Primordial Era: Becoming the Great Emperor of Humanity from the Start

Chapter 208 Parting Ways!

Seeing the ginseng fruit tree restored to its original state, Zhen Yuanzi could hardly contain his excitement, while the three members of the Western Sect were completely dumbfounded.

The Western Sect had painstakingly planned for so long, believing they could surely force Zhen Yuanzi to submit, but unexpectedly, Jiang Heng appeared out of nowhere.

Jiang Heng restored the ginseng fruit tree to its original state with just a light touch of his finger; what an incredible feat!

Honestly, even the two saints of the Western religion probably couldn't have saved the ginseng fruit tree as easily as this human emperor.

"How was it? My methods were quite effective, weren't they? Would your Western Sect like to give it a try?" Jiang Heng asked with a smile.

This method is more than just "acceptable"! It's absolutely incredible! The three disciples of the Western Sect looked at each other, all remaining silent.

What's infuriating is that this emperor wants them to try it out. Try what? Can't they see the ginseng fruit tree has already recovered completely?

Even if the Western religion has all sorts of methods, can it really knock down the ginseng fruit tree again after it has been restored to its original state?

If the Western Religion dares to do this, Zhen Yuanzi will definitely fight them to the death, and the relationship between the two sides will plummet.

Dipankara Buddha was heartbroken! Two saints from the Western Paradise entrusted him with such an important task, yet he failed to complete it.

Dipankara Buddha knew without a doubt that when he returned to the Western Religion, he would be punished by the two saints of the Western Religion.

Because of his inclusion in the Investiture of the Gods, Dipankara Buddha, despite holding a high position in Western Buddhism, found himself in a very awkward situation.

Dipankara Buddha originally wanted to take this opportunity to make a good impression, but who would have thought that it would end up like this.

At this moment, one can imagine the hatred that Dipankara Buddha felt for Jiang Heng. If he could, he would have loved to tear Jiang Heng to pieces.

Unfortunately, no matter how much hatred he harbored in his heart, Dipankara Buddha dared not show it in front of Jiang Heng.

The three members of the Western Sect eventually left in disgrace, and Jiang Heng did not make things difficult for them. Now was not the time to deal with the Western Sect.

This time, Jiang Heng not only saved the ginseng fruit tree, but he also did other things while he was saving it.

When he made his move, Jiang Heng had already merged the essence of the immortal ginseng fruit tree with Zhen Yuanzi's ginseng fruit tree.

The ginseng fruit tree in front of us seems to have recovered completely and is no different from before, but in essence, it has changed.

Jiang Heng had no idea what changes would occur to the ginseng fruit tree. Of course, Jiang Heng would never scheme against Zhen Yuanzi.

Jiang Heng had already comprehended the Dao of Life to a certain level, so he naturally had a certain degree of confidence in making this move.

Even if Jiang Heng's expectations are not met in the end, he can guarantee that there will be no problems with the ginseng fruit tree.

Moreover, if everything goes smoothly, Zhen Yuanzi's ginseng fruit tree will surely become extraordinary, which will be an unexpected surprise.

Having reached Jiang Heng's current level, it would be extremely difficult to make further progress simply through arduous cultivation.

Only by drawing inferences from one instance to another and accumulating knowledge bit by bit can one gradually approach that supreme realm.

The ginseng fruit tree was just one of Jiang Heng's attempts; it will take a long time before it can truly flower and bear fruit.

After the matter at Wuzhuang Temple was settled, Jiang Heng took his leave, and Tang Sanzang and his party continued their journey, taking one step at a time towards the Western Paradise.

After the three disciples of the Western Sect returned, they immediately reported to the two saints of the Western Sect that Jiang Heng had saved the ginseng fruit tree.

Just as Dipankara Buddha had thought, he was punished by the two saints of the Western Sect for this failure, though not severely.

This serves as both a warning to Dipankara Buddha and a reminder that his opportunities are dwindling.

"To my two teachers, this failure was entirely due to the sudden appearance of that Human Emperor. We really had no better solution."

