Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Ying Long Kills the Future Buddha Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Ying Long Kills the Future Buddha Di Jun chased the talisman deep into the Celestial Realm. It was unknown how long he had traveled before he finally reached Hong Jun’s location.

He felt that the laws of the Heavenly Dao here were in utter disarray, unable to coalesce, with the surrounding void shattered beyond repair. The Heavenly Dao laws couldn’t mend it, and it was only through Hong Jun’s mana, forcibly suppressing it, that it hadn’t completely broken apart and descended into Chaos. A Mountain and Rivers Sheji Map hung in the air before him, sealing off millions of miles of the void.

Di Jun was inwardly shocked and said, “Is the Taoist Patriarch well?”

Hong Jun smiled and said, “I thought it would take you a long time to settle karma, giving you ten years, but unexpectedly, it took you only a few days to come here.”

Di Jun smiled and said, “Having resolved these karmic ties, I have no more concerns left.”

Hong Jun suddenly asked, “What do you think of your successor?”

Di Jun couldn’t help but say, “Was that Hongmeng Purple Qi given to him by you, Taoist Patriarch?”

Hong Jun sighed softly and said, “Heavenly Dao must not be partial, but this time I have indeed been so. During the great battle in ancient times, I was preoccupied with stabilizing the elements of earth, water, wind, and fire, securing the world. Without the ability to intervene, I had to entrust dealing with the Chaos Heaven Demon to Nuwa. Nuwa did not let me down and eradicated the Chaos Heaven Demon, then mended the void. Sun Wukong, being transformed from the Sky-mending Stone left by Nuwa, could also be considered Nuwa’s effort or perhaps her child. In doing this, I am merely compensating for the guilt I once had in my heart.”

Nuwa’s contributions to the Earth Immortal Realm during the ancient times were irreplaceable: refining stones to mend the sky, crafting humans from clay, and leading the Demon Tribe in their cultivation, she was known as the supreme Empress.

Originally, after Sun Wukong was killed by Tathagata, he came upon a sliver of survival instinct, which was secretly imparted to him by Hong Jun, along with a wisp of Hongmeng Purple Qi. As a Great Dao Sage, it was easy for Hong Jun to act without being noticed.

Di Jun nodded slightly and said, “It seems the Taoist Patriarch has inadvertently played a good chess move, this child has the potential to become a saint.”

Hong Jun said, “His path, I cannot see clearly.”

Di Jun said, “I also cannot see it clearly, but it seems Fuxi can.”

Hong Jun laughed and said, “Planting a Golden Lotus to create the world… Hehe, Fuxi is indeed a stunningly talented individual. His skills at calculations are even a notch above mine.”

Given that even Hong Jun admitted his calculations were inferior to those of Fuxi, whose Eight Trigrams could calculate the past, present, and future, it showed just how formidable he was. No wonder he was rejected by Heaven and Earth and thus fell.

Hong Jun sighed and said, “The path ahead is complex, and the order of the Heavenly Dao is already in chaos. Even I can no longer act with an impartial heart.”

Di Jun laughed and said, “They say the saint is emotionless, but as long as one is human, one will have emotions. Although the Taoist Patriarch is a Great Dao Sage, in the end, he is still human.”

Hong Jun nodded slightly and said, “Have you achieved the status of a Great Dao Sage?”

Di Jun said, “Naturally, I have achieved the status of a Great Dao Sage!”

Hong Jun spoke joyfully, “That’s excellent. With your assistance, this expanse of void can be maintained until the full twelve million nine hundred and sixty thousand years. Otherwise, with just my own power, I fear that after three to four thousand years, this expanse of void would collapse, and the calamity of the Primal could come prematurely.”

Di Jun sat cross-legged and exhaled a Golden Core. This Golden Core was impeccably round, engraved with the pattern of a yin-yang fish—this was truly a Saint’s Primordial Dao Fruit! Heaven and Earth exist because of the harmonious interchange of yin and yang; without one or the other alone, life cannot prosper. Only through the union of yin and yang can life endure eternally, hence a saint who attains the Primordial Dao Fruit achieves immortality against all calamities.

Di Jun set the Golden Core in front of him, and the aura of the Great Dao spread out, slowly drawing together the shattered void around him.

******

Meanwhile, the Ancestral Dragon, Ying Long, used an Escape Technique in pursuit of Maitreya, who, feeling a sudden impulse, had hair standing on end as he dashed wildly, heading back towards the Western Heavenly Mountain. But suddenly a golden light fell, and in front of him appeared a middle-aged man in a golden-yellow robe. This middle-aged man was handsome but appeared spiritless, with a sickly look. Maitreya naturally knew that this was due to an injury from the Great Dao, and by his appearance, this person was likely a powerful figure from the Demon Tribe.

Maitreya’s smile turned into a bitter one as he asked, “Who are you that blocks my way?”

Ying Long said, “Ying Long, here to escort you to the Deification Platform.”

Maitreya said, “It seems we have no enmity between us.”

Ying Long replied, “Your kind has a profound enmity with our Demon Tribe’s Green Emperor, and as you are the Buddhist Sect’s Future Buddha, it is only natural to kill you to pave the way for the Green Emperor.”

Maitreya, with a bitter smile, said, “Why not go after Tathagata?”

Ying Long’s face turned stern as he said, “He is to be left for the Green Emperor to kill, but you are unnecessary.”

Maitreya, knowing he couldn’t escape his fate, looked up to the heavens and sighed deeply, “In the end, my cultivation is insufficient, which has led to the destiny of being listed on the Investiture of the Gods!”

Ying Long no longer replied, reaching out with one hand that transformed into a dragon claw, aiming to grab Maitreya’s head.

