At dawn, when the morning light shines into the mountains and forests, the original Guanyin Monastery is reduced to scorched earth.
In the latter half of the night, Xu Xiao summoned a shower of rain, preventing the beautiful green hills and clear waters from being destroyed along with the sinful Zen temple.
The entire Guanyin Monastery, except for the Brocade Kasaya that was impervious to water and fire, all its buildings and people disappeared into the world along with the wildfire.
At this moment, Xu Xiao, with a somewhat dazed Xuanzang, waited at the mountain gate, quietly awaiting the monkey's victory.
Before long, the clouds in the sky surged, and the monkey descended from the clouds carrying a black object.
"Brother, just as you said, we've caught this idiot."
The Black Bear Spirit was beaten black and blue by the monkey, and rolled twice on the ground before stopping in front of Xu Xiao.
"Immortal, spare my life!"
"Since I gained enlightenment, I have been a vegetarian and chant Buddhist scriptures. I have never harmed any innocent lives. This is a completely undeserved disaster."
Upon seeing Xu Xiao's ethereal aura, the Black Bear Spirit cupped his hands in a respectful bow and slid down to his knees without hesitation.
" Wukong, you're pretty ruthless. You've really beaten this guy badly." Xu Xiao looked at the Black Bear Spirit with great interest.
Unlike the original story where he could fight the monkey for hundreds of rounds before finally returning to the mountains exhausted, the Black Bear Spirit in this story was now covered in wounds, with several patches of black fur on his body shaved off.
"This guy has brute strength, but he's not very tough. As my brother said, I smashed his hole first, and we didn't take him down until the middle of the night."
The monkey replied with a chuckle.
Compared to the original, although the monkey lacked the elixirs and medicines that allowed him to wreak Havoc in Heaven, and it also lacked the tempering of its body in the alchemy furnace, the monkey was no weaker than before, and was even stronger.
During the time Xu Xiao spent in the Tushita Palace, besides his true spirit traveling to different worlds every day and fighting against various powerful figures to hone his Dao of Battle, he also consumed just as many pills as he had in his original timeline.
According to Laojun, since it was all karma destined for the monkey, he would have to give it to him sooner or later.
Although he lacks the Fiery Golden Eyes Vajra Indestructible Body forged in the alchemy furnace, the Monkey's Stone Monkey Spirit Body, combined with the Divine Staff of Battle which is more in line with his Dao of Battle, allows him to unleash the full potential of his innate spiritual nature.
Once the fight begins, he will only grow stronger and more courageous with each battle; he excels at long, drawn-out battles.
"Bear, although you didn't kill anyone, you instigated Jin Chi to be greedy and amass wealth, which is a serious crime," Xu Xiao said coldly.
"Misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding, Immortal!" The Black Bear Spirit kowtowed and rolled around. Upon hearing Jin Chi's name, he knew who had implicated him last night.
"Although Jin Chi and I are old acquaintances, he is inherently greedy. In the past, when I asked him to explain Buddhist scriptures to me, I gave him some pills to prolong his life, but I never taught him to be greedy and kill for money."
The Black Bear Spirit kowtowed repeatedly, completely absolving himself of any responsibility.
As one of the few demons in Journey to the Journey to the West without a powerful background who didn't die tragically at the hands of the Monkey King, the Black Bear Spirit was indeed a good demon among demons. Apart from occasionally coming to Guanyin Monastery to listen to Jin Chi's sermons and eat some honey and sweets, he hardly committed any acts of killing.
"Hmph, do you think I'll believe you just because you say so?" Xu Xiao said White Fang. "Unless you release your Divine Sense and let me see for myself, I will kill you right here today."
As he spoke, the Spirit Treasure Tribulation Cause Sword in Xu Xiao's hand flashed, and a sharp force spread out.
"Immortal, spare my life! I'm truly not a bad monster! Please have mercy!" the Black Bear Spirit pleaded desperately. As for releasing his Divine Sense... he dared not do so.
