Primordial Era: Starting by overwhelming the Sages, Hongjun was stunned!

Li Shimin stood up, a smile on his face:

"good!"

"The Dharma Master's discourse is truly excellent!"

"I have truly broadened my horizons today!"

Xuanzang bowed slightly:

"Your Majesty flatters me."

"This humble monk is merely repeating what the sages said."

Li Shimin waved his hand:

"Master, there's no need for such modesty."

"Today's Dharma assembly has been a complete success."

"I am very pleased."

He paused, his gaze deep:

"Master, I have a question to ask you."

Xuanzang said:

"Your Majesty, please speak."

Li Shimin looked at him:

"Master, do you know why I am holding this Water and Land Ceremony?"

Xuanzang pondered for a moment:

"Does Your Majesty wish to offer prayers for the souls of those who perished on the battlefield?"

Li Shimin nodded:

"The monk is right."

"Since I ascended the throne, countless soldiers have died on the battlefield during my campaigns in the east and west."

"Those lost souls have nowhere to go, nowhere to return home, and can only wander in the wilderness."

"Whenever I think of this, I feel uneasy."

"Therefore, this grand water and land ceremony is held to deliver the souls of the deceased and bring peace of mind."

Xuanzang put his hands together in prayer:

"Your Majesty is merciful."

"Those departed souls, if they hear the Buddha's teachings, will surely be reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss."

Li Shimin nodded slightly.

He looked at Xuanzang, a complex emotion suddenly flashing in his eyes.

"Master."

He spoke, his voice low and deep:

"I have heard that there are true scriptures in the Western Paradise that can deliver the souls of the dead and save all living beings."

"Would the monk be willing... to retrieve it for me?"

The words fell.

The crowd below the stage all paled.

To go to the Western Paradise to obtain Buddhist scriptures?

That's a distance of 108,000 li!

Countless demons and monsters await along the way!

Even a Great Immortal wouldn't dare say they could definitely reach that point!

How could Xuanzang, an ordinary monk, possibly go there?

Xuanzang, however, remained expressionless.

He simply gazed at Li Shimin, at this emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

a long time.

He slowly opened his mouth:

"This humble monk is willing to go."

The four words were uttered with resounding force.

The crowd below the stage erupted in uproar.

A hint of satisfaction flashed in Li Shimin's eyes.

He stepped forward and grasped Xuanzang's hand:

"good!"

"The Dharma Master is truly a virtuous person!"

"I await the monk's return!"

Xuanzang bowed slightly:

"This humble monk will certainly not fail in his mission."

among the crowd.

Guanyin Bodhisattva watched this scene with a slight smile on her lips.

Venus frowned slightly, but said nothing.

Kong Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze calm.

Sun Wukong scratched his ears and cheeks:

"Senior, this monk actually dared to agree?"

"Does he even know how far away the Western Paradise is?"

"Do you know how many monsters are on the road?"

"His delicate skin and tender flesh wouldn't even be enough to fill the teeth of those monsters!"

Kong Xuan said calmly:

"He knows."

Sun Wukong was taken aback:

"You knew that, yet you still went?"

Kong Xuan looked at Xuanzang, at that calm yet resolute face:

"This is belief."

"Through ten lifetimes, my original aspiration remains unchanged."

"Even if it means my death and the dissipation of my spiritual cultivation, I will still go to obtain the true scriptures."

"Such a person is worth escorting."

Sun Wukong scratched his head, seemingly understanding but not quite.

But looking at Xuanzang, he suddenly felt that this monk wasn't so weak after all.

At least, that stubbornness is somewhat like mine.

He grinned:

"good!"

"Since the senior says he deserves it, then I'll protect him for a while!"

Kong Xuan nodded slightly.

He turned around, his dark robe fluttering slightly.

"Let's go."

Sun Wukong was taken aback:

"Where to?"

Kong Xuandao:

"Follow him."

"Go to the Western Paradise."

Sun Wukong scratched his head:

"Should we go for it now?"

Kong Xuan nodded:

"Follow now."

"From this day forward, you will follow him."

