Simultaneous travel: I am proving the great way in the heavens.

Chapter 557 Making Luofu the Protagonist! The Schemes of the Great Powers of Journey to the West!

When Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, apart from being hit by the Vajra Bracelet, captured and punished in the Heavenly Court, and ultimately thrown into the Eight Trigrams Furnace, he never suffered any loss.

Only when facing the Buddha, that seemingly insignificant slap was enough to suppress Sun Wukong under the Five Fingers Mountain for over five hundred years.

This caused Sun Wukong to develop severe PTSD regarding the Buddha. He became extremely obedient in the presence of the Buddha, and it was precisely because of his fear of the Buddha that Sun Wukong was extremely reluctant to see this World Honored One.

Sun Wukong's role in the Journey to the West team was that of the Red Stick, making him the strongest fighter in the group.

Now, going to Mount Ling for help in such a dejected manner, not to mention that Sun Wukong himself was already reluctant to face the World-Honored One Tathagata, he would also lose face.

Seeking help from others is at most a matter of social obligation, but if it escalates to the point of involving the Buddha in the Western Paradise, wouldn't that make Sun Wukong appear incompetent?
"You monkey, don't overthink it. There's a plan for this. You'll find out once you go to Mount Ling," Laozi said firmly.

It didn't matter if he pretended to be crazy and acted coquettishly in front of Laozi, but now that Laozi had said so, it meant that he had no choice.

Gritting his teeth, Sun Wukong said, "I, Old Sun, will go and beg Buddha, but Laozi, you can't lie to me."

"It's alright, go ahead!" Lao Tzu said with a smile.

Don't think it's an exaggeration that Sun Wukong calls Buddha "Grandpa"; this is indeed how Sun Wukong addresses Buddha.

Sun Wukong dared to call the Jade Emperor "old man," and even dared to disrespectfully address Laozi as "old man," but when facing the World-Honored One Tathagata, who had slapped him so hard that he couldn't escape for five hundred years, he truly felt awe to the core.

He was single-mindedly trying to rescue Tang Sanzang, but in front of Laozi, he could only obediently go to Mount Ling.

After leaving the Tushita Palace, Sun Wukong rode his somersault cloud directly towards Mount Ling.

However, as it swept through the void...

A Bodhisattva dressed in a white dress, standing on a dragon-like creature, appeared in Sun Wukong's sight from afar.

“Bodhisattva.” Even while riding his somersault cloud in the air, Sun Wukong recognized her at a glance; it was none other than Guanyin Bodhisattva.

Sun Wukong can no longer distinguish between the original Guanyin Bodhisattva of the South Sea and the incarnation of Guanyin riding a dragon.

Suddenly stopping on the cloud, Sun Wukong bowed and complained to Guanyin riding the dragon in mid-air.

He described the story of the One-Horned Rhinoceros King of Jindu Cave in its entirety.

The Guanyin riding the dragon smiled compassionately and said, “Wukong, I am not the Bodhisattva who gave you three life-saving hairs, but it is fine for you to call me a Bodhisattva. I am aware of your current predicament, but at this time there is no need for the World Honored One to come forward. I am here to stop you and guide you out of your confusion.”

Upon hearing that he wouldn't have to lose face in front of Buddha, Sun Wukong was overjoyed and said, "Please, Bodhisattva, give me your guidance."

"Do you know that in our Buddhist sect, there are three vehicles of Buddhism? Your master, Tang Sanzang, learned the Hinayana Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty in the East, while you and your disciples went to the Western Paradise to obtain the Mahayana Buddhist Tripitaka. The founder of the Middle Vehicle Buddhism is the one who can solve your current predicament."

With a quick glance, Sun Wukong asked impatiently, "Bodhisattva, how should I, Old Sun, go to find that Middle-Level Buddha?"

“Haven’t you already seen it?” said Guanyin riding a dragon. “You still disregarded the Buddha’s cloak.”

Sun Wukong suddenly realized that after all this commotion, the Buddha of the Middle Vehicle that the Bodhisattva had mentioned was none other than the Buddha Ruzhen.

However, he had previously borrowed the Seven Emotions Crane Cloak from the Buddha Ruzhen, but the Seven Emotions Crane Cloak ended up in the hands of the Unicorn King.

This left Sun Wukong somewhat at a loss as to how to face the Buddha Ruzhen.

After all, he had no choice but to follow Zhen Yuanzi to Ruzhen Temple. The fact that the Buddha Ruzhen was willing to lend him his magic treasures was already a great honor.

If I contact them again, wouldn't I look shameless?
As if sensing Sun Wukong's concerns, Guanyin riding the dragon said, "The Middle Vehicle of Buddhism is vast and boundless. Do you really think that the One-Horned Rhinoceros King of the Golden Gourd Cave can really steal the Buddha's cloak with just a magic weapon?"

"I understand." Sun Wukong nodded. Rather than going to find the Buddha Tathagata, Sun Wukong would rather shamelessly go to Luofu, the Buddha Tathagata.

