Chapter 556 - 17: The Dao Fruit Sees Me as the Cyan Celestial Realm, the Buddha Mother Apologizes, Dividing the World in 4

"Are you a symbol of the Undying Dao? Good. Then I shall devour you, make you a part of myself, and suppress you for eternity!"

Hongjun Daoist, along with all his pasts, his other selves, and all his Cause and Effect, was swallowed whole by the Buddha Mother!

"What a wondrous Dao."

Lu Xuan reappeared from the void and spoke in surprise:

"Inside your stomach, I saw Maitreya Buddha. But he was already dead, annihilated by a longsword... No wonder you’re called the Buddha Mother."

The Buddha Mother was horrified. He retreated nine steps, crossing from one end of the ruins of all worlds to the other.

Hongjun Daoist smiled as he followed close behind:

"Buddha Mother, why not try again?"

A chill ran down the Ancient One’s spine. He struck out again and again, annihilating Hongjun Daoist each time, yet Hongjun Daoist would simply reappear from the void and even began to fight back!

’Let’s see just how magnificent an Ancient One truly is.’

Lu Xuan muttered to himself and threw a seemingly ordinary punch. The blow anchored time and space, striking the Maitreya Buddha Mother, who stood untouchable beyond the flow of Years!

DONG!

The fist landed squarely on the Buddha Mother’s cheek, leaving him completely unharmed.

"How can you still touch me??"

The Buddha Mother was even more baffled. He unleashed a hundred different techniques, utterly devastating the entire Celestial Myriad Realms ten times over.

Yet Hongjun Daoist remained unharmed, standing firm in his original spot!

After striking him down again and again, the Buddha Mother finally noticed something was wrong.

"Each time you are destroyed, you... return from the future??"

The terrified Buddha Mother annihilated Hongjun Daoist once more. He forced his eyes wide, staring intently, and finally saw it!

Every version of Hongjun Daoist throughout all of Ancient History died.

Then, from a future that had not yet happened—a place untouchable by the Ancient Ones—he walked back. He descended from one of the infinite future possibilities, returning to the present moment!

"Transcendent Traits!"

The Buddha Mother, the Demon Ancestor, Taiyi, and the Ancient Bodhi Buddha all exclaimed in unison.

Standing atop the ruins of All Realms,

Lu Xuan smiled and adjusted the Azure Heaven Crown on his head.

"Buddha Mother," he asked, "do you still wish to continue?"

As he spoke, he threw a punch, striking at every version of the Buddha Mother across all possible futures he could perceive!

But no matter what technique he used, he couldn’t harm the Maitreya Buddha Mother.

Even when he fully activated the [Creation Jade Disc], it only managed to crack the Buddha Mother’s skin and draw a single drop of blood. That was all.

And then, the future was reflected onto the present. On the Maitreya Buddha Mother’s forehead, a crack really did appear, and he really did begin to bleed!

The Ancient One was utterly astonished. ’Is the person before me still a Daluo??’

His power surpassed that of an ordinary Dao Fruit. He, with only a Daluo Body, had actually managed to injure him. Although it was just a fissure that healed in an instant, a mere drop of Dao Fruit blood, it was more outrageous than a Martial Artist who had just begun cultivating—still in the stage of refining Essence Qi—managing to wound a Daluo!

’A technique like this...’

"Enough!"

A majestic voice descended from above the River of Time. Boundless Great Magical Power swept across the land, reversing time for the shattered worlds and realms, restoring them to their former glory.

Immediately after, the majestic female voice continued,

"Maitreya, apologize."

"My Lady!!" The Buddha Mother’s eyes widened in disbelief. ’Apologize??’

’An Ancient One, a being of the Dao Fruit realm, apologizing to a Daluo?!’

He was filled with a rare fury, and a burning desire to annihilate Hongjun Daoist once again surged within him.

This time, however, Lu Xuan simply stepped into a possible future. He gazed at the enraged Buddha Mother and said slowly,

"I stand right here, yet you can never touch me. It is like an ant exhausting its entire life, yet never touching the magnificent Cyan Celestial Realm!"

Taiyi, who was quietly observing, felt his brow twitch. The phrase sounded somewhat familiar.

As for the Maitreya Buddha Mother, he was so stifled with rage that his eyelids twitched uncontrollably. The fury overwhelmed him, and he spat out a mouthful of Dao Fruit blood. Within the blood, the physical landscapes of All Realms could be seen rising and falling!

The Demon Ancestor’s slightly angered voice drifted down once more.

"Maitreya, do you intend to defy my command?"

The Maitreya Buddha Mother fell silent for a long time. At last, he activated a Magic Technique, entering the state of [Supreme Forgetting Emotions]. Casting aside all thoughts, his entire person became icy and cold, like the sky, like the Dao.

In this state, the Buddha Mother lowered his eyes and cupped his hands in a salute.

"Fellow Daoist, I hope you will forgive my recklessness."

He addressed Lu Xuan directly as Fellow Daoist, then, without hesitation, plucked a treasure from the void and presented it.

"I hope you will accept this treasure, Fellow Daoist, and let your anger subside."

The Demon Ancestor’s voice chimed in at the perfect moment.

"Fellow Daoist Hongjun, can you find it in yourself to forgive him?"

Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes, a thought stirring in his mind. He was still standing in a possible future, yet the gentle breeze stirred by the Demon Ancestor’s voice rustled a strand of his hair...

’This Demon Ancestor isn’t even at the Dao Fruit realm, yet she can also touch the future??’

After a moment of thought, Lu Xuan nodded. He stepped back from the future into the Current World and beckoned with his hand.

