Veda started, turning his head to see that the two Heavenly Kings were already being suppressed by Sun Wukong alone, and this fellow was charging straight in with a single punch.

Not only that, but Jue, who had been cheerfully jesting with him moments before, also pointed a single finger, sending the Abi Sword and the Yuantu Sword shooting toward him simultaneously.

Veda, already severely wounded by Sun Wukong, had not recovered. Facing this near-certain death scenario, his composure completely vanished.

"Buddha Lord, save me..." Veda cried out in alarm...

But Ye Jingyu's punch slammed mercilessly into his back, while the Abi Sword and Yuantu Sword pierced his body at the same instant.

The dark, shadowy Netherforce and Ye Jingyu’s most terrifying and potent Chaos Power erupted. Immediately, a piercing shriek echoed out.

Hearing this sound, both Ye Jingyu and Jue’s expressions changed, because the sound wasn't Veda’s. Looking closely, they saw that the one they had jointly struck down was Yuan, who should have been seated upon the Nine-Petal Lotus Platform.

Instead, Veda’s figure was cross-legged on the Lotus Platform, streams of golden light constantly spraying forth from it, mending Veda’s form.

"Amitabha, you have also taken action personally?" Seeing that the two had instantly switched positions, Ye Jingyu snorted coldly. Even though he knew in his heart that that one had intervened, he still charged forward without hesitation. Since his goal was to stomp the Heavens underfoot, he naturally had to topple all the chess players involved.

Seeing Yuan substituted for Veda at the last moment, the Lord of Fear and the Lord of Greed trembled in their hearts. The reason they could take that final step was because, while they were in seclusion, the legendary Great Figure had come to convert them, bestowing upon them many supreme marvelous arts. Finally, this Figure swore an oath: if they could cooperate with Veda and the other Guardian Devas to slay Ye Jingyu, they would become eternal Guardian Devas of Buddhism.

But now, as things immediately went awry, to preserve his core lineage, he had unhesitatingly cast them aside as sacrifices. This cruel reality filled the Lord of Fear and the Lord of Greed with despair. They tried to use this moment to flee, but Sun Wukong’s overwhelming torrent of staff shadows had already enveloped them; even if they wished to escape, they could not.

Noticing Veda ascending the Nine-Petal Lotus Platform, Jue knitted his brows tightly. If it had been Yuan, he felt confident he could forcefully break through the Nine-Petal Lotus Platform with his supreme strength. But now it was Veda; this fellow’s cultivation was no less than his own. Furthermore, that preceding moment clearly indicated that one had intervened. Recalling his relationship with his teacher, Jue sighed softly, seating himself upon the Nine Nether Lotus Platform, topping his head with the Twenty-Four Stabilizing Sea Pearls, holding the Purple-Gold Alms Bowl in hand, and surrounded by the Abi Sword and Yuantu Sword, he sped toward the distance.

Seeing Jue suddenly acquire so many treasures, Ye Jingyu raised an eyebrow slightly. Even a fool now knew this fellow was far from simple. Moreover, he had managed to absorb the power of the Lord of Destruction via his Nine Nether Lotus Platform. Everything unfolding was entirely different from what his Eye of Reincarnation had previously shown him. Did he possess some heaven-defying magical artifact within him capable of shielding against the Eye of Reincarnation?

However, even knowing Jue was a complicated figure, Ye Jingyu lacked the energy to pursue him at this moment. His original intention was to annihilate the Three Great Demons, but so many Primordial Sacred Beings had appeared—wasn't this clearly the interference of that one?

He was never one to suffer a loss quietly. If you insist on interfering, I must show you some colors. If killing a few Heavenly Kings doesn't hurt you, then I shall keep this fellow Veda behind.

Seeing Veda about to depart upon the Lotus Platform, Ye Jingyu struck out once more with the Seal of All Sentient Beings. A colossal hand appeared in the sky, slapping Veda down along with the Nine-Petal Lotus Platform as if swatting a fly.

The Nine-Petal Lotus Platform once again emitted streams of golden light, and golden lotuses bloomed from the void. But Ye Jingyu acted as if he saw none of it, charging directly forward, his feet stepping repeatedly upon the golden lotuses. Every footfall shattered a lotus, and his punches were equally terrifying. Even though the Nine-Petal Golden Lotus was a defensive artifact, it could not withstand Ye Jingyu’s assault.

The Chaos Body, at this moment, demonstrated its combat form in its most perfect state; both its speed and power had reached a state of near perfection.

Feeling Ye Jingyu's terrifying might, Veda found it hard to believe how he had managed to wound him earlier. If he hadn't taken advantage of Ye Jingyu’s inattention, he might never have had the chance to injure him.

The Chaos Body, the legendary Saint Body of Pangu the Sacred Emperor, was truly the pinnacle of monstrous power.

Knowing that even with the protection of the Nine-Petal Lotus Platform, he could not withstand Ye Jingyu’s onslaught, a fierce light flashed in Veda’s eyes. Gripping his Demon-Subduing Pestle in one hand, he smashed off his own right arm and spat a mouthful of vital blood upon it. With lightning speed, he inscribed a series of runes, then hurled the entire arm toward Ye Jingyu.

Before it even reached Ye Jingyu, that arm—an arm that had presumably accumulated energy for tens of thousands of years—exploded entirely. Instantly, a blinding golden light burst forth, like the great explosion of the apocalypse...

Facing this terrifying explosive power, Ye Jingyu merely sneered three times. "So, you enjoy self-mutilation and demolition. In that case, I shall show you the true power of explosion!" His figure emerged unscathed from the golden light, grinning at the fully fleeing Veda before launching a punch...

"Starfall Burst..." A silver ball of light slammed into Veda’s body, exploding completely...

"Thunderclap Burst..." A ball of purple lightning also struck Veda’s form, detonating immediately...

"Blaze Burst..."

"Hoarfrost Burst..."

"Gale Burst..."

Several spheres of light, imbued with different energies, rushed to bombard Veda in quick succession. Even a defensive treasure like the Nine-Petal Golden Lotus could not simultaneously withstand so many elemental energies. It finally dissolved into a streak of golden light and vanished, while Veda’s entire body was blown apart, leaving only his head suspended in mid-air. Ye Jingyu took a single step and shattered the last vestige of his skull with a punch...

At this moment, in some remote void, a bald man with a face etched with bitterness subtly raised an eyebrow, as if stimulated by something. Immediately after, his face shifted into a compassionate smile, and he murmured to himself, "With Veda's life, perhaps I can hide it from him?" As he spoke, the Nine-Petal Golden Lotus appeared before him. And sitting upon the previously empty platform was a man whose handsome appearance revealed him to be Yuan—the one who should have died...