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

The news of Lingshan's merger into the new Buddhist sect spread throughout the Three Realms at an astonishing speed.

The Heavenly Court was naturally the first to receive the news.

The Buddha's decree was not a secret transmission, but was proclaimed throughout the four directions by the highest Buddhist standard, the golden lotus. The golden scripture appeared in the sky above the sea of ​​clouds outside the South Heavenly Gate, each character as large as a bushel, shining brightly.

When the heavenly general guarding the gate looked up and saw the line of golden characters, he nearly dropped his halberd. He stumbled and rushed into the Lingxiao Palace to report, his voice cracking: "Your Majesty! Mount Ling... Mount Ling is gone!"

The celestial beings in the Lingxiao Palace, who were holding a meeting, were all shocked upon hearing this.

Venus's whisk stopped in mid-air, his eyes filled with disbelief. Wuqu Xingjun was reporting on the military affairs of the northern border, but his words caught in his throat halfway through, and he couldn't catch his breath for a long time. Even the Jade Emperor, who had been sitting on his throne with his eyes closed, slightly opened his eyes.

The hall was completely silent.

After a long pause, a celestial official finally asked in a low voice, "What do you mean by 'gone'? Mount Ling is such a large mountain, could it have been leveled?"

The heavenly general who reported this swallowed hard, his face as white as paper: "It wasn't razed to the ground, it was... it was the World Honored One of Mount Ling who announced to the Three Realms that from this day forward, Mount Ling would cease to exist, and all monks would be merged into the new Buddhist sect. That golden lotus announcement was hanging above the sea of ​​clouds outside the South Heavenly Gate. I saw it with my own eyes, and not a single word was wrong."

These words immediately caused an uproar in the hall.

"A proclamation personally issued by the Buddha? Has he gone mad?"

"A new Buddhist sect... another new Buddhist sect! Isn't this a small sect that was just founded? Although it gained merit from the Heavenly Dao, how come it even swallowed up Mount Ling in the blink of an eye?"

"No, this is very strange. A figure like Buddha would not sever his own foundation unless he was driven to a desperate situation. Do you think it's possible that there's another powerful figure behind that new Buddhist sect who has Buddha under their control?"

"Control the Buddha? Who do you take the Buddha for? His cultivation is among the highest in the Three Realms. Even a saint might not be able to subdue him silently. Who could possibly control him?"

A murmur arose in the hall. Some were filled with shock, some frowned in deep thought, and a few lower-ranking celestial officials huddled together, whispering amongst themselves, their words unknown.

Venus finally recovered from his shock, turned to look at the Jade Emperor on the throne, and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, this matter is of utmost importance. Please make your decision."

The Jade Emperor did not answer immediately.

He sat on the throne high above the nine heavens, resting his chin on one hand, his gaze piercing through the bustling crowd in the hall as he stared intently at the distant sea of ​​clouds.

After a long pause, he slowly spoke: "The fate of Mount Ling is originally a matter for the Buddhist sect itself, but since this matter involves the new Buddhist sect, we cannot fail to find out the truth."

He sat up slightly, his gaze falling on Wuqu Xingjun: "Wuqu Xingjun, didn't you send people to investigate the background of that new Buddhist sect a few days ago? What did they find out?"

The God of War's expression tightened, and he stepped forward, cupping his hands in greeting, saying, "Your Majesty, I did indeed send spies to investigate the territory of Chu, but the new Buddhist sect had set up an extremely sophisticated formation there, and the heavenly generals I sent couldn't even get close to the outer perimeter."

"According to the scouts who returned, the formation was very strange; it was neither a Buddhist orthodox method nor a Taoist mystical art, but rather seemed to be..."

He paused, seemingly considering his words, "It seems to be a completely new system that I have never seen before. The person who set it up is extremely skilled. I speculate that only a quasi-saint level being could set up such a large array."

Another low murmur rippled through the hall.

The term "quasi-saint level" carried significant weight in the ears of the immortals.

The Jade Emperor remained expressionless, but turned his gaze to an elderly man with white hair standing in the left row: "Laojun, what is your opinion on this matter?"

Laozi remained standing in the ranks without uttering a word throughout the entire process.

Thinking of that funny guy from back then, I couldn't help but smile.

Although he rarely expressed his opinions at such court meetings, he slowly raised his eyelids when he was called upon: "With the dissolution of Mount Ling and the decline of Buddhism, the Heavenly Court has lost a major Western force to restrain it. This may not necessarily be a bad thing for Your Majesty."

"But then that new Buddhist sect has risen up," the Jade Emperor said calmly. "Laojun, what do you think, which is better, the old or the new Buddhist sect?"

Lao Tzu laughed and said, "The old Buddhist sect had two sages; may I ask how many the new Buddhist sect has?"

The Jade Emperor nodded slightly, seemingly quite approving of the answer.

He leaned back on his throne, his gaze sweeping over the assembled celestial officials, his tone returning to its usual calm and composed: "I already understand Laozi's meaning. Since that's the case..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Send someone to the Chu Kingdom to deliver a congratulatory letter in the name of the Heavenly Court. Say that the Heavenly Court congratulates the establishment of the new Buddhist sect and sends a small gift to express its congratulations."

Upon hearing this, the immortals in the hall exchanged glances, and many of them wore subtle expressions.

Venus immediately understood and bowed, saying, "Your subject will go and draft a congratulatory letter immediately."

"No rush."

The Jade Emperor raised his hand to stop him, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "Let's see what those two sages in the West are up to. Mount Ling is the foundation of their lineage. The Buddha destroyed the foundation they built with their own hands. I don't believe they can sit still."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the immortals in the hall changed once again.

Yes, the two Western Saints are saints. Although they are restricted from entering the Three Realms by the Fallen Saint Pill, their lineage has been uprooted. How could they let it go?

If those two saints were to disregard everything and descend with their divine thoughts or incarnations to settle scores in the Three Realms, then this mess would be far more complex than just an internal power struggle within Buddhism.

The Star Lord of Martial Arts exclaimed in surprise, "Does Your Majesty mean that the two Western Saints might intervene?"

The Jade Emperor did not answer directly, but only chuckled noncommittally: "Mount Ling is their lifeblood, and now even its roots have been uprooted. If you were in their shoes, could you have tolerated it?"

Silence fell over the hall once again.

This is no longer just a matter of the orthodox tradition, but a matter of face that the sage values ​​most.

If they can tolerate this, the two Western Saints will probably be called bastards in the future.

Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but feel hopeful. The Three Realms had been peaceful for too long, so long that everyone had almost forgotten how the world changed color when the last sage was angered.

This time, the fire started from Mount Ling, posing no threat to them; they could simply enjoy a good show.

The Jade Emperor stood up, flicked his sleeves, and said calmly, "Disperse. Go about your business. If there is any movement in the West, we will see it for ourselves."

The immortals bowed and left the Lingxiao Palace one after another.

But everyone wore a thoughtful expression, and as they left in twos and threes, whispers rose and fell among the pillars.