Compared to the calm and tranquility of the provinces in the south, the Northern Land was never quite peaceful.
Especially in recent days, wars were frequent with hardly a single province spared from unrest, not to mention the significant event that captured the attention of the world—Si Xixin's sudden attack on the Imperial City.
Even those with a modicum of insight could predict that a great upheaval would soon occur in the Northern Land.
Within a few days, the outbreak of a grand war was imminent, one that would envelop the warlords of various provinces and be of a very high level.
Everyone originally thought it would be the various warlords uniting to kill Si Xixin, but they guessed wrong.
The Qiantang upheaval!
This recently begun turn of events was the true beginning.
The dozens of warlords and millions of troops, with Cavernous Mystery Cultivators everywhere... in this upheaval, they were merely an appetizer.
At present, the combatants on both sides, with their strengths reaching the pinnacle of the Ultimate Happiness Realm, were using Magical Treasures that transcended the "Ultimate Happiness category."
Especially the Ten Thousand Marvels Sky-reaching Treasure Tower, a proof-of-Dao treasure of Daoist Transformation powers, which even pierced a hole through the sky, was enough to make onlookers' jaws drop.
Now the eyes of all seventy-two provinces were cast this way, truly the center of attention for the whole world.
Just as Tao Qian and Yuann Mingzhen were exchanging "meaningful glances," an imbalance emerged in the bombardment at the center of the field.
The Demon Buddha Temple's side!
The nine Great Compassionate and Merciful Transcendent Bodhisattvas, controlled by Shipi Arhat, unimaginably began to fall into disadvantage.
Everyone vividly remembered the shock when the Cyber Buddha Country first descended, but now, it seemed they were losing?
Within the chaotic battlefield filled with rainbow lights and thunderous roars, the nine Venerable Bodhisattvas' Mechanical Dharma Bodies kept getting corroded with wounds, which by now were unable to recover instantly.
On the contrary, the Tiannan Gao Family's side, the three emperors of the Gao Family, began to publicly reveal their bloodline madness in front of all.
Seated within the Heavenly Palace, controlling the Treasure Banner while simultaneously exhibiting some signs of grotesque transformations.
After all, they were from the Gao Family!
What were the symptoms?
It was self-evident.
Most of them were indescribable scenes of perversity and violation of human ethics.
Among these, the most shocking yet intensely gossiped about was True Lord of a Hundred Demons Gao Yang.
This emperor, with many anecdotes recorded in history, seemed to be paying a price for controlling the Treasure Banner. Unbelievably, he issued an Imperial Edict commanding the ancient Hundred Demons to transform into the appearance of his older brother Gao Cheng, then circled around him to practice some actions that, to the onlooker, might induce vomiting.
Though not explicitly stated, it was quite clear.
Audiences from all seventy-two provinces understood: Gao Yang harbored thoughts towards his own brother.
Compared to such explosive news, the lewd and brutal scenes of Jade Demon True Monarch Gao Zhan and Yang Demon True Monarch Gao Wei paled in comparison.
What is to be executed publicly?
This was it.
The Gao Family's Three Demons appeared to be winning, but their reputation was thoroughly lost.
However, what puzzled everyone was seeing Shipi Arhat losing ground, why did Kongchan and Liansha, the two Arhats, not take action?
If they were meant to watch over Free Temple's Long Meng Arhat, one would suffice.
Both standing idly by seemed like a waste of combat power.
This obvious "mystery" should have been immediately noticed by the Gao Family's Three Demons.
Regrettably, whether it was dealing with the price to be paid or their minds disturbed by tribulation energy, they failed to realize at first.
Right at the critical moment when the nine Bodhisattvas were on the brink of collapse and destruction, Shipi, reduced to a bloody skeleton, suddenly grinned and began muttering to himself.
In an instant, cracks appeared in the sky above his head as well.
Behind it lay another massive Secret Realm.
The vastness of this Secret Realm was in no way inferior to Lord Ten Thousand Marvelous Gao Huan's Cancer Secret Realm; in fact, it seemed even larger, as if it was an Exotic Realm Buddha Country filled with the Qi of Nirvana emptiness, independent and unattached to this world.
