542: Journey to the West Reboot

There was no pity, nor was there any special treatment. Although Wu Zhen's story was moving enough to touch anyone's heart, Tang Ku did not view Wu Zhen as a tragic woman. She was simply herself, a Disciple of Buddhism under Guangdu Xin Buddha, and nothing more.

Therefore, Tang Ku decided to bring Wu Zhen along during his upcoming training.

Of course, before setting off, he made ample preparations and shared his final thoughts and plans with Arhat Jiang Long.

Although Arhat Jiang Long was quite surprised when he first heard of these plans, he ultimately accepted Tang Ku's decision. At the same time, he was willing to help Tang Ku by conveying his message to the people of the Buddhist Realm who had undergone Reincarnation and Rebirth. Once the people of the Buddhist Realm knew this news, the Immortals occupying the cities in the mortal world would also learn of it.

An ultimate spectacle was about to unfold in the Great Tang... no, it was about to unfold on this very Earth!

In the Western Regions of the Great Tang, within the ancient Kingdom of Loulan, a group of monks was gathered in a grand hall, listening to a True Buddha expound on the scriptures.

This Buddha was the Buddha of the Past, Dipamkara Buddha. After the destruction of the Western gods, he was actually the first Buddhist follower to undergo Reincarnation and Rebirth, and both his mastery of Buddha Dharma and his combat prowess were top-tier.

His views conflicted with the secular-engagement philosophy of Compassionate Guanyin, so he did not participate in the plans orchestrated by her. However, his prestige and virtue remained, so after his Rebirth, he established a new Buddhist system in the ancient Kingdom of Loulan, where he would expound on the scriptures to believers and Disciples of Buddhism every day, explaining the Buddha Dharma and cleansing their souls.

However, today, just as the recitation of the scriptures was about to finish and before he had the chance to state his own philosophy, a dark-colored Golden Crow appeared in the Buddhist hall, circling and flying about.

Dipamkara Buddha looked up and, with an expressionless face, beckoned the Golden Crow. The bird flew onto his hand of its own accord, and amidst a flicker of golden light, it transformed into a letter.

Amidst the starlight on his hand, the letter instantly burned away, and a piece of information was infused directly into his mind.

"Tang Sanzang?"

A trace of surprise instantly appeared on his face.

"Master, the Tang Sanzang you speak of, could it be the scripture seeker from the East?"

A Bhikkhu who had followed him for many years asked in confusion.

"Yes, it is him!"

Dipamkara Buddha nodded and said, "Compassionate Guanyin sent a letter saying that Tang Sanzang has invited all of us in the Buddhist clergy to Shaoshi Mountain on the Double Ninth Festival, the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, to discuss martial arts and Buddha Dharma. He alone... intends to challenge all the experts of our Buddhist Sect. He will accept any Buddha Dharma, Spells, martial arts, or Laws; even if everyone attacks at once, he will take them all on!"

"Hiss, is this Tang Sanzang really so arrogant?"

The Bhikkhu said in shock.

"I am afraid it is not arrogance!"

Dipamkara Buddha shook his head and said, "When Sanzang was Golden Cicada, I already knew him. Every word he has spoken has come true. This challenge to our Buddhist Sect may not be for fame or profit; he must have other motives... Hmm, when the Double Ninth Festival arrives, we shall go and meet him. It just so happens that it has been a long time since I have seen the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of our Buddhist Sect, and I do not know if Guanyin has found the Reincarnation of Shakyamuni."

"Amitabha, will you take action when the time comes, Master?"

The Bhikkhu asked.

"We will see the situation when the time comes. Speaking of it now, everything is in vain... Hmm, let us continue with the scriptures..."

As Dipamkara Buddha set the matter of the letter aside, in the Western Regions, in the Buyeo Kingdom to the east of the Great Tang, and even in Japan, where a Buddhist base had been re-established, identical letters were received at this very moment.

These Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Vajras, Bhikkhus, and nuns reacted in various ways; some were confused, some were terrified, and some were filled with righteous indignation, but they all now had one target: Tang Sanzang.

Facing the entire Buddhist Sect head-on, how many people have such courage?

In Dunhuang, inside a huge cave, Bhaisajyaguru and Compassionate Guanyin were sitting opposite a man wearing Taoist robes.

"Heavenly Lord, you have seen it too. Tang Sanzang is truly domineering now!"

Compassionate Guanyin said with a wry smile, "It is not just our Buddhist Sect; he also wants to challenge your entire Daoist Sect, and even the entire Heavenly Court!"

"I know!" The Taoist opposite her pondered for a moment and then said, "Although I do not know his goal, since he has proposed it, we cannot ignore it. After all, it concerns the face of the entire Heavenly Court. We cannot be scared off by his words; otherwise, how will we command the ten thousand gods in the future? However, because of this, we cannot take action against Chang'an while waiting for him to come, which makes us feel a bit stifled... Although I do not mind, those with short tempers may have already been thinking of ways to take Chang'an City directly!"

"Then you must step forward, Heavenly Lord. Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering... relieving suffering is your duty, after all. Do not forget that people are the foundation of any Sect! Once Chang'an is breached by those so-called hot-headed guys, it will inevitably be a disaster for the mortal world. By then, not to mention Tang Sanzang's rage, you might find yourselves in serious trouble; even the Heavenly Dao will not allow you to do such a thing!"

Bhaisajyaguru said in a deep voice, "Do not give him a chance to seize a handle against us. If he wants to fight, then we will accept it. But relying on himself alone... I really cannot figure out why he is so arrogant as to think that he alone can resist the entire Heavenly Court and the Buddhist Realm!"

"I know him too well!"

Guanyin said helplessly, "If he did not have a goal, he would never do such useless work... I think the only explanation is that he is seeking the Dao! His cultivation must have reached a Bottleneck, and he wants to comprehend the Heavenly secrets through discussing Buddha Dharma and the Dao with everyone while sparring..."

"According to what you say, if we agree to him, wouldn't we become his stepping stones?"

Bhaisajyaguru asked in surprise.

"Not necessarily, not necessarily!"

A benevolent voice rang out in the cave. Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, with his big belly, beaming smile, kind eyebrows, and kind eyes, holding Buddhist prayer beads, slowly revealed his figure. "Although Sanzang is gifted, he may not necessarily be able to break through the siege of everyone. In the end, perhaps he will still have to rely on a battle to break through. No matter how strong he is, as long as he does not reach the level of the World Honored One Tathagata, or achieve the status of a true Primordial Saint, he cannot win. At that time, there will be an opportunity to lead him back to the Buddhist Sect!"

"Heh heh, lead him back to the Buddhist Sect? Why not join our Daoist Sect?"

Taiyi Relief-from-Suffering Heavenly Lord stroked his beard and frowned, "Back then, your Buddhist Sect snatched quite a few resources from our Daoist Sect, for instance, you!"

He was referring to the Guanyin opposite him.

Guanyin smiled bitterly: "It is really difficult for me to act as this intermediary... Alright, there is no point in arguing about such trivial matters. Let us just wait for three months until he arrives at Shaolin Temple!"

The group discussed for a long time but could not figure out what Tang Ku was actually trying to do. However, at this moment, Tang Ku had already taken Wu Zhen and embarked on the road to the West... This time, he was going to retrace the Journey to the West!