The bright yellow scroll in his hand spontaneously combusted without fire and turned to ashes.
Guanyin is about to guide Chen Xuanzang to enlightenment, and the journey to the west is about to begin. Time is running out for Jiang Liu. If Tang Sanzang returns with the scriptures in a dozen years, the vast land of the Tang Dynasty and its millions of people will surely become Buddhist believers.
Jiang Liu naturally didn't want such a thing to happen. He felt that for the bronze cauldron to grow powerful enough, it would have to stay connected to the land of Kyushu...
Just then, Jiang Liu raised an eyebrow and let out a sneer, then stared at the sky above him, where the space seemed somewhat unusual.
With eyes as sharp as lightning, Yuan Tian's divine sense probed outwards and discovered a beautiful woman hidden in the void. She wore simple armor that barely covered her vital parts, her waist was slender enough to be grasped in one hand, her bare feet were like jade, and her black hair danced wildly. The aura that this woman faintly exuded was neither human, nor demon, nor ghost.
"Asura?!" Jiang Liu's eyes narrowed.
The woman instantly realized she had been exposed, but instead of fleeing, she shot towards Jiang Liu. Almost instantly, her form blurred, vanishing into thin air as if she had ceased to exist. Like a flickering light, she swept through nothingness, reaching the pinnacle of speed, her body indistinct, hovering between reality and illusion.
A peerless sword blade thrust forward, its cold light illuminating the earth, and an overwhelming killing intent burst forth.
The terrifying killing intent caused all the trees in the mountains to crumble, and countless withered leaves to fall. The cold was biting, as if winter had arrived and the north wind was howling. At this moment, the grass and trees withered, all things perished, and the mountains were desolate.
Jiang Liu sneered, and a long golden rope flew out from his sleeve. It was like a living thing, or even a divine dragon. The Immortal Binding Rope immediately wrapped around the stunningly beautiful woman.
"The Immortal Binding Rope?" The woman was extremely surprised. This was Ju Liusun's signature treasure, and anyone with a discerning eye would recognize it.
"How did you come across the Immortal Binding Rope? This is a Buddhist conspiracy..."
In an instant, the Asura woman's frost-covered, snow-white wrist, which held the sword, swayed slightly, emitting a continuous, melodious ringing. Hanging from her wrist was a golden bell. This thumb-sized golden bell was shaped like a skull, with clearly defined teeth, nostrils, and ears. Even the facial features were meticulously crafted. Two golden spheres in the skull's eyes swayed slightly, as if eyeballs were moving, and then a clear, pleasant sound emanated from its mouth.
As the golden bell jingled, a mysterious power emanated from it. It wasn't meant to resist the binding rope of immortality, but rather to flow into Jiang Liu's ears and penetrate his sea of consciousness.
This was an extremely powerful allure, accompanied by a seductive and enchanting voice, like a lover whispering in your ear.
If an ordinary person listens for even a short while, they will become unable to control their desires, go mad, and die from exhaustion of their vital essence.
Jiang Liu was momentarily dazed before regaining his senses. A chill ran down his spine; the temptation was simply too powerful, and even he had almost fallen for it. And the brief moment of distraction during that deadly assassination attempt…
Fortunately, after passing through the world of "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," he absorbed the power of the Heavenly Dao, greatly increasing his strength; otherwise, he would have truly been bewitched by this demoness. In an instant, a flash of inspiration struck him, and with a flick of his finger, the power of humanity—benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness—imprinted on the bronze cauldron, instantly flowed forth with that finger strike.
The golden bell on the demoness's wrist trembled slightly, emitting a piercing sound.
"The Bewitching Bell had absolutely no effect on him..." The Asura demoness was already astonished, but by the end, her beautiful eyes were filled with shock.
Because the Immortal Binding Rope has already bound us, this acquired treasure will not only bind our physical body, but also imprison our primordial spirit and magical power.
Although Jiang Liu could only master one or two tenths of the power of the "Binding Immortal Rope," it was more than enough to capture this Asura demoness.
"Does Asura also want my bronze cauldron? Does he really think I'm easy to bully!"
Jiang Liu looked down at the Asura demoness in front of him. Her body was tightly bound by the Immortal Binding Rope, and her long, black hair was spread out, covering half of her bright forehead. Her curvaceous figure was tightly bound by the Immortal Binding Rope, leaving graceful marks.
After a brief moment of shock, the Asura demoness suddenly opened her beautiful, captivating purple eyes and smiled silently.
A breathtakingly alluring power spread across her exquisitely beautiful eyes and brows. This was an innate divine ability, one that even the Immortal Binding Rope could not restrain.
