At full output in Super Blue, even the Twin Goddesses would find it hard to withstand Riku head-on, let alone Dao De Tianzun, an immortal who fought by means of treasures.
If that punch had landed, there was no doubt his head would have burst like a watermelon!
Clang!
At the last possible instant, Dao De Tianzun's will surged, and he summoned a treasure: a strangely shaped bangle.
It was this bangle that blocked Riku's strike.
Then, wondrously, the bangle split, one became two, two became four, until dozens of them flew out to bind Riku.
"The Vajra Bangle, huh? As expected, troublesome." Riku's eyes narrowed. With a cold snort, his hands blurred into afterimages; at a speed even Dao De Tianzun struggled to track, he threw a torrent of punches and knocked every flying bangle away.
Seizing the moment, Dao De Tianzun hastily raised the Eight Trigrams Furnace to block Riku's follow-up and blinked back with another immortal tool, watching Riku with a grave face.
When pressed in close quarters, immortals were liable to fall into disadvantage. Dao De Tianzun was no exception. But Riku's speed was too great and his strength too overwhelming; there was no neat way to handle it.
Some targeting-type immortal tools might help, but at their rank, they could not truly pin him. The Vajra Bangle could restrain Riku in theory, but it was, at heart, a defensive implement binding him was difficult. That much had just been demonstrated.
"So it really is a bad matchup," Dao De Tianzun said with a wry smile. Immortals and gods/buddhas fought differently. Against an ordinary foe, an immortal's strange, myriad treasures were a headache.
But Riku was no ordinary foe. Because his power was so pure, it was overwhelming.
"Dao De Tianzun, is that all you've got?" Riku said coldly.
"Demon Lord, you are indeed formidable. Ordinary means cannot touch you," Dao De Tianzun replied, voice low.
He had powerful offensive tools, yes, but by his rough estimate, they might, at best, slightly wound Riku, and that was the optimistic view. Using them would be meaningless.
If this continued, he would only be suppressed as before, in an endless loop.
"So I'll have to use my trump card," Dao De Tianzun said.
At that, Riku's eyes narrowed.
Off to the side, where Lingbao Tianzun was trading blows with Sun Wukong, the ancient immortal shook his head slightly. So it had come to that…
Suddenly, heaven and earth changed. Sky and ground became a single diagram, colored in chaotic yin and yang, manifesting the image of the Dao before polarity!
From the Limitless arose the Taiji; the Taiji split into Two Forms; the Two Forms brought forth the Three Talents; the Three Talents shaped the Four Images; the Four Images transformed into the Five Elements; the Five Elements formed the Six Harmonies; the Six Harmonies fixed the Seven Stars; from the Seven Stars emerged the Eight Trigrams; and from the Eight Trigrams flowed the Nine Palaces!
Around the Taiji Diagram, ten thousand rays of auspicious light; within it, talismans of Heaven's Way flickered into being; beyond it, oracular verses of the Great Dao coiled in a ring. Five-hued radiance bathed rivers and mountains; nine-colored auspice shook the vault of the cosmos!
"That is… the heaven-opening supreme weapon the Taiji Diagram!" Riku's eyes flashed; his face turned solemn.
The Taiji Diagram bears the power to pacify earth, water, fire, and wind; to transmute yin–yang and the five elements; to lay bare Heaven's secrets; to encompass the myriad phenomena.
Mysterious without end, creation without limit, it can dissolve any attack and ignore any defence.
When the Diagram unfolds, Heaven and Earth themselves are moved; sun and moon change colour. The awe of a supreme treasure was unmistakable.
Even Riku dared not be careless now. To be careless before the Taiji Diagram was to seek death.
At Little Garden's founding, Dao De Tianzun had used this weapon, born of primordial chaos, to prove the Way and become the oldest of immortals.
There was no doubt this was Dao De Tianzun's strongest trump card.
In that moment, the Taiji Diagram transformed again!
Yin and yang turned; a golden bridge descended from the heavens, spanning to the far shore of time and space, linking the holy might of the Heavenly Dao, moving to annihilate every invading foe. This was the Taiji Heavenly Dao!
