"The Third Holy Mother?!" Jiang Liu muttered to himself. It had been a long time since he had seen her since she left him in Baoxiang Kingdom.
The Holy Mother of the Three Kingdoms stood atop auspicious clouds, dressed in a pure white gown, with jet-black hair and snow-white skin, untouched by worldly dust, like a fairy descended from the moon, untouched by earthly concerns.
Jiang Liu smiled slightly and said to the Third Holy Mother, "Third Holy Mother, it's been a long time! Greetings, Bodhisattva!"
"I never imagined you'd reach the Celestial Realm in such a short time. That's faster than you write poetry! I heard your Daoist temple is in Zhongnan Mountain, and I was just about to visit you with the Lotus Fairy and other fairies, but I didn't expect to run into you here. Eh!" The Third Holy Mother looked at Princess Asura, frowned slightly, and said, "You are Princess Asura Red Lotus!"
"Bodhisattva! Third Holy Mother!" Honglian dared not be presumptuous. Guanyin Bodhisattva had been a Golden Immortal thousands of years ago, and now that she had entered Buddhism, she would surely advance further and enter the ranks of the Great Luo Immortals. Although the Three Realms had been at peace since the Investiture of the Gods and she had never made a move, Honglian, as the Asura Princess, had learned in detail about the great supernatural beings of the Three Realms from her father, Mara, and her mother, Uma.
Mara, the Free Heaven, was a disciple of Styx Ancestor, while Guanyin was a disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun and one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect before entering Buddhism.
Those with great supernatural powers in Buddhism who have attained the Buddhahood are naturally all Great Golden Immortals. Among those who have attained the Bodhisattvahood, the strongest is naturally Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the underworld, and Guanyin, without a doubt, must also be ranked at the top.
As for the Third Holy Mother, her status was far beyond what Honglian could compare to. Although she was a princess of the Asura, it should be noted that the Heavenly Consort Umo had given birth to seventy-two princesses, and she was not one of the favored ones. Otherwise, she would not have ventured alone into Jiang Liu's Hidden Dragon Temple.
The Third Holy Mother's uncle is the Lord of Heaven, the Supreme Jade Emperor of the Golden Palace of the Azure Heaven, who controls the operation of the Heavenly Dao and whose strength is unfathomable.
Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace with great momentum. After being refined in Laozi's alchemy furnace for forty-nine days, he only managed to reach the outside of the Lingxiao Palace, but did not manage to enter it, and did not even get to see the Jade Emperor.
Then, the Jade Emperor calmly sent someone to invite the Buddha. He wasn't panicked because Sun Wukong had encountered an opponent outside the Lingxiao Palace: Wang Lingguan, who was responsible for security outside the palace. The fight between Wang Lingguan and Sun Wukong alerted the Jade Emperor inside the Lingxiao Palace, which is why he sent someone to invite the Buddha.
This Wang Lingguan was extremely powerful in battle. The book describes him fighting Sun Wukong with a golden whip. The two were evenly matched and neither could gain the upper hand!
At this time, Sun Wukong's fighting state and mindset were different from before and after. Later, when Sun Wukong protected Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West, he was often passive and reluctant to work, and he might not have given his all when facing monsters.
The Sun Wukong who fought Wang Lingguan in Heaven was quite different. Because the monkey had been refined in Laozi's alchemy furnace for forty-nine days, he must have been filled with immense anger. Moreover, Sun Wukong was fighting in Heaven for his own sake, so the Sun Wukong who fought Wang Lingguan was at the peak of his fighting power.
Even so, Sun Wukong could only manage a draw with Wang Lingguan. Later, Wang Lingguan's companions arrived to help, forming a formation to suppress the monkey.
Therefore, the Heavenly Court was not without any fighting power. Wang Lingguan alone was enough to keep the monkey out of the Lingxiao Palace, not to mention the Four Emperors, Five Elders, Six Ministers, Seven Stars, Eight Extremes, and Nine Luminaries who had not yet made a move.
