Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 970 The Heavenly Demon Seizes the Emperor's Path

"Don't think about it!"

The emperor could no longer maintain his composure, and his expression became somewhat ferocious.

With a wave of his shepherd's staff, four supreme treasures condensed from the Great Dao of the Holy King manifested, each facing a sword light.

Before the four treasures could even take shape, they were destroyed by four sword beams powerful enough to sever the laws and principles of the Dao. However, the Emperor was able to use this opportunity to break free from the blockade.

However, the crisis did not disappear just because they avoided the sword light blockade.

Before the Emperor could stand firm, an extremely terrifying and pure force, reminiscent of the terrifying violence that had arisen from the previous Great Destruction, emerged and erupted from behind him without warning.

This strike contained terrifying rage, power sufficient to shake the very foundations of the heavens. It disregarded the numerous divine powers protecting the Emperor, and ignored the changes in the void and the light of the universe, before slamming hard into the Emperor's back.

Emperor's eyes widened, and his chest suddenly exploded, spraying out countless streams of light. These were not blood, but the Holy King's Great Dao that had been shaken by the Demon Lord.

These flowing lights revealed countless scenes of holy kings ruling the world, leading all living beings and the human race to continuously expand their lives and establish civilizations.

As the Demon Lord looked at these things, a black and red light appeared in his eyes. In the next instant, his five fingers curled up like claws, gripping something tightly. At the same time, a pitch-black vortex appeared in his palm, frantically absorbing the Holy King's Path from all around.

That was [plunder], [exploitation], and [violence]. The triple Dao Fruit gave rise to countless pitch-black patterns that spread outward, firmly [nailing] the Emperor to the void, making him look like a lamb pierced by an iron hook in a slaughterhouse.

At the same time, countless vortexes emerged within the Emperor's body, greedily absorbing his power and the Holy King's Path within him.

As the Lord of the Demonic Path's power gradually increased, a hint of benevolence and saintly virtue began to emerge from his aura.

"Ahhh..." The Emperor let out a shrill scream for the first time. It was the pain of being exploited and plundered under violence, and also the revenge of the Demon Lord.

At this moment, the sky silently exerted its pressure on Chu Tai and Donghuang Zhong below, trying to force them to use other powers.

As a hint of determination appeared in the Emperor's eyes, four sword lights once again leaped out from the Void Chapter, crisscrossing and weaving into a net, attempting to force back the Lord of the Demonic Path.

"Yu Li, are you also trying to stop me?"

Enraged, the Demon Lord of the Monarch accelerated his seizure with one hand and slapped the void with the other, directly shattering the sword light.

Looking at the shattered sword energy that had broken into countless streams of light, the Demon Lord felt no joy, but rather a sense of shock.

The shattered sword energy vanished, piercing into the viscous aura that he had stripped away from the Emperor. Following the unseen connection, it severed his exploitation and plunder of the Emperor, cutting off his means of violent suppression.

Upon gaining his freedom, Di Yi waved his hand, and the shepherd's staff struck the Lord of the Demonic Path directly in the chest. The same [plunder], [exploitation], and [violence] instantly reclaimed most of the power he had previously seized, while concepts such as [rebellion], [resistance], and [revolution] were injected into the Lord of the Demonic Path's body.

Caught off guard, the Demon Lord spat out countless streams of light from his mouth, which contained both his own power and the power that the Emperor had injected into his body.

The Emperor then vanished into nothingness to stabilize his Dao body. During this time, he looked up at the void and whispered, "Heaven!"

He received no response; the sky still firmly pressed down on Chu Tai, and at this moment he seemed to be a cold bystander, indifferent to the life or death of the emperor.

Although he had long known that the relationship between the two sides was merely one of mutual exploitation, the Emperor still felt somewhat disheartened when things came to this point.

However, he was not without other allies. He roared angrily in the direction of the Immortal Manifestation and Transformation Heaven, "Heavenly Demon, how long are you going to keep watching? Do you think you'll have a good ending after I'm defeated?!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Emperor felt another force surge into the void, accompanied by the echoing of chanting. It was another Buddha-Demon Lord who had broken free from his restraints.

"By the way, there's you too!"

A hint of mockery appeared in the Emperor's eyes: "You're in such a hurry to come to me because you want to use my power to advance further? Don't you think that the Immortal Path now holds the upper hand, like the sun soaring in the sky, unstoppable? You don't think they'll give you a way out when they sweep away the world and restore order, do you? Right now, you and I are allies."

Upon hearing this, the Buddha-Demon Lord fell silent.

"Also, don't forget that it was Taiyi who went back in time. He's the only one who knows your problems best. Do you think he left any methods on you back then to target you?"

The Buddhist Demon Lord's chanting intensified, and numerous illusory images of Pure Lands appeared. The Emperor pressed his advantage, saying, "And that Lord Demon, what do you think will happen to you after he takes power? I don't need your help, but you can just stand by and watch, or go help the Heavenly Demon Lord."

