Chapter 1707: Human Hell, Not Empty Without Buddha

The ancient god monk's eyelid twitched. Maintaining his composure, he walked past War God Buddha, who was sound asleep, and entered the Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist Realm.

Meanwhile, Qin Mu headed straight for the Great Thunderclap Temple. He thought, "Senior Brother Wei, leading the Feathered Forest Army, possesses the strength to contend with a Heavenly Venerate, ensuring his temporary safety. The Two Emperors of Xuanwu are defending their ancestral lands with immense power, enough to withstand the two avatars of the Spirit Official Hall Master for a while! I cannot delay. I don't have time to seek out the three Spirit Official ancient god avatars here; they can resist for a moment."

The Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist Realm were vast.

The Twenty Heavens represent the various realms of a Buddha. Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha, using profound wisdom, founded the School of Mind and achieved the Tathagata realm. From the Yamarāja realm, he cultivated all the way to the Great Brahma realm; as his mental state improved, so did his cultivation.

For instance, Emperor Sakra Heavenly King Buddha, Li Youran, cultivated his mental state to the Sakra realm, which is second only to the Great Brahma realm.

Cultivating to the Great Brahma realm is exceedingly difficult. Although Emperor Sakra Li Youran had reached the Emperor's Throne realm, he had not yet cultivated to the Great Brahma realm; he was still very far from it.

Improving one's mental state was the most challenging aspect.

The ancient god monk passed through layer after layer of the Buddhist Heavens until he reached the Sakra realm. Suddenly, his heart clenched, and he quickly looked up. Outside the Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist Realm, a colossal head was slowly rising. Behind its head, beams of reincarnation light spun, and the halo enveloped the entire Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist Realm!

That body was larger than the Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist Realm and taller than Mount Sumeru; its head alone was larger than an entire Heaven!

"Seventh Young Master..."

The ancient god monk's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly steadied himself. He had altered his appearance, confident that even an enlightened being wouldn't recognize him.

"I have too many avatars, and they are now heading to different locations," he thought. "It's too late to reassemble my main body here to fight the Seventh Young Master. Now, there's only one path to take, to go all the way. If the Seventh Young Master is delayed for even a moment, he will fall behind, and every subsequent step will be slow."

He was certain that this ancient god avatar of his could not escape and would eventually be caught by Qin Mu. However, if Qin Mu wasted even a moment here, it would be enough to trigger a chain reaction!

In a moment, another of his avatars could enter the Dao Sect and kill the Dao Ancestor!

By the time Qin Mu arrived at the Dao Sect, his other avatars would have already killed Wei Suifeng and the Northern Emperor Xuanwu. By the time Qin Mu reached the Northern Wilderness's Kan territory, Earth Virtue Primordial Monarch Gongsun Yan, Emperor Yanfeng, and others would be dead!

This was the consequence of one slow step leading to countless slow steps!

Even a slight delay for Qin Mu would lead to unforeseeable consequences!

Suddenly, Qin Mu's figure faded and disappeared.

The ancient god monk was startled. "Has Seventh Young Master given up?" he wondered. "Is he prepared to abandon Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha's life and go to the Dao Sect or elsewhere to pursue my other avatars? Haha, the Seventh Young Master is too naive. He won't find me here, nor will he find my other avatars elsewhere! He will still face the situation where one slow step leads to countless slow steps!"

He relaxed and stepped towards the Great Brahma realm.

The ancient god monk found Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha. He greeted him, saying, "Reverend Buddha, the Spirit Official pays his respects." He then suddenly attacked, taking the Buddha's life in a single strike. He obliterated the Buddha's soul, leaving no trace of even soul-dust, and chuckled, "So this is all Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha is capable of... Heh heh, the Seventh Young Master is too naive. He won't find me here, nor will he find my other avatars elsewhere! He will still face the situation where one slow step leads to countless slow steps!"Feeling relieved, he looked up and saw the Great Brahma realm above the Sakra realm.A short while later, the ancient god monk found Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha once more. With a single move, he struck the Buddha dead, shattering his soul into chaos. He laughed, "Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha's ability is nothing more than this... Heh heh, Seventh Young Master..."He looked up towards the Great Brahma realm and began walking towards it yet again.

"Venerable One, there's an outsider monk here."

Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha, who was presiding over Youdu within the Great Brahma realm, heard this and sent an avatar along with a group of Buddhas to the Sakra realm. There, they saw a grim-faced monk standing rigidly with a smiling expression, utterly motionless.

Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha examined him closely and said, "This person has fallen victim to Heavenly Venerate Mu's Reincarnation and Dream abilities, constantly reliving cycles within a dream. His cultivation is extremely high; Heavenly Venerate Mu cannot kill him with this single divine art, but can only trap him."

