Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 83 Treasure Hunt in the Lotus Cave (Part 9) [Bonus Chapter for 1000 Monthly Tickets]

Now, the Buddha used his all-seeing eye to look at the Golden Horn King and the Silver Horn King, and learned about their origins.

These two were attendants in Laozi's palace.

It was only after Guanyin made three requests that she asked Laozi for these two children, allowing them to be reincarnated as demons on Pingding Mountain to test Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

Since Guanyin invited it, it should naturally be resolved by Guanyin.

Even if he were Buddha, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to interfere.

That's why Wukong was sent to the South China Sea to find Guanyin Bodhisattva.

Upon hearing this, Wukong said, "Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva cannot come."

The Buddha asked, "Why?"

Wukong said, "I went to invite the Bodhisattva first. The Bodhisattva used a trick to transform the nine-tiered lotus platform under her seat to subdue the demon dragon, but the demon dragon saw through her trick and used a purple-gold gourd to put the Bodhisattva inside. That's why we went to Mount Ling to ask Buddha for help."

Upon hearing that it was a purple-gold-red gourd, the Buddha dared not act on his own initiative and pondered:
"Wukong, I can't help you. Why don't you go for a walk in the heavens?"

Upon hearing this, Wukong bowed and said:
"Thank you for your guidance, Buddha. I'm going to heaven now."

Wukong somersaulted and leaped into the sky.

While Wukong was seeking help from Mount Ling and the Heavenly Court, Ao Tu had already been on Earth for more than ten days.

On this day, Ao Tu sat on the Lotus Platform, contemplating the precious pearl.

This precious pearl is also a primordial treasure, but it has already been enlightened by Dipankara Buddha and evolved into the Twenty-Four Heavens. Therefore, the pearl is filled with the Dao principles of Dipankara Buddha.

Ao Tu's purpose in studying the precious pearl was not to comprehend the Way of the Burning Lamp, but rather to use the principles of the Burning Lamp to verify his own understanding.

Inside her arms, the purple-gold-red gourd trembled gently, and Guanyin Bodhisattva cried out from within, "You wicked creature, let me out!"

Ao Tu picked up the purple-gold-red gourd and peered inside through the laws. More than ten days had passed, and Guanyin Bodhisattva had not transformed at all; only her magical power had weakened considerably.

Ao Tu held the gourd and shook it up and down. After shaking it ten thousand times in a short while, Guanyin Bodhisattva was silent.

Ao Tu continued to study the precious pearl.

Five or six days later, Guanyin Bodhisattva's voice came from the gourd again, this time with some urgency. She said, "Demon dragon, release me! Otherwise, I will fight you to the death!"

Ao Tu ignored him.

Guanyin Bodhisattva called out for about a quarter of an hour, but seeing that Ao Tu ignored her, she stopped calling.

Two or three more days passed.

This time, for some reason, Guanyin Bodhisattva seemed genuinely anxious.

The purple-gold gourd kept shaking in Ao Tu's arms, and the voice of Guanyin Bodhisattva kept coming out of it, interrupting Ao Tu's process of enlightenment.

Ao Tu took out the gourd and looked through the laws, only to see that Guanyin was perfectly fine inside the gourd, without any problems.

Ao Tu said, "Guanyin, please stop disturbing my cultivation, or I will shake this gourd ten million times!"

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "Aotu, let me out, my magical power is about to give out!"

Ao Tu sneered, "Guanyin, what are you pretending for? Don't I know you've already attained the Golden Body? Even without magic power, how could this gourd possibly transform you?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva hurriedly said, "When I came here, I was in a hurry and did not put on my Dharma robes."

Ao Tu was taken aback, then realized what was going on and laughed, "What does it have to do with me that you're not wearing your robes? Even if your clothes were to disintegrate, or even if you were to disintegrate as a person, it wouldn't concern me!"

"Ao Tu!" Guanyin Bodhisattva was truly anxious, and the gourd began to shake violently.

