Chapter 500: A Rare Sign of Misfortune, Even Rarer than the Auspicious One (Part 1)

Chapter 500: A Rare Sign of Misfortune, Even Rarer than the Auspicious One (Part 1)





The visitors from the Time Abyss were all clad in black monastic robes, their bodies exuding not the serene aura of Buddhism but rather an agitated, chaotic, and disorderly energy that made onlookers feel an intense sense of restlessness and a desire for destruction.

Leading them was a middle-aged man with dark skin.

To his side and behind him stood numerous monks, also dressed in black robes, though not all were human. Some had peculiar and bizarre forms, and their heights varied.

On the left side of the middle-aged monk, standing close to him, was a tall and slender figure, its body resembling a small mountain, with a deer-like head, two horns, and eyes as red as blood—a great demon, clearly wearing a loose-fitting black monastic robe.

After the middle-aged monk appeared, his gaze first fell upon Tang Emperor Zhang Wantong, whose body had already risen into the clouds.

Zhang Wantong's gaze, however, went beyond the middle-aged monk, looking towards the Time Abyss behind him.

The rift in time and space, the abyss, continued to distort and twist.

"Venerable, the land here is shattered," the giant demon with a deer-like head whispered to the middle-aged monk, "I wonder how the Heavenly Realm and the Human Realm are faring now? Also, the spiritual energy of this world is as strong as the demonic and malevolent aura, if not stronger."

Hearing this, the Supreme Sage Venerable from another world of the Great Thousand did not turn his head, but his eyes shone with a radiant light.

"Venerable Lady, what era is this world of the Great Thousand in?" the Supreme Sage Venerable asked.

Tang Emperor Zhang Wantong replied calmly, "It's been about ten thousand years since the ancient cataclysm."

The Supreme Sage Venerable finally shifted his gaze, looking around at the surroundings, "How have the Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity become like this?"

Zhang Wantong said, "The war was caused by humans."

The Supreme Sage Venerable asked, "Venerable Lady, your cultivation and strength are extraordinary. Could it be that you experienced it personally?"

Zhang Wantong answered, "Not the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, but the division of the human realm is indeed related to me."

Upon hearing this, the Supreme Sage Venerable's face broke into a smile, "This world of the Great Thousand is better than ours! I love this world so much, Venerable Lady, your merits are boundless!"

For the lineage of the Great Annihilation Buddha, or the lineage of the Demon Buddha, this was considered the cultivation of the righteous path.

The higher the cultivation level, the more this was true.

It was even a necessary step for them to advance further.

In the world of the Time Abyss, the Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity were in chaos, with the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva occupying the Earthly Realm and having plans for it. However, due to the commotion, the Dragon Emperor and the Hundred-Eyed Demon Tree were alerted and blocked them, so the Earthly Realm in that world of the Great Thousand remained relatively intact.

But discovering this world of the Great Thousand, where the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth overwhelmed the demonic and malevolent aura, was a pleasant surprise for the Demon Buddha lineage.

Although the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth suppressed the demonic and malevolent aura, it was still an ideal place for cultivation.

Or rather, the stronger the spiritual energy, the better it was.

The more abundant the existence, the more intense the destruction.

After the disintegration of the Heaven and Earth worlds, the collapse of the universe would provide the greatest benefit and nourishment for the cultivation of the Demon Buddha lineage.

The middle-aged monk's expression remained calm, but his aura was restless, even affecting the flow of the Great Rectifier's spiritual energy:

"Venerable Lady, if you are willing, you can take refuge in the Great Annihilation Buddha. I can immediately guide you to meet the Bodhisattva.

Nine Heavens and Ten Earths? That's still not enough. Let's shatter these Three Realms even more, until they are completely destroyed, and we can attain the ultimate righteous path!"

"No, thank you," Zhang Wantong said, her expression unchanged, her tone indifferent.

Her gaze remained fixed not on the Supreme Sage Venerable but on the Time Abyss behind him:

"Although it's just a few words, it's not easy for you to suppress your temperament, Venerable."

