However, he knew it hadn't grown too big, only a few thousand feet high. Looking at the Buddha's palm coming from the sky, he had to hold on.
The divine palm drew ever closer, its unparalleled and terrifying power filling Sun Wukong with dread.
"I can't hold on, I'm doomed, this won't do, but I can hold on, I can do it!" Sun Wukong kept encouraging himself.
"As expected, Sun Wukong's thinking was still interfered with by Buddha." Lin Qing sighed.
Then, with a thought, the trace of power remaining in Sun Wukong's mind revived, instantly restoring Sun Wukong to his conscious state.
"Holy crap, am I out of my mind? Why didn't I run away?" Sun Wukong stared anxiously at the giant hand that was comparable to the moon.
"I'm about to kick the bucket, is there any way to survive? I need help urgently."
"Dragon Emperor, that's right, Dragon Emperor!" Sun Wukong suddenly grasped at a straw.
What's this talk about not being subservient to others? It just means being someone's subordinate, at least you can survive. One slap from Buddha and you're dead, what's the point of worrying about that?
The moment Sun Wukong regained consciousness, Buddha sensed something and immediately increased the speed at which his palm fell several times over.
Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong immediately shouted, "Dragon Emperor, Dragon Emperor, I will join your ranks, please come and save me!"
"Dragon Emperor?" The Buddha's voice came from the heavens above, indifferent yet majestic.
Upon hearing this, Lin Qing smiled slightly, his figure flashed and he appeared high in the sky, clenching his fist and smashing it upwards.
The moment Lin Qing raised his fist, an aura no less powerful than that of Buddha rose up, clashing with Buddha's power.
The fist, as small as an ant, contrasts sharply with the hand as large as the moon.
"boom!"
A loud bang.
The Buddha's palm stopped its descent, and Lin Qing gracefully descended from the sky, arriving beside Sun Wukong.
"Crack..."
The sound of shattering continued to ring out, and cracks appeared in the Buddha's palm.
"Bang!"
The palm shattered, the fragments vanished with the wind, and the Buddha's image was missing a hand. However, the next second, the hand was restored, and the Buddha's image in the universe clasped hands together.
"Amitabha!" A grand and resounding Buddhist chant echoed throughout the entire fantasy world.
"Dragon Emperor, are you the one who attained sainthood in the depths of the universe yesterday? I never expected it to be you." Tathagata clearly recognized Lin Qing from the fishing village.
"Achieving sainthood yesterday?" Sun Wukong had just recovered from that earth-shattering attack when he heard even more terrifying words.
"Did he just become a saint yesterday?" Sun Wukong couldn't believe it.
"Not bad, are you very disappointed?" Lin Qing said with a smile.
“Amitabha Buddha, how could I be disappointed that Fellow Daoist Long has become a saint? This is a great event for our world. To achieve the position of a saint is truly a cause for celebration,” said the Buddha.
"Hehe, thank you. Now that the matter is resolved, I'll be leaving."
"Fellow Daoist Long, please proceed!" Tathagata exchanged a blow with Lin Qing and knew that his strength was not weak, so he did not want to fight again.
"Let's go," Lin Qing instructed Sun Wukong.
The latter quickly replied, "Oh, okay."
Buddha quickly stopped him: "Wait, Fellow Daoist Long, please go ahead, but Sun Wukong cannot leave."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's heart, which had just relaxed, tightened again.
"He is my subordinate, why can't he leave?" Lin Qing said calmly.
“Five hundred years ago, the Demon King Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, killing countless heavenly soldiers and generals, committing a heinous crime. Now is the time for him to atone for his sins,” said Buddha.
Lin Qing asked, "Apologize? Accompany this little monk for decades to India to obtain scriptures, and then confer a title upon the little Buddha?"
“That’s right.” Buddha did not refute.
"The Dragon Emperor was right. I really have to go with this guy on the journey to the West, and then become a Buddhist monk who practices vegetarianism and chants Buddhist scriptures???"
The thought of spending every day in front of Buddha, sitting in a temple chanting sutras, filled Sun Wukong with fear: "No, I can't go, even if it kills me."
"Dragon Emperor, I am now under your command. You must protect me. I have no desire to go on the journey to retrieve those scriptures," Sun Wukong said to Lin Qing.
Lin Qing gave him a reassuring look, then said to Tathagata, "Forgiveness? I was suppressed under Five Finger Mountain for five hundred years, and my sins have been absolved. The forgiveness you speak of simply does not exist."
The Buddha said, "His sins are not enough even after five hundred years."
"I said, five hundred years is enough!" Lin Qing said calmly, but his words carried an air of authority that made people unconsciously submit.
Buddha did not answer. After a long silence, Buddha said, "Consider it a favor I owe you. Hand over Sun Wukong to me."
"Favors? I don't need them." Lin Qing refused directly.
“You…” Buddha was furious.
But he really didn't dare to fight Lin Qing, not for any other reason than that several Taoist saints had already descended.
Although the Jade Emperor, who was in cahoots with him, also came, he believed that the Jade Emperor would not support his war.
Their joint pilgrimage was actually aimed at developing Buddhism and suppressing Taoism.
As for why the Taoists didn't stop it, Lin Qing had no idea. Perhaps they had reached some kind of agreement.
Even so, these Taoists would still constantly cause trouble and sabotage the journey to the West.
