Others follow advice and imitate celebrities, but you start by pretending to be a god?

"But this isn't the one we encountered; he came on his own, didn't he..."

"If we don't take action, there shouldn't be any problems?"

"Then...shall we go say hello?"

The disciples of the temple made their decision instantly and naturally headed towards Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang.

The disciples at the dojo felt no pressure. But for Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang, it was a different story. They felt a chill run down their spines, as if an overwhelming pressure was pressing down on them.

Sun Wukong, in particular, gripped his golden cudgel and immediately became agitated, his body tense like a drawn bow stretched to its limit.

What's going on? How could so many beings suddenly appear in such a small place as Eagle's Sorrow Gorge? Have the world changed since they last appeared five hundred years ago?

And if he wasn't mistaken, how many of these monsters were human? And they were even arm in arm?
Damn it, don't demons feed on humans? When did they become so close?
Moreover, humans don't have cultivation techniques, so how come these humans have such strong auras? What kind of monsters are they?
Five hundred years ago, when I, Old Sun, roamed the Three Realms, how come I never saw so many monsters!
"Wukong." Tang Sanzang swallowed and took a few steps back.

"Don't worry, Master. Since I, Old Sun, have said that I will protect you on your journey to the Western Paradise to obtain the scriptures, I will naturally protect you to the very end."

"Moreover, I, Old Sun, also have some to say to that old Buddha."

Sun Wukong took a deep breath, his body shimmering with a swirling aura and surging light. Just as his face darkened, he gripped his golden cudgel, holding it horizontally in front of him, preparing to fight to the death.

One by one, the monsters walked past him.

"These are the pilgrims on their journey to the West?"

"We've already come all this way."

"I must say, it's actually quite fast."

"Alright, alright, monkey, get out of the way. If you make the first move, don't blame us for being unethical."

These monsters chatted casually as they walked past them, showing no intention of attacking and completely ignoring Sun Wukong at the front. They all curiously watched Tang Sanzang behind them.

Sun Wukong: "??????"

Tang Sanzang: "??????"

Now that Tang Sanzang's flesh offers immortality, doesn't it hold any appeal for you demons? And how come there are human cultivators among such a group of powerful demons?
That blue-skinned monster with a single horn on its head, is it from the sea? Is your true form a narwhal?! Why would something like that appear on land?!

One after another, figures walked past Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong. The overwhelming pressure, the demonic aura, and the aura of various races that swept over them made Tang Sanzang, sitting on his horse, dare not even breathe loudly, trembling with fear.

"Master, as long as I, Old Sun, am here, you will be in no danger whatsoever." Sun Wukong held his golden cudgel horizontally, standing among the demons, his expression solemn.

"Wukong!" Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang was incredibly excited! Although this monkey was usually disobedient and ignored him, he was exceptionally reliable in crucial moments!

"This monkey is Sun Wukong? He doesn't look that great, much worse than Brother Mud Monkey..." A powerful demon walked by, looking around curiously.

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong was immediately speechless. Just as he was about to lose his temper, a familiar voice drifted over.

"Hey, isn't this my good bro!"

The sound startled Sun Wukong slightly. He subconsciously turned his head and saw a figure come into view.

"Six-Eared Macaque?" Sun Wukong exclaimed in surprise, "How did you get here?"

"It's just a trivial matter, not worth mentioning. But you, you've come all this way." The Six-Eared Macaque stepped up to Sun Wukong, his eyes gleaming with a strange light.

He truly hadn't expected that Sun Wukong was also a member of the pilgrimage team. Back when they were near the Five Fingers Mountain, he was filled with resentment and hadn't even had a chance to catch up with Sun Wukong properly.

Now that we've met, how can we not have a good chat about Buddhism?
The Six-Eared Macaque's mind raced, and in an instant he had come up with a series of words. He grabbed Sun Wukong and walked towards a spot not far away.

"Come on, let's have a good chat, you two brothers..."

Sun Wukong hesitated for a moment, then said, "But, Master..."

"Don't worry, no one dares to harm the pilgrims. They are all kind-hearted, honest, and very loving," the Six-Eared Macaque said nonchalantly.

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's lips twitched involuntarily.

Those powerful demons, with their murderous aura soaring to the sky and their demonic energy permeating the air, hardly resembled honest and friendly people.

Even the few humans in the group walked with an air of banditry, looking more like demons than the demons themselves...

In the end, Sun Wukong nodded and followed the Six-Eared Macaque into the distance.

Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang watched in bewilderment as Sun Wukong was easily taken away by the Six-Eared Macaque.

Tang Sanzang was filled with doubt: "??????"

Goku?

Wukong!!!

Didn't you promise to stay by my side?!

Tang Sanzang wanted to shout loudly to tell Sun Wukong not to leave him behind, but before he could speak, a fierce bird radiating light came over and curiously started talking to Tang Sanzang.

"Hey, are you really Tang Sanzang, from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East?"

Tang Sanzang nodded stiffly.

The ferocious bird-like demon was about to continue speaking when a person suddenly jumped out from the side, shoved the demon aside, and asked, "Since you're from the Tang Dynasty in the East, you must have quite a few treasures, right? Hand some over!"

"Get out of my way! Is that all you've got?"

"Look at this kid, so fair-skinned and tender, I wonder what he tastes like..."

One after another, powerful demons approached Tang Sanzang, curiously trying to strike up a conversation.

Tang Sanzang was so frightened that he trembled, like a candle flickering in the wind, answering each question with a trembling body.

"Take it easy, just look and smell it, don't actually touch it."

At this moment, a young human dressed in white robes spoke up. Tang Sanzang was deeply moved, thinking to himself, "Truly worthy of being my fellow human beings! Among so many powerful demons, he dares to speak up for me; he is truly righteous!"

But the young man's next words almost made Tang Sanzang abandon his horse and flee.

"Well... it's not a big deal to lose a leg or an arm... how about giving it a try?"

"Benefactor! I must not try!" Tang Sanzang answered the many questions with difficulty, his face streaked with tears, his heart almost breaking.

Goku!

Help me!
One figure after another passed by Tang Sanzang, curiously peering at him. In the distance, Li Chengqian frowned slightly.

Is this bald monk Tang Sanzang?
Did you see me outside Chang'an City?

It's a pity I went into seclusion for a period of time. If Buddhism had continued to be banned in the Tang Dynasty, there probably wouldn't have been any Journey to the West...

Li Chengqian pondered silently, slowly calculating.

This time, attacking only Ling Mountain will not be enough.

Could we perhaps cause some trouble on this journey to the West...?

My human race, and the many demon races under my senior brothers' tutelage, also need to rise up...

In Eagle's Sorrow Gorge, Tang Sanzang and his companions happened to encounter many disciples from various Buddhist temples who had already finished their discussions. Sun Wukong was dragged aside by the Six-Eared Macaque and indoctrinated with ideas of rebellion against Buddhism.

Tang Sanzang was left alone, trembling under the curious gazes of the many powerful demons...

The disciples from the temple discussed among themselves, agreed on a meeting place, and then emerged from Eagle Sorrow Gorge, embarking on the road to Xiniu Hezhou.

Their eyes were fierce, their blood was boiling, and they were gazing in the direction of Mount Ling, their hearts filled with fighting spirit!

You should know that this was done with the master's permission!
We must rescue our junior sister and severely damage Mount Ling!
Disciples from numerous celestial temples clenched their fists, gritted their teeth, suppressed their anger, and converged on Mount Ling, preparing to deliver a heavy blow to Buddhism.

And at the distant junction of East Sheng Shenzhou and West Niu Hezhou.

Lin Nan had no idea what his disciples were doing outside...

"I'm free."

"It's so relaxing and comfortable."

"What are these battles for supremacy, these are these Three Realms, these are these great calamities, none of them concern me."

"Blue skies, white clouds, barbecues on the beach—this is the happiest life."

On the beach, Lin Nan sprawled on a deck chair like a salted fish, wearing shorts and sunglasses.

Beside him, the Sky-Splitting Sword was slicing through the air at lightning speed.

Under Lin Nan's control, the Sky-Splitting Sword was slicing sashimi at an extremely fast speed.

Thin slices of raw fish, filtered through ice, dipped in sauce, and then happily popped into your mouth...

Juice splashed everywhere.

Cool! !

Lin Nan stretched comfortably.

With those worries gone, the dojo finally returned to peace!

Indeed, it's most comfortable when I'm all alone in this dojo!
Ah, the most comfortable thing for a person is to be a salted fish!

Lin Nan lay on the recliner, humming a song, enjoying the breeze, feeling completely at ease.

Only when I occasionally glance at the Hongmeng Book Pavilion in the distant dojo do I feel a sense of loneliness.

After all, without disciples, the dojo was rather deserted.

