore a faint smile, and that smile explained everything!
Nuwa looked at Tongtian in shock.
"The Great God of Penglai Immortal Island is truly omnipotent!"
What tier was the staff in Sun Wukong's hand?
It was half a tier above an Innate Supreme Treasure, a supreme treasure suspected to be a Chaos Spirit Treasure!
No one had expected the armor on his body to be supreme treasures of the same tier!
He was truly armed from head to toe!
Tongtian said helplessly,
"Did I not say so before?"
"Only Fellow Daoist Wukong gets to bully others. Anyone who thinks of bullying him should just wait to be brutally beaten!"
All the Saints nodded together.
Taishang said expressionlessly and slowly, "Junior Sister, Rulai actually thinks Haotian is putting on an act?"
The Saints' expressions became exceedingly strange.
Even the Eight Immortals standing respectfully to one side wore strange expressions!
If Rulai truly held such a thought, then there would be quite a show to watch!
Haotian shouted hoarsely, "Buddha Ancestor, save me!"
His voice was craven and filled with boundless terror!
Sun Wukong was immediately taken aback, then revealed a look of contempt.
"Old official, I thought you were somebody, but who would have thought you were such a coward!"
"I have not even done anything yet, and you are already this afraid?"
"How embarrassing!"
Haotian was so frightened that he did not even dare move!
The terror in his heart was written directly across his face.
Haotian thought,
"Don't point that Mourning Staff at me!"
"That's too terrifying!"
What kind of treasure was this?
Simply having the staff pointed at him made him feel the fear of death!
Haotian felt that everything was like a joke, so unreal!
That staff was pointed at him,
yet it had sealed off heaven and earth in all directions,
and even more terrifyingly, it had directly imprisoned spacetime and suppressed karma and Fate.
Haotian could faintly sense his own dreadful fate!!
What kind of terrifying magic treasure was this?
Even Innate Supreme Treasures like the legendary Three Heaven-Opening Artifacts did not possess such power!
Haotian had been Hongjun's gatekeeping boy. His knowledge far surpassed that of ordinary great powers.
He knew the power of the Primordial Era's magic treasures like the back of his hand.
He swore that Innate Supreme Treasures absolutely could not give him such immense pressure!
Yet this pressure was undeniably real.
Then, aside from Innate Supreme Treasures, what kind of magic treasure could make him feel such intense fear?
Fear!
Boundless terror!
An unbelievable thought suddenly surfaced in Haotian's Sea of Consciousness.
"Chaos Spirit Treasure!!"
Other than a Chaos Spirit Treasure, he was certain that not even an Innate magic treasure could give him such an overwhelming sense of fear!
One had to know that Haotian was a Peak Quasi-Saint, the ruler of the Three Realms, and enjoyed the Great Fortune of the Heavenly Dao!
Furthermore, Monkey's cultivation was still two minor realms below his.
Even if Monkey wielded an Innate Supreme Treasure, it should not have put Haotian under such tremendous pressure.
He had truly felt death!!
It was terrifying to the extreme!
Haotian suddenly recalled what Taishang Laojun had told him.
A dreadful thought flickered faintly through his mind.
The extreme terror abruptly calmed Haotian down.
He vaguely felt that he had made a boundless mistake!
But it seemed there was still hope!!
Now, Haotian did not even dare move.
He did not even dare show the slightest grievance, much less any killing intent!
Afraid that Monkey would misunderstand him, Haotian forced himself to put on a pitiful expression.
Sun Wukong was instantly disgusted by Haotian!
What kind of expression was that?
Monkey was impressed.
"You're the king of the Heavenly Court, the ruler of the Three Realms, yet you're making such a pitiful face... That's downright horrifying, alright!"
Sun Wukong instantly lost his will to fight.
"Coward, Old Sun doesn't fight cowards!"
He spun the staff in a flourish and tucked it behind his back.
Haotian let out a long breath of relief.
The threat from that staff had felt tangible. Just now, he had truly thought he was going to die.
It was far too terrifying!
His heart stirred.
Rulai had actually arrived?
Haotian hurriedly cried out, "Buddha Ancestor, save me!! Protect me!!"
His voice was so miserable that those who heard it would grieve, and those who listened would weep!
Sun Wukong completely lost interest in Haotian. A coward like this—even if he was the Heavenly Emperor—defeating him would prove nothing of Sun Wukong's skill.
Rulai secretly praised him. The Great Heavenly Venerate's acting is superb. I'll have to guard against him in the future...
He shouted, "Great Heavenly Venerate, this old monk came too late to protect you. Please forgive me!"
Rulai's expression turned stern.
"Wild monkey, how dare you treat the Great Heavenly Venerate like this?"
"Do you know how many tribulations he endured to reach his current position?"
"How dare you defy him?"
"Wild monkey, you deserve Heavenly Punishment!"
Sun Wukong was stunned.
He turned to Haotian and asked,
"Old fellow, who's this bald man?"
"Looks like he wants to fight Old Sun?"
Huh?!
Rulai stared at Sun Wukong in disbelief.
In the current Primordial Era, every cultivator knew that Western Buddhism was Spreading East and that the West was rising.
