"Heavenly Dao's will?"
"Bullshit!"
If Sect Leader Tongtian had still felt some reverence for the Heavenly Dao—or rather, Hong Jun—before, now there was only one thought in his mind.
I'll take him down!
Who could blame him? That old bastard had played dirty and struck first at the Interception Sect's legacy.
Did he really think Tongtian had no temper?
So,
before Journey to the West Tongtian and Nuwa could finish speaking, Sect Leader Tongtian cut them off decisively. "Fellow Daoists, setting aside the fact that the Heavenly Dao is simply Hong Jun in another form, this so-called rise of Buddhism may well be compensation for them taking down the Interception Sect."
"Even if I grant that it really is the Heavenly Dao, so what?"
At that, Sect Leader Tongtian paused and turned to look Journey to the West Tongtian and Nuwa straight in the eye.
"We cultivators have always defied Heaven. When have we ever followed the Heavenly Dao's arrangements? When have we ever been bound by so-called fate?"
"The Great Dao has fifty paths, but Heaven's evolution yields forty-nine. The One Who Escaped!"
"Now that the One Who Escaped has been found, what's left for us to hesitate about? Do neither of you even have the courage to take a chance?"
"Hah..."
Under Tongtian's pointed gaze, Journey to the West Tongtian's already flushed face seemed ready to start smoking.
"Fellow Daoist, you and I are one and the same. Surely you know whether I have the courage."
"Hahaha!"
Sect Leader Tongtian roared with laughter and nodded in satisfaction. "Fellow Daoist, since that old Hong Jun hasn't scared you witless, I can rest easy!"
As he spoke, Sect Leader Tongtian turned to Nuwa. "Junior Sister, just look after Xuanming for me. A battle between Sages is no small matter. He's only a Golden Immortal—he might get caught in the crossfire."
"If that's all, then of course I don't mind!"
Nuwa couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She'd truly feared Tongtian would force her to take a stand.
After all, although Hong Jun had targeted the Interception Sect and suppressed Tongtian, he'd hardly laid a hand on her.
And she'd remained neutral for so many aeons...
If she broke that stance?
There was no telling whether the humans she'd created would even survive!
Journey to the West,
beneath Five-Finger Mountain,
Tang Sanzang, unaware that disaster was about to strike, chanted the Tightening Spell with a look of compassion.
On the grass not far in front of him, a monkey wearing a tiger-skin skirt and a golden headband writhed in agony, clutching his head as he rolled back and forth.
"Master, Master, please, please stop chanting!"
"Your old grandson knows he was wrong!"
"Next time, next time your old grandson won't kill them! I won't kill them again... Aah!"
"..."
Hearing the monkey's wails, Tang Sanzang looked pained, but he didn't stop chanting for even a moment.
He knew that if he stopped, the monkey might just whack him with his staff.
He also thought those bandits deserved to die, but the monkey had dared defy his orders. How was he supposed to lead him from now on?
However,
just as Tang Sanzang focused all his attention on the spell, hoping to subdue Sun Wukong once and for all, a surprised voice sounded beside him.
"Oh... Grandmaster, looks like we arrived just in time!"
"Oh?"
Tongtian, who had appeared in the clouds with Xuanming, looked down at the monk and monkey and asked curiously, "Xuanming, do you know them?"
"Of course!"
Xuanming rose with a smile and descended on an auspicious cloud nearby. He raised a hand, stopping Tang Sanzang's chanting.
"Baldy, stop chanting! Do you want to die?"
"..."
Tang Sanzang stopped reciting without thinking, then stood up nervously and bowed to the two of them.
"Immortal Masters, this poor monk comes from Great Tang in the Eastern Lands..."
"I know!"
Before Tang Sanzang could finish, Xuanming calmly repeated, "Tang Sanzang, also known as Tang Xuanzang? The reincarnation of Buddhism's Jin Chanzi, and their chosen pilgrim to fetch the scriptures!"
"Uh..."
Tang Sanzang panicked at having his origins exposed for the first time. He'd never believed he was the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi.
But Guanyin Bodhisattva had said so. Even if he didn't believe it, he had to accept it!
"So he's Tang Sanzang?!"
Before Tang Sanzang could figure out how to reply, Tongtian, hearing the name, was already radiating boundless killing intent.
"Xuanming, why waste your breath on him? Just slap him to death!"
"No, no!"
Xuanming hurriedly grabbed Sect Leader Tongtian as he moved to attack. "Grandmaster, don't rush. There are people who want him dead even more than we do!"
"Hm?"
Sect Leader Tongtian seemed to realize something and instinctively turned to look behind him.
Sure enough,
the monkey who had been rolling on the ground a moment ago had somehow torn off his tiger-skin skirt. Wearing a golden headband and gripping a thick, long Golden Cudgel, he brought it crashing down on Tang Sanzang.
"Baldy, you think you can control your old grandson? Let's see if my staff agrees!"
"?!"
As the massive staff hurtled toward him, Tang Sanzang's vision went black, and a thought rose in his heart: I'm done for!
But...
"Clang!"
A glittering golden barrier sprang up from nowhere the instant the Golden Cudgel struck, shielding Tang Sanzang completely.
The clash of metal rang out!
Sun Wukong's hands went numb. He could barely keep hold of the Golden Cudgel.
"Who?!"
He leaped back several hundred meters and warily fixed his gaze on Xuanming and Tongtian. "Was it you who ruined your old grandson's plan?"
"Of course not!"
Xuanming stroked his chin and examined the barrier around Tang Sanzang. "I was wondering why they'd let Tang Sanzang travel alone. Turns out they'd already put a safeguard on him."
"Obviously!"
Tongtian rolled his eyes. "You could figure that out with half a brain."
Who sent their disciples or grand-disciples out without giving them something good to protect themselves?
If the San Xiao sisters knew you were going out, they'd stuff both the Golden Flood Dragon Scissors and the Hunyuan Golden Dou into your arms.
Of course,
he didn't say that so bluntly. Instead, he looked toward the distant horizon. "Xuanming, it should be those baldies from Buddhism coming. What do you think we should do?"
"Kill them, of course!"
Xuanming waved his hand indifferently. He hadn't killed Tang Sanzang because he wanted to recruit Sun Wukong, but that didn't mean he'd go easy on Buddhism.
For one thing,
the scene at Shituo Ridge when he'd first arrived in the Journey to the West world was enough to condemn Buddhism to death.
All because the people didn't believe in Buddhism, they'd let the Golden-Winged Great Peng swallow hundreds of thousands of them?
If not you, then who?
And right then, the Buddhist powerhouse racing over from Spirit Mountain to save the day had no idea what awaited her.
She was already regretting it!
That damned monkey!
So wild and unruly!
If she'd known, she would've beaten him half to death before handing him over to Tang Sanzang to save. Maybe that would've brought them closer faster.
Maybe... she could try that next time?
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