From within the Secret Realm, a grand Buddha sound emanated.
"Ten Thousand Marvelous young friend, your time of tribulation has arrived."
"This monk has calculated that this time you must perish, and your Gao Family, too, must pay the price for your past misdeeds; it is a destiny decreed by heaven."
Each word of this Buddha sound made one feel an inclination towards Buddha.
No one dared to ignore it, no one would ignore it.
In every Spirit Mirror Crystal Ball, the owner of the Buddha sound was immediately recognized for his terrifying background:
"Buddha!"
"A Buddha emanating from Demon Buddha Temple, with the Buddha name Nirvana."
At that moment, the whole world felt a sense of madness.
How could this be?
A mere skirmish that started as a religious gathering in Qiantang Province City had drawn in Ultimate Happiness Realm forces, Daoist Transformation Realm Magical Treasures weren't enough, and now even a Buddha got involved?
It's true that not everyone had the knowledge to understand the Cultivation World's higher-level secrets.
But just from the way Nirvana Demon Buddha addressed Gao Huan, one could infer the level of this Buddha if translated into the common realm hierarchy.
Undoubtedly, it was a Tribulation Immortal.
When a Tribulation Immortal, a Buddha, suddenly made such a public comment, especially one that proclaimed his own impending death,
Even Lord Ten Thousand Marvelous Gao Huan, the Alchemist old monster who had survived for many years, found himself suddenly plunged into panic.
The towering Treasure Banner he was manipulating began to tremble.
It caused a surge after surge of Source Qi tidal waves, as if intent on destroying the entire Qiantang Province territory.
Behind the Cancer Secret Realm, Gao Huan seemed to be speaking, seemingly howling in rage.
Alas, the restrictions on him appeared to be immense.
Being able to send the Magical Treasure into the world was already his limit; at this point, except for some mad, incoherent mumbling, no other sound could come through.
And very soon, the Buddha's decree was being realized.
From the crack leading to the Nirvana Buddha Country, a succession of semi-mechanical, semi-crystal bone-like alien objects, resembling mechanical relics, began to fall out.
Though mechanical, they were also alive.
The "mechanical evil spirit" from the Outer Realm Abyss.
When the violent Essence Qi swept through, various relics, dragging long tails of rainbow light, instantly left the territory of Qiantang Province City and headed towards the direction of Tiannan Province.
Seeing this familiar scene!
Tao Qian immediately knew, the Gao Family was finished.
"To refine the Great Transcendence Bodhisattva, the Mechanical Seed is an essential element."
"When Nirvana Demon Buddha bestowed this seed, it also signified that the Bodhisattva was about to be accomplished."
"At this point, the Gao Family must all be extinct."
As he uttered the last sentence, there was no trace of pity in Tao Qian's heart.
For other families, suffering the catastrophe of extinction usually merited some sympathy.
But the Gao Family?
This clan was an exception.
In the Gao Family, only by abandoning one's humanity and becoming twisted beasts, could one have a chance to live freely.
Those born in the Gao Family and still alive had to, like "Gao Cheng," break away from it and even then, they faced pursuit and assassination.
As the mastermind behind the scenes, the guide.
Tao Qian felt not a twinge of guilt.
...
Until this moment!
The Gao Family's Three Demons finally reacted, realizing what had happened, their expressions changed drastically at the same time.
They turned their heads together, looking at Kongchan and Liansha, the two Arhats, and angrily shouted, "Despicable and shameless, Qiantang doesn't have enough provisions, and you dare to take advantage of a vacuum to go to Tiannan and slaughter the people to refine a Mechanical Bodhisattva?"
As the three roared, the two Arhats, originally just two skins, shone with Buddha Light on their bodies, and once again became lifelike.
Clearly, they had left some tricks up their sleeves.
The two Arhats opened their eyes again, one after another, and uttered words that almost drove the Gao Family's Three Demons mad.
"Not so, not so, the three Daoist friends have guessed wrong. The people of Tiannan Province will sooner or later all become believers of Demon Buddha Temple, how could we easily slaughter them to Refining Treasure? This would be the method of draining the pond to get the fish, something we can't do."
