Chapter 468: The Temple of Heaven, Where Gods and Buddhas Are Like Grass

Chapter 468: The Temple of Heaven, Where Gods and Buddhas Are Like Grass

Ah, my foolish disciple...

A deep sigh echoed throughout the entire Qitian Temple, like an ancient deity lamenting the human realm, a sigh that seemed to linger endlessly like a hurricane.

Leaning against the stone coffin, his arms covered in monkey fur, he was emaciated, with skin and bones barely holding together. He looked like an ancient wooden carving, but for the dazzling golden eyes that shone with brilliance and exuded an awe-inspiring divine aura.

No one could believe that this thin monkey was once a powerful Qitian who had dominated the heavens and earth, suppressing countless immortals.

The sigh was filled with melancholy, carrying the pain and sorrow of a life nearing its end.

He seemed to see beyond the Qitian Temple, where a guardian corpse king, once a child who had severed his life force, was now protecting his master with all his might.

Inside the Qitian Temple, enveloped in endless sorrow and grief, the stone monkey's heart was fervent and boiling, contrary to the belief that he lacked emotion.

The old monkey slowly closed his eyes, lost in silence, as memories flooded his mind.

He recalled the scene of a young boy, bullied by the eldest son of the family, crying alone in a corner, and the moment he emerged from the treasure staff, gently caressing the boy's head...

Unfortunately, time was merciless and cruel, erasing all traces of the past.

After thousands of years of solitude, it was hard to imagine how he had endured.

He had been suppressed for five hundred years, driving him almost to madness...

The old monkey panted heavily, his eyes closed, but in the next moment, they snapped open, filled with boundless sorrow and rage, transforming into a surging killing intent that engulfed the entire Qitian Temple, as if freezing everything in place.

The former Emperor Lu Wen of Da Jing was impaled by the Ruyi Golden Hoop Staff, like a spear piercing his heart, and pinned to the door of the Wicked Temple.

Blood sprayed and dripped from his corpse.

A Second Calamity Tribulation Honored One, who had crossed two calamities and mastered the power of tribulation, was easily killed, his life force severed and his spirit extinguished.

Even his heavenly soul was shattered.

He didn't even have a chance to struggle.

The gap between them was as vast as the sky!

Inside the Qitian Temple...

A wave of terror swept through, chilling everyone to the bone.

The remaining three powerful beings couldn't hide their shock.

The Cicada-Patterned Ascetic Monk, the Female Guanyin, and the Shaman Mountain Priest all changed expressions, their faces turning pale.

"Qitian... has truly revived!"

Their hearts were filled with overwhelming shock.

Chaos ensued!

According to reason, Qitian shouldn't have revived at this moment; the time wasn't right! The gods of Hell Lotus were supposed to awaken during the final surge of the Divine Wave, but... Qitian had resurrected ahead of schedule.

Resurrected from the dead! There must be some trickery or unknown reason behind Qitian's early revival! If Qitian could revive early...

What about the other gods of Hell Lotus?

The Eight-Armed Hell Lotus Third Prince...

And the Three-Eyed True Lord of Miaodao, standing atop Meishan...

These beings, who once stirred up the world during the Divine Wave era, causing fear among the gods of various camps, might also revive ahead of schedule!

The situation was about to undergo a drastic change! Li Che's face burned with the Primordial Dragon Elephant Flame, his eyes gleaming with intense brilliance, and his heart surged with excitement.

Qitian... the Great Sage! He was a legendary figure from two overlapping mythologies, and Li Che's heart raced with unprecedented excitement and awe.

Qitian!

A name that Li Che was very familiar with. Ever since he heard it in the Golden Light Mansion, Li Che's heart had been stirred.

Could this world's Qitian be connected to the Qitian from the myths of his previous life?

However, now was not the time to ask such questions.

Li Che clearly sensed the changing situation outside the Qitian Temple! Five Supreme Beings, based on the positions of the ancestral essences of various races, had crossed over from the Wiles Pavilion and arrived at the Qitian Temple. They descended with overwhelming pressure, intending to seize the entire Qitian remains and control its legacy!

