Journey to the West: I am the fiercest bird under Bodhi's seat

"Ah—!" A scream ripped through the sky as the bull's body toppled like a mountain, flying backward and crashing into a Yin Mountain thousands of miles away. The entire mountain could not withstand the impact and collapsed instantly.

The bull-headed spirit vanished without a trace, completely annihilated.

A nimble figure swept to the front of the main hall and, without pausing, rushed straight in.

Before even stepping inside, a commotion erupted from within the hall. In an instant, demons roared, rakshasas growled, the Black and White Impermanence appeared, Ox-Head and Horse-Face materialized, and numerous underworld officials scattered out, quickly forming ranks to surround the newcomer.

Immediately afterwards, a tall figure slowly walked out, wearing the robe of the Emperor of the Underworld, his body over two zhang tall, forming a stark contrast with the short figure who was less than five chi tall.

"Who dares to trespass into the underworld?"

The moment this person appeared, his voice was like cold iron, and an imposing aura arose, causing the entire hall to fall into solemn silence.

The short figure grinned, showing no fear: "You, the ruler of the underworld, are you King Qin Guang? I am Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven from the Water Curtain Cave of Flower Fruit Mountain. I have long since attained immortality, transcending the Three Realms and beyond the Five Elements. How dare you send underworld messengers to arrest me! If you don't give me an explanation today, I, Old Sun, will surely tear down your Yama Palace!"

After saying this, he suddenly shook the golden cudgel in his hand, causing the void to distort and the space to collapse inch by inch, as if it could not bear the weight.

King Qin Guang's expression turned slightly grim. As the ruler of the underworld, although he lacked the wisdom eye of Buddhism and the golden crow divine eyes of Ye Feng, he could still vaguely sense a wisp of golden light flowing around the other party—an undying radiance that could only be manifested by those who had cultivated to the Taiyi Golden Immortal level.

His heart tightened, and he involuntarily restrained his imposing manner. He quickly cupped his hands and said, "So it is the Monkey King of Flower Fruit Mountain who has arrived. There must be a misunderstanding. It must be that the underworld messengers were negligent and mistakenly took away the soul."

While explaining aloud, his gaze subtly swept over his subordinates on both sides, signaling them to quickly summon the remaining nine Yama Kings to come and assist.

The Ten Kings of Hell jointly govern the Netherworld, each a late-stage or even perfect Celestial Immortal, their strength comparable to the Dragon King of the East Sea. However, though only a fine line separates a Celestial Immortal from a Grand Golden Immortal, the difference is worlds apart. Moreover, he had clearly seen divine light flowing across the golden cudgel, indicating it was a top-tier spiritual treasure; how could he dare to act rashly?

We can only try to appease this person for now and make further plans.

Seeing that his attitude had softened, Sun Wukong did not immediately take action. Although he was still unruly, his tone had become more relaxed and he was now able to converse with him.

He said coldly, "A mistaken arrest? I, Old Sun, have only ever heard the saying, 'If the King of Hell wants you dead at midnight, who dares to keep you alive until dawn?' Now you're saying it was a mistaken arrest? Are you trying to take advantage of my iron rod?"

King Qin Guang waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "I dare not! There is absolutely no such thing!"

Sun Wukong snorted coldly, hoisted his staff, and strode into the hall.

Before long, the other nine Yama Kings arrived and gathered at King Qin Guang's palace.

Without any hesitation, the monkey plopped down on the main throne, propped his feet up on the table, and demanded from above, "Speak! Who ordered my arrest?"

The ten Kings of Hell exchanged glances, their eyes meeting in unison, a tacit understanding unspoken.

Since the establishment of the Underworld, they had never encountered such a thorny situation. This monkey possessed extraordinary powers; even if ten people joined forces, victory was not guaranteed. Therefore, they silently reached a consensus: first, they would appease the enemy, and after escaping, they would report to the Heavenly Court to seek justice.

King Qin Guang then stepped forward again and respectfully said, "Your Excellency, please understand, we truly knew nothing about this. The actions of the Underworld are entirely based on the Book of Life and Death. Who should be marked and who should not be marked are all determined by the Book of Fate, and are not based on any person's private orders."

Sun Wukong's eyes narrowed: "If that's the case, bring me the Book of Life and Death."

