Taoist Myth: I am the last true immortal in the world

Chapter 873 The Sages' Laughter
The fact that Niu Dali was killed was known to almost all the half-step Great Luo Immortals in the myriad realms.

The killing of a disciple of the Half-Step Great Luo Sect was a sensational event in itself, because it was a matter of face.

Everyone knows that a half-step Great Luo cultivator has reached the realm of indestructibility, meaning that even if the world collapses, they will not perish like others.

Only when the "Great Dao" is restarted will the half-step Great Luo perish.

Therefore, a half-step Great Luo cultivator doesn't care about life or death, since they simply won't die.

The only things that can make someone who is half a step into the Great Luo realm care about are interests and face.

The benefits are manageable; I didn't get them this time, but there will be other opportunities next time.

Face is a different matter. I lost face today, and it won't be easy for me to get it back. It will inevitably make the other half-step Grand Luo laugh at me.

In other words, what the half-step Ronaldo actually values ​​most is face.

Niu Dali, Chen Yun's disciple, although he had left the sect, still maintained a connection with it. However, he was killed, which was a slap in the face for Chen Yun. Half-step Grand Luo cultivators in all the heavens and myriad realms were waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

What's the result?

Not long after Niu Dali was killed, Chen Yun immediately launched a counterattack, not only beating Maitreya, who killed Niu Dali, until his face was swollen, but also causing Dipankara Buddha, who came to help, to lose face.

Such a bizarre plot twist is truly both speechless and hilarious.

Of course, two players who are almost at the level of Ronaldo (a legendary Chinese player) can't be laughing at all.

Indeed, these two near-Great Luo Immortals are none other than Maitreya Buddha and Dipankara Buddha.

How could they possibly laugh when they were the ones who had lost face?

Saha world, Vulture Peak.

Maitreya's face turned ashen.

Dipankara Buddha was in no better shape, his brows furrowed slightly.

At their level of cultivation, even the collapse of all the heavens and myriad worlds wouldn't faze them, but... they can't stand being proven wrong.

The Venerable Maitreya said in an unfriendly tone, "This Chen Pu is extremely arrogant. He actually asked me and you, Grandmaster, to go to Huangting Temple to bring someone back. If I really go with you, wouldn't I be bowing down to that scoundrel?"

Dipankara Buddha naturally understood this principle and was also somewhat displeased. "Hmph, you and I are two of the three founders of Buddhism. Our status and position are extremely noble and illustrious. If we were to personally come to Qingcheng Mountain today, it would represent Buddhism bowing down to him. How dare he, a mere Taoist emperor, make such an excessive request? Among the twenty or so Taoist emperors, only the Six Emperors dare to make such a request to us. Even the Five Elders are not allowed!"

In this world of Taoist mythology, while sects may offer some advantage in terms of status and position, ultimately, one's own level of cultivation and attainment still matters.

Maitreya and Dipankara Buddha, as two of the three great masters of Buddhism, are among the most powerful beings at the half-step Great Luo level, and naturally they would not easily bow down to anyone.

They can say with certainty that among the Taoist emperors, only a few emperors, such as the Six Emperors, can reliably defeat them; the others, even those at the half-step Great Luo level, are not guaranteed a victory.

Furthermore, Buddhism also has Shakyamuni Buddha, the most outstanding half-step Da Luo, presiding over it, making Buddhism the second largest religion in this world after Taoism.

Therefore, whether from the perspective of their own cultivation or the blessing of their respective sects, neither Maitreya nor Dipankara Buddha need to bow their heads to anyone.

Now, Chen Yun is asking them to personally go to Qingcheng Mountain to receive Mujianlian. Isn't that just forcing them to bow down?
If the one forcing them to bow their heads is the Six Emperors of Taoism, then what is there to say? Although they will still feel some humiliation, it will only be a little, and they will still be willing to bow their heads, since the Six Emperors' cultivation level and status are above theirs.
Chen Yun had only broken through to the half-step Great Luo realm a few years ago. Although he had a sensational record of suppressing the Brahman Triad God, he was actually inferior to Maitreya and Dipankara Buddha in terms of cultivation level and status. Now that he was forcing the two of them to bow down, how could these two Buddhas agree?
Forget about whether they agreed or not, Maitreya Buddha and Dipankara Buddha couldn't stop their anger whenever they thought about it.

They felt looked down upon...

No, to be precise, it was contempt, and contempt from someone whose cultivation level and social status were inferior.

The intense sense of humiliation enraged them so much that they wished they could tear Chen Yun to pieces.

Of course, Maitreya Buddha and Dipankara Buddha knew that it was impossible to tear Chen Yun to pieces, since he was also a half-step Great Luo, an indestructible being.

The only thing they could theoretically possibly do was suppress Chen Yun in chaos, but that was only theoretical.

Because they had previously fought Chen Yun remotely and suffered a crushing defeat.

