Tathagata's Methods

Tathagata's golden body radiated light, showing no hint of joy or anger. His voice, however, carried a gentle and abundant goodwill.

"You... are... dreaming."

Chen Tong slowly uttered the three words. It wasn't that he wanted to, but he was exhausted. Although he was invincible on the sea, he was still only a Golden Immortal. Holding up such a massive, towering wave was already pushing his limits!

He had intended to make an example of that old thief, the Jade Emperor, but he hadn't expected this old thief, Tathagata, to interfere at such a critical moment. It was truly infuriating.

"Little friend, I have received the Jade Emperor's decree. We shall let bygones be bygones. Why must you go to such lengths!" Tathagata said with his usual goodwill.

"Damn it, you should have said so earlier."

Chen Tong loosened his grip. The towering wave that had shot into the sky didn't dissipate; instead, it collapsed with a roar! Chen Tong let out a breath, but the next second, he thought, "Oh no." By the time he reacted, it was too late.

The various great deities and numerous Heavenly Soldiers and Generals who witnessed this scene were already terrified out of their wits. The only sounds were continuous screams. They no longer cared about their dignity, abandoning their armor and fleeing as fast as they could.

Tathagata frowned slightly, casting a deep glance at Chen Tong. He then clasped his hands together and murmured something, causing a brilliant golden light to erupt and shoot into the clouds, resisting the oncoming tsunami!

But no matter how powerful Tathagata was, he was ultimately but a speck of dust before the tsunami. Before long, he was swallowed by the rampant waves.

Chen Tong wiped the sweat from his forehead shamelessly. "This is bad. I've not only completely offended the Heavenly Court, but I've also offended that old thief, Tathagata."

Beneath the East Sea, within the Dragon Palace!

"What's happening! What's happening! Is there an earthquake?" The Dragon King sat slumped on his throne, swaying precariously. He couldn't even stand steady.

"Report!!"

A Shrimp Soldier scrambled in, tumbling and rolling. "Dragon... Dragon... Dragon King, the Skywater, the Skywater!"

"What Skywater? Speak clearly," the Dragon King roared, pointing at his nose.

"Yes, yes... the water from the sky, Dragon King, you should see for yourself!" The Shrimp Soldier knelt on the ground, refusing to rise.

Meanwhile, on the sea surface, the tsunami continued to rage in all directions. At this speed and with this power, it would reach the land in less than half an hour.

High in the sky, several ethereal figures continued to watch. Then, the old man in grey said, "Senior Brother, should we intervene? Otherwise, all beings will suffer."

The white-haired old man remained silent, quietly observing Chen Tong on the sea. The more he watched, the more confused he became. With such a disposition, he wasn't a Saint nor an ancient deity, yet he possessed the heaven-reaching methods of a Saint. Could it be that he truly had some divine artifact of the Heavenly Dao on him?

"This brat, he's not solving the mess he created, what is he doing! Looking at the scenery?" the middle-aged man said angrily.

"Alas, Tathagata's power alone won't suffice. Fine, let's help him resolve this calamity!" The white-haired old man's silhouette drifted to the sea surface.

At this moment, two streaks of fire flashed across the sky, one after the other, accompanied by angry curses!

"Nezha, look at the mess you've made! Stirring up such a massive tsunami, what are your intentions?"

"Monkey, stop your slander! If I had such power, ... would I still be chased by you?"

Nezha spun around, his Fire-Tipped Spear thrusting towards Sun Wukong's face! Sun Wukong's fur immediately bristled, and he quickly blocked with his Golden Cudgel, sparks flying with a clang.

"Monkey, such a huge tsunami will flood your Flower-Fruit Mountain before long. Are you still in the mood to fight me here?"

"I... you...!" Sun Wukong panicked, unsure what to do. He could only sigh, put away his Golden Cudgel, and quickly fly towards Flower-Fruit Mountain.

Nezha didn't pursue further, only feeling a bit confused in his heart. "What exactly is the cause of such a massive wave...? Never mind, I won't think about it. I need to find Father King quickly."

Beneath the sea, sensing the tsunami slowly receding, Chen Tong finally breathed a sigh of relief! It seemed he needed to be more careful when borrowing the power of the sea in the future; he had almost caused a catastrophic disaster.

Chen Tong looked around. Seeing that Tathagata had not yet appeared, he felt worried and decided it was best to leave first. Otherwise, with that old thief's cunning, he would surely not let this go.

"Little friend, where are you going!"

Just as Chen Tong was about to sink into the seawater, his body trembled. He slowly turned around, forcing an awkward smile at Tathagata, who had appeared at some unknown time. "Uh... the matter is over, I was just going for a drive."

Tathagata smiled. "How about I take little friend to Spiritual Mountain for a tour?"

"Uh... this... this...!" Chen Tong hesitated. "I think it's best not to! I can't stand your Amitabha."

"Hahaha!" Tathagata laughed. "No rush! No rush!"

Chen Tong's eyes narrowed suspiciously, his mind struggling. Would this old thief really take me sightseeing out of kindness? Humph, he's probably taking me to be imprisoned!

"Look, there's someone behind you." Chen Tong pointed behind him. Not caring if he believed it or not, he immediately sank into the seawater. At that very moment, a golden ring lit up around him, but he was already gone.

"Oh, you can't keep me trapped!" A look of deep surprise flashed across Tathagata's face, replaced by a faint smile that masked his astonishment. "It's alright, we'll meet at Spiritual Mountain's Spiritual River." As he whispered, Tathagata's figure dissolved into crystal clear droplets until he completely vanished.

Beneath the sea, Chen Tong sat cross-legged in the water, repeatedly calling out to the System in his mind. His body drifted with the ocean currents, carried far away, though he was unaware of it.

"System, System, are you dead or alive? If you're not dead, give me my mission rewards quickly."

[Beep, detected that the host has not completed the mission. No rewards.]

Chen Tong froze... After a moment, he said indifferently, "You're not kidding me, are you? I worked myself to death for so long, and you're telling me I haven't completed the mission?"

"Old thief System, are you trying to trick me?"

[Beep, warning. Detected disrespect towards the System. System will automatically shut down for three days.]

Chen Tong...!

"Damn it, this is allowed too!" Chen Tong was utterly speechless. It was one thing not to get the reward, but he wasn't even allowed to curse. What a detestable old thief.

Complaints aside, Chen Tong also understood that Sun Wukong's danger had not truly been resolved. The real culprit behind it all was that old thief, Tathagata. Therefore, to truly resolve the crisis, it seemed he would have to confront Tathagata.

With this thought, Chen Tong slowly surfaced. He believed that Tathagata had long since left. However... looking at the peaceful and harmonious surroundings, filled with Buddhist chants, and seeing lush green Vajra bamboos growing everywhere, it was clearly a heavenly paradise, completely out of place with the turbulent sea surface.

"Where... where is this?" As Chen Tong was lost in thought, faint voices quietly arrived: "Young friend, we meet again."

"Ah!!"

Chen Tong jumped in fright: "You, you, you, why haven't you left yet?"

"Haha!" Tathagata chuckled. "This place is the Spiritual River of the Spiritual Mountain. Young friend, welcome."

Chen Tong... ?

Listening to the other party's words, Chen Tong's face was full of disbelief, but the surrounding environment forced him to believe.

Looking at Tathagata, who was smiling gently, Chen Tong took a deep breath. "This old thief Tathagata truly has impressive methods. No wonder even Sun Wukong couldn't escape his Five Finger Mountain. I've finally experienced it this time."