Primordial Era: Starting by overwhelming the Sages, Hongjun was stunned!

Kong Xuan said calmly:

"No rush."

"Mount Ling is not like the Heavenly Court; both Jieyin and Zhunti are saints."

"Although they are not as powerful as the sect leader, the two of them working together should not be underestimated."

"Moreover, Mount Ling has three thousand Buddhas, five hundred Arhats, four Bodhisattvas, and eight Vajras..."

"Though there are many people, they are not a cause for fear."

"What I fear are those two."

Tongtian nodded:

"Jieyin and Zhunti are indeed troublesome."

"Back then, before the Immortal Slaughtering Formation, if it weren't for the two of them joining forces with Laozi and Yuanshi, I might not have been defeated."

Kong Xuandao:

"Therefore, we cannot fight head-on."

"We must outsmart them."

Tongtian was taken aback: "Outsmart them?"

Kong Xuan's lips curled slightly:

"Courtesy first, then force."

"Send someone to Mount Ling first, to give Buddha a chance."

"If he knows what's good for him, he should pay back what he owes and compensate for what he owes."

"If you don't know what's good for you..."

He paused:

"It's not too late to fight later."

Tongtian pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded:

"it is good."

"Then let's try diplomacy first, then resort to force."

"Who should we send?"

Kong Xuandao:

"I'll go."

Tongtian was taken aback: "Fellow Daoist, you're going in person?"

Kong Xuan nodded:

"I'll go, to give him face."

"Let's see what the Buddha is really up to."

Tongtian remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded:

"it is good."

"Then I will trouble you, fellow Daoist."

Kong Xuan turned around and walked towards the edge of the island.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

Looking back, towards the heavens:

"Master, there is someone I wish to take with me."

Tongtian was taken aback: "Who?"

Kong Xuandao:

"Duobao".

Tongtian's expression changed slightly.

Duobao.

His eldest disciple.

The Tathagata of today.

Kong Xuan looked at him:

"Although he entered Buddhism and became a Buddha, he was still a member of the Jie Sect at heart."

"Take him there so he can see that the Jie Sect has returned."

"Let him choose for himself."

"Should he continue to be his Buddha, or return to be his Duobao?"

Tongtian remained silent for a long time, then slowly nodded:

"it is good."

"Then take him there."

Kong Xuan turned around, took a step, and disappeared into the chaos.

Lingshan.

Great Thunder Temple.

The Buddha sat serenely on a lotus throne, his eyes slightly closed.

These days, Lingshan is closed and not receiving any visitors.

But he knew he couldn't escape it.

The Jie Sect will come sooner or later.

The Heavenly Court has already surrendered, how much longer can Mount Ling hold out?

he does not know.

All he knew was that what was meant to come would come.

suddenly.

He opened his eyes.

Because he sensed an aura approaching Mount Ling.

He recognized that scent.

That is......

The master's aura.

The Buddha's expression changed slightly.

Master has arrived?

What are you here for?

Are they here to collect a debt?

Come settle the score?

Come......

He dared not think any further.

A voice came from outside the hall:

"Kong Xuan, the vice-leader of the Jie Sect, requests an audience with the World Honored One."

The Buddha trembled.

Kong Xuan.

The man in the black robe.

He came in person.

The Buddha took a deep breath and stood up.

His purple-gold cassock fluttered as he walked out of the hall.

His steps were somewhat unsteady.

Outside the Great Thunder Temple.

Kong Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his black robe fluttering lightly.

There was a person standing beside him.

He wore a green robe, had long hair, and a calm expression.

Duobao.

No, it is the Tathagata.

But at this moment, he stood beside Kong Xuan, not as Buddha, not as the World Honored One.

He was just a disciple.

A disciple who came to see his master.

When Buddha walked out of the temple gate, he saw Kong Xuan and the person beside him.

They stopped in their tracks.

He gazed at the man, at that calm face.

A complex mix of emotions welled up inside me.

That's him.

That is himself.