"The best course of action now is to focus on the journey to the West to obtain the scriptures, for that is the key for our Western religion!" said Dipankara Buddha.

Dipankara Buddha naturally did not want to be marginalized in Western religions. After failing once, he was eager to do something to prove himself.

"That's quite true. The journey to the West to obtain the scriptures is crucial to the prosperity of our Western religion, so we can't afford any accidents!" said Patriarch Bodhi.

Bodhi Patriarch was extremely wary of Jiang Heng, the Human Emperor, because Jiang Heng had destroyed his avatar in Flower Fruit Mountain.

Even for a saint, it is not an easy task to condense another avatar at the peak of the quasi-saint level.

However, during the critical period of the Journey to the West, even the Sage Zhunti had to pay a great price to once again condense the incarnation of Patriarch Bodhi.

All of this is to ensure the successful conclusion of the Journey to the West tribulation, so that their Western religion can truly flourish.

"In the journey to the West, Tang Sanzang was the second disciple of the Great Sun Tathagata, and Sun Wukong did not submit to my Western Sect."

"Even if the journey to the West to obtain the scriptures is successfully completed, it will be Mahayana Buddhism that flourishes, and what our Western Sect gains will be limited!" Dipankara Buddha continued.

"My senior brother and I understand this matter. If you have any thoughts, feel free to speak them directly!" Patriarch Bodhi said in a deep voice.

"Although we failed this time at Wuzhuang Temple, we could see that there was already a rift between Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang."

"If we can devise a plan, we might be able to sow discord between these two, and then we can take the opportunity to clean up the mess!" said Dipankara Buddha.

The two Western saints' eyes lit up immediately; they naturally understood the meaning behind Dipankara Buddha's words.

Although the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures was proceeding normally, the Western religion was in an extremely awkward position in this matter.

The five beings who went on the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures are: Ao Lie, the white horse dragon, who is a member of the dragon clan; Sha Wujing, who is backed by the Heavenly Court; and Zhu Bajie, who is a pawn of the Taiqing Sage.

Although Sun Wukong was once a disciple of Patriarch Bodhi, he was wild and unruly, completely disobedient, and still bore traces of Jiang Heng.

The only Tang Sanzang who belonged to the Western Sect was the second disciple of Vairocana Buddha, which means that the Western Sect didn't gain anything.

When the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures was successfully completed, Mahayana Buddhism flourished, but the rise of their Western religion was like a flower in the water or the moon in a well.

However, if they could devise a plan to completely transform Sun Wukong or Tang Sanzang into members of their Western Religion, then the ultimate victor would be their Western Religion.

Moreover, if handled properly, it is not impossible to take advantage of this great eon to completely bring Mahayana Buddhism under the control of the Western religion.

After a detailed discussion, the two saints of the Western Sect and Dipankara Buddha quickly finalized a series of comprehensive strategies.

Because it was Dipankara Buddha who took the initiative to propose it, this plan was naturally carried out by Dipankara Buddha once again.

Dipankara Buddha knew that if he failed this time, he would probably be completely relegated to the sidelines by the two saints of the Western Sect.

But this time, Dipankara Buddha was full of confidence, believing that his plans were foolproof.

Meanwhile, because Tang Sanzang and his companions had to proceed step by step, even though they all possessed cultivation, their speed was not fast.

After a journey of stops and starts, Tang Sanzang and his party arrived at White Tiger Ridge on this day, and Sun Wukong immediately frowned.

"This place is full of towering mountains and steep ridges, and it is also teeming with demonic energy. I'm afraid there are demons and monsters causing trouble here!" Sun Wukong said in a deep voice.

In the Eastern Continent and the Southern Continent, since they are human territories, demons and monsters have been completely wiped out, so ordinary humans naturally cannot see them.

However, after arriving in Xiniu Hezhou, whether it was due to the deliberate indulgence of the Western Religion or not, all sorts of demons and monsters appeared frequently.

Within White Tiger Ridge, Sun Wukong sensed a faint evil aura, which undoubtedly indicated that White Tiger Ridge was by no means a benevolent place.

