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

Chapter 218 The True Identity of Tang Sanzang!

Intense Buddhist light shot up from Tang Sanzang's body, enveloping the entire Western Paradise in its blazing light.

Bodhi Patriarch and Shakyamuni were greatly alarmed. They had no idea why Tang Sanzang would run into trouble at such a crucial moment.

The current Tang Sanzang is no longer the protagonist of the Journey to the West tribulation, nor is he a key figure in the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures.

The current Tang Sanzang has succeeded Vairocana Buddha as the leader of Mahayana Buddhism, and his importance is self-evident.

Whether it was the merging of Mahayana Buddhism with Western religions or the eastward transmission of Buddhism, the presiding over the events was indispensable.

It is no exaggeration to say that Tang Sanzang now carries the safety of the entire Western Paradise on his shoulders, and absolutely cannot afford to have any problems.

But at this very moment, Tang Sanzang underwent such a strange change, and the most crucial factor was actually what Jiang Heng had just said.

When Jiang Heng said that he had actually made arrangements in advance, the two saints of the Western Religion scoffed, thinking that it was simply impossible.

This was a scheme personally orchestrated by Dao Ancestor Hongjun. It was only natural that it was kept secret from Jiang Heng; it would be abnormal if Jiang Heng discovered it.

As for the Western Religion disappearing, the two saints of the Western Religion didn't really care at all.

Unless they are dead, how could the Western Sect possibly vanish? And would Dao Ancestor Hongjun let them perish so easily?

"You? What exactly did you do?" Patriarch Bodhi glared at Jiang Heng and said with extreme agitation.

Not knowing Tang Sanzang's situation, the two saints of the Western Sect dared not act rashly and could only vent their anger on Jiang Heng.

"What did I do? Don't you find it strange that I asked you for thirty relics of ancient Buddhas in the first place?"

"Does this emperor merely wish to help Tang Sanzang increase his strength, awaken his past life memories, and then use them against your Western Sect?" Jiang Heng said disdainfully.

There was certainly a reason why Jiang Heng asked the two saints of the Western Sect for thirty ancient Buddha relics.

The two saints of the Western religion might have cared at first, but after learning that Jiang Heng used thirty ancient Buddha relics on Tang Sanzang, they probably wouldn't care too much.

In the eyes of the two sages of the Western religion, Jiang Heng's actions were all for the purpose of cultivating Tang Sanzang, and his goal was very simple: to make Mahayana Buddhism completely overwhelm the Western religion.

But this is exactly what the Western religion wanted. If it weren't for the careful nurturing of Emperor Jiang Heng, how could Tang Sanzang have the strength he has today?

Even the two saints of the Western religion had to admire Jiang Heng, who actually managed to cultivate Tang Sanzang into a quasi-saint in just three hundred years.

Now, the Journey to the West tribulation has come to a perfect end, and Tang Sanzang, with the help of boundless merit, has stepped into the peak quasi-saint realm.

The existence of a peak Quasi-Saint is naturally a great help to the Western Sect, enabling it to instantly increase its strength.

Compared to a peak Quasi-Saint, the fall of Maitreya, Bhaisajyaguru, and Dipankara Buddha can be considered insignificant.

But the strange changes happening to Tang Sanzang now undoubtedly show that Jiang Heng's methods are far more terrifying than they imagined.

Clearly, those thirty ancient Buddha relics were not meant to help Tang Sanzang improve his strength, but rather had a much larger purpose.

"Your Majesty! No matter what you have done, with your teacher here, it will be difficult for you to succeed!" Shakyamuni said in a deep voice.

The strange changes in Tang Sanzang were incomprehensible to both Shakyamuni and Bodhi Patriarch, but they believed that Dao Ancestor Hongjun would surely have a solution.

As long as Dao Ancestor Hongjun is willing to intervene, Tang Sanzang will surely be safe and sound. At that time, the Western Paradise can still flourish.

"Hahaha! You only realized it now? But it's too late!" Jiang Heng said disdainfully.

"Indeed! The matter is settled; in this round, your Western religion has lost!"

A slightly joyful voice rang out, and amidst the astonished gazes of the two Western Saints, the Saint Nuwa manifested.

Nuwa, the sage, could not descend to the Immortal Realm in her true form; what came was merely an avatar.