Under its influence, all of [Heaven] trembled. Gods and buddhas, Demon Lords, Star Spirits, immortals, and yōkai kings alike stared in shock at the transformation of the world.
At once, under their commanders' orders, the ranks of [Disboard], the [Seven Heavens], the [Twelve Guardian Devas], the [Buddhist Order], and [Taoism] formed combined defences to withstand the aftershocks. Otherwise, only ash awaited them!
Above Riku, upon the golden bridge, a world-crushing killing intent surged down, suppressing ten thousand worlds.
"Hraaaah!" Riku roared, unleashing his power without reservation and striking up with that killing will.
Boom!
A thunderous detonation shook the entirety of Little Garden's third layer as if it were about to shatter.
The annihilating aftermath swept out, faces blanching across the field.
Then Heaven and Earth shifted once more: the purple qi of yin–yang Hongmeng manifested, returning all to the earliest chaos!
Yin–yang Hongmeng, the complete Hongmeng worldview reappeared within the Taiji Diagram! Power enough to suppress ten thousand Demon Lords!
The pressure of yin–yang Hongmeng fell, intent on erasing Riku utterly.
"[Pseudo Star Map — Third Kind of Star Particle Body]!" Riku's face hardened. He raised his right hand and, without holding back, poured his Super Blue full-power peak into it, unleashing the strongest blow of his life!
An aurora pillar, bearing world-ending might, speared toward the heavens, colliding head-on with the descending Hongmeng worldview!
Riku's all-out aurora pillar crashed headlong into the Hongmeng world, and all of [Heaven] was caught in the blast.
A terrifying heatwave erupted at once, rippling outward and blasting [Heaven] itself into ruins.
At the critical moment, at ground zero, Riku didn't just deploy the Eternal Fourth Protection for defence; he also invoked the Solar Authority of "Libra" to balance the energies and shield himself.
Dao De Tianzun, for his part, wore a grave look as he piled up defensive treasures like they were free, with the Vajra Bangle guarding his person at full strength.
Farther off, where Sun Wukong and Lingbao Tianzun were fighting, neither dared be careless; both poured everything into defence.
Farther still, the ranks of [Disboard], the [Seven Heavens], the [Buddhist Order ], [Taoism], and the [Twelve Guardian Devas] tacitly ceased fighting and joined together to weather the aftershocks.
At this level, treating the shockwaves with anything less than full seriousness was suicide; otherwise, they would be reduced to ash in an instant, just like [Heaven]. After a dozen-odd minutes, the aftershocks at last ebbed away; [Heaven] had been reduced completely to a wasteland, and even the sky was punched through with holes!
Every living being watched the scene before them in terror.
The battle between the strongest Demon Lord and the oldest immortal was simply too horrifying!
At the centre of the field, at some remove, even the rather bedraggled Sun Wukong and Lingbao Tianzun held their blows and stared fixedly at that region of fractured space.
"Ahh, that was impressive, almost died there," Riku said lightly as he appeared before the masses, unscathed.
"Ahem, don't kid yourself," came Dao De Tianzun, emerging a heartbeat later and coughing blood. Compared to Riku, he looked far worse: wounds crisscrossed him that wouldn't easily heal, his hair was a wild mess, and there was none of the earlier transcendent immortal bearing.
"Even that didn't do it… Demon Lord, you're far too troublesome." Dao De Tianzun sighed.
"You're no different in that regard," Riku replied with a shrug, perfectly calm.
"But this fight has reached its end," Riku murmured, starry light in his eyes.
As he spoke, a golden Buddha palm manifested in the heavens.
Buddha-light suffused the world, pacifying all under heaven.
A moment later, a resounding Buddhist chant rolled across the sky solemn, vast, profound, sacred…
"Om, ma, ni, pad, me, hum…"
"The Six-Syllable Mantra!?" Dao De Tianzun and Lingbao Tianzun both looked up at the palm in the sky, faces sinking. Was Shakyamuni moving to intervene?
