A master of comedy!

As the Golden-Winged Roc perished, the Tortoise Shell Luoshu in Zhou Sheng's sea of ​​consciousness shone with unprecedented brilliance, and the immense energy made the eight golden dragon patterns cheer with joy.

Luo Shu actively transmitted a consciousness, as if it were yearning for something.

That was the jade thumb ring in his pocket that sealed the Qiuniu Dragon Vein. Luo Shu longed to absorb the last dragon vein in order to achieve the final qualitative change.

Zhou Sheng forcibly suppressed this desire.

“Brother Monkey, Master Zhang once said that if I could find the nine dragon veins, he would tell me the whole truth. Now I have found them, but he has disappeared.”

Zhou Sheng looked at the Great Sage, his eyes flickering slightly, and asked, "Brother Monkey, do you know where Master Zhang is?"

Upon hearing this question, a hint of disappointment flashed in Monkey King's golden eyes.

"The True Martial Emperor... has returned to his rightful place."

Zhou Sheng was taken aback.

Monkey King disliked hiding things, so he shrunk his golden cudgel and put it into his ear, then very frankly told him everything.

"Second brother, the great battle at the end of the Tang Dynasty is still ongoing. We and those invincible demons have yet to reach a conclusion."

As he spoke, Monkey King looked up at the sky, and surprisingly, a hint of solemnity appeared in his usually fierce and sharp eyes.

Zhou Sheng was shocked to hear this. The great battle between the gods and Buddhas and the demons from beyond the realm had not yet been decided.

"The outer heavens are the main battlefield. In order to prevent this great war from affecting the human world, the Three Pure Ones and the Three Buddhas joined forces to sever the connection between heaven and earth, thus isolating the eyes of those demon gods. However, this also greatly increased the difficulty for human cultivators to overcome their tribulations, especially the ninth tribulation, which was almost impossible to overcome."

"Even so, there are still some demons who try their best to interfere in the human world and use their demonic thoughts to lure people into their lives. For example, the roc's demonic possession, plagues, diseases, and the appearance of many monsters all have the shadow of demons to some extent."

After a pause, Monkey King said in a very low voice, "They feed on fear."

Zhou Sheng felt a chill run down his spine.

In fact, cultivators in the mortal realm have long since come into contact with those seemingly distant demons and gods. Some evil spirits that suddenly appear out of nowhere, or a sudden natural disaster, may all be projections of the power of the demons and gods.

They wish for panic to engulf the human world, so that their power can be strengthened and they can defeat the combined forces of gods and Buddhas.

"In order to protect the human world, we decided that every three hundred years or so, we would send down a reincarnated god or Buddha to serve as a protector."

"From Lü Dongbin, the reincarnation of the Eastern Emperor, to Ji Gong, the reincarnation of the Arhat Subduing Dragon, to Zhang Sanfeng, the reincarnation of the True Martial Emperor, and now me, Old Sun, hehe, they are all protectors of the Dao..."

A smug look appeared on Monkey King's face.

Those chosen as protectors are all renowned and powerful deities, skilled in combat and demon-slaying, and able to withstand pressure in critical moments.

He, the Victorious Fighting Buddha, is one of the best among them!
Zhou Sheng suddenly realized why Master Zhang would go to Mount Lu to enlighten the spirit stone, tell Monkey King Journey to the West when he was still in the stone embryo, and then silently protect and guide him for many years.

The previous generation of protectors also bear the responsibility of protecting the growth of the next generation.

When the next generation of protectors cultivates to the Eighth Tribulation Earth Immortal Realm and possesses the strength of the mortal realm, the primordial spirit of the previous generation of protectors will return to their original positions and continue to fight in that fierce battle.

"What exactly are the origins of those demon gods?"

Zhou Sheng couldn't help but ask. In his mind, the Heavenly Court and Mount Ling were united, with many powerful figures, and top-level experts like the Three Pure Ones and the Three Buddhas were in charge. How could they have fought for nearly a thousand years without a clear winner?

Monkey King opened his mouth to answer, but then seemed to hear something and his eyes lit up.

"Hehe, it's best to let Him answer this question; I, Old Sun, won't waste my breath."

As he spoke, he grabbed Zhou Sheng's hand and said with a smile, "Second brother, come with me!"

The words had barely left his mouth when he somersaulted. Somersault Cloud!
Zhou Sheng felt dizzy and disoriented, and the next moment he found himself in Xunyang Ghost City, entering a mysterious cave.

As expected, he traveled 108,000 li in a single somersault; such speed far surpassed his Five-Colored Auspicious Cloud Technique.

I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to learn the somersault cloud technique from Monkey King.

A golden lamp shone in the cave, beneath which were placed fruits and vegetables that resembled offerings, but the shrine was empty.

A figure sat on the lotus platform, dressed in white and wearing the mask of the Emperor of Fengdu. His temperament was serene and profound, making him unfathomable.

"Please sit down."

The city lord waved his hand, and two golden lotuses grew from the ground, slowly blooming and emitting a clear light. Zhou Sheng sat on them and immediately felt an extremely cool spiritual energy flow into his body, calming his mind.

"Hehe, even if I, Old Sun, become a Buddha, I still can't get used to sitting on this lotus platform. It's uncomfortable!"

Monkey King waved his hand, stepped over the lotus platform, sat on the shrine, picked up a peach, rubbed it on his body, and started eating it, juice overflowing. He didn't forget to throw one to his brother as well.

Zhou Sheng held the peach, a helpless smile on his face, but he still ate it in big bites.

Monkey King's Choice: These peaches are incredibly sweet.

"I know you must have a lot of questions. Today, you will know everything."

The city lord shook his head at the monkey's rudeness, seemingly helpless, or perhaps used to it. He looked at Zhou Sheng and slowly removed the mask from his face.

Zhou Sheng's gaze followed closely.

Beneath the mask was a face with full features, clean skin, no beard, slightly lowered eyes, and a serene and compassionate expression.

Zhou Sheng's pupils narrowed, and a look of shock instantly appeared on his face.

This face... he'd seen it before.

Right there in the Vajra Hall, there is a golden body and remains that look exactly like those of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva!
In that instant, it was as if lightning flashed through his mind.

Hua Jiulang is not Di Ting, but... the original form of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva!
"I took the body of Di Ting and deliberately became a demon, and was suppressed under the Great Thunder Temple, just to infiltrate it as a hidden hand to monitor the other four demons."

"Wait a minute, if you are Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, then who was the person I saw in the Vajra Hall?"

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva smiled faintly and said, "That is also me. I have divided my primordial spirit into two parts. One part remains in the golden body to suppress the demon god Kama, imprisoning him in the Vajra Hall forever. The other part came to the human world through the body of Di Ting."

"Since you anticipated that the Five Demons would escape, why didn't you just wipe them out from the start? Why go through all this trouble?"

Zhou Sheng continued to press for answers, still puzzled.

The Buddha Mother once said that they were able to escape because the gods and Buddhas suddenly disappeared, and the magic array of Mount Ling showed a flaw.

If gods and Buddhas are going to the outer battlefields on a large scale, why not eliminate these great demons that may harm the human world before going to the battlefield?

"On the one hand, it's because they made contributions, and on the other hand..."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sighed softly, "In that never-ending war, our resources are dwindling, and every bit of strength is extremely precious."

"More and more gods and Buddhas are falling. This war with no end in sight is far too brutal. If even one of the gods who have fallen into demonic possession can be awakened, it would be worthwhile."

...(End of this chapter)