"Nuwa! Why are you here? Could this matter be related to you?" Patriarch Bodhi said in a deep voice.

Since the Investiture of the Gods, the Sage Nuwa has always kept a very low profile, neither appearing in the Three Realms nor interfering in anything.

But at this moment, the Sage Nuwa manifested herself at Mount Ling in the Western Paradise, which inevitably made the two sages of the Western Sect think of a certain possibility.

"You Western religions are truly a bunch of fools! Since I have appeared at this time, this matter is naturally inseparable from me!" said the Sage Nuwa disdainfully.

"What does it have to do with you? You didn't participate in this great calamity at all, so how could it have anything to do with you?" Shakyamuni asked in a deep voice.

"I didn't participate in the Journey to the West calamity? Could it be that Sun Wukong wasn't born from my five-colored stone?" the sage Nuwa said disdainfully.

Nuwa, the Sage, has always been incredibly low-key, which almost made the two Sages of the Western Sect forget that Sun Wukong has a great relationship with Nuwa.

Sun Wukong was born from a five-colored stone that absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, and the five-colored stone itself was refined by the sage Nuwa when she mended the sky.

It is no exaggeration to say that Nuwa was Sun Wukong's parent, and the Journey to the West tribulation was inextricably linked to Nuwa from the very beginning.

"Very well! We will no longer force Sun Wukong to join our Western Sect. Please leave the Western Paradise immediately!" said Patriarch Bodhi in a deep voice.

Although giving up on subduing Sun Wukong was actually a huge loss for the Western Paradise, Patriarch Bodhi couldn't care less about that at this point.

The most pressing matter for the two saints of the Western Sect at this moment was resolving the abnormality surrounding Tang Sanzang as soon as possible.

Even if Sun Wukong is abandoned because of this, as long as Tang Sanzang's safety can be guaranteed, it is not unacceptable to the Western Sect.

"Hahaha! There's a saying that goes, 'It's easy to invite a Buddha, but hard to send him away!' Now that I'm here, today's events are no longer up to you Western Religion!"

"Holy Mother, please act quickly so that the Western Church can truly see reality!" Jiang Heng said with a smile.

Nuwa nodded to Jiang Heng, and with a wave of her hand, five-colored light enveloped Sun Wukong.

Sun Wukong was slightly startled, but at Jiang Heng's prompting, he ultimately did not choose to resist the five-colored light.

"Sun Wukong! You were born from a stone spirit, endowed with the fortune of heaven and earth, but fundamentally, you were born from the Five-Colored Stone!"

In a sense, you could be considered my child. This is your destiny, but also your constraint!

"Today I will seize your origin, settling the karmic debt between us. There will be no more debts between us!" said the Sage Nuwa.

Back then, due to the great calamity of the Lich King, Mount Buzhou collapsed, leaving the primordial world incomplete. It was the sage Nuwa who used her blood to refine stones and mend the heavens.

Each of the five-colored stones actually contains the essence and blood of the sage Nuwa. It's perfectly reasonable for Nuwa to say that Sun Wukong is of her bloodline.

With another flick of his finger, bathed in multicolored light, a drop of blood slowly flew out from Sun Wukong's body.

This drop of blood shimmered with holy light. It looked very small, but upon closer inspection, one would find that this drop of blood was like a vast world.

This is the blood of the saint! The essence of the saint Nuwa! The essence of the saint contains supreme creation; even a single drop can enable any living being to ascend to heaven in one step.

Before the Great Tribulation of Journey to the West arrived, Jiang Heng had reminded the Sage Nuwa to make arrangements in advance for the Great Tribulation of Journey to the West.

As Jiang Heng had predicted, the sage Nuwa did indeed take action, and she even plotted against Sun Wukong.

Actually, it's quite simple. The sage Nuwa simply condensed the essence and blood from the five-colored stones into a drop of holy blood.

The reason why Sun Wukong was able to reach the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm in just over a thousand years was not only due to Jiang Heng's training, but also because of this drop of holy blood.

After Sun Wukong truly mastered the Victory Strike Technique to perfection and successfully took that step, this drop of holy blood was truly conceived and matured.

Just as the sage Nuwa said, she is now taking this drop of holy blood from Sun Wukong's body, which is actually Sun Wukong repaying the karma between him and the sage Nuwa.

However, Nuwa did this not to treat Sun Wukong as a tool, but to help him.

