Ling Shan.
Great Thunderclap Temple.
"The Monkey King has finally left."
"Manjusri, you did well!"
The Tathagata said with a beaming smile.
Originally, the Buddhas of Spirit Mountain were worried that Sun Kong would stay on Spirit Mountain forever, thus preventing the Journey to the West from proceeding.
Who knew that Manjusri's intervention would drive the Monkey King out of Spirit Mountain.
With this, the Buddhas could finally relax.
"Your Buddha flatters me."
"Disciple had a long talk with that Monkey King and actually found him to possess considerable wisdom."
"It was not in vain that Your Buddha cultivated him for over four hundred years."
Manjusri quickly flattered.
Hearing this, the Tathagata nodded and smiled, greatly pleased.
That Monkey King was originally a treasure from the West, transformed from the Mani Pearl.
He was nurtured by heaven and earth for tens of thousands of years, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon.
Moreover, to successfully nurture the Lingming Stone Monkey, the Tathagata had specifically chosen Flower-Fruit Mountain, a treasure land that was the ancestral脉 of the Ten Continents and the dragon vein of the Three Islands.
Even after the monkey was born, the Tathagata did not rush him into cultivation.
Instead, he prepared a Water Curtain Cave, letting the Monkey King play for a full three hundred years.
He allowed him to comprehend the Way of Life and Death on his own, and then arranged for him to experience mortal life in the human world.
Only when the Monkey King had thoroughly understood the powerlessness of the mortal world did he find Patriarch Bodhi to teach him the method of eternal life.
It could be said that from the moment the Monkey King was about to be born, everything was within the Tathagata's calculations.
The fact that the Monkey King inherently possessed some Buddha-nature was also traceable.
The only thing that went beyond his expectation was that before he had even wreaked havoc in Heaven, the Monkey King had voluntarily come to Spirit Mountain to seek refuge in Buddhism.
This made the Tathagata suspect that the Monkey King's Buddha-nature was perhaps too strong.
However, this doubt vanished with the Monkey King's first departure from Spirit Mountain.
This at least showed that the Monkey King's sincerity was not yet enough.
Otherwise, he should have stayed here on Spirit Mountain, clinging on no matter what.
"It's just a minor unexpected event, it won't affect the overall situation."
"The Monkey King's departure this time also confirms that the immutable law of the heavenly cycle cannot be altered."
"Guanyin, you will immediately govern the Heavenly Court."
"Ensure that you act according to the plan."
"Whether the Monkey King can be forced to wreak havoc in Heaven depends on them!"
The Tathagata calmly gave his orders, and the bustling Great Thunderclap Temple returned to its former tranquility.
...
...
Cuiyun Mountain, Banana Cave.
A majestic lion with green fur, treading on auspicious clouds, looked down upon the Western lands.
At this time, within a thousand li of Cuiyun Mountain, it was still lush and green, full of vitality.
If the plot had developed as originally planned, this place would have undergone great changes within a few years.
The culprit, of course, would be Sun Wukong.
He had kicked over Taishang Laojun's Eight Trigrams Furnace, causing the Samadhi True Fire within to pour down into the mortal world.
By an unfortunate coincidence, it landed near Cuiyun Mountain, thus forming the famous Flaming Mountain.
Because the fire on Flaming Mountain was Samadhi True Fire.
And Cuiyun Mountain was Princess Iron Fan's territory.
Therefore, her son with the Bull Demon King, Hong Hai'er, was born with the ability to swallow and exhale Samadhi True Fire.
Do not underestimate Samadhi True Fire.
Even Sun Wukong, with his bronze head and iron brain, could not endure it.
Furthermore, the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir refined by Taishang Laojun was also made with Samadhi True Fire.
Its power was probably second only to the Great Sun Golden Crow Flame of Donghuang Taiyi.
However, the Great Sun Golden Crow Flame was Donghuang Taiyi's innate fire.
After the war between the Wu and Yao tribes, Donghuang Taiyi perished, and this divine fire returned to chaos.
Now, the title of the world's strongest flame belonged to Samadhi True Fire!