They wanted to control Qitian's inheritance!

And the Fang Family Patriarch, transformed into the Guardian Corpse King, was facing off against the five Supreme Beings alone, disregarding life and death. He was fulfilling his promise and obsession to protect Qitian, both in life and after death. Li Che suddenly understood why Fang Hanshu had chosen to pursue the will of the Fang Family Patriarch with such self-sacrifice.

Indeed, it was a gesture that commanded respect.

"Ah, little Fang..."

The old monkey sighed softly, sensing and understanding the determination and selflessness of his former beloved disciple.

"Run!"

The Cicada-Patterned Ascetic Monk, the Female Guanyin, and the Shaman Mountain Priest had only one thought at this moment.

To escape! Even if Qitian had just been resurrected from the dead, he was still a divine being.

At the very least, he possessed the might of a Supreme Being! They, as Second Calamity Tribulation Honored Ones, were not on the same level to oppose him.

Moreover, Qitian belonged to the Hell Lotus camp, a once-fearsome existence among the gods. He was among the top-tier deities, and they had no intention of challenging such a being.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three powerful auras and energies surged forth. The cicada pattern on the Ascetic Monk's back trembled, and he slammed his staff against the door.

However, the door remained closed, as if a powerful will had sealed it shut, blocking their escape and leaving them with nowhere to run! "Break through the void and flee!"

The Cicada-Patterned Ascetic Monk roared, gripping his staff tightly and striking it as if to shatter space.

But as Qitian revived, a terrifying divine aura swept through the entire Qitian Temple, causing space to seem solidified and unbreakable!

The three Second Calamity Tribulation Honored Ones exerted all their strength to tear through space, but they couldn't even create a crack.

Cold sweat trickled down their faces, and the three powerful beings from different factions felt fear and tension in their hearts.

The old monkey, seated in the ancient stone coffin, didn't even glance at them. He raised his hand, and the furry five-clawed paw gently closed.

The Ruyi Golden Hoop Staff that had pierced Lu Wen's heart lifted his corpse, floating back and hovering in front of the old monkey.

The old monkey reached out and grabbed the staff.

In an instant, the staff trembled violently, and countless blood threads appeared on its surface. These threads wrapped around Lu Wen's corpse, decomposing it and transforming it into pure energy that flowed into the old monkey's body through the staff.

The old monkey's body was shriveled, seemingly unchanged, except for the vibrant colors that adorned its fur.

Swallow... swallowed it?!

Not only the cicada-patterned ascetic monks, but even Li Che couldn't help but narrow his eyes in shock.

Before Li Che could even attempt to bind the deity with his powers, the old monkey had already swallowed Lu Wenchang whole, leaving nothing behind but a faint glow where his blood, flesh, and bones had once been, like a melting ice sculpture in the heat of summer.

Completely melted away.

Only a divine dragon flag spear remained on the ground, its radiance dimmed.

The old monkey grasped the other end of the golden hoop staff with one hand and reached out to grab the dragon flag spear with the other, causing it to fall into his grasp.

"The aura of the Gathering Immortals Flag."

"The Fur God of the Dark Celestial Court..."

The old monkey spoke softly, and then his gaze fell upon Li Che.

"Little brother, you carry the aura of the Hell Lotus, and it's very strong and intense... Does the Hell Lotus Maiden have a deep connection with you?"

The old monkey's golden eyes seemed to see through Li Che's disguise of the Primordial Dragon Elephant Flame.

Li Che nodded in response.

"The current Hell Lotus Maiden... is my daughter."

Li Che thought of Xi Xi's identity, which had led others to believe she was the Hell Lotus Maiden.

So, Li Che spread his hands, revealing the truth.

The old monkey was taken aback, "Oh, my apologies."

Then, from his five fingers, a mighty divine essence surged forth, cleansing the dragon flag spear in his hand. He then tossed the spear to Li Che.

