Just as Ye Tian had predicted, he was now completely unable to muster any power. Not only that, but his body had already reached its limit.
"Ye Tian, I'm your enemy. Now's your chance—co on, kill !"
He knew full well that his current situation presented Ye Tian with a golden opportunity. But instead, Ye Tian replied, "Hmph, just because you ask to kill you, I have to do it? Wouldn't that make look bad?"
"Cut the act. If you've got sothing to say, just say it."
They all thought Ye Tian was bluffing, but he simply gave a calm smile and said, "I want to wait until you've all recovered—then we'll have a proper, fair fight. Right now, I'm not interested in taking advantage of you."
With that, Ye Tian turned and walked away.
As he watched Ye Tian leave, the Jade Emperor was genuinely stunned. He never expected Ye Tian to actually let him off at a ti like this. He double-checked multiple tis, only to realize that Ye Tian had truly gone.
"Heh… pathetic, and pitiful."
With even the power to fly now lost to him, the Jade Emperor sent a distress signal to the Heavenly Court. The Queen Mother of the West arrived with a massive entourage, expecting to find him locked in battle with so formidable foe. But when they reached him, they were shocked to find the Jade Emperor alone, collapsed on the ground, with not a single enemy in sight!
"Jade Emperor, why are you here by yourself?"
The Queen Mother had no idea what had just transpired, and asked as she glanced at Ye Tian.
"What's the problem? I can't be alone now? Just hurry up and get back. This is humiliating!"
Hearing this, the Queen Mother quickly brought him back to the Heavenly Court. Only after they returned did the Jade Emperor explain what had happened. Upon hearing the full story, she nodded and said, "Hmm… I must admit, that Ye Tian really is bold and magnanimous. In that situation, he still chose to spare you. That's no small thing."
"You're praising his boldness and magnanimity? Whose side are you on—aren't you my Queen Mother?"
"Of course I am. But I'm also just stating the truth. Think about it—you went looking for trouble with him, and not only did he not kill you, he even gave you the chance to catch your breath and recover. If that's not bold and magnanimous, then what is?"
"…You've got a point."
He stopped arguing. After all, the more he resisted, the more impressive Ye Tian would seem. By now, he was starting to wonder why he'd even opposed Ye Tian in the first place. What good had it done him?
"Here's what we'll do: send down a decree. For the next month, no one is to trouble Ye Tian for any reason. Say it's an order from the Jade Emperor himself. Anyone who disobeys—execute without rcy!"
"What's gotten into you? Why are you suddenly siding with Ye Tian?"
"I'm soone who repays kindness. He spared my life—I owe him. It's as simple as that."
In truth, Ye Tian had chosen not to kill the Jade Emperor because he knew that if the Emperor died, the Heavenly Court would descend into chaos, which would ripple across the Three Realms and destabilize the entire world. At that mont, when the Jade Emperor was completely helpless, Ye Tian couldn't bring himself to kill soone so defenseless. That's why he walked away.
The Queen Mother found his reasoning sound and imdiately ordered his decree to be passed down.
———
anwhile, Tang Sanzang was completely focused, shutting out everything around him. No matter what others did, his only goal was to seek enlightennt and understand the Way. His progress had beco astonishingly rapid.
At this point, the Golden List Livestream was nearing its conclusion. If nothing unexpected happened, he would be ranked first.
Even the Buddha Tathāgata felt things had taken a turn for the worse. He had originally thought he could catch up to Tang Sanzang, but unexpectedly, Tang Sanzang's pace had accelerated, and it now seed impossible for him to overtake him.
"Forget it. Tang Sanzang is a man of the Buddha. If he takes first place, it's still better than letting an outsider claim the reward."
The "outsider" in his mind was Ye Tian.
After all, Ye Tian had taken first place in many of the previous rankings. Naturally, this ti the Buddha didn't want to see the top spot go to him again. At least if Tang Sanzang, a fellow Buddhist, took it, the Buddha could save face—even if he wasn't thrilled about it.
It seed the results were about to be revealed, with Tang Sanzang firmly in first place.
But just as the livestream was about to declare Tang Sanzang the winner, a completely unfamiliar na suddenly appeared on the Golden List screen.
The na was: Black Buddha!
Imdiately after, the Golden List Livestream announced the top spot in the ditation and Enlightennt Ranking List: Black Buddha!
"Black Buddha? Who the hell is that?"
Everyone was stunned. No one had ever heard of this na before. Who was he? How had he suddenly appeared and claid first place out of nowhere?
"Yeah, who is this Black Buddha? Show yourself!"
Even Tang Sanzang, who had been deep in ditative enlightennt, was jolted awake. He was baffled. Had he not taken first place?
Just then, a black figure began to materialize, forming in the Golden List Livestream.
"I am the Black Buddha you've all been looking for. Hmph, I took first place—what's the problem?"
Taibai Jinxing was unconvinced. He stepped forward and asked, "Why did you suddenly appear and snatch first place? Your na and ranking were never shown before this!"
But Black Buddha rely replied, "There's no fixed ti to register for the Golden List Livestream. I signed up right before the stream ended—then I took first place. It's called slipping in at the last second. Ever heard of that?"
"Slipped into the livestream?"
Ye Tian instantly understood. So this Black Buddha had slipped in just as the livestream was ending and used his strength to seize the top spot in a flash!
Clearly, this person was extrely well-versed in how the livestream worked. He had hidden himself using the rules, then jumped in at just the right mont to claim first place. Everything he did was within the bounds of the system—truly a master!
Ye Tian observed him calmly. He didn't attack, since the Black Buddha had participated fairly and in accordance with the livestream's rules. If Ye Tian attacked him now, it would only invite criticism.
"Buddha Tathāgata, is this Black Buddha one of your people?"
Ye Tian turned and asked.
"No, he has nothing to do with our Buddhist order. I've never seen him before. Black Buddha—where do you co from, and why do you call yourself a Buddha? Our Buddhist tradition has no one like you."
The Buddha Tathāgata was deeply puzzled. This man had a striking appearance, wore a black kasaya, and radiated a sinister black aura. Yet the most shocking thing was that he had never seen this person before in his life.
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