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

Chapter 575 The Fundamental Codex of Luofu! Red Clouds? The Opportunity to Achieve Sainthood!
"This disciple dares not." Tang Sanzang was unaware of Luo Fu's attitude towards him.

In Tang Sanzang's view, if Sun Wukong hadn't made a grave mistake, why would a dignified Buddha like Luofu attack him, a disciple of Buddhism?

But Sun Wukong was, after all, his eldest disciple.

He made a mistake, and his master is also partly to blame.

Luo Fu sighed softly, then went to the meditation cushion in the meditation room and said, "Get up. Don't worry, the reason I stopped you from going west today was just to get an explanation. Once your disciple has made up for my losses, I will let you go west."

After a slight pause, Luo Fu said jokingly, "Besides, even if I wanted to keep you here, the World Honored One wouldn't agree."

Tang Sanzang felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

Tang Sanzang might not know other things, but there was one thing he did understand.

Luofu is the Buddha of Buddhism, which is essentially an independent system within the vast Buddhist system.

Within this system, Luo Fu is undoubtedly the top dog.

Even if he is not qualified to be the rightful future Buddha, the future leader, like the Buddha who came from the East.

But whether it is the current World Honored One or the future World Honored One, they will inevitably have to treat a Buddha-level being like Luofu with special regard.

Luo Fu dared to joke, but Tang Sanzang dared not listen.

Seeing that Tang Sanzang clearly accepted the beating and punishment but dared not communicate with him at all, Luo Fu immediately understood.

Tang Sanzang was truly a clever man.

The true backer of the westward journey was the Buddha. There are no factions within the party, and all sorts of strange and eccentric people exist. Among the many factions in Buddhism, the Buddha is the most powerful.

Since he was clear about his identity and stance, Tang Sanzang would never waver. A fence-sitter is never welcome, no matter where he is.

Trying to please everyone is extremely risky, and besides, Tang Sanzang and his companions didn't even have that qualification.

They can only gain a foothold in Buddhism by clinging to the Buddha.

Since he is a follower of the World-Honored One, he absolutely cannot waver in his stance.

"Enough, enough!" Luo Fu stood up listlessly and said, "You can stay in this meditation room for the time being. I will arrange for my disciples to bring you a copy of the Buddha's True Dharma Golden Body Sutra. You can stay here and study the wonderful Dharma of my Pratyekabuddha Vehicle. Once your disciple has compensated me for my losses, I will let you leave!"

The moment he finished speaking, Luo Fu left the meditation room amidst Tang Sanzang's prostrations and worship.

Luofu was quite decisive.

After leaving the meditation room, he quickly instructed a disciple of the Ruzhen sect to send a copy of the Buddha's "Ruzhen Wonderful Dharma Golden Body Sutra" to the meditation room.

The Buddha's teachings on the true and wondrous Dharma of the Golden Body can be considered the true fundamental scripture of Ruzhen Temple.

Although this Buddhist scripture was written by the World-Honored One, at that time, Luofu was only the Buddha of True Dharma, not the Pratyekabuddha Buddha of today.

The Pratyekabuddha Vehicle itself has no scriptures to speak of. The Middle Vehicle of Buddhism is an achievement of enlightenment through karmic conditions and the absence of a Buddha.

By studying Buddhist scriptures, one is following the paths of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.

However, it cannot be used as the fundamental Dharma, but it can be used as a fundamental scripture. After all, the Buddha's True and Wonderful Dharma Golden Body Sutra truly expounds some of the profound mysteries of the Golden Body Dharma.

The disciple responsible for delivering the Buddha's True Dharma Golden Body Sutra to Tang Sanzang was none other than the sixth prince of the Lion Camel Kingdom.

That's right, the Sixth Prince is still studying at Ruzhen Temple.

Several years later, he can now be considered the disciple with the fastest progress in cultivation at Ruzhen Temple.

Moreover, he is one of the few people who have comprehended his own Golden Body Dharma from the Buddha's True Dharma Golden Body Sutra, and who has also practiced the methods of controlling desires and emotions. He can be considered to have inherited the true lineage of Ruzhen Temple.

Years of cultivation did not diminish the sixth prince's obsession with restoring his kingdom.

He even learned about the Buddha Luofu's arrangements from the Bodhisattva of Seven Emotions.

Behind Lion Camel Ridge lies the grand trend of the flourishing of Buddhism.

The destruction of a mere human kingdom is utterly insignificant in the face of the overwhelming forces of Heaven.

If one wants to restore the kingdom, one can only follow the will of Heaven and wait for the right opportunity to arise.

The arrival of the westward-bound party now serves as proof that the opportunity to restore his kingdom, which he has waited for for years, has finally come.

Holding a copy of the Buddha's True Dharma Golden Body Sutra in both hands, he came to the outside of the meditation room.

The sixth prince gently knocked on the door.

Since Tang Sanzang was placed in a meditation room at Luofu Temple, he would absolutely not dare to overstep the boundaries.

Unless someone comes to his door on his own initiative, Tang Sanzang is determined not to even step out of his room.

