Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 236 - 229: Tathagata’s Plan to Hurt Wukong

Chapter 236: Chapter 229: Tathagata’s Plan to Hurt Wukong

The Nether River Patriarch knew he was outmatched and had already allowed his Asura Blood Sea forces to enter the Blood River, leaving the battlefield to return to the Asura Blood Sea.

Mosquito protector was so angry that he was fuming, but there was nothing he could do. The Nether River he had high hopes for actually slipped away in such a disgraceful manner. He even wished that the Victorious Fighting Buddha would catch up and beat the Nether River to death with his staff! The Nether River had lived for so many years, not in vain. As soon as he saw the situation turning unfavorable, he ran faster than anyone else.

At this time, the two Ancestral Witches pressed on. Left with no choice, Mosquito protector reluctantly entered the fray. Fortuitously, he received seven great flags, and the Nether River wasn’t entirely without honor. Raising the flags, he conjured the Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons, though in truth, there were only seven divisions remaining.

The Victorious Fighting Buddha and Wukong stood poised in the void, both having expended an immense amount of Mana. Driving off the Nether River was by no means an easy feat.

"The Nether River’s tricks are powerful. To deal with him, we will have to wait for another day," said the Victorious Fighting Buddha.

"Once the Buddhist Sect is taken care of, the situation in Heaven and Earth will become clear. It will be impossible for the Nether River to muddy the waters again! However, he has forged such a significant karma with me, and if I do not kill him, I fear it will be detrimental to my enlightenment. When the time comes, I will rush to the Asura Blood Sea and find a way to capture and kill the Nether River," Wukong spoke.

In the battlefield of the Taiyi Golden Immortals, the four Sword Gods were unstoppable, cutting down anyone in their way, especially Ximen Chuixue who could slay a person in the blink of an eye. Before long, some Daluo Golden Immortals took notice of them and attacked, but the average Daluo Golden Immortal was destined only to be subdued by them.

Nezha was also among the top fighters in the ranks of Daluo Golden Immortals, and with a wealth of Magical Treasures—the Qiankun Ring, Heaven-and-Earth Silk Ribbon, Wind-Fire Wheels, Fire Spear, Demon-Slaying Saber, Demon-slaying Sword, Golden Brick—emerging one after another, he had already claimed the lives of three to five holy monks and Vajras.

Bai Qi was killing like a madman; anyone who blocked his way, regardless of their Cultivation Level, was slain by his sword. He had entered the path through slaughter, practicing the way of killing, fearless of any karmic retribution—his response to anyone who crossed his path was a single word—kill!

Among the Buddhist Sect, the Glazed Light King Medicine Buddha was truly formidable. With the Yaksha chanting scriptures in the rear formation, he seemed to have an Immortal Body, radiating blue light that would immediately restore his physical body whenever it was damaged.

The Victorious Fighting Buddha and Wukong were surrounded by traces of the Dao, recovering their Mana as they prepared to rejoin the battle.

The clash with the Nether River had been too draining, especially with the self-destruction of the Blood God Child, which had cost them a great deal of Mana.

In the battlefield of the Daluo Golden Immortals, countless fighters were falling. Many from the Demon Tribe had perished, and the Buddhist Sect had almost been wiped out.

Wukong took out a bottle of Elixir Pills, shared a few with the Victorious Fighting Buddha, and swallowed several himself. Then he began to concentrate and gather his energy.

In a moment, both felt their Mana restored and were ready to fight again.

Wukong said, "I will go kill Tathagata. That Glazed Light King Medicine Buddha is quite powerful; you take care of him."

The Victorious Fighting Buddha nodded and replied, "It’s done."

Wukong, wielding the Creation Heavenly Mechanism Staff, joined the battlefield of the Primordial Golden Immortals. At that moment, Tathagata was fiercely engaged in battle with the Supreme Holy Mother and Prabhutaratna, initially suppressed by the two but gradually unleashing potent spells and managing to push them on the back foot. Moreover, his Turning Wheel Sage King Great Seal seemed to grow more powerful as if gaining strength with the duration of the fight.

