Volume 4: The Revelation Revealed – Chapter 410: The Strategy of Cutting Off Supplies

As Dayu and the Buddha of Infinite Life clashed, it naturally drew everyone’s attention. Aside from the Phoenix and Zhenwu, who vanished without a trace, figures like Zhurong, Xiangliu, Houtu, and the Buddha of Returning to Truth stopped fighting early to watch their duel.

No one expected such a dramatic turn of events. Just moments ago, the two were evenly matched; even when the Buddha of Infinite Life emerged from the Yu Ding, he had gained the upper hand through a surprise attack. Yet in the next instant, his head was severed. With the Buddha of Infinite Life dead, the morale of the monks on Ling Mountain plummeted. Wukong, though impressed by Dayu’s strength, sensed something was amiss. He glanced at the Buddhas on Ling Mountain—some with eyes closed reciting scriptures, some with wide eyes, some showing anger. Only that Vairocana Buddha had remained silent since his appearance, lost in deep thought, unchanged even after the Buddha of Infinite Life’s death.

With a clear numerical advantage, why didn’t the Buddhas on Ling Mountain attack all at once? Instead, they took turns challenging him. Could they really be that foolish?

Wukong exchanged a glance with the Holy Mother of Lishan and saw concern in her eyes. At that moment, the Buddha of Returning to Truth stepped forward and said, “Dare you kill a Buddha?” Wukong gave him a disdainful look and replied, “It’s not the first time.”

Pointing at Wukong, the Buddha of Returning to Truth declared, “You monkey are the culprit! All the strife in the world stems from you!”

Wukong wasn’t bothered to argue with him. Houtu, angered, shouted, “What a bunch of bandits!”

The Buddha of Returning to Truth joined his hands, chanted “Amitabha,” and then said, “If I could use my body to save all sentient beings, I wouldn’t hesitate.”

Hearing this, Zhurong sneered, “Tch, do you even deserve it?”

After all, the Buddha of Returning to Truth was a renowned Buddha. Insulted in front of everyone by Zhurong, he snapped, “Dare you fight me?” Just as Zhurong was about to engage, Wukong stepped in and stopped him, saying, “Buddha of Returning to Truth, with your meager strength, you dare boast of capturing me. I think you’re just trying a feint while plotting something behind the scenes, right?”

The Buddha of Returning to Truth was shocked inwardly—this monkey was indeed clever. How did he figure it out?

Seeing that the Buddha of Returning to Truth couldn’t answer right away, Wukong shouted, “Everyone, attack that Vairocana Buddha! We must not let his evil spells succeed!”

At Wukong’s command, though most didn’t understand why, they followed his orders and rushed at Vairocana Buddha. The other Buddhas hurried to stop them, and a chaotic battle ensued.

Wukong didn’t join the fight. It wasn’t out of cowardice, but because the Buddha of Returning to Truth had repeatedly claimed to be there to capture him. If he had charged in, it would have distracted many others.

The people from Qitianling rushed forward in large numbers, but there were simply too many Buddhas—some fighting two against one, others three against one—as they engaged in battles with their opponents.

The Mother of Lishan saw that Vairocana remained motionless in the center, standing as steady as Mount Tai, his lips moving continuously as he chanted spells. It seemed Wukong’s guess was mostly correct—Vairocana was indeed performing magic. Though nothing could be discerned at the moment, Vairocana possessed evil spells even the Mother of Lishan did not fully understand, so it was better to stop him sooner.

The Mother of Lishan floated before Vairocana like a phantom, but Jieyin Guizhen Buddha blocked her path immediately, saying, “Do not!” She snorted and said, “Move aside quickly! I won’t kill you!”

Jieyin Guizhen Buddha hesitated for a moment before his eyes grew resolute as he declared, “All dharmas are without birth or death; their true nature is empty and free from attachment; their true nature is nirvana!”

A mocking look appeared in the Mother of Lishan’s eyes, though she also felt some reluctance. “Why go to such lengths?” Seeing Guizhen Buddha standing in her way, she realized that if she couldn’t overcome him, it would be difficult to reach Vairocana. So she stretched out her thumb and pressed it against Guizhen Buddha’s forehead.

Guizhen Buddha raised his arm to block her, but the Mother of Lishan tapped several times in the air, causing him to feel his body stiffen. He couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Rumors said the Mother of Lishan had divine powers—her reputation was well-deserved.

She had no intention of killing Guizhen Buddha. Most of the Buddhas on Spirit Mountain were not evil in her eyes; they were merely acting as accomplices due to Buddha Tathagata’s orders. Seizing the moment when Guizhen Buddha’s body froze, she moved in a strange trajectory, passing by him and reaching Vairocana. From a distance of several zhang, she struck with a palm.

Vairocana remained motionless, allowing her palm strike to land on him. He flew backward, spewing a mouthful of blood. As the blood sprayed out, Vairocana finally finished chanting his last spell. He stabilized himself and said to the Mother of Lishan, “It’s too late to do anything now.”

The Mother of Lishan did not understand Vairocana’s meaning. Suddenly, she noticed Hou Tu’s expression change. She knew best about what was happening underground, and now, great upheaval had occurred in the netherworld.

Hou Tu launched two attacks to push back her three opponents, then rushed downward toward the Abyss of Nine Nether Realms. Wukong, who was outside the battle, watched clearly. Worried that something might happen to Hou Tu, he followed closely behind.

Before he could reach halfway, he saw the Chakravartin emerging from below, covered in blood, his face filled with terror as he cried, “Ghosts! Evil ghosts!”

