He is an old monster who has lived for over 22 million years since he assumed the title of Great Celestial Venerable, spanning 1,750 kalpas.
Compared to the Jade Emperor, the years Xiao Ning had lived through were nothing.
Moreover, what's even more alarming is that, as mentioned earlier, the cycle of heaven and earth is 129,600 years, yet the Jade Emperor has lived through 1,750 cycles, making his strength truly terrifying.
When calamity strikes, heaven and earth collapse, and a new beginning is created, ushering in a new world.
Apart from the Celestial Immortals, even the True Immortals and the gods appointed by the Heavenly Court must perish in the world along with all other living beings, including humans, beasts, demons, and monsters, and return to their original state.
In comparison, Tathagata is indeed somewhat lacking. Among the divine officials in the Heavenly Court, Tathagata belongs to the Western Buddha among the Five Elders of the Five Directions, which is a level below the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors.
According to the original Journey to the West, Buddha Tathagata only attained the status of a celestial being after the creation of the world and the birth of humankind at the time of Yin. Compared to the Jade Emperor, he was simply child's play. No wonder he was beaten up by Xiao Ning, who was a true immortal.
However, as the leader of a Buddhist force, he also had more than a dozen Buddhas and Bodhisattvas at the True Immortal Realm under his command, and on the surface, he could be considered one of the top forces in the Three Realms.
Besides these two, there are also several other veteran Celestial Immortals, such as Zhenyuan Daxian, the ancestor of Earthly Immortals; Lishan Laomu, the ancestor of all stars; Wangmu Niangniang, the head of female immortals; and Bodhi Laozu of Xieyue Sanxing Cave.
There were also a group of ordinary celestial beings who had only attained enlightenment during this tribulation. Even Buddha had been beaten up by him, so these ordinary celestial beings didn't take Xiao Ning seriously at all.
At this moment, the Supreme Dao Ancestor sat at the head of the table and said, "The reason for summoning you all here today is the feud between Emperor Xiao of the New Kingdom and the Buddha of Buddhism. Emperor Xiao proposed to turn this great calamity from the eastward spread of Buddhism into a world war. Do you have any objections?"
After he finished speaking, he opened his eyes and looked at everyone.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
"A world war? Dao Ancestor, what does this mean?"
After a moment, the Jade Emperor asked.
At this moment, the Jade Emperor felt a deep sense of resentment.
He felt as if he had been abandoned by the Dao Ancestor.
There was something she kept from him, and he only found out at the very end.
Has she found someone new?
Of course, he dared not resent the Supreme Dao Ancestor, but he vented his hatred on Xiao Ning.
He was especially furious after learning from Venus that Xiao Ning had refused his imperial decree.
Such blatant disrespect! They truly don't take me, the supreme ruler of the Three Realms, seriously!
Thinking of this, the Jade Emperor's gaze toward Xiao Ning was filled with coldness.
The Supreme Dao Ancestor said, "Using the feud between the New Kingdom and the Western Buddhist Sect as the fuse, war will break out between the two sides. You may choose to fight on either side, or it may escalate into a three-way war or a four-way war, it is all up to you! Life and death are predestined, each depends on their own abilities!"
His words shocked everyone, but then the Supreme Dao Ancestor added, "Those in the Celestial Immortal Realm cannot be eliminated!"
This was like the explosion of a nuclear bomb with a yield of 100,000, leaving everyone present completely stunned, utterly stunned.
Everything was fine, how did it turn out like this?
Isn't it good that Buddhism spread to the East?
Hello everyone, let's all get through this great calamity safely!
"May I ask, Ancestor, why has it escalated to this point where it's completely out of control?"
Zhen Yuanzi, the Great Immortal, stroked his beard and asked solemnly.
"This matter arose because of Imperial Tutor Xiao and Buddha Tathagata; let them explain it themselves!"
The Supreme Dao Ancestor, with drooping eyelids, uttered a few words in a hushed tone.
"I'll say it!"
Xiao Ning glanced at Tathagata, stepped forward, and spoke.
He then recounted the entire story of the feud between the two.
"When I fought the Buddha in the Outer Heavens, everyone was there. You all judge for yourselves, wasn't the Buddha in the wrong?"
After he finished speaking, he looked up at the crowd.
"To trespass into another country without cause and then attempt to bewitch the emperor is hardly a virtuous act!"
"That's right, but the key is that he was caught red-handed, which is a bit embarrassing!"
"Speaking of which, Guanyin Bodhisattva was really unlucky. She was caught red-handed as soon as she sneaked into the palace. Now, she's dead and her soul is destroyed. Ten thousand years of hard work have vanished into nothingness!"
"Hey, Buddhism has been thriving these past few years, spreading its teachings like crazy, acting arrogantly and disrespectfully. They've finally met their match!"
"In the end, it is a heretical path, unlike the orthodox path of our Taoist sect. It is only right that it should suffer this calamity!"
"Having been slashed so deeply, damaging its very foundation, it might take another ten thousand years to recover, right?"
After Xiao Ning finished recounting the whole story, everyone discussed it animatedly and condemned Tathagata.
Seeing the Buddha's dejected and utterly miserable state, everyone wore expressions of schadenfreude.
Hearing the whispers and seeing their expressions, Xiao Ning felt reassured. This was the advantage of being in the right; at the very least, it would win everyone's sympathy.
He added, "As for the compensation issue, Buddha has always been reluctant to part with it. We've tried to reach an agreement several times, but we just can't. So I'll simply forgo his compensation altogether. Let's just have a showdown and see who has the best ability!"
"In that case, let's take advantage of this great calamity and turn it into a world war. That way, we can dissipate the calamity's power and delay the arrival of the end of the world!"
After listening to Xiao Ning's words, everyone nodded in agreement. The logic was sound and there was nothing wrong with it!