The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 280 - 247: The Scheme to Annihilate the Projection Comes to Naught

Chapter 280: Chapter 247: The Scheme to Annihilate the Projection Comes to Naught

The battle between the Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch and the three projections resulted in the leakage of the dragon Qi from the ancestral dragon vein of the Kunlun Mountains, a key event that could lead to the decline of the fortune of the Southern Toad Continent!

The Southern Toad Continent is the land among the Four Great Continents with the most abundant fortunes. Dongsheng Immortal State has many mountains and rivers peppered with sparsely scattered nations; Uttara Kuru Kingdom is a vast desert mainly inhabited by those from the Demon Path and barbarians; West Cow He State has chaotic fortunes and numerous small countries, making it difficult to unite under a single rule; only the Southern Toad Continent is where the national destiny resides, protected by fortunes, and from ancient times it has produced outstanding figures, with the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors all starting here.

The Kunlun Mountains are the progenitor of all dragon veins in the world, and the entire fortune of the Southern Toad Continent lies in the Kunlun Mountains. In previous years, when Daoist Equal to Heaven and others engaged in magic combat in Luoyang, it was possible to disturb the dragon vein of Luoyang, but this Kunlun dragon vein, even Saints would find it difficult to shake! Even when Gonggong angrily struck Mount Buzhou, he could not cause the leakage of dragon Qi from the Kunlun Mountains.

However, the battle between the Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch and these three projections damaged the dragon vein and caused the dragon Qi to leak out, leaving people no choice but to look up to the heavens and sigh at the unpredictability of fate!

Laozi and Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch arrived in time, while the Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch went after the escaping dragon Qi.

As soon as the dragon Qi leaked, it headed towards Uttara Kuru Kingdom. No matter how much could be recaptured, it was feared that the national destiny of the Eastern Land would no longer be stable afterward! Just as the fortune of the Shennong Clan was stolen by Flying Liann, causing the Five Barbarians to plunge the Central Plains into disarray and nearly leading to its destruction, what more of this Ancestral Dragon’s dragon Qi? In time, the Central Plains would inevitably become the target of foreign tribes, facing invasion.

The Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch chased madly, using his Divine Skills to collect a considerable amount of dragon Qi, but still, much of it leaked into various places in Uttara Kuru Kingdom.

Uttara Kuru Kingdom, adjacent to the Southern Toad Continent, is a vast grassland home to many nomadic tribes; the Five Barbarians originally came from this place! Those not of our kind will surely have different hearts. If these nomadic tribes obtained the dragon Qi, they would surely covet the national destiny artifact, and with the protection of the dragon Qi, they could contend for the national destiny of the Southern Toad Continent.

"Come back to me!" shouted the Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch softly and sent out the Great Year Whip, pulling out a large mass of dragon Qi from the ground and storing it in a gourd to be returned later to the dragon vein of the Kunlun Mountains to maintain the stability of the dynastic national destiny of the Southern Toad Continent.

After leaving the dragon vein, the dragon Qi dissipates if it goes underground. The Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch only managed to capture some of the dragon Qi, as most of it was already leaked to various places in Uttara Kuru Kingdom. In time, it would naturally form new dragon veins, and the nomadic tribes of Uttara Kuru Kingdom would then have the power to contend for the Central Plains!

The Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch harbored secret resentment, thinking, "The Kunlun is the progenitor of dragon veins; even when Gonggong shattered the mountain, no dragon Qi leaked! My battle with these three projections might have been grand in scale, but the spells weren’t even aimed at the mountain, hardly comparable to Gonggong’s blow, yet this dragon vein still had problems! Such is fate! It infuriates me!"

When the Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch returned to the Kunlun Mountains, the two projections had already been slain by Yuan Shi and Laozi, their physical bodies completely reclaimed.

The Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch threw out the Heaven-Avoiding Coffin from the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, which Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch caught in a flash, asking, "Were you able to recapture the dragon Qi?"

But the Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch couldn’t help but shake his head, saying, "I only retrieved a little, and much of the dragon Qi has completely leaked out! It seems inevitable that the national destiny of the Southern Toad Continent will be shaken."

