Journey to the West: Black Six Ears

The divine thunder exploded and fell from the sky.

Sun Qiong didn't have time to count the quantity.

It could be hundreds, thousands, or even more.

When the dense lightning appeared in the sky, Sun Qiong sensed something more terrifying than death.

He didn't know what it was, but it was probably like a part of his soul was missing.

If these lightning bolts were to strike, his fate would be exactly the same as that of the Golden-Winged Roc—certain death.

However, the lightning did not strike; it simply hung in the sky, coldly watching the ground.

This also includes the Peacock King.

Or rather, the Peacock King, who was targeted, felt a despair even more terrifying than that of Sun Qiong.

Death, absolute death.

This was a death that the Peacock King had never experienced before on Mount Ling in the Western Paradise.

This fear almost made her break out in a cold sweat, hanging in the air, barely able to fly.

"Lao, Lao Jun?"

The Peacock King trembled as he looked up at the sky.

What she sensed made her afraid to say a word, and at this moment she could only hope that Laozi would spare her life.

"I am from the Western Paradise, the mother of Buddha."

These words were a way of coercing Laozi, telling him to stop taking action.

However, his words came at the right time. A bolt of lightning grazed past her and struck the ground, completely shattering the flat-topped mountain.

The Peacock King, who had been spared, breathed a sigh of relief, stared fiercely at Sun Qiong, imprinted his image in his mind, and turned to leave.

She ran incredibly fast, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

However, Sun Qiong knew that this matter was not over.

The Peacock King wouldn't dare cause trouble for Laozi, but he would cause trouble for Sun Qiong.

It won't be long before that guy comes back to him.

Sun Qiong understood, but she remained completely calm.

He looked up and gazed at the night sky.

It's not yet midnight, so the mission is complete.

"An opportunity for Golden Immortals to advance!"

Although it was just a catalyst, it was enough. Otherwise, if he had to cultivate on his own, who knows how long it would have taken to reach the Golden Immortal realm.

However, the system rewards have not yet been distributed, so Sun Qiong cannot leave for the time being.

Because his body is still out of control.

"Monkey, are you alright?"

Soon, Golden Horn and Silver Horn walked up to him, looked him up and down, and asked.

Sun Qiong straightened her tongue and rolled her eyes at the two of them:

"I can't move."

"Oh, this is probably because Laozi doesn't want you to escape."

Yinjiao patted Sun Qiong on the shoulder, his face full of regret and sympathy.

Sun Qiong gritted her teeth and made a hoarse, indistinct sound:

"Laojun, why won't you let me leave?"

Sun Qiong also found it strange.

He has no connection with Laozi, and Sun Qiong has always been at odds with Buddhism, so there's no rush to deal with the Taoist matters for now.

When Jinjiao heard him ask this, his expression turned strange.

He and Silver Horn exchanged a glance before he slowly spoke:

"Actually, ever since that incident five hundred years ago, Laozi has really disliked monkeys."

At this point, he added:

"Especially the stone monkey that looks exactly like Sun Wukong."

Unfortunately, Sun Qiong embodies all the traits that Laozi dislikes.

Sun Qiong's heart skipped a beat.

He has a bad feeling about this.

Although Laozi intervened, the two boys were not wrong.

Laozi would never like Sun Qiong, who looks exactly like Sun Wukong.

Who knows, he might be in a bad mood and just chop him up.

Anyway, Sun Qiong was just a task assigned by Buddha, and had nothing to do with Laozi.

Moreover, Sun Qiong is not irreplaceable for Buddhism.

"Please tell Laozi that my admiration for the Dao Ancestor is like a surging river that never ends."

Sun Qiong bit her tongue and began a full output.

Even as Jinjiao and Yinjiao showed strangeness and disdain on their faces, Sun Qiong continued to speak in a sickeningly sweet tone:

"Actually, I've had a dream for a long time: to become Laozi's disciple."

Before the words were finished, a voice suddenly rang in my ears:

"Hmph, you think you're not qualified to become my disciple."

