noffsinger Chapter 138 The Great Sage Equal to Heaven
Chapter 138 The Great Sage Equal to Heaven
Chapter 138 The Great Sage Equal to Heaven
Jiang Feng sent the snake spirit's soul to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and a moment later he received a notification of a reward.
[Your compassion allowed the snake spirit and scorpion spirit to reunite as husband and wife. Your boundless love moved the heavens, and you are rewarded with mastery of the "Ruyi Telescopic Hook".]
[Your compassion changed the fate of the Calabash Brothers as seals, and your boundless love moved the heavens, who rewarded you with "the Seventh Brother's Magic Gourd"]
Jiang Feng was genuinely surprised and delighted after receiving the generous reward, and happily bid farewell to the Calabash Brothers.
He then took the snake spirit's jade scepter, rescued Sha Wujing and the White Dragon, and went to the Blackwater Pool, where he sent the two of them down to retrieve the immortal cauldron of the Antarctic Immortal.
With this immortal cauldron, many of the elixir recipes collected in the Sui Dynasty can now be refined. As for the medicinal herbs, as the Tripitaka Master of the Sui Dynasty, it's perfectly reasonable for him to take away a tiny fraction of the herbs from the Sui Dynasty's treasury, isn't it?
After testing the effects of the immortal cauldron and successfully refining a Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill, he calmed down and thought about it carefully. Then he put the crystal stone that could monitor people into his treasure pouch.
Although we don't know the incantation for using the crystal now, who knows, we might be able to find out in the future, after all, the Golden Snake Spirit has a Green Snake sister.
The treasures of the Snake and Scorpion Cave must not be overlooked, the weapons must be taken as well, and the kitchen utensils look quite new.
Before leaving, the little white dragon looked at the empty Snake and Scorpion Cave and showed an expression of existential doubt.
"Third Senior Brother, I remember there used to be monsters here, but now there's absolutely no trace of them ever living here."
Sha Wujing was already used to it and said calmly, "That's just how our master does things. If he can leave even a single coin in the cave, I'll take your surname, Bai."
The White Dragon Horse watched Sha Wujing's departing figure and fell into deep thought:
What kind of gang have I joined?
Also, my surname isn't Bai!
Jiang Feng was in high spirits after a fruitful trip and continued his journey towards the Five Elements Mountain.
As he traveled, he hummed a cheerful tune. After some time, he suddenly realized that it was unusually quiet around him. He looked around and found that Bai Suzhen and her two disciples had all disappeared.
Jiang Feng stopped warily and immediately took out a communication stone: "Xiao Bai, Xiao Bai, please respond!"
Bai Suzhen's urgent voice rang out, "We've been blocked by a deity! How are you? Stop right there, don't go any further!"
A hint of doubt arose in Jiang Feng's heart, and he frowned as he asked, "What kind of deity did you encounter, and why is he stopping you?"
Sha Wujing's voice then rang out: "Master, it's Taibai Jinxing who's stopping us! He says you've reached the Five Elements Mountain and must overcome the Mind Monkey's tribulation on your own. If you fail, you'll face certain death!"
"??!!"
Jiang Feng was taken aback. After a moment of silence, he cautiously said, "Wujing, could you ask Taibai Xingjun for me whether I came to the Five Elements Mountain or the Flower Fruit Mountain?"
Even I'm afraid if it's a monkey that ran away and returned to Flower Fruit Mountain on its own!
If Guanyin Bodhisattva really went mad and released Sun Wukong ahead of time, and he saw me, the Buddha's disciple, I'm afraid I'd immediately go down to keep Ksitigarbha company.
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who was having Di Ting relay the gossip, was slightly taken aback, and then frowned with great frustration.
What's going on? I don't want this guy to come down and keep me company at all!
After a moment, Sha Wujing's voice rang out again: "Master, this is the Five Elements Mountain. Taibai Jinxing said that if the Monkey King returns to Flower Fruit Mountain, even he himself wouldn't dare to come here—"
Jiang Feng felt somewhat relieved and let out a soft sigh, saying, "Then everything is fine. You all wait here for a moment to welcome your senior brother!"
Jiang Feng continued forward, and after a while, a large mountain appeared before him, shaped like a palm with five fingers pointing vertically.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, he could see the seal affixed to the summit from afar. At the same time, he also saw a monkey trapped at the foot of the mountain, its body covered in mud.