Meanwhile, Ye Feng did not follow them into the main hall. He paused outside for a moment, then quietly rose into the air, using the opportunity to escape the crowd. His figure moved like a shadow, heading straight for the Buddha Mountain where Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva resided.

The underworld is boundless.

This underworld city is even more vast.

Ye Feng soared into the sky and looked down, seeing a magnificent city with towering buildings, divided into ten major areas, each governed by a Yama King.

Its vastness is immeasurable, and its total area even far exceeds that of the Earth he once lived on.

Only a mythical world like this could give birth to such a magnificent underworld.

He had no intention of lingering, so he concealed his presence and sped off towards Foshan.

Foshan is extremely far from the City of the Underworld. At this moment, only a faint Buddhist light can be seen on the distant horizon, barely perceptible.

But Ye Feng's speed was astonishing; flying at full speed, he could arrive in less than fifteen minutes.

After leaving the city, he used his transformation technique to change his appearance and become a judge of the underworld, and continued on his way.

His purpose was extremely clear—

Take away the Di Ting, a disciple of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

To do something well, you must first have the right tools. This principle applies universally.

Ye Feng already knew who his real opponent was.

heaven.

Although there has been no direct conflict yet, he understands that this day will come sooner or later.

In this world of Journey to the West, everything is predetermined and governed by cause and effect.

The mere existence of the name "Sun Wukong" destined him to be unable to coexist peacefully with the Heavenly Court.

Knowing that the road ahead is fraught with peril, we should make plans early.

Know yourself and the enemy, a hundred battles will never end.

To secure a foothold in the future, the first step is to understand the enemy and uncover the truth of this world.

Although he had read "Journey to the West" in his previous life, this world was unfathomable, and his knowledge was only superficial.

That's why he thought of Di Ting.

A unique and one-of-a-kind mythical beast in the world.

It can understand the sounds and breaths of the three realms and see through all kinds of secrets.

In the story of "Journey to the West," during the episode of the true and false Sun Wukong, countless gods and spirits of the Three Realms were involved, but only Di Ting and Shakyamuni Buddha saw through the true form of the Six-Eared Macaque.

Ke Di Ting, wanting to avoid disaster and protect himself, dared not speak openly, but only advised Ksitigarbha to leave the matter to the Buddha for handling.

This is the "All-Knowing Scholar" from mythology, who can answer any question and knows everything.

If he could get their help, Ye Feng felt that his chances of success would increase by 30%.

If he couldn't get it, he estimated that he only had 50% of his strength left to rely on.

As for offending Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva? He didn't care at all.

Although Ksitigarbha is a great Bodhisattva, with a position equal to all Buddhas and the cultivation of a Great Golden Immortal, he is actually trapped in this realm because he is in charge of the Netherworld and guards Hell.

As long as you act swiftly and decisively, leaving him no room to react, you will not be afraid of him personally coming to Flower Fruit Mountain to provoke you.

As for offending Buddhism as a whole? That goes without saying.

Leaving aside whether Buddhism would really go to such lengths for a mythical beast, the instructions left by Patriarch Bodhi before his departure are enough to support him.

If you have a sage protecting you but still shrink back, then you can forget about accomplishing anything great in this world.

Before long, he arrived at the foot of Foshan Mountain. He dimmed the light and looked up to see a golden road descending from the mountaintop and reaching his feet.

Looking up, the sky was filled with the radiant glow of Buddha, auspicious light shining everywhere, like the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss appearing in the world. The most beautiful scene I had ever seen in my dreams was no more than this.

In a short time, many wandering souls were attracted by the Buddha's light and threw themselves into it.

As they merged into the radiance, their expressions were mesmerizing, and smiles played on their lips, as if they were enjoying boundless joy.

Even Ye Feng, witnessing such vast Buddhist power, couldn't help but feel a slight tremor in his heart before quickly regaining his senses.

Two guardian deities of Buddhism and Taoism stepped forward to greet him. Seeing that he was dressed in the robes of a judge of the underworld, they immediately put their palms together in a gesture of respect: "Amitabha, judge, what important matter brings you from the netherworld?"