Among the battlefield of the Primordial Golden Immortals, the Ancestral Witches had the weakest combat abilities, Di Jiang being the exception.

Some of the Ancestral Witches had only recently returned to the ranks of the Primordial Golden Immortals, and some had only reached the Great Perfection of Daluo Golden Immortals. Thankfully, their physical bodies were unparalleled in strength. Suffering several grievous injuries, they would rise and return to the fight. Gesang Gyatso had the Demon-slaying Sword gifted by the Great Sun Tathagata, but Di Jiang’s Reincarnation Pen was no trifling matter, and having obtained the Creation Cushion from Xuan Ming, he didn’t fear Gesang Gyatso at all. The three Ancestral Witches, fighting together, had him at his wits’ end.

"Supreme Holy Mother, big sister, I’m here to help!" Wukong cried out as he entered the fray, swinging his staff towards Tathagata’s forehead.

Tathagata, who had seen Wukong approaching, knew he was about to be struck from behind and had already calculated his defense. As Wukong’s staff was about to land, Tathagata counterattacked with a palm strike! Inside his palm, a Buddha realm rotated, and his hand expanded from the size of a fan to that of a mountain, smacking down on Wukong like swatting a fly.

Wukong cursed, "Tathagata, you scoundrel, you think to use the realm within your palm against me again? Do you take me for the ignorant fool I once was?"

With the World-Cleansing Dust Whisk in his hand, he brushed fiercely, and a burst of Seven-Colored Divine Light erupted. Just as Tathagata’s palm was about to close, it was forced open by the brilliant divine light! Yet between Tathagata’s grip, a Buddha suddenly appeared with thousands of arms, each wielding a Magical Treasure, catching Wukong off guard with a sudden strike.

"Boom!"

A Demon-Subduing rod pierced through the defense of the Seven-Colored Divine Light and struck Wukong’s chest, sending him tumbling backward with acute pain in his internal organs. Good Tathagata! He had been hiding his true power all along during his fight with the Supreme Holy Mother and Prabhutaratna, all to catch Wukong unaware.

"Poor monk, I am Prabhutaratna Tathagata!" The Buddha said with a slight smile, then retreated back into Tathagata’s palm.

The Supreme Holy Mother’s expression changed slightly and said, "Tathagata has even cut off his good corpse! And with the five Vajra Kings he’s reincarnated with evil thoughts, he has effectively cut away two corpses. No wonder at the start of the battle we had him on the ropes, but later he managed to fight expansively and pushed both Prabhutaratna and me into a disadvantage!"

Wukong had been seriously injured by the strike, with his Primordial Spirit slightly dazed.

"Tathagata really is a master at playing conspiracies and tricks," Wukong gritted his teeth and cursed in his heart.

Behind Tathagata, a Prabhutaratna with thousands of arms manifested, truly deserving of the name "Prabhutaratna," for each arm wielded a Magical Treasure. Who knows how much of the Buddhist Sect’s foundation and how many Eight Treasures Merit were spent by Tathagata to refine so many Magical Treasures?

"Tathagata, with Nether River defeated, it’s time you surrendered!" Supreme Holy Mother bellowed, shaking her Six-Soul Banner.

The six tails of the Six-Soul Banner transformed into giant serpents and pythons, opening their mouths to hiss as they slithered towards Tathagata, spitting out streaks of black Demon Flame.

Tathagata had a calm expression. The outcome of this battle had been decided—the defeat of Nether River meant the fall of the Buddhists sect, but he still had to make a final desperate struggle! Tathagata’s hands formed a Dharma Seal, and the Turning Wheel Sage King Great Seal quickly met the attack head-on. The Sage King extended an arm and grabbed the six massive pythons, crushing them to dust with a single fierce grip—such was his unbridled power.

Tathagata smiled and said, "My Buddhist Sect may have lost, but you will not fare well either."

Wukong gathered his strength, lifted his Heavenly Mechanism Staff, and didn’t respond, launching into a fierce onslaught instead.