He looked up and gazed into the distance. "Heavenly Venerate Mu is conserving his strength," he mused. "He can no longer unleash his strongest divine arts to kill this monk. Is it a lack of time, or a lack of magical power? Or perhaps both?"

With a worried expression, he instructed the Buddhas to descend the mountain, saying, "This monk is certainly not one of us from the Buddhist sect. He is likely a monk from the Celestial Heavens or the Ancestral Court. Since he could reach this place, it indicates that the power of the Celestial Heavens has already infiltrated here, not just invaded from Youdu. The mortal world is now a living hell; you all must descend the mountain. Do not return until the mortal hell is emptied."

The Buddhas bowed respectfully. One Buddha voluntarily extinguished the Buddha light behind his head and asked, "Can Great Brahma, alone, withstand the devil gods of Youdu?"

Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha replied, "As long as a Heavenly Venerate doesn't come in person, I have ways to protect myself. Do not worry about me. Go quickly!"

The Buddhas descended the mountain one after another, leaving the Buddhist Realm. Upon reaching the Great Thunderclap Temple, they called out, "Senior Brother Zhankong, wake up!"

The demonic ape, who had been lying asleep in the Great Thunderclap Temple, awoke. The Buddhas said, "The world has turned into hell and is about to be lost. We must suppress our compassion and subjugate demons and devils. Senior Brother, will you come?"

The demonic ape replied, "I will come."

He looked up at the Great Brahma realm, where the Buddha light shone eternally, radiating brilliance. However, his fur fluttered, and a hidden worry appeared on his resolute face.

The Buddhas gathered around him and departed.

The entire Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist Realm and the Great Thunderclap Temple were instantly emptied. Only ancient temples, monasteries, and old bells remained, along with the ancient god monk standing motionless with a smile in the Sakra realm.

Bells chimed faintly.

In the uppermost layer of the Buddhist Realm, within the Great Brahma realm, there was a place called Youdu. It was here that Qin Mu once transformed into a small Earth Count, wreaking havoc and threatening to kill the old Buddha to become the Buddhist Realm's Earth Count himself.

The Buddhist Realm originally had no Youdu, no suffering of birth, aging, illness, or death. However, after Qin Mu's rampage, which helped the old Buddha purge the Celestial Heavens' influence within the Buddhist Realm, Youdu was created here, allowing Youdu's devil gods and monsters direct access.

At this moment, Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha was presiding over Youdu. Countless devil gods and monsters swarmed like a tide, rushing towards the old Buddha!

The devil gods and monsters of Youdu were formed from the evil and chaotic thoughts of sentient beings, representing the impurities within thoughts. The demonic qi was the most defiled primordial qi. From the perspective of the Primordial Realm's Youdu and Youdu itself, Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha at this moment resembled a radiant Mount Sumeru, standing across the heartland of Yankang. No matter how many monsters and devil gods surged forth, they could not shake his body!

Behind his head, seventeen halos radiated, each halo representing a Heavenly Palace. The Buddha light purified the demonic nature and thoughts within the numerous devil gods and monsters, transforming the evil of sentient beings into karmic fire.

He was the last line of defense, protecting Yankang from Youdu's invasion!

Should he be defeated, Youdu's army of devil gods and monsters would instantly surge into the Great Brahma realm. From there, they would sweep down, cloaking the Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist Realm in darkness, then submerging the Great Thunderclap Temple, and finally flooding into all parts of Yankang!

Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha stood as firm as Mount Sumeru, unmoving, and gradually entered a meditative trance.

His cultivation was being depleted increasingly. However, the number of dead and injured monsters and devil gods also grew. Gradually, fewer and fewer monsters and devil gods surged forward.

"Great Monk."

Suddenly, a voice called out. Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha awoke from his trance. He looked up and saw an army of divine devils, fewer than fifty thousand strong, who had arrived from Youdu at some unknown time.

"The Celestial Heavens' Divine Strategy Guard?" Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha rose and inquired.

The commanding general at the forefront bowed slightly. "Yu Bijun, Commander of the Divine Strategy Left Guard and Eastern Grand Chancellor, greets the Great Monk," he said. "By His Majesty's decree, I am here to take your life, Great Monk. Gentlemen, form ranks!"

The fifty thousand divine devils of the Celestial Heavens' Divine Strategy Left Guard formed their battle array. Heavenly Palaces rose from the ground, as if Heavenly Venerate Void himself had arrived.

Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha sighed. "When one cultivates the innate Buddha nature, how can enlightenment and delusion be bound by precedence? Enlightenment leads to Buddhahood in an instant, while delusion causes one to wander for myriad eons. Demonic ape, demonic ape, it is about subduing the demonic ape in one's heart. Zhankong, you will understand this. Gentlemen, please proceed."

Yu Bijun bowed. "I once received the Great Monk's kindness in my early years," she said. "Today, I shall leave the Great Monk a complete corpse!"

She straightened up, unfurling her command flag. The Divine Strategy Left Guard's army formation enveloped Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha, submerging him!

At the foot of Kunlun Mountain in the Dao Sect, Qin Mu killed another Spirit Official avatar. However, the Dao Ancestor was not in Kunlun; he was currently in Yankang's manufacturing facility, designing divine weapons with Dao Master Lin Xuan.

Qin Mu rushed straight towards Yankang's Primordial Tree. While running, his Youdu divine arts erupted, reaching the skies above Yankang's Primordial Tree and the capital city a step before him!

His divine art transformed into a Book of Life and Death, glittering with golden light and illuminating all directions. As soon as the Book of Life and Death locked onto the two Spirit Official avatars who had already arrived, Qin Mu's figure appeared, killing one ancient god avatar in front of the Hall of Wisdom of the Earth Virtue Heavenly Palace, and then immediately killing the other ancient god avatar within the Imperial Palace of the capital city.

His figure rushed towards the East Sea. At this very moment, towering waves suddenly rose on the East Sea. Amidst the surging waves, the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest exploded. The Ten Thousand Dragon Nest originated from a sacred land in the Ancestral Court, formed by the convergence of cosmic vital qi and blood.

In the primordial era, the Creation Masters offered sacrifices there. From this sacred land, a divine being overseeing vital qi and blood was born: the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon.

Now, with the Ten Thousand Dragon Nest exploding, a torrent of vital qi and blood instantly poured out, filling the sea surface, turning the towering waves crimson as they surged towards Yankang!

Amidst the monstrous waves, two colossal divine dragons were fighting. One of them, an Azure Dragon, suddenly shattered into pieces and died an unnatural death!

Qin Mu flicked his finger, and a lotus leaf appeared. It landed on the crest of a wave, and the great waves instantly subsided, becoming still.

Qin Mu flew off, not going to kill the Azure Dragon. Instead, he headed straight for the army led by Jiang Baigui. There, numerous Yankang divine-devil armies had formed arrays, locking down a dragon-headed ancient god with various formations!

Jiang Baigui acted as the array core. All thirty-six Heavenly Palaces and seventy-two Treasure Halls emerged, combining with the various armies to form a complete Great Celestial Heavens formation, collectively strangling the dragon-headed ancient god.

Qin Mu immediately stopped and turned to attack the other divine dragon.

"Seventh Young Master, you have already lost this battle!"

From the divine dragon's mouth came the voice of the Spirit Official Hall Master, shouting, "If you save the Northern Emperor and Wei Suifeng, you won't be able to save the Western Emperor, let alone reach the Lord of the Beast Realm in the southern heavens in time! Even if you make sacrifices, you cannot save everyone!"

He was shattered to pieces by Qin Mu. Qin Mu did not stop for a moment and continued onward. As he raced towards the Kan territory, he suddenly saw the Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist Realm emerge above the Great Thunderclap Temple in Yankang's heartland. The twenty layers of heaven encircled Mount Sumeru, with high skies and wispy clouds, a majestic and spectacular sight.

Suddenly, a black ink spot appeared in the Great Brahma realm. It then spread like ink, dyeing the entire Great Brahma realm pitch black. This blackness then surged towards the Sakra realm, the Dhritarashtra realm, and the Vaisravana realm!

Soon, the twenty layers of heaven surrounding Mount Sumeru were dyed pitch black. The darkness surged downwards, towards the Great Thunderclap Temple.

Qin Mu's body trembled slightly. He did not continue watching, but pressed on towards the Northern Wilderness's Kan territory.

In Yankang's Jinjiang manufacturing facility, the Dao Ancestor looked up at this moment, gazing in the direction of the Great Thunderclap Temple. Suddenly, old tears streamed down his face.

The old Buddha who carried a black iron bowl and begged for him, the great monk who had accompanied him for millions of years, was likely gone.

"Dao Ancestor?" Lin Xuan asked, a questioning look on his face.

The Dao Ancestor turned his head away. "It's nothing," he said. "Continue working."

Meanwhile, the Buddhas who had left the Buddhist Realm were now looking back. War God Buddha did not look at the situation in the Buddhist Realm, continuing to lean on his staff and saying gruffly, "Head west."