Chapter 998
The mischievous monkey has appeared!
"Then what do you suggest we do!" Sun Wukong scratched the hairs on his head in frustration. "We can't fight them, and we can't escape them! Are we just supposed to wait to die in this broken cave? Even when I was imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years, I've never suffered such humiliation!"
Chu Yang took a deep breath, trying to calm the burning pain in his chest. He glanced at Tang Sanzang, who was chanting sutras, then turned his gaze to Sun Wukong, a cold, even slightly mocking smile curving his lips.
"Brother Monkey... do you really think... these three monsters are wild demons native to this mortal realm?"
Sun Wukong was taken aback, then frowned: "What do you mean by that? Do they have some kind of powerful background? I, Old Sun, don't care about their background! Even if they're relatives of the Jade Emperor, if they offend me, I'll still beat them up!"
“They are not relatives of the Jade Emperor…” Chu Yang lowered his voice, but in the dark cave, his voice was as clear as thunder. “They are the…beloved children of the Western Paradise.”
Upon hearing this, the cave fell into a deathly silence. Even Tang Sanzang, who had been chanting sutras with his eyes closed, abruptly stopped and opened his eyes, which were filled with shock.
"Young Master Chu... what... what nonsense are you talking about? The Western Paradise... is a pure land of Buddhism, how could it be associated with such a blood-sucking, man-eating demon?" Tang Sanzang's voice trembled, clearly Chu Yang's words had a huge impact on his firm faith.
"Master... I'm not talking nonsense." Chu Yang suppressed a cough, his gaze fixed intently on Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong. "Brother Monkey, haven't you noticed anything amiss? This Lion Camel Ridge, spanning eight hundred li, is a field of white bones, a mountain of skulls. These three demons have taken over this mountain, devouring countless mortals, even wiping out the entire Lion Camel Kingdom and establishing a demon kingdom!"
Chu Yang paused, his tone turning extremely cold: "Such a horrific massacre, such overwhelming demonic energy, could the Heavenly Court's all-seeing and all-hearing beholden not see it? Could the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the Western Paradise not foresee it? Yet, for hundreds of years, has anyone intervened? Has any deity descended to earth to subdue this demon?"
Sun Wukong's expression changed completely. He was extremely intelligent and quick to understand. He hadn't thought things through before because he was too eager to save people. But now, after Chu Yang's reminder, he immediately realized the strangeness of the situation.
"Brother... what exactly do you know?" Sun Wukong's veins bulged on the back of his hand holding the golden cudgel, and his voice was terrifyingly deep.
Chu Yang leaned against the stone wall and coldly uttered a few words: "That blue-haired lion monster is the mount of Manjushri Bodhisattva. That yellow-toothed elephant monster is the mount of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva."
"what?!"
Sun Wukong suddenly took a step back, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Tang Sanzang was struck dumb, collapsing to the ground, his face even paler than Chu Yang's. "This...how is this possible...Manjushri Bodhisattva is wise, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is virtuous...how could their mounts...descend to this mortal realm to wreak havoc on living beings? Impossible...this is absolutely impossible..."
“Nothing is impossible, Master.” Chu Yang looked at Tang Sanzang’s devastated state without showing any mercy. “They are not only the Bodhisattva’s mounts, but they were also sent down to the mortal realm on orders.”
"On orders?!" Sun Wukong suddenly raised his head, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot. "On whose orders? Could it be..."
"Who else could it be?" Chu Yang sneered. "Naturally, it's to make sure your pilgrimage team has eighty-one tribulations, so they deliberately let them get off and block the way. As for the entire city of Lion Camel Kingdom that died, in the eyes of all these gods and Buddhas, they are nothing more than insignificant background figures in this game."
"Crack!"
In his extreme rage, Sun Wukong's golden cudgel was clenched so tightly that several finger marks were left on it. Every hair on his body stood on end, and an extremely violent and destructive aura erupted from him.
"Good! What a wonderful Western Paradise! What great wisdom and virtue!" Sun Wukong laughed in anger, his laughter filled with sorrow and mockery. "I, Old Sun, protected you, monk, all the way west, subduing demons and monsters, thinking I was accumulating merit and doing good deeds. It turns out I've been cleaning up their messes all along! They sit high on their lotus thrones, enjoying the incense offerings of mortals, while letting their beasts roam the mortal realm eating people! What kind of Buddha is this! What kind of logic is this!"
"Wukong...don't talk nonsense..." Tang Sanzang was in tears, still trying to uphold his faith, but his voice was so weak that he couldn't even convince himself.
