Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 243 - 235: Acquiring Bodhi Not True Achievement

Chapter 243: Chapter 235: Acquiring Bodhi Not True Achievement

Wukong, holding fifteen Ginseng Fruits, headed towards the Reincarnation Netherworld. While these Ginseng Fruits were indeed treasures, their effects on someone with his current Cultivation Level were negligible; nevertheless, they were offered with good intention.

Wukong was a regular visitor, so the Yin God who guarded the gate wisely opened it up and invited Wukong inside.

This time, the Reincarnation Netherworld had deployed a million Yin Gods to assist; however, given that the Buddhist Sect specialized in restraining them, the losses were significant—five hundred thousand Yin Gods perished. But after all, this was the Reincarnation Netherworld and the ranks of five hundred thousand Yin Gods could be quickly replenished. There was no shortage here, except for an abundance of ghosts! Just capture a couple of ghosts, guide them a bit in their practice, and naturally, they could break through to the Ninefold Immortal realm.

The Ancestral Witches were currently surrounding Di Jiang’s coffin, slowly chanting the incantations of the Witch Clan. Mysterious runes circulated, awakening the dormant vitality within Di Jiang’s body. His physical form, within the coffin crafted from the essence of the earth, emitted a luminous glow, signaling that the spark of life was stirring.

"Bring over the Ginseng Fruits!" Xuan Ming suddenly opened his eyes and softly said.

The other Ancestral Witches were calmly guarding their spirits, naturally unaware of Wukong’s arrival, but Xuan Ming had sensed it, the two sharing a tacit understanding.

Wukong tossed out the fifteen Ginseng Fruits. With a flick of Xuan Ming’s finger, all fifteen Ginseng Fruits flew onto Di Jiang’s corpse, then burst apart; myriad essences flowed into Di Jiang’s body, and the faint spark of life within him surged immediately.

Zhu Rong joyfully said, "Big brother is waking up!"

After a moment, Di Jiang indeed opened his eyes, still somewhat weak, his first words being, "How many years have passed?"

The resurrection of the Ancestral Witches could take as little as a few decades or as long as a hundred years, so Di Jiang’s first question upon awakening was about time.

After death, everything returns to silence, to Chaos; naturally, time cannot be measured.

Zhu Rong couldn’t help but chuckle and said, "It’s only been three to five days, big brother, you’ve slept in a daze!"

Di Jiang, astonished, said, "How could I have come back to life so quickly? I clearly remember being smashed to death by that Tathagata’s wheel."

Gonggong spoke up, "It was our nephew who brought fifteen Ginseng Fruits, injecting the essence of Heaven and Earth into your body."

The next moment, Gonggong, for some inexplicable reason, let out a scream and was sent flying backward... One can eat their food in whatever way they want, but words must not be spoken carelessly. Kong Xuan had said this to Zhen Yuanzi, but had not said it to Gonggong, and so Gonggong was out of luck.

Houtu scolded with a laugh, "Your blabbering mouth, it needs to be torn off before you’d stop talking."

Seeing this scene, Wukong also couldn’t help but laugh along with the Ancestral Witches, only Xuan Ming kept a cold face, maintaining his reserve.

After the laughter, Di Jiang then inquired, "What kind of demon magic did Tathagata use? And what magical treasure was that wheel? It was so powerful that it killed me in one blow, and even my mount was killed by it."

The Turning Wheel Sage King is the highest deity of the Buddhist Family, his Seven Treasure Dharma Wheel embodying the will of sentient beings. A single strike from the wheel, let alone two Primordial Golden Immortals, even one more would end in utter defeat. Di Jiang now recalling that Seven Treasure Dharma Wheel, couldn’t help feeling some trepidation; to think it could kill an Ancestral Witch in one fell swoop, what staggering power it held!