But after Sun Wukong said these words, Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing all observed carefully, but found nothing unusual.

"I'm not trying to be mean, but Brother Monkey, you're making a big fuss over nothing. Let's not even talk about whether there are monsters here, and even if there are, so what?"

"Who doesn't know your mighty name, Great Sage Equal to Heaven? Unless an ordinary demon has a death wish, who would dare to provoke you!" Pigsy said.

Sun Wukong proudly raised his head, completely unaware of the sarcasm in Zhu Bajie's words, and simply assumed that Zhu Bajie was flattering him.

"Fool, you're right. They're just a few demons and monsters. If they dare to show themselves in front of me, they're just asking for death!" Sun Wukong said with no small amount of pride.

There's nothing wrong with what Sun Wukong said. In the current Immortal Realm, there are practically no demons or monsters that have reached the peak Quasi-Saint level.

However, if someone hasn't reached the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm and dares to appear in front of Sun Wukong, there's only one possible outcome.

Tang Sanzang and his party continued on their journey. Not long after entering White Tiger Ridge, a beautiful young woman approached them.

The woman was not afraid when she saw Tang Sanzang and his group; in fact, she took the initiative to greet them. However, what greeted her was Sun Wukong's Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff).

"Monster, how dare you appear before me, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven! Do you even consider yourselves worthy of respect? Take this from my staff!" Sun Wukong roared.

Before Tang Sanzang could even stop it, Sun Wukong's staff had already struck, and the young woman naturally died instantly.

Looking at the young woman lying on the ground, lifeless, Sun Wukong frowned slightly, a look of surprise and uncertainty appearing on his face.

Just as Sun Wukong was puzzled, Zhu Bajie cried out in grief, "Brother Monkey, how could you just kill a woman like that?"

"Fool, you are clearly a monster, how can I, Old Sun, not kill you?" Sun Wukong said disdainfully.

"Master, come and see! This is clearly a woman, how did she become a monster? Monkey King is obviously talking nonsense!" Pigsy said.

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang quickly went forward and saw a beautiful young woman lying on the ground, already lifeless.

After regaining his memories of his past life, Tang Sanzang also began to cultivate again, but he had only been cultivating for a short time and was only at the level of a True Immortal.

While his True Immortal cultivation level was still insufficient in the current Earth Immortal Realm, he had achieved a respectable level of cultivation and could still discern certain things.

At this moment, in Tang Sanzang's eyes, the woman lying on the ground was just an ordinary human, without any demonic aura.

Tang Sanzang was also a little puzzled. Based on his understanding of Sun Wukong, this peak quasi-saint would not be so deceitful as to fake it.

But now, the facts are right before our eyes: what Tang Sanzang saw was Sun Wukong killing a human woman, which is a grave crime.

"Wukong, is there some hidden meaning in this matter?" Tang Sanzang thought for a moment and asked in a deep voice.

Tang Sanzang also knew that this matter could not be decided lightly, and he prepared to see how Sun Wukong would explain it.

"It's strange, really. I, Old Sun, clearly sensed a demonic aura just now, and with my discerning eyes, I can tell that this woman is indeed a demon."

"But when I, Old Sun, struck down with my staff, I failed to kill that monster, and it even escaped. I'm afraid this monster is no ordinary one!" Sun Wukong said in a deep voice.

Sun Wukong was certain that the woman he had just seen was definitely a demon; his fiery eyes could not possibly be wrong.

Although Sun Wukong did not use his full strength just now, with his peak Quasi-Saint strength, it would be common for him to kill a Great Luo Golden Immortal with a single blow.

But when Sun Wukong struck with his staff, one of the human women died, while the demon vanished without a trace.

This is why Sun Wukong frowned slightly and looked surprised and uncertain.

To be able to escape without Sun Wukong noticing is something that very few people in the entire Immortal Realm could do.

"Master, in my opinion, it was definitely the monkey who made a mistake and killed an innocent woman. Master, you can't let this go."

"This is a living, breathing human being! And a human woman at that! How can we just let this go?" Pigsy hurriedly said.

