Conferred God: Got cramped at the beginning

Chapter 1091 Recruiting Protectors, General Curtain Roller

Among the gods, humans, and ghosts of heaven, earth, and the human immortals are unique not only because of their short lifespans and great power.

More importantly, it lies in their strength.

All the immortals and mortals stood on the side of humanity.

This stance is established by the foundation of the Human Immortal Path—but it is also limited by the short lifespan of Human Immortals.

With such a short lifespan, immortals find it difficult to take care of their offspring and the continuation of their lineage.

Therefore, they could only entrust it to humanity.

Therefore, their stance is solely based on humanity!

Conversely, if one day the immortals of the Human Immortal Path also have incredibly long lifespans and can rely on the Great Luo Immortals.

So, where will their hearts and their stance lie—on humanity?

The answer to this question is: doubtful.

And it is obvious that those senior immortals who fought for the cause of humanity their whole lives absolutely did not want to see this happen.

Therefore, the enemies Xuanzang would face next would also be the immortals from the path of human immortals, who were extremely skilled in killing.

Xuanzang's life was saved from the attack of the immortals.

Even the Monkey King wouldn't have such confidence.

Most importantly, the Monkey King couldn't stay by Xuanzang's side forever, doing nothing but protecting Xuanzang's safety.

"Master, you need to find a few more protectors," said the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, offering his suggestion, or rather, his conclusion.

The journey westward was a long one.

This journey is fraught with countless changes and dangers—and in this ritual of the westward journey, protecting Xuanzang is only part of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven's duty.

Besides protecting Xuanzang, he also needed to travel around to learn about many things, whether actively or passively.

It's absolutely impossible for him to stay by Xuanzang's side every moment!

While he could guard Xuanzang's side in his true form, he could also guard Xuanzang in his avatar—but after this ritual, the meaning of the avatar no longer existed!
His incarnation is absolutely unable to withstand the turmoil of this ritual.

If Xuanzang cannot find other protectors, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven strongly suspects that when the next tribulation strikes, he might go to check on the situation and return to find Xuanzang already inside the belly of some demon god.

Therefore, no matter what, Xuanzang had to find a few more protectors to ensure that there would always be one protector by his side, so that he could hold out until the others returned, no matter what the situation.

"The Great Sage is more familiar with the strong beings in the world than I am."

"I wonder who you think would be willing to be my protector, Great Sage?" Xuanzang asked frankly.

Although he is cultivating the methods of the Human Immortal, his current strength is only considered average among Human Immortals.

If it were an ordinary enemy, it could be suppressed.

But in the current situation, any enemy that dares to come is either a top-tier expert or someone beyond limits—or at the very least, someone with some unique supernatural abilities.

Enemies at this level are beyond Xuanzang's current capabilities.

That would require a top-tier expert to be by your side to deal with it.

The story of Confucius executing Shao Zhengmao has been talked about for thousands of years.

"But I must say, the Dao in the Daoist teachings is also the Dao in the discussion of the Dao," Xuanzang remarked.

"I can't say whether other powerful individuals are willing to serve as protectors, but there is one person who definitely is!"

"The Great Sage Equal to Heaven said."

There are three criteria for recruiting protectors for Xuanzang.

First, the power of the Dharma protector must be strong enough.

Secondly, we need to examine Xuanzang's rituals to see if they could support several Dharma protectors accompanying him on his westward journey.

Third, the chosen person must be willing to serve as Xuanzang's protector.

"Who?" Xuanzang couldn't help but ask.

There are many powerful beings in the world.

But it's not so easy to find someone willing to come to his side as his protector.

Over countless millennia, the reputation of Buddhism has ultimately become tarnished—for those powerful individuals, they would rather directly seize the opportunity to obtain the ritual from Xuanzang than stay by his side as an ordinary protector.

“General Curtain Roller,” the Great Sage Equal to Heaven replied without hesitation.

The selection of this protector was not for balancing the interests of all parties in the world, but to ensure Xuanzang's safety.

Therefore, a Dharma protector must not only be strong enough, but also extremely patient, steadfast, and unaffected by any rumors or gossip.

They could stay peacefully by Xuanzang's side.

Looking across the entire world, the only person the Great Sage Equal to Heaven could think of was General Curtain-Raising!

General Curtain-Roller was a close advisor to the Jade Emperor, and after the Jade Emperor's death, he stayed by the Jade Emperor's side.

