Upon receiving this reminder from Tao Qian, everyone came to their senses.
Master Tao, now quite imposing, still had his life hanging in the balance.
He could have been safe before, with the strong Sui Chaozi himself promising protection.
But he took it upon himself to change the conditions, asking for the lineage of Tianzhi Gong to help craft the Governance Divine Machine.
Though Sui Chaozi offered a great favor in return, providing a Mechanical Divine Army, most thought the trade was not worth the cost.
Compared to life and death, everything else naturally became trivial.
The audience also understood why Long Meng Arhat panicked upon hearing that Shenxiu Monk intended to join Tao Qian's command and be at his disposal.
Clearly, the Arhat knew the stakes involved.
He even believed that Master Tao was destined to die.
And indeed, it was true; Long Meng Arhat, not skilled in prediction, had a brother, the Auspicious Arhat, who excelled in such methods and had previously sent a message saying,
"Brother, leave Qiantang quickly with Shenxiu."
"Due to Duobao's intervention, my predictions went awry, and only just now have I cleared the fog to see the truth."
"Great disaster! Great tribulation!"
"That disciple of Duobao, truly reckless, wishes to use his own power to forcefully dissolve or shorten what should have been a hundred-year calamity that would cost over a billion lives in the Human Dao."
"Whether he succeeds is another matter, but first he must survive the brush with death. There are indeed too many who wish to take his life, he is almost certainly in a situation with little hope of survival."
"Shenxiu was careless to bet with him, and though breaking a wager might sound bad, it's certainly better than losing one's life."
Knowing the divine abilities of his elder brother, Long Meng Arhat responded with panic for the first time.
Thus, he decided to take Shenxiu away.
He had thought it would take some effort, even force.
But Tao Qian unexpectedly spoke up, nullifying the bet, which surprisingly warmed Long Meng to him.
On closer inspection, though Shenxiu reverted to wearing the garb of a Daoist disciple, the inexplicable natural Buddhist charm within him couldn't be concealed from an Arhat like him.
Right away, he openly praised,
"What a True Practitioner who has obtained the Dao. Though naturally a Spirit Treasure Daoist, you have deep karmic ties with Buddhism."
"If you manage to preserve your life this time, come visit the Free Temple someday, and this poor monk can introduce you to a Buddha to dissolve the karma from when you obtained the Buddha Bird Relics."
The promise made by Long Meng Arhat was profoundly significant.
After all, it was well known in the Cultivation World that only the Free Temple poached treasures and opportunities from others. If someone took something from the Free Temple, hiding at the ends of the earth was futile—their horde of great monks would hunt you down.
Just as Long Meng thought he could smoothly take his beloved disciple away,
he saw the ugly Shenxiu Monk preempt Tao Qian, speaking first:
"Master, Daoist Tao."
"No need for further words, even if it means death and the annihilation of my Dao, Shenxiu won't leave."
"I've already sensed it; opportunity, tribulation, and the Great Dao all reside in Daoist Tao. With my whole heart, Shenxiu wishes to liberate others, the world, and myself despite death without regret."
These words instantly solidified Long Meng's expression.
The Arhat highly valued his disciple and knew him well.
Hearing these few lines, he immediately realized that there was no turning back.
After pondering deeply, Long Meng had a sudden epiphany and understood the past and the consequences.
Unable to help himself, he stamped his foot and cursed bitterly,
"Foolish child, truly a foolish child."
"Bewitched by tribulation energy, you doubted the Free Dharma, leading you astray."
"In this life, you have no hope of becoming a Buddha; it will have to wait for the next."
"In the next life, I will come to save you again."
After saying this, Long Meng Arhat sighed with resignation, caring no longer for his favorite disciple.
He swiftly used the Heart Light Escape technique and left the provincial city without looking back.
This interlude didn't affect Tao Qian.
Even the grand commotion caused by the terrifying enemies attacking from afar couldn't make Tao Qian pay them any more attention.
