Chapter 372: Encountering the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Pagoda!
Aside from the Buddhist disciples who were quite surprised to see the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation, everyone else was also extremely shocked.
There were many powerful formations in the Primordial World, but none could match the sheer might of this one.
[Emperor Jun: I never expected such a powerful formation to exist! It's just a pity that the conditions to set up the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation are too harsh. Even if there's a simplified version, it's practically useless!]
When it came to formations, Emperor Jun had significant authority to speak on the matter. Back then, he and Eastern Emperor Taiyi had set up the Zhou Tian Star Formation, which was considered one of the strongest formations in the Primordial World.
However, compared to the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation, the gap was massive. Still, he was quite familiar with such formations and understood that the stronger a formation was, the more stringent the requirements for setting it up would be.
[Tathāgata Buddha: Stop spouting nonsense here. Every Buddhist disciple is proficient in Buddhist techniques. Setting up the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation is a piece of cake!]
Tathāgata Buddha was unwilling to lose face, so he chose to put on a strong front rather than admit any shortcomings in front of everyone.
[Luya: Whether you can set it up or not, you know better than anyone. Do you even have that many Buddhist disciples? If you can't pull it off, just admit it!]
Currently, there was constant friction between the Buddhist and demon factions, so neither side would show the other any courtesy.
[Sun Wukong: No matter what, we can't ignore how powerful this formation is. It's just a shame that we'll likely never get the chance to see it in action!]
[Guanyin Bodhisattva: When it comes to the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation, the Saints definitely have deeper insights than us. So, don't underestimate this formation, but don't overestimate it either!]
[Ancestor Minghe: That's right. The Saints surely have a clearer view than we do. If there are any flaws, they will definitely know. The Ten Thousand Buddha Formation has its strengths, but it surely has weaknesses too!]
[Erlang Shen: There's no such powerful formation in Buddhism right now. If they choose it, it will be beneficial for Buddhism. But if they don't, it's understandable. The second reward hasn't been revealed yet, so we don't know what it will be!]
No one could say for sure which reward would be chosen—it all depended on what the second reward turned out to be.
Not long after, the highly anticipated second treasure appeared.
[Ninth-ranked reward on the Technique List: Seven-Orifice Exquisite Pagoda of Encountering Realms]
[All beings experience seven realms, known as Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Happiness, Life, and Death. Anyone who cannot escape these seven stages will be trapped within the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Pagoda of Encountering Realms. Inside the pagoda, there are countless trials, and those who fail will be suppressed within it for all eternity!]
This was something no one had ever seen before, and it had no connection to the powerful figures present.
Emotions like Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Happiness were something everyone experienced, while Life and Death were unavoidable for all beings.
No matter how powerful someone was, there would always be a day when they faced death. Based on the description of this treasure, no one could escape the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Pagoda of Encountering Realms.
Rather than calling it the Seven Realms, it was more accurate to call it the Seven Tribulations. Anyone who triggered these tribulations would be bound by the pagoda.
In other words, this treasure could potentially restrain anyone. However, things weren't that simple—using this treasure to deal with a Saint of the same realm wouldn't be an easy feat.
By its nature, this treasure was another tool meant to suppress cultivators of lower realms.
[Sun Wukong: Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Happiness—some people can completely rid themselves of these emotions. But who can escape Life and Death? If one had no Life, how could they exist in this world? If one could never die, not even Saints can achieve that!]
His words implied that even Saints would eventually face death, which essentially offended all of them.
[Haotian Jade Emperor: Once again, it appears strong on the surface but is bound to have flaws. Can this treasure even suppress a Quasi-Saint? After all, it's not a Chaos Spirit Treasure!]
Haotian Jade Emperor pointed out the key issue. While the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Pagoda of Encountering Realms was strong, it was merely a top-tier Innate Treasure. Even though it was much more powerful than ordinary weapons of the same level, it couldn't transcend its category.
Likewise, using this treasure against cultivators of the same realm was almost impossible.
[Guanyin Bodhisattva: Still, it's an extremely powerful treasure. Choosing it wouldn't be a bad decision!]
[Lingji Bodhisattva: But compared to the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation, this treasure doesn't quite measure up!]
[Tathāgata Buddha: You haven't grasped the essence of this treasure. While it's merely an Innate Treasure, the true power of any treasure depends on its wielder. If it's in the hands of the Receiving Buddha, it can definitely unleash immense power!]
[Manjushri Bodhisattva: But what exactly is the purpose of this treasure? Capturing people doesn't seem to serve any real benefit to us. Would choosing this treasure be just to give Buddhism a new prison?]
If this treasure ended up in the hands of a Saint, it wouldn't see much use in battle. And if it were given to Buddhist disciples, Receiving Buddha might be unwilling to part with it.
[Samantabhadra Bodhisattva: That makes this choice quite difficult. The Seven-Orifice Exquisite Pagoda of Encountering Realms seems powerful, but compared to the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation, it doesn't stand a chance!]
[Ancestor Minghe: Even outsiders like us can tell that the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation will definitely be chosen. After all, this formation can directly enhance the strength of the Buddhist faction. The Seven-Orifice Exquisite Pagoda of Encountering Realms, on the other hand, has a very specialized function. If its conditions aren't met, even if someone possesses it, it will likely remain unused!]
An Innate Treasure that served no purpose—this was something no one wanted to see. Even in the hands of the two Western Saints, this treasure would still be extremely powerful, but Receiving Buddha would certainly be reluctant to give it away to his disciples.
[Taiyi Zhenren: This makes the choice between the two rewards quite tricky. Will the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Pagoda of Encountering Realms be more useful to Saints, or is the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation the better option?]
Given the circumstances, choosing between the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation and the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Pagoda of Encountering Realms became an increasingly difficult decision.
Both rewards had their advantages, but they also had their drawbacks. Receiving Buddha was deeply frustrated by these rewards, as neither of them directly enhanced his strength.
He never expected that, despite all the rewards on this ranking list being highly beneficial, his own rewards would be this underwhelming. Compared to the rewards received by Laozi, his were utterly lacking.
Thus, the fact that the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation could strengthen the Buddhist faction's power became the primary reason for his repeated deliberation.