868 Clash of Dao (III)
Wang Wei calmly glanced at the bubble. He mobilized his Time Dao, and with one intense look, he overwhelmed Di Tian’s Time Dao, and the bubble popped.
However, the Controller of Samsara predicted this possibility; he knew he was no match for the latter regarding understanding and control of Time Dao. So, he fought using his own field of expertise.
He imbued his Time Bubble with one of the core characteristics of Samsara–[Cycle]. After death, people are reincarnated and begin their life anew. Then, they repeat the cycle over and over until eternity or until they can cultivate to the level where they can escape such a cycle.
With his tactic, his bubble would reappear every time it dispersed, forming an eternal circle.
Wang Wei reacted swiftly after seeing his attack failed. While standing in the void, his surroundings trembled, and a second Wang Wei appeared. In the next half minute, more than a hundred Wang Wei appeared, each with the same intense aura.
They surrounded Di Tian, not leaving any room for him to breathe, strategize, or escape.
‘Clones? No, this is a Time-based technique,’ rapidly analyzed Di Tian. ‘He summoned versions of himself from a few seconds from the past.’
Such a technique was scary as it meant that all those hundreds Wang Wei had the same strength as the original. Even though these time clones or remnants might not exist for long, they each can send a powerful Third Class Attack.
So, Di Tian–who was surrounded–knew he was screwed the moment these people appeared.
Boom!
All the Wang Wei worked together, forming a formation as they attacked. The devastating blow instantly annihilated the entire cosmic battlefield. The space that Heavenly Dao purposely reinforced was like thin paper before the devastating impact of all these Wang Wei.
However, Wang Wei and the Time Clones were unhappy after the attack. They all looked at the future and looked in one direction. After the previous destruction, the team now found themselves in the Fire Dimension.
Di Tian used a technique called [Instant Reincarnation] to survive. In an instant, he died and reincarnated, developed, and grew to his peak state; this technique was one of his trump cards to survive life and death situations.
‘His control over the River of Time is annoying.’ With his Dao, bringing death to a concept like Time is not a problem. However, his opponent summoned the River of Time and manipulated it to boost his power.
As such, the only way to rival him with his Dao is if he also summoned the Path of Reincarnation and used it to borrow its power. However, the Path of Reincarnation is unlike the River of Time or the River of Fate.
It is more private and closed-off, making it difficult for people to summon or use its power. Most people do know why things are like this, including Di Tian. The best explanation is that it’s one of the fundamental rules that Grand Dao established.
However, the truth is one of the Six Cardinals, the Overseer of Samsara, takes her job very seriously. So, she does not allow cultivators to use or mess with the Path of Reincarnation as they please; she often criticizes the Adjudicator of Fate and the Judiciary of Time for allowing people to have so much control over the River of Fate and Time.
Di Tian did not spend too much time dwelling on the issue regarding the Path of Reincarnation. As he watched all these Wang Weis rush toward him, he knew he would suffer again if he did not do something.
So, his mind worked on overdrive before coming up with a solution. Two Di Tian’s appeared before him, releasing a strange aura containing time energy.
‘This is…Future Buddha Self?’ thought Wang Wei with squinted eyes. ‘No, that one is. The second one should be the Past Buddha Self.’
The [Past, Present, and Future Scroll] was a unique scripture composed of three Emperor Scriptures, written by three different Buddhist Emperors that were brothers.
During his Supreme Outlaw Trial, he received the Future Scroll, and the scripture has been an integral part of his journey to understand and control Time Dao.
Due to the benefits, he always wanted to acquire the other two scriptures and planned to use his connection with Feng Heng. Furthermore, Wang Wei had this deep intuition that this book would become extremely important to him in the future.
As such, he was prepared to get his hands on them no matter what. Although he never read these scriptures, he profoundly understood them. So, he realized what Di Tian was using immediately.
He also knew that Di Tian was a Buddhist monk in one of his reincarnations that cultivated those three scriptures. And from the information the Oracle Mirror revealed, Di Tian only lost his battle in that generation because his soul awakened while fusing these scriptures, resulting in his Sea of Consciousness plagued by chaotic time energy.
After the Past and Future Buddha Self manifested, they turned into brilliant lights before disappearing. Wang Wei immediately noticed the changes in the current situation.
‘The past and future–I can’t access them.’
He mobilized the River of Fate and sensed a power resisting his control.
‘Did he sacrifice these Buddha Selves to seal the past and future of this battlefield?’
Wang Wei knew his analysis was correct as his Time Clones dispersed. Without access to the past, the clones could not stay in the present and dispersed.
‘Do you think it would be that easy to stop me?’ thought Wang Wei with a sneer.
As soon as he had these thoughts, Di Tian’s danger sense activated, and he surrounded himself with a Yin-Yang Shield.
Boom!
Despite imbuing his shield with the [Cycle Characteristic] of Samsara, allowing it to regenerate instantly, an overbearing power destroyed it, heading directly for his head and soul.
He reacted swiftly by raiding his arm in a defensive position and mobilizing his Dao Will and Willpower to boost his defense to the best of his ability. Di Tian flew a few million miles away before stopping.
He looked at his hands, which were still in the state of [Indestructibility], and they were missing parts, without a single drop of blood spilling; it was like a pencil erased the missing pieces on a drawing.
‘Destruction Dao?’ thought Di Tian, confusion written all over his face. He recognized the power that did such terrifying damage to him. However, this was not the cause of his puzzlement:
He could not understand where the attack originated from. Simple logic tells him his opponent sent the attack; however, he did not see, detect, or understand how this attack suddenly appeared.
‘Is it Time Dao?’ He could feel that he was still blocking the River of Time, so he ruled out an attack from the past or future. Di Tian concentrated intensely, trying to figure out the ins and outs of this technique.
However, Wang Wei would not give him enough time to think and plan. Di Tian immediately felt another sense of danger and reacted faster than the first attack. With one step, he traversed from the Fire Dimension to Earth Dimension.
Di Tian detected a power that wished to eradicate his very fate, thus eliminating him from Heaven and Earth. No, worse, it would appear as if he had never existed.
‘The scariest and most powerful aspect of Fate–Cause and Effect,’ analyzed Di Tian, who summoned a Book of Life and Death that manifested behind him.
He might not be able to control all aspects of his soul, but Di Tian can control his life and death. So, his name in the Book of Life and Death was erased, making Fate believe it had succeeded in its attempt to erase him.
Then, once the power trying to kill him disappeared, a pen appeared to rewrite Di Tian’s name on the book. In an instant, he underwent the process of dying and being nonexistent to living and having existed.
Sadly, his tactics were not without repercussions. Di Tian saw that sixty percent of his body had faded as if he was disappearing. And the process did not seem easy to reverse.
‘So soon?’ thought Di Tian as he sensed another attack. He quickly calmed down and concentrated; he pushed his spirit, concentration, and senses to their limit.
Furthermore, a small golden tree appeared in Di Tian’s Sea of Consciousness, releasing a holy and noble light that nourished his soul. His observation, understanding, and analysis capabilities instantly reached a new height.
Boom!
Di Tian’s body exploded into oblivion. However, he was extremely calm throughout the entire ideal.
[Death Substitution]
Death Substitution Talisman is a rare resource used by some Emperor Lineages to prevent their Heaven Chosen from dying prematurely. Di Tian’s technique is based on that talisman, so he revived himself less than a second afterward with only a slightly pale complexion.
“I understand,” he muttered; he finally discovered how Wang Wei’s technique operated with the help of the Bodhi Tree.