As she spoke, a faint white light wove beneath the Time Abyss, instantly manifesting a massive illusory tome.

The tome opened, and as it flipped through the pages, it seemed to transform into a vortex, creating a powerful suction that drew in the Supreme Sage Venerable and the Extinction Faith Monk, with his deer-headed human body, and the other followers of the Demon Buddha.

Despite the Supreme Sage Venerable having already opened the Immortal Gate, his body began to fall at this moment.

The Extinction Faith Monk and the other followers with lower cultivation levels found their bodies uncontrollable, as if caught in a storm vortex, about to be pulled into the book.

At this moment, the Time Abyss trembled.

Suddenly, a nearly transparent hand reached out from within, bypassing the Supreme Sage Venerable and the others, and directly grabbed towards the flipping pages of the tome below.

The enormous, colorless, and transparent hand grabbed, and the white light-constructed tome was instantly damaged in large parts.

There was no sign of it turning to ashes or a violent explosion, but rather, it seemed as if portions of the tome were directly erased from existence.

Wherever the hand passed, even the sky of the Great Rectifier shook, and the space seemed to be torn and erased along with it.

Tang Emperor Zhang Wantong's expression remained unchanged.

After receiving the messages from Lei Jun and Chu Kun, conveying Xu Yuanzhen's information, she could easily guess the nature of the beings from the chaotic demon world.

Sending the Supreme Sage Venerable to test the waters was already considered a rare display of caution.

But their restraint was only temporary.

Tang Emperor Zhang Wantong had been paying attention to the Time Abyss behind the Supreme Sage Venerable.

The more the aura there stirred and became restless, the more it seemed to distort the Time Abyss.

At this moment, as the transparent, colorless, giant hand parted the Time Abyss, a black-robed old monk appeared.

His skin was also dark, and his entire being resembled a cold, hard, black Buddha statue. His expression was calm, and he looked as dignified as a gold-body Venerable from the orthodox Buddhist sect, inspiring reverence and the urge to bow in worship.

But in Zhang Wantong's eyes, the old monk exuded a twisted and bizarre aura from head to toe.

It was as if a shattered Buddha statue had been reassembled, but each piece was not in its original position.

Beside the old monk stood another tall monk, with a body like a mountain and a bull-headed human face, resembling a giant bull. His expression was calm, but it seemed out of place, making him appear discordant.

The Extinction Faith Monk and the other followers of the Demon Buddha bowed to the old monk: "Great Venerable."

The Supreme Sage Venerable also bowed, "Disciple is incapable, please forgive me, Master."

Zhang Wantong understood upon hearing the Extinction Faith Monk and the others addressing the old monk as "Great Venerable."

"Great Venerable" was usually a title for monks who had attained the third level of the gold-body realm in Buddhism, sometimes also called "Great Venerable."

It seemed that in that world of the Great Thousand, Buddhism had indeed gained a significant following.

Even though the orthodox Buddhist sect has entered the Age of Decline, the Demon-Buddha lineage continues to produce exceptional masters. There are still Great Venerables under the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva.

Unlike this world of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, which hasn't produced a Buddhist Great Venerable of the Third Level of the Body of Gold in many years.

In the recent millennia, the closest one was the Wise Compassion Venerable before the Han Dynasty's catastrophe.

In comparison, the Daoist and Confucian sects have produced more top-notch experts.

...On the other side of the Time Abyss, the world of demons and chaos seems to be the opposite.

"As expected, talking is futile." The Venerable of the Sea of Suffering, resembling an old monk in black robes, still maintains the demeanor of an enlightened monk, with a dignified aura and his palms joined in a respectful gesture.

As he performs this action, an endless and transparent, yet colorless existence, like seawater, spreads out in all directions.

Upon seeing this, Tang Emperor Zhang Wantong's eyes flash.

In this world of the Tang Dynasty, after the ancient times, only one person has emerged to open the Immortal Gate—the founder of the Great Emptiness Temple, known as the Great Annihilation Venerable.

