Chapter 685 - 5: 84,000 Bodies, 1 Body for 1 Great Dao

Chapter 685: Chapter 5: 84,000 Bodies, 1 Body for 1 Great Dao

"This path is Integration Dao."

’Houtu’s’ gaze was profound as she spoke in a soft, low voice:

"Fellow Daoist, although you have already stepped into the Dao Fruit level, your foundation is ultimately too shallow. If you wish to make the final leap, to advance further at this last moment, your only path is Integration Dao."

An interested expression appeared on the face of Lu Xuan, who was in the guise of Sakyamuni Buddha. A profound glint flashed in his eyes as he feigned confusion and asked:

"Integration Dao? Fellow Daoist, are you trying to deceive me? Integration Dao requires one to abandon all emotion and merge their body with the Great Dao. If so, how is that any different from being a walking corpse? How is it different from death?"

"You are mistaken, Fellow Daoist. We have no past grievances or recent enmity. Why would I deceive you?"

’Houtu’ continued with a smile:

"The method I possess defies common logic. It does not require abandoning the mind or discarding feelings and desires. It only seeks the true essence, merging the body with the Great Dao for a meteoric rise!"

Lu Xuan’s gaze was profound as he asked, "Then why haven’t you undergone Integration Dao, Fellow Daoist Houtu?"

"Who says I haven’t?"

’Houtu’ raised her eyelids slightly. With a point of her finger, a scene of the Nine Nether manifested in the void. She then spoke:

"Fellow Daoist, please observe closely."

Lu Xuan looked up, his eyes shining brilliantly like two Great Sun Golden Lamps, piercing through everything. In the ethereal void of the Nine Nether, he saw a transcendent True Spirit. Upon closer inspection, this True Spirit...

...had the exact appearance of Houtu.

Houtu had already achieved Integration Dao with the Nine Nether.

’Houtu’ now said with a smile:

"Look at me again, Fellow Daoist. Do I look in the slightest bit like I’ve lost my feelings and emotions? Is there even a hint of the aura of Supreme Forgetting Emotions?"

Lu Xuan lowered his eyelids. ’This Fu Xi... If I didn’t know the truth, I might have actually been fooled by him.’

He smiled silently, then feigned admiration:

"To think such a Skill truly exists in this world. I implore you, Fellow Daoist, teach me."

"Simple. Fellow Daoist Sakyamuni, you need only choose the Dao you wish to integrate with, and I will assist you. Of course, I will need something in return. Though I have no intention of fighting for the position of Transcendence, but..."

’Houtu’s’ expression turned solemn as she spoke, word by word:

"Deep in my heart, there is still a sliver of hope. I will help you achieve Integration Dao now. If you truly attain the position of Transcendence one day, you must, in the next Great Era, help me enter the Door of Transcendence as well. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course, of course! That is only right!"

Lu Xuan agreed magnanimously, a chilling coldness hidden in the depths of his eyes. ’Fu Xi, oh, Fu Xi... When it comes to deception, you truly have one trick after another. A pity that while I am Sakyamuni, I am also not Sakyamuni.’

’Houtu’ nodded and asked with another smile:

"Well then, Fellow Daoist, is there a Dao you wish to integrate with? Describe it to me, and I will help you."

"The Dao I wish to integrate with..."

Lu Xuan gave a brilliant smile.

"All my life, I have sought only not to be outdone by others. From birth, I have wished to cultivate the [Only I Am Venerable]. Therefore, I wish to integrate with..."

"The Three Thousand Great Dao."

"I wonder, Fellow Daoist Houtu, do you possess such an ability?"

’Houtu’ was suddenly taken aback and frowned, but then nodded decisively:

"It’s not impossible, but it might be a bit troublesome. I can assist you, but it will take time. It’s very troublesome. How about you choose another?"

"As I said before, all my life, I have sought only not to be outdone by others. Since I aim to attain this state, I must aim for the very best."

As he spoke, Lu Xuan’s eyes shone brightly. The Third Realm he had pioneered had already undergone Transformation Dao. The next step was Integration Dao. By wielding the Creation Jade Scroll and integrating with the Three Thousand Great Dao, if he succeeded, he would surpass the realm of [Enlightenment].

But as for how to step into [Integration Dao], he himself didn’t have the slightest clue...

At this thought, Lu Xuan gave an intriguing smile. "So, Fellow Daoist Houtu, do you have a method for integrating with the Three Thousand Great Dao?"

"I actually do!"

’Houtu’ smiled faintly:

"The Great Daos of all worlds—they are said to be three thousand, but in reality, there are eighty-four thousand. Fellow Daoist Sakyamuni, you can manifest eighty-four thousand bodies, one body for each Great Dao. Merge all bodies into one, and all Daos will return to one. Then, perform the Integration Dao, and you will succeed."

Lu Xuan grew pensive. ’He had considered this path before, but it was incredibly difficult to achieve. Eighty-four thousand bodies, one for each Great Dao... It seems this Fu Xi knows quite a lot. He’s hiding many secrets...’

With this in mind, he asked again:

"And how exactly would I do that?"

