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

Although all the factions understood the hidden meaning in the Buddha's words, no one dared to step forward, as they truly lacked the confidence to face Sun Wukong.

Seeing that none of the various factions had spoken, the Buddha Tathagata then addressed Guanyin Bodhisattva, saying, "Venerable Guanyin, you are in full charge of the journey to the West. What are your thoughts on this matter?"

"If I were to entrust this matter to you, would you be confident in guiding Sun Wukong onto the right path and making him willingly become Jin Chanzi's disciple?"

After pondering for a moment, Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "It is not difficult to accomplish this, but it requires the intervention of the Buddha."

Upon hearing that Guanyin Bodhisattva was actually asking the Buddha to intervene, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva immediately said, "The Buddha is asking you how to resolve this, yet you're asking the Buddha to personally intervene. What use are you then?"

As soon as Samantabhadra Bodhisattva finished speaking, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva said to him, "Since Samantabhadra Bodhisattva believes that with the Buddha's intervention, everything can be easily resolved."

“Then let Bodhisattva Samantabhadra cooperate with the Buddha to guide Sun Wukong back to the right path. This humble monk will not concern himself with this matter.”

After saying this, Guanyin Bodhisattva returned to her position, leaving Samantabhadra Bodhisattva stranded there, unsure whether to move forward or backward.

But the Buddha had no intention of letting Samantabhadra Bodhisattva off so easily. He directly said, "Since Samantabhadra Bodhisattva wants to get involved in this matter, then tell me what you intend for this humble monk to do?"

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva had no idea what to do, so he could only remain silent. After all, even if he were asked to speak, he wouldn't know what to say.

Seeing that Samantabhadra Bodhisattva remained silent, the Buddha Tathagata snorted and said, "This humble monk will repeat what I just said, and I hope that you will remember it well."

"If any of you can resolve this matter, then our Buddhist community will remember your merit. Once the spread of Buddhism to the East is complete, we will certainly reward you according to your merits."

"On the contrary, if you have no other choice, you should shut up. Everything is up to Guanyin. Even if you are sent to the mortal realm as demons to cause great tribulations for the Journey to the West, you must obey."

"Otherwise, this humble monk will punish him for obstructing the journey to the West. If the circumstances are serious, this humble monk will not hesitate to expel him from the Buddhist order."

The moment the Buddha uttered these words, his warning became a tangible reality. Instantly, everyone turned their hostile gazes toward Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.

But the Buddha didn't care about all that and spoke again to Guanyin Bodhisattva, saying, "Venerable Guanyin, please continue. This humble monk will do his best to cooperate with you."

Seeing that no one spoke up, Guanyin Bodhisattva continued, "What that monkey cares about most is love."

"If his sworn brothers turn against him one after another and break with him, it will surely make him feel utterly hopeless."

"What I, Buddha, need to do is to personally take the Bull Demon King and his five disciples as my disciples. And let them enter the Buddhist sect to protect the Dharma."

"We can even promise that after the great calamity of the Journey to the West ends, we can confer upon them the title of Buddha of Buddhism."

The moment Guanyin Bodhisattva uttered these words, all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas present were shocked. They couldn't help but think to themselves that Guanyin Bodhisattva's tactic of sowing discord was truly brilliant.

Upon hearing this, the Buddha nodded in agreement, saying, "This matter can be accomplished by my own intervention."

"But wouldn't that make the monkey hate Buddhism even more? How could he possibly be willing to assist Jin Chanzi in completing the journey to the West to obtain the scriptures?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva spoke up, saying, "That monkey already knew that he was destined to travel west to obtain the scriptures. He knew that going west to obtain the scriptures was his mission."

"Therefore, this humble monk only needs to promise him that after he completes the Journey to the West, he will be above the Five Great Sages of the Demon Race, and he will surely agree." After hearing this, Buddha Tathagata nodded. "This method is indeed feasible. Let's implement this as soon as possible, as Guanyin said."

……

In the Water Curtain Cave of Flower and Fruit Mountain, demonic energy wafted through the cave, and the tables were piled high with delicacies and exotic fruits. The demons were making a great commotion.

Sun Wukong raised his wine cup and said, "Now that all of you brothers have reached the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, it is time to cooperate with our Grand Master. Today's banquet is to bid you farewell."

The five great demon saints, including the Bull Demon King, had already broken through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm in the long river of time. Naturally, they would follow the original arrangement and become disciples of the Buddha.

Everyone raised their cups and drank until midnight before bidding farewell to Sun Wukong and returning to their respective caves, tipsy.

Just as the Bull Demon King returned to the Banana Cave on Green Screen Mountain, he sensed a faint Buddhist light outside the cave. He knew that someone from the Buddhist sect must be secretly watching him.

The Bull Demon King pretended not to know anything and stepped into the Banana Cave. He immediately dismissed his attendants, saying that he needed to take a nap to sober up.

Just as the Bull Demon King lay down, a golden statue appeared in the cave, its light shining brightly and completely dispelling the Bull Demon King's drunkenness.

The Buddha did not descend in his true form; only a condensed and substantial manifestation of his Buddha-thought descended upon the cave. Even so, it was as if the Buddha himself had personally arrived.

The Buddha's incarnation spoke to the Bull Demon King, saying, "Bull Demon King, you are born with the bloodline of a divine bull, with a profound foundation and abundant blessings. You are trapped on the path of demons, truly a pearl covered in dust."

“Our Buddhist sect is vast and in dire need of a Dharma protector like you, who can subdue demons and monsters and accumulate immeasurable merit. Today, this humble monk wishes to accept you as my personal disciple and impart to you the true essence of Mahayana Buddhism.”

"When his merits are perfected, the position of the Dharma Protector King of Buddhism, or even the position of the Buddha in a region, will not be a falsehood."

Although the Bull Demon King knew all this, he was just going through the motions. However, he still had to maintain the proper demeanor to avoid arousing suspicion.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to remain calm, and bowed, saying, "Buddha's kindness is overwhelming. However, I am but a demon, and I fear I might defile this pure Buddhist place. Moreover, I have a sworn brotherhood with my seventh brother from Flower Fruit Mountain..."

The Buddha's manifestation shook his head and said, "The word 'love' is the most illusory and also a shackle. If one is overly attached to it, one will inevitably suffer from it."

"Furthermore, Sun Wukong was born to meet a calamity, and his destiny was to protect Jin Chanzi on his journey to the West to obtain the scriptures. This was ordained by the Heavenly Way and was also his opportunity to attain enlightenment."

“Back then, even he was going to convert to Buddhism. Wouldn’t you brothers be able to reunite in the Buddhist community? That kind of affection is the true, everlasting affection.”

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King muttered to himself, "Yes, Seventh Brother will eventually follow his path and enter the Buddhist order to become a Buddha."

“At that time, we brothers are still weak and demons, wouldn’t that mean we would be enemies with our seventh brother? Why don’t we first enter the Buddhist order and reunite with our seventh brother there in the future?”

Then, the Bull Demon King knelt down and bowed to the Buddha's avatar, saying, "Disciple Bull Demon King, I wish to take refuge in the Buddha! I beg the Buddha for mercy to guide me!"

Almost simultaneously, similar scenes were secretly unfolding in the caves of the Flood Dragon King, the Roc King, the Lion Camel King, and the Yu Rong King. (End of Chapter)