Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

Many celestial officials were amazed, but the four Dragon Kings of the Seas couldn't resist, especially the Dragon King of the West Sea, who stood out the most.

Chapter 601 Tang Sanzang's Suicide

It was because the little white dragon was the third prince of the West Sea Dragon King, one of the Four Seas Dragon Kings.

The Dragon King of the West Sea stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this great battle has been so fierce. There are likely casualties. As the ruler of the Three Realms, Your Majesty should send troops down to mediate. I believe it would be best to intervene and manage the situation." The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas then stepped forward to echo his sentiments.

Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor was annoyed, but considering that the Third Prince of the West Sea Dragon King, the White Dragon, was in grave danger, he calmly said, "Don't worry, everyone. This killing scheme was deliberately orchestrated by someone, and I have no way to intervene. The scene is naturally being controlled by someone, so don't go there on your own, otherwise you might get caught up in it, and I will be powerless to help."

The Jade Emperor spoke calmly, and the Lingxiao Palace fell silent. Even the Jade Emperor couldn't interfere; perhaps only a sage could. However, they still hadn't expected that Li Xiuyuan had orchestrated this whole affair.

The Four Dragon Kings dared not speak out against their anger. As rulers of the four seas, they held high positions and great power, making the Jade Emperor quite wary. Therefore, they were cautious in everything they did, and the Four Dragon Kings acted in unison.

However, the Jade Emperor still found fault with everything. For example, the little white dragon accidentally burned the things bestowed upon him by the Jade Emperor in a fit of anger, which resulted in it being demoted to a demon and no longer being included in the list of gods.

Looking again at Lion Camel Ridge, one finds a truly magnificent sight.

Corpses littered the fields, the sky and earth changed color, and blood flowed slowly down Lion Camel Ridge, filling the entire area with a strong stench of blood.

Looking at this scene, Li Xiuyuan shook his head and sighed, "This struggle is fierce enough. The one who breaks the deadlock, the one who breaks the deadlock, Tang Sanzang is the one who breaks the deadlock."

Both children were puzzled. Red Boy asked, "Master, what do you mean? How could the one who breaks the deadlock be Tang Sanzang? He's just a mortal; how could he handle such a situation? He can't even protect himself now; how could he break the deadlock?"

Li Xiuyuan smiled but didn't say anything. He looked at the little Vajra and asked, "What do you think?"

Little King Kong frowned and said, "Tang Sanzang is not only Tang Sanzang, he is also Ling Chanzi! As the Buddha said, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?'"

After Little King Kong finished speaking, Li Xiuyuan laughed heartily and sighed, "Good, good, Little King Kong is indeed clever. It seems that after a few years of training, you've seen things clearly."

Looking down, the roc was in the sky, battling Zhen Yuanzi, the Great Immortal. Seeing the tragic scene below, it became worried and panicked. However, the experienced Zhen Yuanzi seized the opportunity, and the roc was immediately overwhelmed and at a disadvantage.

Then, the little white dragon was dragged to the ground by the demon dragon, and a group of monsters surrounded it, stabbing it with long swords, arrows and spears. If it didn't react in time, the little white dragon would probably be riddled with holes.

Immediately, Pigsy offered a suggestion to the White Dragon. He said, "White Dragon, that demon dragon is already exhausted. You and he should entangle with each other. When the two dragons are entangled, those demon soldiers will be hesitant to harm their king, so they will definitely be timid and fearful. Then we can look for an opportunity."

The white dragon readily obeyed, using its own body to entangle the demon dragon's. The two dragons became one, rolling continuously under the white dragon's control, trying to escape to the outer circle and avoid the brunt of the attack. The battle was too fierce; if it dragged on without a clear victor, both would surely be severely injured.

But things have come to this point, with both sides suffering heavy losses. Neither side is willing to put their minds at ease and reconcile now.

The roc panicked and was gradually pushed back by Zhen Yuanzi. In the urgency and tension, it was caught off guard when Zhen Yuanzi unleashed a streak of light that struck the roc.

The roc fell from the sky, and Zhen Yuanzi, still undeterred, was about to strike again. However, the roc was on guard for a moment, preventing Zhen Yuanzi from gaining the upper hand. Nevertheless, it eventually crashed to the ground.

