Chapter 758
The God of Hell changed the Buddha's headband into a cultivation cheat.
Sun Wukong almost cried out in surprise.
Having seen the world, he immediately saw through the deception. The headband in Lin Zhu's hand looked exactly the same as the one prepared by the Buddha, but its inner essence had been replaced—it was a substitute magic weapon capable of deceiving everyone!
"You...when did you..."
Sun Wukong's voice trembled. The shock was not from fear, but from his sudden realization that Lin Zhu had known all along that the headband would appear, so he had prepared a fake one to replace the real one.
In other words, the headband that Buddha had painstakingly prepared was switched by Lin Zhu before it even reached the Five Elements Mountain.
"What...what exactly is going on?"
Sun Wukong lowered his voice, his monkey face filled with disbelief.
Lin Zhu put the fake headband back into his arms, his expression indifferent, as if he were talking about a trivial matter: "It's nothing, I just grabbed it casually over at Lingshan and then replaced it with another one."
The Buddha's golden headband looks like this now—it still appears golden on the outside, but its effects have been altered. Wearing it will not only not hurt, but it will also automatically increase your cultivation level. I've also obtained the incantation; I'll give it to you later.”
Sun Wukong fell silent.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, his fiery eyes fixed intently on Lin Zhu, his mind racing. He was a spiritual stone monkey, naturally exceptionally intelligent; he could understand many things on his own without needing to explain them explicitly.
Lin Zhu is the kind of person who never plays by the rules. Every step he takes seems like a random stroll, but every step he takes is in a place where others cannot.
Sun Wukong knew better than anyone how formidable the defenses of Mount Ling were, and how much the Buddha valued the golden headband. Yet Lin Zhu had managed to replace the headband right under the Buddha's nose, and so seamlessly that even the Buddha himself hadn't noticed. This kind of skill couldn't be explained by mere cultivation level; it was simply—
Sun Wukong suddenly grinned.
That smile carried a sense of relief, and also a hint of ecstasy. He felt he no longer needed to think about it; everything could be explained by the fact that it was normal for Prison God Lin Zhu to be a little abnormal.
"Row."
Sun Wukong jumped up from the ground, dusted off his bottom, and casually stretched out his hand, "Give it to me."
Lin Zhu didn't waste any words. He took out the real headband, which had been switched, from his pocket and handed it to Sun Wukong. Sun Wukong took the headband, looked at it over and over, and then put it on his head without hesitation.
The moment the golden headband touched his forehead, it emitted a soft glow, automatically adjusting its size to fit snugly on his head.
Sun Wukong touched his head and felt no discomfort. Instead, a warm feeling seeped out from the headband, slowly nourishing the meridians throughout his body.
"It's actually quite comfortable."
Sun Wukong smacked his lips, his face full of surprise.
Lin Zhu then took out a jade slip from his robes and handed it to Sun Wukong: "This is the full text of the Tightening-Headband Mantra. Keep it safe and don't let anyone else see it. From now on, recite it ten times a day, no more and no less. Ten times will give you exactly ten thousand years of cultivation. It's not urgent to recite it more, but it would be a pity to recite it less."
Sun Wukong took the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense. Sure enough, he saw a long passage of obscure and difficult-to-understand incantations.
He tried reciting it silently, and the tight headband on his head immediately emitted an even gentler warmth. A surge of pure spiritual energy flowed down from the top of his head, into his dantian. The tangible feeling of his cultivation increasing was so clear that he almost cried out. It truly was a genuine ten-thousand-year cultivation level!
Sun Wukong was so happy that his back teeth were showing: "I, Old Sun, curse myself. Each curse increases my cultivation by a thousand years. If I curse myself ten times a day, I'll gain ten thousand years. This deal is too good to be true! I, Old Sun, have lived for so many years and have never seen such an overpowered cultivation method!"
He carefully tucked the jade slip into his bosom, already starting to make plans in his mind.
Ten thousand years in one day, ten thousand years in ten days, one million years in one hundred days, ten million years in one thousand days—at this rate, in a few more months, Sun Wukong's cultivation level will increase dramatically.
If given a few more eons to accumulate his cultivation to the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm or even higher, then going to the Western Paradise to seek revenge on Buddha would no longer be just empty talk.
Lin Zhu seemed to see through his thoughts, reached out and patted him on the shoulder, saying casually, "Young man, you're still too cautious."
Sun Wukong was taken aback: "What do you mean?"
Lin Zhu held up one finger and said casually, "A whole era is too long. I promise you, I can overthrow the Western Paradise within a few days."
Sun Wukong's eyes widened, his monkey face filled with shock and disbelief.
