"This time, consider it a debt owed by Burning Lamp to all of you. I will make amends in the future."
"Great Sage Sun, this Buddha apologizes to you. I should not have been confused by the four quasi-sages of the demonic path just now. Now that the Qiankun Ruler has exploded, I have received my due punishment. I ask for your understanding."
The second person to speak was, as expected, Burning Lamp Buddha. However, unlike the Jade Emperor who was complaining, he was actually betraying them for a second time!
Even though many discerning individuals in the Great Desolation's three realms knew that Burning Lamp Buddha was far less steadfast than the Great Subduing Buddha, and could betray them at any moment, they still did not expect that after just three rounds of counterattacks from Sun Kong combined with his life-bound demonic ape, which only severely injured the Jade Emperor and repelled three old ancestors, Burning Lamp Buddha would begin his betrayal so early.
It was not just shameless.
It was utterly despicable!
In an instant, everyone, including the two Sages of the West, Burning Lamp Buddha's former superiors, couldn't help but show their disdain.
And thus, Burning Lamp Buddha's status as a scoundrel was sealed!
...
"Burning Lamp, Burning Lamp, what can we say about you? You clearly teamed up with the Jade Emperor and the other four, having the chance to severely injure the Monkey Sun and clear your centuries-old disgrace. Who would have thought you would make all the wrong moves?"
"After your first betrayal, you should have dealt with the Monkey Sun swiftly. Why did you dare to be lazy and not exert your full strength, thinking you could capture Sun Monkey?"
"Alas, you have truly disappointed us, your two brothers."
Western Teachings.
Deep within the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Seeing Burning Lamp Buddha falter at a crucial moment, when the Jade Emperor and the other four still had a chance to turn the tide, and then betraying them for a second time, Jieyin Daoist and Zhunti Daoist were furious and cursed them on the spot.
But the reality was that they could not change it.
They could only continue to urge Maitreya Buddha!
However.
This time, instead of telling Maitreya Buddha to deal with Sun Kong or capture him, they intended to make up for Burning Lamp Buddha's two disgraces to the Western Teachings as quickly as possible!
"Maitreya!"
"Master, Uncle-Master."
"Listen carefully. Immediately change your route. Do not continue to encircle the Monkey Sun. Instead, rescue him. That way, our Western Teachings will not be completely disgraced."
"As for Burning Lamp Buddha, and the three Bodhisattvas... such scoundrel behavior, while somewhat understandable, cannot be continued to be funded. If necessary, bring them back."
"We cannot let them ruin things in our Western Teachings' subsequent tribulations!"
Hearing this, Maitreya Buddha could hardly believe his ears. He couldn't understand why their stance had changed so quickly. However, due to his infinite admiration for Jieyin Daoist, he did not dare to object in the slightest.
He immediately cast Jieyin Daoist's twelve-layered Jieyin Treasure Banner towards the Jade Emperor and the other four.
Then.
This twelve-layered Jieyin Treasure Banner, comparable to Jieyin Daoist's good corpse, transformed in the wind. Even hundreds of millions of miles away from Wuzhuang Temple, it transformed into a Treasure Banner Guang Wang Buddha.
Its radiance was billions of feet, far surpassing Burning Lamp Buddha and Great Subduing Buddha.
Its wisdom was even more immeasurable. Although it was still hundreds of millions of miles away from Sun Kong, under the illumination of its wisdom light, Old Ancestor Ming He, Old Ancestor Huang Quan, and Old Ancestor You Ming felt an immediate life-or-death crisis!
Then.
Maitreya Buddha himself, carrying Zhunti Daoist's Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, flickered and arrived outside Wuzhuang Temple, truly supporting Sun Kong.
"Great Sage Sun, Maitreya has arrived!"
"Brother Haotian, the three Old Ancestors, the situation at Wuzhuang Temple should have been resolved long ago. Why must you get involved in this mess?"
"Amitabha, since the four of you are obstinate and insist on opposing the Vice-Buddha of our Western Teachings' Lesser Vehicle Buddhism, then I am afraid Maitreya's hands are itching."
