Even Tathagata could not stop himself from narrowing his eyes.
Any Buddhist artifact, especially one carrying even the slightest trace of Buddhist aura, should have been completely under his control. Even if such treasures were thrown into a minor world, he, as the Buddha, could still retrieve them effortlessly or at least sense their location.
Unless another existence of equal level had intercepted them.
But who could it be?
Maitreya?
The Jade Emperor?
Or was Axel truly some unknown Great Power who had appeared out of nowhere, someone beyond the Three Realms and untouched by the Five Elements, with origins nobody could trace?
While Tathagata silently pondered, still holding his flower gesture, Axel casually flicked his wrist.
"Old Monk, why'd you stop trying? You looked pretty capable earlier."
As he spoke, Axel raised one hand and mimicked Tathagata's flower gesture mockingly before waving it twice with a grin.
Then he looked toward the stunned group behind him.
"Brothers, what are you all waiting for? Go pick your opponents."
"Hahaha! Big Brother's right! Without those artifacts, let's see what these Bodhisattvas are really capable of!"
The Bull Demon King roared with laughter before instantly transforming into his Law of Heaven and Earth form. His gigantic fist smashed downward toward Manjushri Bodhisattva like a falling mountain.
Seeing the attack descending, Manjushri immediately raised a hand to defend herself.
But the moment she moved, her mount suddenly shook violently beneath her.
The Azure Lion roared furiously, throwing her directly off its back.
"Old Bull, don't rush things! Hahahaha! The golden hoop on my head is gone, actually gone!
Today, let me handle this Bodhisattva myself!"
The Azure Lion's body expanded violently before transforming into a massive green-faced demon that charged directly at Manjushri.
Nearby, the other two Bodhisattvas instantly abandoned their mounts after witnessing the betrayal.
The moment their feet touched the ground, both mounts transformed into humanoid demon forms and knelt respectfully before Axel.
"We thank the Great Sage for saving us from suffering!"
As soon as they finished speaking, the Golden-Furred Roarer and the White Elephant immediately turned around and attacked their former masters without hesitation.
Their resentment had built up for countless years.
Everyone used to be fellow disciples, equals under the same teachings. Yet those same people later rode them like beasts and constantly lectured them with endless Buddhist doctrine.
The hatred in their hearts had long reached its limit.
Only Di Ting remained lying peacefully nearby.
The creature lazily flicked its ears and looked at Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
"Bodhisattva, seeing you sit comfortably on my back puts me at ease. You truly understand me."
Ksitigarbha chuckled softly.
"Then continue feeling at ease. I have no interest in involving myself in the matters here."
After speaking, Ksitigarbha bowed toward Tathagata.
"World-Honored One, I once swore that until Hell is empty, I shall never become a Buddha.
I concern myself only with the dead, not the living. Let all matters here follow their own karma."
Without waiting for a response, he rode Di Ting across the Heavenly River and disappeared into the distance.
Tathagata showed no anger toward his departure.
In fact, he preferred it that way.
Originally, he had brought the Four Great Bodhisattvas because he believed Axel could still be controlled. He intended to display Buddhism's overwhelming authority and suppress Yang Jian and the others swiftly.
Tathagata had always believed that if scriptures were handed out too easily, mortals would never value them properly.
Face and prestige mattered greatly to him.
As for Ksitigarbha, his ideals had always differed from the Mahayana faction, and he also governed an important part of reincarnation itself. With so many abnormalities appearing, it was safer for him to return to the Underworld before something even worse occurred.
Meanwhile, nearby on the battlefield, Zhu Bajie quietly twitched his nose while watching the three Bodhisattvas struggle.
Without their magical treasures, they could only rely on their golden Dharma Bodies while simultaneously dealing with their own mounts and the relentless harassment from Yang Jian and the others.
Since Zhu Bajie had deliberately shrunk his body and hidden himself, the Bodhisattvas failed to notice him entirely.
Carefully hiding behind a shattered piece of armor from the Bull Demon King, Zhu Bajie slowly untied the cloth bag hanging from his waist.
