Slaying Demons at Lion Camel Ridge (Thirty-Eight)
However, Ao Tu unfortunately suffered a backlash from Heaven and Earth.
When Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Light saw this, he couldn't bear it and, out of great compassion, willingly gave his own Lapis Lazuli Golden Elixir and Medicine Buddha Gourd to Ao Tu to make up for the backlash.
Ao Tu was overjoyed upon seeing this, and after withdrawing the Pangu Phantom, he asked:
"If the Medicine Buddha loses his Gourd, what will he use to hold the medicine?"
The Medicine Buddha, "I'll have someone make a medicine bowl."
Ao Tu said, "I know a little about Artifact Refining; I'll forge it for you."
The Medicine Buddha thanked him repeatedly.
Ao Tu said, "No need to thank me. I just have a small favor to ask the Medicine Buddha to do for me."
The Medicine Buddha asked, "What is it?"
Ao Tu said, "Don't rush to speak, please come into the city to discuss this in detail."
As he spoke, Ao Tu reached out to pull the Medicine Buddha, but grabbed nothing. Only then did Ao Tu realize that he had already killed the Medicine Buddha's True Body, and that what he saw now was merely a manifestation of the Dao Principles, which made him somewhat embarrassed.
Ao Tu said, "We still need to find a physical Fleshly Body."
The Medicine Buddha, "I have many Sarira enshrined on Spirit Mountain in my past lives. You only need to retrieve one to restore your Fleshly Body."
Upon hearing this, Ao Tu sent Golden-Winged Great Peng to fetch it.
After receiving the order, Golden-Winged Great Peng spread its wings and arrived at Spirit Mountain. There, it saw many Buddha Pagoda, and on the east side, several pagodas enshrined the Nirvana Sarira of the Medicine Buddha.
Several young Śrāmaṇera were in charge of cleaning, while some Sangharama the Bhikkhu guarded the area.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng flew down and ate the young novice Śrāmaṇera who was cleaning. The Bhikkhu Sangharama rushed forward to stop it, but they were also eaten.
After Golden-Winged Great Peng had eaten his fill, he took one of the Sarira and returned to Lion Camel City.
Ao Tu obtained the Sarira and handed them over to the Medicine Buddha.
Medicine Buddha then used the remains of his past Nirvana to reshape his Fleshly Body.
Before long, the Fleshly Body was completely reconstructed, but it was not as stable as the previous crystal Golden Body.
Ao Tu then took out his Medicine Buddha Gourd, poured out a Lapis Lazuli Golden Elixir, and blew on it towards the Medicine Buddha, thus stabilizing the Medicine Buddha's Fleshly Body.
The Medicine Buddha expressed his gratitude repeatedly.
This wasn't him feigning gratitude.
Now that the outcome is decided, the fact that he was able to preserve the Dao Principles and reshape his Fleshly Body is already a very good result.
The Demon Dragon's actions did indeed show some compassion and kindness, unlike those of an ordinary person.
The Great Calamity was indeed unpredictable.
He thought he had seen through the calamity, but in reality, he was simply caught in it without even realizing it.
Here, Ao Tu brought the Medicine Buddha, whose Fleshly Body had been reconstructed, into Lion Camel City, took out a cauldron, and began to forge a medicine bowl for the Medicine Buddha.
Ao Tu possessed many Divine Iron materials and took some out.
The Medicine Buddha didn't want Ao Tu to contribute his own materials, so he wanted to contribute some as well, but he didn't have any. His Eastern Pure Lapis Lazuli World contained countless gold and silver treasures and endless lapis lazuli treasures, but they were shattered by Ao Tu's axe and are now scattered in the Northern Utarakuru, turning into a piece of land. He would have to go through the trouble of searching for them.
Fortunately, Manjushri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and Guanyin Bodhisattva were all present. Upon hearing of this, they each took out Duobao to offer as gifts.
Ao Tu combined Duobao to create a medicine bowl, which he then gave to the Medicine Buddha to hold medicine.
The Medicine Buddha expressed his gratitude once again.
Meanwhile, Golden-Winged Great Peng overheard that the Medicine Buddha's treasure had been lost in the Northern Utarakuru. He was not entirely satisfied with the Yin-Yang Two-Qi Bottle he had refined and had long wanted to find someone to refine another treasure, but he regretted that he did not have the necessary materials.
Now that he had heard about this, he had an idea. He quietly went out and spread his wings to search for treasure in the Northern Utarakuru.
Northern Utarakuru is a wild and desolate place with few Human Race. Now that a treasure trove has suddenly appeared, it should be quite conspicuous.
However, the Golden-Winged Great Peng spread its wings and flew away, but could not find it no matter what it did, and had no choice but to return.
