Chapter 599 - 44: Backup Plans Emerge, Lu Jianxue Enters the World, Zhenyuan Zi Joins the Battle

Chapter 599: Chapter 44: Backup Plans Emerge, Lu Jianxue Enters the World, Zhenyuan Zi Joins the Battle

「A future yet to come.」

"From the grey dawn of time, the Human World has been in chaos. In the past, Saint Lu held up the falling sky and suppressed Immortals and demons. Today, Hongjun brings order to this great age and pacifies the world. Thus, on this day, we report to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, Saint Lu, and Confucius, and offer sacrifices to the Elder Sages and saints of yore..."

In the four cardinal lands—East, West, North, and Center—four immense, boundless platforms began to glow with a brilliant light.

A terrifying aura shot straight to Heaven, proclaiming to all of existence that a new emperor would arrive today!

The great trend of the Human Dao surged forth, accompanied by a great upheaval. Clouds and mists roiled, churning and spreading!

「The ’present’ of the Late Han Dynasty.」

As the Purple Cloud Palace opened wide, being after being stepped onto the Chaos Ladder. A careful count revealed that from the Late Han Dynasty alone, over a hundred people had departed!

Xuandu, Xuanyuan, Shennong, Zhang Daoling, Yan Huang...

The celestial momentum shifted dramatically.

"Attack!"

A Buddha spoke with cold indifference as his true form descended upon the Yellow River Basin. Emperor Pass wavered, then cracked under the brilliant radiance of the Buddhist light.

"Hongjun Daoist, you are insolent and audacious, disrupting the heavens’ time and fate. Today, we shall settle all accounts."

The Buddha Mother spoke with cold indifference.

A massive palm, Covering the Sky and Sun, struck down at this very moment. Yet, it also struck simultaneously toward the four great platforms across all of the present and all of the past, intent on destroying all four in a single blow and rewriting history!

The great palm blotted out the sky, and massive waves churned the River of Time.

One Daluo after another appeared, following behind him, led by the two Supreme Ones, Great Sun Buddha and the Venerable Buddha.

The Immortal Mother, Longevity, Qing Hua, the Vermilion Bird, the Black Tortoise, and all the Buddhas accompanied them, stepping forward in unison. Each was surrounded by temporal phenomena,

accompanied by Immortal Light, mountains and rivers, all worlds and realms, All Skills and all forms, and by the sounds of hymns, chiming bells, and silver bells.

A brilliance that was Covering the Sky and Sun smashed into Emperor Pass, shattering it!

"Repel the enemy!!"

Guangcheng Zi’s voice was hoarse.

The Jade Void Twelve Immortals walked out from Emperor Pass. The Ancestral Dragon and Fengdu also came forward, but they were nothing compared to the Buddha Mother.

Before the twenty-three Daluo on the northern bank, they seemed so pale and powerless!

The Twelve Immortals had only recently attained the rank of Daluo. Although Fengdu and the Ancestral Dragon were veteran Daluo, they were still a step away from becoming Supreme...

"Today, all accounts will be settled."

The Buddha Mother, high in the sky, spoke again with a solemn voice. His massive hand also descended, covering the four great platforms.

The Golden Platform buzzed, the Langya Platform cracked, the Profound Bird Platform cried out in grief, and the Copper Sparrow Platform turned to ash!

"Buddha Mother, stay your hand."

Suddenly, a calm voice rang out. A Daoist appeared, walking forward step by step, accompanied by purple qi flowing from the east and a shimmering celestial light.

Within the Thirty-Three Celestial Realms, the host of immortals who had been watching the terrifying scene in the Human World with dread all gasped.

Some of the more senior Immortal Gods, in particular, stared with wide eyes and open mouths, utterly stunned.

Taibai Celestial Venerable muttered to himself,

’Is that... is that... His Majesty?’

The Nine Venerable Ones were all shaken. After countless years, that person had actually appeared in the Current World!

"Haotian!!"

The Buddha Mother’s voice boomed.

"You’ve only just returned from death, and you’re already eager to enter the fray? Be careful that on the day Amitabha returns, he will descend in great fury and suppress you until the next Era!"

Haotian smiled.

"I look forward to that day."

As he spoke, he struck out, intercepting the Buddha Mother and engaging him in battle.

In an instant, the two Dao Fruit beings had already clashed countless times across the past and future!

「The Spring and Autumn Period.」

The Celestial Emperor opened his eyes, stepped down from his Emperor’s Throne, a Copper Mirror in one hand and his Emperor’s Sword in the other. The longsword tore through the air and, amid the astonished cries of countless Immortals and Buddhas, plunged into Spirit Mountain, piercing through the Future Buddha!

「The Late Shang Dynasty.」

The war of Divine Enthronement was gradually intensifying when the Future Buddha suddenly strode into the Celestial Court, taking nine steps.

Then, the Celestial Court fell from the sky in a cloud of roiling dust. The Future Buddha struck out with his palm, and the Celestial Emperor’s skull cracked!

「The Five Emperors Era, the Era of the Three Emperors...」

「The present.」

All the Enlightened Ones were locked in fierce battle, unable to spare any attention. Thus, the two Ancient Ones fought without restraint, their battle to the death spanning all of history!