It was he who laid the foundation for the subsequent Great Emptiness Temple of the Tang and Han Dynasties.

However, the Great Annihilation Venerable also failed to cultivate to the Third Level of the Body of Gold like the Venerable of the Sea of Suffering.

But through him, Zhang Wantong has a general understanding of the divine abilities demonstrated by the Venerable of the Sea of Suffering.

Experts of the Demon-Buddha lineage, upon reaching the Ninth Heaven realm, achieve the Transformation of Crushing True Suchness, shattering the myriad things in the mortal world. Their destructive and offensive power becomes extremely formidable. After surpassing the Ninth Heaven, they further refine themselves into the Formless Sea of Suffering, attacking and defending at will, integrating offense and defense into one. Anyone who comes into contact with it is annihilated without a trace.

Their destructive power is so strong that it can even extinguish the Wrathful Fire of the Golden Body of the Dharma Seal Venerable of the Buddhist sect at the same level.

Conversely, although they are also called the Golden Body Venerable for opening the Immortal Gate, they do not form a solid Golden Body themselves. Instead, if the Formless Sea of Suffering surrounds and protects them, they can similarly destroy attacks from enemies. In terms of external combat, they can be said to have both offense and defense at the pinnacle level, lacking only the special subtleties of other Buddhist Venerables.

Among the top-tier Immortal Realm experts of various sects, when it comes to frontal combat capabilities, the disciples of the Demon-Buddha lineage are extremely formidable.

Only the Extinction Merit of the Buddhist sect's Golden Body of the Dharma Seal lineage can generally withstand the Formless Sea of Suffering.

However, for Buddhist Venerables like the Supreme Sage Venerable who have reached the First Level of the Golden Body, the Formless Sea of Suffering is relatively thin. Regardless of offense or defense, its range is limited to a small area, and it can only travel short distances.

But when a powerful cultivator like the Venerable of the Sea of Suffering, who has reached the Third Level of the Golden Body, unleashes the Formless Sea of Suffering, it's like an endless ocean, threatening to engulf the entire Great Rectifier.

At this moment, white light flashes around Tang Emperor Zhang Wantong's body, but unlike before, it isn't scattered in all directions.

She cultivates her newly founded school, and with each step forward, she breaks new ground.

From the Ninth Heaven to becoming a saint on earth, and then from becoming a saint to the Second Level of the Confucian Sage, it is the same.

At this moment, as the white light flows, only four clusters remain.

The four clusters of white light resemble both ancient mirrors and ancient books, and at this moment, their radiance shines upon Zhang Wantong herself.

Within the white light where mirrors and books intertwine, a figure appears and disappears, seemingly an ancient Shaman King from legends.

After the ancient times, it was also difficult to find a Shaman King at the third level of the Immortal Realm.

Fortunately, as Zhang Wantong's cultivation realm improves, she can research even older and almost legendary ancient texts, discovering their secrets.

And so, at this moment, an ancient Shaman King of the Divine Dance lineage at the third level of the Immortal Realm seems to merge with Zhang Wantong's body and spirit.

It's not a historical projection, but it makes Zhang Wantong herself seem like an ancient Shaman King at the third level of the Immortal Realm.

Thus, as the divine array unfolds, a grand sacrificial ritual begins, and the ancient god's shadow, formed by the array's light, appears.

Nine Songs of Great Destiny—Great Destiny.

The Great Destiny, who presides over life and death, seems to have descended in person at this moment. With every movement, the array's power fills the void, directly suppressing the Sea of Suffering's expansion.

The colorless and transparent Sea of Suffering intertwines and collides with the grayish-white power of the Great Destiny, neither yielding nor letting the other shatter.

"You are a shaman, not a Confucian?" The Venerable of the Sea of Suffering remains calm, his eyes flashing, "No, this is deception!"

As he speaks, he pushes his palms forward, which were previously joined in a respectful gesture.