Ao Tu laughed and said, "I can release you, but let's not talk nonsense. What benefits will I get?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "Release me, and I will plead for you before the Buddha, and the past will be forgiven. I will recommend you as the Golden Dragon Venerable."

Ao Tu laughed and said, “No! No! A friend of mine told me that to attain the highest level of enlightenment on Mount Ling, one must possess great wisdom, great compassion, great perseverance, and great aspiration. My cultivation is insufficient, and I am not yet qualified to become a Venerable One on Mount Ling.”

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "Then I recommend you to be an official in Heaven, and you can choose any celestial rank you like."

Ao Tu laughed and said, "No! No! I can't bear to see the Demon-Revealing Mirror in the sky, and I can't bear to see the Dragon-Slaying Platform in the sky."

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "Then I will accept you as my personal disciple, is that alright?"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "You bodhisattva are quite interesting. When others negotiate terms, they usually mention the bad ones first, then the good ones; but you mention the good ones first, leaving the worst ones for last. What's the reason for that?"

Upon hearing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva was so angry that she kicked the purple-gold gourd, causing it to shake.

Guanyin Bodhisattva asked, "What exactly do you want?"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "I don't need you to do anything. Just remember that you owe me a favor from now on."

Human relationships may seem simple, but they are actually the most expensive condition.

Guanyin Bodhisattva remained silent for a long time before saying:
"I agree, please let me out!"

Ao Tu said, "You must also promise that you will not harm me or escape during this time you are out. I know that ordinary methods cannot bind you, so I want you to make a vow."

Upon hearing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva made a vow.

Ao Tu then unveiled the post and released Guanyin Bodhisattva.

As soon as Guanyin Bodhisattva emerged from the purple-gold gourd, she instantly regained her magical power, using it to condense a plain blue robe, which she draped over her shoulders. Her bright eyes glared at Ao Tu.

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Why are you glaring at me? You're ugly, so don't go out and wander around, lest you disturb the children in my cave. Just wait here in this room. I suppose Wukong has already gone to get reinforcements."

Guanyin Bodhisattva asked, "Why are you sitting on my lotus throne?"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "I seized this lotus platform, so why can't I sit on it? I can achieve twice the results with half the effort by cultivating while sitting on the lotus platform."

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "This object is a treasure of our Buddhist sect. If you forcibly sit on it, you may unknowingly suffer from qi deviation!"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "How do you know I don't understand Buddhism?"

Ao Tu sat cross-legged on the lotus platform, meditating on the precious pearl, and a faint Buddhist light appeared on his body.

Upon seeing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva exclaimed in surprise, "Where did you learn such Buddhist cultivation?"

Ao Tu said, “I killed Ananda and found three thousand Mahayana Buddhist scriptures on his corpse. As a result, the Buddhist teachings have improved daily.”

Guanyin Bodhisattva, upon hearing this, did not believe it. But Ananda was indeed managing the scripture pavilion on Mount Ling…

Ao Tu continued his cultivation, because Guanyin had already made a vow, and he was not afraid of Guanyin taking action against him.

Guanyin Bodhisattva watched Ao Tu cultivate from the side.

Ao Tu sat cross-legged on the lotus platform, contemplating the two innate treasures, the pearl and the gourd. He looked inward at himself, controlling the ancestral dragon essence blood within his body that was not yet fully refined, directing it into his flesh and blood.

During his cultivation during this period, in addition to comprehending some laws, Ao Tu also discovered something else: the ancestral dragon essence blood in his body only transformed his dragon bones and scales.

Only his dragon bones and scales contain the imprint of innate laws; other parts of his body do not.

Whether it's the pearl or the gourd, the innate laws within them are perfectly unified, without any omissions.

Ao Tu didn't know why this was happening. Perhaps it was because the Ancestral Dragon's essence blood was too little?
Ao Tu still had some unrefined ancestral dragon essence blood remaining in his body, and he planned to control this essence blood to actively transform his physical body.

