Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 600: The Battle of the Saint

Chapter 600: The Battle of the Saint

Whether it be Beiju Luzhou or the Southern Continent Jambudvipa, the entire Three Realms are embroiled in intense battles now.

Even though Tongtian didn’t wish to disturb the common folk’s peace, casualties were inevitably affected by the ripples of war.

In the powerful city of Chang’an located in the Southern Continent Jambudvipa, countless followers of the New Buddhism prayed to the New Buddha Temple, and just as many civilians looked up at the occasional thunder that flashed across the sky with anxiety at the unexpected violent winds that rose without warning.

Especially near Beiju Luzhou and towards the south of the Southern Continent Jambudvipa, it looked like the end of the world, with countless civilians ready to move their families elsewhere to seek refuge.

"Alas, when the empire rises, the commoners suffer; when the empire falls, the commoners suffer!"

Within the Zixiao Palace beyond the Heavens, Daoist Ancestor Hongjun watched the scenes of the Three Realms and couldn’t help but sigh.

So many affairs lead to the rise and fall of empires, but it is always these civilians who suffer the most, especially those who cannot defend themselves.

"Master!" Quasi-Ti Daoist, upon being summoned, left his residence to come to the Purple Cloud Palace.

"Hmm, wait here, not only has the sky changed in the Three Realms, but even beyond the Heavens, a shift is about to occur," said Hongjun with a hint of worry on his face as if he had a premonition.

Shortly after, Saint Taiqing also entered the Purple Cloud Palace.

Quasi-Ti had been in seclusion healing, and if not for Daoist Ancestor Hongjun calling him out, he would not have come out at all.

Because of this, he didn’t know that Saint Taiqing had also returned to beyond the Heavens. Most importantly, as Quasi-Ti watched Saint Taiqing approach, he felt that the current Saint Taiqing had changed and wasn’t the same as before.

He now radiated an extra otherworldly charm.

"Saint Taiqing, have you, have you taken that step?" Quasi-Ti asked Saint Taiqing with some uncertainty.

"Yes, I had a realization in the lower realm and came back, and finally took that step," Saint Taiqing replied with a smile, nodding his head. His epiphany when he was a part of him now allowed him indeed to take an additional step beyond what they had.

"Congratulations, Elder Brother!" Quasi-Ti expressed with a complex look on his face, but still offered his congratulations.

From the perspective of one at the Pinnacle of Great Luo, becoming a Saint is a transcendental step.

But for Saints themselves, it is not the end of cultivation; they also need to continue their practice.

Since the beginning of the Primordial Continent, it began with Daoist Ancestor Hongjun merging with the Dao and then teaching his disciples. Purple Cloud Palace has undertaken three transmissions of the Dao, bestowing seven strands of Hongmeng Purple Qi, eventually leading to the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, and Nuwa, among the six to Achieve Saintliness.

The Three Pure Ones followed the old path, cutting off their Three Corpses to attain the Saint Fruit Position.

Nuwa conformed to the Heavenly Dao, created the Human Race, brought forth boundless merit, and achieved Saintliness through this accumulated merit.

Jieyin, though also achieving the Saint Fruit Position, there inevitably seemed a hint of opportunism, making grand vows in front of the Heavenly Dao to use them as a basis for their enlightenment.

But becoming a Saint is just the beginning; the common belief is that a Saint is just a Saint; only after achieving Saintliness do they realize that Saints are also categorized.

Unlike other realms, Saints are not divided into early, mid, late, peak, or perfection stages, but rather into One-Step Saints, Two-Step Saints, Three-Step Saints, and Four-step Saints.

Saints like Quasi-Ti are merely One-Step Saints.

Looking at the vast Primordial Continent, only Daoist Ancestor Hongjun, who merged with the Dao, has taken the third step to become a Three-Step Saint.

Certainly, now there’s one more—Daoist Yang Mei—who has had an amazing encounter in the Void to become a Three-Step Saint.

However, the position of Two-Step Saint has always been vacant in the Three Realms, until now when Saint Taiqing successfully took the step, filling the role of a Two-Step Saint.

"Practice at ease. When you truly understand, integrating with the Dao, whether at dawn or dusk, will be a matter of one single day!" Daoist Ancestor Hongjun comforted Quasi-Ti Daoist.

"Yes, Honorable Master!" Quasi-Ti Daoist suppressed the dissatisfaction in his heart, realizing how ridiculous it was to have such thoughts in front of Daoist Ancestor Hongjun.

"Honorable Master, what is the reason for calling us here today? Has something changed again in the Three Realms?" Saint Taiqing asked.

After all, if there wasn’t something important, Daoist Ancestor Hongjun would surely not have called them.

"The Three Realms are already in chaos, with the great battle of Quasi-Saints in Beiju Luzhou and the war against the Demon Race celestial Soldiers in Southern Continent Jambudvipa. We have gained the upper hand in both fronts, so someone will surely become restless!" Hongjun, who had always kept an eye on the affairs of the Three Realms, naturally knew the current state of affairs.

Especially in Beiju Luzhou, although black-robed and white-robed figures, Jiang Ziya, Ksitigarbha, and others are mighty, the Quasi-Saints are no match for them.

But facing such a reckless fighting style of the Three Realms, they too bear numerous wounds.

Just as they had anticipated, with the demise of the Buddha of Bright Virtue and Ocean, Yun Zhongzi being freed up, Poxun within the Eight Trigrams Array is in imminent peril.

The Ghost Car and Divine Armor cannot hold on for much longer.

And in Southern Continent Jambudvipa, as the Ten Yama Kings summoned a hundred thousand celestial Soldiers, the Demon Clan’s military advantage had dissipated.

The opposing Pinnacle of Great Luo numbered merely in the tens and was on the brink of collapse.

Once ten Quasi-Saints are free to assist Beiju Luzhou, capturing the Demon Race Sages would be an easy feat.

Of course, Hongjun knew that someone would certainly not be content with this and would seek him out.

Thus, he had Saint Taiqing and Quasi-Ti come here early to prepare.

"Hongjun, you dare to interfere so brazenly! Come out here!"

Not long after, the Void beyond Chaos began to tumult as well, with Yang Mei’s voice piercing through the Void, and through Chaos, directly reaching the Purple Cloud Palace.

Having anticipated this, Hongjun remained unfazed and stepped calmly to the edge of Chaos and the Void.

"Daoist Yang Mei, the Three Realms are about to be settled, and you might have to wait for more than three hundred years!" Hongjun looked at Daoist Yang Mei in the Void and slowly said, "We are all descended from the Primordial, why cling to taking action against the Three Realms?"