"As payment, I'll give you this..."

With a flick of his staff, the Emperor bestowed several sacred treasures, symbolizing the ancient divine era, upon the Buddha and Demon. The profound mysteries of the divine path involved could supplement part of the Buddha and Demon Lord's foundation.

"I never imagined that there was such power in the Holy King's Path. No wonder you were plundered by the Demon Lord before, yet you are still not weakened in the slightest. You truly deserve to be called the one who stole the legacy left to all living beings by the Holy Kings."

As the Buddha-Demon Lord sensed the power emanating from the treasures in his palm, a slight smile appeared in his eyes.

"It's just a pity..."

"What's a pity?"

A bad feeling suddenly arose in the emperor's mind.

“You have absolutely no credibility. Rather than helping you, it would be a better choice to either plunder your foundation or help another person.”

After the Buddha-Demon Lord finished speaking, the Pure Land spread outwards, enveloping the Emperor within it.

At the same time, the Heavenly Demon's [Transformation], [Chaos], and [Separation] Dao Fruits manifested one after another, working together with the Pure Land to trap the Emperor within.

The Emperor's heart sank into the depths of despair. He never expected that the Heavenly Demon, on whom he had placed such high hopes, would ultimately choose the Buddha-Demon Lord to hunt him down.

"why?"

The Emperor roared, and the Heavenly Demon laughed, "Being easily influenced by me and choosing to rely on the cold and ruthless Heaven has proven that you do not have the foundation to support the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth and bear the prayers of all living beings. That is why you inherited the scepter and became the representative of the power of the Holy Kings."

"In the end, you are just a vessel for symbols."

The Heavenly Demon's voice was filled with sarcasm and mockery: "However, I truly didn't expect that you would mistakenly project the respect and admiration that all living beings have for the Holy King onto yourself. Do you think those are yours? Do you think you can secure a supreme position and become an emperor or sovereign by relying on stolen glory and borrowed power?" "Most importantly, you actually chose to cooperate with me, stealing and hollowing out the power of the Holy King's Path. Do you think that this will allow you to master the Holy King's Path and completely transform that glorious power into a part of yourself? Hahahaha, don't be ridiculous. That will only completely expose your inner corruption and incompetence."

"So, do you think such a worthless person, whose foundation is illusory, who relies on external things, and who steals glory, is qualified to walk with me?"

The Heavenly Demon's mockery caused the Emperor's expression to change drastically. His lips moved as if he wanted to retort.

But before the words could even leave his throat, a change originating from within him appeared—a viscous, chaotic force filled with boundless predatory intent, constantly eroding his foundation.

No, it shouldn't be called erosion, because the power of the Heavenly Demon was already deeply rooted in his power long ago.

The Holy King's Great Path, which should have been the highest embodiment of human order, was already filled with chaos. Separation had long ago distinguished these powers from the Emperor, and only change maintained their connection.

At this moment, the [Change] returns to the Heavenly Demon, and the truth is naturally revealed.

"Ah ah ah ah..."

Even more painful than when he was plundered by the Demon Lord, the Emperor let out an even more shrill roar. He felt as if he were being slowly tortured, torn apart, and gradually becoming the other party's puppet.

He tried to use his power to stop it, but all the power of the Holy King's Path remained silent in his attempts to control it, and the scepter he held, having lost the Holy King's blessing and the protection of the heavens, was nothing more than a simple symbol.

"Why? No...when..."

The Emperor barely managed to raise his head, looking at the Heavenly Demon with anger in his eyes.

Even now, you're still deceiving yourself. I want to ask you, what gave you the power to steal from others, and that power has become your illusion?

The Heavenly Demon walked step by step to the Emperor and smiled, "Now, let us become one."

As the words fell, the Heavenly Demon transformed into an invisible liquid, merging into the Emperor's body. He picked up his staff, looked at the Buddha-Demon Dao Lord beside him, and smiled, "The answer you seek is the heart."

"What do you mean?"

The Buddha-Demon Lord looked at the Heavenly Demon, a hint of contemplation appearing in his eyes. Over the years, he had vaguely guessed the problem, but without concrete evidence, and with the power of the three Bodhisattvas consciously suppressing this idea, the Buddha-Demon Lord did not immediately notice anything amiss.

But the Heavenly Demon is different. This one is the ancestor of bewitching people's hearts and minds, and he is too familiar with many methods of deception, trickery, misleading and seduction.

He easily saw through the problem with the Buddha-Demon Dao Lord, and had previously used this as a bargaining chip to get his help, preventing Jade Calendar True Lord, the Monarch-Demon Dao Lord, and others from finding the Emperor.

Now, the Emperor's power is being digested by him, and he still needs some time to suppress the resistance of the Holy King's Path.

