Interesting Journey to the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom (Twenty-Two)

After several debates on Buddhist scriptures at Spirit Mountain, the the Monks understood the Buddhist principles and all agreed to Eastern Migration.

The Eight Treasures Merit Pool is a dead object, so it's easy to move; but the Bodhi Tree is a living one, large and deeply rooted, making it difficult to move easily.

Kasyapa said to cut the tree in half.

The Tathagata Buddha said that the tree should not be cut down, as it would be useful in the future. It should be moved to the Eastern Land and planted so that believers could worship it, pray for blessings, and receive Incense Offerings.

Therefore, Kasyapa had no choice but to lead the Arhats and the monastery to dig up the trees and roots every day, using earth and wood.

This morning, Kasyapa led his men out and happened to see Wukong planted under a tree. Because the hard soil under the tree had been loosened yesterday, Wukong had sunk halfway into it, with only his legs sticking out. Kasyapa couldn't recognize him and thought he was a monk who had come from the foot of the mountain to worship, secretly entering the temple and hiding under the tree to meditate.

Kasyapa called out twice, but Wukong didn't move. So Kasyapa ordered two Arhat to pull him away.

The two Arhat, one holding his left leg and the other his right, pulled hard and dragged Wukong out of the ground.

Upon closer inspection, everyone realized it was Wukong.

A Sangharama said, "Venerable Kasyapa, isn't this the Great Sage? He must have encountered Demon while protecting Tang Sanzang and has come here for help!"

Kasyapa naturally knew this, but he had some past grudges with Wukong, so he deliberately said at this moment:

"How do you know he came seeking help? I thought he came to sleep under the Bodhi Tree! We each have our own version of events, and neither can be certain. Go and ask him, and see what the truth is."

Upon hearing this, Sangharama went over and asked, "Great Sage! Great Sage! May I ask what brings you here? Have the Pilgrim encountered any calamities and come here seeking help?"

Wukong lay on the ground, unable to reply.

Kasyapa said, "Look! It's not someone crying for help! It's someone sleeping! Someone, throw him out!"

Upon hearing this, some Arhat went to lift Wukong up. As they lifted him, they tugged at his clothes, revealing a Jewel Light Alms Bowl underneath.

When Kasyapa saw it, he became greedy and exclaimed, "What a fine Alms Bowl! Wasn't this the one I lost yesterday? This Monkey must have found it under the tree and hidden it in his robes!"

So he stepped forward, reached into Wukong's robes, and took the Alms Bowl.

Poor thing! Wukong, pushed by the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom Patriarch Styx, landed on Spirit Mountain, his body numb and sore. Normally, he wouldn't have woken up. But Wukong had few treasures; born from Shitou, without parents or heirlooms, he had wandered for nearly a thousand years. He had acquired this treasure, which he cherished more than his own life, refusing to even let Bajie glance at it. Now, when Kasyapa came to take it, Wukong suddenly awoke, wielding his staff and knocking Kasyapa down, shouting:

"Hey, you petty thief, who dares to steal Old Sun treasure?"

Kasyapa was also ignorant. How could a thief steal from the ancestor of all thieves? Moreover, he didn't even bother to wash his hands, burn incense, or pay respects to the Patriarch "Sun Wukong and Dongfang Shuo" before he made the move. Sure enough, he had no divine protection and was knocked down on the spot, caught red-handed.

Wukong then took Kasyapa and went up to the Precious Hall.

Upon Tathagata Buddha asked, "Wukong, what brings you here?"

Upon hearing this, Wukong recounted to the Buddha the whole story of how he protected his master on his journey to the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom and his encounter with Tathagata Buddha Hua Yunlong, requesting the Tathagata Buddha to send his Buddhist Soldiers to subdue Hua Yunlong.

Upon hearing this, the Tathagata Buddha refused to descend the mountain, saying, "Wukong, this is not possible."

Wukong asked, "Why not?"

The Tathagata Buddha said, "This matter is not under my jurisdiction."

Wukong said, "You are the Buddha of the Western Heaven, how come you are not under your jurisdiction?"

The Tathagata Buddha said, "I am about to move to the Eastern Lands to reside. I will leave once you and your disciples reach Spirit Mountain and obtain the True Scriptures. From now on, there will be no Buddha in the Western Heaven, but there will be a Buddha in the Eastern Lands, therefore it will not be under my jurisdiction."

