Chapter 77: Chapter 70: The Situation Unravels
(Chapter 70, haha. 214501643, those who like this book, welcome to join the group and discuss together, haha.)
After Ksitigarbha had finished speaking, he flicked his finger, and the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff fell into the hands of the Six-Eared Macaque. "Great Saint, now that both of you are aware of this plot, how do you intend to break free from it?"
"Bodhisattva, now that we both know Tathagata's scheme, we naturally won't let him succeed. I plan to have Six-Eared return to Flower Fruit Mountain, and then I'll use the doppelganger technique to create another me. Even if Tathagata can see through it, he wouldn't dare to act, as he would have to swallow this loss on his own. After all, the entire host of gods and Buddhas in Heaven is watching."
"That's good. Based on what I know of Tathagata, he will definitely try to find a way to get you out of this situation. Otherwise, it would be Buddhism itself that ends up embarrassed. However, Six-Eared Macaque must not return to Flower Fruit Mountain anymore, because if Tathagata becomes aware, he will surely find a way to kill you."
Having said that, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva suddenly closed his eyes, his fingers swiftly moving in calculation as if to deduce something.
"Six-Eared Macaque, once you leave Nine Serenities Hell, head directly towards the southwest. There, your destiny awaits you. Alright Great Saint, it's time for you to leave. The play must go on."
Both the Six-Eared Macaque and Sun Wukong nodded in agreement, patted each other on the shoulders, and then transformed into streaks of light as they flew away. After they had departed, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sighed quietly and whispered, "This inevitable great war between the Heavenly Realm and the Buddhist Realm...
Tathagata, you think you are preparing for the future, but in reality, you are digging your own grave."
Once he left Nine Serenities Hell, Sun Wukong plucked a monkey hair and turned it into his own likeness, then fought and flew towards Western Paradise Sacred Mountain.
Upon arriving at Spiritual Mount, everything was indeed as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had said. Tathagata, though furious, still went along with Sun Wukong's act. Sun Wukong's doppelganger was trapped by Tathagata Buddha's Purple Gold Bowl, and at the same time, Wukong's Divine Sense stirred, and the monkey hair turned into the appearance of the Six-Eared Macaque.
With that, the affair of the Real and Fake Beautiful Monkey King came to an end. Sun Wukong returned to the Lower Realm to find Tang Monk and continue their journey, while the Six-Eared Macaque arrived at Illusory Demon Island. At that moment, the Six-Eared Macaque realized that the opportunity that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had spoken of was indeed this Illusory Demon Island.
Fast forwarding to the present, after the great battle, the two looked around at the devastated Illusory Demon Island and couldn't help but smile wryly.
Then Sun Wukong shared with the Six-Eared Macaque what had happened since they parted ways, how he became the Great Saint of Victorious Battles, led the Demon Clan to attack Heaven, but was ambushed by Tathagata, resulting in Heaven being occupied by Buddhism.
However, after merging with Nezha's Metal Attribute Divine Stone, Sun Wukong fought another grand battle with Tathagata, killed him, and subsequently killed several Saints of Buddhism. As a result, though Buddhism now occupied Heaven, there was no longer any powerful figure to suppress it.
Therefore, Sun Wukong could leave to search for the scattered Five-Colored Divine Stones with confidence. He wanted to give Buddhism some time to become chaotic on their own. Many were eyeing the title of Supreme of Buddhism. With Tathagata Buddha dead and all Saints from the Upper Realm fallen, the throne of Buddhism's Supreme was likely to be claimed by the remaining Buddhas.
Thus, there would inevitably be strife within Buddhism, and they might even come to blows.
When Sun Wukong finished recounting his story, the Six-Eared Macaque's heart throbbed with shock and then boiled with excitement. He deeply regretted not being a part of that great war on the remote Illusory Demon Island.
If it wasn't for Sun Wukong saying that more people from the Upper Realm would come, the Six-Eared Macaque might have rushed back to Heaven to slaughter those Buddhas. With the Six-Eared Macaque's current strength, those Buddhas would stand no chance against him.
"By the way, why did you claim to be Emperor Huang earlier? And why didn't you use your Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff?"
"You have no idea how powerful that staff is now. If it's not a battle of life and death, I dare not use it."
"Oh? Ksitigarbha did say that the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff was no ordinary weapon, but surely it can't be so powerful that you are afraid to use it?"
Six-Eared Macaque didn't say anything else; he just offered a helpless wry smile, then cupped his hands to his mouth like a megaphone and called out, "My lady, please come out. My good brother is here!"
