I start by accepting Sun Wukong as my disciple and reshape the Journey to the West

Chapter 143 A Frustrating Battle

“Listen, go out and greet the guests!” said Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Di Ting accepted the order and left. As soon as he left the temple, he saw Judge Cui leading Liu Quan, who was holding a nine-ringed staff, walking slowly towards him. However, Liu Quan's eyes were vacant, and the staff was covered in blood, which was dripping onto the ground.

Moreover, Di Ting sensed a familiar aura on the nine-ringed staff—the Asura lineage.

When Di Ting sensed the aura of the Asura lineage, it understood why Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said that what was destined to come would eventually come.

Not long ago, Ye Xuantian and Lu Ya came to question the Styx lineage about why they were able to break through the Earth Treasury seal.

However, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva did not fully acknowledge this matter at the time. After all, if he had agreed directly, he might have angered Ye Xuantian. Even so, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva still paid a sufficient price.

From now on, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva will no longer have many privileges in front of Ye Xuantian. After all, He has already handed over His divine sense. Unless Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is willing to fight Ye Xuantian to the death and sacrifice His body to betray Him again.

Since the mistake was made in the past and that person did not investigate it further, then there are some things that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva needs to forgive, such as sending the Mosquito Taoist's soul back to its origin, or sealing it away.

Di Ting looked at Judge Cui: "Judge, which sect have you entered now?"

Di Ting's tone was somewhat sharp. After all, no matter what, the Ten Kings of Hell should stand together with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. But who would have thought that the Ten Kings of Hell would secretly get so close to Ye Xuantian without telling them?

Judge Cui quickly cupped his hands and said, "Lord Diting, you are joking. I am just a judge. How could I have such an opportunity? I just had a feeling in my heart today. So I left the Ghost City and walked around. I saw this person. He kept chanting the true name of the Bodhisattva. I dared not make any rash judgments, so I brought him here personally."

It must be said that Judge Cui was an official both in life and in death. His words truly demonstrated that he was influenced by Ye Xuantian and expressed his respect for the Bodhisattva, thus offending neither side.

Di Ting only grumbled; now that even Bodhisattvas are controlled by others, what could he possibly do?

"Come with me!"

Di Ting led Judge Cui and Liu Quan inside. At this time, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was wearing a particularly eye-catching golden kasaya. Even without revealing his Dharma body, he still looked extremely solemn.

The moment Liu Quan and Judge Cui came into His sight, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's eyes sharpened.

"What ruthless methods! I only knew that the Sage Xuantian was ruthless, but I did not know that my old friends were also willing to go all out for this Western Tribulation, severing all their cultivation and leaving only a remnant soul, waiting for the blessing of the Ancestor of the Styx River to regain their cultivation bodies."

The shock in Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's words seemed genuine. If Mosquito Taoist had heard these words, he would have been greatly surprised, since that was exactly what he had done.

By dissipating his cultivation, he only sought to have his own soul perfectly occupy Xuanzang's body. This kind of underhanded and desperate tactic could truly cause him to lose his soul.

“Judge Cui, the Mosquito Taoist’s soul now belongs to the mortal realm. If you do not possess the mortal Emperor’s Seal, even I cannot help the Sage.”

Upon hearing Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's words, Judge Cui immediately wore a fawning smile: "Bodhisattva is truly a man of divine wisdom. When the Emperor Star entered the cycle of reincarnation years ago, the Lord of the Fifth Palace said: 'Reincarnation has its time, the underworld has its names, and the Emperor is immeasurable. His name is Li Shimin!' Moreover, when Heaven later attacked Heaven, he received the blessing of the Heavenly Khan."

Judge Cui took out a separate Book of Life and Death, the very one that had been generated by the cause and effect of the Emperor's decree. On it, the three characters "Li Shimin" shone brightly, and within them lay the immense destiny of the nation.

"I wonder if this counts as the seal of God?"

When Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva opened his palm, the Book of Life and Death appeared in his palm.

Sensing the cause and effect and the fate of the nation contained within, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's lips curled into a bitter smile: "If the Asura lineage knew about the Xuan Tian Saint's plan, they probably wouldn't have the mind to compete for this opportunity at all, but would instead be thinking about how to survive under his schemes."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva looked at Liu Quan: "Liu Quan, I only ask you, if your soul is scattered here today, what will you do?"

Upon hearing Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's question, Liu Quan's dazed eyes seemed to finally regain a sliver of consciousness: "By imperial decree, I will punish the traitors! I will sacrifice myself for the country, even if it means my blood and brains are spilled on the ground."