This was the old monkey's greeting gift.

Li Che accepted the dragon flag spear, his heart trembling slightly.

The Four Imperial Divine Weapons!

This dragon flag spear was also one of the Four Imperial Divine Weapons, a valuable treasure. When Da Jing's former emperor, Lu Wenchang, activated the divine essence within this spear, its power was truly formidable.

Li Che happily took possession of the spear.

The old monkey no longer looked at Li Che, his golden eyes burning like blazing flames in the darkness.

He spread his arms wide.

Instantly, within the entire Qitian Temple, countless divine essences, spiritual energies, vital energies, and heavenly powers surged forth wildly.

Endless heavenly energies rippled, covering the entire temple, converging towards the old monkey seated in the stone coffin.

The emaciated old monkey, infused with an abundance of vital energies and powers, began to grow stronger, and his shriveled and matted fur gradually smoothed out, becoming supple.

A deafening rumble shook the temple.

As the old monkey spread his arms, the terrifying range of vital energies, divine essences, and spiritual energies was no longer limited to the Qitian Temple. Instead, it expanded towards the inner city of Qitian and even the entire city itself!

The vast divine essences, vital energies, and heavenly powers surged like tidal waves, endlessly flowing towards the Qitian Temple.

In the inner city of Qitian.

Lu Taibai, Lu Qiankun, and Zhang Wuji, the leader of the Purple Mansion Divine Sect, who had retreated to the city gate, were all stunned by what they witnessed.

All the energies from the eight directions converged, forming a terrifying vortex, as if a powerful tornado was swirling endlessly.

It was as if a slumbering, formidable being, having slept for countless ages, was slowly awakening.

With just a simple stretch, the heavens trembled in response!

"Qitian... has truly revived!"

"He's absorbing the heavenly essence to restore his physical body, resurrecting from death!"

Zhang Wuji took a deep breath, holding the silver-carved staff, his expression filled with bitterness and awe.

Undoubtedly, a significant event had occurred in Qitian City, beyond anyone's imagination.

Qitian had revived ahead of schedule!

If this news spread, it would cause a massive upheaval among the gods within the Wiles Pavilion.

A deafening rumble shook the skies above the inner city of Qitian!

Death aura and corpse energy swirled like thick fog, unleashed by the Guardian Temple Curse Corpse King at the peak of his power.

The five supreme beings who confronted him unleashed their supreme might once again, radiating an overwhelming pressure.

During their battle with the Guardian Temple Curse Corpse King, they also sensed the anomaly within the Qitian Temple.

The surging heavenly essence and spiritual energy caused their faces to turn solemn.

The power they displayed was even more domineering and unreasonable, as if they intended to forcefully suppress and crush the Guardian Temple Curse Corpse King, and then march into the inner city of Qitian to subjugate the revived Qitian!

A newly awakened deity, having slumbered through a thousand generations of divine waves, needed time to fully regain its strength and fighting prowess after being washed away by the ebb and flow of time.

This was their best opportunity, and if they missed this chance, Qitian would recover and regain its strength...

They would never dare to provoke or suppress Qitian, even with a million times the courage!

...

...

The Divine Capital of Da Jing.

The First City.

The entire divine capital trembled violently, the ground shaking as if a massive crack was forming on the surface, causing bricks and stones to bear witness to this phenomenon.

A deep hum resonated throughout the divine capital.

Powerful heavenly soul scans swept through the city.

In the imperial palace.

The emperor, clad in a bright yellow dragon robe, had his features obscured by divine essence and Dao essence, giving him an otherworldly aura.

He took slow steps, his eyes deep and profound.

By his side stood a dignified empress and an extremely charming woman, who not only exuded allure but also had a pitiful charm that made others want to protect her.

This woman was Su Da, sent by the Su family to the divine capital to establish her lineage. She had entered the palace and become a favored concubine.

The empress and the favored concubine, Su Da, stood a few steps behind the emperor, both silent but with hearts as turbulent as the surging tides.

This anomaly...