Zhen Yuanzi swung his whisk, intending to strike again. Unexpectedly, the Golden-Winged Roc had been gathering its strength for a long time, and with a somersault, it charged at Zhen Yuanzi once more. The Roc became fierce, and Zhen Yuanzi, unable to defend himself, hurriedly dodged and retreated repeatedly.

Tang Sanzang looked around and saw corpses everywhere. In the midst of the changing winds and clouds, there was a fierce battle.

Tang Sanzang was only bound around the waist, suspended by a rope. His limbs were loose, but his eyes were extremely calm. He put his hands together and chanted, "Namo Amitabha Buddha, good, good."

He then slowly untied the rope around his waist, muttering, "The Buddha said, if I don't go to hell, who will?" Then he fell from the sky and into the furnace.

Molten iron, bright red and hot, splashed from the furnace.

The clouds in the distance were dark and gloomy, but Tang Sanzang's last words kept echoing in the mountains: "The Buddha said: If I don't go to hell, who will?"

The sound echoed again and again, and everyone stopped fighting. Only then did they realize that Tang Sanzang had fallen into the furnace. Although they couldn't see him, they could clearly see the molten iron on the ground next to the furnace.

Li Xiuyuan gazed at the molten iron still rippling in the furnace and laughed, "Ling Chanzi, you have finally transcended." However, no one could understand what he meant at this moment.

Sun Wukong was still in a daze, not understanding why Tang Sanzang, that coward, had jumped down on his own. At that moment, Tang Sanzang's last words still echoed through the mountains: "The Buddha said, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?'"

Tang Sanzang fell into the furnace; he entered hell, and everyone else was freed. Tang Sanzang had committed suicide, so the journey to the West was over. Fortunately, the White Dragon Horse, Sha Wujing, Zhu Bajie, Sun Wukong, and Zhen Yuanzi, who had come to help, were still alive.

The three great kings—the demonic dragon, the fire qilin, and the still-undefeated golden-winged roc—were all still alive. However, the ground was littered with the remains of demon soldiers, a truly horrific scene.

In this way, Sun Wukong and his companions no longer needed to cross Lion Camel Ridge, and there was no need for another major battle. Although Lion Camel Ridge suffered heavy losses of demon soldiers, the three kings were all unharmed, and Tang Sanzang's suicide could be considered an atonement.

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Chapter 602 Ling Chanzi Appears in the World

The sounds of fighting gradually subsided. Sun Wukong looked at the furnace on the high platform and sighed, "It's fate, it's destiny." Then he picked up his golden cudgel, bowed three times to the furnace, as a gesture of respect as a disciple.

The White Dragon Horse, Pigsy, and even Sandy were all stunned. Their hopes of achieving enlightenment were utterly shattered. Tang Sanzang's suicide had saved their lives, but it had also extinguished their hopes.

Pigsy let out a mournful wail, saying, "Bald donkey, why did you kill yourself! What are we going to do!" At this moment, Pigsy was wailing incessantly, tears streaming down his face, sighing repeatedly, utterly heartbroken.

The White Dragon transformed into human form and went with Pigsy and Sandy to the furnace. Sun Wukong knelt for a long time, unwilling to get up. The monkey kept his head down, and no one knew what his expression was, whether he was happy or sad.

All of them, except for Tang Sanzang, suddenly felt a hollowness in their chests, as if their hearts had been emptied.

For many years, Tang Sanzang had been their guiding light. The White Dragon carried him every day, Sun Wukong scouted ahead, Zhu Bajie led the horse, and Sha Wujing carried his luggage.

They protected him and spoiled him all day long, afraid he would be captured by monsters. Even if he were captured, they would rush to rescue him. If he wanted to achieve enlightenment and stop being a demon, he could only protect Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West to obtain the scriptures. But now that hope has been shattered.

The flame of destiny that I once protected has now been extinguished. Never to be repeated.

But Tang Sanzang, whom they had always disliked, had now sacrificed himself, thus saving their lives. If the battle had continued, even Sun Wukong might have perished.

Pigsy and Sandy walked down to the foot of the platform, and with the help of the White Dragon Horse, they both knelt down. Although there were still many living beings in Lion Camel Ridge, it was now deathly silent.

