Chapter 467: Chapter 467

Sun Wukong said this and leapt onto the log bridge, then quickly ran toward the other side. The log bridge was indeed very narrow and slippery. Watching Sun Wukong sway unsteadily across it, it seemed as though he could fall at any moment.

Zhu Bajie couldn’t help but shout loudly, "Brother Monkey! Be careful. The water below is no ordinary water. We’ve finally reached Mount Meru, and if you were to lose your life here, wouldn’t that be such a pity?"

Even Sha Wujing watched with a heart full of trepidation. Although he knew of Sun Wukong’s abilities, the sight of Sun Wukong’s constantly swaying figure still unavoidably worried him that Sun Wukong might suddenly lose his footing and fall.

Very soon, Sun Wukong had made it to the other side and waved his hands, calling out loudly to Xuanzang and the others, "Master, hurry over here! The bridge is very stable. I ran all the way across without any problems."

As it turned out, this bridge was indeed somewhat strange. When Sun Wukong walked on it, he felt as if he were on solid ground, but to others, Sun Wukong appeared to be teetering and could fall at any moment.

Zhu Bajie turned around and said to Tang Monk, "Master, Brother Monkey is asking you to go over!"

Upon hearing this, Xuanzang actually approached with a calm expression and stepped onto the log bridge, then walked steadily forward.

At this moment, he seemed to have shed all his mana, looking like an ordinary person, advancing on this rounded log bridge.

Just then, a gentle wind howled past, blowing upon Xuanzang in an instant,

At this very moment, Xuanzang, with the gentle wind upon him, had a bright golden light appear all over his body, bursting forth with an astonishing brilliance that enveloped him.

That was not mana, but Buddha’s light!

The densely rich Buddha’s light formed a great dao beneath his feet, voluntarily protecting

Xuanzang as he moved forward.

Cloud Crossing Bridge was not only a test for the scripture seeker but also for many disciples of Buddhism.

However, someone like Xuanzang who directly invoked the Buddha’s light around his body to form a protective great dao was unprecedented.

Inside Cloud Crossing Bridge, Ancestor Buddha Jieyin stood on the ferry, watching the scene before him. He was slightly taken aback and then gently shook his head, a trace of regret flickering in his eyes.

"He must not be allowed to cross on his own!"

He quickly poled the boat over.

Zhu Bajie and the others were astonished to see Xuanzang moving as if on flat ground!

Just then, a small boat drifted down from upstream. A man in the boat was poling and shouting, "Ferrying! Ferrying!"

"Master, come back, there’s a boat!"

Sha Wujing also urged hastily.

Xuanzang looked back and indeed saw a boat. Glancing at the considerable distance remaining, Xuanzang stepped back a few paces.

Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing also saw the ferry and were overjoyed, exclaiming, "This is great! There’s a ferry, now we don’t have to walk the log bridge anymore."

Seeing that Xuanzang had stopped, Sun Wukong also returned from the other side.

Sun Wukong looked up and saw that the man poling the boat was none other than Ancestor Buddha Jieyin, also known as Namo Baozhuangguang King Buddha.

Although Sun Wukong saw through it, he did not reveal it; instead, he joined in shouting, "Over here! Over here, ferry us across the river."

Ancestor Buddha Jieyin poled the small boat to the shore, and Xuanzang and the others hurried over. Upon closer inspection, they found the small boat to be bottomless. The fact that such a boat with no bottom could float on the surface of the water without sinking was indeed astonishing.

Zhu Bajie couldn’t help but change color, saying with panicked alarm, "How can you ferry people in this bottomless broken boat?"

The Buddha said, "My boat has had a sound reputation since the beginning of the cosmos, and I pole it without any alterations. It stays stable against waves and wind, blissfully rising and falling with no beginning or end. Unmarred by the six dusts, it can return to unity, peacefully traversing endless calamities. A bottomless boat may seem unfit to cross the sea, but it ferries all beings, now and in times past."

Sun Wukong, with palms joined, expressed his gratitude, "Master, get on the boat quickly! Although it has no bottom, it is very stable. Even the biggest storm couldn’t capsize it. Master, don’t hesitate, quickly get on the boat to cross the river."

Sha Wujing hastily waved his hands, saying, "How can people be ferried in this bottomless boat? If Master gets on, wouldn’t he fall into the river? Absolutely not! It cannot be done."

Zhu Bajie, although he did not speak, felt much the same, certainly not wanting to risk it on such a wreck of a boat.

However, Xuanzang seemed to have already known something and went directly on board.

Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing couldn’t help but panic.

Yet after Xuanzang got on the boat, he actually stood firm.

Xuanzang lowered his head and glanced downward, only to see turbulent waves beneath the boat, but his feet were as steady as if he were on solid ground, as though there were an invisible plank separating him from the river surface and the boat.

