The Origin of the Scars

The battle of the saints had actually drawn Hongjun down.

As soon as Hongjun arrived, everyone immediately settled down.

"I already know that unforeseen changes have appeared in the Journey to the West, but no saint has intervened." Hongjun looked toward Tongtian. "You have remained deep within the Primordial Era for many years. Go."

Tongtian was overjoyed and respectfully bowed. "Thank you, Master."

After saying that, Hongjun vanished from where he stood.

Everyone had thought that a battle between saints would surely shatter heaven and earth. No one had expected Hongjun's appearance to resolve it so effortlessly.

Tongtian returned to Biyou Palace and could not help feeling as though a lifetime had passed.

"Greetings, Master."

His disciples hurriedly knelt in worship.

Looking at them, Tongtian could not help letting out a sigh.

Some of his once-prized disciples had already been converted by Western Heaven and become Buddhas, including several of his favorites—Daoist Duobao, Chang'er Dingguang Immortal...

But quite a few members of the Chan Sect had also been converted. Thinking of it that way, Tongtian felt much more balanced.

"Unforeseen changes have appeared in the Journey to the West. Do your utmost to find them," Tongtian ordered.

"Yes."

The two saints, Jieyin and Zhunti, were completely dumbfounded this time.

They had originally assumed it had to be that old bastard Primordial Lord of Heaven meddling in secret. There was no other possibility.

Yet even that old fossil Hongjun had said that no saint had intervened.

That was fucking strange.

If no saint had intervened, then where had the unforeseen change come from?

The two of them were utterly perplexed.

Tang Yu lay sprawled across the donkey, so drowsy that he was about to fall asleep.

Suddenly, the system notification sounded.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for plundering Destiny Points from the Daoist Sect."

"Reward: five million Destiny Points."

Tang Yu instantly woke up upon hearing it.

What was going on? Why was there so much this time? A full five million?

"System, what's going on?"

"Ding! Due to the Host's arrangements: battle of the saints, Hongjun's appearance, Tongtian's freedom."

The explanation was truly concise and straight to the point.

After thinking about it, Tang Yu understood.

He had been worrying about how to earn more points, and now here they were.

Still, it was far from enough for the item he wanted to exchange for.

Nine-Nine Heavenly Merit!

He had long set his sights on this cultivation technique. It was the technique cultivated by Great God Pangu.

As everyone knew, the so-called Nine-Nine Mystic Merit and Eight-Nine Mystic Merit were merely incomplete volumes of Nine-Nine Heavenly Merit.

Sun Wukong's Seventy-Two Transformations belonged to the Eight-Nine Mystic Merit. He and Yang Jian had both cultivated Eight-Nine Mystic Merit, but what they cultivated was different.

That was because Subhuti and True Man Yu Ding had obtained different incomplete volumes.

Even an incomplete volume of Eight-Nine Mystic Merit had made Sun Wukong and Yang Jian so formidable.

What was even more terrifying was that Eight-Nine Mystic Merit was only an incomplete volume of Nine-Nine Heavenly Merit. That showed just how domineering this technique was.

Therefore, Tang Yu had already decided to exchange for it.

Although he did not have enough points yet, as long as he kept working hard, there would always be hope.

How many Destiny Points would he get if he killed a couple of bodhisattvas someday?

It probably would not be a small amount.

At that thought, Tang Yu could not help chuckling sinisterly.

Seeing his sinister smile, Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie both shuddered.

This monk was nothing like the harmless man he appeared to be. In truth, he was sinister as hell.

Seeing that wicked smile, they knew he was definitely plotting something bad.

Noticing his disciples' gazes, Tang Yu coughed and made conversation for lack of anything else to say. "Wukong, Er Daizi, what are you talking about?"

"Master, Old Zhu was telling me about some amusing stories from before Tathagata Buddha became a Buddha."

Sun Wukong clapped his hands and laughed.

The moment he heard it was about Tathagata Buddha's past, Tang Yu became interested.

"What is it? Tell your master."

Zhu Bajie gave a simple-minded grin, hesitated slightly, and said, "Master, do you know about the lumps on Tathagata Buddha's head?"

Weren't those the Buddhist Sect's ritual scars?

Why had Er Daizi suddenly brought this up? Could there be some hidden story behind them?

"I don't. Hurry up and tell me."

Zhu Bajie coughed dryly and began slowly. "Buddha was once Daoist Duobao, a disciple under Tongtian..."

As Zhu Bajie slowly told the story, Tang Yu came to understand what had happened.

After Daoist Duobao became Buddha, he got too full of himself and went to Taishang Laojun to show off.

Taishang Laojun ignored him the first time and the second time, but even a clay figurine had some temper.

Much less Taishang Laojun.

Ignoring him once or twice had been giving him face, because Taishang Laojun had not wanted to lower himself to his level.

But when he came swaggering before Taishang Laojun again, Taishang Laojun finally lost his temper. He grabbed him by the collar, yanked him over, and gave him a brutal beating right on the head.

Bam, bam, bam.

That was how Tathagata Buddha ended up with a head full of lumps. At first, he had wanted the two Western saints to remove them.

But then he saw that the extra lumps made him look kind and benevolent, perfectly fitting the Buddhist ideal of compassion.

So Buddha kept them and issued an order that all believers needed to have ritual scars burned onto their heads.

That was how the Buddhist Sect's ritual scars came to be.

"So that's what happened." Tang Yu burst out laughing.

He had always found the ritual scars strange, but now he understood.

Six lumps meant an ordinary monk, nine lumps meant an abbot, and a full head of lumps meant Tathagata.

The more lumps one had, the higher one's status.

"I never thought that old Tathagata had such a past. Hahaha! Next time I see him, I'll definitely mock him properly," Sun Wukong said, jumping about with laughter.

If you dare mock Tathagata, just see whether he smacks you or not.

Taishang Laojun had beaten his head full of lumps, and he could just as easily beat your head full of lumps too.

Tang Yu looked around, then slapped the donkey's rump to signal it to stop so they could rest here for a while.

It was the perfect chance to think about what came next.

If Tang Yu had guessed correctly, the next trial should be the Four Saints Testing Their Resolve.

Should he really kill a couple of bodhisattvas?

To be honest, he was very tempted.

But how could he carry it out without anyone noticing? That was what made it difficult.

He was thinking.

Tathagata Buddha in Western Heaven was also thinking.

His mind felt rather muddled.

This would not do. He needed to light one up.

After taking a drag of his cigarette, Tathagata felt his mind instantly clear.

"Venerable Guanyin, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, the next trial will require the three of you to work together and complete it with all your efforts."

"Go to Lishan and invite Old Mother Lishan."

Thinking of Old Mother Lishan made Tathagata feel a little awkward. Back when he had been Daoist Duobao, she had been his senior sister.

"We obey Buddha's decree."

The three bodhisattvas accepted Buddha's decree and headed for Lishan together.

Tathagata Buddha murmured, "I hope nothing unexpected happens this time."

Unexpected events had occurred one after another during the Journey to the West. By now, even Tathagata Buddha was no longer certain.

Lishan!

Old Mother Lishan was tending to her garden.

Suddenly, she raised her head and looked toward the sky.

Three figures appeared and bowed together. "We pay our respects to Old Mother Lishan."

Old Mother Lishan was of the same generation as Tathagata, so they should naturally pay their respects. Besides, they had come to ask her for help this time.