Wukong said, "There's a saying: 'Return to secular life tomorrow morning, still a monk today.' How can you, the Buddha, be so lazy?"

The Tathagata Buddha shook his head and said, "No! No! We Buddhist Sect do not like fighting. If we send Buddhist Soldiers down to the mortal Lower Realm, we will not be able to win easily, and it will only be a waste of resources and manpower."

Seeing that the Tathagata Buddha was making such a shirking of responsibility, Wukong was furious. Wukong grabbed Kasyapa and said, "Buddha, if you don't care about the affairs of the Lower Realm, what about the affairs of Spirit Mountain? If you don't send your Buddhist Soldiers, Old Sun, will stay here and not leave. I'll hold a court case here and bring the monks of Spirit Mountain Ling to justice for their theft!"

Kasyapa said, "World-Honored One, this unruly monkey is extremely disrespectful, daring to beat people on Spirit Mountain! He shows no respect for the Buddha! He disrespects the Buddhist Dharma!"

Wukong sneered, "What a smooth-talking monk! I think you're the one who's truly proficient in Buddhist Dharma! Buddha, I've heard that you Wisdom Eye to see through the Three Realms. I wonder if you can see through Spirit Mountain? Would you be willing to come and judge this matter?"

The Tathagata Buddha, seated on his Lotus Throne, shook his head and smiled:

"What a sharp-tongued, mischievous monkey! Kasyapa was wrong in this matter. Very well, since you insist on having Buddhist Soldiers, then let Kasyapa lead 100,000 Buddhist Soldiers to aid you!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong immediately bowed and thanked the Tathagata Buddha, and that's another story.

The Tathagata Buddha then instructed Venerable Kasyapa to select 100,000 Buddhist Soldiers to accompany Wukong to the Lower Realm.

The land that Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom was a small country with a small population, and had been unaware of war for years.

On this day, a sound was heard between Heaven and Earth. A golden, misty fog appeared, and Divine Cloud and sacred mists covered the sky and the sun. Figures moved about on the clouds, and the sound of chanting Scripture could be heard. People and officials alike knelt in worship.

The King of the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom personally went out of the Palace to investigate, and what he saw was as follows:

The clouds of Buddha rise for thousands of miles, banners are dense and radiate Jewel Light. Ascetics hold Demon-Subduing Pestle Vajras Sala Staff. Monks are numerous and Buddhist monks are majestic. Gongs, bells and drums resound. The Buddha-Light shines and obscures the sun. Buddhist scriptures swirl and fill the Royal City.

The Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom King was so frightened that he hurriedly knelt down, repeatedly bowing his head and chanting the names of Buddha and Bodhisattva. His mind was in turmoil, and he spoke recklessly.

Wukong jumped down and said, "Your Majesty, don't panic! This is someone I, Old Sun, have sent to help you rid the country of the thief!"

The King the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom said fearfully, "Summoning so many monks will cost a fortune! My kingdom is too small; I fear we cannot afford to support them!"

Wukong laughed and said, "I don't need money. The leading monk taught me how to use this against him, so he doesn't dare to ask for money."

The King of the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom was skeptical upon hearing this.

Kasyapa led the Monks to the city. Seeing that there were no temples in the city, he questioned the King the Kingdom of the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom.

The King of the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom was terrified and dared not conceal the truth, so he told him about killing the monk.

Kasyapa was furious when he found out, and threatened him that he would be reborn as an animal in his next life.

The King Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom was so frightened that he begged for mercy repeatedly, but Kasyapa only treated him with indifference.

At this moment, Tang Sanzang and his two disciples, Ao Tu and his wife, and Nezha also saw the commotion and rushed over.

When Kasyapa saw Ao Tu and learned that Hua Yunlong was the old man's son, he was very angry and threatened Ao Tu that he would go to hell in his next life.

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu was equally terrified and immediately took out ten bushels of gold to beg Kasyapa to redeem him from his sins.

Kasyapa was overjoyed upon seeing this, accepted the gold, and gave Ao Tu a string of Buddhist Prayer Beads, saying that Ao Tu had accumulated merit and done good deeds, Buddha would surely bless him.

Upon seeing this, the King of the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom immediately ordered his men to bring him a great deal of gold and silver.

Kasyapa then said that monks who slander the king are also guilty, and that he would surely eliminate the traitors and protect the peace and well-being of the State Altars.

Everyone was delighted.