He is Yang Jian, the elder brother of the Third Holy Mother, who is also the God of War of the Three Realms and a figure who achieved physical sainthood in the Investiture of the Gods.
The Third Holy Mother also possesses the Lotus Lantern, a primordial treasure born from chaos, bestowed upon her by the goddess Nuwa. Legend has it that before the beginning of time, when the clear and the turbid were indistinguishable, before heaven and earth were separated, and all things were in chaos, the entire world teetered in endless cold and desolation. Nuwa stole celestial fire, illuminating the universe. This celestial fire, combined with the essence of the sun and moon, transformed into a primordial treasure of boundless power—the Lotus Lantern, possessing immeasurable might.
The Heavenly Court, which controls the workings of Heaven, and the Western Buddhist sect, which is bound to flourish with great fortune, are not things that the Asura clan can afford to offend. Not to mention a mere princess, even her father, Mara, the Deva of Freedom, would have to be extremely careful when facing Guanyin Bodhisattva.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang Liu, have you come for this woman?" Guanyin asked, pointing at Princess Asura.
These words filled Honglian with dread. Although Guanyin's expression was gentle, she still felt a great sense of crisis. Her eyes looked hopefully at Jiang Liu; if Jiang Liu truly intended to send her to the Buddhist order, then she would truly be converted today.
Being converted by Buddhism doesn't mean cultivating into an Arhat or Bodhisattva; it means directly washing away the seven emotions and six desires in one's heart, becoming a devout Buddhist believer without any desires. Honglian has seen those converted Asuras who were originally bloodthirsty, but became virtuous monks who ate vegetarian food, chanted Buddhist scriptures, never fought back, and never retaliated against insults, without even the desire to fight.
"If I am converted, I would rather die!" Honglian's face was full of determination. She knew that if she were to be converted, even the thought of suicide would disappear.
Jiang Liu glanced at Princess Asura, knowing that this time he had truly frightened the demoness. Even if Guanyin intervened, the killing intent left behind by the Styx Ancestor within her soul would be futile. She would still be converted and become one of the Eight Heavenly Dragons.
“Bodhisattva, I do indeed have a request for you. You should know that the benevolent corpse that the Buddha Kumarajiva beheaded took the name Kumarajiva. He was defeated by me and left behind the Immortal Binding Rope… I want to know what Buddhism is truly trying to achieve!”
The Bodhisattva smiled and said, "Buddhism is Buddhism, and Kumarajiva is Kumarajiva. Since his supernatural powers are no match for yours, it is only right that he left behind his treasure. Don't worry, now that Buddha Julusun has become a Buddha, he won't personally come to you to retrieve the Immortal Binding Rope! The Nine Cauldrons are a treasure of the human race. If they fall into your hands, they will surely cause a struggle among the various races. You saved Muzha's life, so if you face great calamity in the future, I will save your life! Now that this matter is settled, I should return to Mount Ling to see the Buddha!"
With that, he smiled slightly at the Third Holy Mother and transformed into a rainbow, disappearing into the distance.
The Third Holy Mother looked intently at Jiang Liu and said, "Just like when I first met you, it seems your tribulations are far from over! The Nine Provinces Cauldron has actually fallen into your hands. The Buddhist sect began plotting to spread its teachings in the Eastern Tang Dynasty hundreds of years ago. If you obtain the Nine Provinces Cauldron and establish a Nine Provinces Barrier, what use will Jin Chanzi have for the Buddhist scriptures? Not to mention the Asura clan and the demon clan, even the Buddhist sect will not allow you to establish a Nine Provinces Barrier. How about I help you again!"
Jiang Liu said with a wry smile, "No! I'm afraid you'll throw me ten thousand miles away again!"
"You've already become a celestial being. Even if I had the will now, I wouldn't have the strength. Don't worry, as long as the Buddhist missionary work proceeds smoothly, the Buddhist sect won't easily take your treasures. However, the Asuras and demons might be different... Enough said, come with me to see Jiang Liuer. By the way, you two have the same name!"
