Chapter 664 The Demon Lord Breaks Free, the Great War Begins

Venerable Jiayin looked back and said, "Since I promised to accompany you for a hundred years, I will naturally stay by your side."

’A wave of tenderness washed over Fang Cheng.’ Just as he was about to speak, his expression flickered. He stood, put on a wide-sleeved robe, and said, "A fellow Daoist who has come to help has arrived. Come with me to meet them."

Jia Yin nodded slightly.

The two left the meditation chamber and went outside the Taixu Cloud Tower. In the distance, above the Forest Sea, a Peach Blossom Cloud Raft approached from the horizon. A magnificent woman in a black dress stood upon it, tall and exquisitely beautiful.

It was Ascendant Feng Yan.

The first thing Feng Yan noticed was the Yellow Springs River.

High in the dome of the sky, the Yellow Springs River cascaded down from the highest heavens, a vast, mighty flow of unknowable length.

The great river coiled above the Forest Sea, partitioning a section of the void to form a Grotto Heaven Secret Realm. Inside, to her surprise, was a gigantic chessboard.

Two men were facing each other in a game on either side of the board, with a few spectators gathered around.

Only then did Feng Yan’s gaze fall upon the Taixu Cloud Tower beside the Yellow Springs River. Her eyes moved from Fang Cheng to Jia Yin at his side.

"Hm?"

Feng Yan let out a soft sound of surprise, a peculiar glint in her beautiful eyes.

In front of the Taixu Cloud Tower, Jia Yin glanced at Fang Cheng, her look a silent commentary on his amorous nature and the sheer number of Tribulation Realm partners and lovers at his side.

Fang Cheng explained, "This is Feng Yan. She’s the Female Cultivator from the Jade Flower Realm who received the Taixu Immortal Fate back then. Her life has been full of hardship, and she’s endured countless perils to reach this stage. It really wasn’t easy."

"I’ve heard of her." Jia Yin looked at Feng Yan with profound meaning. The auras of the two women connected, and upon sensing the power of the other, both were secretly astonished.

"To think she’s only half a step away from ascension. If she hadn’t come to help you, she could have already made it to the Spiritual Sky Realm by now."

In the blink of an eye, Feng Yan’s Cloud Raft drew near. Fang Cheng personally welcomed her into the Cloud Tower, with Beiming Cang Xue and Beiming Qingqiu also coming out to greet her.

After a round of introductions, Feng Yan couldn’t help but smile. "Fellow Daoist Fang, you’re surrounded by wives and concubines no matter where you go. Of all the accomplished cultivators I have seen throughout the heavens, such an amorous lifestyle is truly a rare sight."

’The two Tribulation Realm beauties from the Beiming Immortal Race were one thing, but what was truly unexpected was that Fang Cheng had also taken a Spirit Immortal Incarnation from the Dongyang Immortal Alliance as a dao partner. If word of this got out, it would shake the very heavens.’

Fang Cheng smiled without a word, taking out fine wine and Spiritual Cuisine. He drank and discussed the Dao with the four women, all while keeping an eye on the changes within the Grotto Heaven Chessboard.

According to what the Dragon Elephant Wanderer had once said, the Demon Buddha had just about reached his limit.

...

「In the center of the Yellow Springs River, within the Grotto Heaven Chessboard.」

The one now playing against the Demon Lord was the Demon Buddha’s true self.

This outwardly ordinary middle-aged monk possessed a dignified, solemn countenance and a compassionate air. His gaze, deep and distant, gave one the sense that he was full of wisdom.

Behind him, his two Nine Tribulations Incarnations sat cross-legged outside the chessboard. One was a weathered elder with a vigorous spirit, the other a slovenly, decrepit old man. Both were motionless, their bodies churning with demonic intent.

The weathered elder’s body sprouted countless fleshy tendrils like octopus tentacles, which tangled and tore at one another, periodically spewing thick, pitch-black Demon Smoke.

As for the slovenly, decrepit old man, huge fleshy tumors constantly sprouted from his body. At the center of each tumor was a single crimson, vertical eye, swiveling about without pause.

The middle-aged monk ignored this completely, his attention still focused entirely on the game board.

The youth in the white shirt opposite him had a graceful, poised air, as if born with the authority to command the lives and deaths of myriad beings. He felt a sense of respect for his opponent, the Demon Buddha. "You are the most exceptional person this World Heaven has produced in the last ten thousand years. To be able to overcome the Seventh Celestial Tribulation after I tainted the Celestial Dao Origin... had you been in any other World Heaven, you would have ascended long ago."

"Your Divine Technique is truly impressive. Trapping me for so long with only the Power of Heaven and Earth Laws is a feat comparable to the methods of a Spirit Immortal... But it’s a pity. The strong survive and the weak perish—that is another law between heaven and earth. You and I have played this game for a century. Now that victory and defeat have been decided, you may go in peace, Fellow Daoist."

The youth in the white shirt said with a faint, leisurely smile.

A serene and tranquil Buddha aura flowed from the Demon Buddha. He placed his final piece on the board and said softly, "Back then, one careless move from this humble monk cost me the entire game. To win this match now, before I enter nirvana, is a small consolation."

His gaze drifted outside the Grotto Heaven, falling upon the towering Taixu Cloud Tower. He sighed, "All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow. Like dew, or a flash of lightning."

As his voice faded, a golden Buddha Flame erupted from his body, turning him into a raging inferno in the blink of an eye.

"Demon Lord, you lost this game. I’m afraid what follows will be an even more crushing defeat..."

The Demon Buddha’s voice lingered in the air. When the Buddha Flame dissipated, his form was gone.

All that remained at the edge of the chessboard was a single ?arīra, shimmering with an intertwining of Demonic Light and Buddha Light.

But then, even this ?arīra slowly disintegrated into nothing.

"Is that so?"

The youth in the white shirt stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a sneer on his face. He paid no mind to the Demon Buddha’s final words.

"Then I will let you watch as I completely corrupt this World Heaven."

RUMBLE!

The vast chessboard suddenly disintegrated. Countless black and white pieces transformed into streaks of light, then shattered and vanished.

The Demon Buddha’s two incarnations, no longer able to suppress their demonic intent, were instantly engulfed in dazzling Demon Flames. In the final moment before they could transform into Demon Fiends, they passed into nirvana and perished.

...

"The Demon Buddha has passed into nirvana."

In the Taixu Cloud Tower, Fang Cheng was the first to sense it. He rose to his feet, stepped out of the Cloud Tower, and appeared high in the sky, his gaze fixed on the Grotto Heaven Chessboard.