I am a fairy in Journey to the West

With boundless Buddhist light and resounding chants, the Great Sun Tathagata, standing on a nine-tiered golden lotus platform, descended upon Mount Buzhou amidst auspicious clouds and radiant light.

Mosquito Taoist immediately manifested his form and flew out, standing in front of the mountain gate and bowing to the Great Sun Tathagata, saying: "I wonder which Buddha from the West has arrived. The guardian deity of Buzhou Mountain respectfully welcomes Mosquito Taoist."

The Great Sun Tathagata bowed in return and said with a smile, "This humble monk is Vairocana Buddha of Vairocana Temple on Mount Ling."

"So it's the Great Sun Buddha." Mosquito Taoist was startled, then quickly stepped forward and said, "Buddha, you have had a long journey. Please come into the divine palace for tea and rest."

With a smile on his face and his hands clasped together, the Mosquito Taoist personally welcomed the Great Sun Tathagata into the main hall of the Lingtai Palace and seated him high above.

Princess Iron Fan and the Jade-Faced Fox offered the Buddha a cup of spiritual tea and a celestial fruit, respectively.

When the two learned that the great monk was the famous Vairocana Buddha, they served him with even greater care and attentiveness.

Mosquito Taoist then went to report to Zhuang Yan about the arrival of the Great Sun Buddha before returning to continue guarding the mountain.

About fifteen minutes later, Zhuang Yan led the two boys, Bao Jie and Xiu Huang, from the back to the main hall in the central courtyard. When the Great Sun Buddha saw Zhuang Yan arrive, he immediately stood up, put his palms together, and greeted him, saying, "This humble monk pays his respects to the True Lord of the Spirit Platform."

Zhuang Yan returned the greeting with a cupped hand, then walked to the main seat in the hall, turned to the Great Sun Buddha and said, "Great Sun Buddha, please sit down."

The Great Sun Buddha nodded, then slowly sat down. Zhuang Yan followed suit and asked, "Great Sun Buddha, you've come for the matter of Beiju Luzhou, haven't you?"

The Great Sun Buddha quickly replied, "Indeed, this matter has already been discussed on Mount Ling, which is why this humble monk has come specifically to make this trip."

Zhuang Yan nodded slightly and said, "The Great Sun Buddha can stay at Buzhou Mountain for a few days. This matter will be settled after the Northern Mountain Emperor arrives."

The Great Sun Buddha was very surprised and said, "Is the Great Emperor of the Northern Peak also coming to Mount Buzhou?"

Zhuang Yan said, "The Northern Mountain Divine Palace is in charge of the Northern Continent, so naturally he would come to handle such a big matter."

The Great Sun Buddha then nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll trouble you, True Lord."

Zhuang Yan laughed and said, "What are you saying, Great Sun Buddha?" Then he asked Xiu Huang to arrange for the Great Sun Buddha to stay in the Lingyuan Retreat.

Ten days later, Chi Ling brought Tai Chen Demon Lord and Nangong Wan back to Buzhou Mountain. She first imprisoned Tai Chen Demon Lord and Nangong Wan in the Jade Pivot Hall, and then personally brought Zhao Chongguo's evidence of crimes and last will to see Zhuang Yan.

“True Lord, these pieces of evidence were prepared by Zhao Chongguo himself, along with this will.” Chi Ling presented all these documents to Zhuang Yan.

Zhuang Yan did not look at Zhao Chongguo's incriminating evidence, but instead read his suicide note, which read, "He used the self-proclaimed calamity talisman, which can be considered as giving himself some dignity."

Chi Ling asked, "True Lord, should we negotiate with the Underworld to transfer Zhao Chongguo's soul?"

Zhuang Yan waved his hand and said, "No need. As a celestial official of the Heavenly Court and a fifth-rank deity, he has fulfilled his duties and atoned for his sins in his own way. Even if he is re-examined, it will only be the same punishment. Let him suffer in the Avici Hell with dignity."

"Yes, True Lord," Chi Ling replied, bowing.

Then Zhuang Yan issued an edict: "Collect Zhao Chongguo's crimes and file them in the archives. At the same time, send my decree to the Northern Mountain Divine Palace to strip Zhao Chongguo of all his official rank and divine office."

Chi Ling bowed and sang: "Follow the law."

After Chi Ling left, she conveyed Zhuang Yan's edict to the Northern Mountain Divine Palace, and the Northern Mountain Emperor immediately issued the decree in accordance with Zhuang Yan's edict.

