Volume 3: A Long Journey Chapter 354: Can I?

The Ancient Buddha of the Lamp held the highest status; in terms of cultivation, he was undoubtedly the greatest among the Buddhas. He kept a low profile, staying behind the scenes, and would only reveal himself when it was necessary to uphold the foundations of Buddhism.

Back then, when they went to Ling Mountain to demand the Great Sage National Teacher, Bodhisattva Wang, it was the Ancient Buddha of the Lamp who single-handedly defeated the Golden God Ru Shou, the Wood God Ju Mang, and the Fire God Zhu Rong, intimidating everyone present. Hou Yi and Da Yu realized that even if they worked together, they would be no match for him.

Seeing that this matter had even drawn the attention of the Ancient Buddha of the Lamp, Da Yu said urgently, “Wukong, I’ll hold him off for a while—run quickly!” Still in shock, at Da Yu’s call of “Ancient Buddha of the Lamp,” Wukong seemed to lose his senses—“This is my master!” The scene of learning from his master on Lingtai Fangcun Mountain came to mind. Wukong knew he would hardly meet Subhuti again in this life, but after meeting Master Wu Chao on Wusizang Mountain, he felt a glimmer of hope. After Laojun revealed the truth, Wukong had a premonition that the Ancient Buddha would surely find a way to meet him—though he never expected it to happen so soon.

Hearing Da Yu tell him to “run quickly,” Wukong thought to himself, “I’ve long awaited this day. Even if I die, I won’t leave.” Looking westward, he saw no one there, only a hazy yellow light drifting over. He asked, “Where is he?”

Da Yu replied, “Within the light of the lamp is the Ancient Buddha.” When the Golden God and others fought against him, the Buddha of the Lamp merely defended without attacking. His Dharma body flickered like a lamp’s light, rendering all their supernatural powers useless. That’s why those on Qitianling retreated in defeat.

Hou Yi gazed at the light and sighed, “When will we be able to break free from the Five Elements?” Hearing this, Wukong was shaken. Break free from the Five Elements? He had always heard people talk about being beyond the three realms and outside the Five Elements, but it turned out most were just boasting. Even Hou Yi and Da Yu hadn’t reached that level, let alone ordinary deities.

Hou Yi’s sigh clearly meant that the Ancient Buddha had already broken free from the Five Elements. And since he himself had achieved perfection in the Five Elements through the Hunyuan Dao Fruit and even produced two black and white leaves, could this be a sign of breaking free from them as well?

The Ancient Buddha of the Lamp came alone on a cloud, unhurried. Seeing Da Yu and the others standing on the cloud, he felt slightly disappointed. To capture the villain this time, he had paid a considerable price atop Ling Mountain.

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The Flame Light Buddha and the Bright Light Buddha led everyone back in defeat, shocking Ling Mountain. Not only was the Tathagata terrified, but even Maitreya and the Ancient Buddha of the Lamp were deeply puzzled.

In Qi Tian Ling, the most formidable being is undoubtedly the Qilin. If it intervenes, defeating the Great Wisdom Power Buddha, the Pearl Light Buddha, and the Great Ming Buddha is expected. But this Zhuanxu… how could he be so powerful?

As the Lamp-Burning Buddha listened to the Flame-Light Buddha recount the entire battle from start to finish, he remained silent at first, with his eyes closed. The Tathagata occasionally asked questions, seemingly very curious about Zhuanxu, asking in detail about every one of his mystical techniques.

When it came to the point where the Pearl Light Buddha’s left arm was severed and he used the secret technique of “Transforming into a Buddha Body with Relics,” the Tathagata’s expression changed drastically, filled with doubt. This technique was one of his own secret arts, meant not to be revealed to the world unless absolutely necessary. It was unexpected that the Pearl Light Buddha would act so rashly.

The fact that the Flame-Light Buddha and his companions returned defeated clearly proved that this secret technique was utterly ineffective against Zhuanxu. How could that be? Indeed, as the Pearl Light Buddha explained, once this technique was used, it vanished without a trace, like a mud ox disappearing into the sea. Although these Buddha disciples loyal to the Tathagata had all learned this technique, it could only be used when the body was damaged, so no one truly understood its essence, not even what it looked like. In that case, the Pearl Light Buddha was the first to use it.

