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

Chapter 576 Sun Wukong's Lament! The Despair of Being Abandoned by the Three Realms!
In fact, even today, Luofu is not lacking in supernatural powers, magical treasures, and other means of protection and combat.

However, innate magical treasures are an exception.

After all, every innate magical treasure contains its own unique Dao and principles.

For example, the "falling treasure coin" embodies some of the principles of money or equivalent exchange in the human world.

And the seven gourds of the innate gourd vine are no exception.

However, Luo Fu was unaware of the unique uses of the seven gourds.

Right now, Zhen Yuanzi's unexpected offer of the Innate Red Gourd has put Luo Fu in a difficult position.

In Luo Fu's view, Zhen Yuanzi was, after all, a guest of Zixiao Palace back then. Moreover, the Innate Red Gourd was the only relic of the Old Ancestor Hongyun. No matter what, Zhen Yuanzi would not simply hand over this old friend's magic weapon as the price to settle karma.

However, given the previous events, which seemed to have been deliberately arranged, the successive delivery of magical treasures made Luo Fu naturally suspect that Zhen Yuanzi's actions might have ulterior motives.

After a moment's hesitation, Luo Fu ultimately chose to accept the innate red gourd.

By now, almost all of the innate magical treasures have their own owners.

Although innate magic treasures are not necessarily stronger than acquired magic treasures, this is one of the very few opportunities that Luo Fu might have to obtain an innate magic treasure.

After exchanging pleasantries, Luo Fu finally accepted the innate red gourd.

Unfortunately, this innate red gourd is not the same as the original Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd.

With the fall of Ancestor Hongyun, the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd, which had been destroyed by Ancestor Hongyun himself, lost all its powerful abilities to trap immortals, destroy their bodies, and annihilate their souls.

What remains now is merely the essence of the innate red gourd, which is even less desirable than its state before it was refined by Ancestor Hongyun.

No wonder the Innate Red Gourd has been in Zhen Yuanzi's hands for who knows how long, yet no news of it has ever been leaked out. It's likely that even Zhen Yuanzi himself had no intention of repairing this magical treasure.

Leaving behind this red gourd was merely Zhen Yuanzi's way of remembering his old friend.

Using the severely damaged innate red gourd as the price to settle the karmic debt can be considered a kind of waste utilization for Zhen Yuanzi.

Surely we can't expect Zhen Yuanzi to bring out his Earth Book and Ginseng Fruit Tree, can we? These two magical treasures are Zhen Yuanzi's real trump cards.

Seeing that Luo Fu had finally relented and accepted the Innate Red Gourd, Zhen Yuanzi breathed a sigh of relief and immediately took his leave.

He had no desire to be involved in the cause and effect between the westward-bound team and Luofu.

As for the ginseng fruit that Sun Wukong tricked and took away, he could settle the score with Sun Wukong after the Journey to the West was completely over. In short, Zhen Yuanzi just wanted to keep his mountain gate closed and avoid the Journey to the West for now.

Indeed, Zhen Yuanzi was unaware that the tribulations of the Journey to the West were fundamentally different from the tribulations of the past.

The Lich War and the Investiture of the Gods both involved the top echelons, and were characterized by the destruction and reconstruction of the established order.

But the current Journey to the West tribulation is different. The powerful force behind it has already arranged every aspect of this tribulation.

It is impossible for it to be like the Lich War or the Investiture of the Gods, where the final battle of the calamity could even destroy the heavens and earth.

However, Zhen Yuanzi, who was truly wary of the calamity, immediately activated the formation upon returning to Wanshou Mountain, completely sealing off his blessed land.

Luo Fu, having obtained the Innate Red Gourd, did not rush to refine it.

The innate red gourd is damaged in its original form, and refining it is no simple matter. If it weren't for the innate essence of this magic weapon, the cost of refining such a magic weapon would be enough for Luo Fu to create an even more powerful magic weapon from scratch.

Especially now, Luo Fu's plans for the Cloud Wings and Capturing Claws have been ruined because of Sun Wukong, and he is now waiting for Sun Wukong to come and make up for his losses.

South China Sea.

After bidding farewell to Zhen Yuanzi, Sun Wukong headed straight for Mount Putuo in the South China Sea.

Unfortunately, if it were an ordinary monster, Guanyin Bodhisattva, who was always watching over the pilgrimage team, would naturally be duty-bound to take responsibility.

However, within the Buddhist system, Luofu is nominally the ancestor of the Middle Vehicle Buddhism within the Three Vehicles lineage.

In name only, Guanyin Bodhisattva is far from being comparable to the Buddha Luofu.

Even though Luofukong has the name of Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva also has an incarnation of Guanyin riding a dragon, which belongs to the Pratyekabuddha lineage. In terms of appearance, Guanyin is the superior of Guanyin riding a dragon.