On the contrary, the audience from the seventy-two provinces, who thought the excitement had ended, found their attention forcibly drawn back.
Sects such as the Divine Ear Sect and Ting Di Sect, which specialized in such matters,
were aware that, although others thought the excitement was over, they knew "Master Tao" deliberately making his whereabouts known without any intention of hiding would cause a huge stir.
Therefore, they had set up relevant Forbidden Techniques in anticipation.
As expected, not long after Sui Chaozi and Long Meng Arhat left, within the massive Spirit Mirrors, brilliance flashed.
One powerful figure after another, each with a formidable background, appeared.
Inside Qiantang Province, the energy of the Source Qi mechanisms started to boil in every direction.
The noise was so great that it even surpassed the battles that had just concluded.
Rainbows of demons cut across the sun, clouds of sins covered the heavens, and black waters surged... Every newcomer brought a terrifying aura with them.
This time, there was no need for introductions or descriptions.
Anyone with a bit of knowledge could guess who the individuals were.
Those leading the front, such as the Taishang Primordial Demon True Monarch Lingwa, Evil Sect Elder Zhuge Qingyi, Xiu Family Elder Xiu Zhonglin, generals under the Devil God, Arhats belonging to the lineage of the Hundred Birds of the Free Temple... These people arrived the fastest and were more conspicuous.
But quickly following these strong figures, suddenly, more Demon Cultivators from the Ultimate Happiness Realm appeared.
Although most people don't recognize the numerous Tao Qians, Yuan Gong was able to name each one.
Counting them carefully, they were truly a diverse mix, the Daoist and Buddhist, Demon, and Devil, heresy and heterodoxy, Divine Beings, and Alien Species all included.
Those "old acquaintances" in front were yelling and fighting, still using the same old phrases, avenging sons, disciples, former lovers, etc. Although they came fiercely and desperately, they lacked creativity.
But those from the Ultimate Happiness Realm behind were quite different.
It seemed that each of them was very fierce, but the source of their hatred was clearly not Master Tao.
"Old Thief Duobao, many years ago you slaughtered my Devil Clan in the North Sea, accruing a huge debt of evil, and I heard you've taken a treasure of a disciple. Today happens to be your day in Qiantang putting on airs, so I've come to join the fun. I'll capture this child, eat their flesh, drink their blood, skin them for clothing, and use their skull for a cup... Oh what joy, what joy."
"Mr. Duobao, two hundred years ago you stole my treasure for becoming an Immortal. I have calculated that today your disciple will repay a bit of that debt for you. After I've had my fun with them, I'll return their True Soul to you."
"Thief, back then you sneaked into my lair and stole the treasure I had nurtured for a thousand years. Today I will do unto you as you did unto others. I'll kidnap this child, turn them into my child, my husband, and raise a new progeny from them, then I could even return it to you."
"Duobao Daoist, a hundred years ago, to accumulate merit for your ascension, you plotted against my clan with shameless Magic Skills, tragically driving my clan nearly to extinction. Today, I wish to smash your disciple into dust and ash, considering it half-repayment of your debt of evil."
...
Accompanied by these voices and commotions, the vast Qiantang Province seemed to be hosting a Congress of Ten Thousand Immortals.
The magnitude of the event far exceeded the so-called Buddha Birth Technique conference.
Here a strange mist and wild wind was stirring, within which seemed to be a ten-thousand-feet Devil Dragon writhing and roaring; there, yellow sand was swirling, obscuring the sun, on which sat a bizarre Alchemist, naked with eyes all over his body; one could also see another part of the sky covered by eerie white flesh, sometimes appearing as breasts, sometimes as other objects, with the face of a woman that made one's soul tremble emerging in the middle...
It was indeed a bizarre and indescribable scene.
Just one glance revealed there were more than a dozen arrivals, each one a significant figure in the Cultivation World from the Ultimate Happiness Realm.
