The Strongest Mythical Emperor
Chapter 1259: Tathāgata Reappears

Chapter 1259: Chapter 1259: Tathāgata Reappears

"Alright, I must go back into seclusion for cultivation. We shall meet again in the future."

Huo Zhenyu cupped his hands and spoke with an eager tone, likely fearing that Ji Longyuan would attack again.

Qin Jun nodded; he was eager to continue seeking the Divine Power and did not wish to further entangle with Huo Zhenyu.

Thus, Huo Zhenyu quickly departed, and Qin Jun and his companions did not linger, heading in a different direction.

On the other side of the Eight Wilderness.

Ji Longyuan stood at the end of the canyon, gazing forward, silently.

"Heavenly Emperor Qin... Patriarch Bodhi..."

He clenched his fists tightly, deeply remembering the name, feeling extremely displeased.

Although the opponent surpassed him, being repelled by him still stung. Ji Longyuan, having dominated the inner universe for countless eons, had never known defeat since becoming an eternal anomaly.

He was akin to Di Tianwu and Xiao Rushui of the Xuandang universe, but different in that the latter two were prominent for mere tens of thousands of years whereas he had been renowned for hundreds of millions of years, reigning supreme over countless races.

Soon, he did not continue pursuing Qin Jun and the others but instead headed north.

Though the Cangwu Pearl was enticing, he had come to the Eight Wilderness not for the Cangwu Pearl.

He had to hurry to obtain what he desired.

Not long after he departed, a mass of demonic energy spread forth, materializing into a humanoid shadow.

This dark shadow, in human form, had indistinct features except for a pair of eyes, the pupils shaped like crescent moons and a sinister purple, enough to frighten anyone present.

"This youngster has strong natural talent, barely a billion years old and about to achieve the status of Manifesting Saint of the Heavenly Dao, truly a fearsome younger generation."

The demonic shadow softly chuckled, then dissipated as if it had never appeared.

...

The roaring, mighty river sent water flying, dampening the grass on both sides.

Qin Jun and his companions rested by the river; the Eight Wilderness was vast, and without Huo Zhenyu to lead them, they wandered aimlessly.

"Ding! Tathāgata’s ultimate awakening successful!"

Qin Jun, who was meditating, suddenly woke from the system notification and immediately instructed in his mind, "Bring up Tathāgata’s attribute list!"

How strong would Tathāgata be after his ultimate awakening?

As the openly acknowledged top powerhouse in ’Journey to the West,’ he surely would not be weak.

He overpowered Sun Wukong, making even Patriarch Bodhi hesitant to intervene, indicating his immense strength. Given his talent, it likely wouldn’t be weak, achieving sainthood undoubtedly was within his reach.

"Tathāgata, from ’Journey to the West’!"

"Identity: Buddha!"

"Cultivation: Mid-stage Manifesting Saint of the Heavenly Dao!"

"Cultivation method: Great Solar Tathāgata Buddha Sutra!"

"Divine Powers: Tathāgata’s Divine Palm! Buddha Land Within the Palm! Buddha’s Ancestry of Myriad Forms! Supreme Buddha Body! All Laws Turn to Void!"

"Loyalty: 99 (full score 100)!"

Mid-stage Manifesting Saint of the Heavenly Dao!

Tathāgata’s ultimate awakening now rivaled Patriarch Bodhi!

Qin Jun was thrilled and immediately stood up.

This startled Lin Yuqi behind him, who suspected an enemy attack.

Ji Bubai opened her eyes and asked, "What happened?"

The other God and Demons also looked toward Qin Jun.

"System, could Tathāgata’s talent truly match that of Patriarch Bodhi?"

Qin Jun curiously asked in his mind, considering Patriarch Bodhi was an innately born Patriarch, having grown up alongside Daoist Cundi, marking him as first-rate in talent.

Tathāgata?

"Given Tathāgata’s powerful strength in the ’Journey to the West’ world, and the system’s distinction between him, Daoist Duobao, and Daoist Jieyin, it was akin to Tathāgata rising post-Investiture of the Gods Battle, achieving Manifesting Saint status. Though Patriarch Bodhi was an inherent Xu Bodhi and shared the same origin with Daoist Cundi, he still had a significant gap in talent compared to Daoist Cundi. They grew up together, but all the spiritual essence was seized by Cundi, which is one reason why Patriarch Bodhi only appeared during the ’Journey to the West.’"