For Sun Wukong, the five-colored stone was both his unparalleled foundation and his personal constraint.

When Sun Wukong reached the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm, he broke free from these constraints, thus opening up infinite possibilities for his future.

The key is that Sun Wukong was able to cultivate the Victory Strike Technique to perfection and break free from his own constraints.

But this is not entirely true. Sun Wukong still carries traces of the sage Nuwa, which is derived from the sage's bloodline.

At Sun Wukong's current level, the essence and blood of saints are no longer an aid to him, but rather a constraint.

Now, the sage Nuwa has taken this drop of holy blood from Sun Wukong's body, which also means that Sun Wukong will completely break free from his own constraints.

At this moment, Sun Wukong truly reached the limit of the Quasi-Saint realm, standing on the same level as Yang Jian.

In this way, although Nuwa did indeed use Sun Wukong, they were no longer indebted to each other.

After extracting the drop of holy blood, the Sage Nuwa raised her hand and pointed, and the drop of holy blood, shimmering with brilliant light, went towards Tang Sanzang, who was shrouded in Buddhist light.

Bodhi Patriarch and Shakyamuni's expressions changed drastically. Just as they were about to stop him, Jiang Heng stepped forward and blocked their way.

Under Jiang Heng's intense gaze, the two saintly incarnations of the Western Sect were immediately on high alert and dared not make the slightest move.

Just as the drop of holy blood was about to approach Tang Sanzang, suddenly, space and time were affected by an invisible force and completely frozen.

The figure of Dao Ancestor Hongjun appeared, looking at Jiang Heng and the Sage Nuwa with a gloomy expression and his eyes were full of inexplicable meaning.

"To be able to deceive both my and the Heavenly Dao's perceptions, the Human Emperor's methods are as brilliant as ever!" Dao Ancestor Hongjun said in a deep voice.

Since Dao Ancestor Hongjun has already appeared in the Western Paradise, he must have seen through Jiang Heng and the Sage Nuwa's many schemes.

Jiang Heng was not surprised by this, after all, it was a scheme under the very nose of the Heavenly Dao. It could deceive the Heavenly Dao for a while, but it could not deceive the Heavenly Dao forever.

The appearance of Dao Ancestor Hongjun at this time was actually a logical consequence. After all, he could not stand idly by and watch the Western Sect truly perish.

The Great Tribulation of Journey to the West had officially come to an end, and the Heavenly Dao had entered its final, perfect stage. Naturally, Dao Ancestor Hongjun had no more reservations.

Moreover, the eastward transmission of Buddhism was a plan laid out long ago by the Heavenly Dao and the Dao Ancestor Hongjun. The key question is whether the Heavenly Dao can be above the Human Dao.

The Western religion is fundamental; if even the Western religion ceases to exist, then the eastward transmission of Buddhism will naturally lose all meaning.

This is not in the interest of Heaven and Dao Ancestor Hongjun. Dao Ancestor Hongjun appeared at this time, naturally to stop Jiang Heng and the Sage Nuwa.

"Greetings, Master!" Bodhi Patriarch, Shakyamuni, Nuwa Sage, and the incarnation of Tongtian Sect Master all stepped forward to pay homage to Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

Only Jiang Heng stood opposite Dao Ancestor Hongjun, looking at him with a half-smile, but without any reverence.

"The Dao Ancestor has only arrived at this time. Isn't he afraid that things are already set in stone?" Jiang Heng said with a smile.

"Now that I have arrived here, nothing is set in stone!" Dao Ancestor Hongjun said coldly.

As the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao, at the moment when the Heavenly Dao was about to reach its perfection, Dao Ancestor Hongjun was almost an omnipotent being in the primordial world.

Even if things had become a fait accompli, Dao Ancestor Hongjun was confident that he could change them.

"Hahaha! Dao Ancestor, this is not the first time you have fought with me, why do you still say such naive things!"

"If I were not certain of victory in the struggle against the Dao Ancestor and the Heavenly Dao, why would I waste my efforts?" Jiang Heng said.

At this moment, Jiang Heng's face was full of smiles, and all the powerful figures present could feel his strong confidence.

Even though the Dao Ancestor Hongjun had personally descended, the two saints of the Western Sect were still somewhat uneasy.