Under such circumstances, how could Guanyin Bodhisattva possibly intervene in this calamity?

When Sun Wukong arrived at the South China Sea, he eventually learned from the Black Bear Spirit, the mountain guardian deity, that Guanyin Bodhisattva was not at her sacred site and that he should seek another expert.

Now Sun Wukong was at a loss.

They longed for Guanyin Bodhisattva to return, but heaven knows where Guanyin Bodhisattva went or when she would return.

For such a powerful being, a single period of seclusion could mean countless years passing in the mortal realm.

The journey to the West is a momentous undertaking that cannot be delayed.

Gritting his teeth, the helpless Sun Wukong had no choice but to go elsewhere to seek help.

In Buddhism, aside from Guanyin Bodhisattva, Sun Wukong neither wanted to go nor had the face to go.

Luofu is the Buddha, and even though it is the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism, which is considered an outlier in Buddhism, it is still one of the orthodox Three Vehicles recognized by Buddhism.

Even if he swallowed his pride and sought help from Buddhism, he wouldn't know who to turn to.

As for directly seeking out the supreme leader, the World-Honored One, Tathagata...
Sun Wukong may not have completed his final, complete transformation, but he is by no means stupid.

The Buddha is like a boss. Who has ever seen an ordinary employee mess up something and then go to the boss to ask for help to solve the problem?
It's not that doing this is wrong, but unless it's absolutely necessary, like before when facing the powerful being behind the scenes, the King of the Golden Gourd Cave, who was clearly fighting against a powerful being. Otherwise, doing this would only leave your leader with the impression that you are incompetent and have failed in your duties.

If it were someone like Zhu Bajie who didn't care whether the journey to the West would succeed and had a way out, that would be one thing.

Incompetent is incompetent; Zhu Bajie's own magic weapon is Zhu Wuneng.

Sun Wukong was different. Like Sha Wujing, he attached great importance to the journey to the West. After more than five hundred years of imprisonment under the Five Elements Mountain, Sun Wukong had come to deeply understand the importance of clearing his name and going ashore.

When he could not turn to Buddhism for help, the Heavenly Court became Sun Wukong's only option.

Reluctantly glancing at the Purple Bamboo Forest, Sun Wukong gave the Black Bear Spirit a thousand and one instructions.

If Guanyin Bodhisattva returns, we must ask her to go to Ruzhen Temple to help Tang Sanzang.

Having received an affirmative answer, Sun Wukong reluctantly chose to seek help from the Heavenly Court.

Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

At first glance, he does seem very imposing, but in fact, Sun Wukong's reputation in the Three Realms is definitely not good.

Perhaps, because of the Great Sage Equalizing Accounts, some people have some goodwill towards Sun Wukong, but this goodwill stems from their own practical interests. Purely from the perspective of Sun Wukong himself, it is unlikely that anyone would have a good impression of him.

Even on the journey to the West, Sun Wukong went to the Heavenly Court countless times to ask for help, but those people didn't do it because they valued Sun Wukong's abilities, but because they could profit from the calamity of the Journey to the West.

However, such benefits depend on one's own strength.

Normally, if a monster has powerful backers or is being rescued by the Heavenly Court, they will intervene without consequence. Even if they are outmatched, they will not be in danger.

But this time, the situation is different when Sun Wukong goes to heaven to call for reinforcements to deal with Luofu.

Leaving aside the fact that Luofu himself is a Buddhist, the ancestor of the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism and the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle, in the Heavenly Court alone, he is the Heavenly Venerable of the Five Extremes of War Might. It seems that he is just a god with a name but no substance. In fact, Luofu, the Heavenly Venerable of the Five Extremes of War Might, is the one who truly holds real power.

This is because the Emperor of Gouchen Palace was only acting temporarily.

From the moment the Investiture of the Gods ended, the position of the Gouchen Upper Palace Emperor could only be held by a powerful demon. However, without the approval of the Sage Nuwa, this position could only be held by the Peacock. Ultimately, this led to Lei Zhenzi, who had been in the mortal realm for over eight hundred years, becoming a mere figurehead Gouchen Upper Palace Emperor.

When the true Gouchen Shanggong Heavenly Emperor could not hold power, and another one appeared with the bloodline of the Wu clan, whose secret name was Zhanwei Wuji Bingzhu Tianzun, it was obvious that without the intervention of the Sage Nuwa, the Gouchen Shanggong Heavenly Emperor would be no match for Chiyou.

Yes, in the eyes of everyone in Heaven, Chi You is Chi You, and Luofu is Luofu.

This is similar to how many people know that Laozi was an incarnation left behind by the Sage of Taiqing for the purpose of bestowing titles upon the gods, but no one would actually equate Laozi with the Sage of Taiqing.

The Supreme Sage is a true sage, while Laozi is merely the Golden Elixir Dao Ancestor.

