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

Chapter 558 So what if Luo Fu exposes its trump card! Let the great powers of the Three Realms shatter their worldviews!

The so-called Golden Elixir Sand can actually be seen to some extent as a semi-finished product of immortal perfection.

It was simply shaped into a ball, which is why Buddhist disciples helped the westward journey team capture the One-Horned Rhinoceros King.

When the golden cinnabar is dispersed, it will fall like quicksand, spreading layer upon layer.

Luofu, on the other hand, viewed the Golden Elixir Sand as something similar to the Golden Elixir refined by Laozi, a product of the Buddhist system.

Of course, the Golden Elixir Sand is definitely not comparable to the Golden Elixir refined by Laozi. At best, it is more like a semi-finished product of a Golden Elixir.

But its value must have been great enough to satisfy Lao Tzu.

It's important to know that after Sun Wukong completed his journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, he became the Victorious Fighting Buddha of Buddhism.

But if we're talking about the person who helped Sun Wukong the most on his path to growth, besides his master Subhuti, it would undoubtedly be Laozi.

Even Sun Wukong's indestructible body was due to the fact that he stole several gourds of elixir from Laozi and was tempered in the Eight Trigrams Furnace. Even the inner elixir that Kui Mulang refined himself on the journey to the West was swallowed by Sun Wukong in disguise as Princess Baihuaxiu.

It can be said that, apart from his initial master, the Taoist lineage, especially Laozi, was the biggest contributor to Sun Wukong's growth and strength, and he suffered greatly because of it.

We've now completed nearly half of our journey to the West.

Sun Wukong, this monkey who enjoys the benefits of Taoism but is destined to become a high-ranking official in Buddhism, how could Laozi not recoup his investment?

Even if this investment was a fluke and not intentional, since the Taoist sect suffered a loss, the person who benefited must provide compensation.

Although there is no clear comparison, the value of the eighteen golden pills should at least be enough to offset the advantage that Sun Wukong gained from the lineage of Laozi.

Otherwise, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King, or rather, the Supreme Lord Laozi behind him, would never have ended the performance so easily by accepting only eighteen golden pills.

Unfortunately, even though Guanyin riding a dragon had taken out the golden gourd containing twenty-four golden elixir pills, she showed no intention of handing it over to Luofu.

This left Luo Fu with only a guess about the so-called Golden Elixir Sand. He couldn't be sure what it actually was. The only thing he was certain of was that eighteen Golden Elixir Sands in the hands of Laozi could definitely cultivate a second powerful cultivator comparable to Sun Wukong.

Even though Guanyin riding a dragon spoke with great conviction and even took out a golden gourd containing twenty-four golden cinnabar pills, Luo Fu really didn't want to personally confront the One-Horned Rhinoceros King, the mount of Laozi.

After a moment's thought, Luofu said, "Since the Bodhisattva has received guidance from the World-Honored One, why not personally go to the Golden Gourd Cave to help the pilgrim escape his predicament?"

Whether it was Sun Wukong's inexplicable visit for help before, or the current convoluted situation, Luo Fu remained certain.

For those truly powerful beings in the Three Realms, the so-called tribulation of the Golden Gourd Cave in the Journey to the West was, on the surface, a case of the Green Ox with Horned Horns, unable to bear the coldness of the Heavenly Court, descending to the mortal realm to become a demon and make things difficult for the pilgrimage team. But in reality, it was a shady deal between the Taoist and Buddhist sects.

Now that he himself has become a variable, the Golden Gourd Cave and the westward-bound group have become mere pretexts.

The true purpose of the powerful beings in the Three Realms is themselves.

The more Luo Fu guessed these things, the less he wanted to easily reveal his trump card.

After all, there are many seemingly absurd laws in Journey to the West.

For example, magical treasures must never be out of one's hands. Once they are out of one's hands, they will inevitably change hands or cause some kind of trouble. This point is almost the key to Sun Wukong's many times turning danger into safety.

Another point is that the secrets and key points of a magical artifact must never be known to others, otherwise it will inevitably attract repercussions. This has been seen many times on the journey to the West. Countless seemingly powerful magical artifacts have lost their invincible magic because the key secrets were revealed, and some have even been destroyed.

Although Journey to the West is a continuation of the Investiture of the Gods from the prehistoric era, the world has changed drastically in the present day. Who knows if revealing one's secrets will lead to even more schemes?
Seeing Luofu's strong resistance, the Guanyin riding the dragon seemed to have expected it.

He smiled confidently and said, "Buddha, you may not know this, but the twenty-four golden pills that the World Honored One gave me were not all intended to target the One-Horned Rhinoceros King. Rather, they are all up to you, Buddha."

With a sudden thought, Luofu said, "Please speak frankly, Bodhisattva."

