Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 96 Reward Settlement
However, Nezha was truly vicious.

Outside the Lingxiao Palace, he raised the Demon-Slaying Sword and slashed it at his own chest. The blade pierced through his body, instantly injuring him severely.

Drawing his demon-slaying sword, Nezha went to the Lingxiao Palace to file a complaint with the Jade Emperor.

Upon seeing this, the Jade Emperor asked who had caused the injury.

Nezha said, "It was the four Asuras who were injured by the eight heavenly dragons under Manjushri Bodhisattva."

The four Asuras were shocked and quickly knelt down, saying:

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely not true. We were all following the Bodhisattva's instructions to devise a plan to eliminate that demonic dragon. How could we dare to harm the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas?"

Nezha pointed at the Thousand-Eyed Asura and said, "It was him who injured me with that blood sword. The demon dragon was already seriously injured, but he deliberately let it go and ended up seriously injuring me instead!"

The Thousand-Eyed Asura was so frightened that he kowtowed and said:
"Your Majesty, this is absolutely not true! This precious sword is my ancestor's treasure. The Bodhisattva himself asked my ancestor to borrow it. How could I possibly use it to harm the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas?"

The Jade Emperor said, "How dare you! Colluding with the demon dragon and harming the Three Altars and Seas Gods is an unforgivable crime. Take this wicked demon to the Execution Platform and annihilate his primordial spirit. The other three shall each be whipped two thousand times and banished to the Netherworld."

The priest replied, "I obey!"

Upon seeing this, the four men hurriedly pleaded and cried out for justice, saying, "We're innocent! Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva, save us! We did everything you instructed!"

Manjushri Bodhisattva looked coldly at these fools, his expression indifferent, and remained silent.

The blood-red longsword possessed a spirit; it flew out from the Thousand-Eyed Asura's body and automatically returned to its master.

Manjushri Bodhisattva rode a blue lion, accompanied by the blue-maned lion from the Kingdom of Wuji, and left the Heavenly Court to descend to the mortal realm.

The other immortals also took their leave.

After Wukong and Nezha left the Lingxiao Palace, Wukong, seeing that no one was around, patted Nezha and laughed, "Nezha, you're really wicked."

Nezha clutched his chest and let out a muffled groan.

Wukong exclaimed in surprise, "You're really injured!"

Nezha, his face pale, said, "If it wasn't a real injury, how dare I show it in the Lingxiao Palace? Monkey, tell that damned dragon that I owe him nothing, and next time we meet, I will definitely cut off his head!"

Wukong said, "Alright, I'll take you back to rest quickly. Don't worry, I'll definitely tell him that you were seriously injured because of him."

Nezha angrily retorted, "Monkey, you!"

In the lower realm, Manjushri Bodhisattva rode a blue lion and descended upon the Kingdom of Wuji.

A sky full of divine rainbows, a lotus throne, Buddhist chants, and salvation for all living beings.

People throughout the entire Kingdom of Wuji came out to kowtow and worship, exclaiming that the Bodhisattva had manifested his power.

Manjushri Bodhisattva recounted the story of the blue lion descending to the mortal realm from the beginning, and proclaimed it to the people.

Upon hearing this, the King of Wuji Kingdom dared not harbor any resentment and could only bow his head and kneel in worship.

Manjushri Bodhisattva then explained to the crowd that the Buddha transformed by Aotu was a demon, and commanded the people not to worship him.

The King of Wuji Kingdom quickly agreed, stating that the people were not allowed to worship.

Manjushri Bodhisattva then recited scriptures, displaying boundless power to universally save all sentient beings and dispel their afflictions. After one night, the monks and Taoists returned to their original positions, and all the people in the city had no memory of what had happened.

Only the King, Queen, and Crown Prince of Wuji Kingdom, having consumed the Queen Mother's cakes and fruits, still remembered the past.

Upon seeing this, Manjushri Bodhisattva said, "It is preordained."

They stopped paying attention to it.

