Chapter 699: Chapter 699
"Ming He, you’re spouting nonsense! If my Little Yi gets led astray by your child, you and I are going to have a serious problem."
A flicker of sorrow passed through the eyes of the Ming He Sect Master, but he maintained a jovial expression as he said, "Vermilion Bird, perhaps it’s time you let go. The children have grown up; they are capable of choosing their own lives. Once you do, you’ll realize they can grow beyond your wildest expectations."
"Ming He, I’ve already let go. I won’t interfere in the child’s affairs, but I don’t mind sharing a few words with you amidst the Chaos.
If you don’t want to get beaten, you’d better keep an eye on your brat."
The Ming He Sect Master was speechless, as if you could beat me.
Vermilion Bird Venerable Sage’s silhouette silently vanished above the Blood Sea.
Inside the Vermilion Bird Temple, the Vermilion Bird Venerable Sage still sat upon the Divine Position, as if everything that had just occurred was a dream. It was unclear whether the Blood Sea had appeared in the Vermilion Bird Temple, or the Vermilion Bird Temple had descended upon the Blood Sea.
Meanwhile, within the Great Leiyin Temple, The Buddha, who had been meditating on Enlightenment, suddenly opened his eyes with a look of shock. Tang Sanzang had gone missing – what had happened?
Could it be that a Great Power intervened in the Westward Journey, leading to an unpredictable twist? The Buddha’s peace, undisturbed for tens of thousands of years, suddenly rippled with urgency. He called out, "Guanyin Bodhisattva!"
Within the grand hall below, a lotus flower bloomed, and within it appeared Guanyin Bodhisattva holding the Suet Jade Flask, bending in a bow and said respectfully, "Greetings to The Buddha!"
"Buddhism shall rise, and the petty shall tremble. Someone unknown has meddled in the Westward Journey, and Tang Sanzang has been abducted. Go and investigate thoroughly."
Guanyin Bodhisattva was taken aback, finding it hard to believe. The journey to consolidate the Westward Journey had been set; although numerous demons had been added to the path due to certain rumors, they were still within control and did not affect the overall situation.
Now, The Buddha was saying that Tang Sanzang had disappeared? Wouldn’t this directly sever the path of the Westward Journey? Such a change was too drastic.
Guanyin Bodhisattva quickly asked, "The Buddha, are you unable to locate where Tang Sanzang is?"
A mighty voice echoed within the Great Leiyin Temple: "Amidst the Calamity, Heavenly Secrets are clouded, causes entangled; even I cannot observe the Three Realms.
The Six Ding and Six Jia, guardians of Tang Sanzang, Guardian Jialan included, have all vanished without a trace, with no word reaching us."
Guanyin Bodhisattva immediately understood the severity of the matter. If even Guardian Jialan could not send back any message, it must be the work of a Great Power above the Quasi-Saint. Bowing once more, she said solemnly, "I shall head east immediately."
"Remember, be cautious of the Heavenly Court."
"I understand!" Guanyin Bodhisattva disappeared amidst a flash of Buddha Light.
Beside Kusong Stream Fire Cloud Cave, Sha Wujing was carefully cleaning the Master’s horse carriage, diligently attending to the task as both older disciples were out capturing demons, and this was what he could contribute.
Suddenly, two streaks of light flew across the sky and landed before the stream, revealing the figures of Zhu Bajie and Sun Wukong, both looking ragged with their robes torn and hair disheveled, the picture of desolation.
Sha Wujing quickly stood up and called out, "Eldest Brother, Second Brother, have you rescued Master?"
Sun Wukong sat down on a stone nearby, disheartened, "Don’t even mention it. We found the little monk, but we couldn’t rescue him."
Sha Wujing anxiously asked, "Eldest Brother, what exactly happened?"
Zhu Bajie sat on the ground and exclaimed with an ’ouch’, "My old back! Brother Monkey, your sworn brother Bull Demon King really showed no consideration at all."
"That damned bull must have caught mad cow disease," Sun Wukong grumbled while sitting on the stone.