To overthrow the Western Paradise in just a few days? What does that even mean? The Buddhist sect in the Western Paradise has been established for countless millennia, with a profound foundation and solid roots. Even if Sun Wukong's cultivation level increased a million times, it would be impossible for him to uproot the entire Buddhist sect in just a few days.
Unless—Lin Zhu’s so-called “drying out” has a completely different meaning.
Sun Wukong quickly grasped the key point. The Journey to the West Calamity had been brewing for so long, and the various forces had been vying for power for so long; everything had been paving the way for these past few years.
The journey to the West, the eighty-one tribulations, and the turning point in Buddhism's fortunes—all these crucial moments converge within a few short years. All factions will undoubtedly employ every means at their disposal; the success or failure of the journey to the West will hinge on these very few years.
When Lin Zhu said "to overthrow the Western Paradise within a few days," he did not mean to wipe out the Western Paradise by force, but rather to deliver a fatal blow to the Western Paradise at the most critical moment, so that all of Tathagata's plans would come to naught.
The more Sun Wukong thought about it, the more sense it made, and a sense of awe crept into his gaze towards Lin Zhu. What exactly was going on in this person's mind? Every step he took seemed casual, yet every step he took could drive others to the brink of despair.
Just then, Sun Wukong suddenly remembered something, pointed to a figure lying on the ground in the distance, and asked, "Prison God, what should we do with that bald monk?"
Lin Zhu followed Sun Wukong's finger and looked over, only then remembering that Tang Sanzang was still unconscious on the ground. From the moment he was knocked unconscious, Tang Sanzang had been lying there like a corpse, in an awkward position, with a peaceful expression, sleeping more soundly than anyone else.
Lin Zhu thought for a moment, then went over to check Tang Sanzang's breathing to confirm he was still alive, and then left him alone. Anyway, the pilgrims were tough and wouldn't have any problems lying on the ground for a day or two.
"Let's ignore him for now."
Lin Zhu returned, plopped down under the crooked tree, and pulled out a bunch of things from his storage space—two plucked chicken wings, a bag of seasonings, an iron rack, and a small pile of spirit charcoal. He set up the iron rack, lit the spirit charcoal, skewered the chicken wings, placed them on the fire, and skillfully brushed them with a layer of bright red seasoning. Moments later, the aroma of meat filled the air, oil dripped onto the charcoal and sizzled, and the air was filled with a mouthwatering, caramelized fragrance.
The aroma immediately whetted Sun Wukong's appetite. He crouched down beside the fire, his eyes fixed on the sizzling chicken wings on the rack, a gurgling sound escaping his throat.
Lin Zhu gave him one, and Sun Wukong took it and started gnawing on it, his mouth dripping with oil.
The two sat cross-legged under the crooked tree, munching on braised chicken wings and chatting idly. The firelight illuminated their faces; one was dressed in pristine white, looking serene, while the other had a hairy face and a greasy mouth, his face glistening with oil from the meal.
The scene of Tang Sanzang lying unconscious next to him was incredibly bizarre.
The wind blew through the cracks in the Five Elements Mountain, carrying the aroma of roasted meat everywhere. Sun Wukong finished a chicken wing, licked his paws with lingering satisfaction, and was about to ask Lin Zhu if there was any more when he suddenly sensed a familiar Buddhist energy fluctuation coming from afar.
The surge came extremely fast, pressing down from the horizon to the Five Elements Mountain in the blink of an eye, carrying an uncontrollable anger and resentment.
Lin Zhu sensed it too, looked up at the sky, and smiled slightly: "They're here."
He tossed aside the chicken bone in his hand, clapped his hands, and stood up. Sun Wukong also stood up, his monkey face showing an expression of anticipation for a show.
A moment later, a beam of white light fell from the sky and landed at the foot of the Five Elements Mountain. The figure of Guanyin Bodhisattva emerged from the white light, her face so gloomy it seemed to drip ink.
Her plain white dress still bore the dust of her journey, her hair was slightly disheveled, and she looked as if she had unloaded a huge burden, leaving only exhaustion and frustration.
She stood in front of Lin Zhu and said in a deep voice, "The things have all been delivered, we can continue."
When Guanyin Bodhisattva spoke these words, her tone was calm, but she couldn't hide the distress she felt. She remembered the scene when she brought the ceiling of the Law Enforcement Hall to the Heavenly Court—a scene she would never forget.
As soon as she landed on the construction site of the Law Enforcement Hall with the mountain of materials, the young men from Heaven jumped for joy. No one knows who started it, but in an instant, gongs and drums resounded, firecrackers crackled, red flags waved, and a sea of people filled the air.
