Chapter Twenty: The Buddha Subdues the Demon, Foot of the Flaming Mountain

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  Outside the Lingxiao Gate, Tathagata led Ananda and Mahakasyapa to stand still, looking towards a group of people who were fighting not far away. They saw that the Monkey King was fierce in battle, and along with the thirty-six heavenly generals of the Thunder Department and the Fire Department's Wang Lingguan, they had been fighting until now without a victor, and even seemed to be growing more courageous as the fight went on.

  "Amitabha!"

  Listening to the monkey's boastful remarks, Tathagata chanted a Buddha's name and then said to the nearby True Lord Erlang: "Pass on my order, tell all the heavenly generals to put down their arms, release the Monkey King, and let me see what magical powers he has."

  "Yes!" Yun Sheng Zhen Jun heard this and didn't dare to be slow. He received the Buddha's order and let the heavenly gods retreat and disperse.

  The multitude of gods stopped their hands and retreated to one side, and the monkey also put away his magic image and no longer entangled. With a face full of anger, he walked forward and saw that the three Tathagatas were sitting in meditation with their eyes closed, and the heavenly gods were standing respectfully beside them. Knowing that these three were the masters, he raised the staff in his hand, pointed at the Tathagata from afar, and shouted: "Which road's demon god are you? You also dare to stop my sword and question me?"

  "I am the Western Sacred Mountain, the Central Pure Land of Vairocana. I am Sakyamuni Buddha. Now, I hear that you are arrogant and coarse, repeatedly rebelling against Heaven, not knowing where you were born? In what year did you attain enlightenment? Why are you so overbearing?" The Tathagata heard this and opened his eyes.

  A ray of light flashed by, and the monkey felt a sudden shock in his heart, so he withdrew the golden hoop rod in his hand and did not dare to point it at the venerable one.

  "Hmm!" He immediately woke up with a start, Sun Wukong let out a soft hum, and it was clear that the other party's magical powers were vast, and just one glance had made his own side lose its composure.

  However, he refused to back down. Although he didn't dare show disrespect again, when he heard the other party's question, a hint of a smile appeared on his face as he opened his mouth and said, "You listen carefully."

  He said, however, and swung his own stick in his hand, looking at the Tathagata Buddha with a smile: "I was originally:

  Heaven and earth produce spiritual chaos, an old ape in the mountains of flowers and fruit. The Water Curtain Cave is his home, he pays homage to friends and seeks a master to comprehend the great mystery. He has cultivated many methods for achieving immortality, and learned transformations without bounds. Due to the mortal world's narrowness, he sets his mind on dwelling in the Jade Heaven. The Lingxiao Treasure Hall is not far off, with successive generations of kings having transmitted its secrets. The strong are revered, it is fitting that I should be first, heroes only dare to contend for this."

  "Haha!"

  When the Great Sage finished speaking, the Buddha burst out laughing and looked at Monkey's head: "You are just a monkey who has attained enlightenment, how dare you deceive your heart and want to seize the Jade Emperor's position? Think of that great Heavenly Master who has been cultivating since childhood, going through 1,750 kalpas, each kalpa lasting 129,600 years. Only then can one enjoy the infinite Great Tao. You are just a monkey who has just learned to be human, yet you speak wildly and are not worthy of being called a man!"

  "Hum! He may have been cultivating for a long time, but he shouldn't occupy this position. As the saying goes, 'The emperor's throne is passed on, next year it will be my turn.' If he doesn't want to give up this heavenly court, I'll strike his Lingxiao Treasure Palace and knock him off the throne, only then will I show my boundless divine powers."

  The Great Sage heard this and was also dissatisfied. He opened his mouth to speak coldly, his eyes fixed on the Tathagata and the various gods, as if a single disagreement would lead to a fight.

  "Alas, alas!" The Tathagata shook his head and looked at the monkey, saying: "I have given you good advice, considering how difficult it is for you to cultivate. I didn't expect you to insist on this, which is not right. However, since you have spoken, what divine powers do you possess that makes you dare to contend for the Jade Emperor's position?"

  "Haha!" Monkey King Sun Wukong heard this, and with a wave of his iron rod, said: "My skills are many! I have the 72 transformations of the Earthly Fiend, immortality for ten thousand kalpas, the ability to ride the筋斗 cloud, and can travel 108,000 miles in a single leap. What do you think?"

  "Oh?" The Tathagata heard this and a sharp light flashed in his eyes, but he smiled and said: "Very well, since the Monkey King's magical powers are so great, I'll make a bet with you."

  "How to gamble?" Sun Wukong was originally wary of the person in front of him, whose cultivation was deep and unpredictable, and did not want to fight with him, but hearing this, he had some interest.

  "I'll make a bet with you, if you can somersault out of my palm, I'll let the Great Heavenly Lord descend from the Lingxiao Treasure Hall and yield to you. If you can't, you'll return to the mortal world as a demon, reincarnate several times, and continue to cause trouble." The Tathagata saw Monkey's expression, but instead laughed and stretched out his left hand in front of the monkey, transforming it into a size of dozens of feet square.

  "Hiss!"

  Suddenly, the Tathagata made a move, and the Great Sage was startled in his heart, hastily retreating two steps. Seeing that he had only transformed his palm into a hundred or so feet in circumference, with no other movement, he put his mind at ease. Hearing what he said, however, he secretly laughed to himself: "I, old Sun, can jump out of 100,000 miles with one somersault; this palm of his is only the size of an inch, how could I not jump out?"

  He smiled and looked up at the Tathagata, saying: "You say so, but can you take responsibility for it?"