"My lord, is there some misunderstanding between us?" The Asura woman lay sprawled out, displaying her exquisite body to Jiang Liu, seemingly not as a prisoner, but as if they were engaging in a playful game between lovers.
Although he was captured in a brief exchange, it still attracted everyone's attention.
Xie Chou and Bai Lu arrived immediately, looking at the bound woman in front of them with some concern.
"Master, this aura... could it be an Asura?"
Jiang Liu nodded and said, "It is indeed the Asura race... Judging from the looks of it, their rank among the Asuras is not low."
Seeing that she couldn't seduce Jiang Liu, the Asura demoness turned her attention to Xie Chou. Jiang Liu snorted coldly, conjuring a long whip of lightning in his palm. Arcs of electricity danced on the whip like small snakes before lashing it hard against her body.
"ah!"
Jiang Liu grinned maliciously and lashed out three times with the whip, leaving three scorched welts on her delicate skin. The demoness's magical power was bound by the Immortal-Binding Rope, and even with the physical body of a Great Asura equivalent to a Celestial Immortal, she could hardly endure the lashes of the lightning whip. The excruciating pain forced her to suppress her fear; she swallowed hard, her throat bobbing, and she slightly straightened her chest.
This beautiful and alluring Asura demoness, with a face like a pear blossom in spring rain, sobbed softly, "My lord, please spare me! I'm willing to be your slave..."
"Tell me, what's your name? What's your status among the Asuras? Why did you enter my dojo? And how did you get in?"
Without even blinking, the demoness sobbed, "My name is Honglian, and I am a maidservant under Indra, a demon general among the Asuras. Because I coveted your treasure, I was sent here to spy on you. I was able to enter this place entirely thanks to the supernatural powers of the Asura clan..."
Jiang Liu naturally didn't believe the witch's words about her acting skills winning the Golden Man award. He searched her body, grasped the skull-shaped golden bell, and sneered, "A maidservant under Demon General Indra? How could she possibly have the Bewitching Bell personally crafted by the Styx Ancestor!"
This little golden bell is an acquired spiritual treasure, personally crafted by the Styx Ancestor.
The information provided by "the one who has vanished" is naturally accurate.
Jiang Liu didn't bother with further words. The simplest way to ascertain her identity was naturally through soul searching and memory reading. But just as Jiang Liu probed her soul with his divine sense, a small, blood-red lake suddenly appeared between the Asura demoness's brows. The lake trembled, its divine light dazzling, and a blinding beam of light shot out, transforming into a blood-red sword, like a blade that could cleave the heavens, slashing towards Jiang Liu's soul!
"not good……"
Before Jiang Liu could finish his thought, the bronze cauldron automatically appeared and enveloped his soul. The blood-red sword instantly struck the bronze cauldron, producing a buzzing sound.
Jiang Liu swayed, and a trickle of blood welled up in his eyes, like tears of blood.
"Master..." Xie Chou gripped his giant axe and raised his hand to strike the Asura demoness in front of him.
"I'm fine... It's truly a terrifying sword of slaughter. The Styx Ancestor created the Asura race, slaughtering heaven, earth, and all living beings. He killed them all, and that's how he achieved his Dao. It's indeed terrifying. No wonder he was a powerful figure from the primordial era. Even a mere aura of his is extremely terrifying. No wonder Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is needed to eternally guard the underworld..."
Just now, Jiang Liu was struck by that blood-red sword, and he was subjected to a terrifying killing aura. Even with the bronze cauldron protecting him, his soul and body were injured to varying degrees.
The six realms of reincarnation include the Asura realm, which, along with the Deva realm and the Human realm, is known as one of the three good realms. The beings of the Asura realm reside in the Blood Sea, right on the edge of the Netherworld. At one point, the Blood Sea even nearly swallowed the Netherworld, demonstrating the power of the Blood Sea, the stronghold of the Styx Ancestor. Later, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva arrived beside the Blood Sea, and things began to change. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva vowed not to become a Buddha until hell was empty, and thus stayed by the Blood Sea, copying scriptures and chanting Buddhist mantras to convert the Asura race and maintain balance, thereby weakening the Asura realm.
Therefore, the Asura clan is a very complex and unpredictable group. After all, the Styx Ancestor's strength, if not the strongest below the Saint level, is certainly among the top few.
Compared to Zhen Yuanzi, the ancestor of earth immortals, the Styx Ancestor's power is much greater. After all, Zhen Yuanzi is just one person with two attendants, Qingfeng and Mingyue, under his command. Although he has the Earth Book and the Ginseng Fruit Tree.
