Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 240 - 231: Tathagata’s Escape Ultimately Leads to Trouble

Chapter 240: Chapter 231: Tathagata’s Escape Ultimately Leads to Trouble

Tathagata, putting everything on the line, sacrificed the Turning Wheel Sage King, captured Zhun Ti Taoist, and detonated the Seven Treasure Dharma Wheel to shatter the Heavenly Dao Laws, freeing himself from this world and entering the Chaotic World.

This Chaotic World was an endless expanse of chaos, resembling a thick fog where nothing could be discerned clearly.

If it had not been for the robust flesh of the Turning Wheel Sage King, he would have likely been torn apart; he protected Zhun Ti Taoist while seeking a shattered continent.

Long before Pangu split Heaven and Earth, there had been great beings born within Chaos. Once their cultivation level became high, they would undertake the task of splitting Heaven and Earth. Some were overwhelmed right at the start by the Three Thousand Chaos Heaven Demons and could not survive; others were destroyed during the Immeasurable Calamity. After these worlds were destroyed, some fragments remained, drifting in this Chaotic World. As long as he could find a fragmented world, Tathagata was confident that he could survive, and at the same time, ascend to the realm of a Heavenly Dao Saint!

Once he reached the realm of a Heavenly Dao Saint, he could freely travel between the two worlds, unbound by the laws of Heavenly Dao.

Within Tathagata’s heart was only hatred. He extremely hated Sun Wukong, all those who opposed him, and even Amitabha Buddha and Zhun Ti Taoist who refused to act!

Tathagata’s sacrifice of the Turning Wheel Sage King was itself a deadly gamble, but it allowed a trace of his Primordial Spirit to remain within the body of the Sage King. Zhun Ti Taoist, originally an evil thought conceived by him, had its connection severed by Luo Hou. Nevertheless, Tathagata had managed to take over his flesh and Primordial Spirit, completely merging them.

This was Tathagata’s ultimate plan, which he began to prepare as soon as he sensed something amiss with the saints. The saints’ ambiguous stance towards Sun Wukong alarmed him. He realized that the saints could likely target the Buddhist Sect. With his irreconcilable hatred for Sun Wukong, he was bound to be sacrificed in the great battle between Buddha and Demon.

What terrifying cunning!

The Turning Wheel Sage King closed his eyes slightly, feeling sensitively, then groped his way in a certain direction.

In the Chaos, there was no east, west, south, nor north; neither up nor down—all was a void, a dense fog of Chaos Qi overflowing everywhere, each wisp sharp as a sword. Only those with profound cultivation could survive moments here; thus, everyone who cultivated in Chaos was among the elite among elites, the prodigies among prodigies.

Tathagata’s luck seemed good, and he had always felt fortunate.

He had escaped the Middle Ages Deification Calamity, the saints’ schemes, and the encirclement of the Demon Tribe.

Since his luck was so good, he indeed found a broken world. This world was about ten thousand li in size. The moment the Turning Wheel Sage King set foot in this world, his flesh began to crumble, turning to dust and dispersing into the air.

The Turning Wheel Sage King pressed a finger to the brow of Zhun Ti Taoist, wrenching out his Primordial Spirit alive. He then cast a spell to erase the thoughts within and expelled a breath, emitting a wisp of Tathagata’s Primordial Spirit and merging it into Zhun Ti Taoist’s. Shortly thereafter, the Primordial Spirit emitted "crackling" sounds like firecrackers, gradually giving rise to thoughts.

The body is controlled by the Primordial Spirit, which is in turn controlled by thoughts. A Primordial Spirit without thoughts is nearly as beneficial as a tonic to cultivators. However, the thoughts within the Primordial Spirits of cultivators are deeply ingrained and cannot be cleaned out without considerable power. Hasty consumption might lead to devastating consequences.

Years ago, when Wukong and the four Sword Masters had ambushed Tang Sanzang to refine his Primordial Spirit, it was fortunate that Tang Sanzang had no cultivation—his Primordial Spirit was pure, devoid of any thought. Otherwise, consuming it like that could have led to a catastrophe.

Tathagata’s Primordial Spirit exhaled deeply as the Turning Wheel Sage King’s flesh burst open, emitting a golden light that covered a vast expanse of the sky and isolated the Chaos Qi.

Tathagata and Zhun Ti Taoist were deeply entwined in karma, being of the same origin. With the power of the Turning Wheel Sage King, he eradicated all independent thoughts from Zhun Ti Taoist’s Primordial Spirit and consumed it, thus resolving the deadly predicament he faced. This trace of primordial spirit would have soon vanished if not anchored to a special item like the Reincarnation World or the Deification Platform. Having consumed Zhun Ti Taoist’s Primordial Spirit and seized his body, Tathagata had survived a great calamity.

"Haha, hahaha!" Tathagata couldn’t help but burst into wild laughter. "How could I, Tathagata, possibly die so easily?!"

Having already severed the evil thought of Zhun Ti Taoist and later severed Prabhutaratna as well, merging now with Zhun Ti Taoist put an end to both his benevolent and malevolent aspects. Only the final severance of his own obsessions remained. If he could endure and refine himself for a few thousand more years, he would surely achieve the Heavenly Dao Saint level before the Immeasurable Calamity, join the Chaos Heaven Demons, and... eliminate everyone within the Earth Immortal Realm!

A ruthless glint flashed in Tathagata’s eyes, and the hatred in his chest caused him to pant heavily.

