Journey to the West: Please Call Me the White Bone Demon

Guanyin Bodhisattva's slender fingers grasped at the void, as if the hundreds of miles of space were nothing more than a thin sheet of paper, which she could fold and knead at will.

Inside the White Tiger Ridge cave, before Yun Zhao could react, he felt an irresistible, gentle yet powerful force descend from nowhere, lifting him and the stone bed beneath him, instantly traversing mountains and rivers, and landing directly in front of everyone.

Before the dust had even risen, Yun Zhao was already standing firmly on the ground.

He looked around and saw Tang Sanzang standing with his hands clasped together, looking somewhat haggard.

Sun Wukong's hair was charred black, his golden cudgel was gripped tightly, and his knuckles were white. At this moment, seeing his enemy made him extremely angry, and his eyes almost spit fire.

Muzha had just returned from the Wave Moon Cave, with Bajie and Sha Wujing, who had suffered some hardships, standing beside him.

At the very center, Guanyin Bodhisattva stands in mid-air, her lotus platform gleaming with golden light, willow branches swaying gently, and the Buddha's light, like water, warmly illuminates the surrounding area for dozens of feet.

Yun Zhao showed no fear or embarrassment whatsoever of a captured person.

He dusted off his robes, looked up at Guanyin, and burst into loud laughter: "Hahaha! As expected of Guanyin Bodhisattva, your reputation is well-deserved! A mere three drops of divine water broke my formation. I admire you, I admire you!"

The laughter was clear and unrestrained, without any fear, as if the speaker was chatting with an old friend about the gains and losses of the formation.

Tang Sanzang was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, while Sun Wukong was so angry that his monkey hair stood on end.

Guanyin Bodhisattva slightly raised her lowered eyelids and began to truly examine the young man before her for the first time.

Dressed in white, with features as beautiful as a painting, and a faint smile on her face, she stood ramrod straight despite exuding the aura of a golden immortal, and remained composed even when facing me.

What's even stranger is that in those dark eyes, there wasn't a trace of fear, resentment, or anxiety, only an almost transcendent calmness and... interest.

This isn't right.

If it were truly a demon who had set up the formation, and she captured it so directly, even the most resolute demon king would have shown some instinctive fear in the face of the pressure of a quasi-saint and the wrath of the pilgrimage team.

But the person in front of me seemed like a guest invited for tea, even his breathing was abnormally steady.

It all seemed like a meticulously planned game?

A subtle emotion arose in Guanyin's heart—interesting.

She had seen countless demons and monsters, fierce men struggling in their death throes, and spineless cowards begging for mercy on their knees, but she had rarely seen someone like this, as if being captured was not the end, but the beginning of another game.

Sun Wukong finally couldn't hold back any longer.

For the past few months, he had been trapped in a sea of ​​fire, suffering endless torment. His hair was burned away, and his golden cudgel was almost deformed from gripping it. The mighty Great Sage Equal to Heaven was forced to use his life-saving hair. The humiliation and anger he felt had already burned his eyes red.

With his enemy right in front of him, how could he possibly restrain himself?

"You monster! You dare laugh?!"

With a roar, Sun Wukong swung his golden cudgel, creating a whistling sound, and smashed it down on Yun Zhaotian's head.

If this blow lands squarely, not to mention a Golden Immortal, even a Taiyi Golden Immortal would be instantly annihilated.

"stop."

Guanyin simply raised her hand, and a gentle Buddhist light rippled out like water, stabilizing the golden cudgel in mid-air. Sun Wukong somersaulted seventeen or eighteen times before the force dissipated, roaring angrily, "Bodhisattva! This demon has made my master and I suffer for so long! Why did you stop me?!"

Don't rush.

Guanyin's voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable authority: "This humble monk has some questions to ask."

She looked at Yun Zhao, her gaze as kind as water, yet so profound it seemed to see right through him: "Where did you learn this Blazing Flame Formation? The inheritance of the Ten Deadly Formations should have been lost long ago with the Investiture of the Gods, yet now it appears in your hands, specifically to obstruct the journey to the West. You are merely a Golden Immortal; how dare you oppose Buddhism? Could it be... someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang and the others were all taken aback.

Sun Wukong temporarily suppressed his anger and pricked up his ears.

Upon hearing this, Yun Zhao simply smiled, the curve of his lips deepening. He didn't reply, but quietly looked at Guanyin, as if admiring the doubt in her eyes.

Seeing that he remained silent, Guanyin's sense of appreciating his talent grew even stronger.

This young man has exceptional talent. Although his cultivation level is that of a Golden Immortal, his foundation is solid, and there are faint signs of purple energy coming from the east. If he cultivates properly, he may well attain the Taiyi realm in the future, or even the Daluo realm.

What's even more remarkable is her unwavering will; she remained completely calm and composed in the face of such a powerful being, one of the most powerful beings in the Three Realms.

If this person can be converted, it would be a meritorious deed.

Then her voice softened further, carrying a rare sincerity: "If you are willing to turn back and take refuge in Buddhism, this humble monk can pray for your attainment of Bodhisattva status in the Western Paradise. All past transgressions will be forgiven. You are exceptionally talented; why oppose the pilgrimage and ruin your future?"