"The Spirit Platform True Lord is truly virtuous," the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain exclaimed once more. Empress Jingming, standing to the side, was quite puzzled and said, "Since Minister Zhao's official rank and divine office have been stripped, it means that the Spirit Platform True Lord believes Minister Zhao is guilty. Why does Your Majesty still say this?"

The Great Emperor of the Northern Peak said, "This matter is hard to say. From the perspective of our Northern Peak, Minister Zhao has naturally made great contributions, but if we consider the millions of lives killed by the Demon Lord Taichen, his crime is also very serious. Now that Minister Zhao himself used the Self-Declared Tribulation Talisman to suffer punishment in the Avici Hell, the True Lord Lingtai issued an edict to strip him of his official rank and divine position, which is to tacitly acknowledge this and give Minister Zhao some dignity."

"Therefore, the True Lord of the Spirit Platform is virtuous." After saying this, the Great Emperor of the Northern Peak issued two more decrees:
I. Taihengjun, the supreme general of the Eastern Peak Divine Palace, is hereby promoted to Minister of the Northern Peak Divine Palace and concurrently Commander of the Central Army, still holding the rank of Fifth Grade Celestial Official of the Middle Yuan, to assist the Great Emperor of the Northern Peak in managing the military and political affairs of the Northern Peak Divine Palace.

Second, Zhao Wuji is hereby conferred the title of Divine Lord of Jinling Prefecture, granted the authority to establish his own government and govern affairs, and appointed as a seventh-rank celestial official of the Lower Realm, to assume his post immediately.

Zhao Wuji is the boy who was crying outside the Ministry of Personnel earlier; he is the son of Zhao Chongguo.

After the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain issued two edicts, Empress Jingming asked with some curiosity, "Aren't you afraid that the True Lord of the Spirit Platform will blame you for bestowing the title of Golden Spirit State upon Zhao Wuji now?"

The Great Emperor of the Northern Peak laughed and said, "The True Lord of the Spirit Platform is not so concerned with such trivial matters. Besides, repaying kindness is naturally the sooner the better."

Empress Jingming said, "Repaying a debt of gratitude? You mean Minister Zhao Chongguo?"

The Great Emperor of Beiyue pondered for a moment, then said, "I can only tell you this matter, and you must remember not to spread it. In fact, from the moment Nangong Wan came to Beiyue to request the Beichen Ferry Boat, it was already part of Minister Zhao Chongguo's plan. Minister Zhao Chongguo had long ago devised a plan to use external forces to open up the situation in Beiju Luzhou. On that day in the Antian Hall, I did not unintentionally let slip the location of the Beichen Ferry Boat, but it was Minister Zhao's scheme."

Empress Jingming's eyes widened, not expecting such a hidden story. "Then later, when Demon Lord Taichen was about to ascend to the Heavenly Immortal realm..."

"That's the final step of the plan: to report this matter to True Lord Lingtai," said the Great Emperor of Beiyue. "The key to this plan lies here. Minister Zhao Chongguo had already calculated that while Beiyue could start this, it would definitely not be able to finish it. So, we used a strategy of driving one tiger to devour another, letting Demon Lord Taichen destroy the Heavenly Sound Sacred Realm, and then recruiting him to serve as a vanguard for our Beiyue Divine Palace, breaking the tribal separatist situation in Beiju Luzhou. Finally, we asked True Lord Lingtai to step in and finish the job."

Upon hearing this, Empress Jingming's expression changed, and she said, "This is tantamount to first using Demon Lord Taichen, and then using True Lord Lingtai? What if True Lord Lingtai finds out about this?"

"Do you think the True Lord of Lingtai is unaware?" The Great Emperor of Beiyue suddenly looked at Empress Jingming.

Empress Jingming was stunned for a moment, a chill instantly rising in her heart, while the Great Emperor of Beiyue slowly said, "How could a great supernatural being like the True Lord of Lingtai not know if he was being used? He must have already seen through everything."

"Do you know why I promoted Taiheng to Minister of the Divine Palace?" the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain said. "Because I am about to go to Buzhou Mountain, and it may be a long time before I return."

Empress Jingming's face paled, and she said, "Although the Lingtai Zhenjun is the Grand Master of Fate in the human world, he doesn't have the authority to judge the crimes of an emperor like you, does he?"

The Great Emperor of the Northern Peak laughed and said, "Of course not. Only the Jade Emperor and the Four Emperors have the authority to deal with me. However, although the True Lord of the Spirit Platform has no power, he has the strength to settle this score with me."

"Then why don't we not go? Lingtai Zhenjun would never force you," Empress Jingming said.