Tathagata thought: "This Turning Wheel Sage King is indeed mighty. Just in this brief moment, I have felt his endless power! He is merely a step away from a Heavenly Dao Saint and might even battle one. But the true intentions of the Turning Wheel Sage King are unknown to all. I can only bring him forth temporarily by sacrificing this body. If I could master the secret of becoming the Turning Wheel Sage King... then all of you just wait for your deaths!"

Having just obtained a body, Tathagata needed to properly temper it with his Primordial Spirit to achieve perfect fusion.

He sat down cross-legged, formed a spell with his hands, and conjured a Kasaya rob...

Sun Wukong and the others let Tathagata slip away, and their hearts were truly filled with regret.

Supreme Holy Mother said indignantly, "Tathagata is truly cunning, having prepared such an escape route and even capturing Elder Brother Prabhutaratna in the end."

Wukong pondered inwardly, "When Tathagata used that move, it seemed he sacrificed his flesh body and Primordial Spirit, which wouldn’t allow him to live long. But the fact that he captured Zhun Ti Taoist at the end is worth pondering. I fear Tathagata actually survived this calamity and did not die!"

Tathagata was indeed formidable, with highly adept methods, and even Wukong couldn’t help but admire him secretly.

The last hope of the Buddha’s soldiers vanished as their Buddha Ancestor, their ruler for the ages, Tathagata, had escaped.

The Demon Tribe seized the weapons of the Buddhist soldiers, waiting for Wukong to decide their fate.

Victorious Fighting Buddha said, "They were just serving their master after all, these Buddhist soldiers sincerely devoted to Buddha. After I establish the Ultimate Bliss World in the Western Direction, they can enter it and listen to the teachings. I will use my Buddhist Law to transform them."

While the Demon Tribe and others were cleaning up the battlefield, arranging medical treatments and other miscellaneous tasks, let’s not dwell on that. Instead, let’s talk about the Supreme Holy Mother, who departed from Wukong and headed to Biyou Palace in the higher realms of the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Upon entering Biyou Palace, Supreme Holy Mother saw Tong Tian Sect Master, knelt down, and cried, "Master, your disciple is incompetent. Tathagata has escaped, and he’s taken Elder Brother Prabhutaratna as well. This time, Elder Brother Prabhutaratna’s life is probably in danger."

Tong Tian Sect Master opened his eyes slowly and said, "I am already aware of this matter. We did not expect Tathagata to be capable of asking the Turning Wheel Sage King to descend temporarily. However, fortunately, the Buddhist Sect has already collapsed, and those traitors have mostly ascended to the Deification Platform."

Hearing this, Supreme Holy Mother took out the Magical Treasures left by Zhun Ti Taoist and said, "Master, it’s time to return these treasures to their original owner."

Tong Tian Sect Master nodded, swept his sleeve to collect the Magical Treasures, and said, "You go rest well for now. Keep in touch with Sun Wukong and see when he will make a move against Heavenly Court. When the time comes, you return to Biyou Palace and I will give you a decree to send to our brothers in Heavenly Court. I have ways to free them from Heavenly Court’s control."

Supreme Holy Mother rejoiced and said, "Really?"

Tong Tian Sect Master nodded slightly and said, "The Divine Will of Heavenly Court is anchored in the Thirty-Three Heavens Divine Artifact. Once the Jade Emperor clashes with Sun Wukong, that’s when the Divine Will will be weakest. You take the Six Souls Banner and write their names on it. I will teach you a secret spell to secretly extract them without anyone noticing."

The Six Souls Banner was a deadly weapon, but Tong Tian Sect Master had another clever use for it: using the Six Souls Banner to capture people, paralyzing the workings of fate, and evading the Divine Will, making them think the Six Souls Banner had killed them. Then the Thirty-Three Heavens Divine Artifact would automatically dissolve its connection with the Divine Will. Such actions were against the natural order, but had Tong Tian Sect Master ever refrained from defying fate? Establishing Jie Taoist Sect, aiding King Zhou, fighting against four saints, and more...

"Hmph! If Heavenly Dao Saints were always compliant with the Heavenly Dao, they would never break through to the Great Dao Sage Realm! You all call me arrogant, but where are you with the foresight to see the profound mysteries that I do?" As Tong Tian Sect Master thought this, he couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased.

Tong Tian Sect Master calculated carefully, murmuring, "Though Tathagata has escaped, he remains a hidden danger. But there’s no rush; his tribulation will ultimately be required to be faced by Sun Wukong. To become a Saint, one must resolve great karmas, and Tathagata and Sun Wukong’s karma is not shallow. Do not think that escaping this world frees one from karmic ties. Haha."

After comforting Supreme Holy Mother a bit more, he then sent her away.

Supreme Holy Mother bowed and said, "Master, your disciple takes her leave."

Tong Tian Sect Master said, "Go ahead. Remember my words, the rebuilding of the glory of Jie Taoist Sect depends on you. I don’t have capable people to use now."

Supreme Holy Mother said, "Disciple understands, I will certainly not let down Master’s expectations."

After Supreme Holy Mother left, Tong Tian Sect Master resumed his cultivation, exhaling a Golden Core which already bore three thousand indistinct Dao Marks. However, only about a hundred were very distinct, the rest still very vague.

"Once I achieve Perfection in the Three Thousand Great Paths, the day will come when I attain the Great Dao Sage Realm! Yuan Shi, Lao Jun, you two watch! The path I, Tong Tian, walk—is it the correct one, or the wrong one?" Tong Tian Sect Master’s gaze was steadfast as he slowly breathed in and out the Golden Core.

This escape of Tathagata was also his destiny not to perish, becoming a hidden danger, and it was uncertain when he would face his tribulation.

To find out what happens next, please follow the subsequent episodes. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)