Maitreya uttered a soft cry, his hands forming a Dharma Seal, as a Dharma Body condensed behind him. He had no intention of being captured without a fight—that was something only a fool would do.

As the ancestor of the Dragon Clan, Ying Long’s Mana was naturally profound, perhaps even rivaling the seven-colored Phoenix that never dies. His dragon claw had nine claws, each like a sharp sword, coming down fiercely and causing Maitreya’s Dharma Body to be torn apart, its flesh turning inside out and blood splattering everywhere.

“Hiss!” Maitreya couldn’t help but take in a sharp breath, astonished by Ying Long’s formidable physical strength.

Ying Long coughed, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out as wounds from the Great Dao began to burst open!

Maitreya knew that as long as he could survive his opponent’s Corporeal Disintegration and Divine Thought into Thunder technique, he wouldn’t have to ascend the Deification Platform. But could he withstand a dying blow from such a formidable adversary? Maitreya’s heart grew ice-cold, regretting that he fled too hastily and didn’t stay close to Tathagata and the Medicine Buddha… Now isolated, he was doomed to suffer.

“The past, the future, neither should exist in this world. The only thing that should exist is the present. With your death, you would be conforming to the Heavenly Dao,” Ying Long said indifferently, coughing as he spoke, his complexion becoming increasingly flushed.

Ying Long revealed his true form, a giant dragon thousands of meters long, with wings on its back and nine claws. Its body gleamed in gold, looking as if it had been cast from gold itself, dazzling and resplendent!

“Such a terrifying explosion of the physical body could be even more formidable than that of the Qilin!” Maitreya thought with a chill in his heart, turning to flee.

But with Ying Long present, how could he escape? His Mana was much inferior.

With a spell cast by Ying Long, Maitreya was trapped, and then Ying Long directly underwent Corporeal Disintegration, his Primordial Spirit Thoughts transforming into millions of Thunder Beads, totaling eight million.

If it had been the Qilin that self-destructed, Maitreya might have managed to survive with severe injuries, but with Ying Long’s Corporeal Disintegration, his death was certain!

Afterward, a wisp of Ying Long’s True Spirit was protected by a ray of sunlight that fell down, heading towards the Deification Platform.

Maitreya summoned all his Magical Treasures, the eighteen treasures of the Buddhist Family, and all the Incense Willpower in his Golden Body, desperately bursting forth to shield himself.

The first Divine Thunder had already fallen, exploding upon Maitreya, causing his body to tremble slightly.

Then… millions rained down simultaneously, like snowflakes impossible to dodge, each one striking Maitreya. In that moment, the world could only see flashes of golden light, every other color veiled by the golden thunder. After a time as short as it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Divine Thunder finally exhausted its energy.

Maitreya stood in place, breathing heavily, then suddenly put his hands together in prayer, sat down cross-legged, his eyes lowered, and the smile on his lips slowly receded.

“It turns out, I have always misinterpreted the Buddha’s meaning. After ascending the Deification Platform, I must become a true Buddha.”

The Future Buddha Maitreya passed away, his True Spirit heading for the Deification Platform.

Tathagata’s expression changed again. He had arrived at the Great Thunderclap Monastery on Spiritual Mount, within the Mahavira Hall.

“Amitabha Buddha, well said, well said. The Future Buddha has entered Nirvana,” Tathagata sighed.

The remaining people of the Buddhist Sect were pale, their clothes torn and faces dirty with blood.

The two thousand Yakshas of the Glazed Light King, the Medicine Buddha, had suffered eight hundred casualties, and both Sunlight Bodhisattva and Moonlight Bodhisattva were severely injured, greatly diminishing his strength. This expedition to Mount Putuo resulted in devastating losses to the Buddhist Sect. In contrast, the Demon Tribe, which lost ancestral figures, only saw fewer than eight Daluo Golden Immortals and Taiyi Golden Immortals perish. This was not just a slap in the face but a knife lopping off the hands of the Buddhist Family.

The Three Pure Ones’ scheme was deep and ruthless, nearly nine-tenths of the Buddhist Sect’s powerful ones had ascended the Deification Platform! Now, only about eighty Daluo and thirty Taiyi Golden Immortals remained. Of the three thousand Buddhas, only those with profound Mana like the Buddha of Immeasurable Life, the Medicine Buddha, and the Corpse Abandonment Buddha remained. A few of the countless Bodhisattvas survived, the Eight Hundred Arhats perished, a few Vajras were left, and as for Protector Heavenly Kings like Indra and the Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons, since they were guarding the Western Heaven, they avoided calamity; but they too were shaken, as the deployment of three thousand Buddhas and countless Bodhisattvas still resulted in such a bitter defeat.

“The Buddhist Family is ruined,” Tathagata lamented to himself, on the verge of tears. He feared it wouldn’t be long before the Demon Tribe assaulted the Spiritual Mount.

“Amitabha,”

All present put their hands together and chanted the name of Amitabha Buddha, their hearts filled with bitter sorrow. During this dire catastrophe, where were Amitabha and Zhun Ti Taoist? Little did they know that, at the time, the three saints of the Buddhist Family were fiercely battling with Di Jun, and Hong Jun had decreed that the saints could not interfere in the disputes between Buddhism and Taoism, only scheming was permitted. Their schemes were inferior to those of the Three Pure Ones; no one else was to blame.

Tathagata pondered, “Who would have thought, after tens of thousands of years, one still cannot escape the fate of ascending the Deification Platform!”

The Buddhist Sect no longer had the lively sounds of Buddha nor the brilliance of golden light, only darkness remained.

To learn what happens next, please wait for the following installment.