"Brother Sun, what is this 'Grand Assembly of Spirit Mountain'?"
"The term 'assembly,' isn't that what dynasties use for rebellions in the mortal realm? Do you really intend to go against the principles you told us before, and have a falling out with Tathagata... oh, sorry, Little Lai Lai?"
"Brother Sun, take it easy. We're not afraid of death, nor do we think you're inferior to him. But, as you and I both know the current situation."
"It's understandable that the highly confidential Journey to the West was exposed, enraging Tathagata and the others, who would at most take their anger out on the monkey's descendants. But if we provoke the patron of Spirit Mountain, the Western Sect."
"That would be troublesome!"
Seeing his elder brother's bloodshot eyes, he claimed not to be angry, but in reality, every breath he exhaled either froze the flowers and plants by the roadside or ignited the stones nearby.
With every step he took, even without deliberate effort, he left a ten-zhang-deep pit in the ground, causing the plants and trees that were cultivating there with the Dharma of Lesser Vehicle Buddhism to turn to dust.
Terrifying?
Fierce?
Overbearing?
Arrogant?
No, these words were insufficient to describe Sun Kong at this moment, nor were they suitable.
The only word that his second brother Wu Zhiqi and third brother Zhou Wuxian could think of was not anything else, but that word, which was...
Killing intent!
That's right.
'Su' represents solemnity, seriousness, and an unsmiling demeanor.
Like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves.
Like a battle that annihilates an entire sect.
'Sha,' however, was not the act of an ordinary monster killing people. It was a reference to several years ago, when their Brother Sun had just returned from his apprenticeship. In order to free the monkeys and their descendants on Flower Fruit Mountain from suffering, he single-handedly charged into the Underworld, fighting his way in and out seven times, causing everyone in the Underworld to cry out in agony, with blood flowing for thousands of miles, leaving them scarred and battered, as if they had seen a demon god.
Even though the current Sun Kong could smile and talk, and even shamelessly employed all sorts of cunning tactics to get into the Buddhist sect of Spirit Mountain, following a circuitous route, he seemed like a petty person.
But if we were to go back to those days, he would not have been so circuitous. Instead, he would have been direct to an extreme.
If this were to happen at Spirit Mountain, it would probably require the slaughter of at least half of the Buddhist disciples and descendants to quell his rage.
The preliminary estimate was that it would be at least fifty million!
"Second brother, third brother, what are you thinking?"
"Your good elder brother is not that foolish. For a few monkey descendants to seek their own demise, would he then engage in a fierce battle with one of the two major branches of Buddhism, the Lesser Vehicle Buddhism?"
"Ultimately, I still have the burden of the Journey to the West on my shoulders, which I cannot shed. How could I possibly start a fight with Tathagata and the others because of this?"
"Let's go, follow me back. We'll 'discuss' it with them. No need for extra nonsense, just one thing: our Spirit Mountain needs a grand assembly to better carry out the Journey to the West."
"If anyone disagrees... heh heh, I suppose no one would disagree, right?"
"Of course, you remember to find time to bring back the missing monkeys and their descendants. Those who died will be given a grand burial, and those who were injured will be sent to Randeng, Guanyin, and the others. There will be no shortage of people to help with treatment."
"Our Spirit Mountain's Great Thunderclap Temple is indeed so harmonious, so united, and so forgiving of grudges. Don't disbelieve me; you'll understand in time."
After saying this, Sun Kong, with a seemingly relaxed smile, yet with heavy steps, walked to the summit of Spirit Mountain, the gate of the Great Thunderclap Temple.
Behind him, his second brother Wu Zhiqi and third brother Zhou Wuxian followed. The former came along, worried that his elder brother might do something foolish.
The latter, naturally, understood the situation. He would search for the scattered monkey descendants who were frightened, and seize this opportunity to recover a total of one hundred and ten corpses and thirty-six thousand five hundred injured individuals!
...
Deep within the Great Thunderclap Temple.