When the gods in Heaven heard that Lin Zhu had received reasonable compensation from the Western Paradise, they all turned their heads and smiled, their faces filled with the words "absolutely wonderful."
They stood around the construction site of the Law Enforcement Hall, watching truckloads of materials brought in from the Western Paradise, their eyes filled with undisguised delight and admiration.
What made Guanyin Bodhisattva most distressed were the Buddhist soldiers on the construction site.
These Buddhist soldiers were originally craftsmen and laborers sent by the Western Paradise to build the Hall of Law Enforcement. After the hall was completed, they were detained in the Heavenly Court, ostensibly to continue maintaining its operation, but in reality, they were hostages.
They thought that even if the Western Paradise didn't send anyone to rescue them, it would at least offer some care and comfort. But after waiting for countless days and nights, what they received was not reinforcements, but mountains of building materials brought from the Western Paradise.
Immediately afterwards, they received an overtime notice from law enforcement officers—the newly arrived materials needed to be processed overnight, and everyone had to work overtime to catch up on the schedule.
Instead of saving them, the Western Paradise sent them overtime work.
The expressions on those Buddhist soldiers still pained Guanyin Bodhisattva to this day. They remained silent because the enforcers were watching them; they also made no rash moves because they dared not.
But their eyes, those slightly raised middle fingers in silence, were all filled with hatred and negativity. Their gratitude was ironic, their stares barbed, their silent accusations like countless needles piercing the heart of Guanyin Bodhisattva.
However, the law enforcement officers' gratitude towards Guanyin Bodhisattva was genuine. When they escorted Guanyin Bodhisattva out of the construction site, a large group of people accompanied her for miles, their faces filled with such sincere gratitude that Guanyin Bodhisattva almost burst into tears on the spot.
They were genuinely thanking her, thanking Guanyin Bodhisattva for tirelessly transporting so many materials from the Western Paradise to contribute to the construction of the Law Enforcement Hall.
If it weren't for the fact that these ceiling items were from her own home and she was giving them away, Guanyin Bodhisattva would have been truly moved.
She dropped the materials and fled Heaven at almost the speed of light. She couldn't bear those sincere expressions of gratitude; they were too hurtful.
Every word of thanks felt like a knife to her heart, and every smile seemed to be a reminder that her Western Paradise had been fleeced again, and that they had willingly offered themselves up for the fleecing.
Guanyin Bodhisattva stood before Lin Zhu with a dark expression, suppressing all her emotions, and coldly repeated, "The goods have been delivered, you can continue."
Lin Zhu found her appearance amusing, but he didn't show it on his face. He leaned lazily against the crooked tree, about to say something, when suddenly the system's cold, mechanical voice came to his ears.
"Ding—Host has been detected to have completed a hidden mission: Help the Buddha perfectly complete two compensation tasks. Mission rating: Perfect."
"Rewards are being distributed—one Pillar of the Pillar, one Pill of the Asura Annihilation, and one Sun-Shooting Divine Bow. The rewards have been stored in the system space and the host can retrieve them at any time."
Lin Zhu raised an eyebrow, a small sense of relief welling up inside him. The Pillar of Strength Pill was a top-grade body-tempering pill; one pill could temper a person's physique from the inside out, even benefiting those with the physical bodies of Golden Immortals.
The Asura Annihilation Pill is even more extraordinary. It is said to be a closely guarded secret of the ancient Asura clan. After taking it, one can greatly enhance combat power in a short period of time, unleashing a murderous aura that soars to the heavens.
As for the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow, Lin Zhu knew it was a good thing just from the name. It was the bow that Hou Yi used to shoot down the suns, and its quality couldn't be much worse.
It seems that the Buddha accomplished both tasks perfectly.
Lin Zhu was in high spirits. He straightened up and called out to Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang on the ground, "Let's go!"
Sun Wukong had been waiting impatiently for a long time. Upon hearing the shout, he immediately jumped up from the ground. The golden headband on his head gleamed in the sunlight, yet it looked perfectly natural. He shouldered his golden cudgel and stood spiritedly behind Lin Zhu.
Tang Sanzang, who was lying on the ground, was only awakened by Lin Zhu's finger. He sat up abruptly, his face still sleepy and his eyes glazed over. He looked left and right, as if he had no idea what had happened.
Lin Zhu lazily took a few steps back, retreating to his backstage position. He felt that his current situation was simply too good—while others were working on projects, he could just do something and get paid.
No need to clock in, no need to report, no need to worry about anyone's opinion; all you need to do is step in at crucial moments, stir things up, muddy the waters, and then wait to collect compensation. (End of Chapter)