Although exchanging blows from a distance cannot represent the true strength of both sides, Maitreya Buddha and Dipankara Buddha could sense from the side that Chen Yun's cultivation level was probably still far behind theirs, and suppressing him would be almost impossible.

Not only is suppression impossible, but the possibility of them joining forces to break Chen Yun's sword formation is almost zero.

During their previous encounter, Maitreya Buddha and Dipankara Buddha sensed an unparalleled power within Chen Yun's sword formation.

That kind of power that can stabilize earth, water, fire, and wind, and evolve into primordial nothingness, is something they simply cannot break.

Perhaps it was because he was recalling the course of their encounter.

Dipankara Buddha suddenly sighed, "Emperor Chen's methods are indeed very powerful. Even the two of us combined are no match for him. I wonder if Shakyamuni Buddha can break his sword formation."

Maitreya said, "Buddha will surely be able to break Emperor Chen's sword formation. In fact, even if you and I use our most powerful magic weapons, we might be able to break it. However, it is generally better not to use magic weapons of this level lightly, otherwise people will see through it, which will be detrimental to our subsequent actions."

Dipankara Buddha shook his head and said, "Although you and I both possess powerful magic weapons, it is still unknown whether we can break Emperor Chen's sword formation."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Maudgalyayana is still in his hands, what should we do?"

The Venerable Maitreya remained silent.

Seeing this, Dipankara Buddha also fell silent.

……

Taiwei Yuqing Palace.

The Jade Emperor, who was originally dealing with affairs of the myriad realms with many celestial officials, suddenly appeared speechless.

A celestial official standing nearby was taken aback and asked with some confusion, "God, why are you laughing for no reason?"

The other celestial officials all looked over, somewhat puzzled as well.

The Jade Emperor said with a smile, "Just now, Emperor Chen fought with the two leaders of Western Buddhism, Dipankara Buddha and Maitreya Buddha, and gained a slight advantage."

Another celestial official asked in confusion, "Does the Emperor find it interesting that Emperor Chen has gained the upper hand?"

"Not at all." The Jade Emperor was quite amiable towards his subordinates. "Do I seem so shallow?"

The first question posed to the celestial official was: "If that's the case, why is God laughing?"

The Jade Emperor said, "After Emperor Chen gained the upper hand, he captured Maudgalyayana, who is known as the greatest in supernatural powers in Buddhism, and brought him back to Huangting Temple. He also said that he would only release Maudgalyayana if Dipankara Buddha and Maitreya Buddha came in person. Otherwise, he would have Maudgalyayana buried in Qingcheng Mountain. Now you know why I laughed for no reason?"

"Haha." "I see."

"Emperor Chen is quite a remarkable person."

Upon hearing this, all the celestial officials present burst into laughter.

They certainly knew what Chen Yun's actions meant.

This means that two of the three major founders of Buddhism have to obediently bow down to him.

It is true that Buddhism has five half-step Great Luo Immortals, but Amitabha Buddha is an incarnation of Laozi and therefore cannot be counted.

As for Moli Putian, she is similar in nature. She is half of the innate Yin Qi incarnation of Yuanshi Tianzun, and cannot be considered a purely Buddhist person.

Therefore, in the true sense of Buddhism, the only ones who can be considered as the "half-step Great Luo" (a high-ranking Buddhist deity) are Shakyamuni Buddha, Dipankara Buddha, and Maitreya Buddha.

Now that Chen Yun is forcing two of them to bow down, if those two really do so, wouldn't that be equivalent to the entire Buddhist community bowing down to him?

How can it not be laughable that a sect claiming to be the second largest in all the heavens and myriad realms has been forced to this point by Chen Yun, a mere half-step Great Luo Immortal?

The celestial officials found it amusing, but they only laughed for a short while.

The celestial official who had spoken first said again, "Emperor Chen's request is too much. In my opinion, even Dipankara Buddha and Maitreya Buddha might not agree to it."

The Jade Emperor said with great interest, "That's not necessarily true."

All the celestial officials present shook their heads. They did not believe that Maitreya Buddha and Dipankara Buddha would be willing to lose so much face and bow down to Chen Yun.

……

The Purple Palace of the Great Luo Heaven.

"Haha, hahaha."

Standing outside the palace, the Ziwei Emperor laughed loudly with his hands behind his back.

The True Lord Yousheng asked in bewilderment, "Why is the Heavenly Emperor laughing so loudly?"

The other three of the Four Saints of the North Pole also cast puzzled glances at them.

They were unaware of Chen Yun's fight with Maitreya and Dipankara Buddha, as it all happened too suddenly and ended just as quickly.

The Ziwei Emperor recounted what had just happened, then asked in return, "Maitreya and Dipankara usually think highly of themselves, claiming to be the Buddha of the past and the Buddha of the future. Now, in front of Emperor Chen, they have completely disgraced Buddhism. Do you think I should burst into laughter?"