The incarnations of Nuwa and Tongtian Jiaozhu remained indifferent, as if they had already known this scene would unfold.

"Oh? During the time of the real and fake Sun Wukong, I also made a move to test him. Human Emperor, you don't think I didn't find anything, do you?" Dao Ancestor Hongjun said in a deep voice.

"The real and fake Sun Wukong? I know perfectly well. With the Dao Ancestor's methods, he wouldn't resort to such a low-level trick!"

"Since you wish to test me, I am naturally happy to oblige. In this great calamity, everyone is putting on an act, so why should I be an exception?" Jiang Heng said.

When the real and fake Sun Wukong were in the scene, Jiang Heng had already realized that this was indeed the method of Dao Ancestor Hongjun, but the method was not particularly clever.

At that time, not only did Dao Ancestor Hongjun notice something unusual, but Jiang Heng also noticed quite a bit.

It was just a mutual test. Although Dao Ancestor Hongjun's methods were somewhat low-level, as long as the goal could be achieved, low-level methods could sometimes be quite effective.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun was not unaware that Jiang Heng was playing along with him, but as long as he could detect even the slightest abnormality, that was enough.

"Hmph! This matter ends here. You may all leave, and I will not pursue this matter any further!" Dao Ancestor Hongjun said in a deep voice.

The fact that he could say these words clearly shows that the current Dao Ancestor Hongjun still does not want to completely break with Jiang Heng.

After all, before the Heavenly Dao had truly matured, even Dao Ancestor Hongjun was not certain of victory, and he did not want to take any risks.

In the eyes of Dao Ancestor Hongjun, once the Heavenly Dao was truly perfected, suppressing sages like Jiang Heng would be a matter of mere pie.

In that case, it is far more beneficial to let the Way of Heaven be fulfilled smoothly than to act rashly at this time.

"Hahaha! Now that I have made my move, I naturally need a result. Once the arrow is released, there is no turning back," Jiang Heng said.

Jiang Heng and the Sage Nuwa began their planning even before the Journey to the West calamity began, and they devoted countless efforts to it.

Did Dao Ancestor Hongjun really think he could make Jiang Heng and the Sage Nuwa abandon their plans with just a casual remark? It's not that easy.

Let alone Jiang Heng being unwilling, even the Sage Nuwa would not give up this rare opportunity, even if it meant facing Dao Ancestor Hongjun directly.

"Human Emperor! Can't you see reality even now? Now that your scheme has been exposed, how can you expect to succeed?" Dao Ancestor Hongjun said disdainfully.

Now that Dao Ancestor Hongjun has appeared in the Western Paradise, how could he allow Jiang Heng and the Sage Nuwa's plan to proceed smoothly?

Given Dao Ancestor Hongjun's strength, unless Jiang Heng descends in his true form, he would have no chance against Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

If Jiang Heng were to descend in his true form, it would completely break the prohibition imposed by Dao Ancestor Hongjun and violate the oath he had made.

"Some things, once they've happened, can't be easily changed, not even by Dao Ancestor like you!" Jiang Heng said disdainfully.

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Sanzang underwent another change. A phantom figure appeared in the dazzling Buddhist light.

The space-time imprisoned by Dao Ancestor Hongjun still fluctuated violently, and that drop of holy blood actually headed towards Tang Sanzang once again.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun was slightly startled. To break through the space-time he had imprisoned, one would need at least the strength of a Saint.

The current Tang Sanzang has obviously not reached the realm of a saint, but he has still broken through the space-time that he had imprisoned.

Given Dao Ancestor Hongjun's strength, it's not hard to see that neither Jiang Heng nor Nuwa made a move at this time.

"This? This is the immense fortune of the Western Paradise, all condensed in Tang Sanzang alone?" Dao Ancestor Hongjun said in a deep voice.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun is right. With Tang Sanzang's current strength, it is naturally impossible for him to break through the space-time confinement imposed by Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

However, after becoming the leader of Mahayana Buddhism, he announced that Mahayana Buddhism and Western Buddhism would be united as one, and that the fate of Western Buddhism was now tied to Tang Sanzang alone.

Now, the great calamity of Journey to the West has just ended, and the Western Sect has reached its peak of fortune because of this calamity.

Even the spacetime imprisoned by Dao Ancestor Hongjun was no longer so unbreakable in the face of the immense fortune of the Western Sect.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun looked at Tang Sanzang with a gloomy expression, but did not choose to make a move. It was not that he was unwilling to make a move, but that he could not make a move.