Zhen Yuanzi and the Roc both flew down from the sky. Zhen Yuanzi looked at the great furnace, shook his head and sighed, "It's truly fate's cruel joke. You were once a disciple of Buddha, yet you were banished to the mortal realm. Now you have the opportunity to attain the Great Dao, overcoming all obstacles along the way, and you were about to reach Mount Ling when this calamity struck."

All these causes and effects ultimately led to failure.

When Tang Sanzang was released as Ling Chanzi, it was not appropriate for him to always listen to sutras in the Buddhist temple, but rather to travel around the Three Realms like Li Xiuyuan is now.

No one dared to interfere with Li Xiuyuan, but Ling Chanzi had the Buddha as his backer, so he could act recklessly.

One day, Ling Chanzi arrived at Wuzhuang Temple. As the saying goes, "Guests are always welcome, and only those with a predestined connection will meet." Therefore, the master of Wuzhuang Temple treated Ling Chanzi as an honored guest, offering him the Fruit of Human Life. This thus forged a good karmic bond.

This led to the later events when Tang Sanzang and his disciples visited Wuzhuang Temple, and the boy offered them ginseng fruit, which Tang Sanzang refused. However, Li Xiuyuan eventually intervened and arranged for Zhen Yuanzi and Sun Wukong to become sworn brothers, thus forging another positive connection.

The roc landed on the ground and rushed to the demon dragon, stabilizing its injuries. It then led the demon dragon to the fire qilin. The roc waved its command flag, and instantly the surrounding demon soldiers surged forth, surrounding the three demon kings in layers.

It wasn't that the Roc was being overly cautious, but rather that it had no choice but to do so. Both the Demon Dragon and the Fire Qilin were severely injured and unable to fight further. If they were to fight again, they would likely perish. As for itself, its energy was almost completely depleted, and it needed to recuperate.

The situation reached a stalemate as the demon soldiers surrounded and protected the three demon kings. The three demon kings focused on recuperating, knowing that another battle would be a life-or-death struggle.

Pigsy and the others knelt below the platform, weeping incessantly. Even the Great Immortal Zhenyuanzi appeared deeply saddened.

Hundreds of years ago, he and Ling Chanzi had a pleasant conversation. Decades later, he had fought with Tang Sanzang and his disciples over the ginseng fruit. Unexpectedly, today Tang Sanzang, mindful of their lives and unwilling to commit further killing, chose to end his own life here.

Thinking back, that line from earlier, "The Buddha said, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?'," truly evokes a myriad of emotions.

Little King Kong was also overcome with grief and asked, with incomprehension, "Master, why did you let that bald monk die?"

Li Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Little Vajra, let me ask you, do you think Tang Sanzang was better before he died, or better after he died?"

After all, Little Vajra had spent some time with Tang Sanzang and his disciples. After thinking for a moment, Little Vajra replied, "Before Tang Sanzang died, he was just a lazy, good-for-nothing bald monk who always held Brother Sun back."

But at the last moment, he was able to sacrifice himself for others, ultimately jumping into the furnace. As the Buddha said, "If I don't go to hell, who will?" It's truly moving. I think he can become a Buddha.

Li Xiuyuan said indifferently, "That's right. Before his death, Tang Sanzang was just a dead bald monk. After his death, Tang Sanzang became the Buddha. Therefore, Tang Sanzang should die once."

Red Boy suddenly asked, "Die once? Master, are you saying Tang Sanzang didn't die?"

Li Xiuyuan looked at Red Boy, pointed at the furnace, and said, "The one who jumped into the furnace was a dead bald monk, so there were no more dead bald monks after that. But the dead bald monk was Tang Sanzang, and Tang Sanzang was Ling Chanzi."

Tang Sanzang died, but Ling Chanzi did not. So Tang Sanzang is still alive?

Little King Kong seemed to understand something and asked again, "Master, who exactly is the one you said died...?"

Li Xiuyuan laughed and said, "It was Tang Sanzang who jumped down, and it was that bald monk who was burned. Ling Chanzi didn't die, and neither did Tang Sanzang. If you still don't understand, then think about it carefully in the future."

