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

Chapter 571 Sun Wukong's Escape, the Dao and Law Beyond the Heavenly Dao! In an instant, he becomes a giant in his own right!
The five senses—sound, color, smell, taste, and touch—belong to the material world. Whether it is seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or touching, they all belong to the realm of the Hearing Vehicle.

The Pratyekabuddha of the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle is an enlightened being born in a time when there was no Buddha, who attains enlightenment on his own.

If the Buddha is present in any of the senses—sound, color, smell, taste, or touch—then it cannot be considered the Pratyekabuddha vehicle of the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism.

Sound, color, smell, taste, touch, dharma, and even the dharma, which belongs to the realm of consciousness in the spiritual world, are still included in the Śrāvakayāna.

After truly understanding the concept of the Śrāvakayāna, the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism, Luofu completely gave up the idea of ​​preaching.

He made no demands even on Pratyekabuddhas who only visited him once and then scattered like birds and beasts.

After all, everyone attained enlightenment on their own. Luofu, this intermediate Buddha, is at most a representative of all Pratyekabuddhas.

Luofu is like the Zhou emperor; it's enough to be nominally respected from afar, and at most, one would pay a visit every now and then.

How can Luofu expand its own lineage under such circumstances?
After leading Pigsy and the others into the main hall of Ruzhen Temple.

Luo Fu spotted Tang Sanzang cleaning the main hall immediately.

Although disciples are responsible for cleaning and sweeping the main hall every day, Tang Sanzang is still busy with his own tasks.

This is related to the grand vow that Tang Sanzang made when he left the Tang Dynasty in the East.

Indeed, Tang Sanzang made a great vow when he went to the Western Paradise to obtain Buddhist scriptures.

Along the way, to show their sincerity, they worshipped Buddha at temples, offered incense at shrines, and swept and cleaned pagodas.

He said it, and he really did it.

Even if he encountered a Buddhist pagoda in the middle of nowhere, Tang Sanzang would personally clean it up.

Even though Ruzhen Temple now knows that it is a Mahayana Buddhist temple, it is neither the Hinayana Buddhism that he is familiar with in the Tang Dynasty in the East, nor the Mahayana scriptures that he is now going to Mount Ling in the West to seek.

But since it was a Buddhist temple, Tang Sanzang naturally had to personally take action to fulfill his grand ambition.

Tang Sanzang was not sweeping the main hall of Ruzhen Temple itself, but rather using this process to complete his own spiritual practice.

Sweeping and cleaning the main hall is just a formality.

Suddenly, I heard the voices of Pigsy and Sandy calling him "Master".

Following the sound, Tang Sanzang was startled upon seeing Luofu. He quickly put down his broom, straightened his clothes, and then bowed deeply in the direction of Luofu.

“Disciple Xuanzang from the Great Tang Dynasty of the East pays homage to the Buddha of the Middle Vehicle.”

"Xuanzang, you may rise." Luo Fu nodded and smiled, then gracefully arrived at the main hall and sat down.

Unlike ordinary temples, the main hall of Ruzhen Temple contains a statue of Buddha.

The tall altar was completely empty.

After all, Luofu was the true master of Ruzhen Temple, which was the sacred site of Luofu, the Buddha of the Wondrous Dharma, and he was also a Buddha of the Middle Vehicle.

Even the Buddha, the head of Buddhism, only has nominal jurisdiction over him. In reality, Luofu can completely ignore the Buddha.

Even on this altar, the two saints of the West and the West should be enshrined. Even if we consider seniority, there is no place for the World-Honored One, Tathagata, in the main hall.

After Tang Sanzang and his disciples were all seated, Luofu began to explain the wonderful Dharma of the Golden Body and the method of controlling desires through the seven emotions to Tang Sanzang and his disciples, including the Seven Emotions Bodhisattva and many monks of Ruzhen Temple.

What Luofu can talk about is the subtle and profound myriad methods, and it doesn't even qualify as the wonderful exposition of the Three Vehicles.

Leaving aside Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism for now, the true Mahayana scriptures are still waiting for Tang Sanzang to retrieve them from Mount Ling in the Western Paradise; it's not up to this Mahayana Buddha from Mount Luofu to teach them.

After all, he's now preaching Mahayana Buddhism, so what does that count for? How does that affect the pilgrimage mission?
As for Theravada Buddhism, regardless of Tang Sanzang's own character, he was indeed a unique and highly accomplished monk in the study of Theravada Buddhist scriptures, which was officially recognized.

In the Tang Dynasty of the East, Tang Sanzang was one of the most eminent Buddhist monks. Even when he preached and held the Water and Land Dharma Assembly in Chang'an, the Bodhisattva Guanyin acknowledged Tang Sanzang's understanding of Theravada Buddhism.

In terms of Theravada Buddhism, Luofu is simply not worth discussing.

However, Luo Fu has now embarked on his own path of integrating the three religions.

In Buddhism, there are the wondrous methods of the Golden Body and the means of controlling the seven emotions and desires. In Taoism, he can be considered to have received the unorthodox transmission of the Golden Elixir Dao from Laozi.

