Aspiring to the Immortal Path - Chapter 1271: Equilibrium

Sacred light emerged over the court like the rising sun appearing over the horizon, imbued with an unparalleled magnificence.

As a giant Buddha appeared, everyone was stunned.

“The Guiding Buddha of the Western Heaven Buddha Kingdom!”

Countless people called out this name in their minds.

If one found this name a little too long, there was a shorter one: the Western Heaven Buddha Ancestor!

The supreme existence of the Sumeru Heaven’s Western Heaven Buddha Kingdom, the master of the Buddha Kingdom, had appeared before them all, and even the Three Sages Ancestor trembled. “Guiding one, in the end, you chose to stand against the Heavenly Dao!”

The Buddha Ancestor was seated in meditation while manifesting an enormous and majestic form.

A Dao-proving Saint Immortal.

Behind him were four more Buddhas, each one exuding an aura comparable to a Gold Immortal.

“The Immeasurable Buddha!”

“The Lamp Bearer Buddha!”

“The Past Life Buddha!”

“The Reincarnation Buddha!”

Someone called out, recognizing these figures.

These were the four Gold-Immortal-level ancient Buddhas of the Western Heaven Buddha Kingdom, their status second only to the Western Heaven Buddha Ancestor. They were the equivalent of the court’s Four Sages.

Behind them were countless other Buddhas, Vidyarajas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Aryas.

Yes, the Western Heaven Buddha Ancestor didn’t represent just a single Saint Immortal, but the power of the entire Sumeru Cluster.

While the 33 Heavens were home to countless Titans, most of them were recluses. Those who were willing to appear were probably all here.

Yu Cheng had been able to so easily vanquish the demons invading Vast Wilderness and could still be so distracted during this battle because he was allied with the Western Heaven Buddha Kingdom.

The moment the Buddha Ancestor appeared, the battle reached its climax.

The Three Sages Ancestor was the first to react. Sighing, he thrust a finger downward, and a golden beam emerged, punching right through the Blazing Heaven Net. Hordes of demons surged up that golden path, flooding the battlefield.

One move had completely altered the state of the battle. The Three Sages Ancestor was no less powerful than the Western Heaven Buddha Ancestor.

But this move confirmed beyond a doubt that he was allied with the Primordial Fog Domain, which he had not wished to happen.

Although he was acting on the will of the Heavenly Dao, he was still fundamentally different from Nine Disaster, as he was not a demon. The Heavenly Dao he had sensed was different from what Nine Disaster had sensed. His understanding of it was different, so its influence on his actions was different. This time, however, they had felt the same will and were carrying out the same mission.

Thus, even though he had taken action, the Three Sages Ancestor still felt very conflicted.

A black tide rolled upward from the surface, fueling the flames and expanding the scale of the battle above.

The countless monks of the Buddha Kingdom also joined the battle, summoning golden streams of light with their mantras. Corrosive demonic energy was surprisingly ineffective on them, the protective golden barriers around them expelling all evil. If the court’s army was the spear, these monks were the shield, a formidable combination when used together.

The two armies violently clashed in the air.

On this battlefield, Violet Palace was the minimum requirement. Waves of spell arts surged back and forth, forming oceans and deluges, and one powerful cultivator after another fell, their faces twisted in fear. People were dying with every passing moment, all the combatants simply insignificant specks caught up in the great waves of war. Even Earth Immortals and True Immortals had to be careful to not be caught and dragged beneath the waves.

The only ones able to decide the battle to some extent were the Boundless Gold Immortals.

Several dozen Gold Immortals were locked in combat, their forms manifested to such a size that even those on the ground could make out their faces.

Tang Jie was the only one of these Titans who remained uninvolved.

Gazing at the distant battlefield, he smiled and said, “It’s getting quite busy here. Almost all the Titans of the Great Stellar Chiliocosm that could have been mobilized are probably right here. This battle might be one that decides the future of the entire cosmos.”

“Then who do you think will win?” Xu Miaoran asked.

Tang Jie shook his head. “I don’t know who will win, but I know that whoever wins, the Gigantes King has definitely lost.”

He cast his gaze to the distant Gigantes, his eyes full of sympathy.

Although the two sides were fighting because of their differing ideals, their goal was the same: the secret of the Gigantes Domain.

This secret concerned the Heavenly Dao, the Martial Lord, and the survival of the Gigantes Domain for thousands of years, and it was also linked to the lifelong pursuits of the Immortal Emperor, the Buddha Ancestor, and Nine Disaster…

Thus, no matter who won, the Gigantes King wouldn’t come out of this well.

There was no preventing his defeat and doom.

As if recognizing this, the Gigantes King looked up with sorrow and despair in his eyes.

“What should we do?” Xu Miaoran asked.

She didn’t say anything about waiting to see if they could gain anything, for this was a war involving two Saint Immortals, twenty-some Gold Immortals, and several hundred True Immortals. The two sides were so powerful that the Rosecloud Domain had no hope of reaping any profit from it. That would only bring calamity upon them.

Even so, Tang Jie didn’t want to give up.

