Honghuang: Creation of the Green Lotus, the beginning of the Three Pure Ones

The Grand Master Xuandu led his men to capture the Cowherd's old ox, and Nuwa spoke to the Jade Emperor again.

"Fellow Daoist Haotian should know that for the demon race to transform into human form, they need to help the human race in their original form in order to gain the human race's recognition."

"So it's not surprising that the old ox of the Cowherd could speak human language. After all, such things often happen among humans."

"But there's probably more to this than meets the eye. What I fear is that the old ox isn't a demon. It might have been deliberately arranged by someone to scheme against your daughter."

As she spoke, Nuwa glanced westward. Although she didn't explicitly say that Buddhism was behind it, the implication was clear: the Western Paradise was the target.

The Queen Mother, her face contorted with rage, declared, "If this matter is truly related to the Western Buddhist sect, and he has plotted against my daughter, I will absolutely not let him off the hook."

Meanwhile, Fuxi was paying close attention to the subtle changes in Niulang's facial expressions. He noticed a hint of worry appearing on Niulang's face.

Although it was only a fleeting moment, it was still seen by Fuxi. Even the Jade Emperor witnessed this scene.

The Jade Emperor frowned, his anger almost bursting forth, staring intently at the western horizon.

"The Buddhist sect is indeed cunning. It seems that merely spreading Buddhism to the east is no longer enough to satisfy their appetite."

The Jade Emperor's voice was deep and menacing. He had already discerned from the Cowherd's expression that Nuwa's guess was not unfounded.

If Nuwa's guess is true, this is not only aimed at the Weaver Girl, but also puts him and the entire Heavenly Court on the spot.

By exploiting the rules of Heaven, they could incite conflict between Heaven and humanity, and even provoke the wrath of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of the Fire Cloud Cave, allowing Buddhism to reap the benefits.

As for Hongjun, if he were to suffer a humiliating defeat or become completely estranged from the human race because of this incident, he would inevitably lose their trust.

The Queen Mother was so angry that she trembled slightly. Her daughter, the dignified princess of the Heavenly Court, had become a pawn in someone else's conspiracy.

"How familiar this scene is! Back then, the two Western monks used the same method to scheme against Princess Yaoji."

"If it weren't for the Azure Lotus Saint seeing through the Western Sect's conspiracy back then, the Western Sect's plot to steal the Heavenly Court's fortune would have already succeeded."

"Unexpectedly, Buddhism today is just like its predecessor, with all its schemes and plans being for its own benefit. What compassion and desirelessness are nothing but empty words and pretenses."

"If today's events are verified, I will risk everything, even my position as Empress, to seek justice for my daughter and for the Western Buddhist sect."

The Queen Mother's voice was equally chilling, and the pearls and jade on her phoenix crown trembled slightly with anger.

At the same time, Fuxi had already informed Nuwa of the change in Niulang's expression through a secret message.

He immediately turned his gaze back to the Cowherd, who was being protected behind the Weaver Girl and whose face was glowing with health from consuming the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir.

The cowherd felt that all-seeing gaze, and his body involuntarily shrank back, his eyes darting away, his worry and guilt almost impossible to hide.

Nuwa's voice was calm and composed, yet carried an undeniable authority: "Niulang, if this matter has nothing to do with you, I may accept you into the Human Sect."

"Once you become a disciple of the Human Sect, you will be qualified to marry the Weaver Girl. Even Fellow Daoist Haotian will no longer stand in your way." "On the contrary, if this matter is truly related to you, I will not let you off easily. I will surely turn your physical body into dust and banish your soul to the Nine Netherworlds, where you will never be reincarnated."

"However, before you, old ox, are taken to the Fire Cloud Cave, I want to give you one last chance, which is to tell the whole truth."

Upon hearing this, everyone's attention instantly focused on the Cowherd. The Weaver Girl also stopped crying and looked up at her husband in astonishment.

The Cowherd's face instantly drained of color, his lips trembled, and his eyes frantically swept over the majestic Nuwa, the ashen-faced Jade Emperor and Queen Mother, and his bewildered wife and child beside him.

"I...I..." he stammered, the immense pressure almost suffocating him. He couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Seeing the Cowherd's behavior, the Queen Mother of the West shouted sternly, "Weaver Girl, don't you understand all this yet? You haven't found a good home; you've clearly been used as a pawn."

Just then, a clear, melodious moo came from the sky, tinged with a hint of panic. Then, the cold voice of Grand Master Xuandu said, "Master, the ox has been brought."

Grand Master Xuandu returned on a cloud, without any rope in his hand, but an invisible magical power bound a robust, glossy blue ox.

The blue ox's eyes, though bright and lively, were now filled with fear. Its four hooves pawed in vain in an attempt to struggle, but it could not break free from Xuandu's restraints.

Surprisingly, when the green ox was brought to the front of the Fire Cloud Cave, it was not crushed by the pressure of so many saints. Instead, a faint Buddhist light emanated from its body, as if it was thinking of escaping at any moment.

Unfortunately, a cow is still a cow, so it's no wonder that later generations associated idiots with cows, calling them stupid cows.

This blue ox perfectly embodies the idea that the word "stupid" is absolutely fitting when applied to them.

He hasn't even successfully transformed into human form yet, how dare he try to pull such a stunt in front of a sage? I really don't know who gave him the courage, Liang Jingru?
"Moo..."

The blue ox let out a long, melodious cry, unlike any ordinary ox, and even had a faint sense of chanting or Buddhist hymns.

The Queen Mother of the West snorted coldly and said, "It seems that Fellow Daoist Nuwa is right. This ox actually possesses very pure Buddhist power."

Nuwa nodded and said, "Originally, I only had a suspicion, but I didn't expect that I would actually be right."

The next moment, a ring flew out of Nuwa's hand and landed directly on the neck of the green ox.

Don't underestimate this ring; it was personally crafted by the Golden Hoop Immortal, a direct disciple of the Intercepting Sect, to deal with the Daoist disciples during the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods.

Unfortunately, they lost both their wife and their army. They failed to capture the Taoist disciples they wanted and also lost the ring.

Now the ring rests on the neck of the green ox. With a thought from Nuwa, the ring begins to shrink rapidly, soon making it impossible for the green ox to breathe.

At the same time, the extremely cold voice of the Jade Emperor rang out, "Speak, as long as you tell the truth, I will not make things difficult for you."

Before the Cowherd and the Green Ox could speak, two streaks of light appeared from the direction of the Heavenly Court. They eventually transformed into the Thousand-Mile Eye and the Wind-Following Ear before the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West.

Seeing the troubled expressions on their faces, the Jade Emperor felt a sense of foreboding. After all, it was so similar to the expressions on their faces when he told them about the Weaver Girl's secret marriage to a mortal. (End of Chapter)