The Journey to the West is over, and the Perfect Life System is here

Chapter 32: Life and Death in the Hall of Reincarnation

Then, under the gaze of the Ten Kings of Hell, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva showed compassion again and said to Wukong, "Fighting Buddha, once you embark on this path, there is no turning back.

In the end, everything you have gained through hardships may disappear into thin air.

So, are you sure you still want to check the Book of Life and Death?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong was shocked and confused. He didn't understand whether Ksitigarbha was hinting at something or warning him not to embark on the path of being an enemy of Buddhism?

After a brief thought, his mind remained unchanged. He said with a firm gaze, "Don't be so mysterious. Lead the way!"

"Come with me." Ksitigarbha shook his head and turned to go ahead.

Two streams of light streaked across the dark void, going straight from the Senluo Palace to the end of the Samsara Road.

From afar, you can see a magnificent stone palace appearing in the foggy world, exuding an ancient atmosphere of time.

When you get closer, you can see that there is a tall stone statue standing at the entrance of the stone temple.

This stone statue is wearing a long skirt and holding a round plate in both hands. It stands at the end of reincarnation and looks straight at the entire underworld.

"Who is this goddess?" Sun Wukong asked curiously.

"She is the goddess Hou Tu who opened up the underworld." Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva raised one hand towards the stone statue to show respect.

"The Queen Mother in the Heaven and Earth?" Sun Wukong scratched his face thoughtfully, then bowed to the stone statue, thinking to himself, "The Queen Mother is a truly compassionate person. I don't think she would condone evil deeds."

Entering the Samsara Hall, you can see that it is empty, with only stone pillars standing neatly on both sides, extending all the way to the steps deep in the hall.

At the end of the steps, there was an altar with an ancient book floating on it, and a symbol array woven with flowing light was swirling around it.

"That's the Book of Life and Death," Ksitigarbha said softly, "Fighting Buddha, it's not too late to regret now."

"Why didn't I notice it before? You old monk are so fussy. Open it quickly!" A divine light flashed in Sun Wukong's eyes.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sighed again, raised his hand, made a hand gesture, and finally cast a golden rune into the altar.

hum!
In the blink of an eye, the talisman array covering the altar dissipated.

Sun Wukong did not hesitate. He reached the altar in three or two steps, grabbed the Book of Life and Death, and started to look through it.

Wow!
The originally thin book seemed to have countless pages, with the life and death cycles of billions of lives flowing before his eyes, and he could never finish reading it.

This made the Monkey King so anxious that he scratched his head and wondered when he could find his own.

“This is the most precious treasure. It will work if you are sincere. Whoever you think of, you will find him.” Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva shook his head, then sat cross-legged on the side, closed his eyes and rested, not paying any more attention.

"So that's how it is." Sun Wukong immediately understood the trick, calmed down his annoyance, and silently recited his own name.

This time there was an obvious change. The handwriting on the open booklet in front of him began to become clearer.

Soul number 1,350: Sun Wukong, who lives in the Water Curtain Cave in the Flower-Fruit Mountain in the Dongsheng Shenzhou, is a stone monkey born from heaven. His original lifespan was 342 years, but he has achieved immortality and will live as long as the sky.

"Hmph, it's indeed different." Sun Wukong snorted coldly.

The soul number in the underworld's book of life and death is also 1,350, but it records: Sun Wukong, a stone monkey born from heaven, was to live to be 342 years old and die a natural death.

However, this still cannot prove that the records in the underworld's book of life and death have been tampered with.

Because they can completely shirk responsibility by saying that there was an error when the underworld's book of life and death was being derived and entered.

Just as he was thinking about it, Sun Wukong suddenly discovered that there were still words appearing on the opened book.

"Hmm? Is there a more detailed experience later?"

"Off the coast of Aolai Country in the Dongsheng Divine Land lies the Flower-Fruit Mountain. A fairy stone on the mountaintop absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, and within it conceived a fairy egg. One day, the wind transformed it into a stone monkey."

