The Great Dao Destiny Imperial Authority who descended from the Nine Heavens this time was Yaohuang.
To ordinary cultivators across the vast heavens and myriad worlds of the Great Desolate, the name Yaohuang might be unfamiliar, perhaps even less renowned than some of the Great Dao Star Lords.
This was because Yaohuang had fallen into slumber since the Primordial Era, rarely moving about in the outside world. Even when appearing, it was mostly through avatars.
However.
For some well-informed old-timers, the existence of Yaohuang was absolutely supreme.
During the great Immortal-Demon War of yore, Yaohuang was one of the commanders of the Nine Heavens. If not for Yaohuang leading the host of immortals to suppress the evil demons, the heavens and myriad worlds today would not be as peaceful as they are now.
Yaohuang possessed a glorious past, the most legendary being the time he transformed into a Tyrant Sun, illuminating the Nine Underworlds and intimidating all manner of demons, ghosts, and monsters.
Legend had it that Yaohuang was the first existence to make the Great Sun bloom with radiance within the Nine Underworlds, a feat truly unprecedented.
It was said that back then, the demonic path was forced to submit to the immortal path under the pressure of Yaohuang's divine might. Some said that if the immortal path could dominate heaven and earth, Yaohuang was definitely one of its greatest contributors.
Precisely because of this, Yaohuang held immense prestige within the Nine Heavens. Many powerful figures of the Nine Heavens, including the titans of the Great Desolate and even the blessed lands and grotto-heavens, looked to Yaohuang as their leader. Followers were countless, among them no shortage of Great Emperors, Thrones, Star Lords, and other Heavenly Mandates.
Take the famously renowned Five Sacred Peaks Great Emperor—he was a follower of Yaohuang.
The Eight Directions Thrones of the Nine Heavens Above were also under Yaohuang's command.
Was that all?
No.
Beyond that, the renowned Northern Dipper Seven Stars and the majority of the Thirty-Six Celestial Braves were under Yaohuang's banner.
Even someone like Da Xing the Mad Monk, whose previous life was an existence from the Desolate Ancient Era and who, after reincarnating and living to the present day, was hailed as a Living Buddha, dared not claim to have any chance of victory against Yaohuang. Because he knew that if there was anyone in the Nine Heavens Above who could be called the incarnation of the Great Sun's radiance, that person would undoubtedly be Yaohuang.
Leaving other matters aside, the Great Dao Innate Supreme Treasure in Yaohuang's hand—the Great Sun Radiant Haotian Pagoda—was alone enough to intimidate the myriad existences across heaven and earth.
"And that's just the Nine Heavens Immortal Path. The Western Heaven side has also sent quite a few this time. Those who should come and those who shouldn't have all come; those who should awaken and those who shouldn't have all awoken. Although most pose little threat to you, kid, there are a few you absolutely must be wary of."
Da Xing the Mad Monk mentioned a few names: one was Great Treasury Buddha, another was Lesser Thousand Buddha, and there was also Lotus Buddha.
Gu Qingfeng was somewhat familiar with these names. They were all legends of the Western Heaven Buddhist Path, representatives of the eight Buddhist sects, and existences renowned across the Great Desolate in their respective eras, each possessing vast supernatural powers and boundless Buddhist dharma.
After saying this, Da Xing the Mad Monk stopped walking and stared at Gu Qingfeng. "But the greatest threat to you from the Western Heaven side isn't them. It's Miao Tathagata!"
Hearing the name Miao Tathagata, Gu Qingfeng's brow furrowed slightly. "That Miao Tathagata? The one from legend with boundless wondrous dharma, hailed as the Buddha Emperor of the Western Heaven?"
"That's the one."
"That fellow has also revived?"
"What do you think?"
"Seems this time is really lively enough."
The corner of Gu Qingfeng's mouth curled into an inexplicable smile. His memory had never been great, especially regarding irrelevant people and matters—he'd forget them quickly. He'd also forget many legendary mighty figures soon after hearing about them. Only a few had left a very deep impression on him.
The Western Heaven Buddha Emperor Miao Tathagata was one of them.