The Sea of Suffering surges, causing the grayish-white mist to disperse.

Zhang Wantong is not surprised by this, as her current cultivation level and understanding of the Shaman King's historical records are not enough to fully recreate the power of that ancient expert.

She never expected to rely solely on one method to confront this Demon-Buddha lineage Great Venerable of the Third Level of the Golden Body.

In another cluster of white light, the ancient mirror and book pages intertwine, revealing another figure who projects light onto Zhang Wantong.

The light and shadow resemble a legendary figure from ancient times, one of the direct disciples of the Confucian Sage Master.

This person holds a longbow, appearing strong and robust, more like a warrior than a Confucian scholar.

But when his image is projected onto Zhang Wantong, she, having already channeled the power of the Nine Songs of Great Destiny, draws her bow and nocks an arrow.

The light flashes on the bowstring, but there is no visible trajectory.

Without any time interval or spatial obstruction, as Zhang Wantong releases the arrow, it instantly reaches the Venerable of the Sea of Suffering.

However, the Venerable of the Sea of Suffering, immersed in the Sea of Suffering, is like a fish in water.

As the light arrow touches his body, the Sea of Suffering immediately blocks and intercepts it.

The light arrow quickly dissipates.

But the attack of the Confucian Sage at the third level of the Immortal Realm from the Divine Archery lineage is extremely fierce and powerful.

Even the Sea of Suffering, which is blocking the attack, is forcibly pierced, creating a hole.

Buddhist Venerables at the Third Level of the Golden Body are commonly referred to as Great Venerables.

The Confucian Sage at the third level of the Saintly Realm is also honored with the title of Sage King.

When the Sage King of the Divine Archery lineage shoots an arrow, its sharpness puts the Venerable of the Sea of Suffering on guard.

Especially since Zhang Wantong, in addition to projecting the image of the Sage King's disciple onto herself, also projects the legendary top-tier divine bow that he once possessed.

Zhang Wantong not only brings to life the people recorded in historical records, literature, and legends, but also the divine weapons and treasures described in these texts. The more detailed the records, the more complete their power and the longer they can be sustained.

At this moment, Zhang Wantong does not approach the Venerable of the Sea of Suffering. Instead, she uses the ghostly sacrificial array to halt the Sea of Suffering's expansion, then takes up the divine bow and shoots arrows that appear and disappear without a trace. Despite being alone with just her bow, the arrows attack the Venerable of the Sea of Suffering from various directions, defying common sense.

The Venerable of the Sea of Suffering remains calm, forming a Dharma seal with one hand while pushing his other palm forward.

The Great Void Temple's supreme art, the Void Annihilation Six Paths, was completely displayed in the palm of the Sea of Suffering Venerable.

And then...

Everything was crushed.

This was the Sea of Suffering Venerable's ascension to the Immortal Realm, integrating a lifetime of learning and finally achieving his own Immortal Realm technique.

In the Daoist tradition, it was known as the Immortal Technique.

In Buddhism, it was called the Body of Gold Technique, or the Body of Gold Divine Ability, also known as the Venerable Technique.

The Sea of Suffering Venerable had achieved the third level of the Body of Gold, one of his three Venerable Techniques, known as Crushing Rebirth.

It was as if the power of the Six Paths of Rebirth were being destroyed, and at this moment, it was fully manifested in the palm of the Sea of Suffering Venerable, causing the colorless and transparent Sea of Suffering to finally undergo a further transformation, turning black.

The momentum was not particularly astonishing, but the black stream of energy shot forward in a straight line, instantly slicing through the void and the Ghost God Sacrifice Array, directly pointing at Zhang Wantong herself.

Zhang Wantong stood still in her original position.

During the First Level Scholar Sage, she could simultaneously project two masters who had existed in the past or present in this world, with similar cultivation levels, to assist her.

Now, at the Second Level Scholar Sage, she directly commanded the abilities of various powerful beings to be bestowed upon her, and the number of beings she could empower at once was... four.