The Earth Book, also known as the Earth Cloth, is the membrane of the earth, thus possessing extremely high defensive capabilities. It is a top-tier defensive innate spiritual treasure, with protective abilities no less than the Twelve-Grade Merit Golden Lotus of the Guiding One.
The ginseng fruit he cultivated was an innate spiritual root, ripening only once every nine thousand years. Just smelling the ginseng fruit could grant one three hundred and sixty years of life; eating one could grant one forty-seven thousand years. Such spiritual fruits that extend lifespan were extremely precious in the Three Realms, only comparable to the peaches of immortality in the Heavenly Court and Zhen Yuanzi's ginseng fruit.
What treasures does the Styx Ancestor possess?
Jiang Liu was naturally very clear about Styx Ancestor's origins. He was originally a mass of filthy blood that fell from Pangu's body after the creation of the world, which became the Netherworld Blood Sea. In the Netherworld Blood Sea, there was a placenta in which Styx Ancestor was conceived. He was born with two swords, named Yuan Tu and A Bi.
The Yuan Tu and A Bi swords are also innate spiritual treasures, and they kill people without incurring karmic consequences, meaning there is no issue of karmic retribution.
The placenta in the Blood Sea transformed into a twelve-petaled Blood Lotus, also known as the Twelve-Petaled Karmic Fire Red Lotus. Together with the twelve-petaled Golden Lotus Platform of the Western Guide and the twelve-petaled Black Lotus of the Demon Ancestor Rahu, they constituted the thirty-six-petaled Chaos Lotus Platforms of the Primordial Chaos. However, later, a six-winged mosquito Taoist emerged from the Blood Sea, biting the Guide's lotus platform and absorbing three petals. Therefore, it was later said that the Guide's lotus platform had nine petals.
These twelve-petaled blood lotuses are treasures no less valuable than the Earth Book.
Moreover, the Styx Ancestor also possesses the Northern Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag, one of the Five Banners, which is also an innate spiritual treasure.
As for power, he created the Asura race, took charge of the Asura religion, cultivated 480 million Blood God Child clones, had four Demon Kings under his command, and commanded tens of thousands of Asuras. He could also set up the Blood River Array.
Whether in terms of treasures, the number of subordinates, or power, he is superior to Zhen Yuanzi.
This is a powerful figure in the Journey to the West that you absolutely cannot afford to offend!
"You're still alive?" The Asura demoness's face, usually as delicate as a pear blossom in spring rain, gradually froze; she was finally afraid.
"What? You think a mere killing intent can kill me? Princess Asura!" Jiang Liu wiped the bloodstains from his cheek and said in a deep voice.
This alluring woman was none other than the Asura princess of the Blood Sea Clan. The Styx Ancestor had four disciples: Mara, Desire, Brahma, and Shiva. Mara, also known as the Asura Demon King, had seventy-two Asura princesses with his wife, the heavenly consort Uma.
"You cannot kill me. I am Princess Asura. If you kill me, you will bring trouble upon yourself. Let me go, and I swear to the heavens that when I return to the Blood Sea, I will never be your enemy!" Princess Asura said solemnly, suppressing her alluring aura.
“There are seventy-two of you sisters. I don’t believe that Mara and Uma would incite a war in the Three Realms for you! Moreover, I don’t trust you. I’m afraid that if I let you go, you’ll sell me out of the world! Besides, if I hadn’t had some skill just now, I would have been killed by your sword…” Jiang Liu flicked the thunder whip in his hand, making the Asura princess want to cry but had no tears.
An excruciating pain had enveloped the Asura princess, followed by a bloodcurdling scream. She bit her lip tightly with her silver teeth, and a muffled groan escaped her throat.
All of this demonstrates the immense suffering she is enduring.
Jiang Liu has always been one to repay kindness with kindness and evil with evil.
With her silver teeth clenched tightly together, as if she had made a decision, Princess Asura said dejectedly, "Our Asura clan admires the strong. I am willing to be your slave and acknowledge you as my master..."
"I think it would be better to kill you!" Jiang Liu sneered. He naturally had no intention of killing this Asura princess; if he really wanted to, he would have done so long ago.
"Don't kill me. Killing me will do you no good. My soul carries the killing intent of our ancestor. If I die, the Avici Sword Qi in that sea of blood will be enough to turn a hundred miles around into a death zone. Moreover, my father and mother will not let it go... Look at my sister, Princess Iron Fan, who was captured by the Bull Demon King and became the wife of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. The Asura clan did not pursue the matter. I am also willing to submit to you..."
