"Waste is shameful, truly shameful! Our Spirit Mountain should embrace a path of sustainable circular development. How can we leave seats empty and forbid me from sitting?"
"This isn't me being greedy for a seat, but rather feeling for the future Medicine Buddha, warming up his spot in advance so he can sit comfortably as soon as he appears."
"If you don't believe me, let the rewards speak for themselves. I am a man destined to become the Victorious Fighting Buddha, how could I covet a mere seat?"
Before Sun Kong spoke these words, all the Buddhas were convinced he was an illiterate brute. Now, they thought, they could corner him with words.
But they never expected...
After he precisely named the three Buddhas of the past, present, and future, and revealed his future title, the assembled Buddhas were shocked and paled.
When they looked at Sun Kong again...
Each and every one of them was filled with a terror akin to seeing the reincarnation of Patriarch Hongjun, or the grandson of the Great Sage Buddha!
"This Sun Monkey actually spoke the truth?"
"How is this possible?"
"Before this, he was merely a Stone Monkey of Spiritual Insight, one of the four mixed-origin monkeys. He could only dominate Flower Fruit Mountain in Dongsheng Shenzhou and hadn't learned a single tenet of our Buddhist teachings."
"Why can he now explain more than we can?"
"May I ask the Buddha, is what this Sun Monkey says true?"
"Could it be, that the Buddha is truly showing favoritism, acting as his adoptive father and preemptively revealing much about the Journey to the West, while treating us like fools and blind men?"
"Is such a Spirit Mountain, such a Buddha, still worthy of our allegiance?"
The accumulated anger of several months among the Buddhas finally erupted with Sun Kong's latest accurate pronouncements.
Setting aside the Arhats who followed suit.
Even among the four Great Bodhisattvas, the other four Bodhisattvas, for reasons unknown, joined in the chorus of dissent. It was as if they intended to overthrow the Tathagata at this opportunity.
These scenes...
These incidents...
Each and every one of them...
Their threat to the Tathagata and others was even more potent than Sun Kong's recent words. It not only caused Sun Kong to look on in astonishment but also made the Tathagata Buddha restless, forcing him to speak out and suppress them forcefully!
"All Buddhas, quiet yourselves!"
A supreme lion's roar erupted from the Tathagata's mouth, like countless quasi-saint level energies, instantly terrifying the Buddhas into silence. They dared not continue their foolish chatter.
They could only listen obediently.
This was the first time the Tathagata Buddha had ever been so domineering.
Though he seemed to have gained much, it was somewhat embarrassing for the Tathagata, the Patriarch of Ten Thousand Buddhas and the leader of Spirit Mountain. He had truly not expected that because of Sun Kong, so many people would become estranged from him.
Normally, these individuals addressed him with such reverence as "Buddha, Buddha."
At a critical moment, not only was there no one to help him, but they had nearly rebelled!
The more the Tathagata Buddha thought about it, the angrier he became.
Finally...
He erupted in a fury, much like the Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Court!
"You are all useless sacks of wine and sacks of rice, mere gluttons who dare not speak out against this Sun Monkey, yet readily believe his nonsensical ramblings."
"Towards this Buddha, your distrust and disrespect grow daily. Is this still my Spirit Mountain? Have you forgotten who has fed you, clothed you, and sheltered you all these years, allowing you to study and advance?"
"Since you all question my right to lead you, then so be it. From this moment on, those who question me and do not believe me, scram out of Spirit Mountain immediately."
"Whatever you brought when you arrived, take it with you. This Buddha cares not for a single cent."
"Henceforth, we go our separate ways. If, one day, you are not participating in the Journey to the West and accumulating merit, do not blame me."
"If, one day, your enemies come knocking and kill you, do not blame me."
"Don't you all think that this Buddha secretly converses with and supports this Sun Monkey?"
"Fine, think whatever you want, say whatever you want. This Buddha has no interest in dealing with you, nor the inclination. All of you, get lost and leave me in peace!"
"Right now, before the calamity of the Journey to the West has officially begun, various factions from the ninety-nine eighty-one tribulations are coming to speak with me. If you won't help me, so be it."
"At worst, I'll just abandon this Journey to the West, and we can all perish together. It would be the most satisfying to be bombarded to death by heavenly punishment!"
The Tathagata Buddha cursed at them all and then left.
He appeared to be in a huff, as if he would ignore them from now on.
Simply magnificent!
After a round of scolding, all the Buddhas were stunned, staring blankly at the Tathagata Buddha, who had always been known for his extreme patience and magnanimity.
They had never expected him to possess such a fierce and volatile side.
At the same time, although the Tathagata Buddha had berated them, his words were not without truth, instantly filling the Buddhas with shame and guilt.
You must know...
At Spirit Mountain, the Tathagata had truly treated them exceptionally well. While not on the same level as the Six Sages, he was still a rare and benevolent leader.
They had food, drink, and incense offerings.
And there were also periodic lectures and sharing of insights.
It was simply too comfortable!
Before all this, the Tathagata Buddha was the chief disciple of the Jie Sect, his status no less than it was today. Even without establishing the Lesser Vehicle Buddhism, he would have lived a life of ease and luxury.
Contrast that with them...
Apart from the five of Randeng, they originated from the Chan Sect, being the Deputy Leader and four of the Twelve Golden Immortals. They lived lives of relative comfort.
All the other Buddhas, Tathagatas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats were nothing more than demons struggling to make ends meet.
Yes.
That's right.
If not for the Battle of the Investiture of the Gods, which caused the Jie Sect to suffer a bitter defeat, the Chan Sect to incur losses, and the Western Sect to achieve great victory, with the Human Sect's Grandmaster Laozi personally transforming himself into a Buddha by going west.
Most of the people at Spirit Mountain would have been wild demons like Sun Kong, or rogue immortals who perished during the Shang-Zhou conflict.
To go even further back.
The largest group of them were not from good backgrounds either; they were merely outer disciples of the Jie Sect, the so-called "Myriad Immortals" from "Myriad Immortals Congregate."
Even they should have respectfully addressed the Tathagata Buddha as the Senior Disciple Brother of the inner sect. How could they have become so ungrateful?
How could they blame the Tathagata Buddha because of Sun Kong's inherently suicidal and mad personality, and in turn, court disaster by leaving the protection of Spirit Mountain?
Let's not even mention anything else.
These individuals had many enemies.
Without Spirit Mountain, without the Tathagata, they were nothing.
Leaving him was tantamount to seeking death.
This statement is absolutely true!
"Oh my, how could we have acted so recklessly? Look, we've angered the Buddha. What will we do now?"
"Why don't we ask the Deputy Buddha, Randeng Buddha? Please, speak on our behalf to the Tathagata Buddha. We know we were wrong."
"We will never dare to speak nonsense or question him again."
"This Spirit Mountain still needs him to preside over the overall situation. We must rely on him to unite us."
"This whole thing is that Sun Monkey's fault... Huh? Where did Sun Monkey go?"
The Buddhas, who had just come to their senses, intended to beg Randeng Buddha for help and simultaneously shift the blame to Sun Kong, only to find that Sun Kong had already disappeared without a trace.
They were all bewildered!
Only the five of Randeng saw that the Tathagata Buddha had taken Sun Kong with him, and their eyes flickered with surprise!
"It seems the Tathagata Buddha is indeed the Tathagata Buddha. He has used this opportunity to learn from Patriarch Bodhi. Could he have something important to instruct this Sun Monkey?"