That was him forgetting himself over the endless years.

When the Buddha spoke, his voice was hoarse:

"You...have arrived."

Duobao looked at him, at that familiar yet unfamiliar face.

Nod slowly:

"They're here."

The Buddha remained silent.

Duobao remained silent.

The two stood facing each other, separated by thousands of years, by the grudges between Buddhism and the Jie Sect, and by the bond between master and disciple.

No one spoke.

Kong Xuan stood to the side, watching this scene unfold.

There was no urging, no opening of the mouth.

He just waited.

Wait for these two to speak their minds.

a long time.

The Buddha spoke:

"Master...is he alright?"

Duobao nodded:

"it is good."

"Once you're out, everything will be fine."

The Buddha remained silent for a moment:

"Please give my regards to my master."

Duobao looked at him:

"Go by yourself."

Buddha was taken aback.

Duobao continued:

"Master is waiting for you on Jin'ao Island."

"He wants to see you."

"It's not that I want to see the Buddha, it's that I want to see Duobao."

The Buddha trembled.

He wants to see you.

It's not Buddha, it's Duobao.

The Buddha closed his eyes.

In my mind, that old and tired face came to mind.

The phrase "many treasures" comes to mind.

The image of myself kneeling on the ground, calling out "Master" flashed into my mind.

He opened his eyes, his eyes red-rimmed.

"I......"

Duobao looked at him:

"You choose."

"Will you continue to be your Buddha, or return to be Duobao?"

Nobody forced you.

"But Master wants to see you."

Even if it's just once.

The Buddha remained silent.

a long time.

He nodded slowly:

"it is good."

"I'll go."

Duobao's lips curled up slightly, revealing a very faint smile.

Kong Xuan watched this scene and nodded slightly.

He turned around and walked towards Lingshan.

Buddha was taken aback:

"Senior, you..."

Kong Xuan did not turn around:

"I'm going to see Jieyin and Zhunti."

"You and your master can resolve your own issues."

As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared into the depths of the sacred mountain.

In front of the Great Thunder Temple.

The Buddha and Prabhutaratna stand facing each other.

silence.

a long time.

The Buddha spoke:

"Let's go."

Duobao nodded.

The two turned and headed towards Jin'ao Island.

Behind them, the Buddha's light still shone brightly on Mount Ling, and the sandalwood incense still wafted through the air.

However, the Buddha's light lacked a trace of majesty.

One more thing...

Something that can't be explained or described.

......

Jin'ao Island.

Inside the Jiejiao Hall, Tongtian sat upright on a high platform.

His eyes were closed, but his ears were perked up.

He is waiting.

Waiting for that eldest disciple.

Outside the palace, chaos surged.

Two figures approached together.

Duobao walked in front, and Tathagata followed behind.

One in front of the other, three steps apart.

Not far, not near.

It feels like an eternity.

The palace gates were open.

Duobao stepped into the hall and stopped in his tracks.

He gazed at the figure in the green robe on the high platform, at that aged and weary face.

Her eyes reddened.

"Master."

The two words were uttered in a hoarse voice.

Tongtian opened his eyes.

Looking at him, at this man who had once shielded him from Laozi's chief disciple.

Looking at Duobao, who had been captured, taken to the Eight Views Palace, entered into Buddhism, and became a Buddha.

A wave of sorrow welled up in my heart.

"You're back?"

Duobao nodded: "I'm back."

Tongtian looked behind him and asked, "Where is he?"

Duobao turned around.

The Buddha stood outside the temple gate and did not enter.

He gazed into the hall, at the figure in green robes on the high platform.

My feet felt like they were nailed to the ground.

I can't move.

Tongtian spoke, "Come in."

The Buddha trembled.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

They walked to the center of the hall and stopped.

He looked up at the towering peak and opened his mouth.

But I don't know what to call it.

Call me Master?

He is the Tathagata, the ancestor of all Buddhas.

He's called the Tongtian Sect Master?