Pigsy's words were clearly meant to sow discord; as a pawn of the Supreme Saint, this was Pigsy's very task.

The simplest way to sabotage the journey to the West is naturally to find a way to cause the team to fall apart.

"Hmph! You pig, stop spouting nonsense here. If you dare say another word, believe me, I'll send you to reincarnation right now!" Sun Wukong said angrily.

The current Sun Wukong has not only never become Tang Sanzang's disciple, but also does not have the golden headband on his head, so naturally he cannot have a good temper.

Seeing that Pigsy was sowing discord, Monkey King was furious. He looked like he wanted to beat Pigsy up right away.

When Pigsy saw Sun Wukong's fierce appearance, he immediately shut up, knowing that Sun Wukong would definitely take action if he said he would.

Tang Sanzang was also somewhat doubtful, but after awakening his memories of his past life, he was no longer an ignorant monk and ultimately chose to temporarily believe Sun Wukong.

However, because of this incident, the seeds of doubt have been sown, and once they take root and sprout, they will surely grow strong.

Tang Sanzang and his companions continued on their journey. Not long afterward, they saw an elderly woman slowly walking towards them.

"Elders, have you seen my daughter along the way?" The old woman asked as she approached Tang Sanzang and his party.

"Oh no! Monkey King just killed that woman, and now her mother is coming to our door!" Pigsy whispered.

At this moment, Tang Sanzang also showed a hesitant expression. He didn't know how to explain to the old woman.

After all, the woman was indeed human, and very likely the daughter of the old woman in front of her, but she was already dead.

What should Tang Sanzang say? Should he tell the old woman in front of him that her daughter had died at the hands of Sun Wukong?

Although Tang Sanzang temporarily chose to believe Sun Wukong, now that Sun Wukong's mother had come to his door, Tang Sanzang couldn't help but think about it.

After all, Sun Wukong was a demon who had once wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Court and was personally suppressed by the Buddha. His record was notorious.

Even if he were to commit indiscriminate killing, it wouldn't be entirely impossible. After all, during his rampage in Heaven, quite a few heavenly soldiers and generals died at Sun Wukong's hands.

Ultimately, it was because Sun Wukong never became Tang Sanzang's disciple and was not tricked by the Western Sect that he was forced to wear the golden headband.

Given Sun Wukong's strength, Tang Sanzang had absolutely no ability to restrain him; their relationship was more like a collaboration.

Otherwise, after awakening his past life memories, it would not be easy to sow discord between Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong.

However, deep down, Tang Sanzang already harbored some apprehension towards top-tier experts like Sun Wukong.

Moreover, with irrefutable evidence before him, it was only natural that Tang Sanzang would not doubt Sun Wukong.

"Hmph! You monster! I let you escape with your life just now, and you still dare to show your face in front of me!" Sun Wukong said angrily.

Sun Wukong didn't care what Tang Sanzang and the others thought. In Sun Wukong's eyes, the old man in front of him was clearly a monster.

Seeing Sun Wukong's fierce and menacing appearance, Tang Sanzang realized something was wrong and was about to stop him when Sun Wukong had already made his move.

With Tang Sanzang's current cultivation as a True Immortal, how could he possibly stop Sun Wukong, who was at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm? He could only watch helplessly as Sun Wukong struck him down with his staff.

Without any suspense, the Ruyi Jingu Bang was unleashed with overwhelming force. Moreover, having learned his lesson once, Sun Wukong held nothing back this time.

When the Ruyi Jingu Bang fell, Old Ou died instantly. This time, he didn't even leave behind any remains; he simply vanished into thin air.

"Master, look! This monkey has gone all out to destroy the evidence!" Pigsy shouted as soon as he saw this.

Sun Wukong frowned again. He was determined to kill any monster with that blow, thinking that no monster could escape his grasp.

But when the Ruyi Jingu Bang fell, the old monster was instantly reduced to ashes, yet Sun Wukong still felt that he had not killed the monster.

"What kind of monster is it that managed to escape from my grasp twice?" Sun Wukong muttered to himself.