With such high cultivation, how could this monkey possibly not have noticed?
When he, Rulai, had emerged into the world, the entire Three Realms had heard of it.
There was no reason for this monkey not to know!
How could he know that Sun Wukong had been cultivating on Penglai Immortal Island at the time?
Penglai Immortal Island was not in the Earth Immortal Realm, nor was it even within the Primordial Era.
It would have been stranger if Sun Wukong had heard anything!
Rulai misunderstood.
He flew into a rage.
This monkey was actually ignoring him!
Haotian said tremblingly, "Great Sage, this is the Western Buddha Ancestor, Rulai, the World Honored One. He is one of the most powerful Quasi-Saints in the Primordial Era!"
Sun Wukong repeatedly waved his hands.
"Old fellow, don't scare Old Sun. My cultivation is still far from the Saint realm! I'm not worthy of being called Great Sage."
Haotian was even more surprised than he was.
So Sun Wukong was actually so courteous?
He felt an absurdity rise within him.
If you're so courteous, why did you want to storm the Hall of Lingxiao and beat up me, the ruler of the Three Realms?
But Monkey's Mourning Staff was too terrifying.
Haotian hurriedly explained,
"Great Sage, you misunderstand. In ancient times, outstanding members of the Demon Clan were called Great Sages. It means a Great Sage of the Demon Clan!"
Sun Wukong suddenly understood.
"Thank you, old fellow, for clearing that up. Now Old Sun understands what Great Sage means!"
Haotian smiled ingratiatingly.
"Great Sage, may I leave now?"
Sun Wukong said listlessly, "Go on, go on!"
"Old Sun thought you were some great hero, so I wanted to have a fight with you. Who knew you were such a coward? No fun at all!"
Haotian was overjoyed. "Thank you, Great Sage, thank you, Great Sage! I'll take my leave at once!"
Rulai flew into a furious rage.
"Great Heavenly Venerate, how can you allow this wild monkey to insult you like this?"
"Great Heavenly Venerate, do not be angry. This old monk will capture this demon!"
Haotian froze instantly, his heart leaping into his throat.
He was on the verge of cursing Rulai outright!
Couldn't he read the room?!
He was trying to get Haotian killed!,
Haotian pulled a long face and said to Sun Wukong, "Great Sage, this was entirely Buddha Rulai's own decision. It was not my idea!"
He glanced at Monkey and immediately cried out inwardly.
Monkey had actually begun to get excited!
His golden fur stood on end, his nostrils flared slightly, and his fangs were bared.
His Quasi-Saint cultivation erupted to its absolute limit!
Sun Wukong swung the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
The staff swept straight toward Haotian.
Haotian turned pale with fright.
He cursed Rulai in his heart.
"You wanted to provoke this jinx, so why drag me into it?!"
He wanted to dodge, but the staff had locked onto his spacetime, Fate, and Karma.
How could he possibly evade it?!
Boom!
Sun Wukong's staff struck Haotian solidly.
Haotian sprayed blood from his mouth, smashed through the Hall of Lingxiao, and flew off to who knew where!
Rulai admired Haotian's acting even more!
He could tell that Sun Wukong's staff was no ordinary object.
Taking such a blow head-on,
even with Peak Quasi-Saint cultivation, it would not feel good!
Haotian was truly dedicated!
He could not let down the favorable situation Haotian had created!
Rulai roared, "You dared harm the Great Heavenly Venerate right before this old monk's eyes!"
"This is the grave crime of defying the Heavenly Court. You will not be spared!"
He suddenly flipped his palm. The Buddha Kingdom in Palm, seemingly capable of containing all things, struck toward Monkey.
Sun Wukong gave a savage grin.
"Big baldhead, you're pretty good at slapping labels on people, huh? Old Sun will put a label on you too!"
He swung the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
The staff aimed directly at Rulai's bald head.
The light of Profound Yellow Merit on the staff actually receded.
A supreme and savage aura rose from the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
Sun Wukong's smile grew increasingly ferocious.
He pointed the staff diagonally at Rulai.
Rulai's palm froze in midair and could no longer descend!
He suddenly discovered something horrifying!
His spacetime, Karma, and Fate had been completely locked down.
He could neither advance nor retreat!
His primordial spirit thrashed madly within his Sea of Consciousness.
A warning surged in his heart; his primordial spirit sounded the alarm!
Rulai's face turned deathly pale!
"The Great Heavenly Venerate wasn't acting just now!!"
Rulai's regret surged like an endless, unbroken river.
He had actually misjudged the situation!
It was utterly absurd!
That monkey actually possessed the ability to make him fall!!
Rulai hurriedly used all his cultivation, Supernatural Powers, and secret arts, trying to escape.
But unfortunately!
He could not escape!!
It was simply impossible to escape!!
Rulai's face turned ashen.
He seemed to see his dreadful fate—Nirvana!
Sun Wukong shouted, "Baldy, Old Sun will show you why flowers are so red!"
His small, lean body raised the enormous Ruyi Jingu Bang.
He smashed it ruthlessly toward Rulai!
Rulai instantly fell into despair. "My life is over!"
"Alas!"
A faint sigh echoed through Rulai's Sea of Consciousness.
Before you continue