For countless millennia, General Curtain-Roller has remained like a stone statue, silent and unmoving.

It clearly possesses immense power, yet it has virtually no presence in the world.

The Jade Emperor had long wanted to get rid of General Curtain-Roller—but after tens of thousands of years, he couldn't find anything wrong with Curtain-Roller.

Until recently, when the glass lamp reflecting the merits and karma of the celestial beings fell, the Jade Emperor finally found an excuse to demote the Curtain-Raising General and imprison him in the Flowing Sand River to suffer.

Speaking of the Curtain-Raising General, even the Monkey King couldn't help but sigh.

When he caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, he was stopped in front of the Lingxiao Palace—just one step away from meeting the Curtain-Raising General.

However, at that time, he had already sensed the aura of General Rolling Curtain.

In his perception, the strength of General Curtain Roller could no longer be simply described as strong—it should be described as extremely strong!
This is also very reasonable.

Although he was merely a general who 'rolled up the curtain' beside the Heavenly Emperor, he was actually the closest guard to the Heavenly Emperor.

What is the function of a roller shutter?

Roller blinds—but where does the literal meaning of "roller blind" come from?
That was to ensure that the Heavenly Emperor would not be disturbed.

In other words, once the curtain fell, nothing in the world could disturb the Heavenly Emperor's peace.

This is the true function of a roller shutter.

And to guarantee this, one can imagine how powerful the roller shutter must be.

According to the Great Sage Equaling Heaven's estimation, even with his current strength and the mindset he had when he wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, he might not be able to surpass the Curtain-Raising General and truly reach the Jade Emperor.

Most importantly, General Rolling Curtain's immense strength was not born for the purpose of fighting.

Rather, it was created for protection. In other words, if we're talking about Dharma protectors, then the Curtain-Raising General is the first-rate Dharma protector in this world.

Unless the Great Luo himself arrives, no one is more suitable as a Dharma protector than the Curtain-Raising General.

Of course, General Juanlian was demoted to the Flowing Sand River, where his martial arts were corrupted by the turbidity and evil of the river, so his strength must have been weakened.

Even so, if he could accept Xuanzang's invitation and stay by Xuanzang's side, it would be enough to guarantee Xuanzang's safety.

Even when he encountered opponents he couldn't handle, he was still able to protect Xuanzang and buy time until the Great Sage Equal to Heaven returned from elsewhere.

“As the Great Sage said, General Curtain-Raising is indeed a good candidate to be a protector.” Xuanzang nodded, then a slightly troubled look appeared on his face.

"Among the powerful figures in the world, General Curtain-Raising is known for his silence and forbearance. Can we persuade him to come?"

In the description of the Monkey King, General Curtain-Roller is a very silent and steady strongman.

Such a strong person is like a stone, taking root as soon as they land.

The various changes in the world have no effect on his mind... Under such circumstances, why should they invite General Curtain-Rolling out?
Why should General Curtain Roller accept his invitation to come out of the Flowing Sand River?
"Therefore, we must make a trip to Fengqi Kingdom."

"The Great Sage Equal to Heaven said."

"Although General Curtain-Roller is silent, he is a man of the Jade Emperor, which is why he is not tolerated by the Jade Emperor."

"And in the entire world, the only person who can make General Curtain-Raising move is the one who can represent the Great Heavenly Venerable Haotian."

"One of them is the one on the execution platform."

"The other one is the one from the Huai River."

"The Great Dragon God who upholds Heaven and righteousness is a disciple of the Great Heavenly Venerable Haotian and has inherited the lineage of the Great Heavenly Venerable Haotian."

"The Dragon Mother of the Huai River is the Red Phoenix Star Lord, the daughter of the Jade Emperor."

"If we could obtain their decrees, it wouldn't be difficult to persuade General Juanlian to take action."

“But…” Xuanzang shook his head.

"The Great Dragon God, who upholds Heaven and righteousness, sits high on the Execution Platform, unmoved, and does not enter the calamity. We should not disturb him because of this matter."

"As for the Red Phoenix Star Lord, she is far away in the Huai River region, in the mortal realm of the Central Region."

"And we are already in Jambudvipa."

"At this point, we can't afford to go back on our course."

"Therefore, we must go to Fengqi Kingdom."

The Monkey King smiled slightly.

"White Tiger Guardian God?" Upon hearing the words of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, the monk Xuanzang also came to his senses in an instant.

