Journey to the West: Beginning with the Apprenticeship of Bodhi Patriarch

Chapter 254: Lotus Lantern, Black Dragon Bone for the Ox King

The story goes that Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen are competing in martial arts a hundred miles away in Fangcun Mountain. The two are looking at each other from a distance. Sun Wukong shows respect by putting on his armor, swinging his golden cudgel, and ready for battle. Erlang Shen is also very aggressive, holding a three-pointed double-edged sword, a golden bow and silver bullets, a demon-slaying sword, a mountain-splitting axe, a demon-binding rope around his waist, and a mountain-driving whip. He also has a demon-revealing mirror hanging behind his cloak, and he is going all out.

Erlang Shen said, "Now that I have seen the Immortal, I know that the Immortal has made great progress in his practice. But the Great Sage's practice has also improved a lot. Compared with the past, it is very different."

Sun Wukong laughed and said, "How can you say that, Master? Your abilities have improved a lot compared to before."

Erlang Shen said, "In the past, I fought with the Great Sage and there was no winner, which was a bit regretful. Now that I am fighting with the Great Sage again, I will go all out. I hope the Great Sage will also go all out, so that there will be no regrets."

Sun Wukong said: "I will fight with all my strength."

Erlang Shen said: "Since I want to do my best, I will use all these treasures. I hope the Great Sage will not blame me."

Sun Wukong smiled and said, "Don't blame me, don't blame me. I also took the armor for use."

Erlang Shen said, "In that case, Great Sage, let's fight."

Say it.

Erlang Shen turned his three-pointed, double-edged sword and prepared to attack.

When Sun Wukong saw this, he swung his golden cudgel without saying a word and hit Erlang Shen in the face.

Erlang Shen held up his three-pointed, double-edged sword to hold Sun Wukong at bay, but under the power of the Great Sage, his body trembled and he took a step back, then he pushed the Great Sage away and attacked again.

The two had a great fight in the forest. It was really amazing. The Great Sage's golden hoop showed his power and strength, and the three-pointed sword showed his martial arts. The two fought in the mountains. The one was the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, who was now named Fighting Buddha. The other was the True Lord of the Sage, who was named Zhaohui Yinglingsheng. The one had great martial arts and great power. His stick was as powerful as the wind. The other had great magical powers and was still powerful. His sword was as powerful as flowing water. When the two fought, they killed each other until the sky was dark and the stars were shining. The fog was rising and the sky was hazy.

The fight was undecided between Baihe and the two of them. The Great Sage showed great martial arts skills, but Xiansheng was a master of this art. No matter how the Great Sage tried, he would always be able to break the opponent's move. It was difficult for the two of them to determine the winner in terms of martial arts skills.

Erlang Shen knew that it would be difficult to win the fight with martial arts alone, so he thought to himself, "Great Saint, great Saint! Since you have achieved enlightenment, you have returned to the right path and have improved your skills by leaps and bounds. If I hadn't made some progress, I would have found it difficult to fight him now. I will use my treasure to decide the outcome."

Think about it.

Erlang Shen took the three-pointed, double-edged sword from his waist, turned around and flew out.

Sun Wukong was in the middle of a fight, so he didn't want to let him get away. He chased after him with his golden cudgel, shouting, "Don't run! Don't run!"

When Erlang Shen saw Sun Wukong chasing him, he took out his golden bow and silver bullets and started shooting at Sun Wukong. He fired nine bullets in a row at Sun Wukong.

Seeing that the silver bullet was coming at him with great force, Sun Wukong did not dare to be careless. He waved his golden cudgel with great force and fired nine bullets in a row, but none of them could get close to him and he knocked them all to the ground.

The Great Sage was about to stand up and fight with Erlang Shen again when he suddenly saw Erlang Shen transformed into a three-headed, six-armed being. He wielded a three-pointed, double-edged sword in his left and right hands, a mountain-splitting axe in his left hand, a demon-slaying sword in his right hand, a mountain-driving whip in his left hand, and a magic mirror in his right hand.

The Great Sage was greatly alarmed, and swung up his golden cudgel, striking at the man's face, hoping to catch him off guard.

Erlang Shen waved the magic mirror and a divine light came out, making the Great Sage unable to move. He then took out the demon-binding rope and threw it far away, binding the Great Sage. Seeing what the Great Sage did, he was unable to break free.

Erlang Shen immediately took out his axe and chopped at the Monkey King.

Sun Wukong was unable to break free from the demon-binding rope for a while, so he stopped struggling and headed forward. With a pounce, the mountain-splitting axe blazed, but it didn't even scratch Erlang Shen's head, leaving his hands numb.

Xiansheng exclaimed: "Good head, good head!"

Sun Wukong took the opportunity to break free from the demon-binding rope and said, "You are very capable, but I have a body of iron and steel. You cannot hurt me, so come and fight me again."

Say it.

Wukong swung his golden cudgel, and the iron cudgel split into hundreds of pieces, hitting Xiansheng.