"Simple."

’Houtu’ spoke softly:

"I have a method called [Body Transformation Freedom], which allows one to cultivate countless bodies. I have another method called [Taking Creation], which can extract wisps of the Great Dao. You can use countless bodies to extract countless Daos."

As she spoke, she pointed a finger, and seventeen beings walked out from the void. Each of them was wreathed in wisps of distinctly different Great Daos.

"These seventeen people were cultivated using my [Body Transformation Freedom] method. Each is associated with a different Dao, carrying a wisp of a certain Great Dao’s Origin.

I will forge eighty-four thousand bodies for you, Fellow Daoist, and imbue them with eighty-four thousand Daos. Then, I will transfer all these bodies to you. At that time, you may well succeed."

Lu Xuan glanced at the seventeen beings, feeling a bit speechless. On each of them, there was a faint, almost imperceptible sense of fragmentation.

In other words, they were all Fu Xi...

’The so-called [Body Transformation Freedom] should be the Transcendent Trait, [Body Transformation]. But what is this [Taking Creation] method?’

He asked impassively:

"[Taking Creation]? Can it also take the Great Dao Origin held by The Three Pristine Ones?"

"It can. This method can forcibly extract a single wisp from any Great Dao Origin. But a single wisp is enough. It just takes time. You only need to wait patiently, Fellow Daoist."

’Houtu’ smiled and said:

"But before that, please integrate these seventeen bodies into yourself first, Fellow Daoist."

Lu Xuan’s mind raced, and he naturally guessed Fu Xi’s intentions. ’He says he’s gifting these seventeen bodies to me, but in reality, he just wants these seventeen Fu Xi Incarnations to reside within my body... But I also know the [Body Transformation] method.’

Immediately, Lu Xuan nodded heavily. With a guiding gesture of his hand, amid the brilliant light shed by ’Houtu’, the seventeen beings walked into his body.

Then, Lu Xuan glanced at Xiaonian, who was still cultivating, and rose to perform a salute.

"I have gained much today. I sense that something has changed on Spirit Mountain, so I will not disturb you any longer, Fellow Daoist. I will certainly remember Fellow Daoist Houtu’s kindness."

"Mercy, mercy!" ’Houtu’ gestured with her hand. "Please, feel free, Fellow Daoist."

Lu Xuan performed another salute and took his leave.

As soon as he left, he immediately activated [Body Transformation] and silently replaced the seventeen Fu Xi Incarnations that had occupied a part of his mind.

He then concealed his actions, leaving behind an empty shell for each of the seventeen bodies to maintain the connection with Fu Xi, preventing him from noticing.

Feeling the seventeen additional wisps of Great Dao Origin that had truly appeared within his mind and True Spirit, the Sakyamuni Buddha smiled compassionately.

"Another good person..."

.........

「Huaguo Mountain.」

"Everyone, charge with me!"

Sun Wukong brandished the Ruyi Dog-Beating Stick in his hand, looking ferocious, and was about to attack the Emperor Chariot in the sky.

But just as he leaped into the air, he felt something was wrong. He turned back in surprise and saw his six sworn brothers and sisters standing frozen in place, not moving an inch.

"Everyone, what’s going on?"

Sun Wukong was stunned and looked directly at the Ox Demon King.

"Old Ox, hurry up and attack with me!"

The corner of the Ox Demon King’s mouth twitched violently. He took a deep breath and gave a sheepish laugh.

"Wukong... do you know what this Emperor Chariot is?"

"What is it?"

"It’s the chariot of the Lord of the Dao Dynasty..."

Sun Wukong was suddenly stunned.

’The Lord of the Dao Dynasty? After so many years in the Celestial Realm, he had gained some understanding of the entire Great Heaven and Earth. He naturally knew what kind of figure the Lord of the Dao Dynasty was. Rather than the Lord of the Dao Dynasty, he was more like the [Lord of Heaven and Earth]. For instance, Haotian, the Lord of the Celestial Realm, was merely one of the Three Dukes under this Daoist Lord!’

He looked over, astonished, and stared at Lu Xuan, wrinkling his nose.

"You’re that Lord of Heaven and Earth?"

Lu Xuan, who was talking with the young woman in green, glanced over at the Monkey and said with a laugh:

"What if I am?"

Sun Wukong put away his Dog-Beating Stick. ’No matter how reckless I am, I know I’m definitely no match for such an Existence. It’s doubtful even if all seven of us attack together. If my master came, that might be a different story...’

With that thought, the monkey scratched his ears and cheeks and said resentfully:

"Let me ask you, Daoist Lord, do you know about that old ghost in the Celestial Realm who uses living people for alchemy? I was just about to lead my brothers to storm the Celestial Realm and slay that old ghost!"

Lu Xuan couldn’t help but laugh. "You mean the master of Douluo Palace, Supreme Laojun?"

The moment he finished speaking, Kunpeng Zi, Ox Demon King, Ben Bo’Erba, and the others standing behind all sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.

Huh?

Who??

Supreme Laojun???

The six Great Saints snapped their heads to the side, staring at Sun Wukong, their mouths twitching.

