Chapter 680 - 1: A Transcendent Dao Body per Breath, the Buddha Mother Submits

Chapter 680: Chapter 1: A Transcendent Dao Body per Breath, the Buddha Mother Submits

"Ahem, ahem..."

Lu Xuan coughed gently, his expression weary.

"Xiaoxuan, what on earth is going on with you...?" Supreme asked with concern, but Lu Xuan just waved his hand.

"It’s a small issue, nothing serious."

Beside them, the Goddess’s eyes fluttered open as she spoke softly.

"He overextended himself. In the Realm of Transformation, he turned himself into half a Dao Fruit Position, but then used the Great Freedom Skill to have all beings throughout the Years question him, verify him, and seek him. He has taken on far too much..."

She paused, thought for a moment, and added,

"To put it simply, you could say... he ate too much."

The eyelids of Supreme and the Lame Daoist twitched.

Ate too much?

A wry smile appeared on Lu Xuan’s face.

"Forcibly shouldering the Path of All Living Beings was a bit too much for me. But it’s not a major problem, and at least it gave the Demon Ancestor and the others a good scare..."

As he spoke, he bowed solemnly.

"This time, if not for the help of my two Masters and the Lady, I’m afraid..."

Lu Xuan was speaking the truth. If the three Supreme Beings hadn’t protected his path, and if his two Masters hadn’t lent him their power at the end, the outcome of the day would have been uncertain.

After all, with one of The Three Pristine Ones missing and all of them inside Hongmeng, their powers were mutually weakened. The situation had been dire.

"What’s the big deal?"

The Lame Daoist said with a smile, toying with the forty-one Bodhi Miaoshu Branches.

"This time, Bodhi is the one who really took a beating. The Bodhi Miaoshu lost another forty-one branches, leaving only seven. Its rank has plummeted, and it’s been reduced to an ordinary Dao Fruit Great Artifact."

He paused, his expression turning serious.

"But about the Buddha Mother... that one converted at the end, choosing to truly submit. Was it sincere, or...?"

The smile on Lu Xuan’s face also faded. He hunched his back and, after a moment of contemplation, spoke.

"I’ll meet with him in a bit and probe his true intentions... Now that I’ve achieved Transformation Dao, if I base myself in the Great Heaven and Earth and call upon its Great Will, I can match an ordinary being who has achieved Enlightenment. The journey to the West must be accelerated..."

Supreme looked at his disciple, hunched over from the pressure of the Path of All Living Beings, and a glint flashed in his eyes.

"Is shouldering the Path of All Living Beings a heavy burden?"

"Yes, very heavy. It’s fine for a short period, but if it drags on, I’m afraid I won’t be able to breathe. I must end the journey to the West as soon as possible, or I need to advance to the next stage."

Saying this, Lu Xuan let out a long, turbid breath.

"Forget it. First, I’ll go see the Buddha Mother and find out what’s going on with this Fellow Daoist... Let’s return to the Great Heaven and Earth."

"I will go with you." Supreme nodded. The four then went their separate ways. The Lame Daoist quietly returned to his place above the Years,

while Lu Xuan, alongside Supreme and the Goddess—who had reverted to the form of a young woman in green—walked into the Dao Dynasty’s journey through the Years and into the Douluo Palace in the Supreme Celestial Realm.

As soon as he entered the Daoist Palace, he exchanged a few pleasantries with Lu Jianxue before sending her, Golden Horned, and Silver Horned away for the time being.

Lu Xuan sat down with difficulty on the prayer mat and exhaled another turbid breath.

"I’ll rest for a moment first."

"Very well. I shall summon the Buddha Mother."

Hearing this, Lu Xuan held his breath and focused his spirit, closing his eyes. The space around him suddenly darkened, as if countless cosmoses were rising and falling within it. He silently perceived his own state, his brow slightly furrowed.

The Realm of Transformation was profound and mysterious, but he had not yet reached the Realm of Unity, nor had he managed to form a complete Dao Fruit Position.

Thus, forcibly shouldering the Path of All Living Beings was still too much of a strain. Lu Xuan felt as if several hundred Infinite Divine Mountains were pressing down on his head and back simultaneously...

He gathered his focus, temporarily casting aside the heavy pressure of the Path of All Living Beings, and sensed the changes within himself.