If we were to name the most entertaining things that have happened in the Southern Continent recently, then the Kingdom of Fengqi would certainly be one of them.

A group of Taiyi joined forces to conquer the Fengqi Demon Kingdom, but were then detained by the White Tiger Supervisor God, who wanted to reshape order within the Fengqi Kingdom.

These detained Taiyi people chose a humane order.

Therefore, the humane Emperor Wenchang came to Fengqi Kingdom to take charge.

Besides Emperor Wenchang, there was also Qin Qiong, the right-hand man of the Human Emperor, who was known as the number one martial arts immortal. He also came to Fengqi Kingdom with King Wu Li Ke.

Currently, the Phoenix Kingdom is entangled with humans, demons, Buddhists, immortals, gods, the Yellow Heaven Path, and powerful figures from beyond the realm...

That could be said to be the most complex place in the entire Southern Continent.

However, Fengqi Kingdom was not on Xuanzang's route to the west—the order of Fengqi Kingdom was a human order, and had nothing to do with Buddhism.

Under the suppression of the White Tiger Guardian God and the human immortals and gods of the Yellow Heaven Path, no Buddhists used Buddhist teachings to erode the human realm.

Xuanzang would have no interest in going to such a country as Fengqi; instead, he would have been drawn into its turmoil and found it difficult to extricate himself.

However, given the current situation...

“The White Tiger Guardian God of Fengqi Kingdom is my godmother.”

"Although she is not a disciple of the Great Celestial Venerable Haotian, her status still allows her to command the Curtain-Raising General."

"As long as we can get a decree from her, the Curtain-Raising General will be a piece of cake," said the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, making a grabbing motion in the air.

The White Tiger Guardian God is the Daoist partner of the Great Dragon God of Upholding Heaven and Righteousness—husband and wife are one, and her decrees naturally represent the will of the Great Dragon God of Upholding Heaven and Righteousness.

Therefore, no matter what, General Curtain-Roller would not refuse the decree from the White Tiger Guardian God.

"If that's the case, then it really is necessary to make a trip to Fengqi Kingdom," Master Xuanzang pondered.

"It just so happens that after exchanging ideas with those many monks, I have gained some new insights into Buddhism and have also reorganized them."

"But this is, after all, Jambudvipa, not the human world."

"My interpretation of the Dharma is recognized by the mortals in Jambudvipa, but I don't know if it can be recognized by the human realm."

"Since there is a human race in Fengqi Kingdom, it would be an opportunity to go there and see how my Buddhist teachings, which I have refined, are performed under the influence of that human race."

“If there are any problems with this Buddhist teaching, it is good to change it and reorganize it,” Xuanzang said, quickly convincing himself.

Although in his view, now is not the right time for this new Buddhism to appear in Fengqi Kingdom—after all, humanity in Fengqi Kingdom has only just begun to emerge.

Humanity at this time is most exclusive.

—To be precise, it's not that humanity is exclusive, but rather that those who protect humanity are extremely exclusive.

Before this newly emerging human morality had stabilized, the powerful who protected it instinctively refused to allow anything that could affect it to circulate within the Fengqi Kingdom, lest it harm the kingdom.

Similarly, those powerful beings outside of humanity also want to seize this opportunity to try to touch upon humanity.

It was precisely because of this that the newly established Phoenix Kingdom was in an exceptionally complex situation, with its undercurrents running extremely deep.

That is, it was the White Tiger Guardian God-King—otherwise, anyone else really wouldn't have been able to control the situation in Fengqi Kingdom.

However, although now is not the right time to go to Fengqi Kingdom to spread the Dharma, because of the changes caused by this ritual, we should go to Fengqi Kingdom in advance to see how we can win over General Juanlian.

At the same time, it is also a way to test the Buddhist teachings I have compiled, and it is not unreasonable to let other living beings in the world know about the existence of my new Buddhist teachings.

The saying "circumstances change with time" perfectly illustrates this point.

"Alas." Thinking about the situation in the world, Master Xuanzang couldn't help but sigh.

In this calamity, they are clearly the protagonists, and the fate of heaven and earth must follow their lead.

But now it seems that they, the protagonists of this calamity, are being chased halfway by the circumstances of heaven and earth.

"Great Sage, everyone says this calamity is out of control."

"But why do I feel that there really is a hand in this world controlling the course of this calamity?" Xuanzang said with a worried expression.

(End of this chapter)