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Chapter 147 The Wind Rises

got windy.

A strange mountain wind, carrying the stench of dust and grime, swept up from the valley floor without warning. It howled across the bare rock face, sounding like the wailing of ghosts, and the swirling sand and stones blinded people, disrupting the solemn and awe-inspiring aura of Buddha on the mountaintop.

The Five Directions Protectors, the Four Duty Officers, and the Day and Night Wanderers merely frowned slightly and used their arms to shield themselves from the oncoming sand and dust.

"That reckless wind is obstructing our view," Poluojiedi muttered impatiently. Their attention was entirely focused on the stubborn figure climbing below.

The Golden-Headed Jiedi's gaze was like lightning, fixed on Chen Guangrui, his voice carrying an unyielding authority.
"Step back! If you take another step, don't blame us for being ruthless! If you ruin the pilgrimage to the West, you will be punished even with a hundred deaths!"

Chen Guangrui seemed not to hear, and continued to take a firm step up the steep cliff.

"You're courting death!" Silver-headed Jiedi roared fiercely, even though he was bound by the golden rope. A cold glint flashed in Maha Jiedi's eyes, and he pointed a finger through the air.

An invisible, immense force suddenly pressed down, like a mountain collapsing.

The meager magical power flowing around Chen Guangrui was instantly crushed. He groaned, his body trembled violently, a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and several cracks appeared on the rock beneath his feet.

"Hmph." Mahagater withdrew his finger, his voice filled with cold mockery and disdain.

"You are just a mortal who has just entered the Heavenly Court. You probably have no idea what true power looks like. If you have exceptional talent and cultivate diligently for several hundred years, you may be lucky enough to ascend. If you also have extraordinary luck, you may be able to wave your flag and shout outside the Five Elements Mountain and perhaps be qualified to show your face."

Chen Guangrui wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Instead of backing down, he raised his head and met the cold, downward gazes above him, a clear, almost provocative smile appearing on his face.

There was no fear in his eyes, only a more determined light. He lifted his foot once more and began to climb.

This persistent provocation thoroughly enraged the Jiedi.

"Stubborn to the end, destroy him!" Silver-headed Jiedi roared.

The Golden-Headed Jiedi's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "Make your move, or things will change."

The Four Duty Officers and the Day and Night Wanderers unleashed their magical power, raising their palms simultaneously with the Five Directions Protectors. Several destructive golden beams locked onto Chen Guangrui, ready to annihilate him completely.

At this critical moment,
hum!
A deep, muffled sound cut through the air, like muffled thunder rolling across the mountains.

Without warning, a black-tasseled spear tore through the swirling sandstorm, its force capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, carrying a suffocatingly powerful demonic aura, and crashed down like a meteor from the sky, heading straight for the assembled gods and Buddhas who were attacking.

Its power and scope were so great that they encompassed all five directions of the Heavenly Guardians, the four duty officers, and the day and night patrol gods!

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed through the valley! Rocks shattered, and dust billowed into the sky!

Caught off guard, the Five Directions Protectors and others' combined attack on Chen Guangrui was instantly shattered by this terrifying pestle.

The protective Buddha barrier, hastily formed through combined efforts, trembled violently, as if fragile glass had been struck by a heavy hammer. Several Jiedi were struck as if by lightning, their blood surging, and they staggered back several steps before barely managing to steady themselves. Their faces were filled with disbelief and horror.

The smoke and dust dissipated slightly.

A burly, imposing figure clad in ancient black iron armor stood like an iron tower on the rocky cliff between them and Chen Guangrui. It was none other than the Black Bear Spirit of Black Wind Mountain!
"Black...Black Wind King?" The Golden-Headed Jiedi stared wide-eyed at the newcomer, his voice trembling with shock.

He could hardly believe his eyes. This monster neighbor, who was usually so respectful to them and often showered them with lavish gifts, was now standing in their way and even attacking them?
The other officials, including Jiedi, Gongcao, and Youshen, were also completely dumbfounded, their faces filled with utter astonishment and bewilderment. How could this be?

The black bear spirit had a dark, rugged face, and even a seemingly kind smile played on his lips. He nodded slightly and said politely,

"Thank you all for your hard work. It's been a long time."

This familiar, polite tone contrasted sharply with the shockingly ruthless attack just moments before.