A pillar of the Da Jing imperial family had fallen!

It must have been one of the most outstanding emperors in Da Jing's history, carrying a vast amount of fortune and destiny!

These were the retired emperors who had continued to break through in their cultivation, reaching the highest levels of the Da Jing imperial family.

The emperor's dragon robe fluttered in the wind, and beneath the divine essence and Dao essence, there was an undeniable flow of anger and sorrow.

For the Da Jing imperial family, whose foundation was not particularly deep and had only risen to prominence by relying on the support of the Dark Celestial Court and other divine factions.

The fall of a former emperor at the Two Calamities Divine Tribulation realm would have a significant impact, greatly weakening the Da Jing imperial family's strength.

"What happened inside the Qitian Temple?"

"A Two Calamities Divine Tribulation cultivator is already an invincible symbol in the mortal realm, and even in the Wiles Pavilion, they are not weak. How could they suddenly perish?"

The emperor's heart ached.

After all, a Two Calamities Divine Tribulation cultivator was of utmost importance to the court.

Most importantly, a former emperor at the Two Calamities Divine Tribulation realm carried the fortune and destiny of Da Jing.

With his death, this fortune dissipated, erasing a nation's destiny...

This was the most painful part!

"The Grand Supervisor says Da Jing is doomed... Could it be true?"

"I refuse to believe that the words of one person can represent the will of Heaven. Even predictions and speculations can be inaccurate at times. How can a single person possibly see through the destiny of an entire nation!"

The Emperor clenched his fist.

"I will not believe it!"

...

...

Qitian Temple.

Within its inner sanctum.

An overwhelming divine aura and abundant essence energy enveloped the place, as if divine power and calamity forces were converging everywhere.

The stone coffin was submerged in countless energies, making it impossible to capture or even see the figure of the old monkey.

An incredibly powerful pressure surged, shaking the entire Wicked Temple and permeating every corner of the temple.

Li Che's eyes gleamed, and suddenly, he seemed to sense something. He turned to look at the divine sculpture on the altar of the Wicked Temple.

The divine sculpture wore armor, held a treasure staff, and had a phoenix feather crown on its head. It stood with slightly bent knees and curved palms, exuding an air of divine grace.

Previously, a divine mist had obscured its face, making it difficult to see its features, but now, they were suddenly revealed.

The divine mist that had veiled the sculpture's face was slowly dissipating.

A spirited and vibrant figure emerged, with bright eyes gazing into the distance. It was a divine monkey, standing tall and majestic, exuding a sense of awe-inspiring power.

Without a doubt, this was the true form of the Qitian Divine Sculpture, or perhaps the most glorious state of Qitian.

Abundant essence energy and spiritual power converged and intertwined as Qitian slowly awakened.

The vast energy of heaven and earth caused Li Che's flesh to tremble slightly.

His mind stirred, and he sat cross-legged, with every pore open, as the Pure Martial Immortal Golden Body expanded, devouring the energy of heaven and earth.

Taking advantage of Qitian's awakening, he was absorbing some of the attracted energy to enhance himself.

Li Che had just broken through to the Martial Immortal realm, and the fusion of his Martial Immortal Dao essence with his physical body required a vast amount of energy to elevate his flesh and achieve a perfect fusion.

Therefore, at this moment, borrowing Qitian's awakening power carried no psychological burden.

Inside the Qitian Temple.

The Buddhist monk with the cicada-patterned robe, the female Guanyin, and the Wu God Mountain's Wu God Priest all had extremely grim expressions.

Facing Qitian's formidable pressure, they exchanged glances and communicated through sound transmission.

"Let's join forces! Qitian's revival brings an overwhelming divine might... If we wait for him to fully recover, we have no chance at all, only despair and death."

"Now, Qitian has just awakened, and his state has not yet returned to its peak. Perhaps this is our only chance to escape with our lives!"

"Kill! Let's join forces and fight our way out of this Wicked Temple!"

...

The thoughts of the three converged almost instantaneously, and they reached a consensus to collaborate and attack Qitian together.

