Within the field.
The radiant Great Sun still hung in the void, its light universally illuminating the Kan Palace Void.
The scriptures falling like rain from the sky still worshipped like countless Buddhas.
The vast and boundless chanting of Buddhist sutras never ceased, continuing their work of transcendence.
The sacred Great Buddha that blocked the horizon sat cross-legged upon a lotus. The lotus bloomed, transforming as if all things in heaven and earth were changing, as if all living beings were growing. The Buddha statue's face appeared utterly expressionless, one hand held upright before its chest, the other resting flat on its knee, its eyes slightly closed, as if the Great Sun Tathagata himself had descended.
Miao Tathagata still sat cross-legged upon the palm of that sacred Great Buddha, wearing the Five-Buddha Crown, draped in kasaya robes, a string of relics hanging from his neck, prayer beads in hand. His eyes remained slightly closed, turning the beads, chanting the sutras. From beginning to end, he had never once opened his eyes. After initially telling the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor to manifest his True Body, he had not spoken another word.
Opposite.
The head of the Hell Skull Dragon, including the Four-Skull Hell Guest that had split into four, were all suppressed rigidly by the wrathful manifestations of the Five Great Wisdom Kings, unable to move at all.
The madly burning crimson flames from before had long since extinguished; the billowing thick smoke had also vanished without a trace.
Looking out, the entire Hell Skull Dragon was twisting, blurring, appearing to have lost even the strength to struggle, as if on its last breath.
"Hahahaha!
Miao Tathagata!
You are nothing special either!
!"
The Heavenly Dragon True Emperor, who had transformed into the Hell Skull Dragon, suddenly and inexplicably burst into loud laughter.
Though he was suppressed motionless by the wrathful manifestations of the Five Great Wisdom Kings, his tone remained as arrogant and overbearing as ever. He shouted, "Don't think I don't know! You're suppressing this Incarnation of mine for no other reason than to force out my True Body, hahahaha!"
"I told you, with your level, Miao Tathagata, you are far, far from qualified to have an audience with my True Body!
Hahahaha!"
The Heavenly Dragon True Emperor laughed uproariously, as if deliberately trying to provoke Miao Tathagata. He enunciated each word sharply, bellowing, "Listen clearly!
You!
Miao Tathagata!
Are utterly unqualified to have an audience with my True Body!
Hahahaha!"
"Hahahaha!
Miao Tathagata, I can also tell you this: you simply don't dare to annihilate this Incarnation of mine!"
"Hahahaha!
Do you dare?"
"You don't dare!"
"You lack the courage, and even more so, the capability!
Hahahaha!"
The Heavenly Dragon True Emperor's wild laughter exploded through the Kan Palace Void. The experts observing from the shadows were all inwardly puzzled, for everyone could see that the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor was now like meat on a chopping block. If Miao Tathagata wished, he could annihilate this Incarnation of the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor at any moment.
To say Miao Tathagata lacked the courage or dared not to annihilate the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor was simply a joke.
Anyone with some understanding of Miao Tathagata almost universally knew what kind of existence he was.
Tell me, would an existence bold enough to incarnate as the Great Sun to transcend all demons and monsters of the Nine Netherworlds dare not annihilate a mere Incarnation of the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor?
The answer was definite.
If Miao Tathagata wished, this Incarnation of the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor would turn to ashes in the snap of a finger.
He possessed both the courage and the capability.
But the question was, why had he not acted against the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor all this time?
Furthermore, on what basis did the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor dare to be so wildly arrogant? If his strength were formidable, that would be one thing. But now, clearly suppressed motionless by the wrathful manifestations of the Five Great Wisdom Kings, why did he still dare to spout such nonsense at Miao Tathagata?
What was his basis, his reliance?
Many could not understand. The beautiful woman hiding within a Desolate Ancient Era Ruins was even more perplexed. She asked, "Elders, didn't you just say Miao Tathagata wants to force out the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor's True Body? Now the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor makes it clear he won't manifest his True Body. Since that's the case, why doesn't Miao Tathagata just directly annihilate this Incarnation of his? Could it truly be as the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor says, that Miao Tathagata doesn't dare to kill him?"
"Of course not," one of the elders replied. "Given Miao Tathagata's current status, position, cultivation, and strength, in all the heavens and myriad worlds, there is probably no existence he dares not kill, let alone a mere Incarnation."
"Then why exactly? In legends, isn't Miao Tathagata overwhelmingly domineering? Daring to scorn the Three Thousand Great Daos, daring to contend with the very heavens? Why is the Miao Tathagata I see so cautious? So cautious he's nothing like the Miao Tathagata of legend. Could this fellow be a fake?"
"A fake he is not. However... the Miao Tathagata we see is also not his True Body, but an Incarnation of Miao Tathagata."
"What!" The woman was shocked, exclaiming in astonishment, "This Miao Tathagata is just an Incarnation?"
"Yes."
"That's too exaggerated! An Incarnation of Miao Tathagata is this powerful? Then how formidable must his True Body be!"
The woman shook her head, pouting with displeasure. "Why do these so-called Great Dao Overlords all love Incarnations so much? It's either this Incarnation or that Incarnation. Feels like ever since entering the Desolate Ancient Black Hole, all we've seen are their Incarnations?"
"This is not at all strange. After all, every Great Dao Overlord has secrets unknown to others, and these secrets are all hidden within their True Bodies. The Desolate Ancient Black Hole is filled with experts as thick as clouds. Those who should have come and those who shouldn't have all come, along with many mysterious and unknown existences. If anyone dares to manifest their True Body, their identity, background, cultivation strength, Incarnation attainments, whether they are fixed destiny or variable, compliant with heaven or defying it, ordained by fate or true fate, divine consciousness and demonic thoughts, how many attainments they possess, how many Incarnations, how many threads of divine consciousness and demonic thoughts, what kind of attainments, what kind of divine consciousness and demonic thoughts, what kind of Incarnations... all, all their secrets will be seen through by others."
The elder spoke with a distant tone. "Even the karma and destiny of their True Bodies could potentially be deduced."
Saying this, the elder sighed again. "Until the final critical moment, no one will reveal their trump card."
"Within these Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces, whoever reveals their trump card first will be the first to be eliminated. Miao Tathagata understands this principle better than anyone. The Heavenly Dragon True Emperor naturally knows it too. Precisely because he knows, even though this Incarnation of his is suppressed motionless, he still has not manifested his True Body."
The woman asked, "So you're saying the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor is prepared to abandon this Incarnation of his? Looking at his wildly arrogant demeanor, he seems very certain and confident that Miao Tathagata doesn't dare to annihilate this Incarnation. What exactly is his reliance?"
The elder responded with a question instead. "I wonder, young lady, how much do you know about the Heavenly Dragon True Emperor?"
"Elders!" Hearing this, the woman rolled her eyes at them. "What do I know? You all know perfectly well, ever since I ran into the Netherworld Emperor back in the mundane world that year, the old master dragged me back and wouldn't even let me out the door normally, watching me so tightly it was ridiculous. About the matters of the Ancient Era, I know a fair bit more or less. But about the events of the last ten thousand years of the Current Era, what I know is pitifully little. I'm practically an idiot on that front."