"Whom shall we send from Spirit Mountain to the mortal realm to undergo this tribulation?"
Dabao Tathagata swept his gaze over his disciples, finally settling on Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Guanyin had already considered the matter. She smiled and said:
"Shizun, Spirit Mountain has four great mounts we can send to the mortal realm!"
With that, Guanyin crooked a finger.
Soon, the four mounts crawled in.
Monks followed behind them, savagely whipping their rumps with Demon-Slaying Whips.
"Crawl faster, you four beasts! Stop dawdling!"
The four mounts were:
a Six-Tusked White Elephant,
a Green Mane Lion,
a golden-maned dragon-lion, the Golden Mane Roar,
and a Golden Winged Great Peng.
Their rumps were split and bloody. Clearly, they had endured plenty of lashes.
A closer look revealed a plaque hanging from each mount's neck, each engraved with words.
Around the Six-Tusked White Elephant's neck hung:
[Disciple of Sect Master Tongtian: Ling Ya Xian]
Around the Green Mane Lion's neck hung:
[Disciple of Sect Master Tongtian: Qiu Shou Xian]
Around the Golden Winged Great Peng's neck hung:
[Disciple of Sect Master Tongtian: Yu Yi Xian]
Around the Golden Mane Roar's neck hung:
[Disciple of Sect Master Tongtian: Jin Guang Xian]
Though the four had been reduced to mounts, they had once been disciples of Sect Master Tongtian. All belonged to the Seven Attendant Immortals, their standing comparable to inner disciples.
The Six-Tusked White Elephant was Ling Ya Xian, one of the Seven Attendant Immortals. To contend with the Chan Sect, Sect Master Tongtian had assembled the mighty Ten Thousand Immortals Formation!
Within it, Ling Ya Xian had guarded the Two Principles Formation. Samantabhadra captured him alive, and Old Immortal of the South Pole forced him back into his original form. From then on, he became Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's mount!
The Green Mane Lion was Qiu Shou Xian, another of the Seven Attendant Immortals. He had guarded the Supreme Ultimate Formation within the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, only to be defeated by Manjushri. Old Immortal of the South Pole likewise forced him back into his original form, and he was now Manjushri Bodhisattva's mount.
The Golden Winged Great Peng was Yu Yi Xian of the Seven Attendant Immortals. Rādhā subdued him, and he ultimately became Buddha Ratnākara's mount.
As for the Golden Mane Roar, he was Jin Guang Xian, also one of the Seven Attendant Immortals. He had guarded the Four Symbols Formation within the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation before Guanyin subdued him and made him her mount.
Tathagata looked at the Four Beasts and said slowly:
"Ling Ya Xian, Qiu Shou Xian, Jin Guang Xian, Yu Yi Xian, your sins of old run deep. This time, I shall let you descend to the mortal realm and undergo a tribulation. Succeed, and your sins will be erased. You will become the four auspicious beasts of the Buddhist School..."
"Roar!"
Qiu Shou Xian bellowed. He raised his head and glared viciously at Dabao Tathagata.
"Duobao, you shameless traitor! You were the Inner Sect Senior Disciple of the Interception Sect, yet you betrayed it to join the Western Sect... How can you face Master Tongtian... Aah!"
Before he could finish, a Demon-Slaying Whip came down hard, leaving him streaming blood!
Guanyin stepped forward and planted her foot on Qiu Shou Xian's head.
"Wretched beast! You dare shout at Shizun? You're asking to die! The Dao Ancestor decreed that Saints may not enter the Primordial Wilderness in person. Even if I kill you today, what can Sage Tongtian do about it?"
As she spoke, Guanyin raised the Demon-Slaying Whip in her hand!
The whip struck heavily, drawing scream after scream!
Soon, Qiu Shou Xian was a bloody ruin!
At the sight, Ling Ya Xian, Yu Yi Xian, and Jin Guang Xian grew even more furious. They roared:
"Duobao, you traitor! Master Tongtian will never let you get away with this!"
"One day, we disciples of the Interception Sect will raze your Spirit Mountain!"
"Disciples of the Interception Sect would rather die than yield! Go on, kill us if you dare!"
