Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 305: Air-to-Air Combat

The wind carried an extremely strong sucking force. Even from a distance of four or five li away, Wukong and the others could still feel it. Yet he saw that Da Yu stood in the fierce wind without even a strand of hair moving.
Wukong was overjoyed and said, “Senior Da Yu will surely win!”
Dapeng asked, “How can you tell?”
Niú Mówáng replied, “It’s quite simple. Seeing Senior Da Yu’s fearless expression, it’s obvious he doesn’t take that fat old man seriously at all.” Dapeng couldn’t help but laugh, “Fat old man! Hahaha…” Niú Mówáng was puzzled and said, “It’s just a fat old man. Why laugh so much? Even if it’s a monk, he’s still an old man.”
Hòu Yì kept his eyes fixed ahead and said, “He may not necessarily win.”
The cloth bag floated to within five zhang in front of Da Yu before stopping. Da Yu seemed to be struggling to hold his ground and quickly pushed the Yu Ding in his hands forward, aiming it at the mouth of the bag, to stabilize himself.
Wukong was alarmed. If the Yu Ding were taken, Da Yu would lose his magical weapon—how could he continue fighting?
After throwing the Yu Ding, Mílè Fó grew worried instead of happy. The Yu Ding grew larger and larger in the air, almost as big as the mouth of the bag, so much so that it couldn’t fit inside.
Hòu Yì said, “That so-called ‘Later Heaven Bag’ isn’t anything special. It’s just a realm built inside.”
Wukong suddenly understood. No wonder all kinds of magical weapons, weapons, gods, and demons could be stored in this bag—there was actually a realm inside! Wukong couldn’t help but think of Laojun’s Vajra Axe, which could store various weapons and magical items. Was it the same principle?
Hòu Yì said, “There’s nothing extraordinary about this. We often use this trick in the Three Realms. Da Yu’s Yu Ding also forms its own realm. It’s a matter of seeing whose realm is more stable.”
Niú Mówáng said, “If it comes to stability, of course the big cauldron is far more stable than that flimsy cloth bag. The bag can’t even stand on the ground.”
Dapeng sneered, “If you don’t understand, shut up and don’t embarrass yourself.”
Niú Mówáng said, “You understand? Then explain it!”
Dapeng replied, “I’ve only just begun to understand this technique. Creating a realm relies on the power of spatial manipulation. Whether it’s a cauldron or a cloth bag, they’re just external forms. But Da Yu’s cauldron, besides containing a realm, also has practical uses—so it’s slightly better than that cloth bag.”
Hòu Yì said, “The Yu Ding was created together by Da Yu, the Fire God Zhurong, and the Metal God Rùshōu. I doubt there are many magical weapons that can compare to it.”
Wukong asked, “Mílè Fó calls this bag the ‘Later Heaven Bag.’ What’s its origin?”
Hòu Yì replied, “Later Heaven Bag? The amniotic sac of a human is called the ‘Earlier Heaven Bag.’ Could it be related to that?”
Wukong said, “Who would keep a human’s amniotic sac? I don’t see any use in it.”

Hou Yi said, “It is said that Pangu was born from chaos. After breaking free from his amniotic sac, the sac itself became a magical artifact known as the Chaos Divine Armor, indestructible. Even Pangu’s axe might not be effective against it.”
Wukong exclaimed in shock, “Heavens! If Pangu’s axe could split chaos, how could it not pierce this amniotic sac?”
Hou Yi replied, “It’s just a rumor; no one has ever seen it. The Chaos Divine Armor has unparalleled protective power, but no offensive capability, just like Pangu’s nature.”
Wukong shook his head, still not convinced.
Hou Yi added, “The Chaos Divine Armor is also called the Void Divine Armor, meaning it originated from the void.”
Void Divine Armor! Wukong’s body trembled. Wasn’t the third-ranked artifact in the Artifact Canon precisely this Void Divine Armor? He was now certain that this magical artifact was real, not just a rumor!
Who exactly created the Artifact Canon, capable of listing all magical artifacts in the world, even including the Unborn Destiny Staff? How could Master Subhuti possess such a remarkable book? Could he not be from this era either? If not from before chaos, who else could have such prescient abilities?
To outsiders, the competition between Dayu and Buddha Donglai seemed as leisurely as sipping tea and playing chess. But both were giving it their all. Buddha Donglai thought his artifact, which contained an entire realm, was already extremely rare, only to find that Dayu’s mysterious cauldron was of the same kind. Since it was a battle between two realms, it wasn’t just about the power of their artifacts. They slowly channeled their magical energy into their artifacts, seeing who could absorb the other first—thus determining the winner.
After a while, Buddha Donglai grew determined. His cloth bag expanded out of thin air, covering hundreds of feet in diameter. Dayu had no choice but to do the same, though his cauldron was always larger than the bag’s opening.
With their efforts, an area of several miles around them turned into emptiness, as if everything inside was being drawn into the cloth bag and the cauldron. Wukong and the others quickly retreated several miles, and Wen Shu and the others naturally dared not approach.
Dayu sensed a massive vortex forming inside the cloth bag, like an endless ocean. He recited a spell, causing his Yu Cauldron to change from horizontal to vertical, with its opening facing the bag’s opening. A thick, earthy yellow aura surged from the cauldron, continuously flowing into the bag.
Buddha Donglai immediately understood Dayu’s intention. Indeed, seeing that everything was being absorbed by the bag and Dayu seemed unafraid, he decided to go along with it—to see just how much the bag could hold.

By this point in the competition, the outcome had become much clearer. If Hou Tian Da Zai could absorb all the earth-yellow aura from Yu Ding, he would naturally win. Yet Da Yu continued to replenish his true energy, making it difficult to determine a winner at the moment.