Their purpose was shockingly consistent: to capture Tao Qian.
Some were indifferent to whether he was alive or dead, while others certainly wanted him alive to torture him back at their base.
Such scenes!
Truly too startling.
By now, everyone understood why Long Meng Arhat said that Monk Shenxiu was beyond help in this lifetime.
Dying along with Tao Master, facing the siege of these dozen or so powerhouses from the Ultimate Happiness Realm, how could he possibly have survived?
Take note that the formidable Demon Buddha Temple's demon monks previously numbered only three.
Tao Qian had coped only by relying on the avatar of Duobao True Monarch, [Qingjing Zen Master], as well as the timely arrival of Senior Sui Chaozi at a critical moment.
What about now?
How to cope?
Faced with this situation where the inhabitants of the Ultimate Happiness were roaming everywhere, even Tao Qian, who had been eager to set off a grand fireworks display, couldn't help but pause.
There was no need to summon with the Golden Radiance Token; his gaze went straight to an old monk at his side, and he said somewhat helplessly,
"Master, who was it before that said I'm too good at getting into trouble, to the extent that even Duobao True Monarch doesn't dare claim he's my Master?"
"You, Elder, are truly hidden and profound. Where on earth did all these Demons and Ghosts come from?"
"Don't tell me you didn't calculate this scenario?"
Hearing this, Qingjing Zen Master, who was holding the Blessing Divine Mallet, showed no shame on his face.
Instead, he replied confidently,
"It's nothing significant. They're just some Evil Spirits that I offended in the past. They don't dare to seek trouble with me in Penglai Sea and have been incited by the Alchemist to come after you."
"It's no big deal. Whether it's a single sheep or a herd of sheep, it's all the same herd."
"If those who came were a group walking the Righteous path, those who haven't paid a great price to reach the Ultimate Happiness Realm, I would make sure to immediately grab you and escape."
"These people, heh, are all bullies soft-hearted when resisting aggression, driven into desperate straits, and extremely afraid of dying."
"Just wait until you set off that big fireworks display. Each of them will run faster than rabbits. They won't hinder your grand plan."
The old monk had just uttered the last sentence.
Suddenly, as if sensing something else, his expression changed abruptly.
"Act quickly!"
"Gao Huan, that old creature, has been divvied up and eaten by the other twelve monsters."
"They are now drunk on wine and meat, dazed and lost in delusion. If you want your mad plan to succeed, now is the only time for action."
Having heard this, Tao Qian immediately grew serious without hesitation.
He turned his head to look at Mingzhen.
She immediately understood and passed over the Ancestor God Treasure [Spring and Autumn Chariot].
During the process, this Devil Concubine also infused all the Human Dao Destiny within her into it.
At the same time, two rays of Divine Light flew out from Tao Qian's body, representing two other Ancestor God Treasures: Yu Ding and Valley God Gui.
The three treasures each displayed their Divine Treasure true forms, arraigned in front of Tao Qian.
As those three incredibly dazzling Ancestor God Radiance beams shot straight into the sky, a grand and mighty voice, without the aid of any Spirit Mirror Crystal Balls, resonated throughout the seventy-two provinces in this unprecedented conjunction of Human Dao Destiny. Every corner could hear it at that moment.
"My name is Tao Qian, and today I make a great vow."
"With my body and life, I hereby reestablish the Ancestor God Forbidden Technique, the Longevity Barrier, to protect tens of billions in this realm, this nation, and their Peace."
"All Treasures with spirit, please come to assist me."
...
As the explosive grand vow resounded through the provinces, everything burst forth.
Everyone then understood why Tao Qian, knowing that showing up would result in being besieged and hunted, had deliberately chosen not to leave.
He was not, in fact, trying to seize the throne of the Human Emperor!
In reality, he had bypassed all the supremely Talented, and with his immensely vast Human Dao Fortune, had begun to exercise the Human Emperor's authority directly.