Then he pointed it directly toward the three Bodhisattvas.
A violent wind instantly erupted.
Puxian Bodhisattva, already caught off guard after being struck by Yang Jian's spear, lost her balance for just a moment.
That single mistake was enough.
She was immediately sucked straight into the bag.
The moment Guanyin and Manjushri sensed the terrifying suction force, both abandoned their Dharma Bodies and retreated instantly, appearing beside Tathagata like drifting wind.
Seeing this, Zhu Bajie gritted his teeth and redirected the bag toward Tathagata himself.
The terrifying suction force roared toward the Buddha.
Tathagata's expression finally darkened.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand and struck toward Zhu Bajie with overwhelming force.
The giant golden palm instantly covered the sky.
Zhu Bajie's face turned pale as he spun around and fled desperately. But before he could even run more than a few steps, the enormous palm was already descending upon him.
Tathagata had already been suppressing his anger.
Seeing even his former Marshal of the Heavenly River joining this chaos pushed him further beyond his patience.
This strike carried genuine fury.
But how could Axel possibly allow Tathagata to move freely?
Earlier, Axel had been intentionally waiting, allowing Tathagata to make the first move.
But now, Tathagata had acted personally.
Which meant one thing.
The Buddha no longer had confidence in controlling him.
So naturally, Axel had no reason to hold back either.
With a grin, Axel suddenly appeared beside Zhu Bajie and casually rested a hand on his shoulder.
"What are you scared of, Pigsy? Watch me deal with this monk covered in bumps."
The moment his words fell, Axel thrust his right hand forward.
His powerful spiritual force wrapped tightly around his arm as it collided head-on with Tathagata's descending palm.
But the instant their powers collided, Axel's spiritual force shattered apart under the pressure of the Buddha's golden body.
The enormous golden palm paused briefly before continuing downward.
Zhu Bajie failed to notice any of this.
All he saw was Axel smiling confidently while blocking the attack.
Instantly reassured, Zhu Bajie relaxed and laughed loudly.
"Hahaha! Great Sage Brother, with you here, Old Pig feels completely safe!
Anybody with eyes can see that old monk already lost after failing to recover those artifacts!
Now I just need to watch Brother display his incredible... wait, what the hell?!"
Before Zhu Bajie could finish speaking, Tathagata's massive golden palm slammed directly onto Axel's hand.
The attack did not stop there.
The giant hand crashed heavily into the ground, shattering the heavenly steps before the Hall of Supreme Heaven while sending endless clouds exploding outward.
Boom!
The entire Heavenly Court trembled violently from the impact.
The Bull Demon King's eyes widened instantly.
Yang Jian and Nezha both inhaled sharply.
Could even Axel fail to stop Tathagata?
Suddenly, Tathagata's expression changed.
"Hiss!"
He immediately raised his giant palm back into the air.
Golden blood dripped from his hand.
A deep wound had been torn directly through the center of his palm.
"Holy shit! What the hell?!"
Zhu Bajie jumped in shock while shaking golden blood off his fur.
"That scared Old Pig half to death!
Brother, did you see that?!
Tathagata's golden body cracked! That old monk's golden body actually cracked!"
His eyes filled with excitement and disbelief.
At the same time, Yang Jian and the others all stared at Tathagata's damaged palm in shock.
Even after shrinking his hand back to normal size, the wound remained clearly visible, as though a nail had pierced through it completely.
Judging by the recovery speed alone, the injury would need at least several hours to fully heal.
All around them, the surrounding immortals looked toward Tathagata differently now.
Their shock slowly transformed into something far more complicated.
Inside the Hall of Supreme Heaven, the Jade Emperor quietly curled his lips upward while the Grand Supreme Elder stroked his beard thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, Axel casually flicked the golden blood off his hand before shaking his head in annoyance.
"Assessment complete.
My body is tougher than Tathagata's golden body.
Tathagata's golden body is stronger than my spiritual force.
And that's with him fighting without protective artifacts or defensive treasures.
As expected of the Buddha, the old monk actually has real skill."