The formless, intangible object in the Maitreya Buddha Mother’s palm, shimmering with five lights and ten brilliant colors, flew into his grasp.

"Hm?"

Lu Xuan was slightly taken aback. He sensed that this formless, intangible treasure was quite miraculous; though it lacked form, it encompassed all tangible matter.

It contained the Yin Yang Four Symbols and even the ten thousand things born from the Dao itself!

’Good stuff!’

Putting away the illusory object shimmering with five lights and ten brilliant colors without a change in his expression, Lu Xuan finally allowed a smile to appear on his face.

"The Buddha Mother and I just had a misunderstanding. It’s all cleared up now."

"Excellent."

The Demon Ancestor’s ethereal voice faded, and she was heard from no more.

「In the Chaos.」

"Cough, cough..."

Watching the Demon Ancestor cough violently, the Ancient Bodhi Buddha narrowed his eyes.

"Was that really necessary? Your Magical Power may be Infinite, but you used all of it to shatter the barrier, just to send a single wisp of breeze into the future. You even injured yourself in the process... Why bother?"

The Demon Ancestor replied wearily,

"This Hongjun Daoist is exceptionally mysterious. It is best to be on good terms with him, but he also must be made to feel a healthy dose of fear. He needs to know that he is not the only one who can step into the domain of the future!"

The Ancient Bodhi Buddha wore a strange expression.

"Then why didn’t you let me handle it? An Enlightened One can converge parts of the future. While I am far inferior to that Hongjun, I could have at least dragged him out of the future..."

"Huh?" The Demon Ancestor’s eyelid twitched. Coughing, she said with great anguish, "Why didn’t Your Excellency say so sooner?"

"You never asked." The Ancient Bodhi Buddha shrugged, then turned his gaze back to the River of Time, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"But now... the matter of the Six Paths of Reincarnation might run into some new complications..."

The Demon Ancestor frowned and looked up. She saw Supreme Profound Clarity and the Profound Yellow Emperor, each riding an ox, having already arrived at the boundary between reality and illusion to negotiate.

"Buddha Mother, Immortal Mother..."

Supreme Profound Clarity spoke coldly.

"What is it that you two want?"

The Immortal Mother did not reply, but the Buddha Mother, still in his state of Supreme Forgetting Emotions, said impassively,

"The Han Dynasty is nearing its end. I wish to seize the national destiny of the New Dynasty and take control of the Human Dao Trend."

"Oh?"

The Profound Yellow Emperor, seated on his Kuiniu, lowered his eyelids.

"Immortals and Buddhas are forbidden from interfering in the Human World. I made that rule. Buddha Mother, you had best give up that idea."

He paused, then looked up coolly.

"After all, as long as I stand in your way, you should not scheme any further, Buddha Mother. Not unless you can slay me."

"And me," Supreme Profound Clarity added, his words simple yet profound. He leisurely adjusted his Supreme Daoist Crown and straightened his Supreme Daoist Robe.

Even the Buddha Mother, in his state of absolute calm, devoid of all emotion and desire, frowned.

The Immortal Mother, for her part, kept her gaze lowered and her expression placid, terrified of drawing the attention of these two and being slain just as Gouchen had been!

The Maitreya Buddha Mother exited his state of Supreme Forgetting Emotions and said with a frosty tone,

"You two. Do you think you can do whatever you please just because of the one backing you?"

"Indeed." Xuanqing once again adjusted his Supreme Daoist Robe.

"Correct." Profound Yellow fiddled with the Biyou Palace in his hand.

The Buddha Mother’s expression turned grim. He didn’t answer, instead closing his eyes in silence, as if consulting with someone.

After a long moment, he opened his eyes.

"Since we all wish to contend for the Human Dao Trend, how about this? Right now, there are three main candidates. We will each back one, just as the Shangqing backed the Shang and the Yuqing backed the Zhou in ages past. We will battle it out to determine the new victor and establish the New Dynasty. What do you say?"

The three versions of Lu Xuan all pondered for a moment.

Supreme Profound Clarity smiled.

"That’s not out of the question. I shall represent the Taishang Lineage, back the Taiping Dao, and support Liu Xuande."

Profound Yellow said cheerfully,

"Then I shall represent the Shangqing Lineage, back the Five-Dou Dao, and support Sun Wentai."

The Buddha Mother’s eyes brightened. ’Among the three great Qi Fortune Takers, Cao Mengde is the one with the strongest destiny...’

Just as he was about to speak,

he heard Hongjun Daoist chime in cheerfully from the side.

"How interesting. Everyone is vying for the Human Dao Trend? Very amusing. You should count this poor Daoist in as well. I’ll take Cao Mengde."

The Buddha Mother nearly choked, his anger simmering.

"Then what about me?"

Hongjun Daoist smiled.

"There were four little fellows, weren’t there? Isn’t Yuan Shao still available? And isn’t that other little fellow, Dong Zhuo, already under the control of your White Lotus Sect?"

The Buddha Mother was silent for a long moment. Then, a smile bloomed on his face as he turned to depart.

"Then it is settled."

As he walked away, he added indifferently,

"The calamity of the Divine Enthronement from the Late Shang Dynasty might be upon us once again."

Lu Xuan watched his retreating figure, a flicker in his eyes as he thought to himself,

’Divine Enthronement... that suits my purposes perfectly.’

’Only this time, it won’t be gods who are enthroned, but... the people who will hold the heavens and command the earth.’

Hongjun Daoist smiled and took his leave. Xuanqing and Profound Yellow also lowered their eyes, riding their oxen into the distance.

The three all went their separate ways.