"Only by not fearing death can one leave behind this wisp of killing intent belonging to the Mosquito Taoist. It seems that the Tang King still has some conscience, choosing someone who is willing and without fear to die."

“Bodhisattva, under the law of cause and effect, every step must be taken carefully. If it is too late, we may miss the opportune time!” Judge Cui interrupted Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s lament.

“You…” Di Ting was about to rebuke him, but was stopped by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

"He's right, I'm getting old, and I always like to ramble on about trivial things."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva immediately melted the Book of Life and Death into his palm, and with a wave of his hand, the nine-ringed staff fell into his hand.

"The Asura lineage is despised by Heaven and Earth and is intolerable to the righteous path. Now, I, in the name of the Venerable Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva of the Netherworld, report to the Boundless Earthly Dao: There is an Asura lineage whose member, the Mosquito Daoist, has entered the world and wreaked havoc, disrupting the eons of the Western Journey. Therefore, I have specially used the path of reincarnation to bind the remnant soul of the Mosquito Daoist!"

Almost the instant the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha began chanting, Judge Cui grabbed Liu Quan's shoulder and quickly retreated.

As soon as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva uttered the last word, the phantom of the nine-ringed staff immediately turned into a pool of blood and fell to the ground. At that moment, a huge swastika appeared on the originally flat ground.

It radiated golden light, like a lock slowly opening from the center. The golden light spread outwards from the intersection of the swastikas, and where the golden light faded, a river of blood appeared.

The moment the river of blood appeared, countless white bones crawled out from it, wailing: Blood, blood!

Roar!
Di Ting let out a huge roar, and the violent sonic power poured out as if it were free. All the white bones turned into dust the moment they touched the sonic waves.

A bizarre scene unfolded at that moment: all the gravel accumulated little by little from the surface of the Blood River, eventually forming a small sand dune that caught the pool of blood that the Nine-Ringed Staff had transformed into.

……

"Mosquito Taoist, prepare to die!"

Dongfang Shuo roared, a long spear in his hand, which he thrust straight forward, the spear aimed directly at his throat.

"You brat, how dare you spout such nonsense!"

Mosquito Taoist was naturally unafraid. He had two weapons based on the law of cause and effect, as well as the power of the curse that countered Lu Ya. At this moment, Mosquito Taoist was full of fighting spirit and was about to vent it. He did not hesitate to fight Dongfang Shuo.

boom!
The moment their weapons clashed, sparks flew. Dongfang Shuo flicked his wrist, and his spear spun at an even more bizarre angle, hurtling towards Mosquito Taoist.

"A mere trick, yet you dare to show off your skills before an expert!" Mosquito Taoist sneered, about to block, when the bells on his nine-ringed staff jingled loudly, and he quickly retreated, holding it in front of his chest.

Logically speaking, Mosquito Taoist's timing in retreating and his position in blocking were extremely appropriate. But at that moment, the Nine-Ringed Staff suddenly flickered, and the staff itself became somewhat ethereal.

This illusion was not a hallucination, but a real missing piece, which allowed Dongfang Shuo's spear to penetrate straight into Mosquito Taoist's chest.

laugh!
The pain from his body made Mosquito Taoist frown and immediately retreat.

Chi Chi Chi!
An even more piercing friction sound rang out, and the nine-ringed tin staff regained its solidity, as if Dongfang Shuo's spear was stuck in the nine-ringed tin staff.

As Mosquito Taoist continued to retreat, Dongfang Shuo was carried forward, feeling as if he were a maggot clinging to his bone.

"Damn it!" Mosquito Taoist didn't know what was wrong, but he felt that the current situation was a bit strange.

boom!
As Dongfang Shuo was being carried forward, he suddenly slapped the hilt of the spear with one hand. The spear moved forward at an extremely fast speed, piercing through the Nine-Ringed Staff and passing through the body of the Mosquito Taoist.

puff!
Mosquito coughed up blood, and pulled back dozens of meters by the inertia of the spear before stopping, coldly staring at Dongfang Shuo.

"You little brat, what kind of dirty tricks did you use!"

"Hmph, your grandfather Dongfang Shuo would never stoop to such despicable means. If the weapon your master gave you is inadequate, don't try to make excuses!"

Dongfang Shuo took a big bite of the peach and said sarcastically.

Mosquito Taoist narrowed his eyes, looked at Dongfang Shuo, then at the nine-ringed staff in his hand, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.

"Could it really be that there's something wrong with the weapon my master gave me?" Mosquito Daoist wondered to himself.