"Forgive me!"
After saying a few words, without even waiting for Sun Kong to truly forgive the two Sages of the West, or for the Jade Emperor and the other four to react, Maitreya Buddha repeatedly swept the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree in his hand.
The seven-colored light flowed, truly worthy of being a Saint's spiritual treasure. Involuntarily, the battle situation was accelerated and reversed.
The first sweep.
It broke a corner of the Earth Book Formation.
The second sweep.
It knocked away the Haotian Mirror, but did not cause excessive damage. Instead, it let the Haotian Mirror fly back to the Jade Emperor, making a gesture inviting him to leave voluntarily.
And during the third sweep, it targeted Old Ancestor Ming He, Old Ancestor Huang Quan, and Old Ancestor You Ming.
Even though the three were quasi-sage big shots, and possessed the Yuan Tu and Abi swords, they could only be frustrated when encountering a Saint's spiritual treasure like the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree!
...
"Since Brother Maitreya has arrived, I will no longer persist. However, the humiliation today, and the betrayal by Burning Lamp Buddha, the sect leader of the Lesser Vehicle Buddhism, I will remember."
"Mountains do not turn, waters flow. In the future, there will be dozens of tribulations and other opportunities."
"I hope that each time, Brother Maitreya can save me! Otherwise, do not blame me for being ruthless and demanding an explanation from the two Sages of the West!"
Seeing Sun Kong's overwhelming output, although there were definitely after-effects from overexertion, it had already been compensated by Maitreya Buddha.
How dare the Jade Emperor linger any longer?
Before Maitreya Buddha could truly use the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree against him, the Jade Emperor, whose mind worked extremely fast, immediately waved his hand and collected the residual aura of his good corpse, True Immortal Lingxiao, intending to take it back for repairs.
At the same time.
He brought the Haotian Mirror, which had a corner broken, snorted coldly, rose from the ground, and returned to the Heavenly Court in the Heavenly Realm.
Before leaving.
As one of the demonic alliances, he did not forget to unleash the true dragon energy of the Lord of the Three Realms, thus neutralizing the next round of Sun Kong's attacks.
And thus, he rescued Old Ancestor Ming He, Old Ancestor Huang Quan, and Old Ancestor You Ming.
Although there were no other words.
But, this single action was enough to make the three old ancestors feel immensely grateful to him!
"Thank you, Brother Haotian, for your help."
"And thank you, the two Sages of the West, for waking up at the critical moment."
"Heh heh, Treasure Banner Guang Wang Buddha, Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, Maitreya Buddha... your Western Teachings are truly the most adept at choosing sides. You are so generous, I wonder if you will be this quick next time."
Although the three were forced to retreat by Maitreya Buddha's Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree and Treasure Banner Guang Wang Buddha, they were not in too dire straits under their combined efforts.
Sensing that other Saints' disciples were accelerating their arrival.
The three no longer forced themselves to be heroes. They bowed to the Jade Emperor, clasped their fists at Maitreya Buddha, and then, to Sun Kong, who was still the greatest threat to them.
They bowed deeply.
This was considered a gesture of respect towards three different individuals.
The next second.
The three old ancestors jointly unleashed a bloody red light that stretched for billions of miles, breaking through the barriers of the Immortal Realm and drilling into the Sea of Blood.
Maitreya Buddha did not dare to pursue them further!
He turned around.
After casting a cold glance at Burning Lamp Buddha, he then stepped forward and apologized to Sun Kong!
"Greetings, Great Sage Sun!"
"Enough with the pleasantries. This old Sun almost managed to kill one of the five. Maitreya Buddha's arrival, ostensibly to help me, is actually to help yourselves, isn't it?"
"Cough cough... I'm sorry, this old Sun's other friends have arrived, and I don't have time to entertain you. Please help yourself."
Sun Kong felt his strength waning and quickly used this excuse to turn away.
He left Maitreya Buddha and Burning Lamp Buddha looking at each other in dismay!