Relations between [Taoism] and the [Buddhist Order] were exquisitely delicate; they couldn't stand the sight of each other. This was [Taoism]'s area; if Shakyamuni struck here, it would mean he didn't put [Taoism] in his eyes at all, that he judged them already beaten. How could their dignity and their community's face endure that without anger?
Sun Wukong frowned as well. She held little warmth for the [Buddhist Order], but she could not deny the power of its lord, Shakyamuni.
If he inserted himself now, it would be a real problem.
As Dao De Tianzun and Lingbao Tianzun glared, Riku's lips curled into a sly smile.
The chant swelled even louder.
[Buddhist Order] secret art.
[Three Thousand Worlds]!
Small Thousand Worlds: Sealing!
An apparently boundless golden palm descended to suppress Dao De Tianzun.
"Shakyamuni, what game are you playing!?" Dao De Tianzun roared as realisation struck.
His hands, however, did not idle; he fanned the Bajiao Fan in a frenzy, sending burning gales to meet the Buddha's palm head-on.
"No, this attack isn't Shakyamuni's! It's his doing!" Lingbao Tianzun, still unscathed as an onlooker, caught the anomaly in Riku, and his pupils shrank violently…
A Demon Lord, wielding the [Buddhist Order]'s secret art, the [Three Thousand Worlds], how was that possible?
Know this: [Three Thousand Worlds] was born of Shakyamuni's great awakening beneath the Bodhi tree, the cycle of [Three Thousand Worlds] by which he attained the seat of god and buddha. It was utterly unique.
Moreover, Shakyamuni had used [Three Thousand Worlds] to suppress the "Heliocentrism" divinity; it was absolutely impossible to lend it out, and no one else could use it. Least of all would he lend it to an enemy like Riku.
In that instant, even an ancient immortal like Lingbao Tianzun felt his worldview crack. We can't let this continue! he thought, reining in his mind. He didn't know how Riku possessed and could deploy [Three Thousand Worlds], but this was no time to care. If this went on, Dao De Tianzun, who had already used the Taiji Diagram, could not possibly withstand a power on the Diagram's very level!
"Old Dao, don't you dare!" Sun Wukong saw through Lingbao Tianzun's intent at once. She glared and shouted, "Your opponent is me!"
The Ruyi Jingu Bang surged skyward and crashed toward Lingbao Tianzun, forcing him to defend.
"Sun Wukong, don't interfere!" Lingbao Tianzun cried, anxious.
Pressed for time, he drew his own trump card, the Zhuxian Sword Formation!
In a heartbeat, the Zhuxian Array Diagram unfolded at Sun Wukong's position. The Zhuxian (Immortal-Slaughtering) Sword, the Slaughter-Immortal Sword, the Trap-Immortal Sword, and the Absolute-Immortal Sword took the four quarters and anchored the array. A terrifying aura of slaughter billowed out bearing power to annihilate a million gods and buddhas!
The Zhuxian Sword Formation is made for slaughter; in sheer offensive power, it even surpasses the Taiji Diagram. Of course, in overall versatility, the Taiji Diagram is far stronger. Each has its strengths and weaknesses.
At this moment, Sun Wukong was trapped within the Zhuxian Sword Formation, in peril at every turn.
If she hadn't cultivated the Diamond Body and gained the Fiery Golden Eyes, if her strength hadn't surged, she would likely already have been cut down.
And yet, Sun Wukong's power-up was real: the Diamond Body could withstand the aura of slaughter, and the Fiery Golden Eyes let her avoid the killing blows.
For that reason, even the Zhuxian Sword Formation could not take Sun Wukong down in the short term.
This left Lingbao Tianzun anxious and helpless.
Elsewhere, Dao De Tianzun fanned the Bajiao Fan countless times before finally smashing the descending golden Buddha palm apart.
"This is bad. That god-slaying Demon Lord, he's too bizarre." Now Dao De Tianzun, like Lingbao Tianzun, sensed that something was wrong.
If Shakyamuni had acted, there was no way his aura would be completely hidden. And Shakyamuni would never help a Demon Lord deal with him.
