Jiang Gautama broke Long Shenying with one palm strike and instantly arrived before Gu Qin. He saw a zither puppet standing in front of Gu Qin.
“You are sending a message to Gu Hai only now? It is too late. Die!” Jiang Gautama snorted coldly.
Jiang Gautama did not give Gu Qin any time to delay, quickly throwing a palm strike.
It was too late. Even if Gu Hai heard Gu Qin’s message from the zither puppet, there would be no time for Gu Hai to respond. Jiang Gautama did not want to delay. He felt overwhelming hatred from the Spirit Mountain Holy Land’s blessings’ destruction and wanted Gu Hai to suffer the pain of losing a son today.
The palm displayed domineering might, tearing space as it smashed down, poised to vaporize Gu Qin.
“Don’t!” the distant, severely injured Long Shenying roared in horror.
Just as Long Shenying felt horrified, another beam of golden light appeared from the north. It was also a golden palm, this one shooting towards Jiang Gautama.
“What? Another Gautama Divine Palm?” Long Shenying felt startled.
This palm arrived very quickly and was no weaker than Jiang Gautama’s.
Jiang Gautama’s hair stood on end, as he sensed a lethal threat. He had no choice but to divert his Gautama Divine Palm towards the palm aimed at him.
Bang!
The Gautama Divine Palm turned, but the wind it created blew Gu Qin away. The heavy impact from that wind made him spew a mouthful of blood.
However, although Gu Qin spewed blood, he knew he had been saved. He saw two gigantic golden palms nearby, each sporting a golden swastika as they clashed in the air.
Boom!
A powerful shredding force appeared between the two golden palms and ripped the entire Blazing Sun Desert into pieces. The shredding force instantly reached Gu Qin. While he had dodged the Gautama Divine Palm, he could not escape this shredding force.
It looked like Gu Qin would die.
Bang!
A black figure rushed over. Long Shenying had endured his injuries to pick up Gu Qin and escape the blast’s range.
While Gu Qin survived, Long Shenying suffered further severe trauma. His skin tore, and the flesh on his back ripped; blood could not stop flowing.
Whoosh!
The two flew out of the blast radius and landed at the foot of a mountain.
“Lord Long!” Gu Qin exclaimed.
“Cough! Cough! Your Highness, it’s alright as long as you are fine,” Long Shenying said weakly.
“Lord Long, I have implicated you!” Gu Qin said with a guilty expression.
However, Long Shenying looked at the center of the battle with worry.
The two Gautama Divine Palms clashed in midair, destroying the entire Blazing Sun Desert. Space recovered slowly as the two golden palms maintained a stalemate. Countless swastikas revolved quickly in the surroundings.
Bang!
The two Gautama Divine Palms suddenly vanished simultaneously with a loud report.
After a cool breeze blew, a powerful monk appeared in front of Long Shenying and Gu Qin, shielding them.
“The Gautama Divine Palm? Who is this person? Why does he know it?” Long Shenying exclaimed.
“Who are you?” Jiang Gautama asked in wide-eyed shock.
To think this person blocked my earlier palm strike. He even used the Gautama Divine Palm, and his attack was not weaker than mine?
The Gautama Divine Palm? This is something I created and is unique to me. Yet, this person’s Gautama Divine Palm is exactly the same as mine? Wait, that’s not right. There are some differences, but those differences are limited.
“This Buddha is Gautama!” Vairocana said seriously.
[TL Note: As mentioned in a previous TL Note, Vairocana is something like another aspect of the Gautama Buddha. He is seen as the celestial existence, while Gautama is the earthly physical reincarnation. The Chinese for Vairocana can translate to “Great Sun Gautama,” so there’s nothing wrong with Vairocana calling himself Gautama. The chapter title was originally Lord Gautama Buddha vs. Lord Gautama Buddha, but I dropped the Gautama in the title for less confusion.]
Gautama?