Wukong then urged Kasyapa to send troops to capture the thieves as soon as possible.

Kasyapa, however, did not act rashly. Instead, he asked Wukong and Nezha what Supernatural Ability the thief possessed and how capable he was.

Wukong said, "That thief doesn't have any Supernatural Ability, but his martial arts are better than Old Sun, and he knows how to push people."

Nezha said, "Indeed, that thief's skills are mediocre, only about equal to ours!"

Kasyapa listened, but he didn't believe it. If what the two said was true, why would Wukong have gone to such lengths to go to Spirit Mountain to ask someone to subdue him?

Therefore, Kasyapa instructed the the Monks to stay in the city, making excuses and refusing to surrender to the rebels.

If Wukong were to ask, he would first claim his foot hurt, then that he was ill, and if he couldn't get away with it, he would say he didn't know the details and send a few monks to investigate, without giving a deadline. Or he would say he couldn't lead troops, etc. In short, he was unwilling to leave the city to surrender to the bandits.

One hundred thousand monks, living in the city, though they need no food or drink, still require housing, incense, and lamp Incense Oil. The entire army of the small nation of the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom, with only a few thousand soldiers, could hardly afford to support them.

Before half a month had passed, the King of the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom came to Wukong for help:

"Holy Monk! Hua Yunlong's scourge upon our country is limited to plundering some wealth. His bandits on the mountain number only twenty or thirty, a mere minor nuisance to the nation, at most damaging our reputation! Now, these 100,000 Buddhist Soldiers reside in the city, suffering losses day and night, which I truly cannot afford to support! Furthermore, many of my people, in their twenties and thirties, the young and strong, have recently been listening to Buddhist scriptures and wish to become monks. Does this not shake the very foundation of the nation? I beg you, Holy Monk, to invite these Buddhist Soldiers back; I will not eliminate that traitor!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong became angry and went to find Kasyapa, saying:

"Kasyapa, are you going to catch the thief or not? If you don't leave the city, Old Sun, will take you to the Buddha for judgment!"

Seeing this, Kasyapa had no choice but to lead his Buddhist Soldiers out of the city.

Wukong Nezha followed along.

Upon reaching the Bandit Mountain, Kasyapa dared not ascend it, but instead ordered his Buddhist Soldiers to set up camp at the foot of the mountain.

Wukong asked, "Why not send troops to attack the mountain?"

Kasyapa said, "I only know how to chant scriptures, I don't know how to attack a mountain."

Wukong was furious and called a coward. Just as he was wondering what to do, Nezha said, "Monkey, don't worry. This monk is useless. Go and invite my Father King, the King. He can lead troops!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong asked happily, "Would Heavenly King Li be willing to come?"

Nezha said, "The Tathagata Buddha is one of the Five Elders of the Five Directions in the Heavenly Realm. It is only right that Father King assists him! Moreover, Father King has always enjoyed commanding Troops. As a son, I should know filial piety and fulfill my father's wishes!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong went to the Heavenly Realm to invite them.

In a short while, they arrived at the Heavenly Realm, ascended straight to the Lingxiao, and paid homage to the Jade Emperor.

The Celestial Worthy Jade Emperor asked, "Wukong, have you captured that person?"

Wukong said, "Your Majesty, that villain was quite strong. Third Prince Nezha and I fought him, but he accidentally pushed us, and we fell on Spirit Mountain. When Tathagata Buddha learned of this, he instructed Venerable Kasyapa to lead 100,000 Buddhist Soldiers to help. However, Venerable Kasyapa was not skilled in leading troops. Third Prince Nezha said that Heavenly King Li had the ability to command troops, so I have come here to invite him."

The Celestial Worthy Jade Emperor, upon hearing this, looked at Li Jing and said:

"Heavenly King Li, Nezha says you have the ability to command troops. Would you be willing to the Lower Realm to assist you?"

Heavenly King Li exclaimed joyfully, "Your Majesty, I will surely capture the thief and live up to your expectations!"

The Celestial Worthy Jade Emperor shook his head and chuckled, saying, "Go then!"

Heavenly King Li carried the Pagoda, unfurled his long robe, and strode confidently down to the mortal Lower Realm with Wukong.

In the Lower Realm, Nezha saw Wukong approaching with Heavenly King Li from afar and quickly rode a cloud to greet them, saying, "Father King, your son respectfully welcomes Father King!"

Heavenly King Li, "What is the whereabouts of the bandits?"

