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

Chapter 593 An Immense Calamity! Even Saints Will Offer Assistance—The Importance of Luofu!
"Hey! You black bastard!" Sun Wukong jumped up in anger, glaring resentfully at the black bear demon.
It must be admitted that the Black Bear Spirit's words really struck a nerve with Sun Wukong.

His current worry is that Tang Sanzang will be killed by those monsters.

After all, Sun Wukong had already scouted out the great war between humans and demons in the Women's Kingdom; the two sides were truly fighting to the death.

Even countless celestial deities and immortals on earth perished on the battlefield.

In such a chaotic battle, Tang Sanzang, a mere Sandalwood Merit Buddha with only a fruition level but little real strength, who knows if he might be devoured by some impulsive demon?
If Tang Sanzang were really eaten, Sun Wukong wouldn't even have time to cry.

Unwilling to give up, Sun Wukong finally got up and leaped onto his somersault cloud, heading straight for Ruzhen Temple once again. No matter what, since Bodhi Patriarch and Guanyin Bodhisattva both said that he and Ruzhen Buddha were fellow disciples, he might as well try anything.

I arrived at this desolate, empty hill once again.

Following the direction of the mountain gate of Ruzhen Temple from my memory.

Sun Wukong, anxious and scratching his head, put his hands together and bowed in a direction that was not even clear if it was facing the mountain gate, saying, "Disciple Sun Wukong, the Victorious Fighting Buddha, requests an audience with the True Buddha. I hope the Buddha will grant me an audience."

After he finished speaking, the scenery in front of him remained unchanged for a long time.

Unwilling to accept defeat, Sun Wukong knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly before the empty space before him, saying, "Disciple Sun Wukong, the Victorious Fighting Buddha, requests an audience with the True Buddha. I hope the Buddha will consider our fellow disciples and grant me an audience."

Such is the wondrous Dharma of Heaven.

Ever since the sixth prince unleashed this catastrophe between humans and demons, comparable to the Battle of the Deer, Luofu immediately chose to close its mountain gates.

Even Ruzhen Zen Temple was moved to Ruzhen Miaofa Heaven in one fell swoop by him.

In this independent world, which can be said to be completely isolated from the Three Realms, Luofu and his disciples, including the Seven Emotions Bodhisattvas, the Three Great Arhats, and many Pratyekabuddhas, actually had a feeling of being in a paradise, free from afflictions, and experiencing pure joy.

They recite scriptures and preach the Dharma daily, each discussing the Great Way.

The Middle Way Buddhism, which originally took a unique path and led to enlightenment through causes and conditions, is now moving further towards the integration of Buddhism and Taoism.

The integration of the three religions has already begun to become the mainstream nowadays.

This is why Taoism, a branch of Taoism, is not so concerned about the rise of Buddhism.

In the True Wonderful Dharma Heaven, the unity of the three religions under the Dharma lineage is clearly different from the outside world, and has embarked on its own unique path.

The Shangqing Jiejiao, the Mahayana Golden Body, the Taiqing Golden Elixir, and the many foreign doctrines and principles shared with Luofu, ultimately formed a complex and unique lineage system.

This profound enlightenment, the discussion of the Dharma and the exposition of scriptures, and the realizations that each person gained, captivated the many cultivators in the Real Wonderful Dharma Heaven, from the Pratyekabuddha of Luofu, to the Bodhisattvas of the Seven Emotions, the Three Great Arhats, and so on, down to the many Pratyekabuddhas.

Undeniably, the Jie Sect's lineage initially placed more emphasis on methods and techniques, and paid less attention to the Dao.

This explains why, despite the fact that the Tongtian Sect Leader personally issued a decree ordering the Jie Sect disciples to keep their temples and mountains closed and quietly recite the Yellow Court Classic during the Investiture of the Gods calamity, the Jie Sect disciples were still drawn into the calamity one by one due to karmic entanglements. Even the Tongtian Sect Leader, a sage of the Shangqing realm, was unable to escape the karmic consequences of the Investiture of the Gods calamity.