Hou Yi saw Hou Tian Da Zai of the Eastern Buddha growing larger and said calmly, “Da Yu has won!”

Niu Mo Wang asked in confusion, “How do you know? It’s not over yet!”

Hou Yi replied, “Da Yu’s true energy flows endlessly, while that bag has only an entrance but no exit. It will eventually burst.”

Wukong sensed that since the Eastern Buddha was determined to win, he must have a backup plan, and it wouldn’t be that easy for him to win.

The competition lasted six or seven hours. Da Yu truly lived up to his reputation—remaining steady as a mountain from start to finish, his true energy flowing steadily, neither fast nor slow. Meanwhile, Hou Tian Da Zai’s bag grew larger and larger. Wukong and the others kept retreating, even the demon soldiers on the mountain felt the powerful suction force and moved back several hundred miles.

Wukong simply flew into the sky to watch. Looking down, he exclaimed in alarm—oh no! This was the Eastern Buddha’s plan. If that bag continued to grow, it would soon reach the land of Ji Sai.

It didn’t matter much who won between the two, but if that aura reached the lands inhabited by ordinary people, it would likely cause a great disaster. Indeed, Da Yu gradually realized what was happening. Being kind-hearted, he naturally didn’t want to harm ordinary people, so he slowed down his true energy.

This was exactly what the Eastern Buddha had been waiting for. As soon as Da Yu reduced his effort, his Hou Tian Da Zai stopped sucking in energy and began to expel it. The mixed aura inside was indistinguishable—containing both Da Yu’s earth-yellow true energy and the Buddha’sVajra power—all of which were poured back into Yu Ding.

Wukong muttered under his breath, “Despicable!” This was using the opponent’s own tactics against them.

Indeed, Da Yu seemed caught off guard and was pushed far away by this force. The Eastern Buddha pressed forward aggressively, his true energy overwhelming. Da Yu was annoyed inwardly—this Maitreya Buddha, though seemingly honest, was also very cunning. He struggled to resist, secretly using his mystical powers. Soon, Yu Ding began to rotate slowly.

But in terms of magical power, the Eastern Buddha was still no match for Da Yu. He thought he could force Da Yu back to Qi Tian Ling with one bold move, but Da Yu only retreated a hundred miles before stabilizing. And why was Yu Ding rotating? What was the purpose?

Yu Ding spun faster and faster. There was only a yellow-and-white gas column connecting its mouth to the bag’s opening. Driven by this gas column, Hou Tian Da Zai began to rotate as well.

The Buddha of the East sensed something was wrong. Not knowing what outcome this would lead to, he tried to use his magic to stabilize the situation. Unexpectedly, this suited Da Yu’s plans. The Post-Haven Bag was originally soft, and as the two struggled, unbeknownst to them, the opening of the bag gradually tightened. If things continued, it would likely become completely sealed.

Even the Bull Demon King realized what was happening and laughed, “That fat old man is done for.”

The Buddha of the East was shocked. He realized Da Yu had such intentions and quickly withdrew his power, causing the Post-Haven Bag to rotate along with the Yu Ding. It took great effort to break that tension.

Da Yu smiled slightly, twisted his hands, and the Yu Ding began to rotate in the opposite direction. The change was sudden; in just an instant, the Post-Haven Bag twisted several times, forming countless folds before its opening tightened shut.

If the bag was sealed, all its magical power would be lost, and it would instantly be absorbed by the Yu Ding. After retrieving the Yu Ding, Da Yu said to the Buddha of the East, “Your grace.”

The Buddha of the East’s face turned pale. Whether due to excessive exhaustion from the magical battle or emotional distress, it took him a long time before he said, “I have lost.”

Da Yu took out the Post-Haven Bag and handed it to the Buddha of the East, saying, “I hope the Buddha of the East will not forget his earlier promise.”

After receiving the bag, the Buddha of the East’s expression improved slightly. “I keep my word. From now on, I will not interfere further west of Qi Tian Ling, nor will Manjushri or Samantabhadra.”

With that, he left without delay, taking everyone with him on a cloud journey westward.

Only after the Buddha of the East and the others had gone far did Da Yu descend from the cloud, sit cross-legged on the ground, and focus on regaining his energy. Though he had won the battle, he had also suffered greatly. Since leaving the three realms, this was the first time he had faced such a fierce struggle. Though they used no actual techniques, the battle was even more dangerous than a real fight.

The most astonished was the Great Roc. He knew well that the Buddha of the East was among the top five in cultivation in the Western Heavens. At first, he thought Hou Yi was the greatest master among the ancient heroes, but he never expected Da Yu to be so powerful as well.

The Great Roc felt a surge of ambition. With such a master in Qi Tian Ling, why not strive for equality in this world?

Wukong said, “Now that the Buddha of the East has been defeated, it’s the perfect time for us to act. We should send our versatile demon soldiers to various places in the Ji Sai Kingdom. Wherever there are temples, they can display their great powers to intimidate the people. But remember, never harm the commoners or kill monks needlessly.”

The Bull Demon King replied, “Of course. Anyone who disobeys orders will be executed without mercy!”

Jiu Ling Yuan Sheng then summoned the demon kings and clearly explained the tasks, rules, and prohibitions for this mission. After receiving the orders, the demon kings sent their subordinates to carry out the tasks immediately.

Wukong was greatly relieved to see that the demon soldiers at Qitianling acted in an orderly manner, far from being the reckless and disorderly ordinary demons. Everything is difficult at the beginning; once this region of Jisai Country was conquered, future actions would naturally be much smoother.