The seal bears the inscription of a Sanskrit phrase, "Om Mani Padme Hum," which is the mantra of Avalokiteshvara. This seal was specifically designed to target Sun Wukong, the restless monkey.
Approaching the monkey, Jiang Feng looked at him with compassion, his body radiating Buddhist light. With a solemn and dignified expression, he said, "Sun Wukong, you are the one chosen by Buddha to retrieve the scriptures. I have been entrusted by Guanyin Bodhisattva to release you and ensure your safe journey to the Western Paradise!"
"ah??"
Sun Wukong stared wide-eyed at the monk before him, his mind a complete mess: "@#￥%￥#@!"
This isn't right!
This is completely different from what Guanyin Bodhisattva said!
Sun Wukong looked at Jiang Feng, utterly bewildered, and said, "Aren't you the monk who's going to fetch the scriptures? Shouldn't you be begging me, Old Sun, to come out and protect you on your journey to the West?"
Jiang Feng smiled slightly and said, "Then are you willing?"
Sun Wukong snorted arrogantly, then raised his head and turned to the side: "I refuse!"
Jiang Feng sighed helplessly, "Alas, since that's the case, then this humble monk will not force you." With that, he turned and left without hesitation.
Sun Wukong quickly called out, "Wait! Aren't you a monk sent by the Bodhisattva to retrieve the scriptures? Without my help, could you have reached the Western Paradise?"
Jiang Feng turned around and said, "You're right, I probably wouldn't have made it to the Western Paradise without you, but didn't you refuse to come with me?"
Sun Wukong was so anxious he almost plucked a handful of hair from his head, and said helplessly, "Can't you try to persuade me again? What if you actually convince me?"
Jiang Feng asked with a smile in his eyes, "Then let me ask you one more question: are you willing to come with me?"
"willing!"
Sun Wukong dared not test him any further and immediately blurted out the answer.
Jiang Feng's smile slowly faded, and he asked with a serious expression, "But why should I rescue you?"
Since you learned your skills, you have acted recklessly, forcibly demanding armor in the Dragon Palace, and randomly marking the Book of Life and Death in the Underworld. After being recruited by the Heavenly Court, you caused chaos in the Heavenly Palace, leading to great disorder in the Three Realms. In the end, you were suppressed by the Buddha under the Five Elements Mountain.
How can I be sure that after I rescue you, you won't repeat everything you did before?
Even if I fail to retrieve the scriptures, could the consequences be more severe than releasing you?
Sun Wukong stared blankly at Jiang Feng and said honestly, "Even I, Old Sun, can't guarantee what will happen to me after I get out—I'm just too suppressed to bear it anymore and want to escape as soon as possible—"
Jiang Feng sighed softly, staring into his eyes as he said, "When a thought arises in a person's heart, the whole world knows it. If good and evil go unpunished, then the universe must be biased."
You were imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years. Now do you know what you did wrong?
Sun Wukong said with mixed feelings, "My mistake was that I acted impulsively and caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, which plunged the Three Realms into chaos and brought suffering to all living beings."
Being imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years was my just deserts.
Jiang Feng shook his head slightly: "Making havoc in the Heavenly Palace is not a sin. If you are thinking of all living beings, what does it matter if you cause chaos in the Heavenly Palace or overturn the order of the Three Realms?"
As he spoke, he looked up at the sky with a determined look in his eyes and said, "Moreover, the current order of the Three Realms is already a mess."
The people of the Sui Dynasty toiled all year round, only to have to sell their children to survive, and even that wouldn't buy them a place to stand.
The people at the foot of Mount Ling were treated like cattle and horses, supporting nobles who were born more noble than them, and yet they were at the mercy of these nobles who slaughtered them.
Good and evil go unpunished, and the concept of cause and effect is meaningless.
I feel that Buddhism is wrong now, and the world is wrong. I don't know what is right, but I want to change everything!
"Wukong, are you willing to follow me to Mount Ling, to storm the Heavenly Court, and ask them why they are doing this, to become the true Great Sage Equal to Heaven!"
As Sun Wukong listened to Jiang Feng's story, his eyes gradually turned red, and the Five Elements Mountain pressing down on him began to tremble with the rhythm of his breathing.
"I, Old Sun, am none other than the Great Sage Equal to Heaven—Sun Wukong!"
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