His True Spirit and Magical Power had both surged, and he now possessed the characteristics of an Ancient One who had attained Enlightenment.

Looking down upon the River of Time, he could not only see the current Ancient History but also all of the past, even The Beginning that had never been replaced or tampered with.

He could even exist in all of Ancient History simultaneously...

If Lu Xuan wished, he could even restore a previous segment of Ancient History to reality and re-engage in the great game with the other Dao Fruits, though there would be no benefit in doing so.

’It’s still too slow...’

Lu Xuan whispered in his heart. The Realm of Transformation allowed him to forcibly replicate a Transcendence Origin. He had chosen the Lady’s, and was now slowly siphoning it, but his progress was extremely slow.

If the Lady’s Transcendence Origin was like three thousand great rivers, then with each draw, Lu Xuan could only take a single thread.

However, even if he could only take mere threads at a time, each one was comparable to his previous Transcendent Dao Body!

After all, his original Transcendent Dao Body had been formed from a mere sliver of the Lady’s physical body. On the grand timeline of the great Years, with every breath that passed, Lu Xuan was essentially gaining another Transcendent Dao Body, accumulating them endlessly...

To put it nicely, as long as he stayed by the Lady’s side, Lu Xuan’s Physique was growing exponentially every moment, transforming bit by bit from a Transcendent Dao Body toward a True Form of Transcendence!

But at this rate, there was no telling how long it would take to completely siphon this Transcendence Origin.

If the journey to the West progressed too quickly, he might not even succeed by the time it concluded.

’I have to figure out the Realm of Unity as soon as possible. I managed to repel the Demon Ancestor and the others this time, but it might not go so smoothly next time. I am now a Dao Fruit, and I fear Taiyi is about to make his move...’

Lu Xuan thought silently. ’However, Taiyi probably doesn’t know that I’ve already seen through his other identity. Perhaps I can borrow the Buddha’s power and continue to make use of him for a while.’

As a thousand thoughts raced through his mind, Lu Xuan sensed something. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the form of the Buddha Mother emerging from the void.

"Greetings, My Lord!"

The moment he appeared, the Buddha Mother bowed his head without hesitation, paying his respects as if he were facing the Great Dao itself.

...

「Above the River of Time.」

"Lu Xuan..."

Bodhi coughed up a mouthful of brilliant golden Buddha Blood, his expression utterly grim. He gently stroked the damaged Miaoshu in his hand, silent for a long time.

Beside him, the Demon Ancestor slowly opened her eyes and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

"We’ve suffered a great loss. Lu Xuan’s move was beyond our expectations. The Realm of Transformation... and what is that Creation Jade Scroll of his? How can it gather the Path of All Living Beings?"

Fu Xi shook his head, his expression sinking.

"It was likely forged for him by The Three Pristine Ones in Hongmeng. The Realm of Transformation is profound and mysterious. Lu Xuan becoming half a Dao Fruit Position has broken the numerical limit, so the positions are no longer shackled to nine..."

He paused, his eyes glinting.

"Speaking of which, what’s the deal with the Buddha Mother? To defect to the enemy just like that... is he insane? Or was this arranged beforehand?"

"I don’t know either."

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha stroked his Bodhi Miaoshu, which now had only seven branches, his heart aching. He then grew worried.

"Lu Xuan may have borrowed the power of Supreme and Spirit Treasure, in addition to the Path of All Living Beings, to unleash such might, but..."

"...once he returns to the Great Heaven and Earth, he can wield its Great Will. Even if he can’t match the power he just displayed, he will be no less than someone who has achieved Enlightenment. This adds a new variable to the journey to the West!"

The Demon Ancestor’s brow furrowed. After a moment of thought, she glanced at a blurry figure and spoke coldly.

"Taiyi, Lu Xuan is now a Dao Fruit—and such a wondrous one at that. Shouldn’t you enter the fray? And..."

She paused, staring intently at Taiyi.

"...are you still confident you can devour Lu Xuan?"

"Everything is under my control."

Taiyi spoke lightly, slowly opening his eyes, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.

"This fruit... after nurturing it for so many years and expending so much effort, it’s finally ripe. When the journey to the West concludes, I will harvest it."

"You’re still waiting until the journey to the West concludes?!" the Demon Ancestor suddenly raged. "Taiyi, how long are you going to hide your strength? My brother has already told me you’re hiding something deep!"