This means they are intentionally delaying the process.

"Did you know that the Heavenly Emperor who manifested the Dao and transformed into the Great Heaven was actually an incarnation of a Dao Lord?"

The sudden change of topic by the Heavenly Demon annoyed the Buddha-Demon Dao Lord. He wanted to speak but was stopped by the Heavenly Demon: "His problem is the same as yours."

"That Dao Lord fell into a long slumber, a deep sleep devoid of self-awareness. But his power still exerted an influence on the outside world. One of his powers transformed into living beings in the Great Heaven of Immortal Manifestation and Dao Transformation, and then, under the guidance of the Dao Lord's original body, embarked on a path similar to that Dao Lord, eventually becoming the Heavenly Emperor."

“Originally, there was no problem with him stopping at the Acquired Realm. After all, the Dao Lord has countless incarnations, and who doesn’t have several Heavenly Emperor identities? But he deliberately didn’t want to reach the Acquired Realm and tried to achieve the Innate Realm, which attracted the attention of Tianwo and my true self.”

The Buddha-Demon Lord vaguely grasped something, but upon hearing the last sentence, he paused, "Your true form?"

"Yes, my true self. According to your understanding, my true self is also a Dao Lord, and a Dao Lord who possesses concepts such as tribulations and trials. That's why I was able to exert influence when that Heavenly Emperor attempted to achieve the Innate Realm, and that Heavenly Emperor was using his title to exert influence..."

At this point, the Heavenly Demon, now in the form of an emperor, looked at the Buddha Demon Lord and laughed, "So you don't need to worry. As long as I and the Heavenly Demon win, you will also be able to be reborn."

Upon hearing this, the Buddha-Demon Lord made some guesses and vaguely suspected that there was something wrong with him.

He asked, "Is my situation similar to that of the Heavenly Emperor? Am I also an incarnation of some Dao Lord?"

"No, your situation is closer to that Dao Lord's. The real you is currently in a deep sleep, while the you who wields power is merely his dream, a dream born from the prayers of all living beings. This is also why your power is insufficient; fundamentally, you are an illusory existence..."

The Buddha and the demon, whose very foundation had been exposed, stood frozen in place, their bodies gradually emitting waves of eerie Buddhist light.

The Heavenly Demon seized the opportunity to exert influence, attempting to further pull him into the demonic path.

But at this moment, a series of chanting sounds resounded through the void, and three illusory images of Bodhisattvas appeared, surrounding the Buddha and the Demon. Three golden lamps shone brightly, illuminating the ten directions, arousing the power of the Holy King's Great Dao within the Heavenly Demon's body, forcing him to retreat several steps, and then his aura was detected by Jade Calendar True Lord and the Lord of the Demon Dao.

At the same time, Chu Tai also sensed the problem and hurriedly reminded Yu Li Zhenjun to pay attention to the changes in the Buddha and the Demon.

Just as he finished speaking, Chu Tai sensed the changes in the Three Buddhas' Dao Fruits within the Eastern Emperor Bell, and received messages from three Bodhisattvas.

He hurriedly told the three True Lords about the Heavenly Demon seizing the Emperor's power, as well as the Blood Demon Lord who was fighting against the Heavenly Demon Lord.

Knowing the seriousness of the problem, the Blood Demon Lord intensified his suppression. The Primordial True Lord diverted some of his power to cooperate with the Jade Calendar True Lord, and together with the Demon Lord, they pursued the Heavenly Demon who had replaced the Emperor.

Meanwhile, Chu Tai was enduring the oppressive aura from the heavens while trying to digest the Three Buddhas' Path Fruits transmitted by the three Bodhisattvas.

The three second-grade Dao Fruits left in the Buddha-Demon Path body back then, under the influence of countless years, have also condensed many principles. With the improvement of the three Bodhisattvas, as soon as they entered the Eastern Emperor Bell, they immediately caused the Eastern Emperor Bell to resonate, attempting to promote the formation of the corresponding first-grade Dao Fruits.

However, despite the surging of countless rays of Buddha light, the second stage of enlightenment of the Buddha in the past, Bodhi, continued to change, yet it was unable to advance any further.

However, the second-grade Buddhahood [Bodhisattva] has now given rise to a first-grade Buddhahood [Buddha of Merit], which does not belong to the orthodox Buddhist and Taoist system, due to the convergence of many principles.

Before Chu Tai could react, the second-grade path fruit of the future Buddha, the Pratyekabuddha, had gone a step further, extending to the corresponding first-grade path fruit, the Bodhisattva of Equal Enlightenment.

The power of these two Dao Fruits left Chu Tai somewhat bewildered, but their radiance greatly helped the Eastern Emperor Bell withstand the pressure from the heavens and even drew the attention of the Great Heavenly Buddha, who manifested the Dao.

(End of this chapter)