Lingji Bodhisattva immediately felt as if he were floating among the immortals. It was unbelievably refreshing.
This feeling was truly delightful.
These cigarettes had been laced with something. Tang Yu himself had not smoked them, nor had he dared to.
Originally, he had planned to let Tathagata Buddha have one someday, but Lingji Bodhisattva had unexpectedly gotten to enjoy them first.
Wonderful!
It was simply too wonderful.
Lingji Bodhisattva gulped down a cigarette in a few puffs, then hurriedly lit another for himself.
Looking at the cigarettes in his hand, he hesitated. Something this good should have been saved for him to enjoy in secret.
But if Buddha discovered that he had been enjoying something so good without offering any to him, it would give others something to hold against him.
Thus, Lingji Bodhisattva took several cigarettes from the pack. Looking at the remaining cigarettes, he felt there were still too many and took out a few more.
Only three cigarettes remained in the pack, which he planned to take back as an offering to Buddha. He would hide the rest and smoke them secretly, savoring them slowly.
Having made up his mind, he clamped a cigarette between his lips and returned to Western Heaven.
"Buddha, I have returned. Guanyin has gone back to Mount Putuo of the South Sea."
Lingji Bodhisattva quickly arrived in Western Heaven and reported to Buddha.
Thinking of how Guanyin Bodhisattva had not had it easy lately, having been thoroughly humiliated by Tang Yu.
She had nearly died at the hands of the Yellow Wind King, and in the end, she had even eaten a fart.
"It is good that she has returned to Mount Putuo of the South Sea to cultivate her temperament. After all, she still needs to keep a close eye on Tang Sanzang and his group. There will surely be no shortage of things for her to worry about in the future."
Tathagata Buddha was rather understanding.
Several Arhats and Bodhisattvas exchanged glances, secretly taking pleasure in her misfortune.
After all, taking part in the Journey to the West Tribulation would earn them considerable merit once the calamities were completed.
Every one of them had fought desperately for this opportunity.
They had all eagerly recommended themselves. To compete for this chance, they had nearly come to blows.
They had been so anxious, scratching their heads, desperately wanting this assignment.
They were so worried that they were practically losing their hair.
Yet it had fallen to Guanyin Bodhisattva.
It felt terribly unfair to them. Was it just because Guanyin Bodhisattva was a woman?
So Buddha took such good care of her.
But the matter had already been decided. Buddha was the boss of Western Heaven.
Since he had arranged it, who would dare utter a single complaint? Did they still want to get by in Western Heaven?
Still, each of them remained envious, jealous, and resentful.
Now that they saw Guanyin Bodhisattva suffer a loss, they could not help secretly laughing.
It seemed this assignment was not so easy after all. If it had fallen to them, they might have been the ones who had just eaten a fart.
"Buddha, after the Yellow Wind King died, I found this."
As if presenting a treasure, Lingji Bodhisattva took out the cigarettes.
Was this not the thing Tang Sanzang often held in his mouth?
"Buddha, this is a treasure. Hold it in your mouth, light it with fire, and take a puff. It is simply bliss."
As he spoke, Lingji Bodhisattva wanted to smoke again. But it was not appropriate to smoke in public, and more importantly, he was afraid someone would snatch them away.
Buddha glanced at Lingji Bodhisattva.
He took one, put it between his lips, lit it, and began to smoke.
With that one puff, he felt as though he were floating away.
His mind became utterly clear. His understanding of Buddhist teachings and profound emptiness seemed to deepen considerably.
Good stuff.
Truly good stuff.
Lingji Bodhisattva, you did not misjudge this fellow. He actually knew to offer something so good to me.
Hmm?
What Lingji Bodhisattva had just said clearly meant that he had been secretly smoking them.
No wonder Buddha had smelled smoke on him when he spoke earlier.
He gave Lingji Bodhisattva a deep look. This old fellow had actually been trying to play tricks on him.
