"Thank Guanyin Bodhisattva for her guidance! Now, none of us need to fear that Monkey King anymore!"
"It feels so good not to be bullied by Sun Wukong."
"When he returns, we'll use this method against him and teach him a lesson!"
The first ones alerted by Guanyin's words were none other than Manjusri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and Julu Sun Bodhisattva, who were of the same rank as Guanyin.
Like Guanyin, these three had suffered greatly at Sun Wukong's hands recently. They couldn't win against him in arguments or in combat.
They had thought they would be bullied by him forever.
Unexpectedly, Guanyin had stumbled upon a clever trick: Sun Wukong couldn't handle weakness. He could pretend to be weak and cry, fake his own death, or form groups to whine.
This was definitely enough to deal with Sun Wukong.
The three were overjoyed, almost to the point of tears!
Seeing this, Burning Lamp Buddha, the other four Bodhisattvas, the five hundred Arhats, the eight hundred Vajras, and others on the other side also felt a sense of solidarity.
One by one, they became indignant.
They swore that once Sun Wukong found the Golden Cicada, they would collectively take action to humiliate him and reclaim their rightful status!
"I'll be responsible for pretending to be weak. I'm the weakest Arhat and the most innocent-looking one. I'm sure Sun Wukong will be fooled by me," one Arhat declared confidently.
"I'll be responsible for crying. Before achieving my current status, I was famous for crying, and I'm excellent at it," another Arhat said with a proud smile.
Seeing this.
Everyone, including Burning Lamp Buddha, stepped forward to make their own contributions.
"I'll be responsible for faking my death. This is a difficult task, and if I mess up, it could be for real, or I might not die but be discovered.
"I, this Buddha, attained enlightenment through a celestial coffin. I am naturally adept at feigning death, so I'm not worried Sun Wukong won't fall for it!"
Burning Lamp Buddha's words were incredibly moving. Originally, the others were dissatisfied with him being the leader, but now, seeing him voluntarily take on the hardest part, they were moved.
They decisively offered their genuine support!
"Since the Buddha has spoken, how can we lag behind?"
"We eight hundred Vajras are most skilled at moving in groups, so we'll be responsible for forming a 'whining' team. Even if we can't convince Sun Wukong, we'll surely annoy him to death!"
As everyone declared their roles, the seemingly scattered Buddhas of Spirit Mountain, in an invisible way, seemed to have returned to their original unity.
Seeing this, Burning Lamp Buddha didn't hesitate. He instructed everyone to prepare, and then he went to the New Flower-Fruit Mountain to find Tathagata Buddha.
When he spoke of this matter.
He expected Tathagata Buddha to agree to join them.
To his surprise, he received the opposite result!
"Heh heh, you all underestimate that Monkey King too much. How could such tricks fool him?"
"Don't bother me. When I was the leader of Spirit Mountain, I was tormented by him the most, and I could only lie flat.
"What chance do you have?"
"I advise you not to be too clever and not to underestimate Sun Wukong's intelligence. Let him find the Golden Cicada and form his own group of four and a horse for the Journey to the West, in his own way.
"Why bother upsetting him and having him take it out on you?"
As he said this, Tathagata actually wore a look of resignation, giving Burning Lamp Buddha no opportunity to persuade him further.
He then sat in meditation.
Seeing this, Burning Lamp Buddha was disdainful but could only leave. Before departing, he hurled a barrage of insults at his former superior, now the resigned Tathagata!
"You deserve to be called 'Little Lai Lai' by that Monkey King."
"How can you be a Buddha with no backbone?"
"Pah! I, Burning Lamp, will never be like you. If you don't believe me, just wait and see... Ouch! Don't rush, please don't rush, Little Deng Deng is ready to serve you anytime."
"I wouldn't dare cause you to return early and settle scores with me over such a small matter, Great Sage Sun."
Burning Lamp Buddha's words were cut short as he was suddenly startled by a monkey's voice behind him, causing him to wet himself and kneel on the ground. Only when he saw that the newcomer was not Sun Wukong but an ordinary monkey did he flush with embarrassment.
He quickly flew away!
"Hmph? Is that all? Is that the extent of your backbone?"
"I, Little Lai Lai, advised you to behave and lie flat, but you wouldn't listen. Now you've made a fool of yourself. I see it won't be long before you truly become Little Deng Deng."
"By then, you might even have to ask me how to be Little Deng Deng!"
Watching Burning Lamp Buddha get scared so easily, Tathagata looked disdainful. He then turned to Sun Wukong with infinite admiration and flattery.
His demeanor.
Made him seem less like a foster father and more like a fostered son who was habitually manipulated by him.
Yet, Tathagata increasingly enjoyed this relationship.
Unwavering!
...
Meanwhile.
Sun Wukong was making his way at full speed to the Great Han Empire, one of the four major continents of the Earthly Immortal Realm, Nanzhanbuzhou.
Although this place had not yet reached the era of the Great Tang Empire five hundred years later, Sun Wukong had calculated that his appearance had not altered the fundamental plot.
He did not lose heart.
He descended from the clouds.
Landing in this Great Han Empire, which shared its name with the Han Dynasty in the mortal realm but was far more powerful and legendary, possessing a vaster territory, population, and resources!
Chang'an City.
Sun Wukong landed steadily. Although he was in the guise of an immortal, he did not cause the gasps and crowds that would have occurred among mortals in the mortal realm.
Firstly, the Earthly Immortal Realm was filled with abundant spiritual energy, and immortals were everywhere; he was not a rarity.
Secondly, the Great Han Empire was gradually nearing its end. It was not like the mortal realm with its Western Han, Eastern Han, or Three Kingdoms periods, but was directly facing internal strife and external threats.
It was about to enter the next dynasty, the Great Jin Empire.
Therefore, from Emperor Han Bao to various warlords and feudal lords, and the barbarians from the four directions, all were frantically recruiting soldiers.
Their lowest requirement was Earthly Immortal, Lower Grade.
The average requirement was Celestial Immortal and above.
This time, to avoid alerting Jin Chanzi and causing him to run away again, Sun Wukong deliberately suppressed his cultivation, appearing only at the Void Returning stage.
Thus, he was not noticed by anyone.
He was treated like a beggar!
"Get lost! A mere Void Returning dare to block our way to enlist. Are you looking for death?"
"Do you think you're that 'Shocking Demon' Sun Dasheng who shook the three realms?"
Pushed aside by a group of "experts" at the Earthly Immortal level, Sun Wukong felt no displeasure. Instead, he experienced an indescribable feeling, the first time he felt what it was like for others to court death.
But before he could savor it, the system's prompt arrived!
[Ding! The host has indirectly shocked Burning Lamp Buddha, causing him to develop a feeling of panic and paranoia towards the host.]
[Reward: 5 points of awe from Burning Lamp Buddha. Total: 35 points, redeemable for a rune that enhances divination.]
[Each redemption consumes 30 points of awe!]
"Enhancement rune? A rune for enhanced divination?"
"This is truly excellent. I didn't know how to find Jin Chanzi just now, and you, Burning Lamp, sent this. You're truly my most obedient Little Deng Deng."
After a hearty laugh, Sun Wukong immediately redeemed the enhancement rune. Combining it with the 'Martial Prime Minister's Seven Star Array', he performed his divination.
He saw that Jin Chanzi was located in...