Manjushri Bodhisattva then used his magic to name the ninety-nine-story pagoda the Great Prajna Pagoda. The stone Buddha statues inside the pagoda were all carved with the appearances of the Buddhas and Arhats of the Western Paradise, for people to admire.

Then he took out a relic bead and placed it on the top of the pagoda. Anyone who receives the light from the relic bead can resolve their calamities and repay the karmic debts of the Wuji Kingdom.

Manjushri Bodhisattva then sat in front of the pagoda and preached for thirty-three days, gaining three thousand followers.

King Wuji, grateful for the grace of Manjushri, ordered the construction of the Great Prajna Temple outside the Great Prajna Pagoda, where golden statues of Buddhas were erected and three thousand followers of Manjushri Bodhisattva were accommodated.

With their business concluded, Tang Sanzang and his disciples put away their travel permits and left the territory of Wuji Kingdom.

The Kingdom of Wuji is neither too big nor too small, covering an area of ​​about a thousand li.

The four travelers, traveling under the stars and moon, headed west and arrived at a town one day.

Bajie said, "Great, Master. There's a town ahead. Let's hurry in and find a family to stay with. I've been sleeping in the wilderness for the past few days, and my back has caught a cold."

Wukong laughed and said, "Fool, you used to live a life of hardship, and I never saw you complain like this. Now that you've lived in the palace for a while, you're starting to grumble."

Sha Wujing said, "Eldest brother, second brother, this is a case of how easy it is to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality!"

Pigsy said, "Go away, stop talking!"

Tang Sanzang laughed and said, "Bajie, once we retrieve the scriptures and return to the Tang Dynasty, we won't have to endure the elements anymore."

Pigsy said, "When will that be?"

The four of them entered the town, and Tang Sanzang knocked on doors to ask for lodging.

They came across a family with several tiled houses, who seemed to be quite well-off. Tang Sanzang knocked on the door.

When the family opened the door, it was an old man.

Tang Sanzang said, "Benefactor, this humble monk is..."

"Bang!" The door slammed shut.

The old man said, "My family does not provide alms to monks."

Tang Sanzang said, "Old benefactor, my master and I are all good people. We just wish to stay the night."

The old man said, "Go borrow it from somewhere else; it's not convenient at my house."

Tang Sanzang had no choice but to move to another household.

"Benefactor, this humble monk is from..."

"Bang!" The door slammed shut again.

No matter what Tang Sanzang said, no one paid him any attention. He went to four or five different houses, but no one was willing to take him in. Finally, he met a hot-tempered old man who directly cursed him:
"Baldy, get out of here! You're not satisfied with staying in those fancy temples and mansions in the city, so you've come here to ask for lodging. Get out! Get out of here!"

Tang Sanzang had no choice but to seek out the local officials, show them his travel permit, and stay overnight at the government office.

Tang Sanzang couldn't help but ask the local officials:

"My lord, I came from the east and entered the territory of Wuji Kingdom. All the families I encountered there were kind and generous to monks. Why do you seem to despise monks here?"

The official said, “Holy monk, you are unaware of this. Some time ago, the king issued an edict to build the Great Prajna Temple, and conscripted more than 20,000 able-bodied men from the four cities to the west to serve in the temple.”

Think about it, spring planting is just around the corner, wouldn't this delay the planting? Therefore, it's only natural that the local people have some dislike for monks, and we hope the holy monk will not take offense.”

When Tang Sanzang learned the reason, he was speechless for a moment, then lowered his head and sighed, "Amitabha."

After Tang Sanzang returned, he told Wukong and the others what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Wukong, despite possessing a thousand abilities, felt powerless.

Bajie said, "Master, let's cover our heads and faces before we leave Wuji Kingdom."

Tang Sanzang asked, "Why do you cover your head and face?"

Bajie said, "Master, think about it. This kind of labor is not a good job. It could easily lead to the destruction of your family. If a few monks like us are walking around here, wouldn't we be easy enemies for them?"
It's like a thief who dares not show his face in the street. My words may be crude, but they are the truth. I think we should cover our faces and quietly pass through this Chicken Kingdom!