"The World-Honored One said that no matter how much the Buddha expended to capture the One-Horned Rhinoceros King, the remaining golden elixir will belong entirely to our Middle Vehicle Buddhist lineage, to assist the Buddha in expanding the True and Wondrous Dharma Heaven and propagating the Dharma!!"

Now Luofu understood completely.

If he still managed to subdue the Unicorn King with eighteen Golden Elixir Sands this time, then the remaining six Golden Elixir Sands would be Luo Fu's reward for his hard work, or rather, the price for bribing him to take action this time.

The so-called vast and wondrous Dharma Heaven, which propagates the Buddha's teachings, is merely a euphemism.

To put it bluntly, if Luo Fu can defeat the Unicorn King with just one Golden Elixir Sand, then the remaining twenty-three will all be his.

This is practically a blatant conspiracy.

If Luo Fu makes a move, the more he reveals, the less Golden Elixir Sand he needs to use, and the rest will essentially belong to him. On the other hand, if Luo Fu hides himself, the deeper he hides, the more Golden Elixir Sand he will need.

The choice is entirely up to Luofu itself.

This is clearly a choice between two options presented to Luofu by the World-Honored One, or rather, by those powerful beings in the Three Realms who are watching over them.

"The World Honored One truly has a flawless plan," Luo Fu chuckled.

He had to admit that the Buddha, or rather those great beings of the three realms, were truly accurate in judging people.

He was indeed tempted by the Golden Elixir Sand, a treasure that even Laozi (the Supreme Lord Lao) could bribe.

So what if I reveal a little of my trump card? It doesn't matter. It's the principles and laws of fifteen worlds. Besides, more shared spaces will be added in the future. Instead of keeping it hidden, I might as well use it to improve my strength.

After all, the purpose of Luofuzang was to enhance its own strength, not to hide for the sake of hiding.

In other words, if given the opportunity, revealing a little of their trump card in exchange for an increase in strength, whether in terms of resources or other aspects, would be a huge win for Luo Fu.

After all, once Luo Fu returned from the shared space, unless he completely severed all causal ties with the Three Realms, the localization of the shared power alone would be tantamount to bringing his shared Dao and principles into contact with the Heavenly Dao of the Three Realms.

The only difference is that proactive exposure is faster, while passive localization is slower.

But the ultimate goal is nothing more than to improve one's own strength.

Moreover, the choice is still in Luo Fu's own hands, so what is there for him to hesitate about?

As if she had already guessed that Luofu would agree, Guanyin riding the dragon said, "Then I will trouble Buddha to accompany me to the Golden Gourd Cave to rescue Tang Sanzang and his disciples."

Although Luo Fu agreed, Guanyin Riding the Dragon would obviously not easily hand over the gourd containing the twenty-four golden elixir pills until the matter was settled.

There's no reason to collect payment before even starting work. Luo Fu nodded, gave instructions to his Seven Emotions Bodhisattvas and the group of Pratyekabuddhas, and then rode on a red lotus with white stamens. Together with the dragon-riding Guanyin, they headed straight east.

As for Sun Wukong, he can now only be considered a follower.

Auspicious clouds flew over the Golden Gourd Cave.

Luo Fu then discovered that outside the Golden Gourd Cave, it seemed that the One-Horned Rhinoceros King had already deployed his troops and had been waiting for an unknown amount of time.

Moreover, Luo Fu also sensed that countless eyes in the Three Realms were currently fixed on the direction of the Golden Gourd Cave.

The Heavenly Court, the Underworld, Mount Ling, and all the powerful beings of various blessed lands and grotto-heavens all focused their attention on the Golden Gourd Cave, awaiting the upcoming clash between Luo Fu and the Unicorn King.

This can be considered the first appearance of the Buddha Ruzhen Miaofa Tianzu, the ancestor of the Middle Vehicle Buddhism of Luofu, the Western Buddhist sect, in the Three Realms.

"As if you were the true Buddha." Facing Luofu, who arrived riding on a red lotus, the King of the Unicorn was unusually polite, saying, "You have come to my Golden Gourd Cave today, are you perhaps planning to bully us by abusing your power?"

It must be admitted that the westward journey team was really in the wrong in the ordeal with the One-Horned Rhinoceros King.

At other times, the calamities encountered by the westward journey team were usually caused by the monsters themselves. However, the Jindu Cave was a case of the westward journey team bringing it upon themselves.

As if he had anticipated the westward journey, the King of the Unicorn had prepared a magnificent scene in advance, displaying those exquisite and alluring garments.

As a result, the westward-bound group, without any hesitation, put on the clothes prepared by the One-Horned Rhinoceros King. This explains why, despite the One-Horned Rhinoceros King causing such a commotion at the Golden Gourd Cave.

But ironically, none of the real big shots stepped forward.

I really can't bear the shame.

The reason for all this lies in the fact that the westward journey team itself lacked resolve and was driven by greed, which led them to fall into the trap of the One-Horned Rhinoceros King.