The system explained, while Qin Jun was somewhat skeptical.

Just then, a black hole appeared above his head, from which Buddha’s light shone, immensely dazzling and sacredly solemn.

Immediately following, Tathāgata, cloaked in a kasaya, flew out seated on a golden lotus throne, his face unchanged, but his aura became incredibly steady.

"How is that possible!"

Patriarch Bodhi’s face drastically changed, and he abruptly stood up, his face full of incredulity.

Heavenly Dao, mid-Holy Realm!

Had Tathāgata become as strong as him?

Sun Wukong, Li Yuanba, Yang Jian, Death Path, Ji Bubai, Houtu, Fuxi, Torch Dragon, True Person of the Jade Cauldron all looked on with expressions of shock.

Compared to before, Tathāgata seemed like a different person.

Especially for Sun Wukong, it was as if he had returned to the time of the Great Tribulation in ’Journey to the West,’ when he first faced Tathāgata.

"This guy..."

Sun Wukong gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

Tathāgata leaped down from the golden lotus throne and knelt before Qin Jun, prostrating himself, and said, "Your Majesty’s grace is unforgettable forever; Tathāgata vows to serve Your Majesty to death!"

In his previous life, he had desperately desired to become a saint, and in this life, with Qin Jun’s help, he had surpassed sainthood; how could he not be thrilled?

Seeing Tathāgata’s loyalty still at ninety-nine, Qin Jun’s favorable impression of Tathāgata almost skyrocketed.

He forcibly suppressed his excitement, helped Tathāgata to his feet, and laughed, "You and I switched from enemies to allies. I recognized your talent early on; you did not disappoint my expectations, Heavenly Dao mid-Holy Realm! Very good!"

Upon hearing this, an overwhelming surge stirred in Tathāgata’s heart. Could Qin Jun, with just a Daluo beginner’s cultivation, see through him?

For a moment, he felt even more reverence towards Qin Jun, daring not to be presumptuous, even though he had achieved Heavenly Dao, mid-Holy Realm.

"Congratulations to Tathāgata Buddha for his phenomenal advancement in cultivation!"

"Tathāgata, old man, have you achieved Heavenly Dao, mid-Holy Realm?"

"Damn it, someone has surpassed me again!"

"Son, when will you let your old man become stronger?"

The people gathered around, all envious.

Patriarch Bodhi’s face looked somewhat unnatural. He had guessed that his first-place position would not last long, but he hadn’t expected Tathāgata to surpass him so quickly.

"No wonder Jieyin and Cundi value him so highly; his talent is indeed formidable."

Patriarch Bodhi thought to himself, and with a feigned nonchalant smile, he said, "Congratulations to Daoist Tathāgata; now equal with Heavenly Dao."

Heavenly Dao, mid-Holy Realm, as the name implies is on par with Heavenly Dao.

Wherever they are, Heavenly Dao cannot touch them.

Tathāgata waved his hand and smiled, "Still not as good as Daoist Bodhi."

That said, he faced Patriarch Bodhi neither humbly nor arrogantly.

He wasn’t foolish; he understood why Qin Jun had picked him, hoping to check Patriarch Bodhi.

He didn’t resist; instead, he was pleased—the more useful he seemed, the higher he could climb in the future with Qin Jun’s assistance.

"Great, now with two Heavenly Dao, mid-Holy Realm beings, even if we encounter the Primeval Demon Ancestor, we have nothing to fear!"

Qin Jun laughed heartily, and upon hearing this, the others couldn’t help but join in.

Lin Yuqi, although she didn’t understand what Heavenly Dao, mid-Holy Realm represented, knew from the journey that these were beings above saints.

While Lin Saint Fairy Domain was still struggling with one saint, Qin Jun already had two beings surpassing saints under him, making her sigh at the vast difference.

After chatting a little while longer, everyone gathered their spirits and continued on.

Flying over the giant river, a dense forest lay ahead, with extraordinarily tall trees, and even the bushes reached several meters high, with dense fog above the forest looking as if a heavy rain was about to come.