The Strongest Mythical Emperor
Chapter 783: The Ancestor Takes Charge

Chapter 783: Chapter 783: The Ancestor Takes Charge

As Sun Wukong gratefully acknowledged Qin Jun, the screams of Tathāgata became fainter and fainter.

His stature swiftly shrank from two Zhang to that of a normal man’s size, his vigor withered, the golden radiance on his skin swiftly faded, reverting to the yellow skin of an ordinary person.

With a thud,

he fell to his knees, looking ahead at Patriarch Bodhi approaching through the dust, his expression bewildered, his heart full of bitterness.

He had lost.

A crushing defeat.

Even though he might not have been at his peak, he had still lost, and there was no chance to start again.

Patriarch Bodhi strolled up to Tathāgata, gazing down upon him with an indifferent expression, and said softly, "Actually, I quite admire you, but you made a mistake by using my disciple as a pawn, not just once but twice in succession."

Tathāgata remained silent, knowing that anything he said now was already too late.

He closed his eyes, lamenting in his heart, "My quest for enlightenment has failed; my life is over."

When he had descended to this world ahead of time, he was ecstatic, unbound by the Heavenly Dao of the original time and space, thinking he could once again find hope for enlightenment and sanctity.

Little did he expect, a Holy Emperor of Qin and Patriarch Bodhi would emerge out of nowhere.

"Time and fate..."

Tathāgata sighed within, and as he faced death, looking back on the past, he had no regrets.

It wasn’t that he had made a mistake, it was just that fate was unfair.

Patriarch Bodhi picked him up, turning to fly toward Qin Jun.

At this moment, Tathāgata’s magical power was completely scattered, as if he were a cripple, probably not even a match for a monk from the Transforming Void Realm.

The millions of soldiers in the Great Qin Heavenly Court burst into cheers at once.

"We won!"

"Incredible! To dispatch Tathāgata so easily!"

"Nonsense! He is the Great Sage’s master after all!"

"Who can stand against our Great Qin Heavenly Court in the future?"

"Invincible!"

The soldiers were ecstatic, including the generals, for with the victory over Tathāgata, the domains under the control of the God Temple were theirs for the taking.

Qin Jun was likewise thrilled, looking at Tathāgata in Patriarch Bodhi’s hands, he curiously wondered in his heart, "If I subdue Tathāgata, could I then wield the peak powers of God and Demon?"

If Tathāgata had been at his peak, he certainly wouldn’t have been defeated so miserably.

"Yes, you can, but only if Tathāgata submits; otherwise, if he regains his peak, then the host will be in trouble," the system responded.

Nonsense!

Of course, I will subdue Tathāgata only when his loyalty is maxed out.

Qin Jun thought delightfully, instead of killing Tathāgata, why not turn him into a weapon of war that could sweep across the thousand worlds?

The beings watching from afar exchanged glances, witnessing Tathāgata’s defeat, they couldn’t help feeling as if they were dreaming.

Previously, Tathāgata was so rampant, battling both heaven and earth, an adversary hard to find, but with Patriarch Bodhi’s arrival, his thunderous presence decided the fate of the battle of Universe; seeing the outcome, how could they not be somewhat incredulous?

"Master!"

Sun Wukong and the Victorious Fighting Buddha flew to Patriarch Bodhi’s side, respectfully clasping their hands and calling out.

Seeing Patriarch Bodhi again, his appearance unchanged and as inscrutable as in their memory, still showing them the same deep affection.

"You’ve suffered."

Patriarch Bodhi said to Sun Wukong with a smile and then, with a meaningful look toward the Victorious Fighting Buddha, said, "You don’t have much time left; if there’s anything you wish to do, make sure you do it."

It was no surprise that Patriarch Bodhi could see what was different about the Victorious Fighting Buddha.

But he couldn’t guess why the Victorious Fighting Buddha was like this.

"Master’s words are indeed true," said the Victorious Fighting Buddha, his expression regaining composure as if he were indifferent to the fact that he could only exist for seven more days.

Sun Wukong looked at the Victorious Fighting Buddha with surprise, unable to fathom what riddle Patriarch Bodhi and his disciple were trying to solve.

Elsewhere, Qin Jun instructed a general to lead the troops to clean up the battlefield, and assigned Zhuge Liang to lead the plan to occupy the Western Regions.

