Subduing demons at Lion Camel Ridge (Thirty-two)

Meanwhile, the Dragon King of the North Sea came to the banquet to see the rare and precious items.

The Kitchen God led the Dragon King of the North Sea over, and when they arrived at the roof behind the palace, they smelled a strange fragrance.

It had been steaming for a day now, and the sky was dim, so the Dragon King of the North Sea couldn't see what it was. He asked, "What is this? I have never smelled such meaty aroma before!"

The Kitchen God said, "This is Buddha Flesh!"

The Dragon King of the North Sea was greatly alarmed.

The Kitchen God said, "Your nephew has captured Four Buddhas: Buddha Well-Praised, Buddha Solemn Light, Jewel Light Buddha, and Buddha Without Worries. Now he wants to steam them for food. My divine power is weak, and I have no other choice but to resort to this plan. Please ask the Dragon King to come."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King of the North Sea's expression changed repeatedly. After pondering for a while, he said:

"Of Four Seas, I control cold air, but this matter of steaming and boiling uses heat, so I am powerless to help. I have summoned my elder brother Ao Qin from the Southern Sea to ask him to come and save us."

The Kitchen God said, "Please! Please!"

The North Sea Dragon King then used Secret Method to summon the Dragon King of the Southern Sea, Ao Qin.

When the Dragon King of the Southern Sea arrived and learned the cause of the matter, he said, "I never imagined that the Four Buddhas would suffer such a great calamity. I will immediately use my magic to save them!"

After speaking, the Dragon King of the Southern Sea cast a spell, conjuring Eight Fire Dragons, which he blew into the pot, where they circled and protected it.

The Kitchen God exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't you say you were saving someone? Why are you adding more fire to the fire?"

The Dragon King of the Southern Sea said, "Kitchen God, you are unaware that the Flames at the bottom of the pot were originally burning haphazardly, hence the rising steam. I summoned Eight Fire Dragons to extinguish the flames, so the steam is no longer visible from the outside!"

The Kitchen God said, "I see." He didn't ask any further questions; for him, having an explanation for this matter was enough.

At that time, the four Buddha in the steamer were suffering.

The Jewel Light Buddha, being at the very bottom, was the first to feel the heat and said, "This Demon has changed shifts."

The Buddha Well-Praised asked, "Why has the shift changed?"

Jewel Light Buddha, "The little Demon before wasn't skilled in fire magic, and his firework was chaotic. Even if we were steamed for another ten years, he wouldn't be able to kill us. Now, it must be the old Demon Heads who has come and gathered all the fire together. Although the firepower hasn't improved much, it's extremely hot and suffocating. If we're suffocated like this for several years, our bodies will really be ruined."

The Buddha Well-Praised, "It's pitiful that our Buddhist Realm is shattered, our Dao Foundation destroyed, and our magical powers completely lost. Otherwise, why would we fear these few drops of Samadhi Fire?"

Buddha Solemn Light, "What's there to be afraid of? At worst, we can just get rid of this stinking shell!"

The Buddha Without Worries, "Indeed, let's abandon our Fleshly Body first and leave. These Little Demon can't stop us now. If we don't leave, when that Blood Sea Old Monster arrives, we'll truly be in calamity."

The four Buddhas made up their minds, each relinquishing their physical bodies, and their primordial spirits and Buddha-nature returned to the West.

After the Dragon King of the Southern Sea finished his spell, he went with the Dragon King of the North Sea to find Ao Tu, and also invited the Kitchen God to go with them.

The Kitchen God dared not go, so he quickly took his leave and followed the Cooking Smoke.

The Dragon King of the Southern Sea and the Dragon King of the North Sea arrived outside the palace and instructed their Little Demon to announce their arrival.

Little Demon came to report, Ao Tu, upon hearing this, invited the two in and asked them what brought them here.

The Dragon King of the Southern Sea and the North Sea Dragon King then explained the whole story.

The Dragon King of the Southern Sea said, "My dear nephew, the Samadhi True Fire of that Demon under your command is used too loosely. I have sent Eight Fire Dragons to gather the Samadhi True Fire together to increase its power."

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu knew something was wrong.

He didn't actually intend to eat the four Buddha directly; otherwise, why would he have asked Red Boy to start the fire? He could have simply used fire magic to steam the four Buddha.