After experiencing such a blow, these former disciples of the Jie Sect, now Pratyekabuddhas of Buddhism, are not stupid, so how could they not make any progress?
Putting aside other things, compared to the past when he paid more attention to methods and techniques, the current Pratyekabuddhas are clearly more concerned with the Tao.

But is the Great Way so easy to comprehend? Pratyekabuddhas were forcibly converted, and in terms of system and lineage, they are incompatible with orthodox Mahayana Buddhism, and can only be classified as Pratyekabuddha lineage.

But this doesn't mean they've really given up and lost all ambition; it just means that they genuinely can't find any hope for advancement within the Buddhist community.

On the contrary, it was in the True and Wonderful Dharma Heaven of Luofu, where the Great Dao was expounded, that they truly gave a glimmer of hope.

Although Luofu attained enlightenment in a short time, not to mention the Dao and principles he shared, which were completely different from the Dao of Heaven, he also successively obtained Mahayana Buddhism, the Dao of the Golden Body Wonderful Method, the Great Array of Ten Thousand Immortals of the Shangqing Intercepting Sect, and the Great Dao of Golden Elixir personally explained by the Supreme Lord Laozi, the incarnation of the Supreme Lord Laozi.

These opportunities, any one of them, are things that even other immortals and Buddhas could not obtain even if they begged for them.

Now that Luofu is explaining the true Dharma to them, these Pratyekabuddhas are even more immersed in the enlightenment of the Great Way. How could they have any mind to think about the cause and effect beyond the true Dharma?
Inside the main hall, bathed in the light of Buddha.

Luofu, who was sitting upright on a red lotus platform with white lotus stamens, expounding the true Dharma lineage to the seven Bodhisattvas of Emotion, the three great Arhats, and the three thousand Pratyekabuddhas below, suddenly had a sudden inspiration.

His tone suddenly paused.

The disciples, including the Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Pratyekabuddhas, suddenly felt doubtful.

Before they could even ask, Luo Fu took the initiative to say, "Cause and effect, karma, cannot be avoided."

"Red."

Among the Seven Emotions Bodhisattvas, the eldest, the red-clad Bodhisattva, immediately agreed.

"The disciple is here."

"I grant you the authority to enter and exit the Real Wonderful Dharma Heaven. Go to the mountain gate and welcome the Victorious Fighting Buddha of the Western Paradise."

Who is the Victorious Fighting Buddha? This was a question on everyone's mind.

Sun Wukong will protect Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. If they succeed, he will surely attain enlightenment.

But what kind of attainment he will achieve is something that no one other than the Buddha knew before.

Before the pilgrimage team took refuge in Ruzhen Temple and settled in Ruzhen Miaofa Heaven, they had not yet reached the Western Paradise.

No one would know that the Victorious Fighting Buddha was none other than Sun Wukong, who had wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace more than 500 years ago.

Luo Fu explained very considerately: "The Victorious Fighting Buddha is none other than Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who once wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace. He protected Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West to obtain the Buddhist scriptures, and his merits were immense. In the Western Paradise, he was granted the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha by the Buddha."

After Luo Fu briefly explained the identity of the Victorious Fighting Buddha, everyone present suddenly understood.

After agreeing, the red-robed Bodhisattva gracefully left the main hall.

This was originally outside the mountain gate of Ruzhen Temple.

Despite having secured his allegiance, nothing materialized. Sun Wukong, growing impatient, was about to get up and seek another solution when…

A ray of crimson Buddhist light suddenly shone in front of Sun Wukong.

Bathed in the Buddha's light, a surge of great joy welled up in my heart.

This familiar feeling allowed Sun Wukong to immediately recognize that it was the power of the Seven Emotions Bodhisattva, a practitioner of the intermediate-level Dharma lineage he had fought before.

Immediately, Sun Wukong knelt down again.

"The Bodhisattva has shown mercy and allowed his disciple to pay homage to the Buddha."

Sure enough, in the Buddha's light, a figure wearing a crimson dress appeared in front of Sun Wukong.

