Sun Kong, emboldened, dared to strike first.
Not only did he include the Tathagata in his counterattack, but he also encompassed the Eight Golden Immortals, whom no one dared to provoke!
...
As Guanyin and the other three chatted with the Buddha Dipankara, Guangchengzi and the other seven arrived outside the gate, surrounding Sun Houzi with arrogance, as if they were still ancient Golden Immortals from before the Investiture of the Gods.
Then.
Their words dripped with the arrogance of ancient Golden Immortals!
"Tathagata Buddha, your hard work is commendable. My Master requests your presence. Please return and rest. A mere monkey demon is no match for the eight of us."
"How could we possibly waste the esteemed position of the Lord of the Lesser Vehicle Buddhist Sect like this?"
Guangchengzi, perhaps because he was severely injured back then, had become increasingly sycophantic and lost his sense of objective assessment of friends and foes.
In recent years, to maintain his position as the eldest disciple, he had flattered Yuanshi Tianzun daily, seeking his favor.
His original intention was not entirely selfish, merely hoping for more help from Yuanshi Tianzun.
It was only natural.
However, no one expected that after flattering so much and improving his emotional intelligence, his intellectual capacity for cultivation would plummet.
Even his judgment of people deteriorated!
And so.
With half his effort spent flattering Yuanshi Tianzun and fawning over the Tathagata, telling him to step aside, he then, in his next breath, dared to curse at Sun Kong without even clearly assessing Sun Kong's true strength!
"You there, demon monkey! How dare you bully those under the Tathagata Buddha, and chase them all the way to my Chan Sect's Yuxu Palace? Are you looking for a beating?"
"Hmph? Stop looking around. I'm talking to you, you brat! You have a physical body made from Nuwa's five-colored stone, a primordial spirit from the Western Sect's Mani Pearl, and you're still not satisfied?"
"I'll give you three seconds. If you don't apologize to the Tathagata Buddha and the Buddhas of Spirit Mountain and scram within three counts, I, this Immortal, will apprehend you immediately and show you the consequences!"
Saying this, Guangchengzi, to display the might of his status as the foremost disciple of the Chan Sect, dared to disregard the vast difference in their realms, tens, even hundreds of times over.
He brandished the Fan Tian Seal in one hand and the Luohun Bell in the other,
Adopting a stance as if ready to attack at any moment.
It had to be said.
One of the benefits of being born into the Chan Sect was that, regardless of cultivation strength, at least the pose struck was impressive.
It could intimidate most demons.
But for some reason, it was utterly useless against Sun Kong, this monkey demon.
Instead, it immediately provoked Sun Kong's displeasure!
"Who is this imitation teacher of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors?"
"How dare someone like you curse me as a monkey demon and force me to apologize to this Tathagata, oh no, should I call him Little Lai Lai? He wouldn't even dare to accept it, let alone you, kid?"
"What?"
"Want to fight, don't you?"
"You have superior numbers, don't you?"
In front of the revered Yuanshi Tianzun, and in the presence of the Eight Golden Immortals and the Buddhas of Spirit Mountain, Sun Kong's self-destructive tendencies grew more pronounced.
The preceding few sentences, though seemingly rude, were actually laced with a bit of cunning, deliberately dredging up old grudges to make Guangchengzi's face burn with embarrassment and sorrow.
Even though Guangchengzi desperately wanted to achieve something, his heart was wounded by these words, leaving him unprepared for a moment.
Following this, Sun Kong's tone shifted.
He brought out the "martial" aspect of the so-called "courtesy before force"!
"Alright, you have more people, but I, brother, have more spiritual treasures. I don't want to bully you, a former teacher of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, now a fallen, lowly lickspittle, with my own strength."
"Chaos Golden Cudgel, if not now, then when to give this dear junior brother Guangchengzi a good beating?"
As he spoke.
Unbeknownst to everyone, including Yuanshi Tianzun.
Suddenly.
A chaotic-colored cudgel, which no one could have anticipated, sprang from his ear, as if equipped with an auto-navigation system, and without preamble, it hurtled towards Guangchengzi!
The speed was so astounding.
It was impossible for Guangchengzi, a mere peak Golden Immortal "fighting power of five weaklings," to perceive it.
It even left everyone except Yuanshi Tianzun bewildered and astonished!
The power was so immense.
It was far beyond anything Guangchengzi, a useless Golden Immortal whose old wounds were easily exposed, could withstand.
It even filled everyone, including Yuanshi Tianzun, with horror!
"What a fast cudgel!"
The Four Great Bodhisattvas couldn't even see a single hair before they pretended to understand.
"This cudgel is incredibly fast, several times faster than my twenty-four Dinghai Pearls. This Sun Houzi is truly unmatched!"
"Who taught him this move?"
"This matter is completely outside the agreement of the two Saintly Teachers!"
Compared to the Four Great Bodhisattvas, Tathagata and Dipankara, possessing more realistic strength, saw about a third of the Chaos Golden Cudgel's speed almost simultaneously, their faces etched with confusion.
But just as they thought that no matter how powerful or audacious Sun Kong was, he could not possibly attack, let alone break through Guangchengzi's two supreme innate spiritual treasures.
The next second.
They heard a series of forceful impacts on a Golden Immortal's forehead, causing Guangchengzi to retreat repeatedly. Meanwhile, his two supreme innate spiritual treasures,
Couldn't withstand even one round.
They exploded on the spot!
That's right.
In the eyes of everyone, even if Sun Kong took at least ten rounds to gain an advantage and repel Guangchengzi, Guangchengzi couldn't even parry a single move.
He, along with fragments of his spiritual treasures, was shoved to the left of the great door by that malevolent Chaos Golden Cudgel.
Unable to move!
"Junior brothers, save me! This demon monkey is not right. His Golden Cudgel has been strengthened by someone, it's not the original Great Yu's Dinghai Shenzheng!"
"Waaah, it hurts so much! I'm a peak Golden Immortal, yet before this cudgel, I'm as fragile as a blade of grass!"
"Master, save me!"
Guangchengzi struggled to breathe. The other seven Great Golden Immortals cried out in alarm and were about to help, but the other end of the Chaos Golden Cudgel, with similar technique, shoved them to the left of the great door.
As before, they were unable to move!
As before, their breathing was several times more difficult!
"Master, save us!"
"Master, please save us!"
"Master, if you don't act soon and save us, we little cute disciples will perish! You won't be able to drink the mountain tea we brewed for you anymore!"
Compared to Guangchengzi, who at least struggled for a bit before reluctantly calling for help, the other seven Great Golden Immortals were utterly humiliated.
As soon as they were struck by the Chaos Golden Cudgel, they began wailing and crying, proving to be utterly useless.
Never mind Tathagata and the others, who watched with a mixture of amusement and despair.
Even their Master, Yuanshi Tianzun, who had been playing his own game, was now ashen-faced, shifting between pale and livid, seething with anger!
"Monkey demon..."
"Sun Wukong, have you been to Zixiao Palace or the chaotic void? Otherwise, where did that cudgel in your hand come from?"
"Are you truly provoking me like this, forcing this Seat to break my vows and deal with you?"
Yuanshi Tianzun glanced towards Zixiao Palace, extremely cautious and wary. His tone was not one of outright intent to kill Sun Kong.
Although the rage in his eyes was more than any Sun Kong could withstand.
Hearing this, Sun Kong understood his intentions instantly and, without further ado, presented a condition that even Yuanshi Tianzun could not refuse!