Speaking of this, Yuan Shi and Laozi both couldn’t help but sigh deeply, not having foreseen that their scheme against the Projections of the Heavens would result in such an outcome. With the dispersion of the fortune of the Southern Toad Continent, the Heavenly Dao Laws would also be affected, leading to their breakdown, and the All Buddhas would naturally descend in their true forms, inevitably leading to a fierce and bloody battle like those of the Middle Ancient Times!

Eventually, the Five Decays of Heaven and Man and the great calamities of heaven and earth would occur, with the misfortune of the Southern Toad Continent leading to invasions by the barbarians, and the land immersed in fire and water, plunging the people of the Eastern Land into dire straits, and Otherworldly forces seizing the opportunity to invade!

"Has the physical body been restored yet?" asked the Heaven-Penetrating Hierarch.

"There’s still a bit missing; we should place the physical body in the South Sea Ruins. If we keep it in the Kunlun Mountains, it might become the target of schemes by the Various Heavens," said Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch, shaking his head and speaking softly.

This time, their scheme against the Projections of the Heavens narrowly led to the destruction of their physical bodies. Though the bodies were preserved, the dragon Qi nonetheless leaked out.

Both sides suffered losses, and it can’t be said who won or who lost.

Returning to the battle at the Space-Time Gate, where the Nine Heavens above fought fiercely against the Nine Grand Projections of the Heavens, this vicious battle was equally difficult to resolve!

After all, all the Nine Heavens were grievously injured, and although the Nine Heavens from the Otherworld were but projections, defeating them was not simple! They had projected here with the intention to exhaust the strength of the Four Great Continents!

Tathagata also sensed that something was amiss, realizing that the descent of the Projections of the Heavens had likely encountered obstacles, so he ordered his subordinate Buddhas to continue maintaining the Guiding Great Formation.

Suddenly, the Space-Time Gate broke apart, and nine figures flew out, howling long and loud, attracting Divine Thunder to fall from the Nine Heavens above. The nine stood amidst the Sea of Thunder, looking down on the world with disdain.

"The Nine Heavens of Daoism..." Tathagata’s face suddenly twitched, not expecting those emerging from the Space-Time Gate to be not the Projections of the Heavens but the Nine Heavens under the Heavenly Dao, beings who oversee the entire Heavenly Dao World, with Mana so high, they were nearly indistinguishable from Saints.

All the projections from Various Heavens had become nourishments for the Nine Heavens, and now that their injuries were almost completely healed, they could return to the Nine Heavens, look down upon all beings, supervise the world, and carry out the duties of the Heavenly Dao!

The Heavenly Dao is the Emperor, the Heavens are the supervisors, and the Saints are like the Prime Minister, all there to assist the Heavenly Dao in managing this world. However, because the Nine Heavens had suffered grave injuries, they had hidden within the Heaven-Avoiding Coffin for years to heal, and thus, they had not fulfilled their responsibilities. But now that they have emerged, they should rightfully return to the Nine Heavens!

The Tathagata spread Buddhist Law and did not act against the heavens. The Guiding Great Formation was opened by all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas together. If we speak of Karmic Forces, everyone has been tainted, so the Nine Heavens must not act recklessly, or they will face Heavenly Dao’s punishment! The Nine Heavens are without desire or demand, without sentiment or hate. Although the Tathagata harbors wolfish ambitions, they harbor no hatred toward him. What they need to do is simply to punish those who violate the laws of the Heavenly Dao.

The Nine Heavens, from their lofty position, looked down at the Buddhas of Ling Mountain and said, "The Door of Space and Time exists in violation of the Heavenly Dao, close it immediately, or the Heavenly Dao Divine Thunder shall strike, and you will all be reduced to dust!"

Truth be told, the Nine Heavens are somewhat closer to the Taoist Sect because the "Taixuanjing" named them, and Hongjun was the ancestor of the Mystic Sect. The Nine Heavens could say they were under his banner. But the universe is impartial, be it Buddhist sect or Daoist, anyone who defies the will of Heaven must be slain!

The Buddhas opened the Door of Space and Time to summon the Projections of the Heavens, which was against the Will of Heaven’s Dao, but the law does not punish the multitude. To be able to cultivate to such a degree of cultivation and Magical Power, one must have been approved by the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao itself has no thoughts. What maintains its operation are only the laws left by Hongjun from ancient times. And since Hongjun was akin to Dao, the laws he left are naturally fair and just.

