Tathagata's golden body shone with light, revealing no joy or sorrow. His voice alone carried gentleness and abundant goodwill.
"You... can... dream."
Chen Tong still slowly spat out those three words. It wasn't that he wanted to speak that way; he was exhausted. Though he was invincible on the sea, he was only a Golden Immortal, and keeping up such towering waves had been a struggle from the start!
He had meant to make an example of the Old Thief Jade Emperor, but he hadn't expected the Old Thief Tathagata to stick his nose in at the crucial moment. How despicable.
"Little friend, I have received the Jade Emperor's decree. He will let bygones be bygones. Why take things this far?" Tathagata said kindly.
"Damn, you should've said so sooner."
Chen Tong loosened his hand. The towering waves that had surged into the sky didn't dissipate; they came crashing down instead! Chen Tong had just breathed a sigh of relief when, in the next instant, he realized, Oh no. By the time he reacted, it was too late.
The various gods and the countless Heavenly Soldiers and Generals who witnessed this were scared out of their wits. Only screams filled the scene. They no longer cared about saving face; they threw away their armor and fled as fast as they could.
Tathagata's brow furrowed slightly, and he gave Chen Tong a deep look. Then he pressed his palms together and stood perfectly still, murmuring something under his breath. Golden light blazed at once, shooting into the clouds to hold back the oncoming tsunami!
But no matter how powerful Tathagata was, before the tsunami he was still no more than a speck of dust. Before long, the unrestrained waves swallowed him whole.
Chen Tong shamelessly wiped the sweat from his forehead. "This is bad. I've not only thoroughly offended the Heavenly Court, but the Old Thief Tathagata too."
Beneath the East Sea, inside the Dragon Palace!
"What's happening? What's happening? Is there an earthquake?" The Dragon King sat on his throne, swaying so badly he could barely stay upright.
"Report!!"
A shrimp soldier came tumbling in. "D-Dr-Dragon King, the h-heavens... heavenly water, heavenly water!"
"What heavenly water? Explain yourself!" the Dragon King roared, pointing at him and glaring.
"Y-Yes... Water from the sky, Dragon King! You should go see for yourself!" The shrimp soldier knelt on the ground and didn't get up.
Meanwhile, on the surface, the tsunami still raged in every direction. At this speed and with this much force, it would reach land in less than half an hour.
Several figures still watched from the sky. Then the gray-robed elder said, "Senior Brother, let's intervene. Otherwise, all living things will suffer."
The white-haired elder remained silent, quietly watching Chen Tong on the sea. The more he watched, the less he understood. With a disposition like that, Chen Tong was neither a Sage nor an ancient deity, so how could he possess a Sage's heaven-defying abilities? Could he truly have some divine object of the Heavenly Dao on him?
"That brat caused this mess himself and isn't cleaning it up. What is he doing? Admiring the scenery?" the middle-aged man said angrily.
"Ah, Tathagata's power alone won't be enough. Never mind, let's help him avert this calamity." The white-haired elder's figure drifted over the sea.
Just then, two streaks of fire cut across the sky, one after the other, accompanied by angry shouts!
"Nezha, look at the mess you've made! You caused a tsunami this huge—what are you up to?"
"Monkey, stop slandering me! If I had that kind of power, would I still let you chase me around and beat me?"
Nezha spun around and thrust his Fire-Tipped Spear at Sun Wukong's face! Sun Wukong's fur stood on end. He hurriedly raised his Golden Cudgel to block it, and a clash rang out as sparks flew.
"Monkey, a tsunami this huge will soon swallow your Flower-Fruit Mountain. Do you still have the mood to fight me here?"
"I... You...!" Sun Wukong panicked, at a loss for what to do. He could only sigh, put away his Golden Cudgel, and hurry off toward Flower-Fruit Mountain.
Nezha didn't chase after him. He was just a little puzzled. "What on earth is causing waves this huge...? Never mind, I'd better hurry and find Father."
Out at sea, Chen Tong sensed the tsunami slowly receding and finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he would have to be more careful the next time he borrowed the sea's power. He had nearly brought down a disaster of unimaginable proportions.
Chen Tong looked around. Tathagata still hadn't appeared, and though he was worried, it was better to leave first. With that old fox's scheming nature, he definitely wouldn't let this go.
"Little friend, where are you going?"
Chen Tong, who was about to sink beneath the water, stiffened. He slowly turned around and gave Tathagata, who had appeared without warning, an awkward smile. "Um... It's all over now, so I'm going for a stroll."
Tathagata smiled. "How about I take you to Spiritual Mountain to enjoy the scenery?"
"Uh... Well...!" Chen Tong hesitated. "I think I'll pass. I can't stand all your 'Amitabha's.'"
"Hahaha!" Tathagata laughed. "No need to worry! No need to worry!"
Chen Tong narrowed his eyes, struggling inwardly. Would this old thief really be kind enough to take me sightseeing? Hmph, he's probably taking me there to imprison me!
"Look, there's someone behind you." Chen Tong pointed behind him. Whether Tathagata believed him or not, he immediately sank beneath the water. At that very moment, a golden circle lit up around him, but he was already gone.
"Oh? It actually couldn't trap him!" Deep astonishment flashed across Tathagata's face, then faded into a faint smile. "No matter. We'll meet at Spiritual River on Spiritual Mountain." As his soft words faded, Tathagata's figure turned into one sparkling droplet after another, until he disappeared completely.
Beneath the sea, Chen Tong sat cross-legged in the water, repeatedly calling out to the system in his mind. His body drifted away with the current, and he didn't even notice.
"System, system, are you dead? If you're not, hurry up and give me my mission reward."
[Beep. The host has not completed the mission. No reward.]
Chen Tong froze... A moment later, he said in disbelief, "You're not joking, are you? I worked myself to the bone for so long, and you're telling me I didn't complete the mission?"
"Old Thief System, are you trying to cheat me?"
[Beep. Warning: Disrespect toward the system detected. The system will automatically shut down for three days.]
Chen Tong...!
"Damn, that's allowed?" Chen Tong was utterly speechless. He could live with not getting a reward, but now he wasn't even allowed to complain. What a damned old thief.
Complaining aside, Chen Tong understood that the threat to Sun Wukong hadn't truly been resolved. The real culprit behind it all was the Old Thief Tathagata, so if he wanted to end the threat for good, it seemed he would have to face the Old Thief Tathagata.
As he pondered this, Chen Tong slowly surfaced. He believed Tathagata had already left by now, but... the surroundings were peaceful and quiet, filled with Buddhist Chant. Stands of emerald-green Vajras bamboo grew all around him. It was a picture-perfect paradise, so utterly at odds with the raging sea.
"W-Where is this?" Just as Chen Tong stared blankly, a faint voice drifted over. "Little friend, we meet again."
"Ah!!"
Chen Tong jumped in fright. "Y-Y-You! Why haven't you left?"
"Haha!" Tathagata laughed. "This is Spiritual River on Spiritual Mountain. Little friend, welcome."
Chen Tong...?
Hearing him, Chen Tong looked utterly incredulous, but the surroundings left him no choice but to believe it.
Looking at Tathagata's gentle smile, Chen Tong sucked in a sharp breath. "The Old Thief Tathagata really has some tricks. No wonder Sun Wukong couldn't escape his Five Finger Mountain. Now I've finally seen it for myself."
Before you continue