"I wonder how many of those hundreds of disciples I taught are still alive..."

Lying on the recliner, Lin Nan muttered to himself, "Their strength is so low, they shouldn't be able to cause me any trouble, right?"

Just as Lin Nan was muttering to himself, he suddenly noticed a small black dot on the distant sea...

"Ok?"

"what is that?"

……

Above the vast ocean of Dongsheng Shenzhou, the sky is high and the water is wide, stretching to the horizon.

A tall, slender figure was slowly walking on the sea.

He was dressed in a kasaya, with a gentle face and handsome features. His every move exuded a calm and composed demeanor.

The monk raised his hand, palm up, and slowly caught a ray of sunlight, sighing softly.

"The opening and closing of heaven and earth, the years of the Investiture of the Gods."

"How many tens of thousands of years has it been since that battle?"

I can't remember anymore.

The past is like smoke, and the world has changed...

The monk gently shook his head, clasped his hands together, and continued walking forward.

This figure was none other than Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who had emerged from the underworld!
After hearing that the temple had been provoked and something had happened, Di Ting kept trying to trick Ksitigarbha into leaving the underworld and causing trouble in the Buddhist temple.

Di Ting spent several days using his silver tongue to finally trick Ksitigarbha out of the underworld!
But figuring out how to persuade Ksitigarbha to cause trouble in Buddhism has become a major problem!
In the end, Di Ting could only do as he had planned: first, trick Ksitigarbha into the celestial temple!
Let's set aside whether Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva can actually attack Buddhism.

At the very least, when a real battle breaks out, it can reduce one of Lingshan's top combatants, right?
……

Meanwhile, Ksitigarbha was unaware of the ulterior motives in Di Ting's mind. He simply believed that Di Ting had truly discovered the method to attain Buddhahood and found a great being from ancient times.

With a flick of the wrist, a surge of Buddhist light emanates.

Walking on the sea, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva slowly took out a scroll from his robe.

This is a map showing a location that Di Ting (谛听) wanted Ksitigarbha to go to.

After giving him the map, Di Ting hurriedly left, saying he had to attend some kind of council and that he should find it himself.

After looking at the map several times, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva remained calm, raised his head, and gazed in all directions.

“Amitabha Buddha, according to what Di Ting said, it should be nearby.”

Why is there no response?

Ksitigarbha sensed his surroundings but found nothing; no feedback came from any temple.

Ksitigarbha was not in a hurry even though he had not found the hiding place of the ancient great being.

He simply paced slowly, searching for the entrance, while silently reciting Buddhist scriptures and studying Buddhist principles in his heart.

"The first part concerns the causes and conditions of the Dharma assembly; thus have I heard."

"At one time the Buddha was in the Jeta Grove of Anathapindika's Park in Shravasti, together with a great assembly of twelve hundred and fifty monks..."

Although the map provided by Di Ting showed that the location was very close to the dojo, no one could find the entrance unless Lin Nan showed up on his own.

In that mysterious and unpredictable realm, even a transcendent being like Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva could not set foot in that hidden sacred site. He lingered outside the site, so close yet seemingly separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, unable to detect even a trace of it. Helplessly, he paced around, silently reciting scriptures, trying to find a glimmer of opportunity.

Inside the temple, Lin Nan lay lazily on the soft sand, his gaze curiously peering through the temple's barrier at the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statue slowly moving across the sea. Filled with doubt, he murmured to himself, "A monk? How did he get here? Could he be carrying a map showing the temple's location, or was he recommended by one of his disciples?"

Lin Nan did not recognize the monk's true identity, because Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had deliberately suppressed his strength to an extremely low level in order to conceal his whereabouts and avoid leaving any traces in the Three Realms, and his aura appeared unremarkable.

Lin Nan only glanced at it a few more times out of curiosity, then lost interest and continued to lie down and enjoy his leisure time.

For him, unless it was a delicious and tempting meal of ferocious birds, it would be difficult to get him to open the door to his monastery. But the monk before him was clearly not one of those exceptions.

"So what if a disciple recommends me? What does it have to do with me?" Lin Nan muttered to himself, then immersed himself in his own world, enjoying this rare tranquility and leisure.

In the days that followed, Lin Nan basked in the sun at the dojo, living a leisurely and carefree life, as if he were isolated from the world.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, meanwhile, strolled leisurely outside the sacred site, silently reciting scriptures while carefully searching for its entrance. He knew this was no ordinary place; to enter, he must find the hidden opportunity. (End of Chapter)