Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 335: The Impure Buddha

Qilin repelled the Eastern Age Buddha with just one and a half moves, shocking everyone in the Western Heaven.
The Eastern Age Buddha returned to his camp and, ignoring all eyes, sat on the ground to heal his wounds. The three of them had emerged from the Stupa Tower, seeking only strong opponents and fearing defeat not at all. Such figures rarely engaged in battles, making every encounter precious. Though Qilin used only one or two moves, the Eastern Age Buddha gained much insight from it.
Another gray-robed monk stepped forward and said to Qilin, “Buddha of Guests, I wish to witness your masterful moves.”
Qilin frowned. These people clearly knew they were no match for him, yet they rushed at him like moths to a flame—strange indeed. Just then, a dark shadow grew larger in the sky and arrived before them after several flashes—it was the Golden-Winged Roc. Seeing Wukong at Qi Tian Ling, it was overjoyed and went to him, asking, “How did you come here?”
Wukong glared at the roc and snapped, “Rude! Do not fail to address me as Emperor Zhuanxu!”
The roc was stunned for a moment before bowing deeply and saying, “I am the Golden-Winged Roc under Emperor Dayu of Qi Tian Ling. I pay my respects to Emperor Zhuanxu!”
Wukong waved his hand and said coldly, “Stand up. What brings you here?”
The roc briefly explained how Benbo Country was destroyed, how Hou Yi fought against the three gray-robed monks, and how he and the Bull Demon King were framed.
Benbo Country? Wukong vaguely remembered this name. In “Journey to the West,” when the pilgrims reached Jisai Country, its people mentioned that surrounding countries came to pay homage because of the relic tower. To the east of Jisai Country was the Western Liang Women’s Country, and to the west was Benbo Country.
Back then, Wukong had two questions: First, the Western Liang Women’s Country and Jisai Country were separated by the Flaming Mountains—how could those who brought tributes get there? Second, he had only heard of Benbo Country once, and nothing more was heard of it afterward. The pilgrims continued westward, yet this vast country vanished without a trace!
Only then did Wukong realize that Benbo Country had been destroyed! As it belonged to the Western Ox-Happy Continent, it naturally fell under the jurisdiction of the Western Heaven. It was destroyed in that life, and now again! What crimes had Benbo Country committed?
Coincidentally, at that time, the demons expanding westward from Qi Tian Ling were closest to Benbo Country. When the disaster struck, the roc and the Bull Demon King were inside Benbo Country. Demons were always notorious for their ferocity. It seemed the Western Heaven had deliberately framed them this time.
But Qi Tian Ling’s strength was evident—having fought against the Heavenly Court and the Western Heaven many times without suffering losses, it was unlikely that Buddha would use this opportunity to drag the Heavenly Court down. The Heavenly Court had suffered heavy losses at Qi Tian Ling and surely wouldn’t be that foolish.

For the Tathagata, this was a critical moment for the quest for the scriptures—why create unnecessary complications? At that moment, the Great Peng said, “Elder Dayu once said that although these men possess high cultivation, they are very inexperienced in magic and combat skills. The West Heaven specifically sent them into battle, likely with the intention of using warfare to train their troops.” Wukong nodded and said, “Dayu is right.” These three monks were clearly strangers, never seen before. Using warfare to train troops might make sense, but wouldn’t it be better to do that at Thorny Ridge? There, they could claim to be fighting to capture the Bull Demon King and the Great Peng, giving them a legitimate reason. Why come straight to Heaven-Piercing Ridge? At this point, Wukong thought of the quest for the scriptures and reproached himself for being too narrow-minded. The Tathagata, being in a superior position, had every move interconnected—this action was clearly meant to draw attention away from Heaven-Piercing Ridge so as not to hinder the quest. Well! If you insist on using warfare to train more warriors, then I’ll fulfill your wish! Wukong stepped forward and said to the Qilin, “How about I take on this battle?” The Qilin glanced at Wukong, feeling somewhat uneasy and hesitating slightly. Wukong said, “There’s no need for such a big weapon for such a small task!” Realizing Wukong’s cleverness and seeing his confident demeanor, the Qilin stepped back and landed on the ground. Wukong looked at the old monk and asked, “How many years has this Guest-Greeting Buddha been absent from the world?” The Guest-Greeting Buddha, who had been concentrating, saw the Qilin replaced by a man dressed like a scholar in white. Instead of attacking right away, this man first asked a question. He said to Wukong, “Stop talking nonsense.” Wukong guessed that these monks in gray had mysterious backgrounds. Even if they weren’t among the three thousand Buddhas, they surely possessed extraordinary hidden strength. Wukong sighed, “Life is short. You’ve spent countless years in cultivation, yet you lack the simple joys of childhood—how sad!” The Guest-Greeting Buddha showed no reaction. He clasped his hands, chanted Buddhist mantras, then launched a palm strike at Wukong from the air. This strike didn’t involve much strength; it was merely meant to make Wukong stop talking. Wukong dodged to the side, took out an object from his bosom, recited a spell, and a flash of golden light appeared in the air, tightly binding the Guest-Greeting Buddha. This entire scene happened in the blink of an eye. Wukong, who was prepared, leaped forward, grabbed the Guest-Greeting Buddha, and threw him at the Qilin, shouting, “Catch one first!” Then he waved at the remaining monk in gray and said, “You, come here!” This time, Wukong also took some risks. The magical artifact he used was undoubtedly the Golden Binding Rope, which he had never used since obtaining it. Wukong only remembered Guanyin saying that this treasure was useless against those who knew the spell, but extremely powerful against those who didn’t.