On the other side, Ao Tu invited the Medicine Buddha to sit down and talk in detail, explaining what he wanted to help with.
Actually, it's quite simple.
Now, at Lion Camel Ridge, Ao Tu has been obstructing Tang Sanzang and his disciples for more than five years. If he continues for another two years, he will have accumulated a reward of Twelve Years.
Previously at Pansi Ridge, Ao Tu defeated the Randeng Ancient Buddha and was just waiting for the Tathagata Buddha to arrive.
Tathagata Monk remained seated on Spirit Mountain, and in the end, Amitabha Buddha appeared and broke his great formation.
Now, a similar situation has arisen.
Now that Ao Tu has defeated the Medicine Buddha, the Buddha Tathagata, as the Present World World-Honored One Tathagata Buddha, should logically intervene to uphold the dignity of the Buddhist Sect. Tathagata Monk is too shrewd, Ao Tu estimates that the Tathagata Monk will remain seated on Spirit Mountain and wait for Amitabha Buddha to make his move.
Although the Twelve Divine Fiends Formation of the Twelve Capitals is powerful, it is not complete. Without the Twelve Ancestral Shamans setting up the formation, it would be extremely difficult to contend with Sage.
Therefore, Ao Tu decided to devise a plan with the Medicine Buddha to lure the Tathagata Monk monk out, in order to delay the time for obstruction.
Spirit Mountain, Great Thunderclap Temple.
The Tathagata Buddha sat high on his Lotus Throne and instructed Kasyapa to move his Belongings.
A Human Way, "World-Honored One, the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Light has not yet returned, and the matter of Eastern Migration still needs to be discussed. How can we easily transfer our teachings?"
The Tathagata Buddha said, "The Medicine Buddha is trapped in a calamity; there's no need to wait for him."
The Monks were shocked and incredulous upon hearing this.
The Tathagata Buddha ignored them and simply instructed Kasyapa, the Eighteen Arhats, and others to move their Belongings.
Just then, the Medicine Buddha returned.
The Monks were overjoyed.
The Tathagata Buddha glanced at the Medicine Buddha and immediately saw through Medicine Buddha condition, feeling slightly surprised.
Then the four Buddha Well-Praised, Buddha Solemn Light, Jewel Light Buddha, Buddha Without Worries— stepped forward and asked, "May I ask Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Light, have we obtained our Fleshly Body on this journey?"
Medicine Buddha, "I failed."
The four Buddhas wept, saying, "We never imagined that Demon were so ferocious that even the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Light could not subdue them."
The Medicine Buddha, "It's not that it can't be subdued. After I arrived at that Demon City, I used my vast Buddhist Dharma and my Medicine Buddha Gourd and Great Treasure Lapis Lazuli Golden Elixir to subdue the Demon Dragon."
The Four Buddhism and Daoism said, "Now that you have subdued the Demon Dragon, why have you failed to reclaim our Fleshly Body?"
The Medicine Buddha said, "Because you arrived a step too late, your Fleshly Body, which are priceless treasures, have already been divided up by the demons to save all sentient beings, and therefore cannot be retrieved. I originally intended to annihilate the demons, but considering the difficulty of their cultivation, and the Demon Dragon's repeated pleas that the demons should no longer eat people, I spared them."
Upon hearing this, the four Buddhas realized the die was cast and had no choice but to give up.
The other Monks of Spirit Mountain were greatly encouraged by the words of the Medicine Buddha. However, many regretted that the Medicine Buddha was too compassionate and should not have spared the Demon Dragon.
There is a Vishnu Bodhisattva:
"That Demon Dragon has harmed so many holy beings in the Western Heaven. The Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Light should not have spared him. Even if he wasn't killed on the spot, he should have been brought back to the Western Heaven for punishment!"
Upon hearing this, the the Monks all echoed his sentiments.
The Medicine Buddha, "I entered the path with the principles of equality, great compassion, and empathy for suffering. Seeing that he has already begged for mercy, I truly cannot bear to harm him. Moreover, that Demon Dragon was originally the Bell Keeper dragon under the Tathagata Buddha; it would be inappropriate for me to bring him back."
The Monks listened and thought it made sense.
The Vishnu Bodhisattva then spoke to the Tathagata Buddha:
"World-Honored One! That Demon Dragon was originally your bell-ringing Bell Keeper, but due to your lax supervision, it descended to the Lower Realm and caused harm, resulting in the deaths of countless holy beings in the Western Heaven! Now you should take him back to Spirit Mountain and deal with him accordingly!"
The Monks all echoed this sentiment.
Since the Medicine Buddha had already defeated the Demon Dragon, the the Monks no longer felt any fear.
Many people stepped forward, urging the Tathagata Buddha to capture the Demon Dragon and bring it back to Spirit Mountain for punishment.