Wukong then explained, "Tathagata refined the Turning Wheel Sage King Great Seal, and he also mastered the Sacrificial Great Method that could allow the Turning Wheel Sage King to descend temporarily. The one who struck you was not Tathagata, but the temporarily incarnated Turning Wheel Sage King. That magical treasure is called the Seven Treasure Dharma Wheel, which embodies the will of all beings."

Di Jiang exclaimed in amazement, "What terrifying power."

Xuan Ming calmly elaborated, "The Turning Wheel Sage King exists in the legends of the Buddhist Family, considered a mythical deity even among the legends; he embodies the faith of all Buddhas, with not one Buddha not aspiring to become the supreme Turning Wheel Sage King. Tathagata indeed has formidable abilities to have temporarily invited the Turning Wheel Sage King to descend. If he had the intention to kill, he might have doomed seven or eight Primordial Golden Immortals; yet this would have resulted in the complete depletion of his life force."

The Turning Wheel Sage King Great Seal was not Tathagata’s ultimate trick, it was merely a deceptive tactic. He used the Great Seal as a cover, actually seeking to exploit it to enable the Sage King’s incarnation and snatch a chance at survival for himself.

Tathagata was fortunate. He managed to seize that slim chance at life.

Di Jiang frowned, "On our side, we have the Eastern Emperor Bell, as well as your Derivative Seat. Aren’t these enough for self-protection?"

Xuan Ming nodded and said, "The Eastern Emperor Bell requires the handiwork of a Saint to be fully wielded, as does the Derivative Seat. The Bell and Seat can protect two individuals, but what of the rest? It’s also fortunate that Tathagata is a selfish person; otherwise, to preserve the Buddhist Sect, he would have sacrificed himself and promptly used his ultimate move, allowing the Turning Wheel Sage King to manifest, and you all would have been wiped out long ago. Such self-destructive tactics can only be used as a last resort."

Xuan Ming was right; had Tathagata been selfless enough to sacrifice himself for the sake of Buddhism, he could have invoked the great technique of the Turning Wheel Sage King’s descent from the outset, then joined forces with the supreme master of the Nether River and surely annihilated the Demon Tribe. If no Saint intervened, the Demon Tribe would have suffered a crushing defeat. However, being naturally selfish, Tathagata, who had schemed against the Saints since the Investiture of the Gods Period, dodged that grand catastrophe. Why would he now sacrifice himself for the Buddhist Sect?

Wukong asked, "If Tathagata wishes to use the Turning Wheel Sage King’s Descension Technique again, is it still possible?"

Xuan Ming replied, "It should be impossible now. The Turning Wheel Sage King Great Seal has been destroyed. To deploy that Dharma Gate again, he would need to refine another Turning Wheel Sage King Great Seal. Moreover, there’s no longer a second Taoist like Duobao in this world whom he could use for his reincarnation. Even if he wanted to, he’d need to worry about his own life."

Wukong let his guard down, thinking that if the Tathagata could endlessly give birth to the Turning Wheel Sage King, then he himself truly could not kill him after all. The Turning Wheel Sage King was simply too strong. If he became a Saint and then achieved the status of the Turning Wheel Sage King, wouldn’t his combat power be unrivaled?

"When do you plan to attack the Heavenly Court?" Xuan Ming asked.

"Probably in a year or two," Wukong replied. "We’ve just finished such a great battle, and both the soldiers and generals are weary. We need to rest and reorganize properly."

"Oh! Yesterday, that bastard Jade Emperor even sent Taibai Jinxing to lobby us, telling us not to help you. Then I burned Taibai Jinxing’s beard with a blast of fire, and he ran straight out. Haha, it’s hilarious just thinking about it. He actually came to lobby us, not knowing that you’re my nephew-in-law!" Zhu Rong said in a loud and carefree manner.

Xuan Ming gave Zhu Rong a smile that immediately made him feel a chilling aura, but Wukong did not object, saying, "Xuan Ming and I are already Dao Companions, so it’s accurate for you to call me nephew-in-law."