The Palace Guardian Spirit Official under the Celestial Emperor was converted to the Buddhist Sect.

And so the Joyful Bodhisattva under the Buddhist Sect renounced his vows and joined the Daoists!

The Enlightened Ones fought across the ages.

The Ancient Ones battled to the death within the ages.

The war grew more and more intense. The Buddha Mother did not hesitate to use his trump cards, joining forces with the Great Belly Buddha to attack Haotian.

Haotian, having just returned from death, was still in a weakened state. For a time, the two sides were actually evenly matched, with neither gaining an advantage!

The Buddha Mother laughed heartily.

"If this is all you have, Haotian, then your intervention is useless. How can the Jade Void Twelve Immortals and those two little ones possibly stop the twenty-three Daluo of the Late Han Dynasty?"

"Perhaps."

Haotian gave a noncommittal, faint smile.

An ill premonition bloomed in the Buddha Mother’s heart. While continuing to battle Haotian, he once again cast his gaze toward the end of the Han Dynasty.

At this moment, a bloody battle between Daluo was raging before Emperor Pass, but it was an almost completely one-sided affair.

Great Sun Buddha and the Venerable Buddha had barely even acted, yet the Jade Void Twelve Immortals were already in full retreat.

The Emperor’s Robe on Emperor Fengdu was in tatters, and the Ancestral Dragon was also covered in wounds, his scales shattered!

"Hold them off!!"

Guangcheng Zi, at the cost of his physical body cracking, forcefully tied down the Great Sun Buddha and roared,

"Fellow Daoist Hongjun needs time!"

"Of course!" Emperor Fengdu’s voice boomed as well. He dragged the entire Underworld into the Human World, forcibly enduring the backlash from heaven and earth to shatter the barrier between the Human Realm and the Nine Nether.

Relying on the enhancement from the Nine Nether and the Underworld, he managed to hold back the Venerable Buddha, but his own condition was terrible. He coughed up mouthfuls of blood, and his eyes grew unfocused!

The Immortal Mother shook her head in pity.

"Why continue to struggle? It is twenty-three against fourteen. The advantage is ours. You... have no chance."

As she spoke, her jade palms casually plucked several brilliant rivers of stars from the void and sent them piercing through the Ancestral Dragon.

In truth, the Jade Void Immortals were each facing one or two Daluo of the same level and were being steadily pushed back. It was only because the Buddhist Sect’s Daluo, the Vermilion Bird, the Black Tortoise, and the others didn’t dare to strike a killing blow.

Otherwise, the dust might have already settled!

The Buddha Mother let out a leisurely laugh.

"Oh, Haotian, Haotian, you may have planned for every contingency, but you never expected the Purple Cloud Palace to open half a year early, did you? If Xuandu were still here, perhaps the outcome today would be uncertain, but..."

His expression was solemn and majestic, his tone even carrying a faint hint of pity.

"Alas, there are no ’ifs.’ Your defeat is sealed. The Jade Void Twelve Immortals may escape unscathed, but the Ancestral Dragon and Fengdu are doomed. When Amitabha emerges from Douluo Palace, you too will be eternally suppressed."

Haotian smiled. The Copper Mirror in his hand flared with light, piercing through all of ancient time and shattering the Buddha Mother’s head.

He said faintly,

"Look again."

The Buddha Mother frowned and looked again toward the Late Han Dynasty.

The Celestial Vault suddenly trembled. Profound water cascaded down, accompanied by images of a coiling tortoise and snake and intertwining Yin Yang. Emperor True Martial stepped into the Human World, striking ferociously. The True Martial Emperor’s Sword slashed toward the Immortal Mother!

The Buddha Mother chuckled.

"True Martial? Can a Daluo at the Eternal Proof level change the situation?"

Haotian smiled.

"Don’t be hasty. Keep watching."

As he spoke, a woman walked out from Douluo Palace. Her aura was impressive, but she had not yet reached the Daluo level. She was likely a ’Similar to Daluo’ being, above the Celestial Realms but below Daluo.

But...

In her left hand, she held the Vajra Scepter; in her right, the Palm Leaf Fan. Around her neck was the Purple Gold Bell, above her head flew the Southern Earth-Departing Flame Banner, and wrapped around her waist was the Golden Cloth Rope. Beside her, a Purple Gold Gourd spun in the air!

Several top-tier Supreme Treasures, some even at the Dao Fruit Level, unleashed their power at once. Under the blast of brilliant light, the Venerable Buddha was struck and sent coughing up blood!

"That’s..."

On Emperor Pass, the grim-faced Ying Zheng stared for a moment, looking at the familiar figure. He muttered distractedly,

"Xiao... Xiaoxue?"

High above, the smile on the Buddha Mother’s face faded slightly, but he was still smiling. His expression grew a little more solemn, yet he still spoke in a light and airy tone:

"She is not a Daluo, after all. So what if she holds a body full of Supreme Treasures? Even with Fengdu’s help, she still can’t do anything to the Venerable Buddha. The moment the dust settles will be delayed, but it will settle all the same."

"Is that so?"