"Protect him and keep him safe."

"Until the Western Paradise, until the Great Thunderclap Temple."

Sun Wukong took a deep breath:

"good!"

"I'll listen to my senior!"

The two turned around.

They disappeared into the crowd.

On the stage.

Xuanzang seemed to sense something.

He looked up and gazed into the depths of the crowd.

There was no one there.

But he sensed that something was watching him.

The feeling was very faint.

But it lingers.

Xuanzang frowned slightly.

Li Shimin noticed something amiss:

"Master? What's wrong?"

Xuanzang withdrew his gaze and shook his head slightly:

"It's nothing."

"I just feel... like someone is watching this humble monk."

Li Shimin smiled and said:

"The Dharma Master's sermon today has attracted the attention of tens of thousands."

"It's normal that people are watching."

Xuanzang nodded:

"Your Majesty is right."

But he knew that it wasn't an ordinary gaze.

That is......

An indescribable feeling.

It was as if someone was forming some kind of connection with me.

The connection was very faint.

But it truly exists.

Xuanzang took a deep breath, suppressing his doubts.

Hands clasped together:

"Amitabha."

"This humble monk will certainly not fail His Majesty's trust."

offstage.

The sun is shining brightly.

The crowd was full of people.

The Water and Land Assembly has successfully concluded.

But the journey to the west had only just begun.

The setting sun casts its rays upon the walls of Chang'an.

As the afterglow of the setting sun fell, it bathed the entire city in a golden hue.

Outside Huasheng Temple, the crowd gradually dispersed. Those who had listened to the Dharma talks walked in twos and threes, discussing the Buddhist teachings that Master Xuanzang had just given, their faces full of reverence.

Li Shimin boarded the imperial carriage and, surrounded by civil and military officials, slowly departed.

An old monk, disguised as Guanyin, stood outside the temple gate, watching Xuanzang's retreating figure with a smile on his lips.

Venus stood not far away, his whisk fluttering lightly, his eyes sparkling.

Everything was perfect.

The eastward transmission of Buddhism is about to begin.

But just then...

A sudden change occurred.

Kong Xuan stood apart from the crowd, his black robe fluttering lightly.

He looked at Sun Wukong scratching his head beside him, and suddenly raised his hand.

Sun Wukong was taken aback:

"senior?"

Kong Xuan remained silent.

He simply extended his index finger and tapped it lightly.

A wisp of chaotic light quietly condensed at the fingertips.

The light was gentle and warm like water, yet it possessed an indescribable mystery. It slowly drifted out and landed on Sun Wukong's brow.

"Buzz!"

A soft chime.

Sun Wukong shuddered!

next moment.

He felt an indescribable power surging into him from between his eyebrows!

That power was as vast as the sea, as majestic as a mountain, yet as gentle as water and as delicate as silk.

It flowed into his limbs and bones, into his internal organs, into every inch of his flesh and blood, and into every hair.

Sun Wukong's eyes widened.

He felt his magical power growing wildly!

That speed was astonishing!

It was so fast that even he couldn't believe it!

Mid-stage Golden Immortal.

Late stage of Golden Immortal.

Peak of the Golden Immortal realm.

boom!

An invisible barrier shattered with a deafening roar!

Great Golden Immortal!

Sun Wukong's aura surged to the level of a Great Luo Golden Immortal!

But its speed didn't slow down at all!

Early stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

Mid-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal.

Late stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

Peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal!

boom!

Another barrier shattered in an instant!

Primordial Golden Immortal!

Sun Wukong's aura broke through the shackles of the Great Luo Golden Immortal and reached the Hunyuan Golden Immortal level!

The speed remained unchanged!

Early stage of Hunyuan Golden Immortal.

Mid-stage of the Primordial Golden Immortal realm.

Late stage of Hunyuan Golden Immortal.

Peak of the Primordial Golden Immortal Realm!

at last.

The surge of energy gradually subsided.

Sun Wukong stood still, his body shimmering with golden light, his aura as imposing as a mountain.

He looked down at his hands, his eyes wide open.

"This...this..."