Beside the little monkey, the branches of the World Tree swayed arrogantly, as if saying, "Kid, weren't you so cocky just now? Go ahead and be cocky again."
Yuan Hao chuckled at the sight. He stepped forward, gently patted Sun Wukong's head, and then spoke.
“A level 5 monkey, you’re lucky today. Come with me.”
With a few steps, Yuan Hao disappeared around the Five Fingers Mountain, and along with him disappeared Sun Wukong, who had been suppressed under the Five Fingers Mountain.
The moment Sun Wukong disappeared, the Buddha Tathagata, who was preaching to many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the Western Paradise, suddenly changed his expression drastically.
Just as the many Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats under the Buddha's seat were wondering, the Buddha stopped preaching and quickly began to calculate with his fingers.
The more the Buddha pondered, the deeper his brow furrowed. The secrets of heaven were clearly not concealed or confused, yet he could not deduce the whereabouts of the monkey.
Not only that, he couldn't even deduce who helped the monkey escape from the suppression of the Five Finger Mountain, or how the monkey managed to break free.
Despite his inner turmoil, the Buddha maintained a calm facade. He announced the end of the sermon to the seated Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, instructing them to leave first, before closing his eyes and sitting cross-legged.
Meanwhile, in the Lingxiao Palace, the Supreme Jade Emperor of the Golden Palace of the Heavenly Realm, who was receiving the worship of the immortals, was also puzzled by Sun Wukong's sudden disappearance.
Facing the assembled immortals in the Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was secretly calculating Sun Wukong's whereabouts.
To the Jade Emperor's astonishment, his calculations revealed no trace of the monkey, nor did he know how the monkey had escaped the Buddha's Five Finger Mountain.
"Could it be that some powerful being is secretly helping that monkey, trying to completely sabotage Buddhism's plans and prevent Buddhism from flourishing, thus causing the rise of Buddhism and the decline of Taoism?"
The Jade Emperor thought to himself, then looked at the old man below with his head bowed and eyes lowered with some suspicion.
The Jade Emperor always knew that Laozi was unfathomable and a true pillar of the Heavenly Court, so he never interfered in Laozi's affairs and always held him in high esteem.
In the Three Realms today, there are only a handful of people who, under the watchful eyes of so many immortals and Buddhas, could rescue that monkey from the Buddha's clutches without leaving any evidence and with a motive for doing so.
Especially this old man, he had a big problem back when the mischievous monkey made havoc in the Heavenly Palace. Although everyone played along with the monkey out of respect for the Goddess Nuwa, the old man really went too far.
Even a quasi-saint like myself would be badly injured if I went into his Eight Trigrams Alchemy Furnace.
But that monkey, who wasn't even a Golden Immortal back then, was refined in his alchemy furnace for over forty days and not only survived unscathed, but his cultivation also greatly increased, making him a Golden Immortal. Moreover, the old man even trained him to have a pair of fiery eyes.
Of all the gods in heaven who know the old man's background, who would believe that he couldn't handle a mere stable boy? It's just too blatant of him to do it.
As the most powerful beings in the world, the relationship between Laozi and Sun Wukong was already somewhat ambiguous.
Furthermore, among all beings in the Three Realms, besides Laozi, no one else could have rescued Sun Wukong from under the Five Elements Mountain unharmed right under the Buddha's nose, without leaving any trace or motive.
Given the current situation, it's hard not to suspect Laozi. Not only the Jade Emperor, but even the Buddha and other powerful beings in the Western Paradise have some doubts about whether Laozi saved Sun Wukong.
Of course, despite the doubts, no deity in the Three Realms has yet come to Laozi's door to question him directly about whether he rescued Sun Wukong from under the Five Elements Mountain in an attempt to sabotage Buddhism's plans.
Even the Buddha, after initially harboring doubts about Lao Tzu, quickly forced himself to dismiss the idea and diligently restrained himself from having such thoughts again.
Miaoshuwu
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Chapter 143 Supreme Powerhouse
The Buddha could hardly imagine what the meaning would be if it were truly Laozi who saved Sun Wukong.
Does this mean that Laozi (Taishang Laojun) is dissatisfied with the entire Buddhist community, and that the Buddhist community's situation will become extremely difficult because of Laozi's dissatisfaction?
Knowing that the matter could no longer be concealed, the Buddha issued a death order to all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats in the West, instructing them all to go out and search for Sun Wukong's whereabouts.
After Sun Wukong mysteriously disappeared from under the Five Fingers Mountain, even Laozi was astonished.
Even if he calculated it himself, he could not figure out how Sun Wukong escaped from under the Five Fingers Mountain.
Whether he was rescued from under the Five Finger Mountain by someone else, or whether he broke free from the seal of the Five Finger Mountain on his own, and where he is now, none of these things can be calculated by Laozi.
The heavens are now clear and without any disorder. Laozi is confident that nothing in the Three Realms can escape his calculations. However, he cannot calculate any news about Sun Wukong, which is really surprising to him.
While chaos reigned within the Three Realms due to his act of taking Sun Wukong away, Yuanhao had already brought Sun Wukong to the void beyond this vast world.
Sun Wukong remained quiet and obedient beside Yuan Hao, occasionally peeking out at the surrounding pitch-black void with great curiosity.
Sun Wukong followed Yuan Hao to the very top of this vast world, where he saw an old man who looked exactly like Laozi sitting cross-legged.
Although this old man looked exactly like Laozi, Sun Wukong was certain that this old man and Laozi were definitely not the same person.
In front of Laozi, Sun Wukong still dared to play around and act without any decorum. Unlike other gods in the heavenly realm, although he respected Laozi, he was not particularly afraid of him.
Standing before the old man, Sun Wukong instinctively held his breath. He felt a tremor run through his body and felt a deep respect for the old man.
The moment Sun Wukong saw the old man, an indescribable and strange feeling welled up in his heart, as if the old man was the sky, the earth, and the one who created him.
Upon seeing the old man, Sun Wukong instinctively wanted to bow down and worship him, but fortunately, Yuan Hao beside him influenced him, keeping him sober and preventing him from kneeling down.
After Yuan Hao arrived, the old man who was sitting cross-legged on the Journey to the West world finally opened his eyes and looked at Yuan Hao with some surprise.
Upon sensing the overwhelming aura emanating from Yuan Hao, which far surpassed his own, the old man, whose entire body exuded a profound Daoist charm, spoke with some confusion.
"May I ask how this venerable one is addressed, and what brings you to this old Daoist?"
However, before the old man could finish speaking, his expression became very dazed. At the same time, Yuan Hao sensed that a great being had bestowed His will upon the old man.
Yuan Hao smiled slightly as he looked at the scene before him, then cupped his hands and said, "Brother Dao, Yuan Hao greets you."
"Haha, fellow Daoist, no need for such formalities. The Supreme Dao Ancestor is very kind to you." The Supreme Dao Ancestor also returned the greeting to Yuan Hao with a cupped hand.
Like Yuan Hao in the past, the Supreme Dao Ancestor is one of the few supreme beings who stand at the very top in this endless multiverse. However, unlike Yuan Hao, the Supreme Dao Ancestor is currently at his peak.