It's no wonder Sun Wukong was so surprised, having escaped from his grasp twice without him noticing anything amiss.

Even for a quasi-saint level demon, achieving this would be virtually impossible. And are there quasi-saint level demons in Xiniu Hezhou?

"Sun Wukong! Regardless of whether that old woman is a monster or not, we should find out the truth before making a conclusion. Why did you make your move so easily?"

"If that woman and this old woman are both human, and you've simply misjudged them, aren't you indiscriminately killing innocent people?" Tang Sanzang said in a deep voice.

Before being reincarnated as a human, Tang Sanzang was the second disciple of Vairocana Buddha and was deeply influenced by Mahayana Buddhism.

The indiscriminate killing of innocent people is a major taboo in Mahayana Buddhism, and Tang Sanzang, as a highly accomplished monk, could not tolerate it under any circumstances.

Before he could even figure out what was going on, Sun Wukong attacked without asking any questions, killing two people in succession.

Even if the woman and the old woman were both demons, shouldn't Sun Wukong have asked Tang Sanzang for his opinion before taking action?

Even a clay figure has a temper! Besides, the journey to the West was originally led by Tang Sanzang, so how could Sun Wukong's behavior show that he didn't take him seriously?

"Hmph! Why should I, Old Sun, explain my actions to you? Believe it or not, I, Old Sun, am too lazy to bother with you!" Sun Wukong said disdainfully.

Sun Wukong was such a proud and arrogant person. If it weren't for Jiang Heng, would he have agreed to escort Tang Sanzang to the Western Paradise to obtain the scriptures?

However, whatever Sun Wukong promises, he will absolutely do his best to complete it, ensuring that nothing goes wrong.

Therefore, upon sensing that trace of evil energy, Sun Wukong acted without hesitation, not wanting any accidents to occur.

Faced with misunderstandings, Sun Wukong was too lazy to explain. Whether Tang Sanzang believed him or not, it didn't matter to him.

Seeing Sun Wukong's appearance, even Tang Sanzang, who was usually very good-tempered, turned ashen-faced.

After Tang Sanzang awakened his memories of his past life, he became quite shrewd. Even though he was furious, he did not immediately explode.

Tang Sanzang and his companions set off again, but this time, the atmosphere among them had become extremely heavy.

Not long after, an old man reappeared before Tang Sanzang and his group, repeatedly calling out the names of his wife and daughter.

How could Tang Sanzang not understand that the old man before him was clearly the woman's father and the old woman's husband?

Now that his wife and daughters have all been killed by Sun Wukong, the old man is naturally separated from them forever.

At this point, Tang Sanzang's mind began to lean towards a certain possibility, and he glared at Sun Wukong with anger.

But what happened next made Tang Sanzang unable to suppress his anger again, because Sun Wukong made his move once more.

Still holding his Ruyi Jingu Bang high, this time Sun Wukong even used the Victory Strike Technique, shattering the void itself.

However, even so, the old man was indeed completely annihilated, but the monster's trace was not revealed at all.

Faced with this undeniable fact, Tang Sanzang could no longer contain himself. After giving Sun Wukong a severe scolding, he decided to part ways with him completely.

Sun Wukong had never been treated with such humiliation. If he hadn't retained some rationality, he might have attacked Tang Sanzang directly in his rage.

Enraged, Sun Wukong parted ways with Tang Sanzang and flew alone towards Flower Fruit Mountain.

Unbeknownst to Sun Wukong, deep within White Tiger Ridge, the Ancient Buddha Dipankara had witnessed everything, his face beaming with a smug smile.

"The Master's methods are indeed unpredictable; even Sun Wukong didn't notice a thing!" said Dipankara Buddha.

"Hmph! Just a junior. If you want to see through my methods, you'd better go back and cultivate for a few more years!"

A cold snort rang out, and a figure appeared beside the Dipankara Buddha. It was none other than the Styx Ancestor, a renowned powerhouse in the primordial world.

"Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang have completely fallen out of favor, and it's time to begin the next phase of the plan!" Dipankara Buddha said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)