Chapter 703 - 19: A Shattered Dao Heart, and Finally, Integration Dao

SMACK!

"Houtu" swatted away the colliding Six Paths of Reincarnation with a single slap.

She glanced sideways, her gaze fixed on Xiaohuo'er. A smile graced her lips as she said nonchalantly,

"Little one, what are you trying to do?"

Xiaohuo'er, who should have been overlooked by all things and all beings, had been seen through.

"Get out of the way!"

Xiaohuo'er suddenly roared. From within his Physique, the power of an Ancient One erupted. In that instant, his face blurred, looking like Xiaohuo'er, yet also like...

Emperor Jun!

"Not enough." "Houtu" smiled indifferently. With a tap of her finger, Xiaohuo'er, now at the level of an Ancient One, was pierced through, left on the brink of death.

A young girl approached. It was Little Xi He. At this very moment, she began to glow, her face transforming to reveal the appearance of Xi He.

She and Xiaohuo'er merged into one. An aura as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea exploded outward. They had instantly reached the realm of Enlightenment!

The entire Purple Cloud Palace teetered on the verge of collapse under this immense might. Tang Monk, Sun Wukong, and the others were crushed into a corner, unable to move, their bodies cracking under the pressure!

"Still..."

"Houtu" smiled.

"Still not enough."

She struck out with another palm. It seemed light and gentle, yet Emperor Xi—the fusion of Xiaohuo'er and Little Xi He—was pierced through. Before "Houtu," a Cultivation at the level of Enlightenment seemed to be nothing at all.

Under the effects of Body Transformation, every avatar was equivalent to Fu Xi's true self.

Emperor Xi coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face turning ashen. Gritting his teeth, he struggled to rise, wanting to attack again, but "Houtu" suppressed him with a single hand.

'Strange...'

"Houtu" murmured with great interest,

"Isn't Fellow Daoist Purple Cloud an avatar of Taiyi? And you're not Lu Xuan, so why are you doing this?"

After a pause, she continued,

"And why do you want to merge the Six Paths of Reincarnation with the Western Pure Land? Combining these two would bring the Western Pure Land to Perfection and allow the Buddhist Path to flourish... but what's the use in that?"

Despite her words, Fu Xi, in the guise of Houtu, did not let his guard down in the slightest. Transcendence was within his grasp, and he would not permit any accidents.

Fu Xi believed that everything happened for a reason. Therefore, even if merging the Western Pure Land and the Six Paths of Reincarnation seemed useless and inconsequential, he still moved to stop it.

Emperor Xi coughed up more blood, clenching his jaw as he tried to break free from the suppression.

But "Houtu" applied just a bit of force. The overwhelming power was like a torrent, and Emperor Xi was forcibly torn apart, reverting back into Xiaohuo'er and Little Xi He.

The two of them collapsed to the ground, their faces pale and filled with despair.

Toying with the Six Paths of Reincarnation, "Houtu" asked condescendingly,

"Now, tell me, what were you trying to do?"

Xiaohuo'er said nothing, and Little Xi He remained silent. They both just sighed.

Suddenly.

"I'll tell you."

The one who spoke was Tang Sanzang, but it wasn't just Tang Sanzang.

Tang Monk, Sun Wukong, Zhu Wuneng, Sha Wujing, Ben Bo'Erba, the Little White Dragon...

They all rose to their feet, their expressions filled with extreme pain, yet they spoke in unison,

"I'll tell you!"

"Houtu" froze, a look of disbelief on her face. She stammered in astonishment,

"You are..."

"Lu Xuan?"

"Body Transformation... How do you have this? How is it possible??"

...

"To build anew, you must first break the old. This never referred to your Physique or your life, but to your heart—your state of mind."

The Lame Daoist had a gentle expression as he lightly patted Duobao's head, comforting him.

"Since it's all done, don't overthink it..."

Duobao—or rather, Lu Xuan, who had just replaced Duobao, or rather, who had just replaced the Fu Xi who had replaced Duobao—closed his eyes.

"My heart is not at ease."

"Looking across the Three Realms, all you see is Fu Xi. Why would you not be at ease?"

"Wukong is not Fu Xi. Xuanzang is not Fu Xi..."

As he spoke, Lu Xuan lowered his head and muttered to himself,

"By doing this, how am I any different from Fu Xi?"

The Lame Daoist let out a long sigh, his expression complex.

"If you can break this deadlock, you can reverse all of this, can't you?"

"I know, but I just..."

Lu Xuan's lips trembled slightly. For the first time, his Dao heart wavered.

He understood the reasoning, but now that he had actually taken this step, he still... his heart was not at ease.

