Chapter 339: Hera's Confrontation with Wu Zhou, Can She Win?

Chapter 339: Hera's Confrontation with Wu Zhou, Can She Win?

Upon hearing Qianzhong's words, some among the crowd hesitated.

The sole request from various parties in their joint operation to suppress FoXiang and support the True Buddha was that he must respond to the summons of disciples from all families and descend upon the battlefield to provide assistance.

Since the battlefield was deep within FoXiang, none of the Heavenly Kings from the various families dared to venture too far, and their characteristic methods were limited.

With the help of the various families, the True Buddha had already obtained a portion of the Incense.

For him, FoXiang had become half a home field.

The advantage of sitting in one's home field in the Seal of the Heavenly King realm could result in a tenfold difference in strength.

Therefore, at this moment within FoXiang, his actual power far surpassed that of the Heavenly Kings from the various families, almost comparable to that of the Heavenly Venerate.

In the absence of the Heavenly Venerate, this True Buddha was the best "Guardian Deity" for all the families.

In this situation, summoning the True Buddha was indeed the best choice.

However...

Once the True Buddha was summoned, and with the Heart Lamp within them, even if they didn't worship him, it would be easy to get entangled in karma. Similar rumors had already spread...

But soon, they abandoned their hesitation.

If this True Buddha could truly save their lives, who cared about karma!

Tomorrow, they would invite a Buddha to be enshrined in their own Dao field!

Under Qianzhong's leadership, the group quickly joined forces and contacted the True Buddha.

The group heaved a sigh of relief. The hidden presence did not take advantage of this opportunity to strike, allowing them to successfully summon the Dharma Aspect of the True Buddha.

A strand of Buddha light soared from the Heart Lamp of the crowd, illuminating the heavens and the earth, boundless in its radiance.

A Dharma Aspect descended, and behind its head, the moon was bathed in Buddha light. A lotus blossomed, and the Brahma flower bloomed, creating a pure land wherever it stepped. The surrounding area became a serene and sacred space.

It was indeed the Dharma Aspect of the True Buddha.

The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief.

With the True Buddha's presence, even if the hidden figure was the Myriad Phenomena God, as long as it wasn't his true body, it was absolutely impossible for them to be killed without the other two True Sages in the Nine States noticing!

As for the arrival of a True Sage, that was even more impossible.

The crowd's expressions turned solemn, and someone whispered:

"Look at that divine statue!"

The originally faceless statue in the temple suddenly shed dust, revealing its true appearance!

Clad in a crane-feather robe, wearing a Daoist crown, with hands clasped behind his back, his demeanor exuded a sense of detachment, as if he had a touch of "The heavens pity me, and I pity all living beings." There was an indescribable ethereal aura about him.

Just standing there, he emanated an indescribable Dao rhythm, as if he had seen through the mysteries of the heavens and the universe, and the posture of the Great Dao's transformations.

The most striking feature, however, was his appearance. A red sun adorned his brow, and his handsome features were like those of a true immortal, as if embodying the charm of a thousand years of elegance.

His physical beauty made the gathered Heavenly Beings feel ashamed of their own appearances. Among all the people they had seen in their lives, not only could they not compare with him, but they couldn't even find a fraction of his charm.

Some were so captivated that they entered a trance, and when they snapped out of it, they felt not only shame but also deep fear.

A Heavenly Being murmured:

"The Dao has declined for three thousand years, and the most charming person in the mortal realm..."

"Damn it, this rumor is actually true..."

Given their status, they naturally knew some of the truth. For example, the Four Devils did not belong to this realm but were outsiders.

In the Three Thousand Realms, there was already a rumor that the Four Devils, despised by gods and hated by ghosts, had once shown great compassion and merit to the heavens and earth of their own realm, and were revered as gods and saints by countless followers.

Furthermore, they were even considered the "Leader of the Righteous Path" and the "True God of Heaven and Earth."

As a result, some pessimists in the Three Thousand Yanfu believed that the Sea of Karma would inevitably overturn everything, and even the seemingly immortal True Sages would, at best, become another "Four Devils" in the future.

Influenced by this idea, some forces in the Three Thousand Yanfu chose to become supporters of the Sea of Karma.

Just then, the crowd shuddered.

The statue's mouth curled slightly, a hint of a smile, and the blood-colored statue itself took on a sinister air.

An invisible pressure spread out, shaking the crowd's spirits, almost causing them to lose control.

