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

Now, Manjushri Bodhisattva and Pure Void Moral True Lord left the Great Thunderclap Temple and rode on the clouds directly to the Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain.

On the cloud path, Manjushri Bodhisattva had a gloomy expression, while Pure Void Moral True Lord looked as if he had everything under control.

Qingxu Daode Zhenjun smiled and said, "Senior brother, why bother? Although this is just an act, it should be done convincingly. The monkey borrowing the Taiji Diagram has actually benefited both of us."

Manjushri Bodhisattva sighed and said, "Grant it? That rascal has insulted me repeatedly. This time I will teach him a lesson."

Qingxu Daode Zhenjun shook his head and said, "Senior brother is too attached to appearances. How could our master's scheme be based on mere personal grudges?"

"Once this is accomplished, not only will Sun Wukong be subject to the whims of my Chan Sect, but the entire Buddhist community will also have to defer to me."

As the two spoke, they arrived at the territory of Longevity Mountain. They saw auspicious clouds swirling in the mountain, and immortal energy permeating the air. The Earth Array was in constant operation, and nine earthen giants appeared and disappeared intermittently.

At the center of the grand formation, a golden bridge spans the heavens and the earth, with myriad rays of light flowing around it. No matter how the grand formation changes, it cannot penetrate even a fraction of its power.

Upon seeing this, the Pure Void Moral True Lord couldn't help but sigh inwardly and say, "The Taiji Diagram of the Supreme Purity Sage is indeed worthy of its reputation."

"If Master still had the Earth Book, he could have competed with this Taiji Diagram. It's a pity that the Earth Book has now been taken away by Houtu."

As they spoke, Manjushri Bodhisattva and Pure Void Moral True Lord arrived at Wuzhuang Temple and headed directly towards the main hall.

Inside the main hall of Wuzhuang Temple, Zhenyuan Daxian had already sensed the arrival of the two and ordered his attendant to let them in directly.

Upon entering the main hall, the two first paid their respects to Zhenyuan Daxian as master and disciple. Manjushri Bodhisattva then took out eighteen grains of golden sand.

He then addressed Zhenyuan Daxian, saying, "The Buddhist sect, upon learning that the pilgrimage team was trapped, specially ordered its disciples to use these eighteen grains of golden sand to persuade their master to release the team across Longevity Mountain."

Zhenyuan Daxian didn't even glance at the golden sand, and sneered, "This Buddhist sect really thinks highly of my Chan Sect, actually sending such a generous gift."

Before he could finish speaking, Qingxu Daode Zhenjun suddenly interjected, "Master, I just observed the power of that Taiji diagram, and I'm afraid it cannot be broken by ordinary means. Why don't we ask Senior Brother Manjushri to personally enter the formation and try it out?"

"Then let's give Brother Manjushri face again and ask him to remove this Earth Formation. Let the pilgrimage team get through this hurdle first."

Manjushri Bodhisattva was taken aback upon hearing this, not understanding what Qingxu Daode Zhenjun meant. Just as he was about to ask, he saw Zhenyuan Daxian nod.

“Qingxu’s words make sense. Since Manjushri has come to mediate, we should give Buddhism some face.”

Manjushri Bodhisattva was increasingly puzzled, and finally could only ask Zhenyuan Daxian, "Master, what does this mean? This disciple is completely confused."

Qingxu Daode Zhenjun smiled and said, "Sun Wukong and his group are fearless because they rely on the Taiji Diagram. We can't do anything to them in a short time unless our master himself comes in person."

"We can pretend to let them pass through Longevity Mountain, making them feel that their ordeal is over. They will surely return the Taiji Diagram, after all, a sage's treasure will not remain in their hands for long."

"Then, we'll find another reason to say that Sun Wukong destroyed the ginseng fruit tree. Then we'll capture them and bring them back to Wuzhuang Temple."

“At that time, Brother Manjushri can step forward again, and then the teacher will scold Brother Manjushri. He will say that Brother Manjushri’s use of eighteen grains of golden sand last time was already an insult to our Chan Sect.”