Seeing that Sun Wukong was eager to go to Ruzhen Temple, Guanyin riding the dragon stopped him and said, "You monkey, why are you in such a hurry? Let me tell you."

After Guanyin, who was riding a dragon, gave him some instructions, Sun Wukong suddenly understood.

After thanking the Dragon-Riding Guanyin again, they hurriedly headed straight for Ruzhen Temple.

Inside Ruzhen Temple.

Luo Fu never expected that after lending out the Seven Emotions Crane Cloak, he would soon face Sun Wukong coming to him again.

In fact, this incident involving the King of the Unicorn in the Golden Gourd Cave is less about Laozi deliberately making things difficult for Buddhism, and more about a joint effort between Buddhism and Taoism to try and uncover the true nature of Luofu Mountain.

Compared to Luofu, the original main characters' westward journey team became supporting characters.

At this moment, Luo Fu was in the Real Wonderful Dharma Heaven, constantly urging the Red Lotus Karmic Fire to refine a pair of black and white wings and a pair of black and white claws into a magical weapon.

Using primordial exotic species and spiritual roots of heaven and earth to refine magical treasures has been popular since before the ancient Dao Ancestor Hongjun attained enlightenment.

Just like the Golden Dragon Scissors bestowed upon the Three Immortals by the Tongtian Sect Leader, it was an acquired killing weapon that the Tongtian Sect Leader refined by taking the flesh and soul of a pair of dragons. Even a god could be cut in two with a single scissor cut, along with his soul.

Even Yang Jian, who had cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts and was known for his indestructible body, couldn't withstand a single snip from the Golden Dragon Scissors.

And now, the wings and claws that Luo Fu is refining into a magical artifact are taken from the Golden-Winged Roc, which died at his hands not long ago and only a wisp of its soul escaped.

The Golden-Winged Roc was the first roc to emerge after the creation of heaven and earth. It is the son of the phoenix and was born with the primordial yin and yang energies. Its wings and claws alone possess rare supernatural powers.

With a flap of its wings, it can fly 90,000 miles away, and its pair of sharp claws are unparalleled in their ability to capture. Even Sun Wukong, who is skilled in transformation, has no way to escape once caught by its claws.

After Luo Fu killed the Golden-Winged Roc, he naturally didn't waste its physical body, but specially reserved it to refine three magical treasures.

Each of its two sharp claws can be crafted into a grappling weapon, and once its wings are fully developed, they become a far more powerful flying weapon than Sun Wukong's somersault cloud.

Furthermore, the red lotus karmic fire gifted by the Styx Ancestor accelerated the speed of treasure refining in Luofu by countless times.

Although the Red Lotus Karmic Fire given by the Styx Ancestor accelerated Luo Fu's refining of the Golden-Winged Roc's wings and claws several times over.

But the Golden-Winged Roc has an undeniable innate advantage, being the first Roc bird at the beginning of the world.

Claws and wings possess immense power even without refinement, but this naturally increases the difficulty of refining them into magical artifacts that can be controlled at will.

At the very least, in the short term, it is impossible to complete either the wings into the Cloud Wings of the Luofu Project or the claws into grappling magic weapons quickly.

Refining the physical body of the Golden-Winged Roc is a long and painstaking process.

It's impossible to achieve success overnight; often, it's a long process that takes up a lot of time. Just like Laozi in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, whether refining elixirs or crafting magical artifacts, in most cases, he only needs to manipulate it at crucial moments. More often than not, Laozi would entrust the task of guarding the Eight Trigrams Furnace to his disciples, Golden Horn and Silver Horn.

However, since this was Luo Fu's first time personally refining a magic weapon, and his refining techniques incorporated wisdom from other universes, it was natural that Luo Fu needed to personally oversee it. However, this was not like his previous seclusion, where he was strictly forbidden from being disturbed by others.

Just as Luo Fu had roughly completed the refining of the wings and claws, before he could officially begin forging the magical artifact he planned,

Sun Wukong, who had been sent away by Luofu with the Seven Emotions Crane Cloak, came to visit again.

Upon hearing that the person who had arrived was Sun Wukong, Luo Fu couldn't help but frown.

It is very clear how deep the waters are behind the calamities that the westward expedition is facing, and Luofu has no intention of getting involved in them at all.

As Luo Fu was pondering what excuse to use to fob off Sun Wukong...

Unexpectedly, a Pratyekabuddha took the initiative to visit.

Although the Ruzhen Miaofa Heaven in Luofu is a gathering place for countless Pratyekabuddhas of the Middle Vehicle and Pratyekabuddha Vehicle from the Buddhist sect of the Western Paradise, most of these beings who attained Buddhahood through self-enlightenment are like the wandering immortals of the Three Islands and Ten Continents. They have no magic treasures, no strength, and even their supernatural powers are all unorthodox and half-baked.

However, this is not always the case.

