Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 244 - 236: Holding the Orb of Combat Intelligence

Chapter 244: Chapter 236: Holding the Orb of Combat Intelligence

Xiaoqing was finally rescued, and it had been a long time since she last saw her sister. Having just escaped, she naturally wanted to visit her sister to alleviate her concerns.

Xiaoqing flew all the way and finally arrived in the Eastern Divine Region, making her way to Hangzhou.

Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian had met on West Lake in Hangzhou, and afterwards settled within the boundary of Hangzhou. They built a straw hut on a mountain by the lake and lived there. Bai Suzhen had skills, able to use an incantation to gather many wild fish from the lake, and with a simple spell, she could fetch plenty of firewood from the mountain. Naturally, their lives were quite comfortable.

However, the Eastern Divine Region was after all within the Tang Dynasty’s territory, and the Demon Tribe seldom appeared here. Generally, the minor demons were being hunted down.

Two years ago, the Tang army defeated the Tianzhu army, and the Taoist Sect’s influence greatly expanded. To win over the common people’s faith, the Taoists had no choice but to display their divine skills, persuading them to willingly offer incense. Thus, the demons within the Eastern Divine Region suffered; the Taoist Sect purged them, and Bai Suzhen, who had cultivated into a White Snake, could not escape this cleansing.

But Bai Suzhen possessed Buddhist magical treasures gifted by Wukong, and Taoist cultivators below the level of Taiyi Golden Immortal couldn’t harm her. Later on, elder members of the Taoist Sect acted, and a Taiyi Golden Immortal level expert specifically targeted Bai Suzhen for capture. Bai Suzhen truly was pitiable, finally free from Fa Hai’s harassment, only to face such an ordeal again.

With the Buddhist Sect removed, the Taoist Sect began to fight amongst themselves, showing off their powers and vanquishing demons to gain the common people’s incense offerings. The demons of Eastern Divine Region were completely eradicated by them.

Bai Suzhen was no match for the Taiyi Golden Immortal. She was beaten until her physical body dissolved and her Primordial Spirit was destroyed, ascending to the Deification Platform. Xu Xian was captured and taken back to their sect for indoctrination, to peacefully pursue his cultivation and no longer associate with demons. With his wife gone, Xu Xian was heartbroken to the core, harboring a rage as he cultivated within the sect, waiting for the day he could personally take revenge upon his enemies.

Xiaoqing arrived at Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen’s former residence, only to see the straw hut had turned to ashes, the inhabitants long gone.

Xiaoqing hastily communicated with the animals living there, and that’s how she discovered that her sister and brother-in-law had met with disaster!

Enraged, Xiaoqing spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and at that moment, she heard a loud shout, "You demon, how dare you show yourself here in broad daylight!"

Xiaoqing looked up to see a middle-aged man dressed as a Taoist flying towards her. His cultivation level was probably around that of a High Immortal. Although Xiaoqing’s own cultivation was not that of a Superior Immortal, she was still a notch above this Taoist. Armed with the two magical treasures she had acquired back in the day, she bravely fought against the Taoist.

In short order, the Taoist was defeated and retreated.

With fury, the Taoist yelled, "You demon, such finesse! Wait until I call my fellow sect brothers to deal with you!"

Furious, Xiaoqing had just seen her sister killed by these people of the Taoist Sect and was now being troubled by this Taoist, who even attempted escape. She launched a Steel Needle from her hand, flashing with blood light. Before the Taoist could flee, the Steel Needle pierced through his third eye, shattered his Niwan Palace, and directly killed his Primordial Spirit within his body.

"Bang!"

The Taoist’s body fell from the sky and crashed to the ground, turning into a pile of mush.

As Xiaoqing fought with the Taoist, demon qi soared skyward, alerting other members of the Taoist Sect who then approached from a distance.

Xiaoqing thought, "You killed my sister, today I will surely avenge her!"

Meanwhile, in the Ultimate Bliss World, Victorious Fighting Buddha calculated with his fingers.

The Victorious Fighting Buddha, emerged from Wukong’s Nirvana, was not a resurrected corpse but almost an independent entity.

"Where is Glazed Light King, Pharmacist Buddha? Where are the Five Elements Buddha?" asked Victorious Fighting Buddha.

"Disciples are here," said Kong Xuan and Pharmacist Buddha as they stepped forward and paid their respects to Victorious Fighting Buddha.

Victorious Fighting Buddha was now considered the supreme ruler of the age, leading the Buddhist Sect and governing both the Ultimate Bliss World and the Ten Directions Country. Under his reign, all beings within were treated equally, living harmoniously without oppression or exploitation. This gratified Ksitigarbha King, Kong Xuan, and Pharmacist Buddha, who had once been with the Buddhist Sect. Victorious Fighting Buddha truly practiced the equality of all beings!

Victorious Fighting Buddha said as he counted on his fingers, "Years ago, the Green Snake spirit Xiaoqing was indebted to me. Now she faces jeopardy in the Eastern Lands. Both of you, please make a trip to the Eastern Lands, and spread our Buddhist scriptures along the way, to let the people understand what true Buddhism is about."

Pharmacist Buddha answered, "We shall obey the divine decree!"