However, while he uttered polite words, his actions never faltered. No sooner had he finished speaking than he swung the massive black-tasseled spear once more, its dark metal surface gleaming with a sinister and ferocious light, carrying immense power as it swept fiercely towards the still-terrified gods and Buddhas!

Woo!
The gunshot tore through the air, emitting a terrifying whistling sound.

"How could he?"

The Parasangjiedi screamed in shock and anger, completely unable to understand.

In his mind, this black bear spirit was just a country monster with decent talent who was devoted to Buddhism and treated their Buddhist guardians with utmost respect. His cultivation level couldn't possibly be that high.

Today's move, with its terrifying power and ruthless decisiveness... is like two completely different demons!
Forced into a rage, the Five Directions Protectors roared repeatedly, joining forces to form an array. Their Buddhist light shone brightly, barely managing to withstand the storm of black-tasseled spear attacks.

With the Four Duty Officers and the Day and Night Patrol Gods providing support, they unleashed the power of stars and patrol techniques, attempting to find an opening to launch a counterattack.

However, the battle turned out completely unexpectedly.

The Black Bear Spirit, fighting against many opponents, actually gained the upper hand!

His imposing figure moved with the ease of a mountain shifting, his boundless demonic power as deep and unfathomable as an abyss. The massive black-tasseled spear in his hands felt as light as a feather, each swing containing the immense power to shatter stone, each parry as steady as a rock.

The intricate Sanskrit characters flickered on the gun, strangely merging with its surging demonic power, shattering and deflecting the Buddhist light one by one, overwhelming the Five Directions Protectors and their companions, leaving them only able to parry and utterly powerless to retaliate, leaving them in a sorry state!

"This...this is impossible!" The Golden-Headed Jiedi roared in shock and rage once more, his tiger's mouth already split open, blood staining the magic weapon in his hand. This black bear demon's usual honesty and simplicity were all a facade; his cunning was truly as deep as this!

"Black Wind Mountain Lord, what are you trying to do? Stop immediately!" The Duty Officer shouted sternly while struggling to hold on.

The Black Bear Spirit ignored the reprimands, the憨厚 smile still lingering on his dark face, but his eyes held no smile, only an icy coldness of extreme calm. He didn't stop, thrusting his spear to repel the Poluo Jiedi, then striking again with a backhand, forcing the Day-Roaming God to scramble to dodge. He completely controlled the rhythm of the battle. The Poluo Jiedi forcefully deflected the spear, shouting urgently, "Quick! Quickly call the mountain gods and earth gods, tell them to quickly report that Guanyin Bodhisattva is at Wuzhuang Temple!"

The silver-headed Jiedi, bound and struggling, cried out.

"Yes, yes! Quickly call the local earth god and mountain god!"

As he spoke, he began chanting the incantation to restrain the spirit.

As soon as they finished speaking, the ground beneath their feet swelled slightly, and the two old men, the Earth God and the Mountain God of Five Elements Mountain, emerged halfway out of the soil, their faces showing obvious unease.

As if seeing a savior, the Golden-Headed Guardian immediately and sternly commanded, "Quickly! Mountain God, Earth God! Hear my decree, go immediately to Wuzhuang Temple to report to Guanyin Bodhisattva!"

The old earth god, his body hunched over, his small eyes darting around, bowed slightly to the gods and Buddhas engaged in fierce battle, and spoke cautiously and slowly.
"Reporting to the esteemed deities..."

He glanced at the mountain god beside him, who was equally nervous, and licked his chapped lips.
"This... these minor deities are granted divine titles by the Taoist sect. They are here on orders to come to Five Elements Mountain. Their main duty is to deliver molten copper and iron pills to Grandpa Sun... uh, Grandpa Monkey, who is trapped under the mountain, on time, to keep him alive..."

The mountain god nodded vigorously from the side and chimed in,
"Yes, yes, Brother Earth God is right! My duty as a minor deity is simply to keep an eye on the food. As for other things, such as releasing signal arrows or issuing warnings... these are really not things that minor deities should concern themselves with. If a minor deity releases them without authorization, it would be overstepping their bounds and would be punished by the Taoist sect!"

After he finished speaking, the two little gods lowered their eyelids, shrank their necks, and looked terrified, as if saying, "We are too timid to move."

"You bastards!" The Bodhisattva Paramartha was so enraged that his eyes were bloodshot, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood as he cursed loudly.