Erlang Shen was caught off guard and had to use his weapons to block before he broke the spell. Suddenly, Sun Wukong came at him with his golden cudgel.

Erlang Shen raised the demon-slaying sword and slashed it across. With a righteous spirit in his sword, he actually forced Sun Wukong to retreat.

The two started fighting again.

In the clouds and mist, the Immortal Being and the Bull Demon King saw the two men fighting and were amazed.

The Bull Demon King said, "My Lord, my brother and the True Lord are both good fighters. They are truly amazing. The True Lord's treasures are so numerous that I cannot stop looking at them. If I fight the True Lord, I will probably be defeated in less than ten rounds."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and smiled, "Niu'er, don't underestimate yourself. You are quite capable, but you just lack some luck."

The Bull Demon King said, "Master, even if I have the theory of luck, how can I defeat you and my brother? Compared with them, we are far behind."

Jiang Yuan gently stroked the Bull Demon King's forehead and said, "You are my guardian, so just focus on your cultivation. Don't worry too much and don't compare yourself with others."

The Bull Demon King replied, "Master, I should know that if I don't have evil thoughts, I will be wrong in teaching cultivation."

Jiang Yuan said, "When we were traveling in the human world, we passed through Jizhou and found the skeleton of a black dragon. Later, I will ask my master to give it to you to practice and help you achieve success."

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King was deeply moved. He bowed several times and said, "Thank you very much, Master! Master, please teach me how to repay your kindness. Even if I die a thousand times, I cannot repay you. In the past, I was a demon from Hezhou, Xiniu. I did not know the true nature of things and had been causing trouble for a long time. Fortunately, I found the way and turned to you. Only then did I have the good fortune I have today. If I had not turned to you, I would have always done evil and I would not know what kind of situation I would have ended up in. If you had shown up and removed me earlier, how could I have a family reunited and found the right path today? Master, you have been so kind to me now. I really don't know how to repay you."

Jiang Yuan helped the Bull Demon King up and said with a smile: "Bull, you don't need to repay me. Just practice well and return to the right path. This is enough to comfort me."

He pointed to the bottom and said, "Niu'er, don't say any more. The result below is about to come out."

The Bull Demon King asked, "Master, we still can't tell what's going on, how can we expect a result?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Although Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun has many treasures and superb magical powers and martial arts, Wukong has endless strength and iron bones. Zhenjun cannot hurt Wukong. If the battle lasts for a long time, he will definitely lose."

The Bull Demon King said, "If what you said is true, then you can do nothing to me. This brother's iron bones are really amazing. I wonder what can break his iron bones."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Everything in the world is mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining. There are people who can break the iron skin and bones, but there are not many who can break them. Therefore, if you want to win in a fight with Wukong, you must use supernatural powers."

The Bull Demon King said: "All things are interdependent and mutually exclusive. Is there anything that is mutually exclusive, Master?"

Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "Of course there are. All things are mutually generated and restrained. This is the number of heaven and earth, the principle of heaven and earth. I am also between heaven and earth, and there are things that restrain each other."

The Bull Demon King said: "What can defeat the master? I see that the master has great magical powers, many treasures, and is invulnerable to all kinds of magic, but I don't know what can defeat the master."

Jiang Yuan smiled but said nothing.

The Bull Demon King was puzzled when he saw this, but he did not dare to ask any more questions and could only continue to watch the fight below. After a long fight, Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen fought back and forth, but they still could not tell who was better. After fighting for more than 300 rounds, Erlang Shen collected many treasures, slashed Sun Wukong away with a sword, and fell to the ground, and stopped fighting.

Erlang Shen said, "Great Sage, I will not fight anymore."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong had no choice but to retract his golden cudgel and said, "Master, the victory has not yet been decided, why don't we stop fighting?"

Erlang Shen shook his head and said, "Great Sage, you have skin of steel and bones, but I cannot hurt you. Moreover, you are a creature of heaven and earth, and you are full of strength. Even if I fight you again, I will not be able to defeat you."

After hearing this, Sun Wukong knew to give up.

Jiang Yuan and Bull Demon King pressed down the clouds and praised the two for their great abilities.

Erlang Shen said: "The Great Sage is truly powerful, but the only one I have ever met who can defeat me in martial arts is the Great Sage."

Sun Wukong bowed and said, "I don't deserve such praise from you, Master."

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "You two are equally capable."

After the competition was over, they returned to the pavilion of the Sanxing Cave, where they sat down at a table and talked about their magical powers. The stories about Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen were all from the competition.

As everyone was talking, the Bull Demon King mentioned the theory of 'mutual promotion and mutual restraint'.

Sun Wukong said: "This is very reasonable. All things are interdependent. I have known this principle all the way to the west."

The Bull Demon King asked, "How come you were hurt on your journey to the west?"

Sun Wukong waved his hands and said, "There are many more, many more."

The Bull Demon King asked, "What do you mean?"