Seeing the Tathagata moved, the Lamp-Burning Buddha had an idea. While others did not know the secrets of “Transforming into a Buddha Body with Relics,” he had heard Bodhisattva Vimalaprabha mention it and thus understood its mysteries.

The Tathagata then said, “Go and ask the Buddha of Returning to Truth to intervene. He must capture this man!” The Buddha of Returning to Truth was actually the Buddha of Guiding to Truth, possessing boundless powers and being two generations above the Flame-Light Buddha.

Suddenly, the Lamp-Burning Buddha said, “How about I go?”

The Tathagata looked at him and smiled, “Is one Zhuanxu worth the Lamp-Burning Ancient Buddha intervening?”

The Lamp-Burning Buddha remained silent. Maitreya laughed and said, “It’s not just Zhuanxu; there’s also Dayu and Houyi. The most dangerous one is the Great Peng. If he returns to Qi Tian Ling and calls for them, the Qilin and others will all arrive at once. Even the Buddha of Returning to Truth might find it hard to deal with them.”

The Tathagata replied, “It doesn’t matter. How about I send the Eight Medicine Buddhas to assist?”

Maitreya, knowing that the Lamp-Burning Buddha rarely spoke but always followed through, said, “To mobilize so many people… I’m afraid it’s not appropriate.”

The Tathagata said, “Since the Construction of the Spirit Mountain, no Buddha body has ever been destroyed. What happened today is unprecedented. If we continue to let demons run amok out of detachment, the Buddhist sect will be looked down upon.”

Suddenly, the Lamp-Burning Buddha said, “I’ve heard that Zhuanxu has a magical artifact called the Golden Veil Rope?”

The Tathagata was momentarily stunned. He glanced at Ran Deng, then at Anuo, who looked bewildered. Hearing Ran Deng’s words, the Tathagata grew uncertain—what exactly was the relationship between the people of Qi Tian Ling and the Three Pure Ones? Why would the Old Lord give his magical treasures to Zhuanxu? Could it be that Ran Deng was hinting that if he took such drastic action, the Three Pure Ones would intervene? But why was Ran Deng so determined to capture Zhuanxu? Did he know the wonders of “transforming relics into Buddha forms”? No, that was utterly impossible! In any case, Zhuanxu was extremely important; he would simply prevent Ran Deng from getting involved.

The Tathagata said, “It’s just Zhuanxu. Even if the Qilin committed such a grave offense, it still cannot be forgiven!”

Ran Deng smiled inwardly. The Qilin had become close friends with Zhen Wu, who, knowing the situation well, had taken on the role of Supreme Marshal for Subduing Demons in the Heavenly Court. If he dared to use the power of Mount Spirit to target the Qilin, that would be a huge joke!

Ran Deng said, “Since the Buddha insists on doing this, I have no objections.”

Maitreya laughed and said, “Now the Buddha must attend to the great task of obtaining the scriptures and also protect the reputation of Buddhism. Truly admirable. If the people of Qi Tian Ling were a bit more cunning, they would understand the strategy of ‘luring the enemy away to rescue another place.’”

“Oh?” The Tathagata felt quite distressed. Although Buddhism had great power, he could only use a small fraction of it. Moreover, Ran Deng and Maitreya kept causing trouble for him. If things went as Maitreya said, and the True Buddha captured Zhuanxu, the Qilin could follow suit and capture those seeking the scriptures as well. At that time, he would be too afraid to act, putting himself in a difficult position!

The Tathagata remained silent and gave Maitreya a deep look. Maitreya smiled again and said, “Since I was defeated by Dayu last time, I can no longer interfere with his westward journey.” In other words, though I can’t get involved in Zhuanxu’s matter, I have no concerns about the quest for the scriptures. Whether to hinder or assist depends solely on my will.

The Tathagata said, “But if the Past Buddha goes, it will be the same.”

Ran Deng said, “I have my own ways to ensure the people of Qi Tian Ling have no desire for revenge.”

The Tathagata raised his eyebrows in delight and said, “If that’s the case, I’ll wait patiently for good news.”