While Sun Wukong was puzzled, he suddenly felt a fluctuation in the space beside him. Just as he was about to raise the Golden Hoop Staff to enter combat mode, the Six-Eared Macaque stretched out a hand to stop him and said with a wry smile, "Don't attack, it's my staff."
Just as the Six-Eared Macaque finished speaking, the fluctuating space suddenly seemed to be torn apart by something. Then, a beautiful woman clad in fiery red battle armor emerged from the torn space. She appeared and, in a flash, was by the Six-Eared Macaque's side. Before Sun Wukong could react, she grabbed the Six-Eared Macaque's ear and said, "Did you call me a stick? Try saying that again?"
With his ear pinched by her, the Six-Eared Macaque not only did not resist but rather replied with a flattering tone, "Ah, not a stick, not a stick, a great beauty, the most beautiful woman under the heavens."
"Hmph, that's more like it." After saying this, she let go of the Six-Eared Macaque's ear and then suddenly hugged his arm, looking like a well-behaved girl.
Sun Wukong, who was watching from the side, was almost petrified, his face full of astonishment. Was this still the domineering and awe-inspiring Six-Eared Macaque from just a moment ago?
The Six-Eared Macaque seemed to be already accustomed to it. "Actually, I am known as Emperor Huang. It was the name my master gave me back then. It was just too hasty back at Ksitigarbha's place, and I didn't get the chance to tell you. Later, when I arrived at Illusory Demon Island, I changed my own name to Emperor Huang.
As for her," he nodded toward the woman, "she is that Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff from back then. After a fortunate coincidence, she developed spiritual wisdom and can now transform into human form."
Even after the Six-Eared Macaque's explanation, Sun Wukong's face still showed disbelief. True, the Dragon Blood Staff was indeed mystical, and it wasn't unheard of for weapons to develop spiritual wisdom, but the fact that spiritual wisdom could transform into human form was absolutely astounding. What kind of fortune and coincidence was necessary to achieve this?
Moreover, the fact that the Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff turned into a girl after transforming was already surprising, but what astounded Sun Wukong even more was the girl's personality, which changed too fast; one moment she was fierce and the next she was a gentle, obedient girl.
"Six-Eared, your staff—or no, I mean—right, what should I call her?" Sun Wukong had intended to say "stick," but upon seeing the girl's glaring beautiful eyes, he quickly corrected himself, yet didn't know what to call her, so he couldn't help but ask.
"I always call her Little Dragon. She might be quite fierce sometimes, but most of the time, she is really nice." As he said this, the Six-Eared Macaque whispered to Sun Wukong, "Don't look at her as being frail; when it actually comes to fighting, I'm not even her match. Plus, whenever she transforms back into her true form, she attacks with a hundred dragons' fury, which is truly terrifying."
After hearing this, Sun Wukong couldn't help but think of his own Ruyi Jingu Bang, which was now almost a top-level supreme weapon. However, compared to the self-transforming Crimson Blood Roaming Dragon Staff, it seemed far inferior.
At that moment, the Ruyi Jingu Bang seemed to resonate with Sun Wukong's sigh, shaking on its own. Surprised, Sun Wukong wrapped his divine sense around the Jingu Bang to investigate, and when his divine sense merged with the staff, he received a message that shocked him deeply.
After a while, Sun Wukong finally returned to his senses, but he just shook his head lightly and then said to the Six-Eared Macaque, "Six-Eared, I've passed this challenge, haven't I? How many more are there? I need to hurry and find the Fire Attribute Five-Colored Divine Stone."
As soon as Sun Wukong finished speaking, the Six-Eared Macaque suddenly showed an embarrassed and sheepish expression.
Seeing this, Sun Wukong was puzzled and pressed for an answer. Eventually, the Six-Eared Macaque could no longer avoid the question and said with an embarrassed face, "Uh, this, the Fire Attribute Divine Stone, well, we've lost it. We also have no idea where it is now!"
No sooner had the Six-Eared Macaque finished speaking than Sun Wukong was on the verge of exploding, grabbing the Six-Eared Macaque's shoulder and shouting, "What did you say? Lost? The Fire Attribute Divine Stone is lost? If it's lost, why bother setting up these challenges? Are you messing with me on purpose?"
"No, no, big brother, listen to me. That Fire Attribute Divine Stone is indeed not on the island. Actually, to be accurate, the stone ran off on its own. Later, the Clan Leader of the Illusion Demon Clan expended a huge price to deduce that the stone had developed spiritual wisdom and, unwilling to stay put, ran off to East Shengzhou.
And it entered a woman's belly, exploiting the Power of Reincarnation to be reborn as a child."
And where is this child now?"
That, we really don't know. The last deduction resulted in the child being a natural Fire System Spiritual Body and innately capable of spewing Samadhi True Fire.