Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 1, Descending to the Mortal Realm as a Demon

The Western Paradise, the Great Thunder Temple.

The Tathagata expounded the Great Dharma and proclaimed the True Scriptures, speaking of the supreme and wondrous Dharma, the Six Perfections. Auspicious clouds and mists swirled, revealing the Bodhi form, with golden lotuses blooming throughout the world, shining brightly in the east and west.

One hundred thousand monks, three thousand Bodhisattvas, four great bodhisattvas, and countless holy Buddhas, each holding jeweled pennants and banners, displayed rare treasures at the Great Thunderclap Temple.

After the scripture was finished, the Buddha's disciple Ananda stood up and said:

"Your Majesty, yesterday, the dragon who was to be the bell-ringer, Ao Tu, the fifth son of the Jing River Dragon King, was negligent and missed the appointed time for ringing the bell. He should be punished."

The Buddha asked, "Is Ao Tu present?"

A young man emerged from the monks, with dragon horns on his head and bright golden eyes; he was none other than Ao Tu.

"Disciple Ao Tu pays respects to the World Honored One."

The Buddha asked, "Is what Ananda said true?"

Ao Tu said, "That's not true. Yesterday, Venerable Ananda deliberately used magic to make me fall asleep, causing me to miss the bell-ringing time. He then used this as leverage to force me to descend to the mortal realm and obstruct the pilgrims. I refused, and Venerable Ananda has now denounced me."

The Buddha sat high on his lotus throne, his expression unwavering, and said, "Have you missed the time for the bell to ring?"

Ao Tu said, "It's a mistake."

The Buddha said, "In that case, you shall be punished with three thousand strokes of the incense stick."

Ao Tu emphasized, "It was Venerable Ananda who performed the ritual, which caused me to miss the time for striking the bell."

The Buddha said, "Ananda will be punished accordingly."

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and said nothing more.

He was a time traveler, dressed as Ao Tu, the fifth son of the Jinghe Dragon King. His father, the Jinghe Dragon King, was plotted against and killed, leaving him and his brothers with nowhere to go. Eventually, under the arrangement of their uncle, the West Sea Dragon King, they were each assigned a position.

Some served in the rivers and lakes, some guarded the palaces in the Heavenly Court, and some looked after the Heavenly Pillar for the Jade Emperor. Ao Tu, being calm and composed by nature, was assigned to the Western Paradise to ring the bell for the Buddha.

As a time traveler, he actually has a system.

[Journey to the West Roadblock System]

[New Player Gift Pack: True Dragon Essence Blood (Already Issued)]

Main Quest: The Obstacles on the Journey to the West (Not yet unlocked; requires entering the Great Tribulation of the Journey to the West to unlock)

[Content: To obstruct the pilgrims' journey to the West and prevent the flourishing of Buddhism.]

[Reward: Calculated based on the time taken to stop the attack.]

Ao Tu originally did not intend to use this system.

The system task required him to participate in the Great Tribulation of Journey to the West to activate; during the tribulation, the secrets of heaven were obscured, and the slightest carelessness could lead to death and annihilation. The system did not specify what rewards were offered.

He was a dragon, with a long lifespan. He lived a peaceful and stable life in the Western Paradise, and his cultivation improved day by day. There was absolutely no need for him to venture into the Great Tribulation.

Unfortunately, fate played a cruel trick on him; the system's newbie gift pack contained a drop of true dragon essence blood. Ao Tu's true form was a four-clawed yellow dragon, and although his bloodline was close to that of a five-clawed true dragon, it was not pure. This drop of essence blood would be of great benefit to him.

Ao Tu couldn't resist the temptation and absorbed the essence blood, breaking through from the late stage of the Celestial Immortal realm to the Profound Immortal realm.

Ao Tu was originally just a Celestial Immortal, too weak to participate in the Great Tribulation. But after breaking through to the Profound Immortal level, relying on the innate supernatural powers of the Dragon Clan, he was no longer weak, and in the water, he was enough to put up a fight with Sun Wukong.

Therefore, Ao Tu was targeted by Ananda.

Ananda devised a plan to send him to the mortal realm as an obstacle on the journey to the West, so that he could reappear and subdue him, thereby gaining merit.