When the main body cultivates to a certain level, its essence is no longer a separate life form in the ordinary sense, but rather a concept similar to a combination. Its clones are also separate individuals, at most just with similar interests.

For example, Guanyin Bodhisattva, her Pratyekabuddha incarnation, riding a dragon, and her original form are two sides of the same coin.

Cultivation itself is a process of strengthening oneself, progressing from simple to complex, and continuously mastering the concept of the laws of nature to cover oneself. This coverage manifests as the application of the laws of nature.

Chi You is indeed the incarnation of Luo Fu, a being resurrected because of Luo Fu. However, since he was resurrected, his concept, in essence, is that of the powerful Wu tribe who once contended with the Yellow Emperor, not Luo Fu.

Luofu and Chiyou overlap, yet they are also independent of each other.

Even though it's the difference between an incarnation and the original, offending Chi You also means offending Luo Fu. It's like knowing that Laozi is not the Supreme Saint, but no one dares to disrespect him.

Sun Wukong's desire to find someone to deal with Luofu was not only wishful thinking, but there were certainly few beings in the Heavenly Court who would dare to have such audacity.

Soon, Sun Wukong arrived in Heaven and encountered setbacks one after another.

Whether it was the star lords and celestial beings who would grant any request in the past, or the great powers and deities of all sides, they all tacitly refused Sun Wukong's request for help with various reasons, whether reasonable or absurd.

After a series of setbacks, Sun Wukong finally realized the truth.

Guanyin Bodhisattva is not at her sacred site in the South China Sea, and even the mountain-guarding deity, the Black Bear Spirit, refuses to let her enter Mount Putuo. In addition, the people in the Heavenly Court are tacitly refusing her.

He understood perfectly well that it wasn't that these immortals didn't have the time, but rather that they simply didn't have the courage to oppose Luofu.

At this moment, in Sun Wukong's heart, Luofu was like a new Five Finger Mountain, pressing down from the social level of the Three Realms. No matter how Sun Wukong struggled and resisted, he could not escape the suppression of the Five Finger Mountain.

Unlike the real Five Finger Mountain five hundred years ago, this Five Finger Mountain created by a network of connections made Sun Wukong even more desperate.

A feeling of being abandoned by the Three Realms filled Sun Wukong with an unprecedented despair.

Finding a secluded spot in Heaven, Sun Wukong burst into tears.

On his journey to the West, Sun Wukong cried in despair more than once.

For example, in Little Western Paradise, Sun Wukong, not knowing where to find help, once hid in the clouds and cried bitterly. In Hidden Mist Mountain, the Great King of the South Mountain, the Flowery Leopard Demon, tricked Sun Wukong with a fake head of Tang Sanzang, making him believe that Tang Sanzang was really dead and had been eaten. He cried with Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing and vowed to avenge their master.

The third time was at Lion Camel Ridge, where Luofu had not appeared. Again, they learned the false news that Tang Sanzang had been eaten. Sun Wukong didn't even go to save Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing; he somersaulted to hide outside the city and went to cry.

However, compared to this, Sun Wukong was truly driven to despair this time, which is why he hid in a secluded space in Heaven and cried bitterly.

Never before had Sun Wukong been so utterly helpless, with no one left to turn to for help.

Just as Sun Wukong was crying his heart out.

A familiar voice suddenly traversed space, rapidly approaching from afar, and reached Sun Wukong's ears.

"Great Sage, Great Sage."

Hastily wiping away the tears on his face, Sun Wukong looked in the direction of the sound, his eyes flashing, and said, "Is it you, old man? Don't tell me you've come to see me make a fool of myself too?"

"Great Sage, please don't misunderstand," Taibai Jinxing said, drifting over. "This humble immortal has come to offer guidance to the Great Sage."

"Guide me out of my predicament?" Sun Wukong's eyes lit up, and he instantly moved closer, grabbing Taibai Jinxing's sleeve and eagerly asking, "Do you know who can help me rescue my master?"

Taibai Jinxing struggled for a moment, and only after Sun Wukong released him with a laugh did he say, "Great Sage, you have truly caused a great disaster this time. That Ruzhen Miaofa Tianru Zhenfozu is a branch of Buddhism, the ancestor of the Pratyekabuddha vehicle, and has three thousand Pratyekabuddhas under his command. Even the World Honored One of the Western Paradise, Tathagata, has to give him some face. Moreover, he is on good terms with the Great Heavenly Venerable, Laozi, and others in the Heavenly Court. You have offended him, and even in the Heavenly Court, no one will dare to help you."

Sun Wukong said regretfully, "I, Old Sun, know that I have made a big mistake."

His tone turned somewhat apologetic as Sun Wukong said, "I never expected that the magical treasure that looked so dazzling was actually just a half-baked, fancy weapon that would break at the slightest touch."

(End of this chapter)