Chapter 394 The Journey of Sanzang to the West
The demoness of Asura naturally needed some training. Although she had submitted, Jiang Liu was still uneasy about her. After all, the Asura princess's soul contained the killing intent of the Styx Ancestor, making it impossible to place any restrictions on her. Her submission was based solely on her words, and she even adopted a submissive posture; how could Jiang Liu be at ease?
He couldn't let her go, fearing she might turn her back and unleash a massive army of demons. But keeping her alive wasn't reassuring either; he had far too many secrets. Having such a ticking time bomb by his side was a real headache.
Thinking that Guanyin was in Chang'an, Jiang Liu felt he should just leave this demoness to her and let her convert her.
"After all, I saved Muzha's life and exposed the Bronze Cauldron. Buddhism emphasizes cause and effect..."
Jiang Liu looked at the timid and beautiful Asura in front of him, feeling extremely troubled, and said in a deep voice, "Come with me to Chang'an City!"
Princess Honglian of the Asura Sect twisted her slender waist, revealing her bare, jade-like feet and wildly flowing black hair, and said in a sweet voice, "Young Master, perhaps it's best not to go to Chang'an City recently! After the Buddhist festival is over, Honglian will accompany you..."
Clearly, as an Asura princess, she knew that the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures was related to the spread of Buddhism, and her entry into Chang'an as an Asura would inevitably attract the attention of the Buddhist community.
If Buddhism were to convert an Asura princess, would the Asura King really launch a major attack?
You have no choice!
"Alright! Young Master, you must protect Honglian then!"
Twelve hundred eminent monks expounded various profound sutras at Huasheng Temple in Chang'an. The chanting resounded throughout most of Chang'an, creating a magnificent spectacle with dazzling displays of sutras.
Even the powerful ghost kings of Beiman Mountain, who had achieved great cultivation, were difficult to eradicate despite repeated encirclements by the army. Now, they all live in seclusion and dare not easily leave the Mang Mountain.
Li Shimin sat upright on the high platform, his ears filled with the sound of chanting scriptures. His expression remained unchanged, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Everything seemed to be proceeding as Jiang Liu had told him, so in Emperor Taizong of Tang's eyes, everything was preordained, and he no longer felt any reverence.
The bald-headed monk, who was actually Guanyin in disguise, brought a brocade robe with bats and a nine-ringed staff.
From afar, Jiang Liu watched as Xuanzang, draped in a kasaya, radiated a dazzling light. As the saying goes, clothes make the man and gold makes the Buddha, and this kasaya made him look like a Buddhist disciple.
Above are wish-fulfilling beads, mani beads, dust-repelling beads, and wind-stabilizing beads, as well as red agate, purple coral, luminous pearls, and relics, their whiteness mingling with the moonlight, vying with the sun for redness. Strands of celestial energy fill the sky, illuminating the heavenly gates; clusters of auspicious light embrace the sacred, casting shadows across the world. They illuminate mountains and rivers, startling tigers and leopards; they cast shadows on islands and seas, stirring fish and dragons.
Holding a nine-ringed staff and wearing a brocade robe adorned with bats and other precious stones, Xuanzang, already a highly respected monk, now resembled a bodhisattva descended to earth. In Chang'an, merchants, nobles, scholars, and literati all exclaimed, "What a magnificent monk! He is truly a living Arhat descended to earth, a living bodhisattva descended to the mortal realm!"
Honglian stood cautiously with Jiang Liu in the crowd. She was an Asura, yet she was in the mortal realm; facing the Bodhisattva, her heart pounded with anxiety. It was well known that Buddhism favored the conversion of Asuras; the Asura race was among the Eight Legions of Heavenly Dragons, and she was, in fact, an Asura princess.
After being presented with a cassock and a staff, Guanyin appeared, riding on auspicious clouds, soaring to the highest heavens, revealing her original form as the Savior from Suffering, holding a pure vase and a willow branch. Everyone bowed to the heavens, and all the civil and military officials knelt and burned incense. Throughout the temple, monks, nuns, laypeople, scholars, and merchants, not one failed to prostrate themselves on the ground.
Only Jiang Liu and Hong Lian remained, standing out like cranes among chickens in the crowd of worshippers.
After briefly revealing its true form, the Bodhisattva rode away on auspicious clouds, disappearing from sight in an instant. Only then did a simple note fall from the sky, emanating a series of Buddhist chants:
We pay our respects to the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, for the West possesses wondrous literature. The journey is 108,000 li, and we earnestly present our Mahayana offerings.
This sutra, when returned to the superior realm, can transcend demons and escape the masses. Those who are willing to go will attain enlightenment and a golden body.
Jiang Liu naturally followed, and before he had gone far, he saw the Bodhisattva and a female immortal standing in the clouds. Clearly, they were waiting for Jiang Liu.