Hearing the Tathagata agree, Maitreya said, “I’ll go and protect those who are seeking the scriptures.”

The Tathagata replied calmly, “Thank you, Venerable Maitreya.”

Without hesitation, Ran Deng stood up and left. Maitreya followed behind with his sleeves fluttering. Seeing that the Tathagata had no intention of staying, the others also left one after another, anxious. In the vast courtyard, only the Tathagata remained—alone.

Alone.

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As Ran Deng approached, he scanned the people of Qi Tian Ling. Then, his figure appeared in the light. Upon seeing Ran Deng’s face, Wukong was extremely excited and almost knelt down. Wasn’t this none other than the Patriarch Bodhi!

Seeing that these people were led by Dayu, Ran Deng said to him, “I’ve come to capture Zhuanxu.” Dayu stepped forward two steps, shielding Wukong behind him, and said, “No!” Hou Yi said nothing but raised his giant bow, drawing an arrow to the string. Jiu Ling Yuan Sheng transformed into his nine-headed true form and stood beside Dayu. All nine heads roared at once, their voices extremely deep yet carrying the power to reach heaven and earth. The Great Peng spread its wings and cried, “Ran Deng Buddha, how can you no longer distinguish right from wrong?” Seeing the tense situation, Ran Deng said, “Zhuanxu has destroyed the Buddhas; I must capture him!” The Bull Demon King asked, “What are Buddhas? In the Western Heaven, someone destroyed ordinary people from the Three Kingdoms. As an ancient great Buddha, why don’t you do anything?” Ran Deng glanced at the Bull Demon King, slammed his palm down, and said, “You insolent wretch!” The Bull Demon King felt a tremendous force pressing down from above, causing him to plummet straight into the mountains of Xi Shi Gou. He couldn’t transform into his true form, his feet sank into the soil, and he couldn’t even speak. Seeing Ran Deng take action, Dayu summoned the Yu Ding and covered Ran Deng with it. Hou Yi released an arrow, which buzzed as it flew toward Ran Deng. In just a blink, with his figure flickering in and out of sight, Ran Deng dodged both the ding and the arrow. The Bull Demon King felt the pressure shift and was about to curse loudly when he suddenly realized that the arrows inside him had disappeared without a trace. Huh? What does this old monk Ran Deng want to do? Caught off guard, he couldn’t curse. Ran Deng said again, “It’s pointless to fight. I don’t intend to harm Zhuanxu.” Ran Deng also knew that the method of “transforming into a Buddha body using relics” was related to fate. Hearing that this method was ineffective against Zhuanxu, he naturally assumed Zhuanxu was someone connected to fate. But after arriving here, he found that Zhuanxu was no different from an ordinary person, which left him somewhat disappointed. Initially, Ran Deng only wanted to settle things perfunctorily, indifferent whether he could capture Zhuanxu or not. But when he saw a strange glow on Zhuanxu’s face upon seeing him, he grew suspicious. He didn’t know Zhuanxu, so why wasn’t there any resistance or hostility from him? Instead, he seemed excited. Thus, Ran Deng became doubtful and decided he must capture Zhuanxu to find out. Although Ran Deng said he didn’t intend to harm Zhuanxu, only Wukong believed him. Dayu frowned and said, “Even an ancient Buddha lies? If he’s not to be harmed, then why capture him?” Ran Deng sighed and said, “If I were to capture him, none of you could stop me.”

Hou Yi said in a deep voice, “Even if we can’t stop him, we must try!” He nocked the Time Arrow on the bowstring and shouted, “Zhuanxu, run quickly!” Then he prepared to shoot the arrow, hoping it could at least delay the Burning Lamp for a while. Dayu retrieved the Yu Ding and stepped forward. Since the Burning Lamp had escaped the Five Elements, many spells were useless; physical attacks with fists and feet were far more effective.

Jiuling Yuansheng also floated forward. Though his cultivation was weaker, since it involved Wukong’s survival, he would never retreat even by an inch. Dapeng knew of the Burning Lamp’s abilities but didn’t dare to attack. Instead, he pulled Wukong away and tried to flee. The Bull Demon King still stood there, unsure whether to intervene.

As the others fought against him, a roar came from the east in the distance: “If they can’t stop you, can I?”