"The stone monkey was born with a divine spirit, endowed with the beauty of heaven and earth."

"One year old, integrated into the monkey group."

"At the age of two..." "At the age of three, I explored the Water Curtain Cave and became the king of the monkey group, the Monkey King. From then on, I lived a happy and free life."

……

"At the age of three hundred and fourteen, seeking immortality, he paddled a raft across the East China Sea."

"At the age of 332, he ascended Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and paid homage to Patriarch Bodhi."

"At the age of three hundred and forty, he becomes a Taiyi Golden Immortal, living as long as the heavens."

"At the age of three hundred and forty-one, I returned after completing my studies, killed the Demon King of Chaos, and went to the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea to demand the Ruyi Jingu Bang..."

"Three hundred and forty-two years old. He was recorded in the Beidou Star Life Book by King Qin Guang, and his life span was set at three hundred and forty-two years. He also personally issued a decree to summon his soul..."

……

"Hehe, it's right here!" A cold light flashed in Sun Wukong's eyes.

This is the proof!
But he didn't stop to check.

According to the plan before coming to the underworld this time, checking whether his soul was taken away was only one of the reasons. Another reason was to check whether the King of Tang had been restored to life and had his lifespan increased, so as to further confirm the calculations of Buddhism.

Sun Wukong noticed that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was still sitting cross-legged in the distance. He immediately had an idea and the handwriting of the book of life and death in front of him changed again.

What appears is:

The General Recorder of Heavenly Lu for the Kings of All Nations, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty in the Southern Continent, was supposed to live to be fifty years old, but was destined to die in the 13th year of Zhenguan.

The following is the detailed experience:
"Born from an aristocratic family, rising in troubled times..."

"At the age of 27, during the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he personally shot and killed Crown Prince Li Jiancheng, becoming the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. Two months later, he ascended the throne of the Tang Dynasty."

"At the age of thirty-nine, the Dragon King of the Jing River appeared in his dream, begging for help. He promised to save him, but broke his promise. He was later frightened to death by the Dragon King's spirit. He brought a letter from Wei Zheng, an official in the human realm, and obtained a letter from Judge Cui Jue, who extended his life by twenty years. He promised the Ten Kings a pumpkin as a reward, and he would travel to the underworld and return to the living."

……

"What a great way to extend my life by twenty years!" Sun Wukong sneered in his heart.

This record in the Book of Life and Death confirmed his previous guess - the King of Tang and the Buddhist sect made a deal in the underworld in the name of pumpkin.

The King of Tang returned to life and his life span increased by twenty years.

Buddhism gained the opportunity to spread the Mahayana scriptures in Jambudvīpa.

It is conceivable that if Li Shimin had died in the 13th year of Zhenguan, the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures would have become unknown.

The reason why he sneered was because one more thing was confirmed.

That was the death of the Dragon King of Jinghe River, which was indeed the prelude to the journey to the West!

In Sun Wukong's heart, this is what makes him most angry.

Because the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures was one of his most important life experiences, something he truly put his heart into, but now it has been proven that it all started with calculations, lies, and deception!
Thinking back on it, was the Buddhist master Vairocana Tathagata's plot against him also related to the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures?

Also, why did the underworld, where Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is the ruler, try to take his soul away back then?
In addition, did Master Bodhi Patriarch have any plans in the great event of obtaining Buddhist scriptures from the West?
Finally, what did Heaven do in his past experiences? After all, many of his important experiences before he went on the pilgrimage were in Heaven.

"Buddhism...Heaven..."

Sun Wukong was so angry that his thoughts raced through his mind. In an instant, he thought of many things, but this also made his thoughts even more confused.

It was as if there were invisible threads entwined and tangled around him, making it impossible for him to sort them out or break free.

Until he saw a dot.

Dragon King of Jinghe River!

　Thank you Mu Shuiping for the reward again, I hope you will continue to read!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)