"Master, you haven't finished listening yet." Chu Yang, seeing Sun Wukong's rampage, not only didn't stop him but added fuel to the fire, "Brother Monkey, do you know the origin of that most troublesome Golden-Winged Roc flying in the sky?"
"Speak! I, Old Sun, want to hear what kind of extraordinary background he has!" Sun Wukong gritted his teeth.
"That Roc is the son of the Phoenix, and the younger brother of the Peacock," Chu Yang said, emphasizing each word. "Back then, the Peacock swallowed the Buddha whole, and the Buddha burst out of his back. He initially wanted to kill the Peacock, but was persuaded by the other Buddhas to do so, and instead bestowed upon the Peacock the title of Great Bright King Bodhisattva. So, in terms of seniority..."
Chu Yang stared intently into Sun Wukong's eyes: "This Golden-Winged Roc is the Buddha's maternal uncle."
The cave fell silent once again.
Only the sounds of trees breaking and the Demon King's roar echoed from not far away.
Sun Wukong stood there, stunned, for a long while. Suddenly, he raised his head and let out a burst of extremely maniacal laughter.
"Hahahaha! Good! Very good! The Buddha's own uncle! The Bodhisattva's mount!" Sun Wukong laughed until tears almost came out, but his eyes were extremely cold, showing the contempt and rage against the injustice of the Heavenly Dao that he had only shown when he wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace.
"No wonder! No wonder these three old demons have so many magical treasures and such great supernatural powers! No wonder the Heavenly Court doesn't care and the Underworld won't take them in! They're all one family!" Sun Wukong suddenly turned to look at Tang Sanzang. "Master! Did you hear that? This is the true scripture you're going to seek! This is the Buddha you worship day and night! They just watched as this eight-hundred-mile-long Lion Camel Ridge turned into a living hell, and they didn't even utter a fart!"
Tang Sanzang covered his face, weeping bitterly, unable to utter a single word. Chu Yang's words shattered the belief he had held throughout his journey.
"Brother Monkey, do you understand now?" Chu Yang took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging blood and qi within him. "There's no point in us fighting them here. Even if you fight with all your might and kill them today, do you think those masters in heaven will let it go? In that case, you'll have to consider the owner before you beat the dog, and you'll be accused of disrespecting Buddhism."
"Then tell me, brother, what should I, Old Sun, do!" Sun Wukong swung his golden cudgel fiercely. "Should we just let them rant and rave outside? Should we just let these bones lie scattered on the ground unattended? I, Old Sun, cannot swallow this insult!"
"No, of course we can't swallow it." Chu Yang's eyes sharpened, like a drawn sword. "Since this is a dog released by their master, then we'll go find the dog's owner! Let them come and leash it themselves!"
Sun Wukong's eyes lit up, as if he had seen a glimmer of light in endless darkness: "Brother, you mean..."
"That's right!" Chu Yang nodded heavily. "A direct confrontation is not advisable; we must settle scores!" Chu Yang pointed to the sky: "Manjushri Bodhisattva is on Mount Wutai, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is on Mount Emei, and the Buddha is at Leiyin Temple in the Western Paradise. Monkey King, your somersault cloud is unparalleled; go now! Go knock on their doors!"
"Just like that?" Sun Wukong frowned slightly. "What if they deny it, or make up some excuse to fob me off?"
"You're not going to admit it?" Chu Yang sneered, his tone ruthless. "Brother Monkey, have you forgotten how you wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace back then? You're not going there to beg them, you're going there to cause trouble!"
Chu Yang looked into Sun Wukong's eyes and said, word by word, "When you go to Mount Wutai and Mount Emei, if Manjushri and Samantabhadra dare to shirk their responsibilities even slightly, you should directly overturn their temples and smash their lotus thrones! In front of all the Arhats and Jiedi on the mountain, you should loudly question them: Why do you allow your mounts to eat people in the lower realm? Why have you turned the Lion Camel Kingdom into a hellish realm? You should make them lose face in front of all the believers in the world!"
Sun Wukong was thrilled, and the golden light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"What if they still refuse to come?" Sun Wukong pressed.
"If you don't come, then go straight to the Great Thunderclap Temple in the Western Paradise and find that old Buddha!" Chu Yang's voice rose a few decibels. "Ask him how many boys and girls his supposedly compassionate maternal uncle has eaten! Ask him how much blood of mortals has been used to water this Western Paradise! You must let all the gods and Buddhas know that you, Sun Wukong, are not a pawn they can manipulate at will!"
"Well said! Brother! That's excellent!" Sun Wukong trembled with excitement, grabbing Chu Yang's hand. "I've been so frustrated all this way, but today I'm finally satisfied! To hell with the journey to the West, to hell with becoming a Buddha! Today I'm going to be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven again and expose their true colors!"