Lu Xuan, in the form of Duobao, suddenly began to cough up mouthfuls of blood. His Dao heart had clearly shattered. His aura plummeted, and his expression grew listless!

The Lame Daoist didn't speak, only remaining silent. After a long while, he reached out again and patted Lu Xuan's head.

"Xiaoxuan, there is a saying in the Buddhist Sect: If I don't enter Hell, who will?"

"If I don't enter Hell... who will?" Lu Xuan repeated.

He was in torment. The beliefs he had always held, the path he had always followed—he had shattered them with his own hands.

He felt an indescribable guilt, yet also a sense of release, as if his shackles were broken and he could now look down upon the world. And it was this almost human sense of relief that felt like Purgatory to him.

The Lame Daoist continued to counsel him,

"It's like when we fight. A single ripple from our battle can cause the Celestial Myriad Realms to collapse and be destroyed, and countless beings will perish. But after the great battle is over, we can simply rewind the Years and correct everything. Why worry so?"

Lu Xuan closed his eyes. After a very long time, he finally said,

"The difference is that rewinding the Years is easy, but it is incredibly difficult for the beings I have possessed to return. Not unless I can achieve Transcendence..."

After a pause, he continued,

"I am gambling with the lives of Wukong and the others, gambling with the lives of my disciples. This is my failing, and I will not run from it. From this day forward, I will no longer claim the name of a gentleman... Let all sins fall upon me alone."

...

"Let all sins fall upon me alone."

In the Purple Cloud Palace, Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, and the others stepped forward and spoke as one!

The several Lu Xuans attacked simultaneously, using their full power. Caught off guard, the astonished "Houtu" was struck hard, sent stumbling back nine steps, and smashed into the wall of the Purple Cloud Palace, coughing up a mouthful of blood!

Her expression darkened instantly. Boundless Magical Power, Cultivation, and True Spirit Radiance emerged from within her as she spoke in a cold voice,

"Lu Xuan, where did you obtain this trait?"

As she spoke, Fu Xi, in the form of Houtu, also got serious. With a wave of her slender, fair hand, she pierced Sun Wukong's chest, crushed Tang Monk's skull, and shattered Ben Bo'Erba's spine!

The six Lu Xuans were all injured at once, their forms wavering, but they showed no fear. Instead, they remained calm and joined hands!

"Suppress."

The six Lu Xuans spoke coldly, mobilizing the might of the Purple Cloud Palace and gathering the Virtue from the journey to retrieve the scriptures. They actually managed to temporarily suppress "Houtu"!

"Impossible!!"

"Houtu" shrieked again, her face a mask of shock and utter disbelief.

"Lu Xuan, why can you command... the Purple Cloud Palace??"

The six Lu Xuans combined their power. One caused rivers of stars to flow backward, one pointed to summon the torrent of Years, one took on the form of the Creation of Heaven and Earth, and one transformed into the body of the Existence of all things!

"Purple Cloud is me."

the Lu Xuans said calmly.

"Houtu's" expression changed. Purple Cloud wasn't Taiyi, but Lu Xuan?

How could that be??

But the Lu Xuans before her were clearly commanding the Purple Cloud Palace, and even exhibiting the traits of Heaven-Opening Transformation, the Source of All Things, and the Cause of All Fruits!

So, the Purple Cloud Palace Master really was Lu Xuan?

Then what was the deal with Taiyi??

A terrible premonition arose in the heart of Houtu, or rather, Fu Xi. The situation had developed beyond his expectations and spun out of his control.

It was one thing for the Purple Cloud Palace Master to be Lu Xuan, but for Lu Xuan to also possess the trait of Body Transformation... In other words...

In other words, the Purple Cloud Palace Master knew all along that Integration Dao was a trap.

'Then why...?'

Just as a thousand thoughts raced through "Houtu's" mind, the Purple Cloud Palace trembled. It erupted with Infinite Light, accompanied by numerous Slaughter Techniques, which merged to form a Heaven-Reaching Chain that pierced right through her!

"Now!"

Xiaohuo'er roared, struggling to his feet. Cradling the Six Paths of Reincarnation, he charged forward desperately and plunged headfirst into the Western Pure Land in the Purple Cloud Palace Master's hand!

VMMMMM!

Under the watchful eyes of "Houtu," Xiaohuo'er, Little Xi He, and the six Lu Xuans.

The Six Paths of Reincarnation and the Western Pure Land slowly merged, accompanied by an ethereal and profound, supreme, wondrous sound.

The Buddhist Path does not seek gains in the Current World; it emphasizes cultivating good karma for the next life. But the Western Pure Land, as the foundation of the Buddhist Sect, lacked reincarnation and rebirth—it lacked the very concept of a "next life."