Wukong found this amusing. Ghosts were common in the netherworld—why would the Chakravartin be afraid of them? He stopped him and shouted, “Why are you in such panic?”

The Wheel King also had a complicated connection with Earth Mother. Upon seeing her and Wukong, he timidly bowed in the air and exclaimed in fear, “That… that bald evil ghost…” Before he could finish speaking, another figure rushed out from the Abyss of Nine Netherworlds. This person lunged at Wukong with bared fangs and claws. Strangely, Wukong could only see his bare back of the head. Earth Mother shouted, “That’s the Buddha of Infinite Life!” Wukong examined him carefully and confirmed it was indeed the Buddha of Infinite Life, whose head had been severed by Dayu. His body and head fell from the clouds, yet no one paid attention. Who would have thought that Vairocana had used spells to control this dead Buddha and orchestrate a major event in the netherworld? Seeing the Buddha of Infinite Life, the Wheel King cried out in shock, “It’s him! He’s the one who killed the Nine Kings of Hell!” “Ah!” Wukong was horrified. His own strategy of “building a road openly while secretly making another move” had become a prophecy come true. Tathagata had deployed a massive force, pretending to capture him, but it was merely a decoy; his true aim was still Vairocana. Seeing chaos in the netherworld and the Buddha of Infinite Life with his head wrongly attached, Wukong felt a chill in his heart. Could it be that the Buddha of Infinite Life’s death at Dayu’s hands was part of a sacrifice tactic? At this thought, Wukong was amazed by Tathagata’s boldness. The Buddha of Infinite Life, whose cultivation was far beyond that of Maitreya, had become an expendable pawn. If not for his numerous powerful subordinates, how would Tathagata dare to squander such resources? Wukong gradually understood why figures like Xuan Nu and Ran Deng, despite their strong cultivation, still feared Tathagata. As the Buddha of Infinite Life approached, he attacked the Wheel King like a storm. Earth Mother used her divine powers to block him, frowning as the Buddha of Infinite Life seemed even more formidable than before. He only attacked, not defended, possessing immense strength and briefly matching Earth Mother in combat. Wukong took out his Heavenly Fate Rod and stepped forward to help. The rod transformed into a flexible whip, and with just one swing, it severed the Buddha of Infinite Life’s right arm. If the Buddha of Infinite Life still had consciousness, he would have been able to dodge, but Vairocana, seeing that the netherworld had been devastated, no longer cared about his physical body. Though the Buddha of Infinite Life had great strength, his divine powers were limited, relying solely on brute force. Wukong took advantage of this. His whip-like rod was as sharp as a knife, and in just a dozen exchanges, he cut the Buddha of Infinite Life into pieces, sending them deep into the Abyss of Nine Netherworlds, where he could no longer cause harm. Aside from the Buddha of Infinite Life, Wukong and Earth Mother exchanged a glance; she too felt deep concern. She said to the Wheel King, “Lead the way ahead. Let’s go check out the netherworld.”

The Wheel King was extremely reluctant but dared not disobey, so he led the two of them into the netherworld. From a distance, Wukong could already smell the scent of blood drifting out of the deep caves. Upon entering the netherworld, he saw that this place, once filled with countless ghosts, judges, and demons under the rule of the Ten Kings of Hell, numbered at least hundreds of thousands—yet now, not one in ten remained! All six bridges of despair had been broken, and the Ten Courts of Hell had collapsed into ruins. Blood flowed like rivers everywhere, and the stone walls and ground were covered with countless cuts, as if slashed by giant axes and blades—truly a landscape of ravines and crisscrossing wounds. It was unclear what magic the Buddha of Infinite Life had used. Hou Tu felt heartbroken and flew out early, and Wukong also realized that this netherworld was completely destroyed. There was nothing more to do, so he followed Hou Tu out as well. Hou Tu frowned and said, “Tathagata, what a cruel heart!” At that moment, Wukong couldn’t help but think of Ksitigarbha and said resentfully, “What a vengeful man! If Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva were here, would he dare to touch the netherworld?” Hou Tu replied, “It’s likely related to Ksitigarbha not intervening, which prevented a feud between him and Tathagata. Otherwise, the netherworld would still be intact today. Could this be considered karma?” Though Hou Tu originally didn’t believe in karma, such a shocking event made her consider it. Wukong waved his hand and said, “Sister, you’re wrong. All causes and effects stem from evil thoughts. Tathagata has always used karma to deceive people, but he can’t deceive me! Even if karma truly exists, how can one allow evil to go unchecked out of fear of it?” With the netherworld destroyed, Wukong’s heart was in turmoil, for he knew that the netherworld was the source of creation for the Heavenly Court. Without it, he wondered how the Heavenly Court could survive. Tathagata’s actions clearly showed no regard for the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother. Wukong knew Tathagata must have some backing for this, but this was a rare opportunity to stir up chaos. For now, he wasn’t in a hurry to refine his Heavenly Rod—he wanted to rush to find the Three Pure Ones immediately. After all, if the Jade Emperor lost his source of creation, how could he continue refining the heavens? Thus, the destruction of the netherworld was like attacking the very core of the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother. If they learned that Tathagata had unleashed the Avici Hell and seized countless resources from the Heavenly Court, it would be strange if they didn’t send troops to confront him. If the Jade Emperor could still endure it, Wukong truly despised him from the bottom of his heart. Wukong had long urged the Old Lord to sow discord, but the Old Lord refused. By today, news of this incident would be known throughout the world in just half a day—who could still hide from whom?

While Wukong was making his own plans, Hou Tu said, “Wheel King, the netherworld has been destroyed. Don’t you go report it to the Jade Emperor?”