A knock on the door was heard.

Tang Sanzang quickly opened the door, put his hands together and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother."

“I dare not, I dare not. I am merely a lay disciple of the Zen temple and do not dare to be addressed as the Holy Monk.” The Sixth Prince humbly said, “Holy Monk, the Buddha instructed me to deliver this Sutra of the True Dharma of the Buddha. Holy Monk, you may recite this sutra here and comprehend some of the wonderful Dharma lineage of my Ruzhen Zen Temple.”

After a slight pause, the Sixth Prince said, "This sutra is the fundamental Dharma of our Ruzhen Zen Temple. If the Holy Monk gains any insight from it, it will be a great opportunity."

"Thank you," Tang Sanzang said gratefully, and accepted the classic text.

Tang Sanzang did not resist consulting the scriptures at Ruzhen Temple.

After all, this classic text has the prefix "spoken by the Buddha," which means it is definitely a classic text recognized by the Buddhist community and not some unorthodox or heretical doctrine.

The sixth prince, who presented the Buddha's True Dharma Golden Body Sutra, did not leave immediately, but instead exchanged pleasantries with Tang Sanzang.

In his words, he quickly revealed his identity and background.

As the two gradually became acquainted, Tang Sanzang understood the sixth prince's meaning, and even knew in advance just how terrifying his next challenge would be.

For a time, Tang Sanzang calmed down a bit and stayed in the meditation room to study the scriptures, occasionally interacting with the sixth prince.

It can be said that in the next stage of the westward journey, they and the Sixth Prince shared the same goal.

The westward journey requires passing through Lion Camel Ridge. The Sixth Prince wants to rebuild the Lion Camel Kingdom, but what stands in their way is the terrifying monster kingdom of Lion Camel Ridge.

The Lion Camel Kingdom was clearly their common enemy.

Sending the sixth prince to contact Tang Sanzang was naturally a deliberate act by Luofu.

The survivors of Lion Camel Kingdom have been at Ruzhen Temple for several years now, and it's time for them to rebuild Lion Camel Kingdom.

This also means that the lineage of Ruzhen Temple can cover a wider area.

This would be entirely beneficial to Luofu Mountain and Ruzhen Temple.

On Luofu's side, instead of receiving reinforcements from Sun Wukong, they were greeted by Zhen Yuanzi's visit once again.

Outside the gate of Ruzhen Temple, Pigsy, hanging there, screamed in agony, constantly complaining, "Brother Sha, do you think Brother Monkey will just abandon us and run away?"

Sha Wujing, who had his eyes closed, opened them upon hearing this and said, "Second Senior Brother, Eldest Senior Brother will definitely come to save us."

The reason why Sha Wujing, unlike Zhu Bajie, didn't even have this much faith in Sun Wukong was because Sha Wujing had absolutely no way out.

Don't say anything, Sha Wujing joined the journey to the West as a member of the Heavenly Court.

Never forget that Sha Wujing was punished in the Flowing Sand River for five hundred years.

His punishment was different from Sun Wukong's, who was simply imprisoned under the Five Fingers Mountain and even had Buddhist care for his food and drink.

For five hundred years, Sha Wujing had to endure the punishment of being pierced through the chest and ribs by flying swords hundreds of times every seven days. Such a long period of time, even if Sha Wujing was indeed loyal to the Heavenly Court at the beginning, would surely have exhausted that loyalty under such torture for five hundred years.

The reason why Sha Wujing's performance often gives people the feeling that he is just going through the motions is simply because he really doesn't have the strength.

It's the food that's the problem, not how much effort was put in.

Unless Sha Wujing wants to return to the Flowing Sand River and suffer that unbearable torment again, he will definitely cling tightly to the leg of the westward journey team, which is his only chance to turn things around.

Even if he lacked confidence in Sun Wukong, he had to constantly hypnotize himself.

In comparison, Pigsy was much more carefree. While it would be good for him to achieve enlightenment while being part of the westward journey, he didn't care about being separated from the group and having to divide the luggage, since he still had the Eastern Emperor as his backer.

Even at the very least, it's just going to the Three Islands and Ten Continents.

The difference in their confidence led to completely different attitudes between Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing towards Sun Wukong.

Just as the two brothers were hanging outside the gate of Ruzhen Temple, unable to move, and had to endure the net of the seven emotions, joy, anger, worry, fear, love, hatred and desire constantly stirring their emotions.

A figure dressed in a crane-feather Taoist robe drifted over.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Pigsy was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Great Immortal Zhenyuanzi, please forgive me for being unable to pay my respects. I beg you to save my brother. I will be eternally grateful."

Zhen Yuanzi glanced at Zhu Bajie and said, "Marshal Tianpeng, please forgive me. I have come to apologize. I really cannot help you two. However, you need not worry. The Great Sage has already gone to the South Sea. I expect that soon he will favor the Bodhisattva to mediate. At that time, you two can continue to escort the Tripitaka Master on his journey to the West."

The moment he finished speaking, Zhen Yuanzi nodded slightly and knocked on the gate of Ruzhen Temple.

