Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 304: The Race Bag

From afar on the ground, Wukong spotted Maitreya Buddha and was shocked. He thought to himself, How did he come here? Having received guidance from Laojun, he knew that the Future Buddha Donglai, the Past Buddha Randeng, and Tathagata appeared to be united but were actually at odds. Donglai Buddha secretly ordered Wenshu, Lingji, and others to prevent them from obtaining the scriptures. Though it seemed covert, how could it escape Tathagata’s notice? In truth, it was no different from outright opposition.
Wukong believed Donglai wanted to seize Tathagata’s legacy, which was similar to Zhenwu Ziwei’s actions. With the expansion of Qitianling to the west, it might draw Tathagata in person. If Donglai aimed to weaken Tathagata, he could just sit back and watch. But instead of waiting to reap the benefits, he personally went to cause trouble at Qitianling, which really puzzled Wukong.
The man standing beside Donglai, though only at the level of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, carried an air of arrogance, with two pale yellow eyebrows that set him apart from others. Upon seeing this man, Wukong immediately knew his identity—he must be the Yellow-Eyebrow Old Buddha!
Seeing the Yellow-Eyebrow Buddha brought back some memories. Back then, he had disregarded hierarchy, using his status as a servant before Maitreya Buddha to build his own Small Thunder Sound Temple and claim to be a Buddha. Despite such treasonous acts, Tathagata hadn’t punished him, showing that Tathagata also held Donglai Buddha in high regard.
As Wukong was still pondering, the Yellow-Eyebrow Buddha secretly took out a pair of shiny golden cymbals. Wukong thought, This is bad. He knew the power of those cymbals. Although the Yellow-Eyebrow Buddha wasn’t very powerful, those cymbals and that magic bag were formidable. Wukong shouted, “Dapeng, be careful!”
Dapeng was blocking Wenshu, with his back to the Yellow-Eyebrow Buddha. The golden cymbals silently changed in the air, growing vast and enveloping Dapeng. Hearing Wukong’s warning but not understanding what was happening, it was too late for him to dodge. The cymbals already enclosed him.
Just then, something strange happened. Though the cymbals seemed to be working, they left a gap. Dapeng let out a loud laugh and emerged through that gap, then rushed at the Yellow-Eyebrow Buddha.
The Yellow-Eyebrow Buddha was greatly surprised. He quickly retracted the cymbals, and a single arrow fell from the air. The arrow was only a few inches long and thinner than a little finger, but it arrived just in time to save Dapeng once again. Only then did Wukong realize that aside from Hou Yi, who else could possess such skills?
Seeing Dapeng charging at the Yellow-Eyebrow Buddha, Hou Yi quickly leaped into the air, took down his giant bow from his back, drew it without an arrow, and aimed it straight at Maitreya Buddha. It wasn’t for Maitreya himself, but because he was worried that if Maitreya intervened, Dapeng would suffer.

Huang Mei put away his golden cymbals, raised his wolf-tooth club, and stood together with Da Peng. Da Peng was angered by his sneak attack, and within just four or five exchanges, he had thrown Huang Mei’s movements and techniques into disarray. Maitreya smiled bitterly inwardly—Hou Yi was watching closely, so even if he wanted to capture Da Peng, he dared not act rashly.

Samantabhadra naturally could not stand by idly. In a flash, he entered the battle circle, stretched out his right hand with five fingers, palm facing outward, his thumb and middle finger as well as little finger slightly bent, only his index finger and ring finger extended. As he chanted a spell, he pointed those three fingers at Da Peng and shouted, “You wretched beast, take this!”

Out of thin air, three Vajra maces appeared, each at least two feet thick, roaring with fierce energy as they rushed toward Da Peng. Da Peng knew full well that these maces were even more deadly than real ones, so he dared not meet them head-on and quickly stepped back. Suddenly, a strong wind hit him from behind—it was Wenshu’s Wisdom and Silence Vajra Sword. Wenshu had endured for so long just for this one strike.