  "A monk does not speak falsely. What I say, I will do." The Buddha nodded his head, but a hint of cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

  "Alright! It's settled." Wukong saw this, but he was already standing on the palm of the Tathagata, and facing the people in all directions, said "I'm leaving!"

  Turned into a golden light, flying out, the immortals pressed their cloud paths, and in an instant there was no trace.

  "Hiss!"

  The other gods saw this, and were shocked in their hearts. They all looked towards the central Buddha, seeing his face calm and serene, thinking that there was no problem, so they quietly waited without speaking...

  But Sun Wukong made a somersault and disappeared into the vast clouds and fog without leaving any trace.

  At this moment, in a small town at the foot of Huoyan Mountain in Xiniu Hezhou, three people had arrived. They were an old Taoist in green clothes, a young man in white clothes and a golden-haired child.

  The three were born, the old Taoist had a pair of Danfeng eyes, his eyes were divine, his face was like a crowned jade, and he looked quite majestic. He had a head of disheveled hair, combed into a bun and secured with a jade pin. A pair of jade hooks hung from his waist, shining brightly in the cold light. He also wore a pair of brocade cloud shoes, and as he walked, he seemed to be striding through the wind, causing passersby to turn their heads in admiration.

  That young man was extraordinary, wearing a white silk robe with flame-like patterns, his face as smooth as applied powder, his mouth as if holding a pearl, his hair was dark and glossy, his eyebrows were like finely carved knives. In his hand he held a white paper fan painted with flowers, birds, insects, and fish, which was quite exquisite. At his waist hung an incense sachet and two jade pendants, making a "ting-ting" sound as he walked, truly a handsome young man. The village girls stopped in their tracks, blushing and feeling embarrassed, unwilling to leave. Even some of the men who saw this young man were secretly guessing in their hearts, what country's prince or noble son could this beautiful young man be?

  That little kid who was jumping and walking at the end also had a lovely face, very lively and cute.

  These three people were naturally the Red Boy and his party who had just left Mount Wanshou. It is unknown what kind of magic was used by Zhenyuan Daxian, but the three of them only felt that they had passed through the clouds for an instant, and then came from Mount Wanshou thousands of miles away to this place.

  "Unexpectedly, in just half a year, Qing Shan Town has changed its appearance." Hong Haier looked around, not caring about the curious glances of passersby, but with some sighs. Half a year ago, when he was still recovering from his injuries, Hong Haier, as a young boy, had followed Yu Yi Zhen Xian to this human market near Cui Yun Mountain for a stroll.

  Half a year has passed, and Hong Haier has changed his appearance. Who would have thought that Qing Shan Town is also different from before?

  Flaming Mountain descended, and within a hundred miles, it turned into a barren land. The rivers dried up, and the trees withered. This Qing Shan town had lost its former beauty, and it seemed like autumn had arrived early. The trees were dry and cracked, the ground was parched, and the townspeople's faces were filled with worry. Although this place was still far from Flaming Mountain, it was still affected, and for half a month, there was no rain. Ponds and wells all dried up.

  "My cheap uncle is indeed sinful to the extreme, and he still needs to bear all these consequences himself." Seeing the hardships of the townspeople's lives, Hong Haier let out a soft sigh.

  "Hum! That macaque, a petty person who forgets righteousness for profit, is also worthy of being called brother with my elder brother?" After leaving the Five Villas View, he naturally heard about Sun Wukong's great disturbance in Heaven. The Intentional True Immortal was somewhat disdainful of this.

  "You're quite bold for a child, daring to discuss cause and effect." Just then, an unpleasant voice came from beside him.

  Hong Haier heard the words and looked around, only to see a Taoist priest sitting at his fortune-telling stall, staring intently at him.

  "Sir, you're polite!" Hong Haier extended his spiritual sense to probe, but felt no unusual fluctuations, as if the Taoist was just an ordinary person. However, Hong Haier's heart was heavy with apprehension, and he walked forward to pay his respects to the Taoist. Since the Taoist dared to speak to him in such a manner, he must have had some backing. Moreover, it was often said that when one is outside, there are three types of people who should not be easily offended: the elderly, children, and monks. Among these three, it was easiest for someone with extraordinary skills to disguise themselves as one of them.

  "You, a young and ignorant child, dare to discuss the principles of cause and effect? Even Shakyamuni from the Western Heaven wouldn't claim to have fully comprehended it. Yet you speak such reckless words." The Taoist saw the three Red Boys and burst out laughing.

  "Hmm!" The nearby Yuanyi True Immortal heard the words, but had some anger in his tone. With his Dharma eye observing him, he found that this Taoist had no cultivation and no special or suspicious aura about him. Unless this Taoist's cultivation was extremely high, surpassing the Mahāyāna realm, like the master of Wanshou Mountain. But people with such cultivation, aren't they all famous and well-known? How could they easily descend to the mortal world, and coincidentally be encountered by themselves?

  In his heart, he had long regarded this Taoist as a swindler who mixed and drank in the mortal world. But bluntly said to the Taoist: "You are so rude, you only know some eight trigrams divination, deceiving people's tricks, dare to speak deceitfully to my uncle and nephew? What's the use of saying that the Western Heaven Tathagata Buddha is such a sage, can you even discuss it?"

  "Haha!" Upon hearing the words of Ruyi Zhenxian, that Taoist priest burst out laughing, his eyes emitting two dazzling rays of light. He stood up from the stall and faced Ruyi Zhenxian, laughing loudly: "I recognize you! You are the younger brother of Niuleiweng, the Ox Demon King of Julieshan, and the Ruyi Zhenxian of Luotaiquan Po'er Cave."