With that, the Third Holy Mother headed towards Chang'an City, transforming into a young girl.
Jiang Liu immediately followed, and Princess Asura, who had breathed a sigh of relief after Guanyin left, reluctantly followed.
Just then, Li Shimin saw Xuanzang off at the city gate. His luggage and horses were all ready. An official was serving wine, and the Tang emperor raised his cup and asked, "Does my imperial brother have an elegant name?"
Xuanzang shook his head and said, "This humble monk is a monk and dares not take on such a title."
A hint of recollection flickered in Li Shimin's eyes as he said, "The Bodhisattva said that there are three baskets of scriptures in the Western Paradise. Could the Dharma Master point to the scriptures and choose a name, such as 'Three Baskets'?"
Xuanzang thanked the emperor and accepted the imperial wine, but did not drink it directly. Instead, he said, "Your Majesty, alcohol is the first precept for monks. Since I was born, I have never drunk alcohol."
"Today's journey is different from other matters. This is plain wine; I will only drink this one cup to express my farewell sentiments."
Sanzang dared not refuse the wine, and accepted it. Just as he was about to drink, he saw Li Shimin lower his head, pick up a pinch of dust with his finger, and flick it into the wine. Sanzang did not understand his meaning, and Emperor Li Shimin laughed and said, "This journey to the Western Paradise, when will you return?"
"In just three years, he returned directly to the capital."
"As time goes by and the mountains and roads become distant, the Tripitaka Master may drink this wine: I would rather cherish a handful of soil from my hometown than love ten thousand taels of gold from a foreign land."
The monk then understood the meaning of the soil being twisted, thanked the monk for his kindness, drank the remaining wine, and took his leave.
Having witnessed this historic moment firsthand, watching Tang Sanzang depart for the Western Paradise, Jiang Liu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Tang Sanzang hadn't left, Buddhism would have continued to focus its attention here. Now that he's gone, at least most of the attention will be reduced.
"I've heard that the journey to the West to obtain the scriptures will involve eighty-one tribulations. Would you be interested in becoming one of them?" The Third Holy Mother stared intently at Tang Sanzang's departing figure, then suddenly felt playful and asked Jiang Liu.
"Become one of the eighty-one tribulations? Are you sure?" Jiang Liu thought of the stone Buddha. He had already embarked on the journey to the West and was bound to become one of the tribulations. With his true form as a nine-aperture stone monkey, unless he could reach the strength of shattering the vacuum in the "Yang God" during this period, he would really be no match for the monkey.
Are you interested?
Jiang Liu frowned. He was interested, and the longer Tang Sanzang took to obtain the scriptures, the better it seemed to be for him.
But our current strength is still somewhat lacking!
Jiang Liu pondered for a moment and said, "After a while, I heard that Sun Wukong, who caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, will become his disciple. I want to meet that Sun Wukong..."
"Okay, it's a deal!"
Chapter 395 Has My Background Been Exposed?
Thirty-three days.
Beneath the celestial dome closest to the stars, above lies the boundless universe, its base a dark and profound expanse, adorned only by the glittering stars, exuding mystery, grandeur, and an awe-inspiring, inviolable majesty.
"Senior Sister, Wudang requests an audience!" An old man with wrinkled skin and white hair, holding a dragon-headed cane, stood in this void, looking up at the stars in the sky. He did not speak, and a wave of divine soul energy instantly disappeared.
In an instant, starlight gathered before her, and a dazzling starlight, like a ribbon, rolled like a long river, transforming into a beautiful young female immortal. After a moment of silence, she said, "Junior sister, you are a vestige of life that the Jie Sect has preserved since the Investiture of the Gods. Why do you come to see me now? Although I have been named the Doumu of Kan Palace and the head of the constellations, I am forever imprisoned here, using my own body to operate the Heavenly Dao."
"Senior Sister, Master has sent a message from beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens!"
"What?" The expression of the fairy formed from starlight finally changed.