They even felt their spiritual realm regressing!

A divine statue... was actually forcing their spiritual realm to retreat?!

It was simply unbelievable!

"The sea of suffering is boundless, and turning back is the shore."

A Buddhist chant echoed.

The grand and solemn sound reverberated through the temple, shaking the void. The Jade Buddha's palm held Qianzhong and the others in its grasp, and with the lingering Zen intent, the crowd finally felt their spirits relax.

Soon, everyone held their breath as the two "deities" began to fight!

In the eyes of these Heavenly Beings, countless fractures appeared in the void, giving rise to innumerable variables. Within each layer, there was a divine statue, overlooking the heavens and the earth, transforming into countless forms.

For a moment, the crowd felt as if they had stepped into the deep sea. The surroundings were dark and heavy, and each Brahma flower represented a layer of the void, piling up layer upon layer, enough to easily crush any Heavenly Being.

Golden Brahma flowers bloomed in the void, supporting layer upon layer of pure lands, forming a Buddhist kingdom, resonating with the heavens and earth around the temple, causing the deep void to tremble violently!

Deep within FoXiang, after being nourished by the faith and vows of countless believers over ten thousand years, the foundation for a Buddhist kingdom had already been laid, and it was now being activated by the True Buddha.

He formed hand seals, and with each step, he shattered layer upon layer of the void, and with a palm strike, everything he touched turned into nothingness!

The void, and even the spirit and matter, all became "empty" at this moment, and the reversal of chaos in earth, fire, water, and wind created a scene from before the opening of the heavens!

The crowd's scalp tingled. What level of combat was this?

These two, even though their power level is still at the Heavenly King Tier, the depth of their understanding of the Dao far surpasses that of ordinary Heavenly Kings!

...

On the Huangtian Ancient Path.

Jingqiu Ji suddenly stood up, sensing the arrival of the True Buddha as it descended upon being summoned.

Hela, who had already warned him, asked, "Has something unexpected happened?"

"Yes, and not just in one place," he replied.

Jingqiu Ji's heart followed the projection of the True Buddha's Dharma Aspect, and his mind wandered to where his senior brother Qianchong was.

At this moment, in the various battlefields surrounding FoXiang, dozens of "mysterious formations" appeared simultaneously.

Recently, with the support of the Nine States, the True Buddha had gained a slight upper hand in the contest with Shakyamuni, securing a portion of the incense offerings and temporarily enhancing his power. However, at this moment, most of his power was restrained.

"In a short time, the True Buddha will likely be unable to spare any attention for the Macroverse," Jingqiu Ji said gravely.

The cooperation with the various powers of the Nine States meant that the True Buddha had to provide assistance to the important disciples of each sect.

Currently, WutianDaoRen, using the believers of the Four Devils as coordinates and taking advantage of the 'Void Attribute' of Gusu Star, had opened a passage to the depths of Chaotic Abyss Sea.

However, if WutianDaoRen encountered a critical moment, the original plan for the True Buddha to protect him would be difficult to execute in a timely manner.

Hela smirked, "That's very clear. There must be an important clone of Wu Zhou in the Chaotic Abyss Sea."

Jingqiu Ji sensed something unusual in her words.

Earlier, this cunning woman had mysteriously instructed him to pay close attention to the Nine States, especially the movements in FoXiang, and to notify her immediately if the True Buddha was summoned through its Dharma Aspect.

Jingqiu Ji gradually realized, "You mean, this is a deliberate move by Wu Zhou to restrain the True Buddha and prevent it from aiding Wutian?"

But soon, Jingqiu Ji frowned again, "But how did Wu Zhou know that Wutian is my clone and that I would receive aid from the True Buddha in times of crisis?"

Was this a special ability of Wu Zhou, or had he already planted spies within the upper echelons of Tiansheng Lake, gaining access to exclusive information?

Hela replied calmly, "I revealed it through 'Jia Wen' to Wanxiang, testing the current situation of Wanxiang."

"Regardless of whether Wu Zhou is using Wanxiang's power to hinder you, it proves that he hopes your clone has a chance of receiving support."

"Now it seems that there is indeed an important clone of Wu Zhou in the Chaotic Abyss Sea, and he is confident that he can keep your clone there, with full assurance of capturing it."

"Additionally, Wanxiang's condition is indeed worse than I had initially thought..."