"Since you want to scheme against me and use me to help the Western Religion flourish, I will naturally grant your wish."

"Now, the Western religion is flourishing, but its fortune is concentrated on Tang Sanzang alone. Even you, the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, cannot intervene!" Jiang Heng said with a smile.

To others, Jiang Heng's initial agreement to the eastward transmission of Buddhism was seen as a compromise by the emperor.

But only Jiang Heng himself knew the truth: compromise? Jiang Heng did not compromise during the Lich War, nor during the Investiture of the Gods, so why would he compromise during the Journey to the West?

The reason Jiang Heng allowed Buddhism to spread eastward and Mahayana Buddhism to spread among the human race was actually for the sake of today's scene.

Since the Western Sect and Tao Ancestor Hongjun wanted to play tricks, Jiang Heng simply went along with it and devoted himself to nurturing Tang Sanzang.

Perhaps, in the eyes of the Western religion and the Taoist patriarch Hongjun, everything Jiang Heng did was to benefit them.

But if it weren't for Jiang Heng's dedicated training, how could Tang Sanzang have reached the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm in just three hundred years?

If he did not possess such cultivation, how could the two saints of the Western Sect have allowed Tang Sanzang to become the new ancestor of all Buddhas in Mahayana Buddhism?

Jiang Heng even went so far as to kill Maitreya, Bhaisajyaguru, and Dipankara Buddha in order to weaken the Western Sect's power and make Tang Sanzang the leader of the Western Sect's disciples.

In this way, the two saints of the Western Religion would choose Tang Sanzang to lead the unification of Mahayana Buddhism and the Western Religion.

In this way, it was only natural that Tang Sanzang would gather the fortunes of both the Western Paradise and Mahayana Buddhism into himself.

This was originally a plan devised by Daoist Ancestor Hongjun and two sages of the Western Sect, with Tang Sanzang gathering all the fortune of the Western Sect to preside over the eastward transmission of Buddhism.

As long as Buddhism flourishes among humans and the doctrines of Western religions spread among humans, their goal will be achieved.

But all of this is predicated on the fact that Tang Sanzang is a disciple of the Western Sect, a direct disciple of the Sage of Guidance, and represents the will of the Western Sect.

However, if Tang Sanzang is not actually Tang Sanzang, but someone else entirely, then the schemes of the Western Sect and Tao Ancestor Hongjun will completely fail.

Then it's not that Nuwa and Jiang Heng are making wedding dresses for the Western Sect, but rather that the Western Sect and Tao Ancestor Hongjun are making wedding dresses for Jiang Heng and Nuwa.

Just like now, Tang Sanzang is bound to the entire fortune of the Western Paradise, and even the Dao Ancestor Hongjun cannot attack him.

"What tricks did you play? Who exactly is Tang Sanzang?" Shakyamuni's expression had turned extremely gloomy as he spoke angrily.

The importance of Tang Sanzang to the Western Paradise is self-evident. Seeing such a change in Tang Sanzang, Shakyamuni suddenly felt uneasy.

At this moment, the two saints of the Western Sect were able to see a clue. They were certain that the Tang Sanzang in front of them was not the Tang Sanzang of the past.

The aura emanating from that illusory figure was somewhat familiar to the two saints of the Western Sect, yet somehow also seemed vaguely familiar.

"It's actually Fuxi! You really have some impressive methods!" Dao Ancestor Hongjun said in a deep voice.

The two saints of the Western Sect could not discern who Tang Sanzang was, but with the power of the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, he had already seen through the truth.

The Tang Sanzang before us is no longer Jin Chanzi, the direct disciple of the Sage of Guidance; he is clearly Fuxi, the elder brother of the Sage Nuwa.

Such a deceptive tactic, which managed to fool both Dao Ancestor Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao, is simply unbelievable.

Even now, Dao Ancestor Hongjun is unsure exactly when Jiang Heng replaced Tang Sanzang with Fuxi.

After learning that Tang Sanzang was actually Fuxi, it became quite obvious what Jiang Heng and the sage Nuwa were plotting.

"Fuxi pays respects to the Dao Ancestor! Pays respects to all the sages!" Tang Sanzang said softly with a smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)