Not even a single drop of water leaked into the boat; though the river was rough, the small boat remained as stable as dry land.

Xuanzang brought his palms together and said, "Amitabha Buddha! Excellent! Excellent!"

Seeing that Xuanzang had boarded the boat, Sun Wukong called over Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing to join them. Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, upon seeing Xuanzang safe and sound, boldly carried their belongings and led the White Dragon Horse aboard the little boat.

The Ancestor Buddha Jieyin smiled and said, "Holy Monk, sit tight, off we go!"

With a strong push, the little boat immediately shot towards the opposite shore like an arrow released from a bow. Despite the boat’s small size and the fact that it was a bottomless, broken craft, its speed was astonishingly fast.

At the same time, atop Mount Meru, Ancestor Buddha Tathagata looked down and smiled, nodding as he saw this scene, "After a journey of one hundred and eight thousand li, Xuanzang and his disciples have finally reached Mount Meru."

Although many unforeseen events had occurred along the way, they had arrived here safely in the end.

Once the culmination is reached, the grand ascendancy of Buddhism will be imminent.

Having crossed the Cloud Crossing Bridge, a golden staircase suddenly appeared before the group of five disciples. This staircase led directly to the summit of Mount Meru.

Xuanzang and the others ascended the Buddhist staircase step by step.

Zhu Bajie: "The land of Buddhism truly is different; this staircase is so long!"

Sha Wujing: "Second Senior Brother, do not make a racket; otherwise, be careful we might not attain Buddhahood!"

Sha Wujing was very excited, also anticipating his return to the celestial Court.

Sun Wukong was solemn, while Xuanzang remained calm.

At this time, auspicious clouds surrounded the sides of the Buddhist staircase, and within these clouds, countless Buddhas bowed in worship!

Ascending the auspicious cloud staircase, they directly entered the great hall of Mount Meru.

The first thing that caught their eye was the Eighteen Arhats standing on both sides.

The Eighteen Arhats, who were Dharma-protecting Arhats of Buddhism, had cultivation levels ranging from the peak of Taiyi Golden Immortals to Daluo Golden Immortals; at this moment, they demonstrated the posture of Buddha and Dao, lying or standing on both sides of the great hall.

Further in front of the Eighteen Arhats sat numerous Buddha Ancestors, and in front of the Buddha Ancestors were the Four Great Bodhisattvas of Buddhism.

Included among them were Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Manjushri Bodhisattva, and Ksitigarbha Pusa.

With the end of the Calamity of Measurement, all of the great figures of Buddhism gathered here.

Further up in the center sat three Buddha Ancestors, with the past Buddha Ran Deng on the left,

Ancestor Buddha Tathagata in the middle, and the future Buddha Maitreya Buddha Ancestor on the right.

In the center, Ancestor Buddha Tathagata was flanked by the Venerable Ones, Ananda, and Kashyapa on both sides!

"Disciple Xuanzang, along with disciples Sun Wukong, Zhu Wuneng, Sha Wujing, and Little White Dragon, pays respects to the Buddha Ancestors!"

As the gazes of all the Buddhas in heaven fell upon them, Xuanzang stood in the great hall, bowing respectfully to Ancestor Buddha Tathagata and spoke.

Above in the great hall, Tathagata watched Xuanzang and his disciples bowing to him, feeling a myriad of emotions.

For others, the Journey to the West might be seen as a play staged for the grand rise of Buddhism.

But for Tathagata, the Journey to the West had tangible benefits.

Otherwise, why would he have allowed his second disciple, Golden Cicada, to reincarnate and become the scripture seeker?

Because essentially, the dissemination of Buddhist Law to the east was the dissemination of the Buddhist Dao that Tathagata himself had comprehended. After transitioning from Daoism to entering Buddhism, he had fused together the utmost of both Buddhism and Daoism. The Buddhist law he had realized was his Great Dao.

Thus, the vast momentum of the Journey to the West was significant for Buddhism.

For Tathagata, it was also a major event, concerning his own achievement of the Dao.

Only Golden Cicada could comprehend his Great Dao with heart and mind and perfectly interpret his Mahayana Buddhism.

This was known only to the top echelons of Buddhism, not to other Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats.

"Xuanzang, your Eastern Land is none other than the Southern Continent Jambudvipa, where the heavens are high and the earth rich; abundant in resources and teeming with people, many are greedy and murderous, deceiving themselves, employing unjust measures, harming and killing living beings, creating boundless karmic offenses, leading to the calamities of Hell!"

"I have now the Tripitaka scriptures that can relieve suffering and save you all from the torments of water and fire. Altogether, there are thirty-five sections, comprising fifteen thousand five hundred and forty-four scrolls, the very gate to true goodness!"