"This is the trend of the times, it is inevitable, don't make a mistake for yourself," Buddha threatened Lin Qing.
"The trend of the times? Ha, what does that have to do with me? If you're not convinced, come and fight!" Lin Qing was fearless.
He had previously hidden himself because he was afraid that the saints would unite to kill him, but now that he thought about it, how could they possibly unite against him?
Taoism and Buddhism have always been irreconcilable, and with two sages who are oblivious to worldly affairs, only the Jade Emperor remains.
To be honest, Lin Qing wasn't afraid of the Buddha and the Jade Emperor joining forces, because he had achieved sainthood in both his physical body and soul, making him one of the top warriors among saints.
"Fine, very well, then I will grant your wish today," Buddha said angrily.
A major battle is imminent.
"Buddha, since Sun Wukong has already joined the Dragon Emperor's ranks, let's just forget about that." This was the Jade Emperor speaking.
Suddenly, a monkey demon who looked very much like Sun Wukong appeared here.
Chapter 639 The Journey to the West with a Changed Person
The Jade Emperor said, "This is the Six-Eared Macaque. From now on, he will be Sun Wukong, and Sun Wukong will be the Six-Eared Macaque."
The Buddha calmed down and said, "Excellent, excellent, let it be so!"
Upon seeing this, Lin Qing pondered and said, "Then so be it. Sun Wukong, from now on you will be the Six-Eared Macaque."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong hesitated, then said, "Dragon Emperor, I..."
Lin Qing snapped, "Shut up! Do you want to become the Six-Eared Macaque or spend your days chanting Buddhist prayers?"
“From now on, I am the Six-Eared Macaque,” Sun Wukong said hastily.
"From now on, your name will no longer be Sun Wukong, but Sun Kong."
After saying that, Lin Qing and Sun Wukong disappeared from the spot.
"Heh, interesting." Several mocking laughs rang out, then disappeared. The Taoist sage had already departed.
The Jade Emperor shook his head, sighed, and returned to Heaven.
Only Buddha was there, silent, and with a wave of his hand, he erased the Six-Eared Macaque's memories and replaced them with Sun Wukong's.
Subsequently, all of Xuanzang's memories after Lin Qing appeared were also erased.
The story returns to its starting point, where 'Sun Wukong' is struck by a palm and sent to a beautiful grassland.
Xuanzang took Miss Duan's Wuding Flying Ring, which transformed into a tight headband, and placed it on 'Sun Wukong's' head. Then, the three of them embarked on their pilgrimage to India.
"Sun Kong, don't try to escape. With your current strength, you are really too weak. I will improve your strength."
"Now, let's go to the Heavenly Court first. I have something to discuss with the Jade Emperor."
Sun Kong nodded in acknowledgment, and then Lin Qing led Sun Kong directly to the Lingxiao Palace.
At this moment, the Lingxiao Palace was empty. There were no fairies or celestial officials present. Only the Jade Emperor sat on the throne, exuding an aura of imperial power.
"Fellow Daoist Long, what brings you to my Heavenly Court?" the Jade Emperor said with a smile.
"There is something. I was originally a member of the Dragon Clan, and now I have become a saint. I think that the Dragon Clan is scattered all over the continent, so I want to unite them and gather all the Dragon Clan under heaven."
"Now, all dragons are under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court. What do you think, Jade Emperor?" Lin Qing said with a faint smile.
"Fellow Daoist Long's actions will benefit the Dragon Clan, which is of course excellent. I will now issue a decree to separate the Dragon Clan from the Heavenly Court."
The Jade Emperor's face twitched slightly, but he didn't hesitate and agreed immediately.
"Very well, thank you Jade Emperor for your kindness. I will take my leave now." Lin Qing said goodbye and left with Sun Kong.
After Lin Qing left, the Jade Emperor shook his head and sighed, "It seems we won't be able to eat dragon meat and dragon liver anymore."
"Only when dragon liver is eaten with phoenix marrow can it be considered a delicacy. There is still some dragon liver left, so we have to eat it sparingly."
Lin Qing took Sun Kong to Flower Fruit Mountain, leaving Sun Wukong behind, and instructed him: "You stay on Flower Fruit Mountain for now. I will come to find you after I have integrated the Dragon Clan."
"Yes, Dragon Emperor." Sun Kong bowed and then went directly to his monkey followers.
He longed for Flower Fruit Mountain, for his monkey grandchildren, and for the carefree life of yesteryear.
"Flower Fruit Mountain, I, Old Sun, am back!" Sun Kong couldn't help but roar.
"Hehe, it seems that no matter what kind of person you are, there is a soft spot in your heart." Lin Qing smiled, then leaped into the East China Sea.
The four Dragon Kings – Ao Guang of the East Sea, Ao Qin of the South Sea, Ao Run of the West Sea, and Ao Shun of the North Sea – were waiting at the gates of the Dragon Palace with their pure-blooded dragon sons and grandsons.
"Father, do we really have a sage ancestor?" Ao Luan asked, somewhat disbelievingly.
"Shut up and just wait patiently. If you say another word, I'll send you to Black Wind Cave for a hundred years of seclusion," Ao Guang sneered.
"Yes, Jun'er knows his mistake." Upon hearing the name Black Wind Cave, Ao Luan immediately shuddered and said no more.
Hundreds of dragons waited silently here, none daring to utter a word.