From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

Seeing that the golden box had not caught fire, Tiger Power Immortal assumed that the monkey was having trouble making a move and wanted to decide the winner in the final round, so he laughed loudly.

The king reached under his buttocks and indeed felt a dragon robe. He picked it up and exclaimed in surprise, "Could it really be a tattered monk's robe in that box?"

The princess was also somewhat flustered—

Could we have guessed wrong?

"Princess, do not worry. Even if you lose, it's still one win and one loss. It doesn't matter."

Jiang Liu reassured the princess, the golden lotus in his eyes disappeared, and then said to the king, "Your Majesty, is it a monk's robe or a dragon robe? You'll know once you open it. Why doubt it?"

As the king, your words are law; how could you possibly doubt the items you placed within them?

Implication:

If you have doubts about what you have placed there—

Nor is he worthy of being an emperor!

Chapter 1494 All That the Eye of Truth Sees Is True

Upon hearing the rumors, the king neither confirmed nor denied them, but ordered his men to open the golden box.

Once the box was opened, the protective spell dissipated, and everyone looked around to see a set of dragon robes folded inside, gleaming with golden light and displaying majestic dragon patterns.

"It's a dragon robe!"

The civil official shouted.

"It really is a dragon robe!"

The military general shouted.

"Is this really the dragon robe I placed here?"

The king was shocked and ordered his men to bring up the dragon robe from the river. He then spread out the dragon robe that had been taken from his seat. When they compared the two, there was not a single difference between them!

All woven with gold thread!

They are all decorated with dragon patterns!

Even the folds at the hem and the silk threads at the cuffs are exactly the same!

The Second National Preceptor, Yuanjue, was certain that the protective spell he had cast only dissipated the moment the box was opened. If the monkey were to cast a spell instead of that tattered, discarded bell, it would surely trigger the magic and cause the fire to start.

But what's going on now?

What kind of supernatural powers did that monkey cultivate?

They were able to pull off such a shocking and audacious feat!

That's terrifying!

For a moment, Yuanjue and Shengwen trembled all over, a great terror rising in their hearts. They transmitted their voices to Huli and said, "Brother, why don't we just acknowledge him as Sun Wukong!"

These two demons were deer and sheep spirits, and were originally vegetarians. Now that they had witnessed such an incomprehensible thing, they dared not fight with them anymore.

As for face...

They had long forgotten their past lives, and in this life, they were enlightened by the Tiger Power Immortal and were able to cultivate into human form. They cherished their lives and did not want to continue.

But how could Huli be willing to give up?

Furthermore,

He didn't actually compete with the monkey. Even if he lost this guessing game, he could still use other methods. In short, it wouldn't kill him, so why should he be afraid of it?

So he said, "You're scared, but I'm not. Let's guess one last time. This time I'm going to catch him red-handed!"

So he said to the king, “Your Majesty, do not be surprised. The princess was just lucky the first two times. Now there is only one last time. I will make sure they have nothing to say.”

Seeing his confident assertion, the king was somewhat frightened, for he had already realized the power of the river through these two attempts to guess the object through the partition.

These three imperial advisors must have secretly sabotaged things, but they were outmatched and had already failed twice. Continuing would only bring them further humiliation.

"Imperial Advisor, do you really want to compete? You've already lost twice!"

"What are you saying, Your Majesty? We were merely being modest before, how could we say we lost? As the saying goes, 'To see things through to the end!' Even if they won twice, this third time must still be played, otherwise wouldn't all of Your Majesty's preparations have been in vain?"

The king was speechless at these words, but he figured that the three royal advisors had only lost face and it wouldn't be a big deal. Besides, these three had never knelt before him before, so if they could be taught a lesson by these strange-looking people, they might become more humble in the future.

Therefore.

He stopped trying to persuade them and simply asked Jiang Liu, "What do you think, Dharma Masters from the East?"

"What does the princess think?"

Jiang Liu, however, did not make the decision for his disciple.

The princess was moved when her master gave her the choice, and said to the king, "Your Majesty, I would like to guess what is in the third box."

"This is none other than the Imperial Seal of Everlasting Life and Prosperity!"

Upon hearing her recount the contents of the jade box, the king sighed again and asked Lei Yin, "Little monk, tell me, what's in this last box?"

"Please wait a moment, Your Majesty."

Lei Yin continued to argue vehemently, pretending that he had attained the ability to see the heavens.

This time, Hu Li personally took action, sending out a wisp of his primordial spirit that circulated throughout his body and entered the jade box. Inside, he found the Imperial Seal of the State and couldn't help but praise in his heart, "She is indeed my own daughter, otherwise how would I know? Watch me perform my ritual!"

His primordial spirit trembled slightly, and he took out a bracelet, pressed it against the jade seal, and slipped it away, as if he hadn't put anything away.

Just as he was about to return to his physical body, Tiger Power's primordial spirit thought, "Oh no! If I leave, what should I do if that monkey conjures up another jade seal?"

I will send a telepathic message to Lei Yin, while my primordial spirit remains inside the jade box. If that monkey sneaks in, I will catch him red-handed.