Ao Tu was very cautious. The first time, he only mobilized a trace of the power of the Ancestral Dragon's essence blood and channeled it into his right index finger.

"Bang!" The index finger exploded.

Ao Tu opened his eyes and looked at Guanyin Bodhisattva.

He felt someone had just laughed.

There were only him and Guanyin Bodhisattva in the room.

Guanyin Bodhisattva looked at Ao Tu with cold eyes, holy and solemn, never smiling.

Ao Tu closed his eyes, and the injury to his index finger healed in an instant.

He pondered that perhaps he had mobilized too much power, and that he needed to control the innate laws contained within his essence and blood, integrating them little by little.

He tried again.

"Bang!" The index finger exploded.

Guanyin Bodhisattva couldn't help but purse her lips.

Ao Tu said, "Turn your back and don't disturb my cultivation."

Guanyin Bodhisattva turned her back.

On this day, Ao Tu's right index finger exploded 4,027 times.

The little demon brought fruits and food.

Ao Tu picked up a fruit and ate it to relieve his boredom.

Guanyin Bodhisattva also took one and said, "Demon dragon, do you know why your cultivation failed?"

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu hurriedly asked, "Why?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva remained silent.

Ao Tu cupped his hands and bowed respectfully, saying, "Great Bodhisattva Guanyin, please do not hesitate to teach me the profound principles of cultivation. I will be eternally grateful."

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "If you agree to become my disciple, I will guide you."

Ao Tu snatched the fruit away and said, "Don't eat it. If you want some, ask Mu Cha to pick some for you."

Guanyin Bodhisattva looked at the fruit and said:

"You wicked dragon, you truly don't know what's good for you! In the Three Realms, there are countless trillions who wish to become my disciples!"

Ao Tu remained silent, finished the fruit, and continued his cultivation.

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "Tell me something first, and I will tell you."

Ao Tu asked, "What is it?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva asked, "How did you see through my transformation technique before?"

Ao Tu said, "I can't see through your transformation technique, but I recognized you just by the way you frowned."

Guanyin was slightly taken aback; so that's how it is.

Ao Tu asked, "Why did my cultivation fail?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "I don't know what kind of cultivation you are practicing, but I can see that your cultivation is lacking in the physical body and the soul, and both need to be improved."

Ao Tu asked, "How can we complete it?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva said, "I possess the golden body of Buddhism and the wondrous scriptures of the Three Vehicles, which can replenish the physical body and the soul. Become my disciple, and I will impart all my knowledge to you."

Ao Tu shook his head and said, "Bodhisattva, I am a mortal, greedy for pleasure and desire, and I cannot enter the Buddhist order in this life."

Guanyin Bodhisattva sighed softly. Ao Tu refused her three times in a row, even resorting to using lust and desire as an excuse. She knew that Ao Tu was unwilling to become her disciple, so she said no more.

In the time that followed, Ao Tu cultivated every day and rarely went out.

He was searching for a way to restore his physical body and soul. As for the physical body, if he could obtain the essence blood of the Ancestral Witch, he should be able to restore it. However, he didn't know how to solve the problem of restoring his soul.

At that time, Wukong had already reported the matter of Pingdingshan to the Jade Emperor in the Heavenly Court.

The Jade Emperor issued another decree, ordering the officials to investigate the celestial realm. After the investigation, none of the gods or constellations descended to the mortal world.

Wukong became anxious when he couldn't find out the answer.

Laozi, holding his whisk, stood among the immortals, his expression unchanged.

When Wukong saw Nezha, he grabbed Nezha and said:

"Third Prince, come down to the mortal realm with me, Old Sun!"

Nezha said, "What do you want me to do? Even the Bodhisattva has been taken away. How can I be a match for that monster?"

Wukong said, "Third Prince, you are knowledgeable and experienced. This time, you don't need to take action. I will go down and challenge you. You just stand on the cloud and help me identify the origin of that treasure so that I can find its owner. How about that?"

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(End of this chapter)