Sha Wujing asked again, "Second Elder Brother, can you tell us exactly what happened?"
Zhu Bajie rubbed his waist and said, "Based on Red Boy’s message, we first went to Cuiyun Mountain. Princess Iron Fan of Cuiyun Mountain was quite reasonable. She said that she and the Bull Demon King had parted ways long ago and told us to look for the Bull Demon King on Jilei Mountain.
We found the Bull Demon King on Jilei Mountain. He bravely admitted that Tang Sanzang was indeed in his cave mansion, but he refused to return him."
Sha Wujing, puzzled, said, "How could this be? Isn’t he sworn brothers with our Great Elder Brother?"
"As the common saying goes: If you don’t visit for three years, even relatives become strangers.
Our Great Elder Brother has been apart from him for five or six hundred years, without exchanging a single drink or receiving any invitation for festival gifts. How could he still consider our Great Elder Brother as family?"
Sha Wujing nodded and said, "That makes sense."
"Then we fought a fierce battle with the Bull Demon King, clashing for three days and nights, yet we still couldn’t subdue him."
Sun Wukong snorted from the side, "If it weren’t for me being imprisoned under the mountain for five hundred years, which hindered my martial arts, how could he flaunt his prowess like that?"
"Brother Monkey, don’t brag. Even five hundred years ago, he was recognized as the chief of the Seven Great Saints."
Sun Wukong’s face turned a shade of embarrassed red.
"Great Elder Brother, what should we do now? Should we go seek help from Buddhism?" Sha Wujing asked.
Sun Wukong immediately waved his hand and said, "No hurry, no hurry.
Red Boy kidnapped our Master out of filial piety. We should give him some time, a chance to correct his actions, not simply beat him to death with a stick."
"Elder Brother, then what should we do?"
Sun Wukong looked up at the sky and said, "Old Sun will make a trip to the Heavenly Court first, ask Yang Jian and the others to come down."
Zhu Bajie exclaimed, "Brother Monkey, be careful. Guanyin Bodhisattva said that we are not allowed to seek help from the Heavenly Court."
"Old Sun won’t listen to her." Having said that, Sun Wukong leapt up and soared straight into the Nine Heavens.
The Plain Cloud World Flag isolated Heaven and Earth, establishing the Nine Heavens, each layer a difficult barrier, impassable for ordinary cultivators. The first layer is the Gangfeng Heaven.
Within the Gang Wind Layer, a desolate silence reigned, with ferocious winds so strong that even rocks would be blown into powder within moments, akin to a bone-scraping steel knife.
In such a terrifying Gang Wind Layer, a white cloud sped straight up, carving out a path.
"Hum~" A ray of Buddha Light shone forth, and the towering figure of Guanyin Bodhisattva stood between Heaven and Earth, her height filling the Gang Wind Heaven, a Buddha Wheel lighting up the layer behind her head.
The white cloud stopped in front of the immense Guanyin Dharma Image, and Sun Wukong stood atop it.
Sun Wukong bowed and chuckled, "Greetings to the Bodhisattva~"
The grand voice of Guanyin Bodhisattva resonated within the Gang Wind Layer, "Wukong, where are you headed?"
Sun Wukong felt a bit guilty. His monkey eyes darted about, and he chuckled, "Bodhisattva, if your disciple says he is visiting friends and relatives in the Heavenly Court, would you believe me?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel~fire~net
The huge Dharma Image of the Bodhisattva looked down at Sun Wukong and said, "Wukong, where is your Master?"
Sun Wukong’s eyes shifted. He did not wish for Buddhism to intervene in this matter, for once Buddhism intervened, what fate would befall his nephew?
Bowing with a chuckle, he said, "Reporting to the Bodhisattva, my Master met an adorable child named Red Boy on the road. They fell in love at first sight, holding hands and going off to play. The location is unknown, the return date is undecided, and Old Sun is also visiting friends in the Heavenly Court while seizing the opportunity."