"What a pity, Flaming Mountain will probably no longer exist."
Sun Kong chuckled and casually patted the green-haired lion beneath him.
This monkey and lion headed straight for the Banana Cave.
Ever since Sun Wukong had wreaked havoc in the Underworld, he and the Bull Demon King had become sworn brothers.
Sun Wukong called himself the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, while the Bull Demon King called himself the Great Sage, Equal to the Earth.
They were joined by four other demon king brothers.
But those were not important.
They didn't even have roles in Journey to the West.
Speaking of the Bull Demon King.
His original form was a great white bull.
Although he was born in the Divine Continent of Four Lands, from his original form, it was not difficult to see that this great dumb ox was destined to have ties with the West.
Not only that.
Princess Iron Fan also primarily belonged to the West.
This was not Sun Kong speaking nonsense.
The reason was simple.
Princess Iron Fan was a Rakshasi.
And Raksha was the guardian deity of the West, one of the Twelve Heavens of the West, Raksha Heaven.
She had powerful backers, and those backers were on Spirit Mountain.
Otherwise, why would the Bull Demon King be considered stupid?
A great white bull belonging to the West rejected the invitation from Spirit Mountain and even dared to give Princess Iron Fan a green hat.
Having an unclear relationship with a fox spirit.
This matter would not make sense in any era!
Even if Princess Iron Fan did not care, as her family members, could Spirit Mountain stand by and do nothing?
It could be said that when Sun Wukong entered Flaming Mountain during the Journey to the West, he was on a mission to pick a fight.
Although he and the Bull Demon King were sworn brothers.
But in essence, they were only superficial brothers.
First, when Sun Wukong was at his most difficult, his elder brother, the Bull Demon King, ran away.
Throughout the entire process of wreaking havoc in Heaven, this foolish ox never appeared.
Who wouldn't have some grievances?
Second, after participating in the Journey to the West, Sun Wukong had essentially become a disciple of Buddhism.
On one side were his Buddhist family members, and on the other were his superficial brothers.
It was self-explanatory which he would prioritize!
Of course, these were all deeper explanations.
There was another reason why the gods of Heaven and the Buddhas of Spirit Mountain disliked the Bull Demon King.
That was, the Bull Demon King dared to have a mount!
In the Three Realms, only powerful figures were qualified to have mounts.
Manjusri's green-haired lion.
Samantabhadra's white-tusked elephant.
Taishang Laojun's green ox.
Southern Pole Celestial's crane.
It could be said that a mount itself was a symbol of status.
No matter how you look at it, there were no other explanations.
But what about the Bull Demon King?
You were just a great demon in the mortal world.
Even if you married Princess Iron Fan, you were just a demon king who married into the family.
How dare you have a mount?
It was clearly disrespecting the gods and the Buddhas.
This was why, when he fought with Sun Wukong, all the gods in the sky had besieged the Bull Demon King.
There was no other way, who told him to be so arrogant!
"Good heavens!"
"Bishui Jinjing Beast?"
Outside the cave, the green-haired lion immediately spotted the spiritual beast lying on the ground.
That spiritual beast, which resembled a dragon but was not a dragon, was the Bull Demon King's mount.
But the real reason for the green-haired lion's shock was that the Bishui Jinjing Beast was a branch of the dragon clan.
Although in the world of Journey to the West, the dragons' status was comparable to land gods and mountain gods, they still held divine positions.
Even minor deities were deities, how could mortals and demons profane them?
Wasn't this slapping the Heavenly Court in the face!
"I understand."
"Great Sage, we're here to capture the Bull Demon King, right?"
"Such an arrogant demon must be taught a lesson!"
The green-haired lion said indignantly.
He rubbed his fists and was ready to receive Sun Kong's order.
"Capture?"
"No, no, no, you misunderstand."
"We're here to congratulate him."
"My elder brother is newly married, and I, your humble servant Sun, have not prepared a wedding gift, which is truly a sin."
"So, I'd like to borrow your body, Brother Lion. What do you say?"