He was unwilling to accept this fact. After all, if it weren't for the nine-ringed staff and the brocade cassock, he would probably still be just a mortal.

However, these two treasures forcibly reshaped his soul, allowing him to return to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm in a single day, although he was still some distance from the Quasi-Saint realm.

But this is enough to show how much the Styx Ancestor loved him.

Therefore, there will absolutely be no problems with these two weapons.

But if that weren't the case, why did the Nine-Ringed Staff become ethereal earlier? Even the Brocade Robe couldn't help him stop anything.

"Shuo'er, don't give him too much time to react. This is a rare opportunity to practice. He'll be dead soon!" Lu Ya said calmly, his words revealing certainty that made Mosquito Daoist want to back down.

Could it be that there's something he doesn't know about this?
Got the order!

With a wave of his hand, Dongfang Shuo brought the spear back into his grasp. Then, magical power surged beneath his feet, and he charged toward Mosquito Daoist at an even greater speed.

Meanwhile, inside the Ksitigarbha Temple, as the white bones turned into dust and supported the phantom of the nine-ringed staff, a strange coldness appeared in Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's eyes.

"Now that you're under my seal, you dare to think you can lend me your power? You're seriously underestimating me! Seal!"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's words were simple and unadorned, but as His voice fell, chains appeared on the swastika, and those chains, like thunderbolts, directly shattered the gravel.

As the gravel shattered, more bones emerged from the river of blood, turning into gravel and filling the gaps in the destroyed gravel with lightning speed. For every chain broken, just as many bones emerged, ensuring that no pool of blood was spilled.

Within the straw's domain, Mosquito Daoist was extremely frustrated. He was now beginning to believe what Dongfang Shuo had said earlier; the two weapons given to him by Styx Ancestor were probably indeed problematic.

Because his weapon had become ethereal dozens of times when he faced Dongfang Shuo, he was now covered in wounds.

Dongfang Shuo was extremely pleased with himself. After all, he was facing Mosquito Daoist, a ferocious creature from ancient times. Now he was fighting him to a standstill, which was truly exhilarating.

However, Lu Ya was not satisfied with this progress. He could understand Ye Xuantian's idea of ​​building Dongfang Shuo's confidence, but if things continued like this, Mosquito Daoist might find a flaw in the Straw Domain and successfully escape.

Dongfang Shuo didn't see it, but he could see clearly that the reason why the two weapons became ethereal several times came from the underworld. In other words, the dead Liu Quanding was also part of Ye Xuantian's scheme, and he was using a method he couldn't understand to separate Mosquito Daoist.

But if Ye Xuantian were to make a move, the Mosquito Daoist wouldn't have been able to hold out this long, unless—

"Bodhisattva, if you are trying to gain merit by converting people through this, I'm afraid I won't be able to cooperate with you properly!"

Inside the Ksitigarbha Temple, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva felt the continuous blessings and salvation bestowed upon him, and felt a sense of pride. After all, the opportunity to keep the Asura lineage in suspense through such means was truly rare.

Back then, he made a great vow, firstly to pave the way for himself to become a saint, even if he could not become a saint, he would still go further, and secondly to suppress the Asura lineage, whose power was a great supplement to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

However, the Styx Ancestor was not stupid. There was no reason for him to do the work for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for nothing. After confirming that the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun Ancestor would not tolerate him, he immediately hid in the Blood River.

Over the years, he has rarely given Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva the opportunity to convert the Asura lineage.

Even when the Buddha entered the Blood River, he only fought in the deepest part of the river, not giving Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva much of an opportunity.

However, the Mosquito Daoist's own power cannot be easily suppressed. Before leaving, the Styx Ancestor had already given instructions, telling the Asura lineage to protect the Mosquito Daoist at all costs, which led to the current situation.

But the sudden sound silenced all the forces present.

The white bones in the river of blood seemed to have stopped providing support, and the chains belonging to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva were unusually quiet at this moment.

Looking at Ye Xuantian's figure, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's face showed a hint of bitterness.

“Sage, you can’t make the horse run without feeding it!” said Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

"The power within Mosquito Daoist's body is incredibly strange. Even I cannot completely suppress it. Lu Ya and I joined forces and only managed to break through his body. Now, the remnant soul is stuck in Xuanzang's body and cannot be separated. Mosquito Daoist has already noticed what you are doing and intends to use a substitution method to completely erode Jin Chanzi's power!"

"If the westward journey is ruined, you, Bodhisattva, will be held responsible!"

(End of this chapter)