Ye Feng's face was filled with anxiety as he said in a deep voice, "I am a judge under King Qin Guang. Just now, a violent ape suddenly appeared in Youming City, claiming to be the master of Huaguo Mountain. It wreaked havoc in the Underworld, destroying palaces and injuring officials. Even the Ten Kings of Hell could not subdue it. I have been ordered to come here to request Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to subdue the demon. Please inform him immediately!"

Upon hearing this, the two monks dared not delay. One stayed behind to attend to the monks, while the other immediately ascended to the summit.

In less than two minutes, the man returned in a beam of Buddha's light and appeared before Ye Feng, saying, "Judge, please come with me. The Bodhisattva is waiting."

Ye Feng nodded and stepped onto the golden light.

The moment I stepped inside, I felt light as if I had traveled through time and space.

The surrounding scenery rushed past him at such a speed that even he was slightly surprised—no wonder the temple was so fast.

In just a few breaths, the view suddenly opened up, and at the end of the Buddha's light, a solemn Buddhist temple appeared:

The clouds and mist are swirling, auspicious energy is rising, and a gentle Buddhist glow permeates everywhere.

The site is vast, with a clear lotus pond, blooming lotus flowers, towering Bodhi trees, and golden trees shining brightly, offering a panoramic view of the Buddhist landscape.

Countless Buddhist disciples knelt on both sides, chanting sutras and uttering sacred sounds, which transformed into vows to ensure that this Buddhist kingdom would not fall.

Indeed, this is the Buddhist world opened up by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva through his immeasurable merits.

The moment he stepped in, Ye Feng had already confirmed it.

His gaze shifted slightly, looking down over the crowd at the foot of the mountain. What he saw was not the underworld, but a complete world:

All living beings multiply, livestock thrive, cities stand tall, and hundreds of millions of people live in peace. All are devout Buddhists, but only Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is worshipped.

Ye Feng understood: most of these Buddhist citizens were souls who had been saved by Ksitigarbha's vows and were reborn here, practicing and chanting scriptures every day to repay his merits.

The Buddhist disciples in the temple are those who have achieved something in their previous lives and have a solid foundation.

He glanced at the front of the line without making a sound, and saw people wearing cassocks, demons wearing tiger skulls on their heads, and Asuras with ferocious faces and bloodlust, yet with compassion on their faces.

Although it was only a fleeting glance, their steps did not falter in the slightest, and they continued to move forward steadily.

At the end of the temple, on a lotus platform, a monk sat quietly with his eyes slightly closed, his face kind and dignified.

It was Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Ye Feng stepped forward and respectfully put his palms together, saying, "Judge of the Underworld greets Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva slowly opened his eyes, a faint Buddhist light flashing in them, silently sweeping over Ye Feng's entire body.

Ordinary judges would be completely unaware of such investigations.

However, Ye Feng's cultivation was profound, and he clearly sensed that wisp of wisdom passing through his body.

His expression remained unchanged, his posture the same as before, without any fluctuation.

One of the six great supernatural powers in Buddhism is the "divine eye," also known as the "wisdom eye."

Those who achieve mastery can observe the thirty-three heavens and the nine netherworlds, and can even break through illusions and disguises to see the true nature.

But Ye Feng was fearless.

His transformations were not ordinary illusions or disguises, but rather the Seventy-Two Transformations of the Earthly Fiends personally taught by Patriarch Bodhi.

This technique can alter the essence and reshape the fundamental nature of things; even those with keen insight cannot discern its true nature.

Otherwise, how could it become the fundamental means for the Great Sage Equaling Heaven to make a living?

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva glanced around, finding nothing amiss, and then spoke: "Judge, there's no need for such formalities. May I ask what the situation is like in the Underworld right now?"

Ye Feng's expression was convincing, his face filled with anxiety: "The situation is critical, please, Bodhisattva, set off immediately."

Seeing that his expression did not seem to be feigned, Ksitigarbha also felt that the situation was urgent.

At the same time, a hint of joy quietly swept through my heart.

It is extremely rare for the Ten Kings of Hell to send someone to ask him for help.

That's why he only glanced at it briefly with his discerning eye—not out of genuine suspicion, but simply out of the instinctive caution developed from being in a high position for so long.

This brings us to the distribution of power in the underworld.

It is far more complex than the world knows.

But tracing back to its origins, it still comes down to the Heavenly Court.