Chapter 223: Transcendence
Standing before the gathered immortals, Bodhi spoke calmly:
"My disciple is naturally rebellious and was meant to be free. I will not allow you to interfere with his struggle to break the shackles of fate!"
The assembled powerful beings gazed solemnly at the seemingly ordinary figure of Patriarch Bodhi, not daring to take a step forward.
---
For a time, Sun Wukong managed to suppress Tathagata. However, as a seasoned Quasi-Saint, Tathagata had far deeper foundations than Sun Wukong, who had only just broken through to the same realm.
Though Sun Wukong initially had the upper hand, as soon as Tathagata began using his many divine treasures in earnest, the tide of battle turned against him.
Seeing this, the celestial gods and Buddhas erupted in cheers, celebrating Tathagata's impending victory and the suppression of the rebellious monkey. Yet, amidst their jubilation, many of their eyes dimmed slightly.
Who among them wouldn't wish to see a being who had truly broken free from fate?
After all, they too were shackled by destiny.
Floating around Tathagata were countless divine artifacts—
The Brocade Kasaya, the Nine-Ringed Staff, the Six-Syllable Mantra Scroll, the Flying Dragon Staff…
Each of these treasures was something other gods and Buddhas could only dream of obtaining. But to Tathagata—who was once the Daoist of Many Treasures—these were merely a fraction of his collection.
Tathagata formed hand seals, orchestrating his divine artifacts into a grand array.
This formation merged the power of all the treasures, capable of unleashing an overwhelming burst of energy in an instant.
For most of his existence, Tathagata had been the Daoist of Many Treasures, and thus, his combat strength was at its peak when he fought using divine artifacts.
Countless spells shot forth from the treasures, striking Sun Wukong.
Even with his Indestructible Vajra Body, Sun Wukong was still wounded, his golden fur matted with blood.
Seeing this, Tathagata restrained some of his power, attempting once again to trap Sun Wukong beneath Five Finger Mountain, stripping him of his Quasi-Saint cultivation and forcing him to become a pawn of Buddhism.
But Sun Wukong could see through Tathagata's intent.
Having fought to this point, how could he possibly surrender?
He roared,
"Tathagata, you old fraud! If you don't kill your Grandpa Sun today, then one day, your Grandpa Sun will surely kill you!
Today, either you die, or I live!"
Having already been humiliated earlier when Sun Wukong momentarily suppressed him, and now being openly ridiculed, Tathagata could no longer maintain his lofty demeanor.
For the first time, he descended from his godly aloofness and furiously shouted:
"Damned monkey! I am offering you a way to live!
If you willingly give up your Quasi-Saint cultivation and, five hundred years from now, assist a monk in his journey to the West, I will spare your life.
Otherwise, even if you are a naturally born Mystic Stone Monkey, I will ensure that you perish today!"
Hearing this, Sun Wukong sneered,
"If you know that I am a Mystic Stone Monkey, then you should also know that I was born to be free!
If I cannot be free, I would rather die!
I will no longer allow the heavens to cloud my eyes!
I will no longer allow fate to disturb my heart!
I will make all beings know my will!
And I will see every last one of you so-called Buddhas vanish into nothingness!"
He spoke the very verse that the mysterious immortal had once told him—believing that no other words could better express his feelings at this moment.
How could Sun Wukong resign himself to being a caged beast?
No!
He would be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven!
Even if my body is shattered, so what?!
Hearing Sun Wukong's defiant words, Tathagata was enraged beyond measure. No longer holding back, he unleashed all of his divine treasures, fusing them into his formation.
Blinding light radiated from the array, and an unstoppable force surged toward Sun Wukong.
This was the full power of the strongest Quasi-Saint beneath the Saints themselves—an attack few could withstand, aside from the Primeval Ancestor of Earthly Immortals and the Jade Emperor.
No one believed Sun Wukong could survive such a strike.
And sure enough, he was struck down from the celestial heavens, plummeting to the mortal realm. Crashing through countless mountains, he lay gravely injured, unable to rise.
The assembled gods and Buddhas shook their heads. This spectacle, it seemed, was finally over.
Though Sun Wukong had indeed disrupted the grand tribulation of the Journey to the West, weakening the fate of Western Buddhism, it was not a fatal blow.
The Buddhist sect had countless ways to find another chosen one for the pilgrimage five hundred years later.
As the celestial beings prepared to depart, the highest among them, the Jade Emperor, suddenly turned his gaze toward Sun Wukong's fallen form, his expression one of disbelief.
"Hm? This… How is this possible?"
His words caught the attention of the entire divine assembly. Their eyes followed his gaze, and all sensed a powerful force awakening!
Sun Wukong—somehow—was breaking through again!
From his initial Quasi-Saint realm, his cultivation was rapidly advancing toward the peak of Quasi-Saint!
Tathagata too sensed the change. Though he did not understand what was happening, he knew one thing: he could not allow Sun Wukong to reach his level.
In desperation, he detonated countless divine treasures, using their explosive power to obliterate Sun Wukong.
But it was already too late.
Sun Wukong suddenly stood up, charging straight toward Tathagata.
His wounds—vanished.
The aura radiating from him now completely suppressed Tathagata.
At this moment, the Chaos Force that Alex had once bestowed upon him had finally undergone another breakthrough!