Haotian blocked one of the Buddha Mother’s attacks and said airily,

"Then, keep watching."

Before Emperor Pass, the situation suddenly changed. The Emperor of Longevity in the South Pole and the East Pole Qing Hua Emperor abruptly attacked! One struck the Vermilion Bird, the other the Qilin!

Caught off guard, the Vermilion Bird was pierced through, letting out a shrill, vibrating cry. A Dao wound was left in its chest. The Qilin fared no better, being slashed and shedding torrent after torrent of Daluo blood!

"Betrayal on the battlefield?!"

Great Sun Buddha was enraged. A look of astonishment also appeared on the Immortal Mother’s face. Clearly, neither of them had expected this turn of events!

Guangcheng Zi withstood a blow from the Great Sun Buddha and laughed out loud.

"Now... it’s eighteen against twenty-one!"

"So what?" Great Sun Buddha’s expression was grim. His Lifebound Dao Artifact, the Vajra Origin Wheel, materialized in his hand and spun, knocking Guangcheng Zi away.

Then, he struck out with furious momentum, aiming for the Emperor of Longevity in the South Pole and the East Pole Qing Hua Emperor, as if to annihilate the two traitors!

The Venerable Buddha’s expression was also grim. He took a heavy blow from the Vajra Scepter and withstood the Great Earth Mansion that Fengdu smashed toward him, forcing an attack of his own.

"Traitors on the battlefield must be killed!"

He was originally one of the seven Buddhas of the past. At this moment, he attacked across the infinite past, striking at the former selves of Emperor Qing Hua and the Emperor of Longevity.

Under the combined assault of two Supreme Daluo, Emperor Qing Hua and the Emperor of Longevity seemed to be at a disadvantage, showing signs of actually perishing!

High in the sky, the Buddha Mother’s expression was slightly gloomy.

"Fine moves, very fine moves. How long have you been hiding these two chess pieces?"

Haotian shrugged and said honestly,

"According to Xiaoxuan, it was at The Beginning of Ancient Times. The Primordial Great Celestial Venerable acted personally."

The Buddha Mother froze, shocked. He subconsciously glanced over again.

A wisp of Primordial Ancestral Qi erupted from both the Emperor of Longevity and Emperor Qing Hua. Primordial Treasure Light appeared above their heads, and each became solemn and majestic, their great might piercing through all of history!

"Primordial... Primordial Incarnations!"

The Immortal Mother’s scalp tingled, and the hearts of the two Supreme Buddhas seemed to stop. But Great Sun Buddha immediately barked:

"They are not True Self Incarnations, merely other-transformed ones! They do not possess the power of a Dao Fruit. Slay them! Our Buddha will naturally protect us!"

The two Buddhas’ attacks grew even more ferocious.

High in the sky, the Buddha Mother’s expression quivered. He said coldly,

"Excellent, excellent. To actually get *that one* to personally act at The Beginning of Ancient Times, to collect Qing Hua and Longevity and turn them into his own incarnations... Such a vicious move!"

Two Innate Divine Demons, forcibly taken as incarnations of a Dao Fruit being at The Beginning of Ancient Times. This meant that the previous Longevity and Qing Hua were completely dead, utterly nonexistent!

They had completely vanished from Ancient History!

And the root cause was merely a single move in a Dao Fruit’s game.

The Buddha Mother’s face was grim. He snorted coldly again.

"It is as I said. If this is all you have, it changes nothing. Your defeat is sealed. What is the point of this desperate struggle?"

"Keep watching, just keep watching," Haotian said with a smile.

「The Late Han Dynasty.」

The Jade Void Twelve Immortals were still on the losing side, each of them wounded. They had only just attained the rank of Daluo, and their foundations were too shallow. They were simply no match for the numerous veteran Daluo.

On the other side, just as the Emperor of Longevity and Emperor Qing Hua were about to be shattered under the full power of the two Supreme Buddhas,

Suddenly.

"All this fighting and killing... is it really necessary?"

Accompanied by a sorrowful voice, a Daoist sighed. Holding the Five Villages Temple in his palm, he slowly walked over. With a single wave of his other hand, he intercepted, neutralized, and dissolved the killing blows from Great Sun Buddha and the Venerable Buddha!

The newcomer was none other than the oldest, most senior, and most experienced Supreme Daluo, the only one to have survived from the first part of Ancient History to the present day: Zhenyuan Zi.

"Well now, are you bullying Jade Void because we have no one?"

Another female voice rang out. But after a moment’s thought, she corrected herself, "Well now, are you bullying Jade Void because we have no treasures?"

As her voice fell, the woman strolled into the Human World and announced loudly,

"Time to hand out the treasures!"

With a grand wave of her hand, the Primordial Qingyun, the Three-Bejeweled Ruyi, the Jade Void Golden Bell, the Jade Void Palace...

These Dao Fruit Level Supreme Treasures rained down, and as it happened, each of the Jade Void Twelve Immortals received one.

High in the heavens, Haotian roared with laughter.

"Now, how about it?"

The Buddha Mother opened his mouth, his expression a mixture of shock and fury, yet also tinged with bewildered confusion.