The Great Emperor of Beiyue said, "I have no choice but to go. I must go to Buzhou Mountain no matter what. Don't worry. If I can't come back for a while, I'll have to trouble you, Empress, to take good care of Taiheng. Now that Beiju Luzhou has been completely incorporated into the jurisdiction of my Beiyue Divine Palace, there are many things that he can't handle alone."

After speaking, the Great Emperor of the Northern Peak left the inner palace and went to the An Tian Hall, where he summoned all the officials of the Northern Peak Divine Palace and gave instructions to Lord Taiheng and his officials one by one.

A day later, the Great Emperor of the Northern Peak rode in a jade chariot, riding on auspicious clouds, and headed towards Mount Buzhou under the protection of a group of divine generals.

Half a month later, the Giant Spirit God led two thousand generals from the Northern Mountain and escorted three hundred and forty-four demon criminals back to Buzhou Mountain.

Of the 344 criminals, 313 were subordinates of the Demon Lord Taichen. After being taken into the Zhenbei Heavenly King's Palace by the Demon Lord Taichen, they helped him to wreak havoc on the human world and cause chaos in all directions.

The remaining thirty-one people were all demons who took advantage of the chaos to commit evil deeds and wreak havoc in the area during this catastrophe, and they too did not escape the law this time.

Zhuang Yan ordered the Giant Spirit God to bind all 344 criminals to the cliff on the north side of Buzhou Mountain, awaiting the imperial edict for their execution.

Seven days later, the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain finally arrived at Buzhou Mountain.

Zhuang Yan and the Great Sun Buddha waited outside the Hall of Fate. The moment the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain stepped down from his jade carriage, Zhuang Yan led the gods and officials of Buzhou Mountain and went to greet him together with the Great Sun Buddha.

"This humble monk has been waiting here for Your Majesty for many days." The Great Sun Buddha put his hands together and bowed to the Great Emperor of the Northern Peak.

The Great Emperor of the Northern Peak hurriedly bowed in return, and said with a smile, "I didn't expect that the Great Sun Buddha would also come to Mount Buzhou."

The Great Sun Buddha smiled and said, "This time, the Buddha Amoghasiddhi of the North has suffered such a great calamity. The True Lord of the Spirit Platform, who is in charge of the human world, will surely deal with this matter. This humble monk has come here to respectfully listen to the Dharma discussion."

The Great Emperor of the Northern Peak nodded, then returned the greeting to Zhuang Yan and said, "True Lord Lingtai, I also bear a great responsibility for the great calamity that has befallen the Northern Continent. My purpose in coming to Buzhou Mountain is twofold: first, to listen to the Dharma discussions of the Divine Palace, just like the Great Sun Buddha; and second, to apologize to True Lord Lingtai and ask for your punishment."

Zhuang Yan stepped forward to help the Great Emperor of Beiyue up and said, “Your Majesty is a regional emperor of our Heavenly Court. How could I have the authority to punish an emperor? However, Your Majesty has indeed failed in your oversight regarding the matter in Beiju Luzhou. As the saying goes, if there is a crime, one should be punished; if there is a mistake, one should correct it. If Your Majesty has a heart of repentance and correction, Heaven and Earth will forgive Your Majesty.”

Emperor Beiyue was slightly surprised to hear this. Did Zhuang Yan not intend to cause him any trouble?

But seeing the Great Sun Buddha beside him, the Great Emperor of the Northern Peak seemed to understand something, so he stopped mentioning the matter and asked, "True Lord Lingtai, when will you deal with that Demon Lord Taichen?"

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "Your Majesty and the Great Sun Buddha have already arrived at Buzhou Mountain. I think there's no better time than today, so let's deal with it today." Upon hearing this, the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain immediately nodded to the Great Sun Buddha and said, "Alright."

Zhuang Yan then ordered the ascension to the palace. Subsequently, all the gods and immortals of Buzhou Mountain entered the palace in turn, and Zhuang Yan, along with the Great Emperor of the Northern Peak and the Great Sun Buddha, ascended the palace and took their seats.

Zhuang Yan sat in the main seat of the Hall of Fate, while the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain and the Great Sun Buddha sat on his right and left, respectively, in the secondary positions.

After settling down, Zhuang Yan said to Chi Ling below, "Bring the person up."

Chi Ling acknowledged the order and then shouted towards the outside of the hall, "Bring them up."

Soon, Ren Xiaoyao and the others escorted Taichen Demon Lord and Nangong Wan into the Siming Hall.

