Conferred Gods: Start with a Phoenix clone

Chapter 1761 The Ancient Temple of Thorn Ridge

Sun Wukong was puzzled: "Official business? What official business could a good-for-nothing like you have?"

Instead of answering, Qingniu asked, "Grandpa is asking you, did you take a shortcut to get here?"

The four of them looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally, Tang Sanzang stepped forward and answered, "Your Majesty, we have come here by following a small path."

The green ox pointed at itself: "The path you're walking on was carved out by your grandpa! You've incurred the karmic debt of your grandpa, have you thought about how you're going to repay it?"

The four of them frowned in unison, all feeling that the matter was difficult to handle.

Cause and effect can be big or small. For ordinary people, the cause and effect can be offset by reciting a few scriptures. But the Green Ox is no ordinary person. He is the mount of a saint. On the journey to the West, there is no monster with a greater background than him. This cause and effect cannot be offset by a few polite words.

"What do you intend to do?" Sun Wukong asked sternly.

The green ox was stunned for a moment. "Yeah, what can I ask you to do?"

He's just lying in the sun at the door, what kind of work can he find for Tang Sanzang and his disciples to do?
Just as they were pondering this, a man with a sallow complexion and a face as black as charcoal emerged from behind the temple.

The sallow-faced man pointed at the blue ox and said, "Big brother, you're slacking off again, lying to me and third brother to weed the back. Hey, who are these people? Could this be Tang Sanzang?"

They were also taken aback when they saw Tang Sanzang and his disciples, not expecting to encounter outsiders in this desolate wilderness.

Sun Wukong immediately gripped his golden cudgel. He had been ambushed by the Six-Eared Macaque, the Nine-Headed Insect, and the Scorpion Demon, which left a deep impression on him. The Green Ox alone was extremely difficult to deal with, and now two more companions had appeared. Should he strike first?
The Green Ox seemed completely oblivious to his hostility. For the Green Ox, his mission in Journey to the West was over, and it was only a coincidence that the two had met again.

He ignored Sun Wukong's hostility and introduced the two: "This one with a yellowish face is my second brother, the Five-Colored Ox, and that one with a black face is my third brother, the Kui Ox."

Tang Sanzang reacted the fastest: "Greetings, Your Majesty. I am a monk from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East, sent to the Western Paradise to seek Buddhist scriptures. These three behind me are my disciples."

The five-colored oxen were very interested in the master and disciples, and happily clasped their hands in greeting. The Kui ox was unwilling to talk to unfamiliar oxen, so it only glanced at Tang Sanzang and his disciples without saying a word, and its expression was quite arrogant.

When the Five-Colored Divine Ox joined the Three Pure Ones' "Ox Herd," Pigsy and the Jade Rabbit had already descended to the mortal realm. However, Pigsy always paid close attention to information about the Taoist sect and would chat with the Six Ding and Six Jia, the Four Duty Officers, and others from time to time. They wouldn't talk about secret matters, but they could chat about things that everyone knew.

He knew the backgrounds of these three big shots and guessed that their simultaneous presence must mean something important had happened.

He immediately straightened his clothes, pulled in his stomach, and bowed respectfully: "Zhu Wuneng greets the three immortals."

The Jade Rabbit was taken aback. Having followed the journey to the West for many years, her ability to read people was finally a notch better than when she was in the Moon Palace. Seeing the old pig's face, she also bowed.

There are too many great gods in the primordial world, so it won't hurt to be respectful.

Seeing how solemn they were, Sun Wukong also gave a perfunctory bow.

After they got to know each other, they discussed their respective purposes.

Tang Sanzang and his companions were heading west, and they had just passed through the Thorn Ridge when they happened to see a small path, so they came across it. There's nothing more to say about that. Sun Wukong was really curious about the presence of the three oxen with their extraordinary backgrounds in such a strange place, so he asked them directly.

"What exactly are you up to in this desolate wilderness?"

The green ox exuded a sense of superiority, giving the five-colored divine ox and the Kui ox a smile before replying, "Wilderness? This Thorn Ridge wasn't originally like this, and it wasn't called Thorn Ridge. Back then, the roads between the East and West were still open. It's just that... well, I won't say more, you monkey wouldn't understand anyway. Do you see this temple behind me?"

Sun Wukong nodded: "I saw it."

“This temple is where the Dao Ancestor attained enlightenment in the primordial world. My two brothers and I are here every year on the tenth day of the tenth month to clean and guard this place, in order to prevent any villains from blaspheming the Dao Ancestor.”

Although the Green Ox didn't say it explicitly, his bull eyes were fixed on Sun Wukong. That's right, Grandpa Ox was talking about you, you monkey who stepped in with your left foot!
The Dao Ancestor? Sun Wukong's eyes darted around twice. The Bodhi Patriarch had indeed spoken about this kind of knowledge very seriously, but at the time he felt that it had little to do with him, and this kind of purely background information went in one ear and out the other.

At this point, all that could be recalled was the extremely common information about the war between the Dao and the Demon.

Tang Sanzang said in a consultative tone, "Wukong, since this is the place where the sages attained enlightenment, we should also do our part. Shall we, master and disciple, help clean it up together?"

The Buddhist and Taoist sects are still relatively harmonious. The Taoist patriarch doesn't know exactly what he did or what great achievements he made, but he does know the Three Pure Ones of Taoism. Helping to clean up is also a way for Buddhist disciples to show respect to the Three Pure Ones.

Before Sun Wukong could answer, Pigsy immediately agreed: "Master is right!"

“Master is right.” Jade Rabbit nodded. She did not plan to enter the Buddhist order. After the journey to the West was over, she would return to the Moon Palace. If she really thought about it, worshipping the Three Pure Ones was more cost-effective than worshipping Buddha.

To show respect for the Dao Ancestor, the three oxen worked with their own strength and without using any magical powers.

Tang Sanzang and his companions helped clear away the weeds around them. Sun Wukong idly brandished his golden cudgel at the tall grass, but after a while, he got bored. However, seeing Zhu Bajie working so hard to clear the area, sweating profusely, he felt embarrassed to rest. So he took a rag to wipe the temple gate and chatted with the Green Ox.

"Brother Niu, I wonder what specific Dao Zu Wudao comprehended?"

"Hahahaha—you monkey, don't talk nonsense if you don't understand!" The green ox laughed first, then put on a stern face: "The Dao Ancestor comprehended the Three Thousand Great Daos, the various Great Daos of the world, not the minor Dao you speak of!"

Sun Wukong gave a fawning smile and patted the Green Ox's shoulder: "Brother Ox, why is this place deserted?"

The Green Ox was actually slacking off, and the cleaning work was done by the Five-Colored Divine Ox and the Kui Ox: "That's because the Dao Ancestor moved the Daoist temple to outside the Thirty-Three Heavens and has never set foot in the Primordial World since."

Is it that powerful? Sun Wukong turned around and stared at the temple gate, wanting to go in and take a look.

The blue ox widened its eyes: "Monkey, we have the decree of the Three Pure Ones. Anyone who dares to enter the temple and blaspheme the Dao Ancestor will be killed without mercy! Do you want to try our methods?"

Sun Wukong smiled apologetically. He wasn't afraid of the Green Ox if it didn't use the Golden Ring, but he didn't know the other two oxen's abilities and didn't want to cause trouble. He was no longer young, and going into the temple now would be just asking for trouble. So he immediately gave up the idea of ​​going into the temple to take a look.

(End of this chapter)