They simply can't catch him, but if they make a big fuss, it will surely alarm the king and expose the monkey's secret cheating."

With this thought in mind, he proceeded according to plan.

Lei Yin, who was outside the jade box, was surprised to receive the message, but dared not answer rashly. He simply replied as Hu Li had instructed, "Your Majesty, this jade box is different from the previous two boxes. It is completely empty, just air."

Upon hearing this, the king stood up abruptly from his throne and exclaimed, "How can it be empty? I placed the imperial seal there myself!"

Do you know why he was so angry?

Two gold hairpins are fine, two dragon robes are also acceptable, but the Imperial Seal of the State has been passed down from generation to generation, how can there be two of them?

This is outrageous!

"Your Majesty, please calm down. We will know whether there is an imperial seal in the box once we open it."

Civil and military officials hurriedly offered their advice.

"Open!"

Upon hearing the emperor's words, the palace maid hurriedly opened the box and indeed found an imperial seal.

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief, and without even looking at the novice monk, asked Huli, "Grand Preceptor, you have lost three times in a row, what else do you have to say?"

But Hu Li stood there dumbfounded, not uttering a word.

"Ok?"

The king was displeased. In the past, it was one thing for the three of them not to bow to him when they came to court, but now they wouldn't even answer his questions.

How rude!

But he dared not blame him, and only tentatively asked, "Imperial Preceptor?"

The Śrāvaka and Pratyekabuddha sensed something was wrong, nudged Huli, and cried out together, "Brother, the king is asking you a question!"

With just that push, Hu Li fell to the ground, rolled over, and revealed his true form: a large, mottled worm. Truly:

White forehead and round head, flowery body and piercing eyes. Four hooves, straight and majestic; twenty claws, hooked and sharp. Serrated teeth covering the mouth, pointed ears connected to the eyebrows.

It is ferocious and strong, like a large cat, and fierce and powerful, like a yellow calf.

Its stiff whiskers pierced straight into the silver bar, its sharp tongue spitting out foul breath.

Indeed, it was a fierce and colorful beast, its majestic presence sweeping through the palace.

It turned out that Jiang Liu had already noticed that Hu Li's primordial spirit had entered the jade box, so he also left his body and entered the jade box. Before Hu Li could react, Jiang Liu took the Vajra Bracelet, returned the jade seal, and shattered Hu Li's primordial spirit with a slap.

Without his primordial spirit, Hu Li's physical body could no longer maintain its human form. It was fine if outsiders didn't touch him, but even a slight touch would disrupt the circulation of his internal energy, making it difficult for him to cultivate. He would then reveal his true form, devoid of spirit and will, possessing only instinct.

Because it was left with only instinct, this large, colorful insect smelled the stench of sheep and deer and pounced on the Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas.

"Roar!"

A tiger's roar startled the Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas, causing them to tremble and reveal their true forms. The Sravaka transformed into a mountain goat, and the Pratyekabuddha into a horned deer. Driven by instinct, they fled out of the hall.

"Kill that tiger, and capture the deer and sheep alive!"

Jiang Liu shouted loudly.

The unicorn couldn't wait any longer. It ran on all fours, caught up with the tiger, and with a stab of its horn, pierced the tiger's belly. With another stab, it tore off the tiger's intestines.

In less than half a moment, the large, colorful worm was already exhaling more and inhaling less.

Hu Yuan and Hu Jue transformed into the wind, intercepting the deer and sheep, pinning them to the ground, preventing their escape...

Chapter 1495 The Three Vehicles and the Three Vehicles: The Union of Taoism and Buddhism

Now, the three demons transformed into their true forms, terrifying all the civil and military officials, and frightening the king and queen. The king, in particular, cried out incessantly upon seeing the demons' true forms.

This is precisely:

The true secret of shifting forms and changing objects, the wondrous truth of stealing the sky and changing the sun. Yet, the divine eye sees only emptiness, and objects can be transformed at will, surpassing the three demons.

Refining the Yin spirit to produce the Yang spirit is arduous, as the primordial spirit often slips away. Alas, even a tiger's roar cannot guarantee the stability of the human body.

Seeing him weeping, Pigsy exclaimed, "How can you, king, be so muddleheaded?"

They are the three monsters from five hundred years ago. They were Taoist priests back then and Buddhist monks now. They can summon wind and rain, and subdue demons and monsters, all for the sake of seizing your country. Why cry for them?

If one could attain immortality simply by seeking immortality and worshipping Buddha, why would we, as practitioners, need to retrace our steps on the journey to the West?

Upon hearing this, the king suddenly realized his mistake, the incantations around him dissipated, and he bowed to Jiang Liu, saying, "Thank you, Master Sun Wukong, for rid my country of evil! I am willing to acknowledge you as my royal advisor!"

Jiang Liu chuckled and said, "To be honest, Your Majesty, let alone being the Imperial Preceptor, I could be the emperor of the world if I wanted to. However, we are cultivators, living in harmony with the world and the people. We only hope that everyone will be enlightened, positive, and encourage each other, so that there will be no more disputes."

"If one becomes the imperial advisor or the emperor, this conflict, even if it doesn't exist initially, will eventually arise."