If Xu Xiao harbors malicious intent, he will be easily controlled and suffer a fate worse than death.
"Since you are unwilling, then you cannot be spared. Prepare to die." Xu Xiao threatened, Tribulation Cause Sword in his hand emitted light, a chilling killing intent pressing down on the Black Bear Spirit.
Only when the sword was almost at his neck did the Black Bear Spirit raise his head with a mournful face, "Immortal, please wait!"
"I am willing to release my Divine Sense; please, immortal, spare my life."
As the saying goes, "Where there's life, there's hope," but the Black Bear Spirit ultimately feared death and the annihilation of his cultivation.
For a demon like him, who cultivated without any foundation, to have reached this point is truly remarkable. He would never seek death unless absolutely necessary.
"That's more like it. If you hadn't committed innocent killings, I would not only spare you, but also bestow upon you a great fortune." Xu Xiao nodded, then beckoned to Xuanzang.
"The mage should also come and take a look."
Xuanzang, standing to the side, looked puzzled, not understanding why Xu Xiao, a celestial official, would call him over to deal with a demon, but he still obediently went over anyway.
As Xuanzang approached, Xu Xiao touched the black bear's brow. Without any intention of resistance, his own Great Dao of Cause and Effect began to operate, and some past events began to surface.
From the moment the black bear first gained wisdom to the time he made some progress in his cultivation and encountered Jin Chi, who was still a young novice monk, in the Yamanaka, everything was transformed into clear images.
Their first encounter stemmed from the Black Bear Spirit monk a gift, in which the novice sought the monk's interpretation of scriptures. Afterward, the two complemented each other.
The Black Bear Spirit provided Jin Chi with wealth, spiritual objects, and elixirs to help him prolong his life and gradually rise to a higher position in the temple; while Jin Chi, taking advantage of his position, constantly collected various scriptures and classics, which he would read to the black bear in his spare time.
During this time, a monk who should have turned to Buddhism gradually revealed his human greed and evil as his status rose, while the demon who should have been a menace to the region slowly restrained his ferocity by listening to Buddhist scriptures.
To prove his success, Jin Chi constantly collected various gorgeous and expensive cassocks as proof of his status, while the Black Bear Spirit silently observed after seeing through Jinchi's greed.
The fire broke out in the middle of the night, burning away all greed and desire. The monkey's charlatan then tore open the Black Bear Spirit's skin, bringing everything to an end.
"How ironic, Master Xuanzang! It seems that even diligently studying scriptures may not be enough to cleanse the greed, anger, and ignorance in your heart," Xu Xiao said sarcastically, his words deeply wounding Xuanzang's Buddhist heart.
" Amitabha Buddha, people cannot escape greed, anger, and ignorance. Even a monk as virtuous as Elder Jinchi could not maintain it. I will take this as a warning and always be vigilant." Xuanzang performed the Buddhist salute, a glint of red light flashing in his eyes.
Numerous Power of Variables were secretly supporting Xu Xiao's Great Dao, making him realize that Xuanzang was not as serene as he appeared on the surface.
"Indeed, Master, you should reflect on this more often so that you may attain Buddhahood sooner in the future." Xu Xiao smiled calmly; as long as it was effective, that was enough.
Ideas cannot be changed overnight; it only requires consistent effort, day after day, as the journey Journey to the West is still long.
After the matter was settled, Xu Xiao kept his promise and spared the Black Bear Spirit's life. He even whispered some instructions in the spirit's ear, making it jump around excitedly.
"Thank you for your guidance, Immortal. I will certainly fulfill your instructions."
The Black Bear Spirit thanked him profusely, then transformed into a gust of black wind and vanished.
"Alright, let's rest for a bit, then we'll get going." Xu Xiao gave the order.
The Western Heaven is neither near nor far; it all depends on each person's approach.