"Victorious Fighting Buddha, no need for formalities. Buddha has sent me to welcome you."

Overjoyed, Sun Wukong bowed in gratitude and quickly followed the red-robed Bodhisattva. Entering the Real and Wonderful Dharma Heaven, established by the Middle Vehicle Buddha, Sun Wukong's eyes were truly opened.

Everything I see before me is different from the Three Realms.

Most importantly, in this True and Wonderful Dharma Heaven, the Dao and the principles are similar to the Three Realms, yet also different from them.

This unique law of nature truly broadened Sun Wukong's horizons.

However, Sun Wukong never forgot the purpose of his trip: to seek help from the Buddha Ruzhen and save his master Tang Sanzang.

Obediently following the red-robed Bodhisattva, they quickly arrived at the familiar main hall of Ruzhen Temple in a series of shifting movements.

Indeed, this main hall is exactly the same as the Ruzhen Zen Temple located in Xiniu Hezhou.

Sun Wukong instantly guessed that it must have been the Buddha Ruzhen who, with immense magical power, moved Ruzhen Temple to this Ruzhen Wonderful Dharma Heaven.

The purpose was simply to avoid the catastrophe of the war between humans and demons.

Sun Wukong didn't have much of a grudge about this. He had already clearly understood the intensity of the current war between humans and demons when he was in the Women's Kingdom.

It's no exaggeration to say that countless gods in Heaven, immortals in the Three Realms, and Arhats and Bodhisattvas in the Western Paradise have perished.

If the Ruzhen Temple had not been moved to the Ruzhen Wonderful Dharma Heaven by the Middle Vehicle Buddha, such a high-intensity catastrophe would have undoubtedly become a thorn in the side of those demon races.

Now, countless forces in the Three Realms have joined forces to achieve a stalemate with the demon race. Even if the Buddha of the Realm of Enlightenment possesses great supernatural powers and boundless magic, he might not be able to withstand the overwhelming force of the demon race, relying solely on the Ruzhen Temple.

This shows that Sun Wukong underestimated Luofu.

It must be understood that the root cause of this great calamity between humans and demons lies in the appearance of Luofu. If it weren't for his entry into the shared space, bringing different paths and principles to the Three Realms and reversing the general trend of the rise and fall of the Heavenly Dao, it would have been impossible.

The tribulations of the Journey to the West symbolize the decline of the Dharma in the Heavenly Way.

Even if Luofu hadn't moved Ruzhen Temple, the monsters of the Lion Camel Demon Kingdom might not have been able to destroy it.

The reason is simple: the great powers of the Three Realms would not accept it. This is not just about the Buddha of the Western Paradise and the Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Court, but also includes the Primordial Saint who lives in seclusion outside the heavens, who would spare no effort to support Luofu.

For a sage, Luofu is not something that cannot be destroyed, but the prerequisite is to first squeeze out the Dao and principles within him that are different from those of the Three Realms, so as to give the Heavenly Dao a strong boost.

Before this, if Luo Fu had truly encountered a life-or-death crisis, the Sage would likely have personally intervened to save Luo Fu.

Moreover, even the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who merged with the Dao, would not stand idly by and watch Luofu perish like this.

Sun Wukong, unaware of these matters, simply regarded the relocation of Luofu to Ruzhen Temple as a way to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, which seriously underestimated the importance of Luofu.

Upon entering the main hall, Sun Wukong displayed an unprecedentedly humble demeanor.

He strode forward, and under the watchful eyes of the Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Pratyekabuddhas on either side, he bowed deeply towards Luofu Mountain and said, "Disciple Sun Wukong, the Victorious Fighting Buddha of the Western Heaven, pays respects to the True Buddha."

Luo Fu nodded and smiled, saying, "I understand the purpose of the Fighting Monk Buddha's visit."

After a pause, Luo Fu looked to his left and right and asked, "I wonder who in my Middle Vehicle lineage is willing to accompany the Victorious Fighting Buddha and his disciples to rescue the Buddha of Sandalwood Merit?"