Which meant, unbelievable as it was, that this [Pseudo Star Map — Three Thousand Worlds] had actually been unleashed by Riku.
"Did he force me to use the Taiji Diagram just for this?" Dao De Tianzun's expression grew extremely grave. The Taiji Diagram is mighty, but it isn't something that can be used at every moment.
Having just collided with that one-hit-kill Pseudo Star Map, it couldn't be employed again in a short span. The same went for Riku.
But he truly hadn't expected Riku to also have Three Thousand Worlds, so this really was a dead end. A single misstep and he would be sealed.
Even being an ancient immortal would do him no good.
Rumble!
As Dao De Tianzun's thoughts churned, the sky warped again. Another golden Buddha palm appeared and pressed down.
Dao De Tianzun, for his part, used every sort of immortal tool to break it.
After this offensive and defensive cycle repeated a dozen times, Dao De Tianzun's face suddenly changed.
This was absolutely not normal. Knowing it didn't work and still repeating the same attack, this didn't match Riku's fighting style.
Moreover, this was happening within the [Buddhist Order]'s secret art, Three Thousand Worlds!
"Reincarnation… Without realising it, I've fallen into some kind of cycle!" Dao De Tianzun's face was sombre. If he'd had the Taiji Diagram ready, he could have broken out from the start. Alas, it seemed too late now.
While Dao De Tianzun pondered, the golden Buddha palm pressed down again, forcing him to defend.
Middle Thousand World — Reincarnation! That cycle repeated a thousand times, ten thousand times.
Even Dao De Tianzun struggled to endure.
But at last, he dragged things out to the moment when the Taiji Diagram could be used again.
"This troublesome cycle ends here!" Dao De Tianzun shouted. That bald monk's Three Thousand Worlds was a true nuisance.
As expected, when dealing with Demon Lords, gods and buddhas had the edge. Having felt the sealing power of Three Thousand Worlds for himself, Dao De Tianzun finally understood how vexing it was.
The Taiji Diagram unfolded again, moving to break the esoterica of Three Thousand Worlds.
"Pseudo Star Map — Third Kind of Star Particle Body." But if Dao De Tianzun could use his trump, Riku could deploy his as well.
Thus, the instant the Taiji Diagram appeared, the aurora pillar speared skyward again, directly cancelling it out once more.
Dao De Tianzun's face changed wildly; he hurried to defend. Even so, his injuries deepened.
However, the clash between the Taiji Diagram and the aurora pillar shattered this reincarnation world.
Dao De Tianzun's eyes narrowed. Dragging his gravely wounded body, he tried to escape Three Thousand Worlds.
Yet the instant he broke through the cyclical world, a powerful will suddenly descended and froze him in place.
"Om, ma, ni, pad, me, hum…" At the same time, the Six-Syllable Mantra rang out again.
This time, the severely wounded Dao De Tianzun had no time to respond and was completely suppressed.
His body still had life, but its functions ceased.
His soul remained but could not stir. His will was entirely crushed; he could not think at all.
[Three Thousand Worlds]
Great Thousand World — Enslaving the Will!
[Three Thousand Worlds] contains three tiers of sealing, each exceedingly powerful.
First tier, Small Thousand World — Sealing: a physical suppression.
Second tier, Middle Thousand World — Reincarnation: a bewildering of the soul.
Third tier, Great Thousand World — Enslaving the Will: a ravaging of intent.
This is the [Buddhist Order]'s ultimate secret art, the truth of the Pseudo Star Map—[Three Thousand Worlds]!
Especially the "enslaving the will" tier, which can even twist another being's intent and turn them into a believer of the Buddhist Order.
Of course, twisting the will of Dao De Tianzun, the founding ancient immortal of [Taoism], was clearly impossible.
And Riku would never turn someone into a [Buddhist Order] believer; that would just be gifting the Buddhist Order the spoils.
So that capability is a bit useless to him. But Riku could try to adjust it to convert others into his believers instead.
This was also why, when he first obtained [Three Thousand Worlds], Riku said it was "too troublesome."
If one doesn't know the truth of [Three Thousand Worlds], one blunder is all it takes to fall prey to it.