The place where a group of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Vajras, Jietis, and others, the high-ranking members of the Lesser Vehicle Buddhism, held their daily meetings and lectures.
Originally, today was also a routine lecture day, a day to listen to the Great Dao Buddhist scriptures from the Tathagata Buddha.
However, after being expelled from the Chan Sect, everyone felt humiliated and unhappy. Moreover, they knew that they could no longer move their residences at will, lest the Sun Kong become even more "vicious" towards them.
And so it was.
From Tathagata, the top leader, to Randeng, the second-in-command, Guanyin and the other eight great Bodhisattvas, and even more subordinates, all of them were filled with anger and defiance.
The monastic precepts had been collectively broken by them, hundreds or thousands of times.
Yet, not a single person stopped.
All because of Sun Kong!
However,
Their anger was their anger.
Their defiance was their defiance.
In terms of absolute strength, they had suffered a great loss last time when they had united with the Heavenly Emperor. What's more, the current Sun Kong was even more powerful. Yet, he did not fall for their provocations and make the first move, giving them a legitimate reason to retaliate. Instead, he always made them err on their own, with no one to sympathize.
In the end, Sun Kong had gained both substance and prestige, while they were all miserable, with nowhere to run, unwilling to surrender, and unable to defeat him in a direct fight.
They could only...
Cry!
In the beginning, only a few attending Venerables were crying.
Then it spread to the three thousand Jietis.
And then to the five hundred Arhats and eight hundred Vajras.
Soon, it even infected the eight great Bodhisattvas, three thousand Buddhas, and even the second-in-command, the Buddha Randeng, who had a few tears shimmering in his eyes!
"Boo hoo, how majestic were we, the high-ranking members of Buddhism, in the past? Wherever we went, in the Heavenly Court, the Immortal Realm, or the mortal world, we were all revered. How did we end up in this state?"
"Buddha, oh Buddha, we beg you, don't be so conservative and stubborn. Although the Journey to the West is about to begin, and we can continue to control Tang Sanzang and his disciples then."
"But the situation has changed drastically now. Jin Chanzi is nowhere to be found, and this Sun Wukong is not enlightened at all, not empty at all, his face is full of cunning, and he is extremely detestable."
"And the monkeys and their descendants from Flower Fruit Mountain that he brought back have the potential to replace our lowest-level troops."
"Finally, those two 'mixed-world' four monkey demons, who clearly had other arrangements, were brought back by him in advance. It's highly likely that they will become the second and third disciples of the future Journey to the West quartet."
"If this continues, will the heavenly order be disrupted, will the Heavenly Dao punish us? I don't know, but I am certain that our Spirit Mountain will not be peaceful."
"Even with this deterioration, will you still not seek help from the two Patriarchs?"
The crying of the crowd made it difficult for the Tathagata Buddha to maintain control.
Although, up to this point, he still insisted on not giving up on Sun Kong, whom he had cultivated for many years with blood and sweat to become the future Victorious Fighting Buddha.
But seeing that everyone was about to change direction and attack him for his incompetence and indulgence, even Tathagata, as the top leader of Spirit Mountain, found it difficult to bear.
Finally,
The Tathagata Buddha had to put aside his dignity and disregard his reputation, leaving the subsequent affairs to Randeng and others to preside. He himself, with a thought, traversed billions of miles.
He headed towards the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss in the far west of the Immortal Realm, which was countless trillions of miles away from Spirit Mountain.
"Wukong, oh Wukong, your naughtiness this time is too much. Even I, this Buddha, can hardly protect you. You were so cute and obedient back then, why did you suddenly change?"
"Could this also be something that the Heavenly Dao can tolerate?"
With all sorts of regret and helplessness, the Tathagata Buddha descended into the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss after nine days and nine nights, and he hurriedly found the two Patriarchs.
To complain!
...
Spirit Mountain.
Seeing that Tathagata had gone to report him, without giving him a chance to explain or account for himself, Sun Kong maintained a smile on his face. In his heart, however, a demon ape was stirring!