Nezha said, "We don't know their whereabouts."

Heavenly King Li roared, "How can we not know the enemy's movements when our army is mobilized? Go and scout it out immediately!"

Nezha said, "Father King, Venerable Kasyapa knows nothing about warfare, so no one is investigating. Those monk soldiers only know how to chant scriptures, and they certainly don't know how to investigate."

Heavenly King Li was very angry when he heard this. He descended from the cloud, went to the tent, met Kasyapa, and asked Kasyapa about various matters.

Kasyapa knew nothing about it.

Heavenly King Li then took over the Buddhist Soldiers and arranged them in a well-organized manner.

Seeing this, Kasyapa was not angry at all, and handed over all the command of the troops to Heavenly King Li. He only melted down and put away the gold and silver he had received in the past few days.

Heavenly King Li led 100,000 Buddhist Soldiers, drilled for a day, and learned their names. The next day, he surrounded the Bandit Mountain completely, preparing to attack and capture the bandits.

Before attacking the mountain, Heavenly King Li asked Nezha about the villain's Supernatural Ability powers and martial arts skills.

Nezha said, "That man's martial arts are quite good. I fought him for nearly a hundred rounds with the Great Sage, but we couldn't win. He found an opening and defeated the Great Sage first, and then defeated me."

Upon hearing this, Heavenly King Li thought to himself that although the thief had some martial arts skills, he was not too strong. Nezha and Wukong had fought him for nearly a hundred rounds. If he sent more Troops, he would surely be able to capture him.

He then dispatched Eight Great Vajras as Vanguard to attack the Bandit Mountain.

The Eight Great Vajras stood on the clouds, each as tall as a mountain.

Upon seeing this, the bandits in the mountains trembled with fear. Without even bothering to inform Hua Yunlong, they fled directly through the Back Mountain. However, Buddhist Soldiers also blocked their path from the Back Mountain, and every small path leading down the mountain was Buddhist Soldiers by them. With nowhere to escape, they went to report:

"Your Great King, it's terrible! A large number of bald monks are coming down the mountain, all with shiny bald heads. There are hundreds of thousands of them, and they're about to attack! We have nowhere to escape!"

Upon hearing this, the Patriarch Styx said, "What's the rush? Let me go and see!"

The bandits followed behind the Patriarch Styx.

The Patriarch Styx walked to the foot of the mountain and, upon looking around, saw that they were indeed all bald monks. Eight Great Vajras roared from the clouds:

"Hua Yunlong, you have committed a grave crime that has alarmed the gods and Buddhas! Surrender now! Otherwise, if you knock down this mountain, all these people will lose their lives!"

Upon hearing this, the thieves trembled with fear and repeatedly kowtowed and knelt in worship.

The Patriarch Styx laughed and said, "What magical power do you petty gods possess to dare to make such boastful claims?"

Enraged by this, the Eight Vajras each threw out a chain, which they used to hold the mountain in place. With a loud rumble, the mountain was about to collapse.

The Patriarch Styx stretched out his hand, grabbed all eight chains, and pulled them back, causing the Eight Great Vajras to fall from the clouds.

Upon seeing this, Heavenly King Li was quite alarmed and quickly ordered his Buddhist Soldiers the mountain.

One hundred thousand Buddhist Soldiers, overwhelming the sky, attacked the mountain.

When the Patriarch Styx saw this, he used Supernatural Ability to create "Every Plant and Tree a Soldier soldier," turning all the Grass and Wood, bamboo, and rocks on the mountain into Blood Soldiers, numbering in the millions!

At a command, the Blood Soldiers charged out and instantly routed the Buddhist Soldiers.

Upon seeing this, Kasyapa did not hesitate and turned to run towards Spirit Mountain.

Heavenly King Li shouted, "My son Nezha, quickly capture this thief!"

Nezha knew it was the Patriarch Styx, so he dared not capture him. He rode his Wind Fire Wheels and traveled a thousand miles in an instant.

Seeing this, Wukong did not fight him head-on, but turned to chase after Kasyapa.

Seeing this, Heavenly King Li hurriedly tried to leave, but because he had shouted the loudest, the Patriarch Styx had already seen him and took a step forward, arriving behind him.

Heavenly King Li was terrified and tried to put the Pagoda inside, but the Patriarch Styx flicked it with his finger, and the pagoda arrived at Mount Kasyapa before Spirit Mountain.