The Tathagata’s expression darkened, flickering with shock, never expecting such a turn of events. The Nine Heavens of the Heavenly Dao World had formally returned, controlling the Nine Heavens, supervising the Four Great Continents—anyone who defies the Will of Heaven’s Dao will naturally face Heavenly Dao’s Thunder Punishment!

To practice cultivation is to go against the heavens; for mortals to become immortals is to defy the heavens, which is why there are Three Disasters and Nine Tribulations and why there are thunder strikes and flames. If one can get through them, they have received Heaven’s approval. Spells like "Resurrect the Dead" and "Manipulate Creation" from the Thirty-Six Types of Transformations involve the Heavenly Dao and cannot be used lightly; otherwise, Heavenly Dao’s Thunder Punishment will be unyielding, leaving you with no chance of escape!

Life and death follow nature; it is what destiny decrees.

The Tathagata raised his hand and said, "All right, everyone stop!"

Then, the Buddhas withdrew their mana, and the Door of Space and Time slowly disappeared into the void. The thunder surrounding the Nine Heavens dissipated, too. They were able to summon the Divine Thunder of the Nine Heavens—thunder that belonged to the Heavenly Dao! And those who practiced and studied the "Shenxiao Torrential Rain" from Enlightenment Dao’s Thunder Magic called forth Divine Thunder from up above. To summon such Divine Thunder requires a heart filled with righteousness, free of wicked thoughts, or else one will be backlashed by the thunder.

The Tathagata knew that the projections of Various Heavens might have already been slain by the Nine Heavens, but with the Essence of Heaven and Earth in hand, he could revive the pepino fruit tree. After all, they were just nine projections—if they were killed, so be it; it wasn’t a big deal! When the Various Heavens truly lead the Otherworld’s armies to strike, the Four Great Continents will naturally fall into catastrophe.

The Tathagata clasped his hands together and said, "This humble monk has seen the Nine Great Heavenly Masters!"

The Nine Heavens coldly looked at Tathagata and sneered, "You haven’t accrued enough Karmic Force, so we will not settle with you now, but there will be a day of reckoning! Tathagata, take heed."

A chill ran through the Tathagata’s heart, he gave a faint smile, and spoke no further. For the Heavenly Dao to settle with those who defy it, it looks at Karmic Forces—there is a threshold, and should it be exceeded, the Heavenly Dao will show no mercy and will directly release thunder to annihilate them! Even the creator, under the endless Heavenly Dao’s Divine Thunder, could not bear it. If it were a Saint, the Heavenly Dao would personally strike to obliterate their Primordial Spirit entrusted within the Heavenly Dao.

The Nine Heavens each snorted coldly and soared skyward, ascending to the Nine Heavens.

These Nine Heavens are a world unto themselves, a Secret Realm created by the Heavenly Dao. The Nine Heavens supervise the world from within, and anyone who breaches the rules of the Heavenly Dao will be directly smitten by thunder!

The Tathagata also gave a cold smile, thinking to himself, "When the great calamity of heaven and earth comes, the Five Decays of Heaven and Man will happen, and the laws within the Heavenly Dao World will weaken. Then the Various Heavens will arrive! I would like to see how you shall block them!"

The Tathagata said, "All Buddhas, please return to your sanctums. Should there be any issues, I will ring the bell and summon you again!"

The All Buddhas rose from Ling Mountain Square and returned to their sanctums. Guanyin was about to leave when the Tathagata said, "Bodhisattva Guanyin, please wait."

Guanyin hastily halted, and the Tathagata said, "I have a treasure here that can revive Zhen Yuanzi’s pepino fruit tree. Take it and revive his tree, so he can release Tang Sanzang and his disciples."

Guanyin received the Pure Vase from the Tathagata’s hand, and the Tathagata added, "You only need to dip your willow branch in the water from this vase and sprinkle it on the pepino fruit tree."

Guanyin performed a salute with one palm, her heart secretly amazed, not expecting the Tathagata to actually be able to revive the pepino fruit tree—such a feat was certainly no small skill!

To find out what will happen next, please stay tuned for the next installment. (To be continued. If you like this work, please head to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)