Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 37, The Four Sages Test the Mind of Zen (Part 4)
Meanwhile, the Old Mother of Lishan, Manjushri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and Guanyin Bodhisattva burned paper money for the Dragon King of the Jing River.

When Yama, the King of Hell, learned of this, he was so shocked that he almost fell off his chair.

What's going on? Wasn't it said that the old dragon had no background?
Fear gripped him, so he hastily summoned the other ten Kings of Hell for consultation, namely King Qin Guang, King Chu Jiang, King Song Di, King Wu Guan, King Ping Deng, King Tai Shan, King Du Shi, King Bian Cheng, and King Zhuan Lun.

The ten kings gathered together, trembling with fear. They spoke one after another, their hearts filled with even more panic, unable to reach any conclusions.

The old dragon of the Jing River was involved in many disgraceful matters, so they dared not go to the Jade Cloud Palace to inquire with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva; nor did they dare to report it to Heaven.

King Yama asked his subordinates, "Where is the soul of the old dragon of the Jing River now?"

The ghost replied that it lingered in the Nine Netherworlds and was unwilling to enter the cycle of reincarnation.

The so-called Nine Netherworlds is the lowest level where the turbid air sank to the bottom when chaos first began. It is located below the eighteen levels of hell and is a place where the most yin and dark foul air gathers.

When Patriarch Bodhi expelled Sun Wukong from his sect, he said to Sun Wukong:
"Your departure will surely bring misfortune. No matter what trouble you cause, you are not allowed to say that you are my disciple. If you utter even half a word, I will know it, and I will skin you alive, grind your bones to dust, and banish your soul to the deepest hell, so that you will never be able to rise again!"

This shows how dangerous the Nine Netherworld is.

Emperor Song suggested, "Why don't we bring him out and take good care of him?"

King Qin Guang said, "No, the matter involving that old dragon cannot be overturned even if these three bodhisattvas come in person. If we bring him out, trouble will surely arise, and we will be in great danger."

King Yama said, "We certainly can't bring them out, but we can't offend them either. In my opinion, it would be better to send ghost messengers every day to offer incense and provisions. If anything changes in the future, we'll have an explanation."

Upon hearing this, the other Yama Kings all agreed with the proposal.

So they each assigned their ghostly servants to take turns caring for the old dragon of the Jing River.

At that time, the dragon soul of the Jinghe Dragon King was wandering in the Nine Netherworlds. The surrounding area was dark and desolate, and his soul was almost blown away by the evil spirits. He survived only because of a little bit of obsession in his heart.

Suddenly, a ghostly messenger brought incense offerings from the mortal world, which stabilized his spirit. This greatly surprised the Jinghe Dragon King, who had no idea what was going on.

Outside, Ao Tu saw that Guanyin Bodhisattva had actually burned paper money, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "She truly deserves to be called a Bodhisattva, able to endure what ordinary people cannot."

After burning the paper money in her hand, Lianlian looked at Ao Tu with her beautiful eyes and said in a sweet voice:

"Shall we get married now, my husband?"

Lianlian was already beautiful, but now, when she called out "husband," she was even more stunning.

She was there: her eyebrows were like moths in full bloom, her face radiant with spring. A captivating beauty, graceful and alluring. Her figure was delicate and ethereal, like a fairy descending to earth. With a half-smile, she resembled the legendary beauty Xi Shi, walking slowly like a goddess descending to earth.

Ao Tu, however, knew she was a Bodhisattva in disguise, and disregarded her beauty, regarding it all as an illusion, and pressed his advantage, saying:
“Lianlian, when you get married, you should pay respects to your parents. You can kneel down with me to pay respects to my father’s memorial tablet. That will count as paying respects to your parents.”

Upon hearing this, Lianlian walked over, her long, slender arms reaching out to grab Ao Tu's arm, saying, "We'll bow to you, my husband!"

Ao Tu led her to kneel down.

Guanyin Bodhisattva was not willing to actually kneel. She only pretended to comply, making a kneeling gesture, grabbing Ao Tu's arm with one hand, and raising her other hand to conjure a hoop, which she then placed over Ao Tu's head.

Ao Tu had been on guard all along. He reached out and grabbed Lianlian's slender wrist, sneering, "I was prepared for this!"

When Guanyin Bodhisattva saw that her plan had failed, she revealed her true form.

Auspicious clouds scatter in profusion, and auspicious light protects the body of the Dharma.

In the heavens above, the Jurchen people appeared.

Adorned with golden leaf buttons, auspicious jewels hang down.

He wore a light blue robe with jade pendants hanging from his chest.

A lingering mist hangs over the willows, a single branch casting its light into the azure sky.