The expressions of every Buddha and bodhisattva changed.
Manjushri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and Lingji Bodhisattva rushed forward. Each planted a foot on one beast's head, raised a Demon-Slaying Whip, and brought it down savagely.
Wails and screams rang to the heavens.
Dabao Tathagata sat high on his lotus throne, watching it all with cold indifference.
Only when the Four Beasts were nearly unconscious did he wave a hand. His voice was utterly detached.
"Ling Ya Xian, Qiu Shou Xian, Yu Yi Xian, Jin Guang Xian, you four beasts are foolish and ignorant, beyond instruction!"
"When I joined the Western Sect and carried out Transforming Barbarians into Buddhas, I was following the Heavenly Dao. How could that be called betrayal?"
At that, his gaze sharpened. He looked down on the Four Beasts with open contempt.
"During the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, we should have followed Heaven's will. But Tongtian... my teacher insisted on defying it. That was why Dao Ancestor Hongjun took him to the Purple Firmament Palace for punishment!"
"The Heavenly Dao is the board, and all living beings are its pieces."
"Heaven's awesome might is beyond reckoning, yet you and I must struggle upon that board."
"I merely followed Heaven's will. Tongtian... my teacher will understand!"
Duobao still felt some guilt over his betrayal back then.
But he was now the Human World Lord of Buddhism, exalted in status, and his fortune was bound to the Buddhist School's. They would rise or fall together.
At this point, his fate was no longer entirely his own!
Besides, he had grown accustomed to wielding such power!
Duobao glanced at Guanyin.
She understood at once and declared:
"No one may insult Shizun and live! These four wicked beasts dared show him disrespect in the Grand Hall of Heroes. They deserve death!"
At that moment, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva stepped forward.
"These four wretches deserve to die. But with the Great Tribulation of Journey to the West upon us, Spirit Mountain needs all the help it can get. We could spare these wicked beasts and let them atone for their crimes!"
"Oh?" Tathagata said. "Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, do you have something in mind?"
Samantabhadra bowed to Tathagata and said:
"Shizun, eight hundred li east of Spirit Mountain lies Shituo Kingdom. Its people disrespect the Buddhas and reject our teachings. Not only do they drive away monks, they demolish Buddhist temples on a vast scale. Their emperor has even declared that every monk in the kingdom must return to secular life or be killed!"
"How can such a wicked kingdom be allowed to exist at the foot of Spirit Mountain? We must end its rule, destroy its royal house, and slaughter its people. Only by turning it into a living hell can we make an example of it! Then the kingdoms and tribes of the Western Ox Continent will never again dare disrespect Shizun or defy the Buddhist School!"
Tathagata sat high on the Twelve-Rank Golden Lotus Throne, solemn and majestic. He spoke slowly:
"Good!"
"Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, I leave this matter to you!"
Delighted, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva said, "I obey Shizun's decree!"
With that, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva kicked Qiu Shou Xian in the rump and brandished a Demon-Slaying Whip.
"You four wicked beasts, come with me to Shituo Kingdom at once and atone for your crimes!"
After Samantabhadra left, the Grand Hall of Heroes returned to its sacred calm, as though nothing had happened.
Buddha Tathagata remained seated high on his lotus throne, solemn and imposing. He said slowly:
"Venerable Bodhi told me Sun Wukong once vanished for three years. Someone unknown taught him a cultivation method, allowing him to become a Grand Unity Golden Immortal!"
"This concerns the rise or fall of the Buddhist School. We must proceed with care!"
Tathagata frowned slightly. His gaze passed over his disciples before coming to rest on two bodhisattvas.
"Medicine King Bodhisattva, Medicine Superior Bodhisattva, go to the Dragon Palace. You must ensure the Great Tribulation of Journey to the West proceeds to completion without a single mishap!"
"We obey Shizun's decree!"
The two bodhisattvas rose to accept the order, then rode Auspicious Clouds toward the Eastern Sea.
Seeing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva asked:
"Does Shizun suspect a Saint is interfering to sabotage the Grand Plan of Journey to the West?"
Before you continue