After some thought, he said, “We will help the demons.”

“‘Help the demons’? Why?” Xu Miaoran knew that Tang Jie had only helped Wang Yao earlier to weaken the Court of Myriad Domains, with no real intent to join the demons in battle. So why was he now suggesting that they should continue helping the demons?

“Firstly, it’s because we already helped Bao’er once. If we were to turn around and then help the court, the affection developed with Bao’er earlier would all be for nothing, and our intent of weakening both sides would become too obvious. Secondly, the Primordial Fog demons are outsiders and won’t remain for long in the positive plane. If they win, we will have to just run for a few decades. But if the court wins, our suffering will have no end. Finally, it’s a question of the condition of each side. The demons are far too chaotic while the Court of Myriad Domains and Western Heaven Buddha Kingdom are more united. Even in terms of powerhouses, the Court of Myriad Domains has a little more.”

On the side of the demons were seven Gold Immortals, and the Three Sages Ancestor had three Gold Immortals in Wu Antian, Godhead Guangfa, and the Illusory Demoness. Meanwhile, the Court of Myriad Domains had six Gold Immortals and the Western Heaven Buddha Kingdom had four, and finally, each had one Saint Immortal, the Three Sages Ancestor on one side and the Buddha Ancestor on the other. Thus, purely based on numbers, they were even. But on the Court of Myriad Domains’ side, Yu Cheng had yet to take action, so it had the tiny edge. Tang Jie naturally wanted the sides to be as evenly matched as possible.

So Tang Jie chose the demons.

“But before that, we have to force the Court of Myriad Domains to reveal some more of their cards,” Tang Jie added.

“You still think they’re hiding something?” Xu Miaoran said in surprise.

Tang Jie chuckled. “Yu Cheng didn’t prepare for all those years just so that he could barely edge out his opponent. Remember: you can never overestimate someone like him.”

“But even Warheaven Wolf and Hong Beicang have come out. The court shouldn’t have any more Gold Immortals.”

“It might not be a Gold Immortal,” Tang Jie answered.

Saying this, he messaged Wang Yao, “Bao’er.”

“Father!” Wang Yao was elated to hear Tang Jie’s voice. “Father, do you have some brilliant plan?”

“Currently, both sides are evenly matched, but Yu Cheng has yet to intervene. I can help you deal with him.”

Wang Yao’s eyes lit up. “Father, do you intend to help the demons?”

Tang Jie laughed. “Didn’t I already help you?”

“Wasn’t Father just trying to play both sides off against each other that time?” Wang Yao asked.

Tang Jie awkwardly chuckled, but he didn’t try to hide his intentions from Wang Yao. “Perhaps that was the case back then, but this time, I’m going in myself, which will prove my sincerity.”

“Then what does Father want?”

“It’s simple. After this battle, if we are both defeated, then everything comes to an end. If we win, then I permit you to take revenge once, but neither of us will intervene. Your subordinates and the Rosecloud cultivators will do battle. Regardless of the result, your revenge will be considered to have been settled.”

“Deal!” Wang Yao happily agreed.

“You made up your mind so easily?” Tang Jie was somewhat surprised.

Wang Yao heartily laughed. “I’ve never had any hopes of Adoptive Father truly giving up on the Rosecloud Domain. I’m already happy enough with what you’ve already done. I know that you must have made some arrangements for the Rosecloud Domain, but so what? As a son, I must carry out this revenge, and whether I win or lose, the Rosecloud Domain will pay thousands of times more in lives than what we White Tigers paid. This should be enough for revenge. Just like Father made so many concessions for me, how could I not reciprocate? Let the strength of the Rosecloud Domain decide their fate and the price they need to pay! Putting this all out in the open puts me more at ease. Keeping it all holed up makes everything feel awkward.”

Tang Jie smiled. “Indeed, this is for the best.”

Father and son had finally opened up to each other, and once they had agreed on how to settle the revenge, there was nothing between them, which would make it easier to work together.

Tang Jie said, “If my guess is correct, Yu Cheng still has at least one card he has yet to reveal. Wang Yao, I need you to force him to show this card, while I will help you deal with it and force Yu Cheng to intervene.”

“But with both sides so evenly matched, how are we going to force Yu Cheng to show his hand?”

“It’s simple. We have the Gigantes King act.”

“‘The Gigantes King’?” Wang Yao was shocked. “How could he possibly help?”

No matter how dumb the Gigantes King was, there was no way he would help the demons. After all, he had already fought with Nine Disaster for so many years. If he didn’t know that Yu Cheng also harbored ulterior motives, he might have already joined the battle.

“Helping you is naturally out of the question, but having him act is no problem at all.”

“Is there a difference between helping and acting?”

“Of course.” Tang Jie mysteriously smiled. “If I recall, Nine Disaster told you that Yu Cheng was trying to unravel the Heavenly Dao’s maze, right? Ask Nine Disaster if that maze is being guarded by the Gigantes King. Perhaps the Gigantes King has been protecting the key to enter that place this whole time? If so… flip the table.”