Chapter 220 The Great Sage's Journey to the West
Chapter 220 The Great Sage's Journey to the West
This situation has actually become a double bind.
The Buddhist community used many personal connections to push forward the journey to obtain the true scriptures, aiming to spread Mahayana Buddhism to the Tang Dynasty in the East and transform all the lands along the route into Buddhist kingdoms on earth.
As a result, rumors such as the ten reincarnations of the Golden Cicada spread far and wide in advance, and everyone along the route knew that Buddhism was about to make a big move.
Therefore, Tang Sanzang was destined to go west, no matter what.
To complete the eighty-one tribulations, various servants from the Buddhist and Taoist Heavenly Courts, and even deities like Kui Mulang, collectively descended to the mortal realm and became monsters—a grand undertaking.
It was supposed to be a happy occasion where everyone would support each other.
Now trouble is brewing.
Tang Sanzang did indeed come from the west, but he flew there.
Furthermore, the five members of the group of master and disciples formed a powerful combination of Holy Vajra, Six-Eared Monkey, Black Bear Spirit, Sandy, and White Dragon Horse.
More importantly, there was also the fearless Sun Wukong, who could pierce the sky with a single stick, and with his demon-refining banner, he wiped out all the mounts, servants, household demons, and relatives of the powerful figures in one fell swoop.
In heaven, they are controlled by powerful beings and cannot openly commit evil. But if they descend to earth and become monsters, wouldn't they be able to run wild and eat people?
Okay, if you eat too many people, it violates Buddhist teachings. It's perfectly reasonable for Sun Wukong to put away the Demon-Refining Banner according to Buddhist teachings.
If you want him to give you face, you should first ask if you can defeat his golden cudgel.
As a result, the powerful figures suffered heavy casualties and lost face; the once-proud followers were now exposed.
Moreover, the journey to the West was originally scheduled to take fourteen years, proceeding step by step from the East to Mount Ling, which was extremely slow. This allowed for a gradual accumulation of momentum and the creation of a grand atmosphere for Buddhism.
now.
Ever since Sun Wukong escaped from the Five Finger Mountain.
He obtained the immortal apricot from Yun Zhongzi and gave it to Tang Sanzang, transforming him from a Buddhist monk into a holy Vajra wielding a vajra pestle, adorned with wind and thunder wings, and capable of transforming into a two-zhang-tall Vajra body upon stimulation.
Tang Sanzang himself had personally killed the three great immortals, Tiger, Deer, and Sheep, as well as the household demon Linggan King in Guanyin's fishpond.
Is Tang Sanzang, who possesses powerful magic and is accustomed to killing, always acting as the vanguard in every battle, still the pedantic saint who spouts nothing but benevolence and morality?
The three of them—Buddha, Manjushri, and Guanyin—stared at each other for a long time, but came to the same conclusion—they had no solution!
You sent someone to fetch the scriptures, and they came.
Sun Wukong did indeed protect Tang Sanzang on his journey westward, but he was not wearing the golden headband and was not bound by Buddhist rules at all.
The main focus is on a quick way to complete the Soul Refining Banner Journey to the West.
Apart from the fact that Red Boy's father, the Bull Demon King, had a past relationship with Sun Wukong, and Red Boy was released, the other monsters either surrendered or died, and a large number of them now live inside the Demon Refining Banner.
Buddha dared not step into the arena.
If a Buddha sees blood, can he still be considered a Buddha?
Manjushri and Guanyin had already proven that they were no match for Sun Wukong by showing their heads wrapped in bandages and their legs limping, so they could only watch helplessly as Sun Wukong used his own methods to violently push through the pilgrimage to the West.
Suddenly, the Buddha seemed to remember something, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Next up is the Green Ox Demon who stole Laozi's Diamond Bracelet. It is Laozi's mount, and the Diamond Bracelet can collect all the weapons in the world. Let's see how this monkey makes his move."
"Once he is defeated and bows his head, his fearless fighting spirit will disappear, and then we will have ways to deal with him."
On a dangerous mountain.
Tang Sanzang, the Six-Eared Macaque, and the Black Bear Spirit were left empty-handed; their weapons had been taken by the Vajra Bracelet.
However, in the air.
A dead cow fell to the ground and transformed into a colossal creature as large as a small mountain.
Sun Wukong transformed into the Dharma Body and Earth, and actually beat the bull to death with his bare hands, smashing its brains open.
You're going to use a mace to snipe someone else's weapon, right?
Great Sage, I don't need the Golden Cudgel, what can you do to me?
This time, even Laozi didn't dare to cause trouble. Last time, he was tricked out of a batch of elixirs by Jinjiao and Yinjiao.
Since Laozi didn't come, Sun Wukong simply refined the Diamond Bracelet for his own use and then wore it on his head as a headband.