After some time, the Demon Lord Taichen had regained his arrogant demeanor. He came to the hall, glanced around, and then stood there without bowing or paying his respects.

Chi Ling rebuked him, but Tai Chen Demon Lord retorted, "If you bark like a dog here, do you think your master will give you more meat to eat?"

Chi Ling was about to rebuke him angrily, but Zhuang Yan raised his hand to interrupt her, so Chi Ling shut up.

Then Zhuang Yan asked, "Demon Lord Taichen, are you aware that you have violated the laws of Heaven?"

Tai Chen Demon Lord turned his gaze to Zhuang Yan and then asked, "Are you the Great Master of Fate Lingtai, who oversees all human affairs?"

Zhuang Yan said, "It's me."

Upon hearing this, the Demon Lord Taichen's expression immediately turned solemn. He bowed respectfully to Zhuang Yan and said, "True Lord Lingtai, since my birth, I have never respected anyone. I only feared the True Martial Emperor. Only you, True Lord Lingtai, could knock me down to the mortal realm with a single whisk, severing my path to ascension and leaving me powerless to resist. For this alone, I, Taichen, submit to you."

Zhuang Yan said, "Whether you submit or not is useless. You have violated the laws of Heaven and cannot escape the death penalty."

"Hahahaha." Demon Lord Taichen laughed arrogantly and said, "True Lord Lingtai, your great power can easily suppress me, but if you want to kill me, that is absolutely impossible."

Zhuang Yan said, "It seems you are very confident."

The Demon Lord Taichen proudly declared, "I, the Demon Lord Taichen, was born from the dust of heaven and earth. In the Three Realms, the Six Paths, and the Ten Directions of Heaven, as long as there is even a single 'dust' remaining, I cannot be killed."

The Great Sun Buddha smiled and said, "What this demon said is true. True Lord Lingtai, you can exile this demon to the outer realms and suppress him for eternity."

It is impossible for the world to be without 'dust'. Dust is 'dust', stardust is 'dust', and anything tiny can be 'dust'.

Zhuang Yan smiled faintly, and then issued an imperial edict: "For his own selfish reasons, the Demon Lord Taichen has stirred up chaos in the mortal world and harmed millions of living beings. The laws of Heaven are solemn and his sins are intolerable. The Demon Lord Taichen shall be completely destroyed, and never be reincarnated."

As soon as Zhuang Yan finished speaking, his words became law, and in that instant, the very foundation of the Demon Lord Tai Chen was altered by Zhuang Yan's power.

The foundation of the Demon Lord Taichen is that "as long as 'one' dust remains, Taichen will not die." However, the power of words that manifest as law has changed the foundation of the Demon Lord Taichen, making it "as long as 'one' dust remains, Taichen will not be born."

Therefore, just ten breaths after Zhuang Yanchi gave the order, Taichen Demon Lord suddenly screamed in agony, and then his soul, intelligence, and life force were completely wiped out.

In an instant, the Demon Lord Taichen vanished without a trace, turning into a wisp of green smoke. Only a precious pearl radiating dust fell to the ground and was then taken into Zhuang Yan's hand.

Upon seeing this scene, the Great Sun Buddha, who was the first to sense what had happened, was startled, but he quickly suppressed his shock.

In short, the foundation is the most basic law governing a living being's existence under the Heavenly Dao. If this law is severed, it signifies the death of that living being.

Of course, if its soul enters the cycle of reincarnation, it will be reborn with a brand new foundation.

At the same time, when a being cultivates to become an immortal or a Buddha, it will also have a new foundation, which is determined by the power and spiritual attainment it has achieved.

Therefore, severing the roots of the Demon Lord Taichen would obviously kill him, but it wouldn't address the root cause. Zhuang Yan first directly modified his roots, and then eliminated him. In this way, the Demon Lord Taichen died completely.

The Great Sun Buddha clearly noticed this, which is why he was suddenly startled.

After calming down, the Great Sun Buddha said to Zhuang Yan, "I admire the great power of the True Lord."

The Great Emperor of the Northern Peak also realized what had happened. Seeing that the Demon Lord Taichen had suddenly disappeared and hearing the words of the Great Sun Buddha, he naturally knew what had happened and was extremely shocked.

Zhuang Yan looked at the precious pearl in his hand, the very source of the power of the Demon Lord Taichen, the 'Taichen Pearl'. He smiled calmly, put it into his sleeve, and said, "Great Sun Buddha, you flatter me."

Then Zhuang Yan turned his gaze to Nangong Wan and said, "Nangong Wan, do you know your crime?"