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang's face turned sorrowful, and he silently chanted Amitabha Buddha.

Wukong quickly said, "Master, don't listen to this fool's nonsense. We haven't done anything wrong, so there's no need to be afraid."

Tang Sanzang shook his head and sighed, "Let's do as Pigsy said, change out of our cassocks and cover our faces to avoid arousing the hatred of the people. Let's avoid the main roads and take the side roads instead!"

Wukong sighed, "I've never felt so frustrated before."

The next day, Tang Sanzang and his disciples changed into simple clothes, covered their faces and heads, and like thieves, they sneaked into the mountains and forests, taking only the desolate mountain paths and daring not to walk on the main roads. They walked for more than a month before finally leaving the territory of Wuji Kingdom.

At that time, a thousand miles away from the Kingdom of Wuji, Ao Tu was hiding in a mountain stream pool.

The White Bone Demon and Tiger Vanguard served by his side.

Ao Tu's face was deathly pale, devoid of any color.

A large hole was torn in his chest.

That sword wound shattered the dragon's heart, severely injuring him.

Although he consumed the Golden Elixir and the Peaches of Immortality afterward, it only stabilized his injuries. However, a killing sword law remained on the wound, which he could not remove.

That blood-red sword was far too powerful; it was definitely a top-tier innate spiritual treasure. With a single strike, it severely injured him.

Ao Tu can only lie low and recuperate now. The wound on his chest can only be healed by time slowly smoothing out the killing sword principles within it.

Roughly estimated, if it were to be smoothed out entirely by time, it would take at least 30,000 years to resolve.

Ao Tu couldn't wait 30,000 years, so he endured the immense pain every day and used the Five-Colored Divine Light to cleanse his recovering heart, allowing the wound to heal day by day, thereby reducing the killing sword laws within it.

To alleviate his heartache, Ao Tu must perform this a thousand times every day.

Even powerful demons like Tiger Vanguard and White Bone Demon, who witnessed this scene daily, found it hard to look at.

Ao Tu endured it all with sheer willpower, without uttering a sound.

After forty-nine days, he had worn down ninety-nine percent of that law and regained his ability to move.

The remaining trace of law is quite stubborn, and it will take a considerable amount of time to completely eliminate it, but overall it no longer affects Ao Tu's actions.

Once again, a flash of five-colored divine light swept away the dragon's heart. Ao Tu stood up, and a new heart slowly grew from the large hole in his chest, beating even more strongly than before.

Ao Tu was pale and weak, but Tiger Vanguard and White Bone Demon were extremely respectful and dared not act rashly in the slightest.

At this time, the system sound sounded.

[Rewards are being calculated; a total of 490 days of interception.]

[Return the pear as a reward.]

[You have received Bodhi seeds as a reward.]

[After obtaining the reward, the Innate Spiritual Treasure - Kasaya.]

[Reward obtained: Grade 3 Black Lotus Spiritual Root.]

[Received the reward divine ability: One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones.]

[Received Ancestral Witch Essence Blood as a reward.]

[Reward: Innate Spiritual Treasure - Soul-Scattering Gourd]

The extra 125 days will automatically be carried over to the next side quest; the next side quest is: Battle Against Red Boy.

Ao Tu smiled, and a drop of blood appeared in his hand.

Unlike the previous Ancestral Dragon Essence Blood, this drop of essence blood displays twelve colors and contains extremely rich and pure power.

The moment it is taken out, one can feel that it is a priceless treasure.

The White Bone Demon was struck by the light of the essence blood, let out a miserable scream, and took several steps back.

Tiger Vanguard also felt unwell.

This suppression comes from the incredibly pure divine power within that essence blood.

Ao Tu's bloodline pulsed slightly with excitement.

Ao Tu could actually sense a certain affinity between the blood in his body and this drop of essence blood.

He is the essence of the Ancestral Dragon, so why would he be compatible with this drop of the Ancestral Witch's essence?

Ao Tu didn't know.

He put the drop of ancestral witch's blood into his mouth and refined it.

(End of this chapter)