"That's the reasoning, the common people can't be slaughtered, so we could only borrow the body and soul of the Gao family members. It's thanks to the three Daoist friends who recently issued an Imperial Edict, asking for the bloodline of the Gao Family spread across the Seventy-two Provinces to return to Tiannan, which was convenient for us. After slaughtering them all, it was just enough to refine about six Transcendence Bodhisattvas, enough to use."
As soon as Kongchan and Liansha finished speaking.
The Three Demons of the Gao Family shouted in unison:
"Impossible!"
"The bloodline of our Gao Family, most are in the ancient Secret Realm of our ancestors, protected by the Big Array, connected to the old ancestors' Secret Realm, even Kongchan Liansha, these two old thief monks can't possibly enter."
"Unless..."
Gao Wei hadn't finished speaking when the two Arhats each raised their hand, calling forth the scene of the Gao Family Ancestral Land in Tiannan Province at this very moment.
The original appearance of that territory was faintly visible, purely composed of countless riches from the mortals, a truly luxurious and magnificent Human World Secret Realm.
But now, it was ruined.
The hundreds of thousands of the Gao family who were enjoying there were nearly all dead.
Mountains of corpses and seas of blood!
A cruel Purgatory!
Unlike ordinary people, the Gao family, scarcely had any commoners.
Even the person with the least talent for Cultivation, as long as you bore the surname Gao, would enjoy great benefits, receive Cultivation Techniques, provisions, and treasures to gain Extraordinary Power.
From the first day of birth, they were thoroughly detached from the "Human Clan", transforming into another kind of life.
The price?
Nothing else, just the obliteration of humanity would do.
But at this time, that was all gone.
Of course, there was one survivor, covered in blood, climbing to the top of his clanmates' corpses, looking around bewildered, seemingly still unclear about what had happened. Gao Buxi.
He didn't understand, what exactly had happened in the past few hours?
He brought his pregnant wife back to the ancestral land, originally thinking that after the child was born, they would ask the old ancestor for grace and bestow some good things.
It should have been a happy event, but in an instant, it turned to great sorrow.
The Gao Family was exterminated.
Because of this "spy", this "pathfinder".
This allowed the Demon Buddha Temple's two vicious Arhats to lead a group of ferocious Buddha Army in, and it didn't take long for the Gao Family to be completely wiped out.
The Gao Family was extinct, and he felt only panic and disarray but no sadness.
Not until his deeply beloved new wife "Duan Yuhong" suddenly turned into a bubble, dissipating before his eyes, did he truly feel great sorrow, wailing atop that heap of corpses.
"Yuhong, my Yuhong, my child..."
Everyone was curious about the story of this member of the Gao Family.
But at this time, there was obviously a shocking follow-up.
The Gao Family's Three Demons, knowing the truth, all had eyes wide as if they would crack, almost going mad.
But the three of them didn't curse at the two Arhats, but unbelievably turned their heads again, looking at someone who was of no concern to them.
Wu Gou Buddha Son!
Once again, this Buddha Son from the South Sea entered the sight of people all over the world.
Had it not been for Shipi Arhat blocking them, the Three Demons of the Gao Family would have completely erupted, killing towards this Buddha Son.
The Demon Sound filled with endless hatred bellowed throughout the area.
"It's you! Who exactly are you? And your master Qingjing thief monk, who exactly are you? What grudge do you hold against our Gao Family? Why do you want to harm my entire clan's lives?"
"Such cunning, such tactics, I didn't expect your master and disciple to hide so deeply, using such despicable methods to beguile the unworthy descendants of my Gao Family... You are definitely not Righteous Buddhist practitioners, who exactly are you, Evil Sect? Or Demon Buddha's dark child?"
"Those three thieving monks of Demon Buddha Temple, we the Gao Family have been tricked by you all, it's this junior and his master who are plotting behind our backs, did you promise to join your ranks as well? Clearly, this is intentionally enticing us to fight each other."
"Indeed, that's the case, three venerable monks quickly halt, do not be deceived."
...
The Gao Family's Three Demons, after all, had been Emperors, and as soon as they came to their senses, they guessed a lot of things.
Unfortunately, by this point, what could be done?