Even Sun Wukong was stunned by these words.

The Bodhisattva stage!

That's the pinnacle of Buddhism, a position that countless powerful figures would fight tooth and nail for.

This demon before me is merely a Golden Immortal, yet the Bodhisattva has granted me the status of a Bodhisattva? This favor is truly immense.

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together, his eyes full of compassion; Zhu Bajie swallowed hard, thinking to himself that this kid had struck it lucky; and Muzha looked on in astonishment.

But Yun Zhao suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter upon hearing this.

The laughter grew louder and louder, carrying an indescribable sense of pleasure and mockery, leaving everyone completely bewildered.

"Hahahaha... Bodhisattva status? Thank you for your kindness, Bodhisattva, but unfortunately... it's unnecessary."

His laughter subsided, his gaze swept over Tang Sanzang and his disciples, then landed on Guanyin, and his expression suddenly became strange, as if he felt pity, or perhaps anticipation.

"This time, you are indeed more skilled. I admit defeat."

"but……"

He paused, his voice suddenly lowering, yet clearly reaching everyone's ears:

"I'm really looking forward to seeing you again next time. I wonder if you'll be able to break through the formation so easily again."

The moment the words left his mouth, Yun Zhao's aura suddenly surged!

The once steady Golden Immortal's magical power surged wildly like a burst dam, purple energy churned, and his bones and meridians emitted a teeth-grinding crackling sound. He had actually dissipated all his cultivation right before everyone's eyes!

"This is bad!"

Guanyin Bodhisattva's pupils suddenly contracted.

She instantly understood what this person was about to do—to self-destruct his golden core, annihilating both his body and soul!

The power of a Golden Immortal's self-destruction is enough to flatten an area of ​​hundreds of thousands of miles. If it were in a mortal kingdom, hundreds of millions of people would be turned to ashes in an instant!

This is an act that severely diminishes one's merits and causes one's karma to burn away.

In battles between cultivators, the power of even the slightest gesture is enough to destroy a nation.

Unlike in ancient times, space is not stable in this world.

Therefore, most of them choose to fight in the sky above, in the void. Yun Zhao's reckless actions are simply terrifying!

What's even more terrifying is that the way this person dispersed his power was extremely strange, as if he had prepared it in advance, compressing his magic power to the extreme, just to release it completely at this moment.

boom!!!

A terrifying storm of spiritual energy erupted instantly, the purple aura transforming into a raging torrent, sweeping in all directions with an aura of annihilation. The inn, streets, city walls, and even the entire Baoxiang Kingdom seemed poised to be torn to shreds in that instant!

"not good!"

Sun Wukong roared and brandished his golden cudgel to protect Tang Sanzang, while Muzha brandished his Wu hook to block Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing.

But they all knew—it was unstoppable.

The power of a Golden Immortal's self-destruction would seriously injure even a Great Luo Immortal who had to take it head-on, let alone the fact that they were all exhausted at the moment.

At this critical moment, the lotus platform beneath Guanyin Bodhisattva's feet suddenly burst forth with ten thousand rays of golden light!

The blue lotus, which was originally only three feet long, instantly magnified a thousand times, transforming into a golden lotus platform world that enveloped everyone and the entire Baoxiang Kingdom.

The lotus petals overlapped one after another, and the Buddha's light flowed, actually compressing the terrifying spiritual energy storm into a space of only a hundred miles in radius, preventing it from causing too much damage!

Boom boom boom!!!

The aftershocks of the explosion lasted for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, causing the earth to shake and dust to rise into the sky for miles around.

The mountains within a hundred miles were completely wiped out, leaving only devastation.

If it weren't for Guanyin protecting them with her lotus throne, the pilgrim group would have been blown to bits, leaving not even a scrap of clothing behind.

The smoke and dust cleared.

Above Baoxiang Kingdom, the lotus platform slowly shrank, resting once more beneath Guanyin's feet. Though everyone was disheveled, no one was injured.

Sun Wukong stared blankly into the distance for a long while before slamming his staff into the ground in frustration: "That demon... he actually self-destructed! He didn't even leave behind his primordial spirit! What was he after?!"

Pigsy, panting heavily, said, "This...this is too cruel! They'd risk their own lives just to disgust us?"

"His last words... see you next time... could he have a backup plan?" Sha Wujing asked.

"Amitabha... If this person hadn't gone astray, how could he have ended up like this?" Tang Sanzang felt a little regretful. If he could attain the status of a Bodhisattva, it would be something that many people could not achieve even after hundreds of lifetimes of cultivation. How could that demon king have given up like this?

How lamentable, yet how admirable!

Guanyin Bodhisattva remained silent for a long time, her beautiful eyes fixed on the distance, and she did not speak for a long time.

The "interesting" feeling in her heart did not dissipate; on the contrary, it intensified.

This person could have tried to escape, but chose to self-destruct; could have begged for mercy, but laughed and refused; and despite the hard-won nature of his cultivation, he dispersed his power without hesitation.

His "See you next time" didn't sound like a threat.

But the person has vanished, body and soul gone; how can we ever meet again?

Guanyin was completely baffled.