He is Duobao, the chief disciple of the Jie Sect.

Tongtian looked at him but did not press him.

He simply said, "Sit down."

The Buddha sat down.

Duobao also sat down.

The three disciples were separated by thousands of years of grudges and by the chasm between Buddhism and the Jie Sect.

They sat facing each other.

No one spoke in the hall.

silence.

A long silence followed.

Finally, Tongtian spoke: "Duobao, do you hate your master?"

Duobao was taken aback: "Hate? Why would you hate?"

Tongtian said, "If it weren't for my setting up that Ten Thousand Immortals Formation back then, you wouldn't have been captured, wouldn't have entered Buddhism, and wouldn't have become the Tathagata."

Duobao shook his head: "This disciple has no resentment."

"That was the disciple's own choice."

"Entering the Buddhist order is the path for disciples."

"Becoming a Buddha is the disciple's destiny."

"It has nothing to do with my master."

Tongtian looked at him, his eyes reddening: "Then will you come back?"

Duobao remained silent.

He looked toward the Buddha.

Buddha also looked at him.

The two looked at each other and saw the same complexity in each other's eyes.

There was guilt, relief, and a touch of indescribable weariness.

Duobao spoke up: "This disciple will not be returning."

Tongtian's expression changed slightly.

Duobao continued, "This disciple is already the Tathagata, with Mount Ling to guard and all the Buddhas to protect."

"The disciples of the Jie Sect will not be returning."

"But your disciple will always be a member of the Jie Sect."

"I will always be my master's disciple."

Tongtian remained silent.

After a long silence, he slowly nodded: "Okay."

"If I don't come back, I won't come back."

"But remember, the gates of the Jie Sect are always open for you."

"Come back whenever you want."

Duobao's eyes reddened: "Thank you, Master."

He got up, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed three times.

"Thump. Thump. Thump."

His forehead struck the stone slab with heavy thuds.

Tongtian did not stop him.

She just stared at him, at this eldest disciple.

My heart was filled with mixed feelings.

The Buddha sat to one side and watched from beginning to end.

He watched Duobao kowtow and watched Tongtian receive the salute.

A sudden impulse welled up inside me.

He wanted to kneel too.

I also want to kowtow.

I also want to call him "Master".

But he dared not.

He is the Tathagata, the ancestor of all Buddhas.

he can not.

Tongtian looked at Tathagata, his gaze calm: "And you?"

Buddha was taken aback: "Me?"

Tongtiandao: "Do you want to come back?"

The Buddha remained silent.

After a long silence, he slowly shook his head: "This disciple will not be returning."

"Within this disciple resides the sacred mountain, the Buddhist gate, and three thousand Buddhas."

"If this disciple returns, Mount Ling will be destroyed."

"The Buddhist community collapsed."

"This disciple cannot."

Tongtian nodded: "I know."

"That's why I didn't pressure you."

"But you must remember, you are Duobao's junior brother, a member of the Jie Sect."

"That will never change."

The Buddha's eyes reddened: "Disciple has remembered."

He got up and knelt down as well.

He kowtowed three times.

"Thump. Thump. Thump."

His forehead struck the stone slab with heavy thuds.

Tongtian looked at him, at this former little disciple.

A warm feeling welled up in my heart.

Get up.

The two got up and sat down again.

Silence remained in the hall.

But within that silence, there was something indescribable.

That was a sense of relief.

That is letting go.

That was the grudge between master and disciple that had remained unresolved for countless years, and it finally vanished at this moment.

Deep in the sacred mountains.

Beside the Eight Treasures Merit Pool.

The guide sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, and twelve layers of Buddha light circulated endlessly.

Zhunti stood by the pond, gazing at the golden lotus in the water, his expression solemn.

"Senior brother, that person is here."

The guide did not open his eyes: "I know."

Zhunti gritted his teeth: "What's he doing here?"

Jieyin said calmly, "Let's settle the score."

Zhunti's expression changed slightly: "Settle accounts? Settle what accounts?"