Hearing that these old monks had very little combat experience, he guessed they were reclusive people who had likely seen few magical treasures and almost certainly didn’t know the wonders of the Golden Rope. Wukong captured the Guest-Greeting Buddha in one move and threw him to the Qilin—this was foolproof. The gray-robed monk, upon being called by Wukong, dared not approach. He had intended to gain combat experience, but like the Guest-Greeting Buddha, he was captured without even fighting, which was truly strange. Anuo and Kasyapa had naturally heard of the Golden Rope, but what good was recognizing it? The Qilin had already tied up the Guest-Greeting Buddha with a multicolored rope—who among them could rescue him from the Qilin’s grasp? For a moment, the people from the Western Heaven were at a loss. Wukong naturally started shouting, “Will you fight or not? Will you retreat or not? Why?” After pondering for a while, Anuo stepped forward and asked, “Sir, may I know your name?” Wukong replied proudly, “The ancient Zhuanxu!” Anuo then asked, “Elder Zhuanxu, may I ask where you got this Golden Rope?” Wukong suddenly became distracted; he had been too busy capturing people and neglected this matter. The Golden Rope was given to him by the Tathagata—how could he have forgotten such an important thing! Wukong feigned confusion and asked, “What rope do you mean?” Anuo repeated slowly, “Golden, Rope!” With a thought, Wukong decided to play along and pretended to realize it for the first time, saying, “So this belt is called the Golden Rope!” Anuo grew suspicious and asked again, “Where did you get it?” Wukong sneered, “Stop babbling. Is it yours perhaps?” He resolved that if the Tathagata found out that someone from Qitianling possessed Wukong’s Golden Rope, he would surely investigate. At that time, with a little trick, he could keep the Tathagata in the dark. Wukong added, “Since you’ve come to Qitianling, do you still expect to leave unscathed? Capture them all!” At his shout, one of the Arhats from the Western Heaven stepped forward and said, “Return the Guest-Greeting Buddha, and we won’t disturb you anymore.” When this man appeared, Anuo, Kasyapa, and the others were shocked. He was one of the venerable beings from the Western Heaven, named Vajramani. Though he was also a close attendant of the Buddha with great powers, he could by no means match the Qilin. Moreover, it was impolite for him to appear at such a time. Wukong examined the man across from him carefully and asked, “Who are you? Can you keep your word?” Vajramani replied, “Since I’ve spoken, I will surely keep my promise.”

Wukong glanced at Anuo, whose expression was extremely grim. What strange potion had this arhat taken today to cause such chaos at the forefront of the two armies? This matter involved the Buddhas in the Stupa of Buddhism—how could someone like him decide such things?

At that moment, Qilin suddenly leaped up from behind, his red hair standing on end, his red robes bulging, and his eyes filled with a fierce desire to fight. He said to Wukong, “This one isn’t bad!”

Wukong saw that this arhat was rather ordinary, far inferior to Anuo and Kasyapa—how could Qilin value him so highly?

Then the arhat said, “I am Vajra Indestructible Buddha of the Great Thunder Sound Temple in the Western Heaven!” As soon as he said this, his eyes gleamed, his ordinary monk’s robes transformed into a magnificent robe adorned with jewels, surrounded by a yellow aura, and he held a large string of white jade prayer beads.

Anuo and the others, realizing this man was indeed the legendary Vajra Indestructible Buddha, knelt down in reverence. Vajra Indestructible Buddha was extremely famous on Mount Ling, known as “one whose Dharma body is as unbreakable as vajra, and whose eternal presence coexists with ultimate truth.” It was said he had become a Buddha through gradual cultivation from a humble novice. Among the Buddhas in the Western Heaven, he was the only one who met this criterion.

Qilin laughed and said, “Zhuànxū, step back for now!”

Wukong quickly jumped to the ground, and the people from the Western Heaven also retreated far away. A fight between these two would surely be earth-shattering, and staying too close might bring disaster to others.

Qilin asked, “If you’re a Buddha, why hide?”

Vajra Indestructible Buddha replied, “I am already Vajra Mie Arhat—what is there to hide?” Hearing this, the people from the Western Heaven looked at each other, fearing their companions might also turn into Buddhas like Vajra Indestructible Buddha at any moment.

Qilin said, “Since you’ve come out, you surely want to fight. Come on.”

Vajra Indestructible Buddha said, “If I win, you must return the Guest Buddha to me and hand over those two villains who kill innocents and destroy kingdoms.”

Dapeng grew angry and cursed loudly, “That bald thief is good at framing others!” He and the Bull Demon King had already been used as bets once; now it happened again.

Qilin said, “You’ve violated my Qi Tian Ridge—how can you come and go as you please—”

“If I lose, I’ll submit to your judgment!” Vajra Indestructible Buddha interrupted Qilin.

“Good!” Qilin’s fighting spirit grew even stronger, and he immediately agreed.

Vajra Indestructible Buddha glanced downward and said, “This place isn’t suitable.”

Qilin said, “Then fight up there!”

The two rushed upward like arrows leaving the bowstring. Wukong and Dapeng followed closely behind. Such a battle between masters was rare—who would miss such a chance?

The two proceeded straight to the area filled with fierce winds before taking up their fighting stances. Wukong and the Great Roc struggled to enter that windy zone. Looking back at the Buddhist group, only Anuo and Kasyapa, along with a monk in gray robes, had followed; the rest were unable to proceed.