They aimed to hinder Qitian's recovery, seize the opportunity, break free from their constraints, and escape with their lives!

Boom!

The three Second Calamity Divine Tribulation experts made their decision in an instant.

Uniting their powers, a vast Buddhist light shone forth. The Buddhist monk with the cicada-patterned robe struck with a terrifying attack, and even a golden dragon shadow coiled around his monk staff. The golden alms bowl also vibrated intensely, fully unleashing the divine aura of this Four Imperial Divine Weapon!

However...

The vast divine power, essence energy, and energy of heaven and earth seemed to boil, transforming into scorching mist that surged and swirled.

The mist was torn apart, and a large furry hand burst out.

The divine aura of the Buddhist light within the alms bowl was extinguished by the giant hand, and with a crisp 'ding,' the bowl flew out horizontally, like a ball, slamming hard into the ground and bouncing.

Li Che sat on the ground, cross-legged, his eyes slightly open, watching this scene, and then closing them again.

Because he knew...

From now on, he didn't need to take any action. He only needed to... watch the spectacle.

Rumble!

The Buddhist monk with the cicada-patterned robe looked grim, his eyes fixed on the stone coffin shrouded in countless energies.

The emaciated old monkey slowly rose from the coffin.

Holding a slender Ruyi Golden Hoop Stick in one hand, he slung it over his shoulder. The monkey was not tall, and one might even say it was short, but it exuded a formidable and terrifying divine might, like an ocean, surging and overwhelming.

The Buddhist monk raised his five fingers, and the alms bowl that had been knocked away flew back.

He stood with the alms bowl on his head, his body enveloped in Buddhist light, enhancing his physical body with divine aura. He charged forward like a divine-infused whip.

His aura rose steadily, and he seemed to merge with the divine weapon, rapidly consuming his vitality in a desperate fight for survival!

The female Guanyin had her hair loose and flowing, her bare feet glowing with crystal light. She held a jade bottle in her hand, resembling a true Guanyin from mythology.

A willow branch sprouted from the jade bottle, which she grasped and lashed at the old monkey in plain clothes.

The Wu God Priest from Wu God Mountain directly transformed into a ferocious demon, with six wings sprouting from his back. Each feather on the wings had turned into incredibly sharp sword feathers.

With a clanging sound, the six wings behind him lashed out, like ten thousand swords striking at once!

The three Second Calamity Divine Tribulation experts exerted themselves to the utmost, fighting for their lives.

However...

Something chilling happened.

The old monkey in plain clothes stepped out of the stone coffin, taking a single step and leaving the coffin to stand on the ground of the Wicked Temple. This solid step caused the entire temple to tremble.

The scene was like an earth-shattering event, as if the will of heaven and earth had sensed the revival of a divine being and was shaken by it!

The overwhelming divine might was almost overwhelming.

It made it hard to breathe.

The three Second Calamity Divine Tribulation experts gave their all, burning their lives, merging with the Four Imperial Divine Weapons, and borrowing divine aura to fight for their lives, seeking a chance of survival amid desperation.

Boom!

The old monkey stepped out of the coffin, like a god who had died after a long slumber, emerging from his sleeping coffin, causing chills and disbelief. It was as if they were witnessing the revival of a myth!

The Ruyi Golden Hoop Stick on his shoulder also fell, gripped in the monkey's hand, dragging on the ground. The other end of the stick scraped against the ground, creating a clanging sound as metal rubbed against stone.

The death of Lu Wenchang brought immense pressure to the three of them!

Therefore, these three powerful individuals dared not hold back, having previously restrained themselves to stand out during the subsequent competition for Qitian's remains.

The old monkey, with his blood-stained Ruyi Golden Hoop Stick, opened his mouth wide and sucked in the blood mist, consuming the Heavenly Dao Soul of the deceased priest of Wushen Mountain. However, the old monkey shook his head, dissatisfied. The energy and Heavenly Dao Soul he devoured brought no reaction, not even aiding in his recovery.