He had never met Miao Tathagata—not the true body, nor even an avatar. The reason the name Miao Tathagata left such a deep impression was because of a stele in the Nine Underworlds.
That stele was called the Nine Yin Stele. It was said to have existed since the opening of the Nine Underworlds.
The Nine Yin Stele contained Nine Yin Turbid Breath. Before the Ancient Era, the demons and ghosts of the Nine Underworlds would occasionally come to the Nine Yin Stele to absorb its turbid breath. Over time, the Nine Yin Stele became a sacred stele in the hearts of the myriad demons and ghosts of the Nine Underworlds. The Nine Yin Stele might not represent the Nine Underworlds, but mention it, and absolutely no one was unaware.
Unfortunately.
This Nine Yin Stele was broken at the end of the Primordial Era.
It was broken by someone.
And the one who broke this Nine Yin Stele was precisely the Western Heaven Buddha Emperor Miao Tathagata.
Not only did he break the sacred stele in the hearts of the Nine Underworlds' demons and ghosts, he also carved a few lines upon it:
'All demons and monsters are but ants; the Lord of the Underworld clings to life, fearing reincarnation. To sever all darkness and ferry the Nine Underworlds, only I, the Buddha Miao Tathagata, can.'
These lines were nothing if not arrogant.
Not only did they scorn all demons and ghosts as insignificant as ants, they also belittled the Lord of the Nine Underworlds as greedy for life, afraid of death, and unwilling to reincarnate. They even boasted wildly, claiming that only he, the Western Heaven Buddha Emperor Miao Tathagata, could sever all darkness and ferry the Nine Underworlds.
Gu Qingfeng had always thought himself sufficiently audacious. It wasn't until he saw those lines carved by Miao Tathagata on the Nine Yin Stele that he realized there was always someone greater beyond oneself, and a sky beyond the sky. To charge into the Nine Underworlds, sever the sacred stele in everyone's hearts, and then, damn it all, mock, ridicule, and provoke everyone on the broken stele... To be honest, although Gu Qingfeng's personality was wild and unrestrained, this kind of audacious act was something he still couldn't bring himself to do.
"Da Xing, there's one thing I don't understand. Aren't you Buddhist cultivators supposed to be compassionate, saving all sentient beings? In my long life, I've met a few such Buddhas, but only a handful. More often, they're a bunch of hypocritical bastards wearing kasayas and chanting 'Amitabha'!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk shook his head and sighed. "These days, where is there any compassion or saving all sentient beings..."
"If they were just hypocritical villains with sinister intentions, that would be one thing. But how could someone like Miao Tathagata emerge? I heard he slaughtered quite a few demons in the Nine Underworlds back then."
"When the forest is big, you get all kinds of birds. Some Buddhist cultivators, as they cultivate, go astray... Their heads become filled with nothing but eradicating demons and defending the Dao."
"Eradicating demons and defending the Dao? That makes me even more confused. Doesn't your Buddhist doctrine preach the equality of all sentient beings?"
"This..." Faced with Gu Qingfeng's questioning, Da Xing the Mad Monk opened his mouth, hesitated, and ultimately didn't refute. He just sighed. "Kid Gu, some things you know yourself is enough. After all, I am a Buddhist cultivator; it's not good for me to say it out loud. In short, Buddha and Demon are relative. Buddha is Demon, and Demon is also Buddha. Buddha can become Demon in a single thought, and Demon can become Buddha instantly in a single thought."
"The Western Heaven Buddha Emperor Miao Tathagata..." Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin, a smile playing on his lips. "This time, I absolutely must meet this fellow."
"Miao Tathagata is indeed somewhat arrogant."
"Somewhat arrogant? The deeds he's done aren't just 'somewhat arrogant,' are they?"
"You're talking about Miao Tathagata severing the Nine Yin Stele, right? Actually, that matter... how should I put it? Miao Tathagata didn't really intend to scorn the Nine Underworlds. It was more about competing with Yaohuang."
"Yaohuang and Miao Tathagata have always been locked in open and covert struggle. Yaohuang once made the Great Sun's radiance bloom in the Nine Underworlds. Miao Tathagata, unconvinced, so he severed the Nine Yin Stele to contend with Yaohuang."