Sun Wukong said: "On the way to the west, there are monsters that can hurt my treasures. This is in line with the theory of mutual generation and mutual restraint. For example, I have always suffered from eye disease. On the way to the west, there was a yellow wind monster that used wind to hurt my eyes. Just like the scorpion demon, there is a poisonous stake that can knock down horses. I have been harmed by it many times."

Erlang Shen smiled and said, "I also know the principle of mutual promotion and mutual restraint, and the same is true for treasure."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong said, "Master, you have so many treasures that I almost lost."

Erlang Shen waved his hands and said, "Those treasures of mine were obtained by chance in the past, and they are not very valuable. If we talk about treasures, the Nine Cauldrons of the Immortal are the real treasures."

Hearing this, Jiang Yuan looked at the three tripods on his waist and said with a smile, "I only have three tripods. There are still some tripods of the Nine Tripods scattered around. If you are interested, you can look for them."

Erlang Shen shook his head and said, "Master, only those who are destined to obtain the Nine Cauldrons can know about them. Everyone in and outside the Three Realms knows about them. Master and the Nine Cauldrons are destined to obtain them. Only Master can obtain these Nine Cauldrons."

Jiang Yuan smiled but said nothing.

The Bull Demon King asked, "Is there a treasure like the Nine Cauldrons in the world?"

Sun Wukong replied, "Brother, of course I have it, of course I have it. The Lord has many treasures in his hands, too many to count. I have suffered many losses in the past, all because of the Lord's treasures."

Erlang Shen said: "The Lord Lao has countless treasures, I don't know how many there are, but what I know is that there are only nine tripods in the world, and my sister, 'San Shengmu', has a treasure that is not inferior to the nine tripods."

Sun Wukong asked: "What kind of treasure is this? It is not inferior to the Nine Cauldrons?"

Erlang Shen replied, "It is called the 'Precious Lotus Lantern' and was given by the Jade Emperor. It has great power. My sister can walk in the human world and suppress monsters because of its magic power. Without it, my sister would never be able to walk in the human world."

Sun Wukong scratched his head and said, "If you look at it this way, I don't have many treasures. Next time I go to the Tushita Palace, I will definitely go to Laojun and ask for a treasure."

The Bull Demon King said, "My dear brother, if your treasures are few, then I, the old bull, have no treasures either."

Sun Wukong said: "Brother, you have a palm leaf fan at home, which is really great. How can you say that there is no treasure at all?"

Jiang Yuan listened to everyone's conversation with a smile, but did not say a word.

After everyone talked for a long time, Erlang Shen said goodbye to everyone, saying that he was going to repair the law. Upon hearing this, the immortals and others had no reason to stop him, so they had to let Erlang Shen leave.

After sending Erlang Shen away from Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, the immortal asked Niu Mowang and Sun Wukong to enter the room for meditation, while he went to the meditation room of the ancestor, wanting to see the ancestor.

The ancestor met the real person in the room. After the real person bowed, he sat on the cushion under the guidance of the ancestor.

The master asked, "My boy, why did you come to see me?"

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, "Master, how did you know? I came to see you, so there must be something wrong."

The Grand Master pointed to the Immortal Master and said with a smile: "You are my disciple, how could I not know what you are thinking?"

Jiang Yuan said: "Master has a divine eye, and I cannot hide anything from you."

The master smiled and said, "Let me tell you the story."

Jiang Yuan then told the story of the black dragon skeleton and the Bull Demon King.

After hearing this, the master pondered for a long time and said, "Your son Niu has some talent, but he has not yet practiced with all his heart. Besides, practice is a side path, so he cannot compare with Wukong and Xiansheng who have achieved the golden elixir. Your black dragon bone is a treasure. When it was alive, it was a strange beast when the world was first created. Later, the Taishang Laojun learned the name of Nuwa, refined stones to repair the sky, and saved the world of Yanfu. At that time, this black dragon was causing trouble in Jizhou, so I taught him to kill it. I never thought that its bones would be in your hands now. Boy, you are quite blessed."

Jiang Yuan said: "Master, this black dragon bone may be used by the Bull King?"

The master nodded and said, "Please leave it here. I will transform it into something useful for the Bull King later. Boy, you have a kind heart and compassion, but you must teach the Bull King to practice well and not let him forget his original intention."

Jiang Yuan responded, "Master, I will tell the Bull King and will never let him forget his original intention."

The Grandmaster smiled and said, "Speaking of which, the mansion is much more lively than before. Since I accepted twelve generations of disciples, the mansion has been deserted. Now that the boy has returned, it is much more lively."

Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, "Master, there are only two or three disciples. It's not as lively as before."

The master said, "This is the beginning. Those who are predestined to follow you will show up when you open your palace. It is the beginning now, but it is quite lively. This is enough to show that there will be many disciples in the palace in the future."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan had some enlightenment in his mind. When he was wandering in the human world, he had formed many predestined relationships. If he opened a temple, these predestined relationships would eventually come and enter his door to seek cultivation.

(End of this chapter)