"Now they're pleading for mercy again, which is simply pushing their luck. We should just detain Brother Manjushri as well; that would be the most effective solution."

Upon hearing this, Manjushri Bodhisattva nodded in agreement. He thought to himself, "This Pure Void Moral True Lord is truly clever. I should have let him go to the Buddhist gate with me instead of taking Samantabhadra with me." Having grasped the key point, Manjushri Bodhisattva nodded directly. Then he headed straight into the Earth Array.

……

Meanwhile, inside the Earth Formation, Sun Wukong and the others were resting on the Taiji Golden Bridge. Pigsy was happily munching on a peach when he suddenly saw a beam of Buddhist light shooting into the sky outside the formation. He cried out, "Brother Monkey, look! Have reinforcements arrived?"

Sun Wukong's fiery eyes flashed, and he sneered, "Reinforcements? They're probably just asking for a beating."

Before the words were finished, Manjushri Bodhisattva, wielding the sword of wisdom and standing on a golden lotus, charged into the formation. The Earth Formation did not hinder him at all, allowing him to come and go as he pleased.

Manjushri Bodhisattva sternly shouted, "Sun Wukong, you have repeatedly blasphemed the Buddha's teachings, which is why you are in this predicament today. This humble monk, following the Buddha's decree, used eighteen grains of golden sand to beg Zhenyuan Daxian for forgiveness."

"Hurry up and put away the Taiji Diagram, then come with this humble monk to see Zhenyuan Daxian. After that, hurry on your journey and don't delay your pilgrimage to the West."

At this moment, Pigsy hurriedly grabbed Monkey and said, "Brother Monkey, you mustn't! If we cross the Golden Bridge, we'll fall into their trap."

Just then, a long laugh suddenly came from outside the formation: "Fellow Daoist Manjushri, since I have already agreed to let them pass through Longevity Mountain, why are you still delaying?"

As he spoke, Guang Chengzi had already dismantled the Wutu Grand Array. Only the golden bridge formed by the Taiji Diagram remained, spanning beneath Longevity Mountain.

Then Manjushri Bodhisattva spoke again, saying, "Tang Sanzang, this matter is settled. Why don't you hurry on your journey? Can you bear the responsibility of delaying the great pilgrimage?"

Seeing that Sun Wukong remained unmoved, Manjushri Bodhisattva turned his attention to Tang Sanzang, hoping to exploit Tang Sanzang's eagerness to obtain the scriptures to achieve his own goals.

Tang Sanzang did not disappoint Manjushri Bodhisattva. He said to Sun Wukong, "Wukong, since the Bodhisattva has spoken, you should quickly put away the Taiji Diagram and let's set off as soon as possible."

Sun Wukong looked at Tang Sanzang and said, "Master, think about it, would the dignified Chan Sect even deign to look down on eighteen grains of golden sand?"

"If I'm not mistaken, this Manjushri Bodhisattva must be a disciple of the Chan Sect in disguise. He's trying to trick us into leaving the Taiji Diagram. Master, you mustn't fall for the Chan Sect's schemes!"

“Let’s just wait here. As long as we can hold out long enough, Buddha will realize something is wrong and will come to our rescue himself.”

Tang Sanzang actually nodded after hearing this, and then sat back down. He took the peach from Zhu Bajie's hand.

At the same time, Pigsy couldn't help but say, "Master, what's the rush? There's plenty to eat and drink here; we can stay for a year or two without any problem."

At this moment, Manjushri Bodhisattva was so angry that he gritted his teeth. After all, he never dreamed that he would be an imposter.

He immediately prepared to prove his authenticity to Tang Sanzang. Unexpectedly, Sha Wujing naively said something...

"Master, did you see that? This guy is guilty, otherwise why would he be in such a hurry to prove himself?"

Manjushri Bodhisattva was almost driven to the brink of explosion by Sha Wujing's words. However, for the moment, he was powerless to deal with the master and disciples in the Taiji diagram.

He could only grit his teeth and say, "Fine, you can wait here. This humble monk will return to the Great Thunderclap Temple and have Buddha Tathagata personally come to Longevity Mountain to invite you on your way." (End of Chapter)