His plan was to use the pretext of steaming these four Buddha to spread the word, steaming them for a while longer so the news would reach Spirit Mountain and force the Tathagata Monk descend the mountain. After all, with his Buddha about to be steamed and eaten by Demon, the Tathagata Monk couldn't possibly sit idly by, could he?

Unexpectedly, my second uncle arrived, causing a misunderstanding.

He destroyed the very foundations of those four Buddha, shattering all the Buddhist Realm around them. Without Faith to replenish them, and severely wounded, they were reduced to mere shells of Buddha.

Originally, this remaining body was also Great Luo body, and it would be extremely difficult for Red Boy to burn it.

But the Dragon King of the Southern Sea sent Eight Fire Dragons to help.

If this continues, over time, it might really burn out.

Ao Tu then instructed someone to entertain his two uncles while he went to the back room to check the cooking temperature.

Upon reaching the back room, they saw the Green Lion and White Elephant fast asleep, while Red Boy sat on a small stool, nodding wearily and occasionally spitting out mouthfuls of Samadhi True Fire into the bottom of the pot.

The Samadhi True Fire fell to the bottom of the pot and did not dissipate. It was encircled by the Eight Fire Dragons and accumulated more and more.

Ao Tu stepped forward to check and saw that the four Buddhas in the steamer had all lost their primordial spirits and Buddha-nature, leaving only four mortal bodies.

Logically speaking, these Samadhi True Fire shouldn't be able to burn them yet. Even if Great Luo Great Luo body is shattered and severely injured, it would take several years of accumulation to burn through it.

But why did these four Buddha so decisively abandon their Fleshly Body and flee?

Ao Tu thought for a moment and roughly guessed what the four were thinking. Presumably, these four saw the fire getting fiercer and thought that someone else had come to burn them, and they were afraid that he would come and burn them to death himself, so they risked their lives to escape. There was nothing he could do now, so he could only share them with the demons.

Behind him, Red Boy, somewhat drowsy, raised his head, about to unleash his magic to spew fire again, when he suddenly saw the Great King in front of him. He quickly stood up and said, "Your Great King, what brings you here?"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "I came to see why you haven't gone back to rest yet, it's so late. This fire won't go out, just have a few Little Demon take turns adding water, right?"

Red Boy said, "These four monks are difficult to steam. I was thinking of breathing more fire so I could steam them up quickly and offer them to Your Great King. Unfortunately, my magic power is insufficient, so I can only condense some magic power every now and then and breathe fire again."

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu patted Red Boy's head and said, "Go back and rest. There's no rush to eat these four monks. I still need to invite some people to enjoy it together. Let's steam it slowly. If we rush it, the meat will become tough and won't taste good."

Upon hearing this, Red Boy happily agreed.

Half a month later, the aroma from the steamer grew stronger, filling the city with the fragrance of meat.

Because the Four Buddhas shed their shells and left, the remaining Fleshly Body had no source, and naturally they were quickly steamed to produce a rich meaty aroma.

The three lions —Green Lion, White Elephant, and Golden-Winged Great Peng— were so hungry that they would gather around the steamer every day, wishing they could live right next to it.

Red Boy had no choice but to keep watch every day to prevent the three from stealing the food.

Ao Tu sent his two uncles back. After all, it was not a proper thing to talk about, and as the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, his uncles could not enjoy themselves in public.

Once it's steamed, he'll send some over with a few of his men.

On the other side, at the Great Thunderclap Temple on Spirit Mountain.

The Four Buddhas Primordial Spirit returned and, before the the Monks, recounted the events of the past, pleading with the Tathagata Buddha to intervene and reclaim their Fleshly Body.

The Tathagata Buddha said, "I warned you not to fight with that Demon Dragon, but you did not heed my advice, which has led to this calamity. From now on, you must not speak of fighting again. You should return to the Eastern Lands, rebuild the temple, and recast the Golden Body."

The Four Buddhas wept and said, "World-Honored One, are our bodies, which we have cultivated through countless eons of arduous practice, destined to be devoured by Demon?"

The Buddha said, "It is already a great fortune that your primordial spirit and Buddha-nature have returned."

Upon hearing this, the Four Buddhas wept repeatedly and pleaded with Maitreya Buddha.

Maitreya Buddha doesn't care.

I also prayed to Buddha Randeng.

Buddha Randeng ignored him.

They had no choice but to pray to the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Light.

The Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Light sighed, "I will make a trip and retrieve your Buddha Body for you."