From a mortal perspective, what the One-Horned Rhinoceros King did was called entrapment, but the Buddhist and Taoist lineages, including the gods and deities of Heaven and Earth, regardless of their private conduct, must appear righteous and glorious on the surface.

What the westward-bound group did at Jindu Cave was so bad that even pleading for mercy wouldn't make one want to speak up.

At most, the only argument is that the One-Horned Rhinoceros King is a monster. If the One-Horned Rhinoceros King didn't have any powerful backers, that would be one thing, but if he were just an ordinary monster, he could be killed without consequence.

It's like if Luofu hadn't appeared, the westward expedition would have done something truly inhumane at the Spider Cave.

From Tang Sanzang to Sun Wukong, and then to Zhu Bajie, not one of them was a good person.

Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong practically saw all seven spider demons naked, and they didn't even know how long they watched. Zhu Bajie went even further, using a fierce battle technique to make the seven spider demons suffer terribly, and even tried to rape and kill them.

Although the seven spider demons were daughters of the Jade Emperor in their previous lives and had the title of princess, they were only nominally princesses in Heaven, let alone in the mortal world.

But the key difference is that the King of Unicorns is different.

They were arranged by Laozi himself.

The fact that their sore spots have been exploited means that truly powerful individuals must follow the rules.

The people Sun Wukong invited could only be performers at best.

Those who truly possess decisive power cannot interfere.

The ordeal at Jindu Cave was practically a battle between Buddhism and Taoism, brought into the open. Before Laozi and Buddha Tathagata gave their approval, who would dare to foolishly get involved?

Faced with Luo Fu's arrival, the Unicorn King made his stance clear first, standing on the moral high ground and asking Luo Fu, this so-called Buddha, if he intended to bully others by abusing his power.

Luo Fu would definitely not admit to this.

Even though the One-Horned Rhinoceros King is now openly a monster, the westward journey team really did a disgraceful job this time.

If they truly used their power to intimidate others, even if they managed to get the westward-bound group through the Jindu Cave, it would be tantamount to the Buddhist sect voluntarily tearing off its image of being great, glorious, and righteous.

Before Luo Fu could speak, Sun Wukong couldn't hold back and said, "You monster, stop talking and quickly release my master and junior brother."

At this point, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King simply couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to Sun Wukong.
Despite being in the Tushita Palace, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King, this horned blue ox, is merely the mount of Laozi.

But as the saying goes, even a seventh-rank official is inferior to a prime minister. Nuwa's mount, the Xuan Tian Fire Phoenix Jin Ning, was practically a disciple to her.

The Green Ox with its flat horns may not be as powerful as Sun Wukong, the future Victorious Fighting Buddha, on the surface, but it serves Laozi, the incarnation of the Supreme Saint. A few words of guidance from the supreme saint are enough to benefit ordinary immortals immensely.

Sun Wukong, the future Victorious Fighting Buddha, and the Green Ox with its horns, at best, the former gains a title, while the latter gains tangible benefits.

However, in terms of individual strength and future prospects, Banjiao Qingniu is definitely superior.

After all, although the Heavenly Laws are now strict in the Three Realms, in the final analysis, strength still reigns supreme.

A prestigious title sounds good, but it has its limits. Just like the Ten Demon Saints of the Demon Clan's Heavenly Court back then, before the end of the Lich War, which of the Ten Demon Saints wasn't in a high position and wielding great power? But with the destruction of the Demon Clan's Heavenly Court, the Demon Clan immediately went from being members of the Heavenly Court to becoming monsters like they are now.

From any perspective, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King had no reason to give Sun Wukong face. Normally, when it didn't involve any interests, he would address him as the Great Sage. But now, this was about a task assigned by Laozi.

In the eyes of the One-Horned Rhinoceros King, neither the Monkey King Sun Wukong nor the future Victorious Fighting Buddha of Buddhism could compare to his own future.

Before the ordeal at the Golden Gourd Cave is over, the conflict between the One-Horned Rhinoceros King and Sun Wukong is irreconcilable, and the One-Horned Rhinoceros King is unlikely to make any concessions.

Seeing that the King of the Unicorn was showing him no respect and ignoring his words, he was greatly surprised.

Sun Wukong was instantly enraged, baring his teeth and preparing to attack, but was stopped by a soft call from Guanyin riding a dragon.

Luo Fu knew that the strength he had revealed this time, along with the Golden Elixir Sand, was the key to ending this ordeal.

In comparison, even the Golden Elixir Sand ranks lower.

Now that Luo Fu has received benefits from the powerful beings of the Three Realms, he will definitely have to show some of his skills.

"This time, it was the monks who acted improperly. However, Heaven still offers a glimmer of hope." Luo Fu set the tone for this predicament from the very first sentence.

(End of this chapter)