Jia Wen, the original self of Wanxiang...

Jingqiu Ji's eyes filled with surprise.

He felt that La Jiang's deep calculations were making him feel like a stranger.

This was more than just a test of Wanxiang's master's state.

It was also a test of the tug-of-war between Wu Zhou and Wanxiang.

Simultaneously, it was an examination of the reality of the situation in the Chaotic Abyss Sea...

Was this a multi-faceted strategy?

Jingqiu Ji was secretly astonished, wondering why he hadn't noticed La Jiang's profound depth before.

Was it his fault?

La Jiang had indeed mentioned that countless sentient beings saw what they wanted to see when they looked at her.

Jingqiu Ji asked humbly, "Do you think Wu Zhou has fallen into your trap this time?"

"You underestimate Wu Zhou," Hela smirked, "In terms of strategy, he is the best among the four of us. Let me teach you something: when dealing with him, don't use schemes, use open and aboveboard tactics, and lure him into the trap with dignity!"

"So far, I have never seen anyone use a scheme to outwit Wu Zhou."

Jingqiu Ji contemplated, "Now that the True Buddha cannot move and we've lost an important guarantee, should we postpone the upcoming battle?"

"Why postpone it?" Hela asked, "Now is the best time. Wu Zhou believes he has the upper hand, and so do I."

Jingqiu Ji's face twitched.

Apparently, it was not her clone that would suffer the loss...

"This clone of Wu Zhou shouldn't exceed the Heavenly Being Tier in strength, right?" Jingqiu Ji asked.

"Do you think you can win against him when you're both at the Heavenly Being Rank?" Hela shook her head, "Your gap is too wide, and it's not just in terms of Dao Power. If he had the same level of Dao Power as you, crushing you would be no more difficult than crushing an ant."

Seeing Jingqiu Ji's slight frown, Hela explained,

"The battlefield of this battle is the Four Deities Temple, which is Wu Zhou's home ground. Even with the suppression of the Grand Universe Rules, he can still perform at the peak of the Heavenly Being Tier, and his realm is higher than yours. He might not lose to you in terms of Dao Power."

"Your advantage in Dao Power is not absolute, and your divine abilities are even more uncertain."

"The few divine abilities you take pride in have not been cultivated or comprehended to perfection. At the same level, it's understandable, but in the eyes of true powerhouses, they have many flaws and loopholes."

"Wu Zhou, who has mastered countless divine abilities, has explored millions of divine abilities. In terms of divine abilities, at the Heavenly Being Tier, only your Supreme Law and the Divine Ability of Establishing the Dao can rival him."

"As for other aspects like insight, there's no need to mention them."

After listening to Hela's analysis, Jingqiu Ji sighed, "From what you're saying, it seems we have no chance of winning. Where is your 'best time'?"

"Naturally, it's in you," Hela replied without hesitation.

"The analysis I mentioned earlier is what Wu Zhou would also think. He won't mind my probing through 'Jia Wen' because in his eyes, without the aid of that True Buddha, even if your clone possesses the Supreme Law of Tiansheng Lake, there's no chance of victory."

"And what I like most is to occupy others' divine clones and turn the tables on them."

Ji Jingqiu pondered for a moment. "Is this the 'sunlight strategy' you mentioned?"

Suddenly, Ji Jingqiu's eyes twitched as if he had thought of something. "You... you're not planning to use the fire of karma to burn us both, are you?"

Hela corrected him seriously, "It's about who can withstand the burn the longest."

"This is the last resort. Don't be hasty, listen to me."

Hela interrupted Ji Jingqiu's impending polite greeting and began to outline their plan for the upcoming battle.

"Among the four of us, the Grand Universe's Divine Intent hates Wu Zhou the most because he is in harmony with the Great Dao of the Dark Sea. So, once you break the heavenly restraints and summon a wisp of the Grand Universe's will, it will naturally help suppress Wu Zhou's strength."

"Below the Heavenly King, it's difficult to overcome the tiers, but if the situation turns in our favor, you can suppress him by one realm, and your Dao power will overwhelm him. You might not win, but you won't lose either."

"When the time comes, as long as we find an opportunity, we can ignite the fire of karma and burn ourselves with it, to see who can come out unscathed!"

Ji Jingqiu was speechless. "What kind of plan is this? Don't you have something more reliable?"