Aotu had thought that the Buddha would uphold justice for him, but now it seemed that the Buddha was clearly more inclined towards Ananda. Ananda was one of the two venerable ones serving the Buddha, and also a disciple of the Buddha; in terms of closeness, Aotu was obviously no match for him.

Now that things had come to this, Ao Tu wisely refrained from making any further futile resistance.

He knew very well that he, a mere Xuanxian, had no chance of resistance at this moment.

Even someone as powerful as Sun Wukong, who cultivated to the immortal Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, was easily suppressed by the Buddha and forced to wear the golden headband. If one truly wants to rebel, one must at least reach the Daluo realm of eternal enlightenment.

Now he has no choice but to obey.

Hopefully, the system's rewards will give him a chance to transcend all of this in the future.

A hint of ambition flashed in Ao Tu's calm eyes. His composure was due to his helplessness in the face of insufficient strength. If he had strength, why would he choose to be calm?

In the main hall, the Buddha instructed, "Ananda, you will be responsible for administering the punishments with these three thousand incense sticks."

Ananda showed joy and said, "You obey the Buddha's decree."

Ananda led Aotu away from the palace, ordered the Vajra Warrior to bind Aotu to a pillar with the Dragon-Binding Lock, and, holding an incense board surrounded by Buddhist light, said:

“Ao Tu, do you know that this incense board is a treasure of Buddhism? It can be as heavy as Mount Tai or as light as a feather. If you know your mistake, three thousand incense boards will only lightly brush your body and pass by in an instant; if you are stubborn and unrepentant, not to mention three thousand incense boards, a hundred or so incense boards will surely make your tendons rot and your bones break, and your dragon body be shattered.”

Ao Tu did not possess the indestructible body of Sun Wukong, so he naturally dared not resist. "I, the little dragon, know my mistake and am willing to obey the Venerable One's order to descend to the mortal realm and stop the pilgrims on their journey to the West."

Ananda, upon hearing this, beamed with joy, dispersed the Vajra Warriors, and used magic to untie Ao Tu, saying:

"You little dragon, you do have some understanding. Wouldn't it have been better if you had been this obedient earlier? Don't worry, even if you are accidentally killed by that monkey when you descend to the mortal realm, I have some connections with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. I'll ask him to grant you a job ferrying souls."

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu felt no joy whatsoever.

For others, having a job in the underworld after death would be a good thing.

But he was a dragon, and his dragon soul would not dissipate after death, allowing him to be reincarnated. Ananda's words were clearly a threat, telling him that even in death he would not be spared, and that his dragon soul would have to serve as a laborer for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in guiding souls across the land—truly hateful.

Thinking that this person had framed him for his own selfish gain, Ao Tu felt an urge to skin him alive, but the situation was beyond his control, so he had no choice but to agree.

A'Nan said, "Alright, go down to the mortal realm. I've already spoken with Guanyin Bodhisattva. If she can help, she'll do her best to overcome the difficulties. In the future, when I subdue you, I'll gain more merit, and you'll benefit from it too."

Ao Tu was once again refreshed by Ananda's greed.

One hardship wasn't enough; did they really want to make him face several more?
After thinking for a moment, Ao Tu said, "Venerable One, my magical power is weak, and I am afraid it will be difficult to stop the people on their pilgrimage. I wonder if you have any magical treasures to bestow upon me, so that I can act more conveniently."

When Ananda saw Ao Tu asking him for the treasure, he immediately shook his head repeatedly and said impatiently:

"My Western world has always been barren, what treasures could it possibly have? Your dragon race has plenty of treasures, why do you need to ask me for them? Hurry up and go down to the mortal realm, or don't blame me for being ruthless with my incense board."

Ananda urged the incense board to signal.

Seeing this, Ao Tu gave Ananda a deep look, then turned into a dragon, let out a long roar, and flew away.

Ananda smiled contemptuously. A mixed-blood dragon with impure blood dared to ask him for treasures, did he really think he was a disciple of the Western Paradise?

Upon returning to the main hall, Ananda said to the Buddha:

"Your Majesty, Ao Tu, fearing punishment, broke free of his restraints and fled to the mortal realm."

The Buddha said, "Ananda, I command you to descend to the mortal realm, subdue him, and bring him back to Mount Sumeru."

Anak: "Respect the Buddha's decree."

(End of this chapter)