"After Hongjun Ancestor merged with the forty-nine Heavenly Daos, the remaining Dao that had escaped has appeared!"
"..." The female immortal frowned slightly, and without needing to say anything, she already knew why she had come here.
The old woman who arrived was none other than the Old Mother of Lishan, who was called the Holy Mother of Wudang in the Investiture of the Gods a thousand years ago. She was the first to retreat from the Battle of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation and was the only one among the direct disciples of the Tongtian Sect Master to survive, thus preserving a chance for the Jie Sect to survive.
The female immortal gathered by the starlight is none other than the Golden Spirit Mother, one of the eight chief disciples of the Tongtian Sect Master of the Jie Sect, second only to her senior brother, Duobao Daoren, and the foremost among the female immortals. Her magical power is immense, and her cultivation surpasses even the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect.
During the Battle of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, the Holy Mother Jinling killed Princess Longji, daughter of the Queen Mother of the West, and Hong Jin, a traitor of the Jie Sect. She then fought against Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Cihang Daoren. The three great bodhisattvas were enraged and each rode a green lion, a white elephant, and a golden roc to attack and fight the Holy Mother Jinling. The Holy Mother remained fearless, swinging her dragon and tiger jade ruyi left and right. While fighting the three bodhisattvas, she was unexpectedly ambushed by the Daoist Ran Deng with the Dinghai Pearl and died on the spot.
The Holy Mother Jinling was listed on the Investiture of the Gods and later bestowed the title of Doumu of Kan Palace, becoming the head of the constellations. Her disciples included Wen Zhong and Yu Yuan, the Immortal of One Qi, who were also listed on the Investiture of the Gods.
The master mentioned by the Old Mother of Lishan was naturally the Tongtian Sect Leader.
Golden Spirit Mother bowed to the stars in the heavens and said, "Since Ancestor Hongjun merged with the Dao, no saint is allowed to set foot in this world. You have received your master's decree, so that I may use the stars in the heavens to explore the Three Realms and find the one who has escaped?"
The Old Mother of Lishan gripped her dragon-headed cane and said in a deep voice, "Senior Sister, if we could obtain that Dao that escaped, many of our fellow disciples in the Jie Sect would be freed. However, not to mention the chaos of the Heavenly Dao, even the abilities that Dao that escaped possessed innately are beyond my calculation. Since Master cannot descend, I can only beg Senior Sister for help!"
“Junior sister, my true spirit is bound by the Investiture of the Gods, and my cultivation will hardly advance any further in this life. If I were to use the power of the Heavenly Dao, do you think Ancestor Hongjun would allow me to do something that goes against the workings of the Heavenly Dao? You are an immortal, and you can go against the heavens, but I am a god. If I go against the heavens, it will be the time of my demise… Tathagata, have you asked him?”
"Brother Duobao has converted from barbarian to Buddhist and is now the master of Mount Ling. If even I, as his senior sister, cannot deduce any clues, then I will have no choice but to go to Mount Ling once more!"
Golden Spirit Mother sighed, then shook her head and said, "Junior Sister, I'm sorry I can't help you. However, although I can't use the Heavenly Dao to investigate, the Heavenly Court is mostly composed of disciples of the Intercepting Sect. I will make arrangements, and I will inform you as soon as I have any news."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Senior Sister!"
...
Beiju Luzhou, the realm of demons.
Icebergs, some hundreds of miles high, rise abruptly from the ground, while steep, undulating mountain ranges, like ice mirrors, stretch endlessly.
A magnificent, ancient, and imposing black palace is faintly hidden in the clouds above the iceberg.
That is the Demon Master's Palace.
The demon master Kunpeng resides here.
After the great war between the demons, the demon emperors Jun and Taiyi perished, Nuwa became a saint, and Fuxi was reincarnated as a human. The only remaining powerful demon was Kunpeng, the demon master of the ancient heavenly court.
This demon is an old monster of the same level as the Styx Ancestor and Zhen Yuanzi, so the Demon Master's Palace is a holy place in the hearts of all demons in Beiju Luzhou and even the Three Realms.