For example, the Three Star Gods of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity exist in the Three Islands and Ten Continents, and there are also some typical examples among Pratyekabuddhas.

The form of Guanyin riding a dragon, one of the thirty-three forms of Guanyin Bodhisattva, is the most outstanding among Pratyekabuddhas.

And now, the one who has taken the initiative to come to our door is none other than Guanyin riding a dragon.

After all, Luofu is a mid-level Buddha. Even if his strength is insufficient, in terms of legal principles, the Guanyin riding the dragon is a Bodhisattva under Luofu's command.

Upon seeing Luofu, the dragon-riding Guanyin dismounted and bowed to Luofu, saying, "Disciple greets Buddha."

"Please sit down, Bodhisattva. You've come to my door at this time, could it be that you want me to help the pilgrim on his journey to the West?" Luofu asked bluntly.

As an incarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva, the Guanyin riding a dragon can actually be seen as two sides of the same coin as Guanyin Bodhisattva.

This is like the Supreme Sage and Laozi, the Daoist Zhunti and the Patriarch Subhuti.

He should not be regarded as an ordinary Pratyekabuddha.

Guanyin Bodhisattva, in the Western Buddhist sect, although only a Bodhisattva, is known as the teacher of seven Buddhas. Her status and position are so special that even many Buddhas cannot compare to her.

How could Luofu possibly be negligent?
Moreover, the powerful beings of the Three Realms are almost fully aware of the troubles the westward journey team is currently facing.

Unless it involves their own interests, no one would be foolish enough to get involved in such trouble.

Even if the Journey to the West tribulation seems like a play rehearsed by powerful beings in the Three Realms, it is still a tribulation.

Every calamity requires someone to face it. If one is not careful, one can be reduced to ashes in the calamity, and countless years of cultivation can be wasted and vanish into nothingness. This is not uncommon.

"Buddha has all-knowing eyes." The Guanyin riding the dragon smiled slightly and said, "This humble monk knows of Buddha's worries, and I have come to relieve Buddha's worries this time!"

The moment she finished speaking, Guanyin riding a dragon took out a golden gourd with her other hand.

"What is this?" Luo Fu raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

"To ensure the safe journey of the pilgrims to the West, the World-Honored One bestowed upon them twenty-four golden cinnabar pills to help the Buddha capture the One-Horned Rhinoceros King."

Golden Elixir Sand—this was a valuable item used by the Buddha to bribe Laozi.

This thing looks light and airy, like quicksand. Ordinary monsters don't even need one to be trapped and killed.

However, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King threw out eighteen golden pills in succession at the Buddhist temple before finally using the Vajra Ring to capture it.

Yes, the so-called Golden Elixir Sand that was supposed to capture the One-Horned Rhinoceros King was actually easily taken away by the One-Horned Rhinoceros King with his Vajra Ring. Strangely, it was as if the Buddhist and Taoist sects were bargaining over the price.

The Buddhist sect repeatedly added to the pot, and finally, when eighteen golden elixir sands were thrown out, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King revealed his true colors.

However, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King, who had shown signs of defeat, easily snatched away the Golden Elixir Sand with his Vajra Ring.

The truth behind this is truly intriguing.

Luo Fu knew very well that the Buddha should have given eighteen golden pills, but now, the Guanyin riding the dragon in front of him was saying with certainty that there were actually twenty-four in the golden gourd in her hand.

What does this mean?
This means that the price that Buddha, or Buddhism, was willing to pay to Laozi, the top figure in Taoism, was twenty-four golden pills.

Laozi did not challenge the limits of Buddhism's mentality; after obtaining eighteen coins, he stopped while he was ahead.

But now, this task has fallen to Luofu.

This made Luo Fu think a little more.

First of all, Luo Fu can be certain that the Golden Elixir Sand is no ordinary substance.

If it were pure gold, or even the highest quality gold dust, Luofu wouldn't even give it a second glance.

Never forget that among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Techniques, there is one that turns stone into gold. This is not some kind of illusion or transformation technique, but a true change in the nature of matter.

Even a stone can be transformed into gold, a form of wealth for humankind, through the power of alchemy.

Even Zhu Bajie (Pigsy) learned the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Techniques, but most of them were only beginners and he could not master them, so he could not truly turn stone into gold. This shows that so-called gold is actually just an ordinary material for true immortal cultivators.

It's roughly equivalent to the building materials that ordinary people use to build houses; they have value, but it's not high.

It's impossible to bribe the leader of a Taoist sect with just gold.

Setting aside the concept of gold as a form of worldly wealth, the name "Golden Elixir Sand" itself makes it easy to guess that this thing is definitely not simple.

The very words "golden elixir" are enough to prove its value. Gold is something that is hard, permanent, and indestructible; elixir is something that is perfect, bright, and without flaw.

The fact that the name "Golden Elixir Sand" contains the words "Golden Elixir" is enough to prove that this thing possesses the essence of immortality of gold and perfection of elixir.

(End of this chapter)