Tang Yu froze on the spot as he watched Tathagata Buddha with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
He had always wanted Buddha to give it a try, but this was damnably smooth. He had just put one in his mouth himself.
The cigarette was clearly from the pack meant for Yellow Wind King.
Guanyin Bodhisattva turned her head away. When she had seen Tang Yu smoking earlier, she had felt it disgraced the Buddhist Sect. But now even Tathagata Buddha had one in his mouth, and he had openly come out smoking to settle the matter.
Why did the Buddhist Sect feel so bizarre these days?
"Tathagata, I'm killing Juan Lian today."
The Jade Emperor spoke bluntly.
What he meant was, I'll kill him, then you revive him. The journey to obtain the scriptures won't be delayed, and my dignity will be preserved.
Tathagata's expression turned slightly cold. He flicked away some ash, tilted his head, and said stiffly, "What did you say? Kill him?"
Juan Lian would be one of the Buddhist Sect's people in the future, so naturally, he had to protect him with all his strength.
Besides, Sha Wujing was one of the most important people in the Journey to the West. You wanted to kill him just because you said so?
If you didn't want Buddhism to flourish, just say it outright.
The Jade Emperor's breathing stalled. Why was Tathagata acting like some fool? Why couldn't he understand the meaning behind his words?
"Tathagata, he hugged my Queen Mother. Where am I supposed to put my pride?"
"You cannot kill Juan Lian. You should understand how important he is. As for him hugging your Queen Mother, that was purely an accident. And the Journey to the West has undergone an unexpected change. Surely you know that?"
Naturally, the Jade Emperor knew there had been an unexpected change in the Journey to the West.
But it did not affect him. Even if the journey to obtain the scriptures failed, it was the Buddhist Sect that would suffer the loss.
"I don't know." The Jade Emperor's face was livid.
You don't know? What bullshit.
The corner of Tathagata's mouth twitched slightly. "I suspect this matter was very likely the work of that unexpected change, secretly causing trouble. Juan Lian was merely an innocent victim who had been pushed forward."
Even if he was a victim, he had truly hugged the Queen Mother.
And the Jade Emperor had made such a grand show of it, bringing so many people here.
If he did nothing, people would think he feared Tathagata.
"What does any of that have to do with me? I came here for Juan Lian alone." The Jade Emperor turned to the heavenly soldiers below and ordered, "Kill him."
Tathagata Buddha's face turned cold. "How dare you."
With a wave of his hand, all the heavenly soldiers below were sent flying into the distance.
They splashed into the Flowing Sand River one after another.
The Jade Emperor's aura suddenly surged.
Quasi-Saint!
Like Tathagata, he possessed the cultivation of a Quasi-Saint.
Sun Wukong stared unblinkingly at the Jade Emperor. Since he possessed cultivation as powerful as Tathagata's, why had he needed to ask Tathagata Buddha for help during the Havoc in Heaven?
With the Jade Emperor's cultivation, capturing him should have been effortless as well.
At that moment, Sun Wukong truly sensed a conspiracy.
He looked at the Jade Emperor and Buddha confronting each other in the sky.
One was the ruler of the Three Realms, while the other was the boss of Western Heaven.
If they fought, who knew who would be stronger.
Honestly, even Tang Yu had not expected that Sha Wujing alone would cause Buddhism and Daoism to confront each other.
Tsk, tsk.
An unintentional act had borne fruit!
Still, he understood that even if they fought, it would merely be for show. Neither of them would truly risk their lives.
Besides, Saints must surely be watching everything from above. If things truly spiraled out of control, a Saint would definitely intervene.
Still, it was not easy to witness such a scene.
He pulled Sun Wukong and Er Daizi back a few more steps to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Thirty-third Heaven.
Taishang Laojun shook his head slightly. "This has gone a little too far."
He took one step forward and appeared above the Flowing Sand River in the blink of an eye.
"Everyone, disperse."
Taishang Laojun spoke lightly.
"Greetings, Laojun."
The Jade Emperor and Tathagata hurriedly bowed.
"Disperse."
"But..." The Jade Emperor looked troubled.
Taishang Laojun waved his hand, and everyone's memories were immediately cleansed. Of course, only the memories concerning the Queen Mother were erased.
Only the Jade Emperor, the Queen Mother, Tathagata, Tang Yu, and a few others retained their original memories.
Some of the heavenly soldiers and generals looked bewildered, having no idea how they had ended up here.
But when they saw the Jade Emperor present, none of them dared ask any questions.
"Well?"
Taishang Laojun asked calmly.
Though unwilling, the Jade Emperor could not say anything else.
His face darkened as he said, "Withdraw the troops. Return to Heaven."
The skies above.
The mass of heavenly soldiers withdrew in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, Tang Yu sighed inwardly. Why hadn't they fought?
They had actually left so meekly.
"Thank you, Laojun."
Tathagata Buddha bowed respectfully.
Taishang Laojun smiled faintly, and his figure vanished from where he stood.
Before leaving, however, it seemed as though he had glanced at Tang Yu. That was Tang Yu's feeling, yet it was an extremely clear one.
What did that look mean?
Was it a warning?
Was it because he had dragged the Heavenly Court into this matter, or was it for some other reason?
Or was he telling him not to go too far?
After Taishang Laojun left, Tathagata Buddha immediately straightened his back. "Tang Sanzang, though the journey to Western Heaven is arduous and fraught with danger, you must never forget your original intention."
He took the opportunity to warn Tang Sanzang.
Recently, Tang Sanzang seemed to have been possessed by something. He had become more and more outrageous.
He ate meat and drank wine, even breaking his vow of celibacy.
Moreover, he no longer had the slightest bearing of a monk.
Look at how he wore that cassock. He had tied the bottom around his waist, while his pants and oversized shorts had been pulled all the way up to the roots of his thighs.
Seeing him like this, Buddha felt the urge to slap him to death.
No wonder he had angered Venerable Guanyin so badly. At first, Tathagata Buddha had thought Venerable Guanyin's cultivation was insufficient and her temperament unstable.
But after seeing him like this in person, even Tathagata Buddha was angry.
Original intention? Tang Yu's original intention was to avoid going to Western Heaven.
"Got it."
Tang Yu replied irritably.
The cigarette should be almost finished by now, right?
That one had been laced with something.
Should he let Tathagata bring some more back this time?
That seemed possible!
He secretly exchanged more cigarettes through the system, ones loaded with even stronger stuff than the pack he had given Yellow Wind King.
"Since that is the case, continue on your journey quickly. Reach Western Heaven sooner and become Buddhas sooner." Tathagata Buddha began tempting them with benefits outright.
As he spoke, Tathagata Buddha prepared to leave and return to the Great Thunderclap Monastery.
But when he thought of the cigarettes being gone, he hesitated slightly.
Forget it. He would leave such a matter to Lingji Bodhisattva.
It would not be appropriate for him to handle it personally.
"Baozi."
Tathagata Buddha's body trembled.
Baozi.
What a distant form of address.
It seemed he had not heard that name for a very, very long time.
No, that was wrong.
He was no longer the Daoist Duobao of old. He was now Tathagata Buddha, the boss of Western Heaven. Who would dare call him Baozi?
Wouldn't that be courting death?
Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie stared at Tang Yu in stunned disbelief.
Their master was truly fierce.
He had actually called Tathagata Buddha Baozi.
Tathagata Buddha looked at Tang Yu with an icy expression.
"Aren't you taking some local specialties back with you?"
Tang Yu grinned as two packs of cigarettes appeared in his hand.
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