Faced with three opponents, Da Peng remained extremely calm. He knew Wenshu was behind him and Samantabhadra in front, and it would be difficult for him to avenge Huang Mei’s sneak attack. So he lowered his wings, made his body limp, as if having released all his martial skills, and stopped motionless in midair.

The Vajra maces and the Wisdom and Silence Vajra Sword cornered Da Peng. If struck properly from both front and back, it would be a fatal outcome. Yu the Great held the Yu Ding in his hand, ready to strike, Hou Yi turned slightly behind him, prepared to rescue, while Wukong and the Bull Demon King leaped into the air to attack as well. But suddenly, Da Peng vanished into thin air!

Everyone was shocked. If Da Peng had wanted to hide, he surely could have done so. His posture seemed like he had given up resistance, willing to be slaughtered. What kind of magic was this sudden disappearance?

It should be noted that immortals can vanish through the art of the Five Elements, but the most difficult part is casting spells in midair. To create a golden light that soars upward, one must first pause for a moment. Thus, in actual combat, relying on teleportation to defeat enemies is merely a fantasy and hardly feasible.

Da Peng had disappeared in the blink of an eye—what was the reason behind this? As everyone was puzzled, they suddenly heard Huang Mei scream. On his face appeared a very obvious mark that swelled up in no time.

Only then did Da Peng reappear. His laughter echoed through the air as he returned to his camp. After stopping, he shouted, “You brat Huang Mei, we’re even now!”

Huang Mei had been struck silently by Da Peng, and his shock was needless to say. That attack was like hitting Wenshu and Samantabhadra in the face—unexpectedly, they hadn’t even managed to protect Huang Mei.

Wukong asked Da Peng, “What kind of magic was that just now?” Da Peng, in high spirits, replied, “It’s not magic—it’s an innate divine power! I haven’t mastered it even after hundreds of years in the Golden Heaven and Silver Earth. Yet today, I suddenly felt it—haha!”

The Bull Demon King snorted and said, “Still relying on escape tactics—what’s so great about that?” The Great Roc knew the Bull Demon King was doing it on purpose and ignored him. The Bull Demon King, unable to contain his impatience any longer, picked up his iron rod and headed toward the Eight Vajra Warriors. Wukong had no choice but to follow, thinking to himself, “That old ox is really reckless. If the Great Roc can escape, how dare he take such a risky solo mission?”

Seeing the two brothers fighting eight against two, the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage also transformed into a nine-headed form and staggered into the battle. With their two powerful iron rods and three extra heads, it took only a few rounds for them to knock six of the Vajra Warriors’ rods aside. The Eight Vajra Warriors were captured by three of the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage’s heads, and it seemed only a matter of time before they were torn apart.

Just then, the Eastern Buddha finally spoke up, saying, “Everyone, stop!”

Wukong laughed and said, “Eastern Buddha, speak quickly. My brother can’t hold them captive for long.”

The Eastern Buddha replied, “What’s the point of fighting in such chaos?”

Wukong asked, “If you don’t want to fight, then what are you here for?”

The Eastern Buddha said, “I’ve seen the tactics of Dayu and Hou Yi before. Tell that lion to release them first and listen to me.”

Wukong said, “If you say release them, I’ll release them—”

“Nonsense! I refuse to give in!” the Bull Demon King shouted.

Wukong gave him a disdainful look, thinking, “That old ox really lacks manners. He dares to swear in front of the Buddha.”

How could the Eastern Buddha get upset by the Bull Demon King? He chuckled and said, “If you refuse to release them, that’s your choice. I want to make a bet with you. Do you dare?”

Wukong was speechless. Did everyone in the Western Heaven love to bet?

Hou Yi simply said, “Speak!”

The Great Roc secretly gave a thumbs up from behind—this was real style. The Buddha had said so much, but Hou Yi only replied with one word. Unlike Wukong, who talked nonstop without any trace of a master’s composure. In the Great Roc’s eyes, Hou Yi was already his idol.