The priest of Wushen Mountain, a legendary figure who once stood at the pinnacle of the Da Li Imperial Court, was killed with a single strike of the stick.

The ascetic with cicada markings and the female Guanyin from Nanhai Zizhu Forest felt a surge of coldness. Despite their decision to fight, they had anticipated this outcome.

"He hasn't fully recovered his true divine power yet..."

"Kill!"

The two launched a counterattack in their desperate situation.

With the temple doors sealed and the void suppressed, there was no escape.

They could only face Qi Tian head-on, a tragic fate.

But they were no ordinary beings; they were second-calamity divine tribulation experts standing at the peak of the mortal world, determined to fight to the end, never giving up easily.

Thick mist swirled, divine energy intertwined, and calamity power flashed—calamity thunder, wind, and fire, all kinds of calamity power shining like a wondrous spectacle.

Boom!

For them, the void was incredibly resilient.

But at this moment, it was as fragile as thin paper, easily shattered and torn apart.

A simple stick struck out!

The golden bowl cracked, as if a golden Buddha was wailing. The willow branch snapped, exploding into green dust. The female Guanyin's hair was disheveled, her body drenched in blood.

A pitiful sight.

Invincible!

But there was no way out. The two were too desperate, and even though Qi Tian had just revived, he was a true deity, overlooking heaven and earth, disdainful of mortals, and absolutely invincible in the mortal world.

The ascetic with cicada markings and the female Guanyin didn't suffer much torment or pain because Qi Tian didn't bother to torture them.

Even though these people had once coveted his remains and wanted to take his body.

Boom!

Both were turned into meat paste. Even the female Guanyin, with her exceptional beauty, was just a red-painted skeleton in the old monkey's eyes.

With a single strike of the stick, men and women were equal, and all living beings were equal.

Two splashes of blood exploded!

The two second-calamity divine tribulation experts perished. Among the five who had come together, only the leader of the Zifu Divine Sect, Zhang Wuji, who had fled early on, survived.

The other four died on the spot.

Li Che stopped his absorption of heavenly energy and looked at the splattered blood with shining eyes.

He scanned the blood, and a hint of regret appeared in his eyes.

These deceased second-calamity divine tribulation experts were all qualified to be his captured deities.

Unfortunately, Qi Tian had devoured all their energy, even their soul power and the imprint between them and the heavens, leaving nothing behind.

They were completely erased from existence.

Even the power of capturing deities couldn't achieve such a death.

Capturing deities had its conditions.

The old monkey, dragging his blood-stained Ruyi Golden Hoop Stick, opened his mouth wide and sucked in the blood mist, consuming the deity's energy, divine essence, and blood...

The monkey's fur glowed faintly, and he lifted the Ruyi Golden Hoop Stick again, glancing at Li Che.

As if sensing Li Che's regret.

Qi Tian was slightly startled.

Then he grinned.

"I'll compensate you later."

Li Che didn't seem to mind.

He stood up and looked at the still-emaciated old monkey.

The old monkey didn't stop walking, stepping towards the temple's exit.

With each step, the temple trembled.

Countless blood energy swirled around him, and divine essence and calamity power surged endlessly.

Boom!!!

The tightly shut temple doors burst open!

A fierce wind rushed in from outside.

Then, the old monkey gazed at the open doors, carrying the Ruyi Golden Hoop Stick and walking out.

With each step, the clouds under his feet shimmered.

His plain cloth revealed golden armor, and his shoulders were draped with a large red cape that stretched for miles, like a sea of fire illuminating the heavens.

With his final step, a golden crown appeared atop his head, and two phoenix feathers pierced the sky like divine spears.

Just three steps.

He had walked out of the temple that had bound the deity.

He stood at the temple's entrance.

Holding the treasure stick with one hand, he pointed at the sky.

As if all the gods in heaven were but insignificant in his eyes.

Like the temple god statue on the altar!

Who else but me? I alone am supreme!

This is Qi Tian's revival!

The Great Sage has returned!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end