Sun Kong considered himself the ancestor of "troublemaking," the one most capable of stirring up the Spirit Mountain Buddhas and making them obedient. Yet, to his surprise, he found himself stunned by these very people this time.
It wasn't for any other reason.
It was simply because, the moment Sun Kong followed Maitreya Bodhisattva into the Great Thunderclap Temple, he witnessed a scene he found unbelievable.
He saw.
The Great Thunderclap Temple of the Tathagata Buddha's era had already changed immensely. It wasn't just the decor, which had transformed from simple to luxurious, nor the seating arrangements and order.
But more importantly, a massive assembly led by Dipankara Buddha, comprising several Buddhas, three thousand Arhats, eight great Bodhisattvas, five hundred Arhats, eight hundred Vajras, and three thousand Shravakas, and so on.
They were not arrogant and waiting for him.
Nor were they continuing to play games with him.
Instead, they collectively began to pay homage to him!
That's right.
Sun Kong truly hadn't expected this.
These people were actually bowing to him, and the titles they chanted were not merely a promotion from acting Vice Buddha to official Vice Buddha.
They even included other special titles that astonished Sun Kong!
"Come, come, we, the Buddhas of the Spirit Mountain, all pay our respects to our official Vice Buddha, Great Sage Sun. Back then, if he hadn't insisted, we would have long ago colluded with those from the Jade Emperor's court and been deemed traitors by the Heavenly Dao."
"Although we had unpleasant incidents during this period, in summary, it was due to our insufficient mastery of Buddhist dharma and imperfect enlightenment."
"For this, I, this Buddha, first apologize to Vice Buddha Sun, and I hope everyone will follow suit in apologizing. From now on, you must never violate Vice Buddha Sun's directives or disobey Vice Buddha Sun's commands."
"Whoever dares to disobey, I, this Buddha, will be the first to not let them off."
"Although our Spirit Mountain Lesser Vehicle Buddhist lineage does not have the death penalty, we do not mind making an exception for Vice Buddha Sun and ensuring certain individuals are never reincarnated or reborn!"
Initially, Dipankara Buddha spoke with a smiling tone, uttering words of apology. Following him, he instructed everyone to bow and apologize to Sun Kong.
Sincere?
No.
If these people were not faking it, then with this display of all Buddhas paying homage to Sun Kong, it was more than sincere; it was overflowing with sincerity!
Even though Sun Kong had caused countless people to die, shocked countless individuals, and changed the karma of many over hundreds of years,
considering himself the true ancestor of "troublemaking,"
having witnessed all sorts of events and even instigating the second great conflict between the Dao and Demonic factions,
he shouldn't have been too surprised.
However, at this moment, he was genuinely surprised, and it was all from the Spirit Mountain Buddhas, an astonishment he couldn't suppress.
Even though his heart constantly warned him not to be swayed by these "sugar-coated bullets."
He couldn't help but be overjoyed, as it was incredibly rare for someone to be paid homage by all Buddhas.
Besides the Two Sages of the West,
there was only Tathagata.
But now it was his turn, how could he not be so ecstatic that he almost lost his composure!
Yet, composure notwithstanding,
Sun Kong maintained his vigilance at all times.
Even.
To avoid being deceived and to prevent Dipankara Buddha's insidious plot from affecting him, Sun Kong had to bite his tongue hard.
Relying on this sharp, piercing pain, he finally regained some rationality. Looking at the people around him again, he indeed noticed some subtle details he hadn't perceived before.
First.
Their worship was real.
But it didn't mean they were all sincere, or rather, that they didn't have other motives.
Not to mention anything else.
Just looking at them, they were all following Dipankara Buddha and addressing him as the official Vice Buddha, yet their tones were still so forced and hesitant.
Clearly, someone was forcing them to do this!
Second.
Even Dipankara Buddha, who was at the forefront, had an expression of outward compliance but inward dissent. Although he kept addressing Sun Kong as "Great Sage Sun" and "Vice Buddha Sun" with such familiarity,
as if their past grievances were all fake and nonexistent.
But with his Fiery Golden Eyes activated, Sun Kong could roughly see that beneath Dipankara Buddha's insincere flattery, there was a much bigger storm brewing!
But what kind of storm was it?
Sun Kong was not a sage, and even if he were, he couldn't fully comprehend human hearts with absolute certainty.
Helplessly.
Sun Kong had no choice but to accept his promotion, becoming the Vice Buddha and the second-in-command, thus ascending to the cushion just below Dipankara Buddha.
At the same time, he immediately brought up the current human-demon war in the mortal realm, using this opportunity to indeed probe the true thoughts of all the Buddhas!
Not to mention the dissatisfaction from the Spirit Mountain Buddhas below regarding the demon invasion, which had seized their human realm's fortune and territory.
Nor the fact that intelligent ones like Guanyin, the other eight Bodhisattvas, and other Buddhas and Patriarchs, while strongly opposing the demons' entry into the Tang Dynasty, also looked down on Sun Kong's second and third brothers, not believing they had the ability to hold the defense line.
Let's talk about the person Sun Kong cared about the most.
Dipankara Buddha!
Seeing Sun Kong proactively proposing cooperation and a fifty-fifty split, but insisting that the Buddhas descend to the mortal realm, Dipankara Buddha, who had been acting all along and not truly accepting,
finally couldn't hold back.
He revealed his true intentions!
"Junior Brother Sun need not worry too much. This matter concerns the fortune of the human realm, and it also concerns your new Flower-Fruit Mountain lineage. Naturally, it is also disadvantageous to our Spirit Mountain Lesser Vehicle Buddhist lineage."
"Therefore, even if you hadn't come today, this Buddha would have sent people to help."
"However, before that, I still need to discuss one matter with you, which is that the 'Troublemaking Training Class' you mentioned years ago has now been officially established."
"Including myself, all the Buddhas of the Spirit Mountain acknowledge your theories from back then. Especially now that the conflict between the Dao and Demonic factions has reignited, without your guidance, we will find it difficult to win."
"Believe it or not, from now on, within the Spirit Mountain Lesser Vehicle Buddhist system, you are the second-in-command."
"But, when it comes to the Troublemaking Training Class, which we have all voluntarily joined."
"You are the one-in-command, the class leader, and I, this Buddha, am at most your deputy, the assistant class leader. Beyond that, all of them are your students. Please, Class Leader Sun, provide us with guidance."
"Only by your leading us to learn more methods of 'troublemaking' and causing chaos can we survive the two cycles of the Journey to the West without perishing."
"Only you are more in line with the wishes of us Spirit Mountain Buddhas, and even all beings in the Three Realms!"
As he spoke these words, before Sun Kong could react, Dipankara Buddha, who should have hated Sun Kong to the bone, actually took the lead in kneeling down.
He then shouted "Class Leader Sun" three times towards Sun Kong.
Sun Kong was instantly dumbfounded!
And this was just the first wave of special titles.
After this, the Spirit Mountain Buddhas knelt one after another, as if they had rehearsed it, or as if they genuinely admired Sun Kong's "troublemaking" skills and were compelled to do so to overcome the tribulation.
Even.
Guanyin and others, whose chances of surviving the Journey to the West had been thwarted by Sun Kong multiple times, were now respectfully bowing to him, leaving Sun Kong utterly bewildered!
"Is this a weasel paying New Year's greetings to a chicken?"
"This Zhun Ti Daoist is playing too big a game, actually using my skills against me?"