The Eastern Buddha said, “Although you’re in the upper hand now, it’s only because I have the virtue of sparing lives and haven’t used my most powerful magic weapons yet. If you don’t believe me, I’ll fight one of you with these weapons. How about that?”

Wukong thought to himself, “The Eastern Buddha is quite cunning too. Seeing that he can’t win in a group fight, he came up with this plan.” So he asked, “What if you lose? And what if you win?”

The Eastern Buddha replied, “If I lose, I won’t stop you from going west anymore. Even if you fight your way to the Spirit Mountain, I won’t interfere. If I win, everyone here in Qi Tian Ling must retreat and never dare to move westward again!”

Wukong weighed these terms and thought they were a bit unfair. So he said, “Eastern Buddha, you’re too arrogant. Can you really take on all of us by yourself?”

The Buddha of the East thought for a moment and said, “Very well, then let’s add Manjushri and Samantabhadra. How about that?”
Manjushri and Samantabhadra also possessed the cultivation level of Hunyuan Golden Immortals, and in terms of ability, they were likely even stronger than the Great Roc. With such stakes, it seemed quite balanced. But after some thought, Wukong realized he couldn’t make the decision alone.
He truly didn’t know how powerful the Buddha of the East was. If the Qilin were here, Wukong would have agreed right away, but it was hard to say whether Dayu and Hou Yi could truly match the Buddha of the East.
So Wukong said, “This isn’t something I can decide alone; we need to discuss it further before making a decision.” He then signaled the Nine Spiritual Saints to put down the three Vajras, and Manjushri and Samantabhadra returned to their camp with the eight Vajras, looking disheveled. The Buddha of the East smiled calmly, waiting patiently for Wukong and the others to discuss it.
Wukong said to Dayu and Hou Yi, “Lord Maitreya indeed has a magical artifact of great power.”
Hou Yi asked, “Describe what it looks like.”
Wukong replied, “This artifact is called the Human Seed Bag, also known as the Post-Haven Bag. It’s said to be able to contain various magical artifacts, even its opponent.”
Dayu glanced at Hou Yi and asked, “What kind of thing is this? Have you ever seen it?”
Hou Yi shook his head. “There’s no such bag. I’ve never heard of it. Could it be a life artifact? That would be troublesome.”
Wukong thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know about that.”
Wukong knew that Huang Mei had once used this Human Seed Bag to stop Tang Seng from going west. The Bull Demon King had said that a life artifact is connected to its owner’s vital spirit. If it were indeed a life artifact, Maitreya would be fearless, unafraid that Huang Mei might cause trouble for him. But since the fate of the pilgrimage was already decided, Maitreya must have a thorough understanding of all the world’s masters, hence his confidence.
Hou Yi nodded and said, “Dayu, you go in this battle.”
Dayu also nodded and said, “It’s exactly what I should do.”
Wukong didn’t understand what was going on. He saw Dayu fly to the front of the formation and say, “Buddha of the East, I’m here!”
The Buddha of the East stretched out his hand and indeed took the seemingly ordinary cloth bag from Huang Mei’s hands, saying, “This bag is the magical artifact I’ll use.”
Dayu took out a small, green-colored cauldron and said, “I’ll just use this cauldron.”
The Buddha of the East nodded, his expression serious, and said, “Be careful, Dayu.”
He slowly unrolled the bag and threw it into the air. The bag opened and flew slowly toward Dayu. Wukong knew that this bag could not only contain magical artifacts but also people. Seeing that Dayu remained motionless, he grew worried and couldn’t help asking Hou Yi, “Why isn’t Senior Dayu moving?”
Hou Yi replied, “Dayu never attacks first in battle.”

Wukong grew anxious. What was the point of acting so solemn at this moment? If they lost, the expansion of Qitianling to the west would come to an end. The bag grew closer and closer, stirring up a strong wind. Wukong quickly pulled King Bull Demon and the others back to a distance to observe from afar.