Jieyin opened his eyes and looked into the depths of chaos: "At the time of the Investiture of the Gods, you and I owed the Jie Sect a debt."

Zhunti remained silent.

He knew that this debt would have to be repaid sooner or later.

But I didn't expect it to come so quickly.

Outside the hall, a voice rang out: "Kong Xuan, the Vice Leader of the Jie Sect, requests an audience with the two Sages."

He then stood up, his purple and gold kasaya fluttering lightly.

Zhunti stood beside him, his expression solemn.

The two walked out of the hall hand in hand.

Outside the hall, Kong Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his black robe fluttering lightly.

He gazed at Jieyin and Zhunti with a calm expression.

"My two fellow Daoists, how have you been?"

The guide clasped his hands together and said, "Fellow Daoist, you have come from afar. May I ask what brings you here?"

Kong Xuan said calmly, "Let's discuss a business deal."

The guide was taken aback: "Business?"

Kong Xuan nodded: "During the Investiture of the Gods, you two joined forces to break the Immortal Slaughtering Formation and killed countless disciples of the Intercepting Sect."

"Wu Yunxian was imprisoned in the Lotus Pond for endless years, while Duobao was captured and released as a Buddha."

"This debt should be settled."

Jieyin's expression changed slightly: "How does Fellow Daoist wish to calculate this?"

Kong Xuandao: "Two things."

"First, release them."

"Second, compensation."

The guide frowned: "Release whom?"

Kong Xuandao: "All the disciples of the Jie Sect who were imprisoned by Buddhism."

"Not only Wuyunxian, but also those Jiejiao disciples who were captured and forced into release by you."

"Leave none behind, return them all."

Receiving silence.

Zhunti gritted his teeth: "Fellow Daoist, those disciples have already entered the Buddhist order and are now Buddhists."

"How can we just let it go like that?"

Kong Xuan looked at him: "Did they enter the Buddhist order voluntarily?"

Zhunti was speechless.

Kong Xuan continued, "You have sealed away Wuyun Xian's intelligence and turned it into a golden turtle for people to admire."

Was he there voluntarily?

Zhunti's face turned ashen, and he was speechless.

Kong Xuan looked at Jieyin and asked, "Fellow Daoist, what do you say?"

After a long silence, Jieyin slowly spoke: "Release."

Zhunti was taken aback: "Senior Brother!"

The guide raised his hand to stop him.

He looked at Kong Xuan and said, word by word, "We'll release the people."

"Name your price for compensation, fellow Daoist."

Kong Xuan nodded: "Fifty million spirit stones and five hundred magic treasures."

"One more thing."

The guide asked, "What?"

Kong Xuandao said: "From this day forward, Buddhist monks are not allowed to set foot in the Eastern Land."

"The eastward transmission of Buddhism ends here."

The guide's expression changed drastically.

Zhunti trembled all over.

The eastward transmission of Buddhism is a long-term plan of Buddhism.

It was the key to the great prosperity of Buddhism.

If we stop here, Buddhism will never have a chance to expand.

Jieyin took a deep breath: "Fellow Daoist, this is going too far."

Kong Xuan looked at him: "Shall we pass?"

"During the Investiture of the Gods, you broke the Immortal Slaughtering Formation and killed members of the Intercepting Sect. Did you ever feel remorse?"

"Have you ever felt anything while imprisoning Wu Yunxian for endless years?"

"When you orchestrated the Journey to the West, scheming against Sun Wukong and Xuanzang, did you ever think about it?"

The guide remained silent.

Kong Xuan said calmly, "The conditions are stated here."

"If you agree, then we're even."

"I won't agree..."

He paused, his eyes turning icy cold:

"Then let's fight."

The guide closed his eyes.

He knew that this person meant what he said.

If he wants to fight, Mount Ling cannot stop him.

If he wants to destroy Buddhism, then Buddhism will truly cease to exist.

a long time.

Jieyin opened his eyes and slowly nodded:

"it is good."

"I agree."