Xuan Ming blushed upon hearing him acknowledge their relationship as Dao Companions.

The Ancestral Witches couldn’t help but laugh, while Gonggong cursed, "You could have said that earlier and saved me from getting beaten for nothing! That’s not brotherly at all."

Di Jiang said, "Let’s disperse, everyone. Our Magical Treasures have suffered considerable damage in this battle. It’s time to go into seclusion and refine them."

After saying that, he left on his own. He had just revived and needed to recover quietly for some time.

The rest of the Ancestral Witches, being people of tact, dispersed as well.

To Xuan Ming, Wukong said, "In this battle at the Spiritual Mount with the Nether River, I fell into a trap and was nearly blown to death by the Blood God Child’s avatar. Fortunately, at the critical moment, I grasped the true essence of my Dao. I was supposed to cut off my obsessions, but I couldn’t let go. A stroke of inspiration allowed me to understand the profound mysteries of the Great Nirvana Technique taught to me by the colorful, immortal Phoenix, and in using it, I achieved Nirvana and became the Victorious Fighting Buddha."

Xuan Ming nodded slightly, not saying much, as she understood what he meant.

Wukong said, "That’s good. The Victorious Fighting Buddha that emerged from Nirvana does not have much to do with me. Although it is ultimately me, it is not like the Three Corpse Gods, where if the main body is injured, they too are injured, and cannot exert their fullest strength unless united. This Nirvana’s Victorious Fighting Buddha doesn’t have such considerations; it is completely independent but still controlled by my thoughts, like an external incarnation capable of exerting all of its fighting power."

Xuan Ming asked, "So are you Wukong now or the Victorious Fighting Buddha?"

Wukong smiled, taking her hand, and said, "I’ve gained enlightenment not from the patrimony of Buddhism, but from the essence of my own Dao! I am Wukong, and I have always been."

In the pursuit of the Dao, it is easy to lose oneself, veering off the path and into heretical practices. No matter how powerful the cultivation, one might ultimately just be chasing after an illusion.

Xuan Ming nodded and said, "Very good!"

Wukong sighed, "This journey has been fulfilling, the only regret being that the Tathagata got away."

Xuan Ming said, "You and he are entangled by karma, but he won’t be able to escape. When the time comes, you can surely rip through the Heavenly Dao Laws, leave this realm, seek him out, and then kill him."

Wukong suddenly thought of the Hong Jun Taoist Patriarch. If he sought his help, perhaps he might have a solution, for the one with the greatest divine skills was surely him.

The Tathagata must be killed; otherwise, it would be a huge obstacle to his own Dao heart!

Wukong suddenly laughed and said, "The karmic ties between the two of us are not insignificant either; should we not resolve them now?"

"What karma?" Xuan Ming asked, her face already flushed, betraying the obvious nature of the great karma that can exist between a man and a woman.

In the thoughts of their Primordial Spirits, a pink mist spontaneously arose. The previous encounter had been a result of tacit understanding, not intentional, so it could not be considered a resolution. Only by making it clear like this could the emotional bond be made whole. Now the two could truly be Dao Companions, ready to trust each other in life and death.

Their Primordial Spirits emerged, their thoughts intertwined, the sensation as delectable as marrow to the bone, leading one to sink deeply, helpless to extricate oneself.

Having already experienced divine communion as Dao Companions once before, the second communion did not produce as much Primordial Spirit thoughts.

However, Wukong’s cultivation had greatly improved, and he perceived even more of the Heavenly Dao Laws from Xuan Ming’s Primordial Spirit thoughts than before, much deeper than last time, which was greatly beneficial to him. The method of Dual Cultivation between Dao Companions is precisely this divine communion, feeling each other’s Dao, while also allowing the Primordial Spirit thoughts to grow in strength, killing two birds with one stone.

To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next installment. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it with a recommendation ticket or a monthly ticket on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)