Later, they encountered the Scorpion Demon, who had once stung the Buddha. The Scorpion Demon's sting was incredibly powerful, but the Great Sage used the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, leaving his body unharmed, and could not be pierced at all.
Sun Wukong laughed heartily, then killed the demon with a single blow and presented it with the Demon-Refining Banner.
"It seems that the Buddha's physical body is not as robust as mine."
"His victory over me back then was largely undeserved. I've already seen through the true nature of his magical abilities. If I don't get involved, what can he do to me?"
They continued to push forward in this way.
The Bull Demon King and Princess Iron Fan were old acquaintances. He had previously released Red Boy and warmly welcomed him before sending him off the mountain.
As for why the nine-headed worm turned into a headless worm...
The Yellow-Eyebrowed King stole Maitreya Buddha's golden cymbal, but his human-seed bag was no match for the Vajra Bracelet, and it was taken away as soon as he used it.
The rootless red-scaled python became a fresh and delicious spicy snack for the master and his disciples; Guanyin's mount, the golden-haired lion, kidnapped the Holy Palace Lady, defaming her, and naturally entered the banner to pair up with his old acquaintance, the Great King Linggan.
Sun Wukong praised Guanyin, saying she was truly a good person.
He was the one who gave Tang Sanzang the materials for the Soul Refining Banner, and he also gave him the Inspiration King and the Golden-haired Hou, a pair of outstanding talents. He even went to great lengths to find so many disciples for Tang Sanzang. He really went to great lengths for him.
Further on.
Saint Vajra, wielding his pestle, fought seven delicate spider demons with ease, effortlessly defeating them all. Under his Wind and Thunder Wings, all beings were treated equally, and the seven beautiful women became roasted spiders. The centipede demon's eyes shone with golden light, and before it could even unleash its power, it was captured in the Golden Bell.
Then there are the three demons of Lion Camel Ridge. Because Manjushri's mount, the green-haired lion, was sent into the banner, the three demons became two demons.
One is the white elephant, the mount of Samantabhadra, and the other is the golden-winged eagle, the maternal uncle of Buddha.
The human seed bag and the golden cymbal are used together to send the two into the Soul Refining Banner.
They devoured the entire city's inhabitants, leaving the country emptied; they deserve to be enshrined in the banners and enjoy their blessings.
The Golden-Winged Roc hurriedly announced the name of Buddha. Tang Sanzang hesitated for a moment, but Sun Wukong did not hesitate and killed him with his staff.
I would beat your nephew, Buddha, to a pulp, let alone you, a mere maternal uncle.
This is the end.
The monsters along the way already knew that Sun Wukong's reputation was undeserved.
Knowing that the monks on this pilgrimage were quite eccentric, they would say things like "Buddha is merciful," and while drinking wine and smoking, they would say, "Read this book!" In reality, they were saying, "I see that you have a connection with the Soul Refining Banner, and I invite you to enter the banner to chat with the demon friends inside."
So the White Deer Spirit, the mount of the Antarctic Immortal, didn't have time to care about his lover, the White-faced Fox, or even take the medicine made from the heart and liver of the child from the Kingdom of Bhikkhu, and fled back to the Immortal.
The Golden-Nosed White-Haired Rat Spirit went to find his godfather, Li Jing; the Jade Rabbit Spirit went to find Chang'e; and the Yellow Lion Spirit, the Great Sage Nine Spirits, returned to his master, the Heavenly Venerable Taiyi, to continue being his mount.
But who is Sun Wukong? He first had Saint Vajra and his disciples spend several days dealing with the leopard demon, rhinoceros demon, and white-faced fox, who had no background but had committed many evil deeds.
He somersaulted up to the gates of the four immortals: Antarctic Immortal, Li Jing, Taiyi, and Chang'e, and told them that four fugitives from his Soul Refining Banner had escaped to their tutelage.
Inside, the four demons cried out, "Master, he has gone too far! I am not even dead, how did I become a prisoner in his demon-refining banner?"
The Celestial King and the Celestial Fairy were in a dilemma.
They couldn't win a fight, and it would be too embarrassing to have someone block their door.
He could only reluctantly pack up his disciples, tie them up, and throw them out. Sun Wukong didn't hesitate either, killing them with a single blow and inviting them into the Soul Refining Banner to become a loving family of demons.
So the group continued forward and arrived at the foot of Mount Ling.
It has only been a month since Sun Wukong escaped from the Five Finger Mountain.
Tang Sanzang did not rely on other people's supernatural powers or magic, nor did he ride the clouds. He simply flapped his pair of wings that he was born with and flew over there!
After all, wings are also a physical body, and flapping wings is also using the physical body to travel, so it cannot be considered a supernatural power or magic.
Then the Ling Mountain Cave opened.