"Buddha, your disciple is willing to go." The three newly joined Arhats of Luofu Sect, the Curly-Headed Arhat, the Yellow-Toothed Arhat, and the Golden-Light Arhat, spoke in unison.

Their ability to break free from their mounts and be driven by others depends entirely on the reclusive sage, Tongtian Jiaozhu, behind them. It can be said that among the middle-level Dharma lineages, the three great Arhats have not yet achieved any merit.

Unlike the Seven Emotions Bodhisattva, who, despite not having made any significant contributions within the Middle Vehicle lineage, was essentially an original shareholder of Luofu, the Middle Vehicle Buddha.

When Luofu had just completed the sharing and was still unable to protect itself, the Seven Emotions Bodhisattva gave Luofu strong support.

They are now able to become Bodhisattvas of the Middle Vehicle Dharma lineage because of the dividends from their initial public offering (IPO).

From the perspective of the Mahayana lineage, the foundation of the three great Arhats is even inferior to that of ordinary Pratyekabuddhas. At least these Pratyekabuddhas came to pay their respects as soon as they ascended to the position of Mahayana Buddha in Luofu.

However, the three Arhats were neither original shareholders nor did they have any prior investment in Luofu. More importantly, they were essentially the ones who suddenly came to pick the peaches and sit on the Arhat throne after the middle-level Dharma lineage was established and the foundation was laid.

Don't assume that just because the Buddhist community in the West talks about the emptiness of the four elements, it really has no rules such as seniority.

On the contrary, the idea of ​​detachment from worldly desires is merely a missionary slogan. The actual internal system is actually quite hierarchical.

Luo Fu nodded and said, “Excellent. You have a great karmic connection with this great calamity between humans and demons. Going to rescue the Sandalwood Merit Buddha and his disciples can help you settle your karmic debts and end this calamity.”

The war between humans and demons, comparable to the great battle for supremacy in the past, was, in some ways, a less intense calamity than the Investiture of the Gods.

For the many disciples in the main hall, apart from the Seven Emotions Bodhisattva, the other Pratyekabuddhas and the three Arhats were extremely familiar with the calamity of killing.

Back then, they were defeated in the great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods, a calamity that claimed the lives of immortals.

Compared to other calamities, the calamity of killing is both the most dangerous and the simplest.

The three Arhats bowed and accepted the decree of Luofu.

After receiving the authority granted by Luofu to enter and exit the Real Wonderful Dharma Heaven.

As Sun Wukong left the Heaven of True Wonderful Laws, he headed straight for the battlefield of the great war between humans and demons in the East.

Although Sun Wukong's somersault cloud was fast, the three Arhats' supernatural flying techniques were not slow either.

In the time it takes for a few incense sticks to burn, the Buddha and the three Arhats arrived at the place where Tang Sanzang and the others had been captured.

The three Arhats merely glanced at the scene, and with their divine eyes, they quickly found the clue.

Yellow-toothed Bodhisattva said, "Namo Ruzhen Wonderful Dharma Buddha, brothers, this King of Bazhou is probably the Tiger Head Vanguard back then. At that time, he was just a mere mountain lord. I never thought that when the great calamity came, he would have such good fortune."

Tiger Head Vanguard is considered a highly valued demon leader in Lion Camel Ridge.

Even the task of hunting down the survivors of Lion Camel Kingdom was assigned to the Tiger Head leader.

Unexpectedly, in just a few short years, the former leader of Tiger Head has now become the King of Bazhou.

This is the meaning of "when fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend their strength; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless."

When the great calamity begins, it is both an immense danger and an unprecedented opportunity for many cultivators caught in the crisis.

Even in the great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods, Randeng was able to find his own path. He rose from the vice leader of the Chan Sect to become the former Randeng Buddha of the present Buddhist sect. With the twenty-four Dinghai Pearls he seized from Zhao Gongming, he opened up the twenty-four heavens. Although he did not attain the status of a Hunyuan Daluo Saint, he still glimpsed his own path.

(End of this chapter)