"Damn it! You two ungrateful dogs! You let me down at this crucial moment!"

At that very moment, the Five Directions Protectors and the others were shaken to their core, filled with shock and rage.

The black bear spirit's eyes flashed with a sharp light as it seized this fleeting opportunity! The black-tasseled spear suddenly burst forth with a blinding dark light, and the heavy, mountain-like attack accelerated abruptly!
Several muffled blows and miserable groans followed in succession as the Buddha's light shattered!

The fourth-duty clerk groaned and flew backward, crashing into a section of rock and collapsing.

The patrol lanterns and mirrors held by the day and night wandering gods were knocked out of their hands. The remaining few Jiedi were forced to retreat repeatedly, their formation completely collapsed, and they crashed together in a sorry state, all injured and with disordered breathing, making it difficult for them to organize an effective resistance for a time.

The black bear spirit stood in the middle of the only path leading to the mountaintop, its black-tasseled spear pointing diagonally at the ground, the tip of which dripped with the blood of an unknown divine being.

His dark face still wore that polite, even somewhat benevolent smile. He stepped aside to clear the last stretch of path leading to the Buddha statue at the mountaintop. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Chen Guangrui's ears.

"Hurry up the mountain!"

The backyard of Wuzhuang Temple.

Under the ginseng fruit tree.

The atmosphere was solemn, yet tinged with a sense of relief at surviving a calamity. Guanyin Bodhisattva held a willow branch from a jade vase, dipped it in the nectar stored within, and gently sprinkled it into the air.

Crystal-clear water droplets, carrying an intensely rich life force, fell evenly and sacredly upon the newly rebuilt ginseng fruit tree, like a gentle spring rain.

A miracle happened.

The ginseng fruit tree, which had been knocked down and then straightened by the Great Immortal Zhenyuan, was still a withered and lifeless spiritual root. Bathed in the sweet rain, it instantly burst forth with amazing vitality.

The broken roots visibly grew and spread wildly, greedily digging into the soil. The withered branches and leaves, like thirsty sponges soaking up water, quickly turned green, stretched out, and became plump, radiating an emerald-like luster. The original Daoist essence, which had been damaged, began to recover and mend rapidly under the nourishment of this divine water.

In just a few breaths, the entire ginseng fruit tree had recovered completely, and the dense spiritual mist and vigorous vitality were even greater than before!
Although there is no fruit on the branches, the shimmering light flowing through the lush green leaves is enough to show that it has fully recovered. A faint, exotic fragrance permeates the air, refreshing and delightful.

The Wuzhuang disciples watching, led by Jiuchen, all had genuine joy on their faces as they looked at Guanyin Bodhisattva with excited expressions.

Zhen Yuanzi, the Great Immortal, stood to the side, a relaxed and grateful smile appearing on his calm face. The Antarctic Immortal stroked his beard and nodded, clearly very satisfied with the outcome.

"Thank you for your compassion, Bodhisattva, for bestowing this sweet rain and saving the treasure that guards my temple." Zhen Yuanzi bowed solemnly to Guanyin Bodhisattva as she finished her work and descended.

Guanyin Bodhisattva, with a kind smile on her face, was about to say a few comforting words to establish this rare harmony and trust.

suddenly,

Her gentle and holy face suddenly changed, a thick cloud of gloom settled between her brows, and a rare look of astonishment and... a hint of urgency flashed in her eyes.

She seemed to sense without warning that something extremely important and difficult was happening in the distance.

Even before she could reply to Zhen Yuanzi's thanks, Guanyin Bodhisattva suddenly looked up at the western horizon and said urgently,

"Brother Zhenyuan, Immortal Elder, something has happened at Five Elements Mountain, and this humble monk must rush there immediately!"

She spoke very quickly, with an undeniable decisiveness.

As they spoke, the lotus platform shone with a dazzling light, and auspicious clouds seemed to stir.

Zhen Yuanzi and the Antarctic Immortal were both taken aback, caught off guard by this sudden turn of events.

“Bodhisattva…” Zhen Yuanzi subconsciously reached out his hand, but before he could finish speaking…

Woo!
The strange wind sweeping in from the Five Elements Mountain, at its very tip, was like a leech, forcefully rushing into the world of Wuzhuang Temple, which had just been shrouded in auspicious clouds.

(End of this chapter)