Outside the Deer Garden·One Vehicle
The ancient foe had been reborn, and the Deer Garden had fortified its defenses. The two eminent monks, Da Fei and Suo Wen, guarded the entrance, chanting sutras with unwavering focus.
"Hmm?!" Da Fei exclaimed.
"She comes!" Suo Wen warned.
At that moment, a sinister gust swept through. Da Fei and Suo Wen snapped their eyes open, fixing their gaze ahead.
Abruptly, the earth darkened as ominous clouds swallowed the sky. The sacred Buddhist sanctuary was tainted by an encroaching gloom.
Graceful footsteps approached—a bewitching figure with alluring curves and eyes that shimmered with unspoken longing. Her crimson lips parted as if to whisper countless secrets, each glance enough to stir the heart and ensnare the mind.
The two monks recognized the demon before them. Closing their eyes, they redoubled their chanting, steeling their wills. Yet an invisible pressure, an insidious allure, forced cold sweat to drench their robes.
"I wish to see the Buddha Emperor. Might the two venerable masters grant me passage?" Ai Huo Nü Rong asked.
Ai Huo Nü Rong clasped her hands before her, offering a slight bow. A glimpse of her deep, shadowed cleavage teased the eye. Her voice, soft as a weeping willow, seeped into their hearts like a whispered temptation.
The monks' minds quaked, their spirits battered as they struggled to resist. Blood trickled from the corners of their lips.
Inside the Deer Garden·One Vehicle
Yao Rulai, Po Xia Qiu Chan, Su Huanzhen, Ye Xiao Chai, and Jiuzhou Yijian Zhi all sensed the plight of Da Fei and Suo Wen. Jiuzhou Yijian Zhi even considered stepping in to aid them.
But Yao Rulai and Po Xia Qiu Chan stopped him.
Confused, Jiuzhou Yijian Zhi shot Yao Rulai a questioning look.
"Do not reveal ourselves. The Buddha Emperor will act," Yao Rulai explained.
Yao Rulai's explanation was calm but firm.
Outside the Deer Garden·One Vehicle
"I must see the Buddha Emperor. I beg the two masters not to hinder me," Ai Huo Nü Rong pleaded.
Ai Huo Nü Rong bowed again, her movement releasing a wave of intoxicating fragrance toward the monks.
At the same moment—
"A century of cultivation, nearly lost in an instant. Why do my disciples not calm their hearts?" Jiu Jie Fo Huang, Buddha Emperor of the Nine Realms, intoned.
The voice of Jiu Jie Fo Huang resonated like a temple bell at dawn, steady and profound. The two monks instantly settled into deep meditation.
Then, sacred Sanskrit script descended from the heavens, and radiant Buddha-light erupted.
"One nature encompasses all natures; one law pervades all laws. One moon reflects upon all waters, and all waters reflect the one moon," Jiu Jie Fo Huang proclaimed.
With majestic solemnity and boundless compassion, Jiu Jie Fo Huang manifested before the Deer Garden. The thousand-year struggle between Buddha and demon was about to reach its final battle.
"So this is the Buddha Emperor of the Nine Realms?!" Jiuzhou Yijian Zhi murmured.
Inside the Deer Garden, Jiuzhou Yijian Zhi couldn't help but murmur in awe. This was the first time he, Su Huanzhen, and Ye Xiao Chai had witnessed the Buddha Emperor's divine form.
As Jiu Jie Fo Huang appeared, the gloom dispersed, and daylight instantly reclaimed the Deer Garden.
"We pay homage to the Buddha Emperor," Da Fei said.
"We pay homage to the Buddha Emperor," Suo Wen echoed.
Da Fei and Suo Wen rose and bowed in unison.
"Yu Zhi Xiang, how deeply I have missed you," Ai Huo Nü Rong cooed.
"I never imagined the ancient records of the Mystic Feminine were true—nor that it would empower you so," Jiu Jie Fo Huang sighed.
The Buddha Emperor ignored her honeyed words, sighing instead at the grim reality.
"This is destiny! And what of Fan Tian Ren (One Page Book) ?" Ai Huo Nü Rong demanded.
