"Vice Buddha, your words make sense, I can listen. However... before that, I have a few small matters to discuss with you all."
"Isn't it said that the Buddhist faith saves all sentient beings and never kills? Why then were my Flower Fruit Mountain monkey descendants killed, 108 of them, with tens of thousands injured?"
"Isn't it said that the Buddhist faith treats all equally and discriminates against no one? Why then, when I simply brought them here to enjoy blessings and listen to Buddhist teachings day and night, did they suffer such cruel blows?"
"Don't be in a hurry to defend yourselves, I don't want to pursue who killed them or injured them for the moment, nor do I wish to trouble everyone over the lives of these lowly beasts."
"But there is one thing I hope for, please do agree to it!"
Although Sun Kong spoke of 'hope' as if he were negotiating with the Burning Lamp Buddha and others, any of the Spirit Mountain Buddhas present could tell.
His words left no room for negotiation; he was using this as leverage to further extort the Spirit Mountain.
In normal times,
The Buddhas would have been furious.
Either they would have cursed Sun Kong as ungrateful and greedy, or they would have once again launched a mass attack to suppress him.
But things were different now.
Not to mention that in the last confrontation, the Spirit Mountain Buddhas and the Heavenly Court immortals combined failed to subdue Sun Kong, and instead, he further advanced his strength, approaching the level of an ordinary Buddha.
Just yesterday, when the Tathagata and others moved to Jade Void Palace, hoping for the help of the Sage of the Elucidation Sect against Sun Kong, what was the outcome?
They were utterly defeated.
If it weren't for the Tathagata Buddha abandoning his pride and seeking help from the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
These Buddhas might not have even had the courage to face Sun Kong, this monkey who appeared to be a Buddhist disciple but was already displaying the domineering aura of the Victorious Fighting Buddha.
Who would dare object to such a disposition?
"Vice Buddha, since this impudent monkey doesn't intend to pursue the matter to the end, nor does he wish to completely disgrace us Buddhas, why not negotiate with him?"
"Considering he's just a monkey, how much intelligence can he have? What difficult conditions could he possibly propose?"
Guanyin, the foremost of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, cautiously reminded them.
Burning Lamp Buddha frowned but found some credibility in her words.
"Indeed, Vice Buddha, you saw the outcome last time. Even the Ancestor of Dao and the Dao of Heaven don't seem to consider Sun Monkey's rebellious and capricious nature as a violation of heavenly principles. Let's just compromise."
"As the saying goes, 'Enduring for a moment brings peace, stepping back opens up a wider world.'"
Manjushri, the second of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, also voiced her opinion.
These words further shook Burning Lamp Buddha's already wavering resolve.
Seeing this, the other six Bodhisattvas, as well as other individuals who, although not Vice Buddhas, were also called Buddhas, such as the Peacock Great Bright King and the Great Peng Golden-Winged Condor,
All came to persuade Burning Lamp to be wise.
"Let's cut to the chase, this damned monkey is arrogant and overbearing now because those who can deal with him cannot act, and those who can act cannot deal with him."
"But once the Journey to the West tribulation begins, he won't be able to act so presumptuously. You must know, the Journey to the West tribulation is not only about the merits and fortune of our Buddhist and Heavenly Courts, but it also involves numerous other aspects."
"It is another tribulation destined by the Dao of Heaven after the Investiture of the Gods tribulation. No matter how powerful this Sun Monkey is, can he be more powerful than the Dao of Heaven?"
"Furthermore, speaking of it, the Dao of Heaven and the Ancestor of Dao do not consider him to be in violation, the Three Pure Ones have no movement, and Empress Nuwa also seems to tacitly agree."
"Currently, the only ones we can rely on are the two leaders of the Western Teachings. As long as we stall for time and satisfy him, and wait for Tathagata Buddha to return, won't there still be a chance?"
"Our own strength is limited, and our Buddhist hearts are insufficient, but those two supreme leaders are Saints. Can they not find a way to discipline this damned monkey?"
The words of the Buddhas made Burning Lamp Buddha's eyes light up. He no longer cared about his status, nor was he afraid to break precedent and negotiate with Sun Kong, a junior.
Instead, he, as the Vice Buddha, nodded solemnly.
"Wukong, since you have said so, we will naturally not be excessively harsh. Let's consider what happened before as a misunderstanding from not knowing each other."
"Your request for us to agree is not difficult."
"However, before that, you must also guarantee that from now on, you will no longer defy the destiny of the Journey to the West, no longer disrupt the Journey to the West, and no longer be an enemy to all the Buddhas."
"Only then can we believe in your sincerity and Buddhist heart. Otherwise, even if you are truly the unique key to the Journey to the West tribulation, this Buddha would still have to hold you accountable."
"At worst, you and I will tear down the facade, and together we will bear the punishment of defying the Dao of Heaven, which is better than being incessantly pestered by you every day!"
Burning Lamp is Burning Lamp.
He is indeed worthy of being the Vice Leader respected by Yuanshi Tianzun before the Investiture of the Gods, and also worthy of being a high-ranking figure who steadily became the Vice Buddha of the Theravada Buddhist sect after the Investiture of the Gods.
His words were impeccable.
They did not cause the Buddhas to lose face, nor did they overly offend the difficult-to-deal-with Sun Kong. More importantly, they used this opportunity to express their determination not to fear mutual destruction with Sun Kong.
It was arguably a perfect response.
Without any doubt.
Even if the Tathagata Buddha returned, facing Sun Kong's demands, he could at most do this!
"I never imagined that besides little Lai Lai, there would be another old fox like Burning Lamp among the Spirit Mountain Buddhas. This truly broadens my horizons."
"However, why do his words seem increasingly wrong? I, Sun Kong, truly have no intention of destroying all the Buddhas and becoming a mountain king myself."
"How did it come to this misunderstanding?"
"Oh, oh, I understand. It's because I've been pressuring them too fiercely recently, and frequently encroaching on the Spirit Mountain, making them feel very insecure. That's why they would say such things about mutual destruction."
"Alas, this is truly a case of 'I had no intention of killing Boh Ren, but because of a misunderstanding, bitter fruit is brewed.' I must clarify this quickly."
Sun Kong heard the extreme fear of Burning Lamp Buddha and others towards him, their desire to die together with him, and was startled. He immediately wanted to change his approach,
But he dared not let the misunderstanding between the two sides deepen.
He then humbly apologized to all the Buddhas, stating that he had no intention of overthrowing the Spirit Mountain or troubling the Buddhas before, now, or in the future.
He immediately swore to the Dao of Heaven, which finally put the Buddhas at ease.
Meanwhile, he linked the tragic deaths of his monkey descendants to the grand alliance he had mentioned to his two sworn brothers earlier, and thus stated his hope.
It was none other than three key points.
"First, from this day forward, Flower Fruit Mountain and Spirit Mountain shall form an alliance, with no internal strife and no discrimination."
"Second, starting today, I must join the Spirit Mountain Buddhist sect. Of course, in return, I will go all out, 200%, for the Journey to the West in the future."
"Third, and most importantly, I want to bestow Buddhahood upon the 108 tragically dead monkey descendants: thirty-six Heavenly Buddhas and seventy-two Earthly Buddhas. I wonder, Vice Buddha, can you agree?"
As soon as the words fell,
The smiles on the faces of the Buddhas immediately froze!
What the hell?
What kind of disaster is this?
This Sun Monkey wasn't agreeing to a peaceful resolution, nor was he swearing to the Dao of Heaven that he wouldn't trouble them or overthrow the Spirit Mountain. He was setting a trap here!