Jade rings pierced through embroidered buttons, golden lotus feet deep beneath.

Guanyin Bodhisattva had anticipated the possibility of the plan failing, so she grabbed Ao Tu's wrist in advance to prevent him from escaping using the Golden Light Technique. Then she took out the Jade Bottle to trap Ao Tu.

Ao Tu had anticipated her move. He drew the Dragon-Binding Rope from his waist, chanted "Go!", and bound Guanyin Bodhisattva to the spot.

Upon seeing this, Manjushri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas revealed their true forms.

Then Manjushri Bodhisattva manifested a true form:
His face was as blue as indigo, revealing the image of a Buddha; his red hair and beard intimidated all evil spirits.

Its whole body was covered in five colors, and it was surrounded by golden light.

The vajra flames roll and blaze, the golden lotus glows with rosy light. Taking refuge in the Great Law reveals its mighty power, auspicious clouds gather in all directions.

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva also manifested a true form:
His face was like a purple date, a true treasure; his huge mouth and fangs exuded majesty.

Atop the western red clouds, auspicious radiance shrouds the golden body.

Adorned with dangling pearls, her body is draped in necklaces, and lotus flowers support her feet amidst auspicious clouds.

With three heads and six arms, he wields a sharp weapon, a vajra in his hand.

Seeing this, Ao Tu summoned the Five Fires and Seven Birds Fan, raising his hand to unleash boundless flames, golden snakes dancing wildly, and black smoke filling the sky, forcing the two Venerables to retreat.

The old woman of Lishan had already dodged away and stood in a corner, watching the commotion with a smile.

The little maid transformed into a wooden fork, wielding a solid iron rod, and quietly approached Ao Tu to strike him.

Tiger Vanguard came from behind and suddenly kicked the wooden fork over.

Guanyin Bodhisattva removed her robes and transformed into a substitute. Her true form broke free from the dragon-binding rope, drew a willow branch from her jade bottle, and struck at Ao Tu.

The willow branch, though seemingly light, carried the weight of thirty-three days.

Ao Tu dared not take the attack head-on. He withdrew the Dragon Binding Rope, took Tiger Vanguard with him, and fled in a golden light.

Guanyin Bodhisattva, Manjushri Bodhisattva, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva went after them together.

Once outside, there was a net of heaven and earth, the Nine Luminaries, the Four Heavenly Kings, the generals of the Thunder Department, and the Eighteen Arhats.

Ao Tu was completely unafraid and fled forward.

Three bodhisattvas were chasing after them.

The gods saw the Bodhisattva and together they surrounded Ao Tu.

The Four Heavenly Kings stood in four directions, blocking the sky, each displaying their power with the Azure Cloud Sword, the Primordial Umbrella, the Jade Pipa, and the Flower Fox Sable.

The generals of the Thunder Department unleashed divine thunder, which struck down like lightning and rain.

The Nine Luminaries Star Lord, leading 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals, deployed their forces in a tight, impenetrable net.

The eighteen Arhats each displayed their golden bodies, resembling eighteen golden Buddhas standing motionless in the air.

When Ao Tu came over, he was surrounded from all directions, both above and below ground.

The Four Heavenly Kings came over to take him first.

Five rays of light—blue, yellow, red, white, and black—appeared on Ao Tu's back. With a flash of blue light, he captured the Four Heavenly Kings.

The generals of the Thunder Department unleashed divine thunder upon him.

A flash of yellow light appeared on Ao Tu's body, and he captured all the generals of the Thunder Department.

The Nine Luminaries Star Lord led 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals to attack.

A flash of crimson light appeared on Ao Tu's body, and he captured the Nine Luminaries Star Lord and 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals.

The eighteen Arhats unleashed their supernatural powers, lifting pagodas and bowls, reaching out and adjusting their eyebrows, all to strike at Ao Tu.

A flash of white light appeared on Ao Tu's body, and he took away the eighteen Arhats.

At this time, Ao Tu had gathered the Four Heavenly Kings, the generals of the Thunder Department, the Nine Luminaries, 100,000 heavenly soldiers, and the Eighteen Arhats.

Ao Tu felt heavy-hearted and his magical power was insufficient, so he did not fight with the three bodhisattvas behind him. He used the Golden Light Technique to escape in golden light.

The three Bodhisattvas gave chase.

Manjushri uses the Dragon-Hiding Stake, while Samantabhadra uses the Rainbow Rope.

Left with no other choice, Ao Tu unleashed a burst of black light, which captured the two Bodhisattvas, Manjushri and Samantabhadra.

Guanyin Bodhisattva saw that Ao Tu was already at his limit, but still did not give up the pursuit.

(End of this chapter)