"Once Tian Chi Ji Ye reveals himself, the great battle of old shall repeat," Jiu Jie Fo Huang replied.
"If Yi Ye Shu were here, would he truly stand idle at the merging of heaven and earth? Yu Zhi Xiang, lying is a grave sin," Ai Huo Nü Rong scoffed.
Ai Huo Nü Rong scoffed, disbelief plain in her tone.
"Fan Tian lies in wait—should that not unsettle you more? He has never hesitated to vanquish demons," Jiu Jie Fo Huang countered.
"How cruel your words are. Have you forgotten the bond we once shared?" Ai Huo Nü Rong lamented.
As she spoke, she secretly unleashed a demonic enchantment.
"Cease your tricks. They hold no sway over me," Jiu Jie Fo Huang declared.
Yet the Buddha Emperor saw through her ploy instantly.
"If they truly had no effect, then back then…" Ai Huo Nü Rong insinuated.
Her implication hung heavy in the air.
"You wound me deeply," Ai Huo Nü Rong feigned.
She feigned sorrow, though her true target was not the Buddha Emperor but the two monks behind him.
"Calm!" Jiu Jie Fo Huang commanded.
The Buddha Emperor acted swiftly, but not swiftly enough—Da Fei and Suo Wen had already been ensnared.
"Demoness! Cease your blasphemy!" Da Fei shouted.
Da Fei lashed out, his composure shattered.
"Are demons not also beings? You discriminate—how far you have strayed from the Buddha's teachings," Ai Huo Nü Rong taunted.
Ai Huo Nü Rong seized the opening, twisting his faith.
"How dare a demoness lecture on Dharma!" Da Fei retorted.
"Did the World-Honored One ever preach with a biased heart?" Ai Huo Nü Rong countered.
A single retort silenced Da Fei.
"Da Fei, reaffirm your path. Do not falter," Jiu Jie Fo Huang advised.
The Buddha Emperor intervened before his disciple's resolve crumbled further.
"Yes!" Da Fei acknowledged.
Da Fei bowed, chastened.
"Three days hence, at the Origin Path of Mie Jing, Tian Chi Ji Ye awaits the Buddha Emperor's arrival. Or… Fan Tian Ren may come instead," Ai Huo Nü Rong announced.
At last, Ai Huo Nü Rong revealed her true purpose.
"Heh heh heh…" Ai Huo Nü Rong laughed.
Her laughter—both domineering and seductive—lingered as she turned and departed.
"The Twin Demons of Buddha's Calamity have returned. The suffering of all realms begins anew," Jiu Jie Fo Huang lamented.
The compassionate Buddha Emperor sighed in sorrow.
As Ai Huo Nü Rong vanished, Su Huanzhen and Jiuzhou Yijian Zhi stepped forward.
"Buddha Emperor, was that one of the evil forces from Mie Jing?" Su Huanzhen inquired.
Su Huanzhen's expression was grave. His journey to Mie Jing had revealed much.
"Indeed. That was Ai Huo Nü Rong," Jiu Jie Fo Huang confirmed.
"Now I understand why you held back," Jiuzhou Yijian Zhi realized.
Jiuzhou Yijian Zhi finally grasped the Buddha Emperor's restraint.
"Will you require aid for the meeting in three days?" Su Huanzhen asked.
Su Huanzhen knew the Buddha Emperor would go—but feared an ambush.
"I—" Jiuzhou Yijian Zhi began.
Jiuzhou Yijian Zhi began to volunteer, then remembered his blade, Silence of the Gods, was still being reforged.
"I shall go alone," Jiu Jie Fo Huang declared.
The Buddha Emperor's decision was final.
Yet just then, a new voice cut through:
"A meeting? What meeting?" Yin Shiren asked.
All turned to see Yin Shiren striding forth, Heavenly Sword in hand.
"Master Yin… has he restored the Desolate God's power?" Su Huanzhen wondered.
"Correct," Yin Shiren confirmed.
Through sheer Buddhist cultivation, Yin Shiren had reignited the Desolate God's divine might.
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