Kong Xuan was startled by those spiteful eyes.
Was this still the Tathagata?
Calling it a monster would be no exaggeration.
The Tathagata at this moment was bizarre—so strange that Kong Xuan was certain this was definitely not his true body. It wasn't even his primordial spirit.
But how could resentment possess such overwhelming power?
Altria halted, shielding Kong Xuan behind her. She looked up at the enormous face in the sky and sneered. "When my God arrived, He said you had a problem. Now it seems you ought to be erased completely."
"Erased? Heh… I'm in a thousand forms now. Even Heaven can't touch me. What can some outland god do!"
The Tathagata's arrogance
ignited the Lion King's fighting spirit.
Whoosh.
The Sword of Stars settled into her hand.
That small figure became utterly sacred.
"I may not be able to kill you," she said evenly, "but punishing you for blasphemy will be more than enough."
Her blonde hair streamed.
She stepped forward,
and the "curry sword" in her grip swept out.
The world and the stars trembled in succession.
All Heaven, even the Three Realms themselves, stirred awake beneath that strike.
To mobilize such vast stellar power—this was already a force surpassing the Jade Emperor's.
Holy, noble, inviolable.
The terrible blade of light
fell upon the vast, fleshy face.
It was like boiling water splashed on snow.
In a blink, it melted away.
"I can regenerate… why… what is this… what is this…"
A shriek tore loose,
echoing through the Three Realms.
Catastrophes gathered in an instant, as if summoned.
Altria snorted coldly. "My sword was bestowed by the planetary spirits—what you'd call the Heavenly Way. Later it was refined by the power of Fate. It was made precisely to handle villains like you. Enjoy the scour of thunder. Let's go…"
She knew the sin of being unkillable.
She could only make the other suffer for a while.
In that case, a short, sharp lesson would suffice.
The two of them turned into arcs of rainbow light
and flew out of Lingshan.
That thunder tribulation lasted for three full days before it finally ended.
Altria brought Kong Xuan swiftly back to their base camp.
Only after they landed did the Peacock say, "There's something wrong with this Buddhist patriarch. I'm afraid this world is about to descend into utter chaos."
"With God's advent, turbulent times were always likely."
"No, My Lady Goddess," Kong Xuan said. "That's not what I mean. What's truly terrible is what's sealed beneath Lingshan. To buy compromise, the Goddess deliberately let Buddhism flourish…"
"There's such a thing?"
Altria was genuinely surprised.
Kong Xuan nodded.
She told Altria everything she had learned over the years—the news she'd gathered and the inside story she knew.
Altria was astonished.
Before coming to this world, she had studied the history of Journey to the West in the treasure house of the gods. She naturally understood the Tathagata's power on Lingshan.
Outwardly, the Jade Emperor was supreme.
But in truth, it was the Tathagata who held the power of Heaven and Earth.
Whatever happened,
Buddhism intervened.
There was a Kṣitigarbha in the underworld, and innumerable temples among the living. Heaven might bristle at Lingshan,
but it could not resist the Tathagata's might.
Otherwise, the spread of Buddhism to the East would never have happened.
It was the problem of raising a tiger.
"If not for the Tathagata suppressing that evil land, why would even the Heavenly Way be unthreatening to me?" Kong Xuan said. "I was imprisoned on Lingshan for countless years because of his schemes. Otherwise—so what if my mother is the world's first phoenix? I still had to serve as a bodhisattva of Lingshan."
"Understood." Altria nodded. "I need to report this to God and see how He wishes to decide."
…
In the God-Realm,
Liu Che was enjoying the goddesses' music.
To his surprise,
Miaoshan's playing was actually better than Dongfang Huaizhu's.
Her cheerful notes
set Liu Che's white cranes dancing.
Even Kaguya couldn't help but praise her—her talent was exceptional.
She played the zither according to the Law of Emotion,
a fusion of love and sound—two laws twined together.
A new path.
Worthy of a new god—she truly had two brushes.
The melody was long and clear.
One by one, the other goddesses stopped and listened to that wondrous sound.
My Lord God, I have something to report.
A voice rose in Liu Che's heart.
He knew it was Altria.
"Speak."
"Kong Xuan has been rescued and is currently at Guanjiangkou. But there's a larger issue—something major has happened on Lingshan. The Tathagata knows he can't fight You, and now evil qi churns to destroy the world…"
"Don't worry. He can't overturn the sky." Liu Che's tone was calm. "This time, let all beings see Buddhism's filth. You accompany Yang Jian and develop the faith."
"What about Kong Xuan? Should I bring her to the God-Realm?"
"Let her choose."
"Yes."
How could he not sense the Tathagata's aura?
He was propped up by the Heavenly Way.
Hmph.
All of it was clouds.
Only when the Heavenly Way collapsed would it be time for him to seize the world.
Tathagata, Tathagata… I ought to thank you.
Otherwise, letting Yang Jian develop things on his own—who knew how long it would take to take the world?
You'll have to work hard.
It would be best if you even harmed Heaven itself.