They knew the Sun Monkey wanted to wreak havoc in the Celestial Palace, but who would have thought he wanted to slay Supreme Laojun!!

Has this monkey gone mad?!

The Ox Demon King swallowed hard, a sense of lingering fear rising in his heart. ’My goodness, thank heavens the Daoist Lord showed up. Otherwise, if we had really followed this damned monkey to attack Douluo Palace... The thought was too horrifying to contemplate.’

At this moment, Sun Wukong, oblivious to his brothers’ strange reactions, puffed out his chest and declared:

"That’s the old ghost, alright! Since you are the Daoist Lord, who oversees heaven and observes the earth, you should know about this. I ask you again, why do you ignore it?"

Lu Xuan was speechless. He shook his head and said:

"You Monkey, where did you get this idea that the Old Lord uses living people for alchemy? The Old Lord does indeed practice alchemy, but he only takes materials from a few Cosmoses and Ancient Realms where civilizations and life have already ceased to exist. When has he ever used living beings for alchemy?"

"Old Sun saw it with my own eyes!"

Sun Wukong said righteously, but then he shrank his neck slightly. "Using desolate Cosmoses for alchemy? That old ghost has such an ability?"

Lu Xuan fought back the urge to give the monkey a knock on the head and said with a smile:

"Is seeing truly believing? You... oh, you... Let me ask you, I’m summoning you to re-enter the Dao Dynasty. Are you willing or not?"

Sun Wukong began to waver. After a long moment of contemplation, he finally spoke:

"Daoist Lord, you must promise that what you said is true. Otherwise, I, Old Sun, will risk my life to smash your Dao Dynasty to pieces!"

The Ox Demon King rolled his eyes dramatically, while Ben Bo’Erba couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up.

’This monkey... is freaking awesome!’

Lu Xuan chuckled lightly. "Everything I have said is true, without a single falsehood."

Sun Wukong scratched his ears and cheeks again, then finally gave a decisive nod.

"Alright, I’ll trust you this once. I’ll go investigate that Douluo Palace myself later. But let’s get this straight first: I can re-enter the Dao Dynasty, but I want a title!"

"Go on, what title?"

"Great Sage Equal to Heaven!" Sun Wukong became smug. "Me and my sworn brothers and sisters here, we’ll each be a Great Saint. We want the Dao Dynasty to personally bestow the title and acknowledge it. Is that acceptable or not?"

The Ox Demon King’s heart pounded with fear, and he almost wanted to cry. ’For crying out loud, you can cause trouble yourself, but can you please not drag us into it...’

Among the six Great Saints, only Ao Xianzhi and the Old Peach Tree were relatively calm and not too frightened. One was Lu Xuan’s disciple, and the other was on good terms with him...

At this moment, Lu Xuan pretended to ponder for a long while before giving a slight nod.

"For your master’s sake, it’s not impossible. I grant you these positions, but from now on, you must not cause any more trouble."

"You know my master?"

Sun Wukong was surprised and curled his lip. "No wonder... Fine. Since you know my master, I bet you wouldn’t dare spout nonsense. But like I said, I’ll investigate the matter of Douluo Palace. If something’s not right..."

His expression turned fierce.

"The position of Daoist Lord can be taken in turns. It might just be Old Sun’s turn next!"

Lu Xuan smiled and nodded.

"Of course, that’s not impossible..."

After saying this, he didn’t linger and immediately departed in the Emperor Chariot, leaving the seven Great Demon Saints staring at each other in bewilderment.

"Let’s go, we’re off to the Celestial Realm!" Sun Wukong declared heroically with a grand wave of his hand.

.........

「On the Emperor Chariot.」

"What exactly is going on with ’Houtu’?" the Goddess asked softly. Lu Xuan then recounted everything in full detail.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

"The method Fu Xi described seems genuinely feasible. If he really sends me eighty-four thousand bodies and eighty-four thousand portions of Great Dao Origin, it’s not impossible for me to achieve a meteoric rise. It’s just..."

Lu Xuan’s expression grew solemn.

"Fu Xi wants to trick my Sakyamuni body into Integration Dao. He definitely intends to take away my Sakyamuni body and Dao Fruit, just as he took Houtu’s body and Dao Fruit.

I know the truth, so I wasn’t deceived. But if he uses a similar method to deceive other Dao Fruits..."

The young woman in green frowned slightly, a little puzzled.

"What benefit is there for him in doing this? I have looked directly at Fu Xi with my own eyes, but I saw nothing related to this at all..."

A look of confusion also appeared on Lu Xuan’s face.

"That’s exactly what I’m confused about. Although I don’t know the specifics, we must be wary. Then there’s the matter of the Buddha. Although he changed his Dao to that of a Buddha, it seems he has become independent. What is Taiyi planning?"

As he spoke, he gazed toward the original direction of the Buddha’s Land Spirit Mountain.

"Lady, what exactly did you see in Taiyi? Can you tell me?"

The Goddess frowned, first shaking her head, but then she suddenly fell silent.

After a long while, she looked up and said calmly:

"It’s not entirely impossible."