In a short while, the Seven Emotions Bodhisattva sisters came out to greet them.

After exchanging greetings, the two sides learned of Zhen Yuanzi's purpose in coming, and the Seven Emotions Bodhisattvas invited Zhen Yuanzi to the Zen temple.

Inside a side hall.

They learned that Zhen Yuanzi had come to Ruzhen Temple to apologize.

Luo Fu realized that he had probably misunderstood Zhen Yuanzi before.

Zhen Yuanzi, the ancestor of earth immortals, is best known not for his unparalleled mastery of spatial arts, but for his unassuming and unambitious nature.

He was, after all, an ancestor of a path, especially one that was an Earth Immortal.

If Zhen Yuanzi had truly opened his temple gates wide and established his lineage, then his Wuzhuang Temple would never have been so desolate, with only a handful of disciples, plus the two incompetent boys Qingfeng and Mingyue, totaling a mere forty-eight people.

The Great Dao is hard to find, but seeking the Dao through the methods is different. It can be said that, apart from those who have skills but no methods, the Dao of Earthly Immortals has produced countless immortals.

Even a newly created Pratyekabuddha like Luofu can instantly become a Buddha in the Buddhist community. Even if it's just an empty shell, there are still three thousand Pratyekabuddhas.

Even if things don't go well, Zhen Yuanzi's status as the ancestor of earth immortals is enough to make him a powerful figure in the region.

But he didn't even make that one move.

The so-called Ancestor of Earthly Immortals is merely an empty title known to very few people.

Even if there is a conflict with Luofu, given Zhen Yuanzi's temperament, he would not actually cooperate with Sun Wukong.

It's likely that Sun Wukong's thieving ways were hard to change. To compensate for his losses, he promised to repay Zhen Yuanzi with ginseng fruit, thus tricking him. Unfortunately, he happened to stumble upon the argument between the two.

Even though he had guessed that Zhen Yuanzi wouldn't scheme against him, Luo Fu wouldn't let the matter go so easily.

Soon, under the guidance of the Seven Emotions Bodhisattva, Zhen Yuanzi reappeared before Luofu.

This time, upon seeing Luofu, Zhen Yuanzi immediately bowed and paid his respects, a complete change in attitude compared to before.

"This humble Taoist priest, Zhen Yuanzi, has met the true Buddha."

"Great Immortal Zhenyuan has come from afar. May I ask what brings you here?" Luo Fu asked indifferently.

Zhen Yuanzi felt a chill and immediately explained how he had been tricked by Sun Wukong.

For him, nothing was more important than clearing up the misunderstanding between him and Luo Fu. He didn't even care about the ginseng fruit that Sun Wukong had taken without asking.

“Sun Wukong’s bad nature is hard to change, and his six senses are not pure. Today, he has committed a crime under my tutelage. But every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. This humble monk will never implicate Zhenyuan Daxian. Please rest assured, Great Immortal.” Luo Fu made a solemn vow.

But Zhen Yuanzi dared not believe it.

Although he didn't have much contact with Luofu, Zhen Yuanzi was very familiar with Buddhism.

Back then, the two Western Saints were shameless enough to trick Hongyun in Zixiao Palace, ultimately leading to the death of Zhen Yuanzi's lifelong friend.

Afterwards, most of the Buddhist sects that Zhen Yuanzi encountered were also unbelievable.

Luofu is now in Buddhism, and in a short period of time, he has become a middle-level Buddha.

Even if Luofu truly remained untainted by the mud, Zhen Yuanzi was still worried.

“Buddha is magnanimous, but I am still involved.” Zhen Yuanzi said as he took out a gourd.

This gourd is entirely crimson in color and contains flowing light; it is clearly no ordinary object.

He glanced reluctantly at the red gourd in his hand. Zhen Yuanzi said, "This item was the magic weapon of an old friend of mine. Unfortunately, my old friend lacked the fortune to survive and ultimately perished, leaving only a wisp of his soul that vanished into the Netherworld Blood Sea. I am powerless to avenge my old friend, and can only leave this magic weapon behind. Today, I will use this treasure to settle this karmic debt. I beg the Buddha to grant my request."

The red gourd, an old friend of Zhen Yuanzi.

Luo Fu guessed the true nature of the gourd almost instantly.

The only person who could be called Zhen Yuanzi's old friend was Hongyun, the only one in Zixiao Palace who obtained the Primordial Purple Qi but perished because of it and never became a saint.

On the innate gourd vine, the innate red gourd, one of the seven innate gourds, fell into the hands of the Old Ancestor Hongyun and was refined into the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd.

The seven stones from back then each had their own owner. Even throughout the entire Three Realms, they were all renowned.

The only thing missing was the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd of the Old Ancestor Hongyun, which disappeared long ago with the Old Ancestor Hongyun's demise.

Unexpectedly, it fell into Zhen Yuanzi's hands.

Especially now, Zhen Yuanzi actually intends to use this innate red gourd as the price to settle his karmic debt with it.

(End of this chapter)