The Buddhas received the group of master and disciples, along with the unruly Monkey King following behind them, with complex expressions on their faces.
This time, Ananda and Kasyapa wanted a fee, so Tang Sanzang picked up his alms bowl, made a window in the heads of the two bald donkeys, and successfully obtained the scriptures.
Finally, everyone was granted titles.
The Holy Vajra Tang Monk vanquished demons and monsters along the way, always striving to be the first in every battle, and was thus bestowed the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha.
The Black Bear Spirit, Sha Wujing, and the Six-Eared Macaque were appointed as Dharma Protectors. The three of them truly protected the Holy Vajra all the way and deserved the title of Dharma Protector.
As for whether it's the White Dragon Horse or the Eightfold Power Bodhisattva, everyone is happy with that.
Working for just one month, fighting and rushing around, feeling incredibly happy, and then you can attain enlightenment on Mount Ling. Isn't that an amazing thing?
As for Sun Wukong...
No one dared to bestow any reward upon him.
However, Sun Wukong had an eccentric personality. With a flick of his Demon-Refining Banner, hundreds of evil demon souls along the way flew out, and they were all tortured to the point of wishing for death.
Without further ado, the Great Sage shook the Soul Refining Banner, and bursts of Yin Fire surged forth, burning them to ashes.
These demons have devoured far more than tens or hundreds of thousands of people.
Then, a beam of merit descended from the heavens, landing behind Sun Wukong and forming a halo of holy light, which was incomparably sacred.
Guanyin and Manjushri were very clever; they immediately bowed in worship, proclaiming, "I pay homage to the Buddha of Sandalwood Merit."
Sun Wukong laughed heartily and said, "I will be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and the Buddha of Merit, and I will not be bound by Buddhist rules at all." With a somersault, he flew out of Mount Ling.
Having fulfilled his vow to protect Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, he returned to Flower Fruit Mountain and continued his carefree life as a mountain king.
The demons gathered together had only one rule: they could not eat people indiscriminately.
If you're going to eat, eat those rotten, inhuman beasts from Aolai Kingdom.
Sun Wukong is a demon, and he only follows the rules of demons.
Now, Tang Sanzang was bestowed the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha. In just one month, he went from being a mortal to a Buddha. This Buddhahood seemed a bit too cheap.
Further provoked by the incident of the two Venerables demanding bribes, he realized that even the Western Paradise was a place of petty scheming and despicable behavior, not a sacred land at all.
He felt utterly weary, and remembering the tenderness of the Women's Kingdom he had encountered on his journey there, he flew back to the Women's Kingdom, where he lived happily ever after with the Queen, and made this place his sacred ground.
The Black Bear Spirit, the Six-Eared Macaque, Sha Wujing, and the White Dragon Horse discussed the matter.
Our master is human, not a demon, and he's not very enthusiastic towards us.
That's true. We've only known each other for a little over half a month, and we haven't really gotten to know each other well. Why don't we go and seek refuge with the Great Sage?
So the four Vajras and Bodhisattvas abandoned Mount Ling and went straight to Mount Huaguo.
Bang!
Yang Silang struck the drum.
"Thus, after experiencing eighty-one tribulations and going through countless hardships, the journey to obtain the scriptures was finally completed."
"Buddhism has completed its plan, the master and his disciples have attained enlightenment, and the believers have received the scriptures—all are overjoyed!"
Hu Jiaoniang raised her hand.
"Wait a minute."
"If Tang Sanzang could fly, then the ordeal of the thousand-year-old tortoise in the Tongtian River would not exist."
"Also, isn't the Queen of the Women's Kingdom still a young girl? She only appeared in the fifth year of the pilgrimage, and she's already on the throne? Isn't she not yet of marriageable age?"
Yang Silang spread his hands.
"My dear Empress."
"A few minor flaws, but they don't detract from its overall excellence."
"I've already risked my life to make the whole story coherent."
"Stop nitpicking the logic. If you're still not convinced, here's a pen, you write it down..."
really.
The best way to deal with someone criticizing you is to do it yourself if you think you can.
It turns out.
Although the Fairy Goddess is incredibly alluring and adept at making others run errands.
You tell her to do it herself, but she really can't. Faced with this provocation, she just smiles.
"Okay, okay..."
"I can see you've been pushed to your limits; you've been unable to eat or sleep for over twenty days because of this."
"Well, I accept this new version."
"No need to change it anymore."
"Let me think. You've worked so hard and made great contributions; what would be a good reward for you?"
"Do you want to be the top scholar in the imperial examination?"
Yang Silang let out a scream upon hearing this.
"Your Majesty, if you are not satisfied, I can make changes."
Why repay kindness with enmity?
Remember this name: . Remember this domain name: . Good books won't lead you astray.
SFS