Chaste Lion Arhat, Zhenmi Arhat, and Zhenjiu Bodhisattva.
The three of them had arrived much as Azure Dragon had: some had strayed into the Hengsha World, while others had been subdued by Jinjue Buddha. They had then been granted titles and ranks, becoming members of the Great Lingyin Temple.
Chaste Lion Arhat had once been the renowned Swallowing-Heaven Green Lion. He could devour the sun and moon and swallow the heavens with a single gape of his jaws. Once, he had swallowed an entire sea of stars.
Zhenmi Arhat had once been a mountain-bearing macaque. He could shoulder mountains and move rivers; even a vast world was no burden to him. His strength could prop up the sky and still the seas.
Zhenjiu Bodhisattva had once been a vulture of the boundless desert. He could perceive souls, discern hearts, manipulate the Seven Emotions, and command the Six Desires. Revered as a god of the vast sands, he could throw all living beings into turmoil with a single thought.
All three had the power to turn heaven and earth upside down. Yet now, they were members of the Great Lingyin Temple.
The Swallowing-Heaven Green Lion, who had once stood astride mountains and seas, devouring heaven and earth, had become Chaste Lion Arhat: three lion heads above a bare torso, crimson shorts below, a green Buddhist pestle in one hand and the Demon-Subduing Lion Seal in the other.
The macaque who had shouldered mountains and overturned rivers and seas had become Zhenmi Arhat. With a monkey's face on a human body, a golden circlet on his head, and a kasaya draped over his shoulders, he held a monk's staff in one hand and formed a sacred seal with the other, his expression gentle and kindly.
The vulture who had soared over seas