Facing Tathagata's desperate strike, Sun Wukong swung his staff—
With one blow, he dispersed an attack powerful enough to shatter the heavens!
With another strike, he struck Tathagata directly, forcing him to spit blood!
Just as before, Sun Wukong did not relent. He continued his relentless assault, his staff pounding against Tathagata's body. The once-indestructible golden form of the Buddha began to fracture. His aura diminished.
Tathagata was utterly defeated!
The other gods and Buddhas, including the Jade Emperor, had complicated expressions.
None had expected Sun Wukong to truly defeat Tathagata and become one of the strongest beings beneath the Saints.
And yet…
That was all it was.
None of them believed Sun Wukong could truly break free from fate.
After all, the true masterminds behind the Journey to the West were not Tathagata, but the two Saints of the West—Zhun Ti and Jie Yin!
Beneath the Saints, all are mere ants.
Even if Sun Wukong could defeat Tathagata—could he defeat two Saints?
As if to confirm their doubts, just as Sun Wukong prepared to deliver the final blow and slay Tathagata, two unimaginable pressures descended from the West.
These were powers far beyond the limits of Quasi-Saints—forces that should not be resisted.
Sun Wukong found himself completely bound.
But at that moment—
He suddenly shouted:
"Immortal, save me!"
And at the very instant that Zhun Ti and Jie Yin appeared—
A pressure even greater than that of the Saints, one that rivaled the very will of Heaven itself, surged forth—
From the Moon Palace.
A Few Days Earlier…
During this time, Alex had been tirelessly practicing two of his abilities.
The time flow between the Primordial World and the Harry Potter universe was different. Under Alex's deliberate guidance, the Harry Potter universe grew increasingly powerful, even expanding into multiple parallel dimensions.
Within these parallel worlds, Alex encountered many travelers from other realities.
However, he paid them little mind. Instead, he used his power to create various systems, granting them to these travelers to make their lives in the Harry Potter universe more comfortable.
With the ever-maturing Harry Potter universe as his foundation, the rate at which Alex gained experience in his abilities accelerated—hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of times faster than before!
And finally, after relentless practice, his skills leveled up once again!
— [Absolute Control +1]
— [Absolute Control +1]
— [Absolute Control +1]
— [Congratulations! Your skill Absolute Control has upgraded!]
— [Absolute Control Lv9 (MAX): Absolute mastery over everything!]
...
— [Master of Dimensions +1]
— [Master of Dimensions +1]
— [Master of Dimensions +1]
— [Congratulations! Your skill Master of Dimensions has upgraded!]
— [Master of Dimensions Lv9 (MAX): Absolute dominion over all existence!]
...
— [Chaos Force +1]
— [Chaos Force +1]
— [Chaos Force +1]
— [Congratulations! Your skill Chaos Force has upgraded!]
— [Chaos Force Lv9 (MAX): Absolute command over all energies!]
...
As these three skills reached their peak, an endless flood of knowledge surged into Alex's mind, which he rapidly absorbed.
When the flow of information finally settled, Alex opened his eyes.
He had now reached the level of the Daoist Primordial Honored One!
But this was far from the end.
Alex had no intention of following the same path as the Honored One, who had merged with the Heavenly Dao—
He would go further. He would reach even greater heights!
At that moment, the system within him emerged from his soul, transforming into a world core no weaker than the one that governed the Marvel universe.
This peculiar world core, through a twist of fate, had evolved into a system that had guided Alex's growth.
And now, its mission was complete.
The system dissolved into an infinite surge of energy, fusing entirely with Alex's being.
With this energy as flames, the Harry Potter universe as his furnace, and his own power as the hammer, Alex began forging the three immensely powerful abilities into one.
Though only a few days had passed in the Primordial World, countless eons flowed within the independent universes he had created inside the Harry Potter dimension.
And finally—
His three most critical skills fully merged into an entirely new force!
A power so unique that it could no longer be defined as a mere skill.
Because this power was Alex, and Alex was this power.
In this state, he understood all things, knew all things, controlled all things.
Even if someone, countless worlds away, merely whispered his name, he could instantly grasp everything about them.
He transcended all imagination, surpassed all cause and effect, and stood above everything.
Higher than the highest. Greater than the greatest.
Yet, Alex soon sealed away this omniscient state, limiting himself to a more restrained, yet still nearly all-knowing existence.
For while such absolute power was undeniably formidable, it was also—boring.
After all, at heart, he was still someone who sought amusement.
And so—
He cast his gaze into the distance, unleashed his presence, and arrived before Sun Wukong.
Before the stunned eyes of the countless divine beings, Alex casually slapped both Saints, Zhun Ti and Jie Yin, across the face.
With a faint smile, he said:
"Sun Wukong is meant to be free. Do not overstep your bounds."
Then, he gave a slight nod toward the majestic yet silent Heavenly Dao, before instantly vanishing from the Primordial World.
…
Upon returning to the Sea of Chaos, Alex reached out and forcibly pulled the worlds he had visited from their original multiverse, integrating them into his Dimensional Universe.
Then, he set forth—
To the deepest depths of the Chaos Sea.
There, countless unknown worlds awaited him.
There, endless wonders beckoned.
He would not be bound by the Primordial World.
He would not be bound by anything.
For he and Sun Wukong were of the same essence.
They were both… free.
—THE END—