Sun Qiong rolled his eyes; the figure was not far away beside him, but he couldn't see it clearly.

The two boys knelt down in unison and said to the figure:

"Sir, we failed to complete the mission."

The two hung their heads, looking dejected.

Seeing this, Laozi simply nodded slightly:

"I know everything. With that Golden-Winged Roc around, it's normal that you failed to complete the mission."

Lao Jun knew very well what kind of strength these two people possessed.

Without those magical treasures, they wouldn't even be qualified to stand in front of the Golden-Winged Roc.

It's already a matter of luck that we survived.

Because of their insufficient strength, Laozi could only send them back to heaven to cultivate even more diligently.

"Let's leave it at that. You may return to the Tushita Palace."

Lao Jun waved his hand.

Golden Horn and Silver Horn exchanged a glance, gave Sun Qiong a look that said "good luck," and then flew into the sky.

Sun Qiong, left alone, felt as if she had returned to the past and was confronting her homeroom teacher.

However, this Laozi is someone who can truly decide his life or death with a single thought.

Lao Jun never stood in front of Sun Qiong.

But what emanated from Laozi was not an aura.

He was like a wisp of wind, or a cloud, there, yet seemingly not there.

If you don't concentrate, you might not even be able to notice Laozi's presence.

But once you catch a glimpse of him, it's hard to look away.

It was this contradictory sense of existence that made Sun Qiong feel indescribable pressure.

"If you hadn't saved Golden Horn and Silver Horn, I wouldn't have bothered talking to you at all."

Laozi's words were very direct.

This is normal, though; for him, Sun Qiong is simply too weak right now.

What's the point of talking to an ant that can be crushed with a finger?

"However, you've shown me quite a few good things along the way, so I'll listen to what you've got to do."

The gods in heaven were all watching this journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, and he was no exception.

However, information about the pilgrims is forbidden to be discussed in the Tushita Palace.

Along the way, he naturally discovered that Sun Qiong was a guy who was always causing trouble on the journey to the West.

"I want to get rid of the golden headband, I want to get rid of Buddha, I want... to live."

Sun Qiong took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and slowly opened her mouth.

"Then you probably can't do it."

Laozi's response was resolute.

He looked coldly at Sun Qiong and explained:

"Do you think that because you've done so many things, why didn't Buddha intervene? Do you think that Buddha's enlightenment was just to give you a physical body and your own consciousness?"

You're just like that monkey; you can't escape his grasp. The moment you appear before him, he only needs a glance or a thought to make you lose all your power.

He can even summon your physical body to him whenever he desires it.

Laozi's words shattered Sun Qiong's long-held wishful thinking.

He always felt that as long as he avoided Buddha and ran away whenever he saw him, there would always be a chance.

However, Laozi's words shattered all his hopes.

After all that, what he thought was safety was just because Buddha's patience hadn't reached its limit.

When Buddha's patience runs out, he will probably be taken to the Western Paradise in an instant.

No wonder, in front of the Buddha, the Six-Eared Macaque, who was originally able to fight Sun Wukong to a standstill, was killed by him with a single blow, without even the slightest power to resist.

All of this was part of Buddha's plan from beginning to end.

"What should I do then?"

After the initial shock, Sun Qiong was utterly bewildered.

What can he do, and what should he do, to achieve his dream?

There's no way to escape, and we can't win.

Even if he ascends to the Golden Immortal realm, what use is it? Before the Buddha, a saint, he is nothing more than an ant.

Lao Jun noticed Sun Qiong's confusion, and his voice came from behind him:

"Another option."

"First, I will help you remove the golden headband, freeing you from its torment."

Second, you must remove the golden headband yourself.

Upon hearing this, Sun Qiong instinctively wanted to choose option one.

No matter what, let's get rid of the golden headband first.

However, upon further reflection, since Laozi had presented two options, it couldn't be that he was just playing a trick on him.

In that case, there must be something special about option two!