Zhun Ti Taoist summoned the Heart-Piercing Lock to capture Tathagata, but after all, he was an evil corpse cut from Tathagata and, although Nezha separated him with a secret method, Tathagata had the Heart-Piercing Lock at his fingertips. He chanted an Incantation, a Great Seal fell, and forceful struck the Heart-Piercing Lock to knock it open.

Zhun Ti Taoist inwardly lamented. Tathagata was well-versed in his techniques and trump cards—that made him no match at all.

The Supreme Holy Mother continually shook the Six-Soul Banner, releasing an overwhelming Demon Flame at Tathagata. However, with the Turning Wheel Sage King Great Seal suppressing the fore, eight aspects of Buddha’s Light surged forth, isolating all the Demon Flame outside of the Buddha’s Light.

"Sakyamuni!"

The Supreme Holy Mother executed a killing move, biting her finger and writing Tathagata’s name on one of the Six-Soul Banner’s tails, then chanting an incantation: "Six souls of six paths, summon and extinguish souls!"

Tathagata’s expression slightly changed. From his sleeve, he released a Bodhi Tree, which positioned above his head, with golden light rising and an invisible murderous force coming head-on, but it was all blocked by the Bodhi Tree. This tree was a gift from Zhun Ti Taoist, under which he had meditated for five hundred years, achieving Buddhahood and becoming a revered world ruler.

The Six-Soul Banner was most effective for its treachery, instantly taking effect once a person’s name was written on it and the spell was recited.

However, Supreme Holy Mother’s Mana was still much weaker compared to Tathagata’s. So, when she exerted her power, Tathagata avoided it, making it ineffective.

Tathagata seized this opportunity to lower the Turning Wheel Sage King Great Seal, and with one strike, he blasted the Supreme Holy Mother away, causing her Primordial Spirit to be ejected from her body. Luckily, Wukong intervened in time, entangling Tathagata and preventing him from pursuing his victory. Otherwise, even the only disciple of the Nether River Patriarch might have ended up on the Deification Platform.

"Boom!"

Wukong unleashed a series of Great Hand Seals, to which Tathagata responded in kind. The sky filled with Hand Seals, each collision bursting like fireworks, dazzling and brilliant. Zhun Ti Taoist was very wary of Tathagata and dared not engage in close combat, using only the Blood God Child and Heart-Piercing Lock to harass from the sidelines. However, Tathagata knew well the incantations to counter these two Magical Treasures and was utterly fearless.

The Supreme Holy Mother put away the Six-Soul Banner as Zhun Ti Taoist used the Heart-Piercing Lock to bring over her physical body. After her Primordial Spirit re-entered her body, she looked as if covered in gold leaf, bleeding from all orifices. The blow from Tathagata was severe—her Primordial Spirit was even knocked out of the Niwan Palace, illustrating his ferocity.

"This Tathagata really is quite the expert at playing the pig to eat the tiger," the Supreme Holy Mother clenched her teeth in anger.

"Sister, don’t be anxious. Wukong has been injured by Tathagata but still has the strength to fight," said Zhun Ti Taoist.

Neither of them expected that Tathagata could be so formidable. Initially, Tathagata was just feigning weakness, seeking an opportunity to severely damage Wukong. Even with the Six-Soul Banner in the hands of the Supreme Holy Mother, Tathagata never considered her a threat.

Having once been fellow cultivators, he naturally knew all the Supreme Holy Mother’s methods, feeling no dread. He mastered all her techniques.

The initial weakness was only to create an illusion for Wukong—a misconception that Tathagata was weak. Then, catching him off-guard, he created a Zhun Ti Taoist from the palm’s Buddhist country to deliver a heavy blow.

Wukong was heavily injured, his spellcasting became very sluggish, and the fight turned laborious for him. Tathagata, on the other hand, grew more ferocious, executing each move with the ferocity of a tiger descending a mountain, intent on killing Wukong!

Over here, Victorious Fighting Buddha was taking on Medicine Buddha, sending Yuan Hong and two Ancestral Witches to assist on Tathagata’s battlefield. He could handle Medicine Buddha alone.

Yuan Hong and the others naturally followed the instruction. The battle on Tathagata’s side was intense, so they swiftly flew over.

To find out the outcome, please follow the next Chapter. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)