"To win, you must catch them off guard." Hela said calmly, "I'll go and break the heavenly restraints, summoning the Grand Universe's will. But in reality, this will be difficult because Wu Zhou will also take precautions."

"This attack also has an element of surprise."

"Optimistically speaking, he's willing to expose his connection with the Myriad Phenomena to restrain your True Buddha. Perhaps it's not a sure victory, but rather a lack of confidence."

Hela paused for a moment, then slowly continued, "Of course, the worst-case scenario is that Wu Zhou uses some special method to briefly unleash the power of the Heavenly King. At that time, Shouzhen will inevitably intervene to protect you, but it can't last long..."

"Additionally, you don't need to be overly afraid of the fire of karma. You're not even afraid of the Sea of Suffering, so I doubt the fire of karma will affect you any more than ordinary fire."

"The fire of karma will be a mutual harm for both Wu Zhou and you. As long as you can withstand it, Wu Zhou will be the one taking the bigger loss."

Ji Jingqiu took a deep breath. He realized that these guys were all schemers, playing a game of chess with each other.

Hela, can we win this time?

...

...

In fact, while Ji Jingqiu and Hela were discussing, the divine clone of Wu Tian had already led his army into the Four Deities Temple.

It was a surprise attack, obviously catching the Four Deities Temple off guard. The army from Tiansheng Lake directly passed through the channel, entering the Chaotic Abyss Sea and even reaching the core region of the Four Deities Temple!

The various arrangements and traps set up by the Chaotic Abyss Sea, including those in the outer and middle layers, became mere illusions before this channel.

Wu Tian believed that for Wu Zhou, this would also be a small surprise.

And the sudden move from the Nine Provinces could only show that Wu Zhou was 'afraid'.

"Is this the main hall of the Four Deities Temple?"

The divine clone of Xuan Ming widened his eyes, suddenly regretting that it wasn't his true body that had come.

The situation in the Chaotic Abyss Sea was complex. Including the surrounding powers, such as the Sea God and Mazu, they had joined forces to besiege it more than once, but in the end, there were rarely any results, and it was always let go.

Yet this time, they had directly traveled from Gusu Star to the core area of the Chaotic Abyss Sea!

"Today, all believers of the Four Devils can be killed!"

Wu Tian stood tall in the starry sky, issuing the order to slaughter with indifference.

This demeanor, seen by both allies and enemies, was awe-inspiring, causing hearts to tremble.

The Heavenly Beings from various families attacked in tacit understanding. If they could successfully capture the Chaotic Abyss Sea this time, it would be a feat worthy of being recorded in the annals of history.

For a moment, two or three hundred Heavenly Beings charged into the central area of the Four Deities Temple.

Some warriors had been on guard for the appearance of experts from the Four Deities Temple, especially the strong ones from the Canghai Empire and the Moyan Empire. They were well aware of the Four Deities Temple's foundation.

If the Four Deities Temple was weak, it would have been flattened by their allied forces long ago, despite being located in the Chaotic Abyss Sea.

But as they fought deeper, they were astonished to find that the strongest they had encountered so far were mostly only Small Heavenly Tiers, with few at the Middle Heavenly Tier and not a single one at the Great Heavenly Tier.

What did this mean?

Was that Great Heavenly Tier the entirety of the Four Deities Temple's strength?

They had killed their way here, with blood flowing like a river, and the strong showed no mercy. Yet, they all had a lingering doubt in their minds, feeling that there was something odd about the Four Deities Temple.

Recalling Wu Tian's earlier message about the 'Heavenly Demon's Descent', everyone became increasingly cautious, even as they continued to dominate.

Just as the Heavenly Beings reached the front of the main hall, the strangeness they had been wary of finally appeared.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; otherwise, if it had continued to be this easy, they would have suspected a trap.

The last main hall was like a separate dimensional world, wrapped within another, appearing close yet separated by two worlds.

Everyone looked at each other, none willing to make the first move.

Finally, a disciple from Tiansheng Lake tried to enter.

After a moment, he retreated and reported, "Master Uncle! Inside is another heavenly realm. For now, we can't detect anything, and entering will suppress our spiritual senses."

Wu Tian narrowed his eyes, sensing that the seed of the Heavenly Demon's Descent he had planted had taken root and sprouted, blooming a flower as red as blood.

According to his senses, this flower was blooming in the heavenly realm before them.

"I'll go first, follow me." Wu Tian said calmly, leaving no room for argument as he stepped inside.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end