"As this is a calamity for the Heavenly Dao, it is specially arranged for you to enter the cycle of Tribulation Transcendence."
" Sun Wukong, you are now appointed as the primary protector on the Journey to the West, to escort the Tang Sanzang to the Western Heaven to obtain the sacred scriptures. You must be careful and attentive along the way, clearing mountains and building bridges over rivers, subduing demons and monsters, and ensuring their complete safety."
" Xu Xiao, you are hereby appointed as the second protector on the Journey to the West, to escort the Tang Sanzang to the Western Heaven to seek the true scriptures. You must be respectful and humble along the way, and provide good protection. When the mission is accomplished, your merit will be recorded."
After Guanyin Bodhisattva finished reading, Xu Xiao and the monkey behind her both remained expressionless.
'Heh, so he's taken Zhu Bajie's place, but without the constraints of the so-called master-disciple relationship.'
'But does the Buddhist Sect really trust the two of us to protect Tang Sanzang on his quest to retrieve this damned scripture?'
Xu Xiao looked up and saw Guanyin with a compassionate and businesslike demeanor, not at all like someone who would hold a grudge.
'This Journey to the West will likely be anything but peaceful.'
At this moment, all the gods and immortals in the Lingxiao Palace remained silent, listening to a Western Sect member arrange the Heavenly Court officials.
They hadn't thought much of it before, but ever since Xu Xiao and the monkey had caused trouble with the Western Sect in the Lingxiao Palace, the Western Sect's arrogant demeanor made the gods of Heavenly Court feel uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, given the impending calamity of their Journey to the West journey, they had no choice but to suppress their displeasure.
"Minister Xu, Minister Sun, now that the arrangements for the Journey to the West have been made, you two should descend to the mortal realm immediately without delay. Complete your mission as soon as possible and Rotation to be rewarded for your contributions."
The Jade Emperor, who was at the head of the table, spoke, and Xu Xiao and the other man below bowed their heads in respect, saying, "We respectfully obey the Heavenly Venerable's decree."
Ultimately, they were still celestial officials of the Heavenly Court, and they couldn't be ordered around arrogantly by Guanyin, a Bodhisattva from the West.
After the two finished their greetings, they ignored Guanyin Bodhisattva completely and left the Lingxiao Palace to descend to the mortal realm.
A hint of displeasure flashed subtly in Guanyin's eyes, but she ultimately remained silent.
"Just you wait and see. This Journey to the West, specially prepared for you, will see if you actually have the ability to reach the Western Heaven."
With a cold laugh in her heart, Guanyin bowed and then took her leave.
The Journey to the West journey had begun in earnest, the sky was obscured, and no one knew what would happen next.
"Brother, these bald monks clearly don't get along with us, so why do they dare to ask us to escort this damned Tang Sanzang?"
Chang'an City, Xu Xiao and the monkey walked along the street.
Xu Xiao dressed as a scholar in a long robe, while the monkey also concealed its monkey form and transformed into a young man dressed in shorts.
"That's naturally to scheme against you and me. Once we're caught in this calamity orchestrated by the Western Sect, all cause and effect, destiny, calculations, and divination become useless. They'll then have a reason and excuse to deal with us at will."
Xu Xiao said nonchalantly, leading the monkey toward the imperial city.
Now that Tang Sanzang is a revered holy monk of the Great Tang, traveling daily to and from the Great Tang palace, the best way to find him is to go directly to the imperial city.
"Hmph, I knew that bald monk was no good. But we're not pushovers either. We'll meet force with force, and with the two of us brothers working together, none of his Jidu will work."
The monkey snorted coldly. Having gone on many adventures with Xu Xiao, spreading his true spirit throughout the heavens, his knowledge and understanding had greatly improved.
The most important point is that while his wildness appears to be restrained, it is actually restrained and not easily swayed by emotions. However, once it erupts, it is more fiery and furious than ever before.
"Well, now that the Journey to the West has begun, I'll tell you more. Anyway, with the calamity shrouding everything, no one can predict what will happen." Xu Xiao stopped in his tracks.
"First of all, if my calculations are correct, this calamity on the Journey to the West will be a process of fighting along the way."
"We're going to take a mortal Tang Sanzang with us on a long journey of 108,000 li (54,000 kilometers) on foot to the Western Ox Continent. We can't ride the clouds or use magic to escape; we can only accompany him on his slow walk."
"Along the way, besides the spirits and demons who were already cultivating along the way, there were even more deliberate obstacles from various gods, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas Arhat who wanted to get a share of the spoils of the journey to the Journey to the West."
"Why are they making things difficult for us when we're helping them on their journey to the West?" The monkey was completely bewildered. Wasn't Tang Sanzang supposed to be going to the Journey to the West? Why were these gods, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas Arhat getting involved?
Why? Because everyone in the world is driven by profit.
"For mortals, what they seek is nothing more than high office, wealth, beautiful women, and delicacies; but for immortals, it is the opportunities of heaven and earth, and the merits of the Great Dao."
"Do you know how many immortals and Buddhas would kill for the chance to get a share of the spoils in this Journey to the West?"
"The Dharma cannot be lightly transmitted. Since we are seeking the true scriptures, there will naturally be many tribulations along the way. These immortals, gods, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhat will create one tribulation after another during the Journey to the West, and then they will resolve them."
"This arrangement not only justifies the name of the calamity but also shares in the merit of the Journey to the West, achieving two goals at once."
"This Journey to the West, in the end, is nothing more than a well-orchestrated play; you and I just need to perform our part well."
"But why would they give it to you and me? That's strange." Wukong scratched his head; these kinds of things were what annoyed him the most.
"Because you are the key to this calamity. Without you, the one destined to be born, there would be no calamity of the journey to the Journey to the West. As for me..." Xu Xiao gave a bitter smile, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, "They probably think I won't have the chance to share in the merits of this journey to the Journey to the West in the end!"
Xu Xiao wasn't sure about other things, but he was certain that the Western Sect would cause him trouble during this journey to the Journey to the West.
A dignified sect's scheme was ruined by me removing the most crucial monkey from the game; those bald monks will definitely not let this go.
Since Xu Xiao has already entered the tribulation, as long as there are one or two powerful opponents among the Eighty-One Tribulations, or even if they scheme against him, there will always be an opportunity to deal with Xu Xiao.
The Buddhist Sect has never been afraid of anyone's dissent. What can a mere Golden Immortal do, even if he's just a pawn of the Daoist Sect?
In the midst of the calamity, both sides suffered some losses, and some immortals perished as a result, which was to be expected.
"Brother, no way! If those bald monks really dare to plot against you, I'll risk my life to storm the Great Thunderclap Temple and show them that Old Sun brothers are not to be trifled with."
"Haha, that's not bad, but I'm not so easily fooled. I'm a completely different person now."
As the two chatted and laughed, they slowly strolled into the imperial city of Chang'an.