Back then, Amitabha Buddha had plotted endlessly just to obtain the Six Paths of Reincarnation. If he could have merged it with the Western Pure Land, he could have stepped back from the brink of decline and into the level of Perfection...

Alas, he fell short at the final moment.

But now,

the Six Paths of Reincarnation was truly merging with the broken Western Pure Land, right in the palm of the Purple Cloud Palace Master.

A brilliant light bloomed as the supreme, wondrous sound played. Countless Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats sang praises within the Pure Land.

The Pure Land had gained Reincarnation. Cultivating in the Current World for the next life—at this moment, it became complete. At this moment, it sublimated.

Within the brilliant light, the Buddhist Path materialized and became tangible.

The Lu Xuan in the form of Tang Monk stepped forward, pressed his palms together, and bowed.

"This disciple, Tang Xuanzang, has come from the Dao Dynasty. I have endured eighty-one tribulations over eight thousand one hundred years, all to..."

"Obtain the True Scripture!"

Illuminated by the Buddhist Path, the Purple Cloud Palace Master briefly broke free from "Houtu's" control, opened his eyes, and beamed with a smile.

"Merciful, merciful!"

"You shall be granted the Mahayana Buddhist Scripture, to illuminate the world and deliver all living beings!"

As his words fell, the Purple Cloud Palace Master pointed a finger. A ray of Buddhist light manifested, transforming into a Buddhist Scripture that landed squarely upon the six Lu Xuans.

At that very moment.

The Western Pure Land fully erupted, feeding its power back into the Purple Cloud Palace Master, and the Buddhist Path shone with dazzling brilliance.

With the retrieval of the scriptures complete, the Buddhist Path flourished. The Human Dao Subject also appeared at this moment, landing on the six Lu Xuans and feeding its power back into him.

With this two-pronged infusion of power, Lu Xuan began to merge with the Buddhist Path, bit by bit. Or rather, he began to take it over, bit by bit.

Until it was complete.

"What's happening?" The terrible premonition grew in "Houtu's" heart. She muttered to herself, her expression growing grave.

No one answered her. The entire Purple Cloud Palace was completely filled with Buddhist light. Brahma Sounds swelled, accompanied by morning bells and evening drums...

The Purple Cloud Palace Master rose gracefully, completely freed from his restraints. The nine Great Daos borne by the Creation Jade Scroll, followed by the three paths of the Supreme, the three paths of the Primordial, and the Path of All Living Beings—

and finally, the Buddhist Path, which he now completely controlled.

Eighteen paths, all assembled.

"It was all meant for this day."

The Purple Cloud Palace Master spread his hands. At the same time, countless Lu Xuans also spread their hands. Under the pull of the eighteen Great Dao Origins, eighty-four thousand Daos became completely entangled, forming a Heaven-Reaching Pillar that pierced through the Era!

And each and every Lu Xuan...

...merged with this Heaven-Reaching Pillar.

In the depths of the Chaos, Fu Xi looked up, his expression changing slightly.

"Integration Dao? Are you insane?"

"I am not insane."

The shattered Lu Xuan struggled to his feet. Behind him, the Purple Cloud Palace Master, the Pangu Daoist, the Yuqing Ancestor, the Yuqing Fusheng Heavenly Venerable, and others slowly approached.

All his forms merged into one again. He pressed his palms together and sighed softly.

"If I don't enter Hell, who will?"

As his words fell.

CRACK!

A sharp, crisp sound.

It was the sound of Lu Xuan's Dao heart completely collapsing and shattering. It was also the sound of him breaking through a great barrier, a great wall. And it was the sound of a brand-new half a Dao Fruit Position being born.

From this point on, there were now ten great Dao Fruit positions.

The Realm of Unity was achieved. Achieved.

Fu Xi watched this scene quietly and spoke in a calm voice,

"You've taken another step beyond the Realm of Transformation? But... what's the use? I can feel that those at the level of Enlightenment are no match for you, but you are still... beneath Perfection."

The Infinite Giant, who had merged with eighty-four thousand Daos, slowly opened his eyes. The entire Great Chaos was illuminated by the blazing light within them.

The giant did not answer. He simply savored the surging power within him as he spoke softly,

"The final calamity has arrived."

As his words fell, he lowered his head, fixed his gaze on Fu Xi, and brought a finger down.

Within that single finger were eighty-four thousand Daos.

Fu Xi did not dodge or evade. A mocking smile appeared on his face, but then the smile froze as his entire body shattered into piece after piece.

He was shattered.

No, he was killed.