Nangong Wan immediately knelt down and said, "Nangong Wan knows her crime and is willing to die."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Great Sun Buddha immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "True Lord Lingtai, this humble monk pleads for mercy for this woman."

"Oh?" Zhuang Yan raised an eyebrow and said, "The Great Sun Buddha is going to plead for this woman?"

The Great Sun Tathagata nodded and said, "Indeed, this woman was previously possessed by her obsession and stole the North Star Crossing Boat, which allowed the demon to escape. However, she is kind-hearted and a person of deep feelings and true character. Therefore, this humble monk pleads for her life and begs the True Lord to spare her life."

But Nangong Wan said, "My Lord, my daughter has committed heinous crimes. I beg you to grant me death."

Zhuang Yan said, "Whether you live or die is a matter for me and the others to decide. It's not your place to speak."

Nangong Wan dared not speak again, and simply prostrated herself on the ground.

But the Great Sun Buddha turned around and raised his hand, and then seven golden relics flew out from Nangong Wan's arms and landed in the Great Sun Buddha's hand.

The Great Sun Buddha smiled and said, "Nangong Wan, not only have you not refined these seven relics over the years, but you have also kept them safe and sound. This is your merit."

After speaking, the Great Sun Buddha turned to Zhuang Yan and said, "True Lord, although Nangong Wan broke the seal due to her obsession and released the demon, she also paid the price for her actions. She was possessed by the demon for six years, and these six years were the tribulations she had to repay for this karma. Moreover, during these years she did not harbor any delusions and did not refine these six Bodhisattva relics, which shows her benevolent heart. Preserving the relics is a great merit. Please, True Lord, consider her sincere and virtuous deeds and spare her life. If you grant my request, this humble monk will be eternally grateful."

After listening, Zhuang Yan nodded slightly and said, "Since the Great Sun Buddha has personally pleaded for him, then spare his life, order him to renounce his human form, and become a 'Buddhist nun' to bring good news to the people of the world."

As soon as Zhuang Yan finished speaking, a divine light shone on Nangong Wan's body. Then she shed her human form and transformed into a magpie with colorful feathers. After shedding her restraints, she flew around the main hall once, and then flew straight out of the Siming Hall and headed towards the outside of Buzhou Mountain.

The magpie is a bird that is called a 'chuni'.

The Great Sun Buddha quickly bowed and said, "This humble monk thanks the True Lord of the Spirit Platform."

Zhuang Yan rose and descended the steps of the palace, helped up the Great Sun Buddha, and then smiled and said, "During this calamity in Beiju Luzhou, there are still 344 demons causing harm. I have ordered them all to be captured and are about to be escorted to Beiju Luzhou for execution. I invite Your Majesty and the Great Sun Buddha to come and watch."

The Great Emperor of the Northern Peak naturally stood up and nodded, while the Great Sun Buddha hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing.

Zhuang Yan then ordered Chi Ling, Ju Ling Shen, and others to escort the 344 demons to the skies above Beiju Luzhou, where he, along with the Great Emperor of Beiyue and the Great Sun Tathagata, went to witness the execution.

With a command, Zhang Qiubai stepped forward and cast a spell. A thunderous roar resounded in the sky, followed by ten bolts of black lightning that struck down, the lightning transforming into blades that instantly severed the heads of the three hundred and forty-four demons.

Three hundred and forty-four demon heads fell to earth, crashing into the mountains, rivers, and marshes of Beiju Luzhou. Then, a torrential rain of blood fell, the demon blood nourishing all living things in the world.

Subsequently, 344 demon corpses were abandoned in the human world. These demons' flesh, blood, and marrow all contained spiritual essence. After they rotted and disintegrated, the spiritual essence dispersed into the world, nourishing the plants and living beings in their vicinity.

On the same day, an imperial edict was issued to all the major and minor deities in Beiju Luzhou, ordering them to proclaim to the living beings the sins of these executed demons and their final retribution, so that all living beings would take heed and do more good deeds.

In an instant, the might of the Northern Continent was greatly awe-inspiring, and all the demons, large and small, were terrified. They fled far away to the mountains and forests, hiding their forms and no longer daring to descend the mountain to cause trouble.

For the next hundred years, all the beings of Beiju Luzhou revered the Tao and valued virtue, and their hearts turned towards goodness.

Afterwards, Zhuang Yan, along with the Great Emperor of Beiyue and the Great Sun Buddha, led their followers into Beiju Luzhou, arriving at the Heavenly Sound Sacred Realm, which was trapped in the Realm of Annihilation. (End of Chapter)