Sun Wukong suddenly stood up, walked to the cave entrance, and glanced outside.
"boom!"
Just then, less than fifty feet from the cave where they were hiding, a huge stone wall was knocked down by the trunk of the Yellow-Toothed Elephant Monster, and rubble tumbled down. It seemed they were about to reach that spot.
"Sun Wukong! I can smell your monkey stench! Stop hiding, come out and face your death!" The Yellow-Toothed Elephant Monster's voice boomed like thunder outside the cave.
"This stupid elephant has a pretty keen nose." Sun Wukong sneered, then turned to Chu Yang and Tang Sanzang. "Brother, Master. The concealment formation at the cave entrance won't hold them off for long. I, Old Sun, will go to heaven to find their master! You two must not make a sound here."
"Brother Monkey, take this with you." Chu Yang took out a jade talisman that shimmered with a faint blue light from his pocket and handed it to Sun Wukong. "This is a recording stone. Although it's a bit damaged, I recorded the scene in the main hall when those three old demons were spouting nonsense and threatening to eat Master. This is irrefutable evidence! Let's see how those high and mighty Bodhisattvas deny it!"
Sun Wukong took the recording stone, carefully put it in his pocket, and nodded heavily: "Brother, you're really cunning. I, Old Sun, am impressed."
He turned to look at Tang Sanzang, who was still weeping on the ground, and softened his tone: "Master, don't cry. I, Old Sun, will be right back. If I don't return this time, or if they detain me, then you should go back to the Tang Dynasty yourself. As for the scriptures... it's better not to go!"
After saying this, Sun Wukong did not give Tang Sanzang a chance to respond. He directly plucked a hair from his ear, chewed it in his mouth, and spat it out in one breath.
"Change!"
Suddenly, golden light burst forth from the cave, and Sun Wukong's hairs transformed into a golden shield, firmly protecting Chu Yang and Tang Sanzang within. Although the shield was not large, it contained Sun Wukong's extremely powerful magic, and even the three old demons would not be able to break through it in a short time.
After doing all this, Sun Wukong took a deep breath and gripped the golden cudgel tightly with both hands.
"My three kings! Didn't you want to find me, Old Sun? I, Old Sun, will find you a good place to stay right away!"
Sun Wukong burst out of the cave without any attempt to hide, and immediately took to the air.
"There he is! That mischievous monkey has come out!" The Yellow-Toothed Elephant Monster spotted Sun Wukong soaring into the sky at a glance and shouted excitedly.
"Big brother, second brother, step back! Let me capture him!" The golden-winged roc circling in the sky saw Sun Wukong finally appear and let out a deafening shriek. With its wings folded, it swung down towards Sun Wukong like a falling meteorite, brandishing its halberd.
This time, Sun Wukong neither dodged nor fought back. He suddenly stopped in mid-air, looked up coldly at the golden-winged roc swooping down, and a haughty sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.
"You hairy beast, I, Old Sun, don't have time to play with you today. If you've got guts, wash your neck clean right here at Lion Camel Ridge and wait! I, Old Sun, am heading to the Western Paradise to have your good nephew, that old Buddha, personally collect your corpse!"
Before he finished speaking, the somersault cloud beneath Sun Wukong's feet suddenly burst forth with an unprecedentedly dazzling golden light.
"Whoosh-!"
With a deafening sonic boom, Sun Wukong's figure instantly transformed into a golden rainbow piercing the heavens and earth, tearing apart the perpetually shrouded black demonic clouds above Lion Camel Ridge and hurtling towards Mount Wutai, which lies beyond the nine heavens, at an incredible speed!
The golden-winged roc's swooping attack missed its target, and the halberd slammed violently into the void, causing a violent spatial distortion. He raised his head, looking at the golden rainbow that had disappeared into the horizon, and for the first time, a look of surprise and uncertainty appeared in his eyes.
"What did that monkey just say? He's going to the Western Paradise to find..." The Golden-Winged Roc's face instantly turned extremely ugly, and an ominous premonition surged into his heart.
On the ground, the blue-haired lion monster and the yellow-toothed elephant monster also stopped roaring and looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Brother... that monkey seemed to have mentioned the Buddha just now..." The yellow-toothed old elephant monster swallowed, his voice a little dry.
The blue-haired lion monster's ferocious face twitched a few times, and his hand gripping the nine-ringed broadsword was slightly sweaty. "This monkey is cunning and treacherous... Could he have really discovered our secrets and is going to complain to his masters?" (End of Chapter)