Long Shenying and Jiang Gautama goggled.
Gautama? If you are Gautama, then who is Jiang Gautama?
Jiang Gautama and Vairocana stood in the air, looking at each other coldly.
Both of them were the Lord Gautama Buddha. One was the Six Paths Immortal Firmament’s Lord Gautama Buddha, and the other was the Sa’s Immortal Firmament’s Lord Gautama Buddha. They were both peak experts of the immortal firmament; neither gave way to the other.
While Vairocana knew where Jiang Gautama came from, Jiang Gautama did not know Vairocana’s origins.
Jiang Gautama immediately thought of divine blood replication. Did Gu Hai use the shaman race’s secret techniques to replicate me? That’s impossible. Only I know the divine blood replication. How could Gu Hai know it? Furthermore, this person looks very different from me; he is not my replica. Even my replica would not have such a high cultivation.
“Who exactly are you?” Jiang Gautama demanded frostily.
“The Lord Buddha, Vairocana, of the Hall of Great Strength, Major Leiyin Temple, Sahā World,” Vairocana replied.
“The Sahā World?”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Gautama felt panicky. Earlier, he pointed to the sky and the ground, declaring supremacy in the world, and said he wanted to establish the Sahā World. However, he was only preparing to do so and had not established it yet.
To think this person said he came from the Sahā World? Also, Major Leiyin Temple? Isn’t that the Spirit Mountain Holy Land’s largest temple? The Hall of Great Strength? Isn’t that my main hall? The Lord Buddha?
Is this person actually imitating me? Vairocana?
“Wait!” Jiang Gautama’s eyes suddenly narrowed.
Jiang Gautama recalled that this had also happened to Sect Master Heavenly Access. Back then, Gu Hai found an imitation Sect Master Heavenly Access of equal strength.
As it had not happened to him, he thought little of it. Now that it did, he felt it deeply for himself.
How can there be such an uncanny thing in the world?
Unless Gu Hai can travel through time and space and summon this person from the future?
Is this Vairocana my future self?
But if he is my future self, he should be on my side.
“Are you the future me?” Jiang Gautama asked with some shock.
“You are overthinking. I am me and have nothing to do with you,” Vairocana retorted indifferently.
“Nothing to do with me? Humph! You said it. Then don’t blame me. This is outside of the Han Imperial Dynasty. Even if Gu Hai comes, it will be useless. You shall die with Gu Qin!” Jiang Gautama snarled as he threw a palm strike.
“Om Mani Padme Hum!” Vairocana also extended his palm to the sky.
The mantra’s six glittery, golden characters appeared on Vairocana’s palm.
Boom!
The two gigantic palms clashed in midair, pushing against each other. Then Vairocana stepped into the sky.
Whoosh!
Vairocana pushed Jiang Gautama upwards, moving into outer space.
Vairocana shifted the battlefield to outer space.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions rang out in outer space.
The two Gautamas fought with all their might.
Xuanyuan City, Huang Heavenly Dynasty:
Ji Dihong stood at the entrance of his study, watching the distant battle with his coterie.
“Another Gautama Divine Palm?” Ji Dihong’s face sank.
Most of the officials could not clearly see the distant scene, but Cangjie could.
“He is also called Gautama? Vairocana? How strange! This Han Imperial Dynasty indeed has many things up its sleeves. Previously, a fake Sect Master Heavenly Access appearing was already sufficiently shocking. To think they produced a consummate Upper Heavenly Palace Realm Lord Gautama Buddha this time? This is truly…,” Cangjie said in confusion.
“What Lord Gautama Buddha?” Emperor Kong and the others asked curiously.
Cangjie described the distant scene to everyone.
“What? There’s another Jiang Gautama? And this Jiang Gautama is on Gu Hai’s side?” Everyone felt stupefied.
“It’s not Jiang Gautama, but Vairocana,” Cangjie said, also confused.