The two nodded as if they understood, but then they heard Li Xiuyuan suddenly say, "Look, Ling Chanzi has come out!"

The two looked up and saw that the great furnace was emitting a dazzling Buddhist light. Sun Wukong and the others, along with Zhen Yuanzi, were all amazed as they looked into the furnace.

Suddenly, Zhen Yuanzi spoke up: "It's Ling Chanzi. This aura and formation are exactly the same as when Ling Chanzi descended upon Wuzhuang Temple back then."

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Chapter 603 Quasi-Holy Spirit Zen Master

Sun Wukong was also incredibly shocked. At this moment, he clearly sensed the aura of the Buddha. Could it be that Tang Sanzang had become a Buddha?

Then, the golden light grew increasingly dazzling, causing ordinary demons to close their eyes, unable to look directly at it. However, apart from these ordinary demon soldiers, everyone else could see it clearly.

Within the furnace, a torrent of energy began to surge forth. A Buddhist rosary rose slowly from the furnace, gradually settling in the air. This boundless Buddhist light emanated from this rosary.

Zhen Yuanzi pointed to the Buddhist beads and laughed, "Tang Sanzang did not die. Tang Sanzang is Ling Chanzi. Ling Chanzi's original form was a Buddhist bead. He was originally a spiritual bead, which was picked up by the Buddha. He listened to the Buddha chanting sutras every day and thus acquired Buddha-nature."

Later, he became Ling Chanzi in the Buddhist realm. He also became a disciple of the Buddha and held a highly respected position.

Pigsy, puzzled, asked, "Great Immortal, why is this happening? Master was just a mortal, yet now he possesses the abilities of the Buddha?"

Zhen Yuanzi laughed and said, "Why bother with this? Tang Sanzang is originally Ling Chanzi. His true form is a spiritual pearl, unlike ordinary people who cultivate immortality."

In that instant, he sacrificed himself to save others. Amitabha Buddha once said, "If I don't go to hell, who will?"

Tang Sanzang achieved this. Originally, Ling Chanzi possessed the cultivation of a Buddha, but his level of attainment was not yet high enough. Therefore, he had never attained Buddhahood.

Now that Tang Sanzang has attained the Buddha's level of enlightenment, his original form has been revealed, and he has become the Buddha. This is a natural progression. However, you still need to reach the Western Paradise to obtain the Buddha's position.”

When Zhen Yuanzi Buddha explained, everyone understood. Sun Wukong and the others were overjoyed, thinking that they would no longer have to endure such hardships in the future.

However, the three demon kings of Lion Camel Ridge became nervous. The Fire Qilin couldn't help but sigh, "Alas, they've become Buddhas. We're in big trouble this time."

The Roc also spoke up, "Brother, Zhen Yuanzi alone is enough to keep me in check. If Ling Chanzi is added to the mix, I'll have no choice but to run for my life." The Demon Dragon comforted him, "Don't worry, my two brothers. We have the Heavenly Dragon Buddha behind us. What are we afraid of?"

The Demon Dragon's words were indeed reasonable. The Roc and the Fire Qilin both fell silent. Even if Ling Chanzi possessed the strength of a Buddha, he would likely still be no match for Li Xiuyuan. Li Xiuyuan had already reached the strength of a Saint; below the Saint level, all are ants. To a Saint, those below the Saint level are probably all ants.

However, Li Xiuyuan and the Jade Emperor are exceptions. Each of them possesses one of the three great ancient killing formations, and they also have the strength of a quasi-saint at the peak, so they are comparable to saints.

All of this was under Li Xiuyuan's control. Now that Tang Sanzang possessed the power of the Buddha, Li Xiuyuan couldn't help but smile. He recalled that Ling Chanzi was originally a spiritual pearl, which the Buddha picked up and kept on his person. He had intended to use Ling Chanzi to forge his own magical weapon, but unexpectedly, Ling Chanzi's spirituality was too strong. Simply by listening to him chant sutras every day, it developed Buddha-nature and took human form.

The Buddha was quite surprised by this matter back then. However, to do a favor, the Buddha accepted Ling Chanzi as his disciple. Ling Chanzi possessed extraordinary spirituality, being a naturally born spiritual pearl with a primordial aura.