In the end, Kong Xuan did not choose to go to the God-Realm; she opted to aid Yang Jian on the spot.
In her words, this world was her home.
Before, she had been trapped by the Tathagata.
Now that she'd received help, she naturally had to give back to this world.
…
In the Myriad Worlds chat group—
Judicial God: "What rotten luck. The Tathagata's finally showing his true colors!"
Delivering All Beings: "What's wrong? From how mad you sound, is the Tathagata a hypocrite?"
Tanjiro: "Yeah, he doesn't seem like a good bird. Did he do something harmful to the world?"
The Money-Loving Fox: "Elaborate. I want to know what sort of hypocrite he became."
Judicial God: "Wait—I'll send the footage my Heavenly Eye captured."
Ding… Group member Judicial God has uploaded a video.
General Yuwen: "Good grief—good grief! This Tathagata is outrageous!! Where's the Buddha in him? He's worse than demons."
Witch of the Present Age: "No. I think the Tathagata was never a 'good bird' to begin with. He's just showing his true face now!"
Tohsaka University: "Mm. You all felt those filthy cracks, right? That's where the real evil is. I've got goosebumps just looking. Ugh… it's chilly."
Second Li: "Smells like war to me."
Ninja Scientist: "+1."
Spirit of the Demon Blade: "What? Another war already!"
Pirate King of the Caribbean: "Naturally. With the Saints' Tomb pacified, it's obvious he doesn't need to beg Yang Jian for relief."
Bearded Swordsman: "But that doesn't seem like a plane-world, does it?"
Kaoru: "You don't need a separate plane to start a plane war. I have a feeling there's bound to be a fight."
In truth, the answer was simple…
Yang Jian's world
looked self-contained,
but in fact it was vast.
Above rose the Thirty-Three Heavens of the Celestial Court; below lay the Yellow Springs of the Underworld.
The entire Journey to the West world was divided into the Four Great Continents, with sacred places like Lingshan scattered throughout.
It was no smaller than the Saints' Tomb world.
The only difference was this—
Chu Whirlwind was in the Lesser Netherworld.
Yang Jian was at Guanjiangkou.
Nine-Uncles, Slayer of Demons: "@Judicial God, Yang Jian… you got any goddesses in your world? Don't you go grabbing a few as offerings to the God?"
The Fallen White-Robed Mage: "Yeah, I heard there are lots of fairies in your world, right? Like Chang'e, and the maidens of Jade Lake."
Judicial God: "…You lot really can't sit still. I just sacrificed the Bodhisattva Guanyin! As for Chang'e—well, if you take a good look, she is a fine choice. You could offer her up."
Everyone had their selfish motives.
He had already sent his own sister, Yang Chan, to God's side.
That way Yang Jian wouldn't need to fear.
If the God "ate" her, he would have nowhere to lodge a complaint.
So, to protect his sister, Yang Jian had steeled himself and sacrificed Bodhisattva Guanyin. Now, if he were to nab a few more fairies…
There would be more women around God.
Coupled with his sincere devotion, maybe God wouldn't touch his sister—right?
In truth, he was tangled up inside.
He wanted someone to discipline his sister, but when he remembered that the "someone" was a god—well, perhaps it wasn't his place to stand in the way.
Sigh…
Such is a brother.
Delivering All Beings: "Cowhide—bragging rights for other worlds secured! Guanyin is a goddess; I wonder if she's spooked. laughing.jpg"
The Money-Loving Fox: "Heh. You're wicked and it's hilarious."
The Fallen White-Robed Mage: "After I make an offering, come fight me. It's fun… enemies everywhere."
General Yuwen: "You're firing map-cannons now, huh? Drawing aggro from everywhere!"
Vampire Queen: "Indeed—can Saruman do anything good?"
The Blond Boy Sam: "That one's got a notorious name—most infamous of us all. Didn't he talk about attacking the Elven Forest the other day? How'd that turn out?"
The Fallen White-Robed Mage: "Heh… My Orc Legion 1.4 is rampaging around. Panic everywhere. If I don't have to kill, I'll just rob—and run when I'm done!"
He was afraid of incurring the God's punishment later.
So he picked the "gentler" route.
"You can't punish me for this, right?"
Even so, when killing was necessary, Saruman was still ruthless.
The queen of the Golden Forest
couldn't sit still any longer.
A letter had already landed on his desk, demanding that the kings convene.
How foolish.
Once you step out of your soft, golden circle, I'll snatch you up—hehehehe…
For Peace: "If we're ranking wickedness, Jack will gladly bow to you!"
Pirate of the Caribbean: "Damn it—why drag me into it every time, you freak of a dragon-turned-dragon!!!"
Tanjiro: "Uh… I don't think dragons transform."
Second Li: "Hahaha, he's tilted."
Young Master Murong: "Stick your butt out—I despise you!"
Demon Hunter: "Serious question. What if I go into Hell and can't find my way back to this world?"
The World-Helping Lord: "Hold up—did you go to Hell?"
Demon Hunter: "Yes. After I nearly unified the world, I went straight into Hell—and then I got lost."