Snow fell for thousands of miles over Beiju Luzhou, but within the Demon Master's Palace, green pines and cypresses stood proudly against the snow, and precious flowers and exotic herbs stood fragrant in the frost.
Since the great calamity of the Lich King, all the demon races in the world have scattered to the Northern Continent of Julu. This is the true home of the demons. As for the demons on the journey to the West Continent of Niuhe, apart from a few powerful ones...
For example, the Bull Demon King; if the rest of them went to Beiju Luzhou, let alone become kings of the mountains, they would have a hard time even surviving.
The hundreds of factions formed by billions of demons mostly revere the Demon Master's Palace.
Looking down from the Demon Master's Palace at the far north, one sees the vast, deep, and endless Northern Darkness, where the Demon Master Kunpeng was born.
Just as the Holy Mother Wudang was heading to the Thirty-Three Heavens to seek an audience with the Holy Mother Jinling, two great demons stood outside the palace gates of the Demon Master's Palace, which had not been opened for hundreds of years, waiting for the Demon Master Kunpeng to summon them.
These two demons exuded an unrestrained and domineering aura, their demonic energy soaring to the heavens. Clearly, they were two truly powerful demons with unfathomable strength.
One of the demons, with a tall, deep-set eye and a hooked nose, wore a black cloak and had a sinister look in his eyes. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the tall palace gate, and said, "Fu Hai, Master has urgently summoned us back. Do you know why?"
The great demon named Fu Hai had a square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, two horns on its head, and a dragon-like nose, clearly indicating that it had dragon blood.
"Hun Tian, Master has been in seclusion for hundreds of years. He must have something important to do when he comes out of seclusion this time."
The other two demons are Peng Demon King and Jiao Demon King.
As those who have read the original novel know, when Sun Wukong was the king of demons on Flower Fruit Mountain, he traveled all over famous mountains and rivers, making friends with many wise and virtuous people. During this time, six powerful demon kings from all over the world became sworn brothers with Sun Wukong.
They are the Bull Demon King, the Flood Dragon Demon King, the Roc Demon King, the Lion Camel King, the Macaque King, and the Yu Rong King.
When Sun Wukong, dissatisfied with his lowly position as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, rebelled and declared himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, his six brothers responded by also declaring themselves saints. They were, in order, the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven, the Bull Demon King; the Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas, the Flood Dragon Demon King; the Great Sage Who Confounds Heaven, the Roc Demon King; the Great Sage Who Moves Mountains, the Lion Camel King; the Great Sage Who Knows All, the Macaque King; and the Great Sage Who Drives Away Gods, the Yu Rong King.
We know that the demons who can be called kings or saints in the legends are all very powerful, each a formidable figure who dominates a region, just like Sun Wukong. For example, his elder brother, the Bull Demon King, and the demons Sun Wukong encountered on his journey to the West, such as the Nine-Headed Lion and the Yellow-Eyebrowed King, were all no less powerful than Sun Wukong. It's easy to see that Sun Wukong's six brothers were no ordinary people.
"Come in!"
An ethereal voice emanated from within the palace gates, followed by a deep, heavy sound that seemed to resonate throughout the heavens and earth, as the massive and ancient palace gates slowly opened.
As the snowstorm subsided, a warm aura emanated from the palace gates. Two powerful demons slowly entered, while a tall, hazy figure stood on the edge of a cliff, gazing towards the Northern Sea.
"Disciples Fu Hai and Hun Tian pay respects to Master!"
The one with his back to the two demons was the demon master Kunpeng, with black hair like a waterfall and a tall, imposing figure that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance, like a bottomless abyss or an endless starry sky, unfathomable.
"The immeasurable calamity is approaching. The Goddess Nuwa has issued a decree from beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, and the one who has vanished has reappeared. According to my calculations, it should possess a human, demon, or even an Asura or ghost. Your task is to find it, and find it as quickly as possible..."