Zhang Wantong adjusted and reinforced the Ghost God Sacrifice Array, and while the light arrows in her hand continued to fly, the Crystal Buddha Light appeared around her body, spreading in all four directions.

The black energy of Crushing Rebirth struck the Crystal Buddha Light, and although the lotus formed by the light shook and shrank, it became increasingly refined.

In the end, Zhang Wantong seemed to be standing in a Buddhist Pure Land, independent of the world.

This was the technique of the Buddhist Precepts Lineage's Body of Gold Venerable.

And even more so, the Boundless Merit, which surpassed the Extinction Merit.

With the Boundless Merit achieved, it protected the peace of the four directions, and even the Sea of Suffering Venerable could not break through it for a while.

Zhang Wantong learned from history, and the fourth mirror directly manifested the peak of White Mei before the End of Han Dynasty Cataclysm.

The Great Freedom Celestial Immortal of the Daoist Artificer Sect wielded his power, and in an instant, sword aura flew.

Zhang Wantong controlled the distance, with the Divine Dance of the Shaman Sect guarding and the Buddhist Precepts Lineage defending, while the Daoist External Alchemy and Confucian Divine Archery launched the main attack.

Even in combat, the Buddhist techniques were distinct.

The sword aura was agile, ever-changing, constantly attacking the Sea of Suffering Venerable and restraining the changes in his Sea of Suffering.

The arrow aura was heavy and concentrated, accumulating power for a long time before being released, and when it was finally shot out, it was extremely powerful.

While the Sea of Suffering of the Sea of Suffering Venerable spread out in all directions, engulfing the sword aura, it was also thinned out in the void, and suddenly, it was pierced by the concentrated light arrows.

However, the light arrows did not hit the Sea of Suffering Venerable.

He stood in the vast Sea of Suffering, his body shape changing at will, as if he could ignore spatial distances and move freely like a Daoist immortal, or a Buddhist monk with the Zen Martial and End of Suffering Enlightenment abilities.

The inheritors of the Demon-Buddha Lineage, including the Extinction Faith Monk who had just ascended to the Immortal Realm, were indeed formidable in offense and defense, but compared to other cultivators of the same level, their movement and teleportation were often less agile.

But just like other inherited traditions, as cultivation levels increased, all laws converged, and there were signs of convergence in various aspects, compensating for previous weaknesses.

The Demon-Buddha Lineage was no exception.

At the cultivation level of the Sea of Suffering Venerable, wherever his Sea of Suffering reached, he could advance and retreat as he pleased.

His opponent's Sea of Suffering became his Pure Land.

The arrows and sword aura of Tang Emperor Zhang Wantong were sharp, but at this moment, they were repeatedly evaded by the Sea of Suffering Venerable.

The Sea of Suffering Venerable quietly observed his distant opponent.

As time passed, the opponent's Ghost God Sacrifice Array showed signs of decline.

Zhang Wantong was well aware that the power of the Ancient Shaman King bestowed upon her was gradually being depleted, and it would be impossible to reproduce it in a short time.

But she had already made preparations for this.

Sensing the changes on Zhang Wantong's side, the Sea of Suffering Venerable immediately seized the opportunity to advance.

The transparent and colorless Sea of Suffering transformed into a tsunami, crushing and engulfing the Ghost God Sacrifice Array.

At the same time, the Sea of Suffering Venerable formed a Dharma seal with one palm, a strange seal known as the Non-Leaking Seal.

Leaker, the elimination of suffering through the End of Suffering Enlightenment.

Once the Sea of Suffering Venerable's Non-Leaking Seal was unleashed, the opponent seemed to be trapped in endless suffering, facing difficulties and unable to continue.

All kinds of suffering arose from within, and because of this, it was even harder to break free.

Although Zhang Wantong did not know the specifics of the Sea of Suffering Venerable's Body of Gold Venerable Technique, she had already changed her strategy as the Ghost God Sacrifice Array dissipated.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end