Arc 36The Gourd and the Karma Ladder
Zhou Qingqing swallowed the Vajra Realm into her awakened gourd, while Amitabha Buddha and Buddha Mother Zhunti tried to secure the Buddha Path’s future through new protagonists. Their plans faltered as Jade Pure Primordial Heavenly Venerate used karma to pursue the Dao Creation Realm, and Zhou Qingqing severed her own karmic threads as he entered meditation.
- Zhou Qingqing entered Amitabha Buddha’s Dream World and used the Vajra Gourd to devour the Vajra Realm, including the divisions and the arriving Shakra and his followers.
- Zhou Qingqing left the Dream World with Little Vajra Gourd, which had gained spiritual awareness, while Amitabha Buddha accepted her victory and resolved to treat her as an independent opponent.
- Amitabha Buddha and Buddha Mother Zhunti set plans in motion for Journey to the West, locating the reborn Six-Winged Golden Cicada and Sha Wujin as potential Buddhist figures.
- Sun Wukong entered the Heavenly Court and fought Patriarch Bodhi, Buddha Mother Zhunti’s incarnation, while Zhou Qingqing’s influence appeared in Sun Wukong’s staff and abilities.
- Amitabha Buddha and Buddha Mother Zhunti abandoned their plans for Sun Wukong and the Six-Winged Golden Cicada, then Zhunti created Bodhidharma as a new protagonist and helped form the Mahayana Sutra.
- Jade Pure Primordial Heavenly Venerate used his karma with Buddha Mother Zhunti to probe Zhunti’s transformation, suffering karmic backlash and discovering that the Buddha Path’s origin had been spent again.
- Yun Zhongzi attained the Primordial Chaos Realm as Jade Pure Primordial Heavenly Venerate drew on the Dao Star and used his karma with Zhou Qingqing to advance his cultivation.
- Jade Pure Primordial Heavenly Venerate began sorting through his karma, while Zhou Qingqing used the power of fate to sever her karmic threads and he saw lotuses still swaying.