The difference is that the other three religions are Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, while Luofu belongs to external Buddhism and Taoism, which is Buddhist and Taoist scriptures plus external methods shared by Luofu.

Luo Fu's current resources are still relatively shallow, but once he fully understands the philosophy of Buddhism and Taoism, that will be a different story.

He might be able to establish a separate vehicle outside of the three vehicles, a true trinity of the three vehicles united as one.

In terms of Buddhism and Taoism, Luofu is certainly not as good as the local areas, but its unorthodox teachings, which come from outside the Heavenly Way, are enough to make Luofu a giant in one leap.

Although most of the scriptures spoken in Luofu are about magic and supernatural powers, those that involve the inheritance obtained through shared space are also relevant.

Even Tang Sanzang, who had many disagreements, had to admit that Luofu, this middle-level Buddha, truly lived up to his name, for his Buddhist teachings were profound and unfathomable.

On the Luofu side, the initial integration of its own system began.

Sun Wukong, riding on his somersault cloud, landed directly on Longevity Mountain.

They hurriedly entered the Wuzhuang Temple.

As he strode towards the Wuzhuang Temple, Sun Wukong shouted, "Brother, brother, I, Old Sun, am begging for your help!"

Inside the dojo.

When Qingfeng and Mingyue saw Sun Wukong appear, their faces immediately fell. However, due to Sun Wukong's current status, they had no choice but to bow and say, "Disciple greets the Great Sage."

"You two, quickly take me to see my brother! It's extremely urgent, there's no time to lose!" Sun Wukong said in a great hurry.

Under the clear breeze and bright moon, they looked at each other in bewilderment. After exchanging a glance, one of them said, "Great Sage, your timing is unfortunate. My master recently went to the Heavenly Court to request an audience with the Queen Mother of the West, the Supreme Being of Yaochi. If it were the Great Sage..."

Before Qingfeng and Mingyue could finish speaking, Sun Wukong abruptly waved his hand and said, "Since my brother is not here, then you two will do too. Quickly, go and get me nine ginseng fruits. I am in a hurry to save my life, so don't try to fob me off. When my brother returns, I will explain everything to him."

Before, when the westward journey team arrived at Wuzhuang Temple, Qingfeng and Mingyue were able to use a golden mallet to pick ginseng fruits for Tang Sanzang and his disciples to enjoy.

But that was actually a task assigned by Zhen Yuanzi.

Without Zhen Yuanzi's permission, even as a disciple, Qingfeng Mingyue would not dare to pick the ginseng fruit without authorization.

Now that Sun Wukong has brazenly come to our door and is demanding nine ginseng fruits, how could Qingfeng and Mingyue possibly agree?
Seeing Qingfeng and Mingyue repeatedly decline, Sun Wukong, who was really unable to contain himself, simply grinned and said, "You two are quite annoying. I, Old Sun, have already said that I have brought nine ginseng fruits. In the future, I will settle things with my brother."

"Great Sage, Great Sage!!"

The moment Sun Wukong finished speaking, he seemed ready to go to the ginseng fruit tree himself.

Now Qingfeng and Mingyue were completely panicked. One blocked, the other pulled, forcibly dragging and tugging.

But how could the two of them possibly be a match for Sun Wukong?

When Sun Wukong got angry, he simply cast a spell to freeze Qingfeng and Mingyue in place before heading straight for the ginseng fruit tree.

A moment later, when Sun Wukong returned, he was carrying a bundle on his back.

Seeing this, Qingfeng and Mingyue were filled with despair.

It's easy to guess that such a large bundle is full of ginseng fruits that this monkey picked without permission.

After all, Sun Wukong was a repeat offender and knew how to pick the ginseng fruit beforehand.

Sun Wukong chuckled, carrying the bundle on his shoulder with one hand, and pointed at Qingfeng and Mingyue from afar with the other.

The moment the spell that had bound the two was broken, Sun Wukong leaped up and flew straight westward, his triumphant voice echoing from afar.

“Tell your brother that the ginseng fruit was borrowed by me, Old Sun, and I will return it to him in the future.”

Qingfeng and Mingyue didn't believe Sun Wukong's words at all.

What do you mean by "repaying in the future"? In the Three Realms, the Ginseng Fruit Tree is unique; it can only be found at Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain.

Where could Sun Wukong find a second ginseng fruit tree? If there's no ginseng fruit tree, how could there be ginseng fruit?
"What should we do?" Qingfeng said with a mournful face and despair in his eyes.

Heaven knows how many ginseng fruits that audacious monkey picked this time.

When Zhen Yuanzi returns, how will they explain this to him?

Mingyue gritted her teeth and said, "We can't make the decision on this matter. You and I should go and report to our master first."

Qingfeng and Mingyue hurriedly arrived at the main hall of Wuzhuang Temple, lit incense, and recounted in one breath how Sun Wukong had come to their door again, insisting on asking for nine ginseng fruits.

In heaven.

Zhen Yuanzi, who was sitting and discussing the Dao with the Queen Mother of the West, suddenly changed his expression.