Still, since Lingji Bodhisattva had brought back such a fine thing as an offering, Buddha could not question him directly at this moment.
"Lingji Bodhisattva has rendered great merit to our Buddhist Sect."
What?
That counted as great merit? The Buddhas below looked at one another.
Still, you were the boss. Whatever you said went.
"Buddha is wise."
Tathagata Buddha nodded with a smile, then took another puff.
Ah...
Wonderful!
This was simply pure enjoyment.
"Why did the Yellow Wind King suddenly dare attack a Bodhisattva? Could the Myriad Monster Nation have interfered? It seems we must warn those monsters."
For some reason, after taking two puffs, Buddha felt his mind become clearer. He seemed able to consider matters much more thoroughly.
It truly was good stuff.
Tang Yu had originally intended to let him enjoy it too, but through a strange twist of fate, Buddha had put one in his mouth himself.
If Tang Yu found out, he would surely burst into laughter.
"Also, Tang Sanzang and his group are about to reach the Flowing Sand River. Sha Wujing is still waiting there. This calamity should be completed as soon as possible, to avoid any accidents..."
Tathagata Buddha swept his gaze across the assembly before it settled on Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. "Later, I will trouble Samantabhadra Bodhisattva to visit the Myriad Monster Nation and warn those monsters. Then stop by Mount Putuo of the South Sea and tell Venerable Guanyin to follow Tang Sanzang and his group as closely as possible. This calamity must be completed as soon as possible."
"I obey Buddha's decree."
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva accepted Buddha's decree and headed down to the Myriad Monster Nation.
The Myriad Monster Nation!
Its former glory was nowhere to be seen. Crumbling walls and ruins lay everywhere, suffused with desolation.
Only some aged monsters and little demons that had only recently been born remained.
After the previous generation's Demon King was defeated, the Myriad Monster Nation had long since declined into ruin.
In that battle, the Demon King had led the monsters of the Myriad Monster Nation.
They had mobilized the entire nation and fought the Heavenly Court without regard for the cost. In the end, the Buddhist Sect intervened.
The monsters suffered a crushing defeat, and even the Demon King's primordial spirit was shattered.
After that battle, the Myriad Monster Nation fell completely into decline.
Some famous Demon Kings, such as Green Lion and White Elephant, were converted by the Buddhist Sect. They forgot their past and became mounts for the Bodhisattvas.
Great Sage Equal to Heaven Bull Demon King had some secret connections with the Heavenly Court and barely escaped disaster, though he no longer dared act too recklessly.
The little demons who had survived by chance could only return to the Myriad Monster Nation, living in the cracks between the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist Sect, enduring humiliation to survive.
"Grandpa, Grandpa, what happened after that?"
A little demon who had only recently taken human form clung to her grandfather and asked.
Her skin was snow-white, her eyes lively and cunning, and she possessed an ethereal aura untouched by the world.
She was like a little fairy who had fallen into the mortal realm.
Her grandfather was already very old, his face lined with chiseled wrinkles and his eyes cloudy.
After coughing softly twice, a trace of reminiscence surfaced in his eyes.
Those were the glorious days when he had once fought in battle.
"After that, the monsters of the Myriad Monster Nation were massacred and slaughtered. Only a small number of monsters escaped back here, barely clinging to life."
"What about the Demon King?" the little demon continued asking.
The old demon's eyes suddenly brightened, as if he had seen his former self following behind the Demon King and fighting across the world.
But then his eyes slowly blinked, and tears fell from those clouded eyes.
"Later, Tathagata Buddha of Western Heaven came carrying a saint's dharma artifact and shattered the Demon King. Yet the Demon King still refused to yield, swinging the Iron Staff in his hand. Until his final moment, he never stopped fighting. He fought until death, never letting go of his weapon. In the end, he was beaten back into his original form, becoming a stone that fell into the lower realm..."
The old demon's voice choked with emotion.
Before you continue