Kong Xuan inquired, "Where is Xiaoqing currently?"

The Victorious Fighting Buddha again performs a divination and says, "They are now beside the West Lake in Suzhou and Hangzhou."

The Medicine Buddha nods in agreement, saying, "If we were to go to the Eastern Divine Region to propagate the true teachings of our Buddhist Sect, I’m afraid it’s inevitable that we will come into conflict with the Taoist Sect."

The Victorious Fighting Buddha says, "Wherever there are people, there will naturally be disputes. My mana is not enough to ferry all beings under the heavens to safety; only those who have entered the Ultimate Bliss World can truly be saved. When you go there, if there are disputes, you can simply handle them yourselves. However, act according to your own heart, and if you really feel the desire to kill, don’t suppress it—just go ahead and do it. This mission is to spread the faith widely, perhaps even establish temples and pass on our "Victorious Fighting Scripture."

The Medicine Buddha responds, "I will follow the divine decree."

Kong Xuan also says, "I will follow the divine decree."

The Victorious Fighting Buddha nods and adds, "You can go now; there is no danger on this journey."

With the Victorious Fighting Buddha’s divine decree, the Medicine Buddha and Kong Xuan leave the Ultimate Bliss World and use an Escape Technique to head towards the Eastern Divine Region.

The Medicine Buddha asks, "Five Elements Buddha, how should we divide our tasks?"

Kong Xuan replies, "The Medicine Buddha is deeply versed in our Buddhist scriptures, whereas Kong Xuan is far less so. After we save Green Snake, it will be best for the Medicine Buddha to lead the way in propagating the moral righteousness of our Buddhist Sect."

Upon hearing this, the Medicine Buddha smiles and says, "Very well, we shall do as the Five Elements Buddha suggests."

Kong Xuan and the Medicine Buddha head towards the Eastern Divine Region, but let’s put aside the matter of saving Green Snake for the moment.

After the two departed, the Victorious Fighting Buddha calls out, "Where is Ksitigarbha Buddha?"

Ksitigarbha rises from his lotus pedestal, steps forward, and says, "Ksitigarbha is here. What are your commands, my Buddha?"

The Victorious Fighting Buddha, calculating with his fingers, says, "All four hundred and eighty million Blood God Child incarnations in the Nether River were destroyed by me, and they are now planning to reformulate and refine them anew, which I’m afraid will inevitably turn the vicinity of the Asura Blood Sea into a river of blood. Even though my control of the Buddhist Sect emphasizes acting according to one’s true nature, it is still necessary to harbor at least a small measure of good intentions for the sake of the beings of this world. Ksitigarbha Buddha, you once vowed the grand vow, ’Not until the hells are emptied will I become a Buddha.’ Although it was intended to fool the Tathagata, it has still, in the depths of destiny, tied you to causes and effects. This time, you shall suppress the Asura Blood Sea for a thousand years, which should also resolve this piece of karma."

Ksitigarbha places his palms together in respect and says, "Thank you, my Buddha, for the guidance."

The Victorious Fighting Buddha states, "On your mission, Diting will aid you. The Nether River, now devoid of the Blood God Child incarnations, cannot trouble you. There is no need to give you any magical treasures, as there are still eighty thousand strands of Chaos Sword Qi left over from the last great battle. I will give them all to you."

Ksitigarbha expresses his gratitude, "Thank you, my Buddha."

The Victorious Fighting Buddha takes out the eighty thousand strands of Chaos Sword Qi and, with a wave of his hand, transfers them to Ksitigarbha. The eighty thousand strands were refined into a single bead by the Victorious Fighting Buddha. To activate the Chaos Sword Qi, one simply needs to recite the incantation and channel mana into the bead to release them.

The Nether River was incredibly powerful and possessed formidable magical treasures, as well as four hundred and eighty million Blood God Child incarnations, which solidified his title as the foremost figure under the Saints. However, in the battle between Buddhas and demons, the Nether River, in his haste to escape, was forced to abandon all four hundred and eighty million Blood God Child incarnations and detonate them, now leaving him severely weakened in terms of primordial qi.

Ksitigarbha’s own power was by no means weak. Within the Buddhist Sect, it can be said that he was second only to three revered figures like the Tathagata. Moreover, he had Diting as his mount, which effectively meant the force of two supreme Primordial Golden Immortals! The Nether River, now missing his Blood God Child incarnations, was like a tiger without teeth. If Ksitigarbha and Diting joined forces against him, the Nether River would surely be no match for them and would be destined for defeat.

Within the Asura Blood Sea, there was another Primordial Golden Immortal, the Asura Demon King, Sovereign Mara, but Sovereign Mara had been gravely injured by Wukong and would not recover for several hundred years.

Ksitigarbha asks, "My Buddha, shall Ksitigarbha depart now?"

The Victorious Fighting Buddha responds, "Go!"

Ksitigarbha rides on Diting towards the Asura Blood Sea.

Once Ksitigarbha left, the Victorious Fighting Buddha closed his eyes and began to preach.

To find out what happens next, please stay tuned for the next installment. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian [qidian.com] to vote for it and send monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)