"Easy there, easy there..."

Taiyi smiled brightly and gestured for her to calm down. "I only said I’ll harvest the fruit when the journey concludes. I never said I wouldn’t act before then. Don’t worry, I will handle suppressing Lu Xuan."

"Is that so?"

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha asked in a grave tone, still stroking his damaged Miaoshu, his heart aching.

"I’m rather curious. Taiyi, what exactly are you hiding? Why not just tell us?"

"The time has not yet come. You will all find out eventually."

Taiyi yawned.

"I have long since placed a chess piece that strikes right at Lu Xuan’s weakness. The power of this piece is enough for me to completely suppress him..."

He paused, then rose gracefully and looked at the Ancient Bodhi Buddha.

"Alright, I’m heading back. Leave Lu Xuan to me. As for you, Bodhi, it’s just a tree. Is it really worth being so heartbroken?"

"My eighty-one branches are now only seven! Seven!" Bodhi roared.

Taiyi burst out laughing. As he walked toward the depths of Chaos, he teased,

"In that case, Fellow Daoist Bodhi, why not give your Miaoshu a new name? Since it has seven branches... how about calling it the Seven Treasures Miaoshu?"

Bodhi’s mouth twitched. He couldn’t be bothered to respond, and only watched as Taiyi’s figure slowly dissipated into the depths of Chaos before turning his gaze.

"What do you two think? Can Fellow Daoist Taiyi be trusted?"

"Him?"

Fu Xi scoffed.

"He’s a huge problem. He’s hiding something deep and may not be on our side. I even think it would be better to let Lu Xuan become all-powerful than to let Taiyi actually devour him!"

"Brother, what do you mean by that?"

"I can’t explain it. It’s just a premonition—a very, very bad one."

Hearing this, the Demon Ancestor squeezed Fu Xi’s hand and said softly,

"Brother, it’s alright. If it really comes to it, you and I can unite as one. We will be able to suppress any enemy."

"How could I ever be willing to part with you?" Fu Xi caressed the Demon Ancestor’s cheek lovingly. "Since I was young, you’re the only one who has ever been by my side. Through all the ancient years and everything we’ve been through, how could I bear to say goodbye?"

The Demon Ancestor bit her lip and lowered her gaze.

"Brother..."

Nearby, Bodhi gave Fu Xi a suspicious look but ultimately said nothing and quietly departed as well.

As he left, a question arose in his mind. ’The Demon Ancestor and Fu Xi, uniting as one?’

’Can they really unite?’

’And what would happen if they did?’

...

「Douluo Palace.」

The Buddha Mother kowtowed nine times respectfully before carefully raising his head to look at the middle-aged man seated before him.

The middle-aged man was slightly hunched. His figure seemed illusory, yet was also profoundly deep. With a single glance, one could see All Dharma and Wonders, everything profound and mysterious, laid bare before one’s eyes.

To him, looking at Lu Xuan was like looking at the Great Dao itself.

At that moment, Lu Xuan slightly raised his eyelids.

"Fellow Daoist Maitreya, I was wondering, why did you choose to convert? In this journey to the West, doesn’t the Buddhist Sect still have the greater chance of victory?"

The Maitreya Buddha Mother collected himself and bowed solemnly.

"In response to my Lord, for countless years, Bodhi has never treated me as an equal. He has always ordered me about, and whenever danger arose, I was always the first one he sent to face it..."

He paused, then continued,

"After thinking it over and over, I decided it was better to leave the darkness for the light than to stay by Bodhi’s side..."

Lu Xuan stared at the Buddha Mother for a long moment, then glanced at the young woman in green, a questioning look in his eyes.

The Goddess frowned and gently shook her head, but then nodded.

The Buddha Mother was telling the truth.

Lu Xuan’s heart settled slightly. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. If the Buddha Mother’s submission was sincere, then of the three venerables of Spirit Mountain—Shakyamuni and the Buddha Mother—he would now have two of them on his side. Adding Purple Cloud to the mix...

’The Buddhist Sect is really about to become the Daoist Sect.’

He thought for a moment and was about to ask another question when a violent buzzing sound erupted outside Douluo Palace, accompanied by the clang of metal and two thunderous shouts!

"Old fiend in Douluo Palace, come out and meet your doom!"