It should be noted that even as the owner of the ginseng fruit tree, Zhen Yuanzi did not possess a large quantity of ginseng fruits.

Not to mention that the ginseng fruit tree can only mature thirty fruits in ten thousand years, and Zhen Yuanzi has a wide circle of friends, so he himself might not be able to keep many.

The ginseng fruits sent to Luofu had almost drained Zhen Yuanzi's savings.

Now that Sun Wukong has taken away nine more ginseng fruits, Zhen Yuanzi might not even have enough left to repay favors.

Zhen Yuanzi could no longer sit still. He hurriedly apologized to the Queen Mother of the West and went straight to his own temple after leaving the Heavenly Court.

When Zhen Yuanzi returned to Wuzhuang Temple and checked the fruits on the ginseng fruit tree, he was so angry that his three corpse gods jumped up and down.

Sun Wukong said he would take away nine ginseng fruits.

But in reality, Zhen Yuanzi discovered that fifteen were missing from the tree.

This means that Sun Wukong picked six more.

The ginseng fruit is no ordinary fruit; it takes nearly ten thousand years for thirty of them to mature.

Even if Zhen Yuanzi wanted to align himself with Buddhism, he shouldn't have done so at the cost of such a great loss.

Fifteen ginseng fruits represent half of the total yield over ten thousand years, which was wasted by Sun Wukong.

Zhen Yuanzi, who was furious inside, also knew that the fault of Sun Wukong's visit did not lie with Qingfeng and Mingyue, who were his disciples.

At best, the two of them could only serve as guardians of the mountain gate. Someone like Sun Wukong, who was determined to get his hands on the ginseng fruit, especially when they were not around, Qingfeng and Mingyue had no power to stop him at all.

Although the world was filled with calamity due to the calamity, Zhen Yuanzi could not fathom why Sun Wukong had taken fifteen ginseng fruits without asking.

But he was able to calculate roughly where the westward-bound caravan was now.

With a quick calculation of time and distance, Zhen Yuanzi determined that the westward-bound group was currently at Ruzhen Temple, a Buddhist center dedicated to the Middle Vehicle.

Compared to the many secrets surrounding the Journey to the West, the specific route taken by the westward-bound team was actually not a secret at all.

It's important to understand that the Journey to the West team—Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing, plus their mount, the White Dragon Horse—is more like the visible performers of the pilgrimage group. There are also numerous behind-the-scenes personnel involved in this grand spectacle.

The Four Duty Officers, the Five Directions Protectors, the Six Ding and Six Jia, and the Dharma Protectors. Adding these together, there are as many as thirty-nine. Not to mention, there's also Guanyin Bodhisattva, who can be seen as the chief director of the Journey to the West, and the World-Honored One, the chief planner of the Journey to the West project.

The exact details of the westward journey may be debatable, but it is no secret where the westward journey ended up.

After calculating the location of the westward-bound group, Zhen Yuanzi hurriedly mounted auspicious clouds and headed straight west.

And when Zhen Yuanzi caught up.

Sun Wukong, returning from Wuzhuang Temple, hurriedly arrived at Ruzhen Temple.

First, he gave nine ginseng fruits to Luofu to offset the loss, and then handed them over to the Bodhisattva of Seven Emotions.

Sun Wukong then urged Tang Sanzang to hurry up and set off, and Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing also quickly followed suit, trying to persuade him.

Tang Sanzang, however, was unaware of what trouble Sun Wukong had caused at Ruzhen Temple. Instead of understanding the situation, he scolded Sun Wukong and the others, saying that they had such an opportunity to listen to the teachings of the Middle Vehicle Buddha, how could they just miss it?
Tang Sanzang not only refused to go on the journey, but also persuaded Sun Wukong to stay with him in the main hall of Ruzhen Temple to listen to Luofu preach.

Tang Sanzang, as the master, was unaware of the truth, but his disciples, including Sun Wukong, dared not stay any longer.

With each of you offering your words of advice...

Ultimately, even Luofu had to wonder if the westward-bound group had indeed stayed at his Ruzhen Temple for far too long.

This is understandable. In the ancient ruins deep within the Heavenly Court, Luo Fu spent nearly four years in the mortal realm just communicating with Haotian.

The westward journey was indeed something that could not be delayed.

As the protagonist of the Journey to the West, Tang Sanzang needs to travel from the Tang Dynasty in the East to the Western Paradise in his mortal form. Before obtaining the true scriptures, he can only travel as a mortal.

When Tang Sanzang left the Tang Dynasty, it was the thirteenth year of the Zhenguan era, when he was thirty-one years old.

Now, in the twenty-fifth year of the Zhenguan era, Tang Sanzang is over forty years old.

Even in this world, where there is a way to live forever and countless immortals in the Three Realms, ordinary humans in the Earthly Immortal Realm can call themselves old people at the age of thirty.

On the journey to the West, even Tang Sanzang himself felt disheartened and wondered if he would live long enough to reach the Western Paradise.

(End of this chapter)