Xing Tian, Hou Yi, Kua Fu, and Xiang Yu came to Qin Jun’s side, guarding him, silently waiting for Patriarch Bodhi and his disciple to arrive.

Seeing Tathāgata, who was at his last gasp, in Patriarch Bodhi’s hands, Xing Tian and the others were in a daze.

Having previously battled Tathāgata, they all felt powerless, so seeing Tathāgata in such a sorry state left them with a sense of disbelief.

"Thank you for your assistance, Patriarch Bodhi," Qin Jun said with a smile and a clasped hand salute.

Patriarch Bodhi!

The surrounding generals all committed this name to memory, while Bai Ze began attempting to calculate the significance of Patriarch Bodhi’s name, regrettably to no avail.

"The karma between us also comes to an end here, Tathāgata is yours," said Patriarch Bodhi, casually tossing Tathāgata to Xing Tian who was beside Qin Jun, then turned around, ready to leave.

"Master, where are you going?" Sun Wukong asked hurriedly, like an abandoned child, his eyes brimming with tears that tugged at one’s heartstrings.

In those years, when he left his master, Patriarch Bodhi, in order to protect himself, forbade him from revealing his apprenticeship, leaving Sun Wukong to fight alone.

The monkeys of Flower and Fruit Mountain needed his protection, but no one protected him.

That loneliness shaped the Supreme Heaven Great Sage.

"Your master does not wish to be restrained," Patriarch Bodhi replied with a smile, yet seeing the look of longing and sorrow on Sun Wukong’s face stirred something in his heart.

"Patriarch, why don’t you stay in the Great Qin Heavenly Court? I absolutely will not let anyone disturb you. If you’re outside, you cannot avoid conflict," Qin Jun invited him warmly.

Patriarch Bodhi became renowned after today’s battle; his presence in the Great Qin Heavenly Court, even without actively participating, would still deter all sides.

Patriarch Bodhi looked at him meaningfully, hesitating.

"Master, please stay. His Majesty is different from other kings; he never makes things difficult for others and treats the common people with kindness and compassion," Sun Wukong persuaded as well.

Qin Jun couldn’t help but smile inwardly; it seemed Monkey Brother’s loyalty was at its peak!

This crisis turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as Sun Wukong was on the verge of breaking through to the mid-stage of the Daluo Realm and had also gained Tathāgata along with the Western Regions.

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten about the Nirvana Bodhi Tree.

"Very well, if I find myself uncomfortable, I will leave at any time," Patriarch Bodhi nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the generals around them lit up; with Patriarch Bodhi stationed there, who would dare to trouble the Great Qin Heavenly Court?

Qin Jun also breathed a sigh of relief. Donghuang Taiyi and Randeng, two mythical powerhouses, had fled, and he certainly did not want Patriarch Bodhi to leave as well.

The rewards of the system were best enjoyed personally.

So it was settled; Patriarch Bodhi did not leave, and Tathāgata fell into Qin Jun’s hands.

The outcome was even more perfect than Qin Jun had anticipated; he had initially only hoped to compel Tathāgata to give up the Nirvana Bodhi Tree by threatening him with an army.

Qin Jun exchanged courtesies with Patriarch Bodhi, waiting for the battlefield to be cleared so that the corpses could be incinerated with fire spells.

About half an hour later, the whole world was illuminated by the glow of fire.

"Ding! Side mission ’Buddhist Pursuit’ completed! You have been awarded one God and Demon summoning chance, one God and Demon Legion summoning chance, and an increase of two levels!"

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for breaking through to the Golden Immortal Realm second layer!"

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for breaking through to the Golden Immortal Realm third layer!"

Three consecutive system notification sounds rang out, and the mana within Qin Jun surged wildly.

Apart from Liu Ruolai, everyone around him was a Daluo Realm powerhouse, and they quickly noticed Qin Jun’s breakthrough.

"A breakthrough?" Bai Ze was astonished.

Both Xing Tian and the Victorious Fighting Buddha, who had recently joined, looked at Qin Jun with surprise, for they had not heard of Qin Jun’s legendary deeds.

Patriarch Bodhi raised his eyebrow slightly, scanning with his Divine Consciousness, his expression suddenly changing.