“Mister Cangjie, you can divine things happening in the world. Where is this Vairocana from? To think he can contest with Jiang Gautama and is also in the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm?” Ji Dihong looked at Cangjie with a trace of amazement.
“This official also cannot figure it out. Perhaps…hah… That’s impossible. Where is he from?” Cangjie appeared uncertain.
He seemed to have guessed something but immediately rejected it.
“Fortunately, we got the Spirit Mountain Holy Land and the Han Imperial Dynasty to test each other. There are indeed many strange things.” Ji Dihong narrowed his eyes, watching the two Gautamas fight.
Divine Flame Hall, Great Desolation City, Yan Heavenly Dynasty:
Ba watched the distant battle with Jingwei, Xingtian, Hou Yi, and others behind her.
The commotion caused by two consummate Upper Heavenly Palace Realm cultivators was sufficient to attract the attention of all the peak experts in the world.
“Elder Sister, you said another Gautama appeared? Previously, the Spirit Mountain Sect had the good and evil Gautamas. Jiang Gautama is the evil Gautama. Could the other be the good Gautama? The good Gautama is on Gu Hai’s side?” Jingwei marveled.
“Not the good Gautama,” Ba said with furrowed brows.
“Oh? There’s a third Gautama?” Jingwei said in confusion.
Ba nodded gently.
“Hou Yi, do you see it clearly?” Xingtian looked at Hou Yi.
Hou Yi narrowed his eyes at the battle in outer space and nodded. “This Vairocana is very powerful. He can actually match Jiang Gautama. Xingtian, you were right. This Han Imperial Dynasty is indeed extremely strange.”
Outside the Blazing Sun Desert:
Whoosh!
A beam of azure light shot over. Gu Hai and Kong Xuan arrived at Gu Qin’s location.
After Vairocana left, Gu Hai immediately summoned Kong Xuan. After telling the Mosquito Daoist to remain in Borderless Heavenly Capital to protect it, he rushed over.
While Kong Xuan could move extremely quickly when carrying Gu Hai, he was still slower than Vairocana.
When the two arrived, Long Shenying was vomiting blood. He had sustained extremely severe injuries, but he protected Gu Qin even so.
“Imperial Father!” Gu Qin cried out with pleasant surprise.
“Your Reverence, this official nearly failed!” Long Shenying said with a bitter smile, blood dribbling out of his mouth.
Gu Hai immediately approached and laid a hand on Long Shenying to send surging Mending Heavenly Energy into Long Shenying’s body.
“Long Shenying, you did not fail. Had you not sent the message through the zither puppet the moment you sensed danger, Qin`er might not have escaped this disaster. It is all thanks to you this time,” Gu Hai said while shaking his head.
Gu Hai could see things in detail with his heavenly eye; he knew how dangerous things had been earlier.
Gu Qin would have died if not for Long Shenying.
“It is expected of this official,” Long Shenying said happily.
At the same time, Long Shenying marveled at the energy Gu Hai sent into his body. This energy healed most of his injuries in a short time; his wounds mended at a visible pace.
On the other side, Kong Xuan guarded Gu Qin while narrowing his eyes at the sky.
Kong Xuan had received the ancient peacock deity’s inheritance. After training in seclusion, he had rapidly grown much stronger. However, he still felt shocked as he watched the two fight above. Although stronger, he was still in the ninth layer of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm. However, the two in outer space had reached consummation.
“How powerful of Vairocana! He is much more powerful than the Purple Jade Heavenly Demon,” Kong Xuan said gravely.
Simultaneously, he felt incredibly curious about Vairocana. Naturally, he knew about Zhengfa Ming. After Gu Hai sent everyone away that day, Gu Hai came back out not long after—but accompanied by Vairocana, not Zhengfa Ming. It seemed very strange.
Gu Hai never explained what had happened, so it was not right for Kong Xuan to ask. However, Kong Xuan never expected Vairocana to be at the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm and this powerful.