Marshal Tianpeng exclaimed in surprise, "Just now, Emperor Chen fought against Venerable Maitreya and Dipankara Buddha, and even gained a great advantage, and then made this request?"

At this point, he couldn't stop smiling, "That is indeed quite funny."

You Sheng Zhenjun smiled and shook his head. "Maitreya and Dipankara Buddha have already lost so much face. If they really go to Qingcheng Mountain to demand people back, they will only lose even more face. I think they will be too ashamed to go and meet Maudgalyayana."

Marshal Tianpeng disagreed, saying, "Emperor Chen always keeps his word. Since he said that if the two leaders don't go, Maudgalyayana will be buried in Qingcheng Mountain, then he will definitely do it. On the contrary, I think that Venerable Maitreya and Dipankara Buddha will not just watch Maudgalyayana die and disappear. They would rather lose face than not go to Qingcheng Mountain to demand his return."

Yisheng Zhenjun looked at Ziwei Emperor and said, "Heavenly Emperor, what do you think?"

The other three all looked over, wanting to hear what the Ziwei Emperor had to say.

The Ziwei Emperor pondered for a moment, "This matter is hard to say. It depends on Maudgalyayana's standing in the eyes of Maitreya and Dipankara Buddha. Let's wait and see. I'm sure we'll know the outcome soon."

……

Penglai Fairy Island.

Dongwanggong Wang Xuanfu couldn't help but laugh and said, "My grand-disciple is truly amusing."

Dongfang Shuo had just heard the Eastern King Duke recount the entire incident and knew what had happened.

He also said with a smile, "That Venerable Maitreya thought that killing Niu Dali would make Emperor Chen lose face, and deliberately had Maudgalyayana send Niu Dali's corpse to Qingcheng Mountain, which was clearly a provocation. Who would have thought that Emperor Chen would not tolerate it at all, but would directly use the same method against him, and instead make Venerable Maitreya and Dipankara Buddha lose face. It's really interesting."

Sima Chengzhen also laughed, "Originally, Niu Dali had left Emperor Chen's Huangting Temple, and his life and death were no longer related to it. You, Venerable Maitreya, killed Niu Dali, and no one would stand up for him. But you even had Maudgalyayana send Niu Dali's body back to Qingcheng Mountain. It's simply too much. If I were Emperor Chen, I wouldn't have given him any kind look either. However, what I didn't expect was that Emperor Chen was so fierce. Not only did he not give him a kind look, but he also directly used the supreme magic to make Venerable Maitreya and Dipankara Buddha lose face. Such a thing is something that even a half-step Great Luo wouldn't dare to do."

The Eastern King said meaningfully, "It's not that ordinary half-step Great Luo cultivators wouldn't dare to do this, but rather that they don't have the strength to do it. My grand-disciple's cultivation level may not be high among half-step Great Luo cultivators, but the sword formation he refined is incredibly powerful. Even the three Brahman gods working together were suppressed in the chaos and could not recover for eternity. It's not just a matter of whether he dares to do this, but that he has the strength to do it."

Upon hearing this, all seventy-two immortals of Penglai pondered for a moment.

They seemed to understand why Chen Yun showed no respect to Maitreya and Dipankara Buddha. It wasn't because Maitreya had provoked them, but because of his overwhelming strength, which allowed him to act this way.

There is a fundamental difference between not daring to do something and not doing it.

Clearly, Chen Yun's initial inaction upon learning of Niu Dali's death was not out of fear of Maitreya Buddha, but rather because he chose not to act.

Upon realizing this, the Seventy-Two Immortals of Penglai finally understood just how powerful Dongwanggong's genius grand-disciple was. He didn't even put Maitreya and Dipankara Buddha in his eyes. This strength was truly astonishing.

Of course, although Chen Yun doesn't take Maitreya and Dipankara Buddha seriously now, everyone knows that he does so entirely because of the power of the sword formation. In reality, his cultivation and realm are still quite far from those of these two Buddhist leaders.

The Seventy-Two Immortals of Penglai did not ask any further questions, but deep in their hearts, a question remained: would Maitreya and Dipankara Buddha really come to their door to ask for their people?

……

There are many, many more deities who share the same questions as the Seventy-Two Immortals of Penglai.

Other half-step Grand Luo practitioners and their disciples in Taoism are all paying attention.

The extremely rare half-step Grand Luo cultivators and their disciples from other sects were also watching.

Everyone wanted to know if Maitreya Buddha and Dipankara Buddha would humiliatingly bow their heads and go to Qingcheng Mountain to demand the release of the people.

To be honest, most people think it's unlikely, after all, the reputation of a half-step Ronaldo is too important.

The death of Maudgalyayana is nothing to Maitreya and Dipankara Buddha.

This is what most people think.

Unfortunately, their idea didn't last long.

Less than an hour after the incident, Maitreya Buddha and Dipankara Buddha suddenly appeared outside the gate of Huangting Temple!

(End of this chapter)